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an-annyeoing-writer · 3 years ago

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vulnerability. – chap. 3.

Story info:

Pair: Byun Baekhyun x Reader

Rating: +18 for mentions of s*x and violence (future chapters)

Genre: angst, smut

Chapter info:

Release date: 29th July 2021

Word count: 4 219

Warnings: none

Vulnerability Masterlist || Fanfiction Masterlist || Ko-Fi

Taglist:

@shesdreaminginoverdose @mybiasdashboard @marimsun @byuns-asscheeks @multi–kpop–fanfics @vunv @making-me-blush @skittlez-area512 @bloopbloopkai @byuns-asscheeks @baekyeonoreo @devotedexolnhottest @mingxia-nikki04 @velvetjongin @ssssssul (won't let me tag you T_T) @nemi-mei @buttercupbbh

Please, always comment on the newest chapter if you wish to be added to/removed from the taglist. I will be also checking the tags, so if you’re shy – feel free to leave a note this way.

Previous (Chap. 2.)

Chap. 3.

The tension that appeared the moment you received the phone call from Baekhyun did not dissolve with time. In fact, the opposite happened – it grew as the time passed, and as Saturday came closer and closer. Finally, once your Friday to Saturday night shift came to an end and you stumbled into your flat around 4 in the morning, you knew that you wouldn’t be able to fall asleep easily. Yet, you forced a whole cup of green tea into yourself in an attempt to soothe your nerves before sleep. Your alarm was set for noon, and you were supposed to meet at 3 PM.

You woke up feeling energized, but you knew this pattern all too well already – the tiredness would come and hit you with its whole power the day after, and you’d spend Sunday sluggish and drained. But that was okay, because Sunday didn’t matter half as much as Saturday did.

You felt a small urge to dress up; even more, actually, you felt a need to pay attention to details rather than looking fine at the first glance. Some common sense hyped up by years of watching other people and reading stories – a thorough shower, shaving, paying attention to not only what you wore outside, but also your undergarments. You lacked things that could be considered “sexy”, but – let’s face it – you didn’t think it mattered much; not after what you’d found out so far. Yet, it would be a shame if your panties had a hole in them. Wearing something neutral, but fresh was your best bet. Every few minutes, you kept reminding yourself – you don’t even know what will happen, you don’t even know if anything will happen at all. There was no reason to think that he’ll want you to undress in the first place, you said it yourself that you’re not ready for sex.

But then, it still helped you gather confidence that you definitely needed at a moment like that. Details allowed one less thing to worry about, and a better ability to focus on others, and so, you made sure the details were worked out well, and that you didn’t overdress, either; a beige shirt and jeans, all wrapped up with sneakers and another knitted cardigan of yours – neutral and polite, maybe a bit school-ish, but these were the things you mostly wore on daily basis, and you felt that going in the other direction – of tight pants, mini-skirts and see-through shirts – would not be appreciated. Your hair was pulled up into a loose bun, nothing like the ones you admired in YT tutorials, but the best you could do on your own. Maybe it was the age difference that made you feel obliged to show respect rather than expose yourself. You trusted your instinct on that, and so far, nothing happened yet to prove it wrong. The weather was starting to get warmer; these days were particularly sunny and dry, so you felt at ease without an extra jacket. It couldn’t get that bad in the evening, and you put faith in your cardigan.

Baekhyun must have thought similarly.

You stood in the bar’s entry, looking up at him for a moment; he leaned back into his usual couch, not aware of your presence just yet. He was wearing a black button-up and jeans as well, something he still looked pretty well put-together in, but not too formal – similar to your own thought process, noticeably.

You inhaled deeply, and took your time to exhale the air – until you felt ready to walk up to him.

“Hi there” he spoke as you approached his couch; as expected, he was there alone today.

“Hi there” you replied with a slight nod and a smile; your voice was quiet, as quiet as it could be without trembling in anticipation.

“You want to drink something before we go?”

You considered it for a second, and then nodded again. Baekhyun moved a bit to the side, encouraging you to join him on the couch, and you took the offer with gratitude.

“Beer? I don’t want to get you drunk, but we may sit here for a bit just to relax.”

“You can tell I need it?”

“Yes. I can tell. Your shoulders are very tense. May I?”

His hand reached to your shoulder and you nodded slightly, a bit unsure what you agreed to just yet.

He suddenly squeezed your muscle, and you whimpered. He kneaded it, and you found the tension dissolving gradually as he went on. Even with only one hand and unfavorable position, he managed to find some of the spots that required touch; that touch was welcome, slight pain coming along with it was desired for the best outcome. You didn’t notice when Baekhyun must have given the bartender some sort of a sign, but the man soon came with a beer and water that he put on the nearby table. That was when Baekhyun’s movement slowly ceased, cautiously letting go of your shoulders. You felt as if you were in a different body, the tension in your body almost gone, just as the one in your mind – the moments of physical interaction were enough to chase some of your worries away.

“You don’t drink?” You reached towards the table – it was closer to you than to him – and took the two glasses, handing him the water and keeping the beer for yourself.

“Not before,” he explained curtly, which you accepted without further questioning.

“So… what are we gonna do?” you asked carefully, sipping the beer through a metal straw, trying to give off a casual vibe despite focusing deeply on what you were about to hear.

“Depends. On how much will you allow me to do.” Baekhyun focused his gaze on something in the crowd; you felt as though it was his habit to avoid a direct gaze in an attempt to sound collected. “I had the idea of showing you some things. Just so you feel it out a little. It’s not final, but it may help the both of us figure out how we feel about it. Like a free trial, you see my point?” You nodded, but didn’t say anything, so after a moment he continued. “I won’t introduce you to everything, and it won’t last as long as usual sessions, either. I’ll talk to you a bit beforehand so we figure out some basic things. It shouldn’t make you uncomfortable. I won’t be trying anything beyond your comfort zone.”

“So, no deals a’la Fifty shades?” you felt silly the moment these words left your mouth. Baekhyun laughed awkwardly.

“No, it won’t be necessary. If you want to draw a comparison to that, I definitely won’t be dumping the whole scheme on you when you don’t even know what it’s like.”

And you won’t fuck me first thing in the plot, you added in your thoughts.

“There are a few things that I may ask you here, so that we have those out of the way,” he spoke; his tone lowered a little. “I need you to tell me if you have any illnesses or old injures that could influence your physical capacity.”

You thought for a bit; the answer was important, but you couldn’t recall much.

“I don’t think there’s anything important.”

“Is there anything unimportant?” His gaze pierced through you as he caught on your wording.

“Uh… I’m taking pills for my thyroid, but it’s nothing very dramatic” you explained. “Nothing else that I know of.”

Baekhyun nodded slowly.

“Fair. Next question, is there anything you’re particularly scared of? Phobias, or things you’re scared of in general, anything overly triggering that you want to avoid at all costs?” You already revealed some of these during your first conversation. But now you felt more at ease, and you thought you could be more detailed without sounding overwhelming.

“I’m… scared of fire. And hate my hair being pulled. I don’t know, why. I can’t explain it. It’s just…”

“It’s alright. You don’t need to explain yourself to me” Baekhyun looked at you with his eyebrows slightly furrowed. “You sound like it would stress you out to share. You don’t need to be afraid of that. You don’t owe me anything, keep that in mind. It’s not supposed to feel like an obligation.”

“I-I know.”

“I’m scared of heights, by the way.” You stared at him in confusion. “Hm? Just thought it’s fair to share if you did.”

“Oh.”

“Chill out.” He nudged your glass with his hand to urge you to drink some more of the beer you managed to forget about by then. It was halfway through – you didn’t want to leave the glass with some of it still inside, although it managed to make you feel just a bit sick already.

His own drink was at around the same level too, and as you finished yours, he drank the remaining water in one go as well.

You weren’t the best at handling alcohol, and even the small amounts made you a bit weak in the knees. But you felt sober enough as the two of you finally got up; Baekhyun paid for your drinks and you left the bar.

The weather was nice, as expected. Going out into the sunlight again startled you, somehow; you felt as though a lot of time had already passed. But no, it was still the same afternoon.

It was true that Baekhyun lived nearby. His apartment was in a different direction than your place, though, and you estimated it would take around twenty minutes to get from one place to the other. You knew this area, although not too well – there were only some tenement houses, but no stores or academic buildings that could gain your attention or regular presence. It was on the more expensive side, although not a place a well off office worker wouldn’t afford; just maybe not suitable for a student. The tenement houses were old, but well-kept, and you knew that the apartments were way bigger than in a place like yours.

Opening the door for you, Baekhyun invited you into the dark hallway of his apartment. There were no lights, as every wall had doors to other rooms: two to the left, one at the end of the corridor, and two more to the right, perfectly symmetric.

“Kitchen, my office, bathroom, my bedroom, and the living room,” the man told you, starting from the left. One glance into the living room on the right made you realize just how big the rooms were; enormous, in your honest opinion, with the area of something around a classroom at school, but with ceilings that reached far up, almost twice higher than in your own place. Heavy curtains hung from the top of the tall windows like limp branches of a willow tree, giving the most dramatic effect, and – likely – gathering tons of dust throughout their lifetime. Wooden, carved furniture added to the effect, and you, in all your sincerity, would not dare to ask how much such a set cost, although it would be a lie to say that you weren’t curious. Wooden panels on the floor were already worn and grey, giving you a thought that the interiors were kept in this particular shape for long years before Baekhyun began to reside in there.

“That’s huge,” you only uttered. Your eyes rested on a painting in the middle of a wall on the left side of the room, above an eclectic-green, velvet couch, in front of which was a wooden coffee table, and which gave a perfect sight into an old TV on the side of the room, as it was one of the old-styled, small models that would be hard to look at from the distance between one wall and the other. The painting looked old, but you wondered from the distance, whether it was not just printed in good quality, with all the details of lights, people and nature making it look like a piece of national heritage rather than a small private property. It portrayed a battle scene coming to an end, warriors in shining armor stained with blood resting upon trees and a small pond of pinkish water, at either sunset or sunrise – you weren’t sure.

“You like it?” He caught your stare and followed it, giving himself a few seconds to adore the painting as well, as though he hadn’t looked at it enough despite living here.

“It’s too violent,” you decided after a moment. “But it’s nice to look at.”

“It’s not that violent in itself, I think. But it does conjure the thought of it.”

He left the living room with you still in the doorframe, staying to look at the painting just for a few more seconds. When you turned around, he was entering the kitchen – this room also looked old, but less well kept; it was cleaned up perfectly, however the furniture was shabby, with the surfaces often partly rubbed off and grey; this room simply screamed for renovation. But you felt way more at ease with the fact that it looked similar to yours – the one that was over twenty years old when you moved with and you had no way of changing it without getting in trouble with the landlord. And not like you’d want to do it at all, since you’d move out right after your studies anyway. The only difference was that you tried to make your apartment look a bit warmer with colorful lights and other cheap ornaments here and there, while Baekhyun’s kitchen was just left as it was, as though he gave up on it the moment he moved in.

“Hungry?”

“Not much.” You were still full of the freshly consumed beer.

Out of the fridge, Baekhyun took a bag of half-eaten potato chips. You stared at him with your eyebrow raised as he ate a few of these, and then extended the bag towards you, to which you only shook your head and he put the bag back in the fridge. He caught your look.

“Food moths,” he explained. You slowly nodded in understanding. That’d be a useful tip if you ever got those. The summer was slowly coming; soon, your small apartment would also be filled with bugs, and fruit flies, mosquitos, and sciarids because you kept a few plants in (discovering that sciarids and fruit flies were not the same thing was an important step in achieving perfect harmony in your adulthood).

You sat awkwardly by the table, observing him as he reached for the bag he must have left on the counter before he went to pick you up, and took out leftovers – probably from work – putting them back in the fridge.

“You worked today?” you asked.

“Yeah, just an average thing, a strategic meeting with co-workers. My working hours are not regular, so I didn’t really know I was gonna be out today.”

Once he was done, he sat by the table as well, and you leaned a bit forward, resting your chin on top of your hand.

“You could have postponed it with me, you must be tired,” you said.

“Don’t worry, I’d rather have a chance to relax with you.”

That didn’t sound as innocent as he probably tried to make it, and he looked over his shoulder to make sure he didn’t scare you with the choice of words. You only laughed awkwardly.

“Anyway. Since, as I said, I don’t want to intimidate you, I think we’ll stay in the living room since you seemed content with that,” he spoke casually.

“So, no playroom?” you uttered. Baekhyun choked on the chip in his mouth.

“I don’t own such a place. I just usually use the bedroom. Or the bathroom,” he explained.

“Or the office?” you felt bold enough to suggest, giving him a small smirk.

“No, I assure you the office is for what offices usually are.”

You smiled innocently as Baekhyun stared at you, probably trying to mask sudden shyness.

“Either way,” he cleared his throat. “I told you some about what I want to do, but you haven’t told me if there’s anything you’re interested in trying out. I assume you did see some things, so… Is there anything that you’ve been particularly interested in?”

The harmless way in which he phrased the question absolutely didn’t change the fact that he was, basically, asking what kind of porn you watch.

“I uh… I like watching different things, just out of curiosity, but I’m not really sure if there’s anything I like particularly more than other things… I suppose bondage is the biggest basic.” You tried, you really tried to sound neutral, but your voice trembled a little. “But I’m not really sure, to be honest. I’m quite open-minded, I suppose…” You felt silly; how could you not be able to answer the most basic question – what do you like? But Baekhyun seemed to understand that very well, as he only nodded slowly.

“What about, let’s say, pet play?” You blushed slightly. “You know what I’m talking about? I feel like a lot of young women start from there.” It took you a moment to realize that you, too, were a young woman. “Behavioral training. Humiliation. Regression. A bit of pain, if suitable. Trying out a few things to see how you respond. What do you think?”

“I think it may be fun” you said slowly. “Does it have something to do with the…?” you motioned your neck, hoping he’ll get the cue. You remembered the collars the other people wore – they were the main reason you got interested in the first place, after all. Baekhyun smiled, catching on your observation.

“Sometimes, but not necessarily. It’s just a thing I like. Do you?”

“…I may,” you answered carefully.

“Gotcha. We may try it out. You know, everyone is different. The collars are different too. I usually order them after I’m sure the person’s gonna stay, and when I know what type will be the most suitable for them. I can’t do that for you yet, but I have some spare items.”

“Do you have the ones of people who you’re not with anymore?” you asked, out of pure curiosity.

Baekhyun was silent for a moment.

“I do. But I’d rather not use them. They’re there for memory, not for use.”

“Gotcha. I was just curious,” you quickly explained.

“Do you have a safe-word?” Baekhyun’s gaze rested on you.

“…Not really. Never needed one,” you uttered sheepishly.

“You have anything on your mind?”

“Um, the… thing with lights? The red light, yellow and green?” you proposed carefully.

“That’s a good one. Tell me how you understand them.”

“So, the green one means everything’s alright, the yellow is when we need to slow down, and the red stops the scene,” you recited, as if you were reading from a book.

“That’s right. It’s easy to remember, so we can go with that.” You bit on your lips to prevent yourself from getting too excited with the apparent praise; it wasn’t anything big, of course – but you felt as though it was a praise in itself, being acknowledged for saying something right. “Another thing is that I need you to know a few rules, before we start.” You were all ears. “First, I don’t want you to be reluctant for the fun of it. Whether you want to be a brat later or not, today we’re just trying things out and I don’t want to mistake your attitude with actual discomfort, do you understand?” You nodded slowly, memorizing the words and waiting for him to continue. “Second. No pain that I will impose on you will be a matter of punishment, unless I specify so. If you don’t enjoy it, you need to tell me so. It doesn’t mean I’ll stop right away, unless – of course – you use the safe-word. However, I still expect honesty. During, as well as after the scene, when we review it. Do you understand?” The breaks in between the points gave you enough time to acknowledge the information and encode it in your memory. You nodded once again. “And for the last. Do you trust me?”

The tone made you look up at him, finally focusing on his person rather than the words alone.

“I do,” you finally decided; knowing very well what this answer would lead to.

Baekhyun’s eyes sparkled as he smiled at you warmly.

“Well then, shall we start?”

* * *

You stand in the middle of the room, the cardigan and shoes are off, your feet feel cold against the floor despite socks wrapped around them comfortingly.

Don’t move a finger, you’ve been told, and so, you stare at the painting before you, the warrior in the front staring at you back with contempt you haven’t noticed before.

Your breath trembles in anticipation as you try to hear sounds from other rooms – you do hear some shuffling, but nothing that you can figure out for sure. He must be in his bedroom, you think. What is he preparing? Which tools out of many that you’ve seen on the screen of your phone all these nights that, despite spending perfect eight hours in bed, did not end in getting perfect eight hours of sleep?

Your arm itches, but you fight the urge to scratch it; be obedient, he said.

Steps echo in the corridor and you hold your breath. Your head snaps to the side the moment you hear him enter the room again.

“Eyes down,” he commands without sparing you a glance; you haven’t had enough time to see what he brought, but you instantly obey his words. “Don’t look at me unless I allow you to.” His voice is stern, and it makes your stomach clench nervously. But it’s not a bad sensation, not at all – you grow excited. “Down. On your knees.”

You try to comply, but he still scoffs at your apparent sluggishness. You almost fall over as you let your knees bend and you finally kneel down as well as you can, eyes facing down as well, although you feel awkward as you do so.

“On your toes,” Baekhyun commands; something small but hard hits your heels, startling you, and your head whips around to see a wooden pointing stick. You swallow the gasp of surprise at the sight.

You fix your posture, your toes instantly begin to cramp; that’s uncomfortable, and your toes aren’t too flexible, it seems.

“Straighten your back. You’re slouching.”

The task turns out almost impossible to do, the whole weight lands on your toes and you frown in discomfort.

“Is it necessary…?”

“Look at me.” It feels unnatural to do so now, but you oblige, turning your head to the side where he stands. “What’s wrong?”

“My toes hurt,” you admit quietly. Baekhyun watches you for a moment.

“Straighten them. Kneel as you did before.” You bite your lips and nod, uttering a small thank you that you find suitable enough as the position gets a bit more comfortable. “Back. Straighten.”

You automatically snap back into the position. But it does feel a bit silly – like something your teachers would say, don’t slouch! A laughter comes out at the comparison, but you attempt to stifle it.

Apparently, not well enough.

The pointer hits the nape of your neck; not too hard, but the message gets through.

Baekhyun stands in front of you and, most likely, stares you down – you can’t tell; your gaze is fixated on his lacquered shoes. The shoes then move, kicking the middle of your thighs.

“Spread.”

You feel a bit awkward as you oblige this command; you only glance down to make sure your pants aren’t ripped – you never know. To your relief, they’re not. Then you try to glance forward – but, what’s in front of you, makes you more shy than anything, so you just fix your gaze on his knees instead.

“You’re slouching again.”

“Pets often do,” you note before you manage to bite your tongue; you do remember your conversation from before – wasn’t it what he was aiming for? You thought so at first. But the words were not thought through at all; you just felt a need to say something, anything, just like you’d talk back to a teacher when they became too annoying in their remarks.

You hold your breath as Baekhyun crouches down to your level.

You feel his eyes on you, and you unwittingly tremble under his gaze, forcing yourself to look even lower, not daring to break the rule. The seconds seem to last hours as he doesn’t speak a word – and he doesn’t have to. You feel intimidated.

“You want to be a pet?”

He stands up; he’s right in front of you, if you so much as leaned forward a little bit, your forehead would touch his thigh. You slightly crave the touch; but not enough to move, not when you grow petrified. The question is rhetorical. You wait for him to finish the thought.

“Then I’ll treat you like one.”

Without waiting for your reaction, he steps behind you. You hear shuffling in what had to be a box placed behind your back; you see nothing.

But you hear the harsh, recognizable clink of metal and your stomach drops.

* * *

Please, reblog if you enjoyed, it'll help me a bunch!

Author's note: Hello, have you missed me??? I'm sorry it took so long to upload, it's hard to find time among exams I had in June, and now my (first) new job! The next chapter is already being written, so hopefully, won't take that long. Remember to reblog if you liked, and I'll be really happy to hear what you have to say about this so far. Stay safe!

Next (Chapter 4.)

#exowritersnet #kdiarynet #bbh-net #exosnet #exo baekhyun #exo bbh #bbh x reader #bbh #exo #byun baekhyun #exo fanfiction #baekhyun fanfiction #exo x reader #baekhyun x reader #vg: vulnerability #vg: exo #vg: baekhyun #vg: series

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handeaux · 4 years ago

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17 Curious Facts About The Cincinnati Reds

The Original Cincinnati Baseball Team Now Plays In Atlanta

Everyone knows baseball’s first professional team was organized in Cincinnati in 1869. What’s forgotten is that team’s disappointing 1870 season, after which the franchise dissolved. Manager Harry Wright moved to Boston, where he organized, with some former Cincinnati teammates, the Boston Red Stockings in 1871. Renamed the Boston Braves in 1912, that team moved to Milwaukee in 1953, and to Atlanta in 1966.

Red Stockings Were Dangerous

The 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings created a sensation by wearing knickerbocker trousers to show off their manly calves, clothed in lurid scarlet, to entice more women to the ball park. Other clubs adopted Cincinnati’s style, but players reported cases of blood poisoning when they were spiked, because the toxic dyes coloring their stockings seeped into the wounds. By the early 1900s, players started wearing white “sanitary socks” under brightly (and dangerously) dyed “stirrup socks” to avoid infection.

Today’s Reds Are Cincinnati’s Fifth Professional Baseball Team

1. The Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869 dissolved after the 1870 season. 2. A revived Reds, formed in 1875, joined the new National League in 1876, but was expelled from the league and dissolved in 1880 because they refused to stop serving beer. 3. The current Cincinnati Reds team was organized in 1881 to join the rival American Association, then quit the AA in 1889 to rejoin the National League. 4. The American Association returned to town in 1891 with team known as Kelly's Killers, who played in the East End. 5. A short-lived professional league, the Union Association, recruited a Cincinnati franchise, the “Outlaw Reds,” who competed during that league’s only season in 1884.

Too Much Sunshine.

Baseball games have been called on account of rain, snow, earthquakes, darkness and all sorts of factors, but the Cincinnati Reds once had a game called on account of sunshine. The Reds and the Boston Braves squared off on 6 May 1892 in League Park. This ancestor of Crosley Field was built facing west and, after 14 innings of scoreless play, the catchers and hitters complained they couldn’t see the ball as the sun slowly settled behind Price Hill. Umpire Jack Sheridan agreed and called the tie game on account of sunshine. The next day’s Enquirer called the decision “just and sensible.”

Cicadas Are Good Luck

Local maven Joe Hoffecker notes the Reds have played eight seasons during which Cincinnati endured an infestation of 17-year cicadas. During those eight seasons, the Reds won a World Series, two National League pennants and two second-place finishes. The combined won-lost record for those eight years is 633-553, for a cumulative .534 percentage. This bodes well for the 2021 season.

Build It And They Will Come

Before settling in at the corner of Western Avenue and Findlay Street, the Reds played ball at Union Grounds, located approximately where the Union Terminal Fountain is today (1867 to 1870), at a park variously known as Cincinnati Baseball Park, Avenue Grounds, and Brighton Park, located in Camp Washington on Spring Grove Avenue north of the stockyards (1876 to 1880), and at the Bank Street Grounds in Brighton, near where Bank Street ends at I-75 today (1882 to 1883). The team settled at a former brickyard at the corner of Western Avenue and Findlay Street, named League Park (1884 to 1901), rebuilt as the Palace of the Fans in 1902, and as Redland Field in 1912. This venue was renamed Crosley field in 1934.

Ovine Groundskeepers

On the morning of 4 July 1894, somebody opened the gates at League Park and all the lawnmowers escaped. Groundskeeper John Schwab arrived at the ball grounds early to get the lines painted and stands swept for a double header only to discover that a flock of sheep he employed to trim the grass had wandered off. By nightfall, he hadn’t located his errant grounds crew.

Palms Of Seasoned Leather

Second baseman John Alexander “Bid” McPhee was the first major leaguer to play his entire professional career (1882-99) for the Cincinnati Reds. Many years later, Johnny Bench and Barry Larkin also achieved this feat. But there is another curious feat associated with Bid McPhee. He was certainly the last second baseman, and some sources claim he was the last player, to take the field without a glove. After 14 years of outstanding fielding without a mitt, McPhee donned a glove in 1896 and had a Hall of fame year.

Let’s Go Out To The Lobby

In 1913, the hottest concept in movie theaters was the airdome, an outdoor set-up under the stars with a piano player pounding away as silent films unspooled. The Reds organization hopped on that bandwagon by opening Cincinnati’s only roof-covered airdome at Redland Field. The nightly theater sat 3,000 viewers who got to see a feature and four shorts for a nickel. The Reds also leased their ballpark for dances, boxing, wrestling and track events.

Spring Training In A Cemetery

Although the 1919 Reds went on to claim the World Series crown, the year got off to an inauspicious start. Manager Pat Moran hauled the team to Waxahachie, Texas for spring training but found the weather anything but vernal. Constant rain and plunging temperatures prevented play on the field at Jungle Park, so the team practiced on the adjacent railroad tracks or crossed the road and found higher – and dryer – ground in the Waxahachie City Cemetery. It was the “dead ball” era, after all!

Ejected For Napping

Hall-of-Fame center-fielder Edd Roush has the distinction of being the only major leaguer ever ejected from a game for taking a nap on the field. The Reds opened an East Coast road trip on 8 June 1920, facing the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. The defending world champions played miserably but vociferously challenged an eighth-inning call by umpire Barry McCormick. The ump allowed the debate to go on for a good 15 minutes, so Roush made a pillow of his cap and glove and reclined in the outfield. At length, McCormick ejected a couple of players and ordered play to resume, but Roush couldn’t be roused and was sent to the showers. New York won, 5 to 4.

Three Is Better Than Two

In all of major league history, there have been only three occasions in which two ball clubs played three games on a single day. The last of those rare triple headers involved the Cincinnati Reds. Fighting against Pittsburgh for third place in the National League, the Reds faced the Pirates at Forbes Field on 2 October 1920 for a marathon outing beginning at noon. The Reds took the first two games, clinching their third-place finish. The Pirates were ahead 6-0 when the third game was called on account of darkness.

Postponed On Account Of Lindbergh

In May 1927, Colonel Charles Lindbergh flew alone across the Atlantic Ocean. After returning stateside, Lindbergh embarked on a nationwide tour, arriving in Cincinnati on 6 August 1927. The Reds hastily erected a temporary platform at Redland Field and the gates opened for a standing-room-only crowd to hear their hero speak. So many aviation enthusiasts filled the stands that the Reds couldn’t clear them out to let the paying baseball crowd in. That day’s game was postponed and the Reds and Phillies turned the next day’s game into a double-header.

Up, Up And Away!

On 8 June 1934, the Cincinnati Reds became the first major league baseball team to travel to a game by airplane when they journeyed to Chicago. Manager Bob O’Farrell and 19 players flew to Chicago, some said, in a bid to distract attention from their last-place standing. The Reds beat the Cubs that day, 4 to 3.

No Commies Here!

Throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s, Americans suspected anyone with liberal leanings of supporting Communism. Nationally televised hearings led by Senator Joseph McCarthy raised anti-Communist feelings to a fever pitch, and no one wanted to be labelled a “Red.” Bowing to popular pressure, the Cincinnati Reds became the Cincinnati Redlegs from 1954 to 1959 to allay any concerns about their patriotism.

Fewer Trains Meant Parking For The Reds

In 1957, both the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants departed for sunny California, and New York City was left holding the bag. That bag contained an unfulfilled offer to build what would become Shea Stadium as part of a futile effort to hold either of the National League teams in Gotham. Snubbed by both, New York determined to build that stadium anyway and attempted to lure the Reds to the Big Apple. Reds owner Powel Crosley Jr. hinted that he might consider such an offer, because he needed parking. Cincinnati rushed a plan to demolish Union Terminal’s maintenance facilities to create more parking spaces around Crosley Field.

Rosie Reds Kept The Team In Cincinnati

Despite winning the National League pennant in 1961, the Reds saw dwindling attendance over the following years. When owner Bill DeWitt let it be known in 1964 that he was entertaining an offer to sell the team to a San Diego syndicate, the Queen City panicked. Among the proposals to boost attendance was the successful formation of the Rosie Reds to encourage women to attend games. The Rosie Reds are still going strong after more than 50 years. “Rosie,” by the way, is an acronym. It stands for Rooters Organized to Stimulate Interest & Enthusiasm.

[A tip of the hat to Cincinnati Reds Historian Greg Rhodes whose research was invaluable in compiling this list.]

#cincinnati reds #greg rhodes #joe hoffecker #edd roush #powel crosley #bill dewitt #harry wright #pat moran #redlegs

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ctay21 · 4 years ago

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A Sweet Encounter

(Sanji x Female S/O)

Hey Guys! I’m super excited, this is my very first fic I’ve ever wrote and I don’t know but i’m kinda proud of it. This fic is done for @some-piece AU challenge. If you haven’t checked out her blog yet, you need to! Bas you are one of my favorite writers and are one of a few who have inspired me to write, thank you so much! I choose the Bakery AU. My list of characters I received was Trafalgar Law, Sir Crocodile, Sanji, Marco, and Kalifa. There aren’t really any warnings in this fic other than it being super fluffy. I hope you guys enjoy!

It was an ordinary Friday in July. It could have been cooler for your tastes as the bakery you work in always feels like a million degrees at all times of the day. Five fans were on and you already felt like you were melting and it wasn’t even noon yet.

Rolling your eyes you try to focus on the wedding cake you're currently decorating, instead of what felt like a massive heat wave in the bakery. It was exciting because this was your last cake to decorate today and you were just looking forward to going home and maybe taking an early nap. There was also the option of ordering take out, just thinking of all the possibilities made you look forward to finishing this cake so you could finally leave.

As you were thinking of all the options for your boring night after work. It happened, the most unexpected, felt like a life changing moment but you were trying not to get ahead of yourself just yet. One moment you were decorating a cake, the next moment you looked up and out the window and saw the most gorgeous man. He hadn't looked at you just yet but you could feel it in your bones that he was very attractive. Mystery man had blonde hair, he was tall and slender. Wearing a blue button down dress shirt and black slacks, and boy do you love a man in a classy outfit. It was slightly funny because as put together as he looked I could tell he was heatedly yelling at someone over the phone. Then he turned around.

From the second he turned around we made eye contact. The intensity of our gaze made you drop the piping bag you were holding on the table. He had grey blue eyes that immediately reminded me of storm clouds. His blonde hair was swept to the side covering his right eye. He has these interesting eyebrows that everyone probably wouldn't find attractive, but you were drawn to them and found them to be uniquely beautiful. The way his eyebrow came down and swirled up was so intriguing. To top it all off, he had a thin strip of hair on his chin. Giving him a slightly ruggedly handsome face. Overall your instincts were right and he was gorgeous and you never wanted to look away.

The eye contact only lasted realistically for 30 seconds, but to you it felt like a lifetime. You were a little sad to see he broke eye contact, but were immediately excited again when you realized he was turning to walk into the bakery. Washing your hands real quick and making your way up front so you can casually greet this hot mystery man, pretending you hadn’t intentionally walked up from the back just to meet him. Glancing in a mirror to make sure your bun and headband, that held all the hair out of your face while baking, still looked cute and not crazy. Feeling ready and excited to meet him, you step out of the back into the front and walk behind the counter. As you’re walking you glance up and meet his gaze again. Smiling up at him you introduce yourself as you finally reach the front counter.

“Hello, welcome to Fairytale Confectionery my name is (y/n), how can I help you today.”

“Ahh, what a beautiful name to match such a beautiful woman.” He says, as he grabs your hand and lightly brushes his lips against the back of your hand in the most charming feather light kiss. “My name is Sanji, a few moments ago I was mad at my mosshead idiot friend who gave me the worst directions in my life.” He says, as he drops your hand and leans both of his forearms against the glass counter. “Although, I may have to break down and thank him. For if he never gave me terrible directions, I may never have met you.” He said, giving you the most disarming smile you had ever seen.

“Wow, what a charmer you are. I bet all the women just love you.” You said, in a slightly sarcastic way. “With that being said, Please give my thanks to your friend who you called a mosshead idiot.” You say as you giggle and glance down to try to hide your blushing face. “Mainly, because so far it has been very lovely to meet you Sanji. Now can I get anything for you?” You asked him, as you finally dared to look up and make eye contact with him again.

“Two questions. First, is there anything in this case that is as sweet as you?” He asked as he laughed a little noticing that you rolled your eyes and were slightly shaking your head. “Okay okay, the first question was rhetorical, but seriously what’s your favorite thing you make. I want to try that.” He said, slightly laughing at his attempts to flirt with you.

“Well, to your first question I just want to say you’re so ridiculous.” You said, as you continue to laugh and shake your head, slightly covering your mouth with your hand. “Secondly, if I had to choose my favorite thing in the bakery, that would be hands down our cinnamon rolls!” You exclaim, while grinning widely because you can’t help it. It’s a natural reaction when you get to talk about your favorite baked goods.

“Well then, I would love to get one cinnamon roll please and possibly your phone number?” Sanji asked hopefully while holding up his phone.

“I can grab you a cinnamon roll and as far as my number, you’ll have to wait and see.” You say winking at him, while grabbing his cinnamon roll and placing it in a container. Walking over to the register you ring his order up.

“So Sanji, will that be all for you?” You ask, as you smirk at him.

“That depends (y/n), what do I have to do to get your number?” He asked, while giving you the cutest puppy dog eyes.

“Hmmmm… I’m not really sure yet.” You say tapping your chin and shrugging your shoulders.

You take his payment for his cinnamon roll. As you hand him the container your hands brush for a second and you feel a spark run up your arm. He looks into your eyes and as he goes to turn around to leave. You realize that you don't want your banter with Sanji to end so you blurt out really fast “Sanji Wait! I forgot to give you a napkin!”

Sanji turns back around and notices a folded up napkin in your hand and grabs it. He opens it up and sees your name (y/n) followed by a series of numbers written in the middle of the napkin. He looks back up at you and grins.

“Well (y/n), thank you and just so you know your name is going in my contacts as Cinnamon Roll.” He said, as he winked at you one last time and turned to leave the bakery.

“Have a great rest of your day, Sanji.” You call out to him as he is walking towards the door.

“You as well my Cinnamon Roll.” He calls back at you, right before he walks out the door.

Feeling super giddy and laughing about his nickname for you and about the interaction you just had with Sanji. You head back into the kitchen and finish your cake and head home feeling like your life hopefully won't be so boring and monotonous anymore.

Over the course of two weeks you and Sanji get to know each other very well. You found out he was an executive chef at a popular fine dining restaurant, that’s known for their amazing french cuisine. Sanji found it very ironic that you were a pastry chef. His exact words when you told him were.

“(y/n) just think about it! We could be called the Chef’s Ultimate Power Couple!” He said over the phone, during one of your late night three hour long calls.

You just laughed and shook your head at him, even though he couldn't see your head shaking. You started to look forward to the nightly calls, it basically was the highlight of your day and you could never wait to get to talk to Sanji. Since you both were super busy with work and both working in the food industry, meant so far you both haven’t had a night where you were free to go on a proper date yet.

After two amazing weeks of talking and getting to know one another, you both finally had a night where you could go on a proper date. Since you were both chefs, Sanji came up with the most perfect first date idea and you couldn't be more excited.

He mentioned the idea of you coming over to his apartment and you both could cook and bake together. He would prepare a romantic dinner that only you deserve, which made you laugh when he was telling you all about his idea. While he would be cooking dinner, you would be next to him baking the dessert. He said that it was the perfect combo and would be the best first date ever. With every day that passed, your date drew closer and you were getting more and more excited as the days went by.

On the night of the date, you arrived at Sanji’s apartment at 6:30 sharp just like he asked you too. Feeling nervous and excited, you knocked on Sanji’s door. When he opened the door you both blushed at seeing each other for the first time in two weeks, since the day you met at the bakery. He held out his hand for you to take as he led you into his apartment and shut the door behind you.

“Wow (y/n), how is it that you got even prettier in the two weeks since I've seen you?” Sanji asked, pulling you into a hug. While he also was admiring the simple black flowy dress you were wearing for the date. You decided on a simple classic dress because you felt so beautiful in it, but also because you knew you would be baking and didn't want to accidentally ruin one of your really nice dresses. Mainly, in the off chance you accidentally spilled something that would stain while baking, you had a habit of being very clumsy sometimes with liquid ingredients.

“I don’t know, but whatever I did you also have done, because you look so handsome. I am so lucky to be on a date with you.” You told him, while pulling back from the hug. As you also were admiring the (your favorite color) dress shirt and black slacks he had on. When you guys were getting to know each other you told him what your favorite color was and he must have wanted to surprise you because here he was, wearing your favorite color and looking so handsome that it should be a sin to look that good.

“No (y/n), I am the luckiest guy to be on this date with you!” He said, while leading you into the kitchen so you both could start working on dinner and dessert.

He had a big open concept kitchen with a big butcher’s block island in the middle, and double stack ovens with a matching gas stove. This is a kitchen that you could only dream of. It was probably every chef’s dream kitchen and of course Sanji had your dream kitchen. He leads you to the middle of the kitchen, to the island that had all the ingredients you both would need already laid out.

“I'm speechless, Sanji. This kitchen is amazing and honestly my dream kitchen. I love it so much!” You couldn’t help but gush, while still looking around and taking everything in.

“Thank you (y/n), it’s honestly my favorite place in this whole space. Cooking is when I do all of my thinking and where I get most of my ideas. So I wanted my kitchen to be a place of comfort and ultimately my favorite place in my apartment because I knew I was going to spend a lot of my time in here creating.” He explained, as he walked around and started to prep ingredients for dinner.

You both fell into a nice rhythm while cooking together. The conversation was light and funny, you couldn’t believe how hard he was making you laugh. As you were measuring flour out for your recipe, an idea popped into your head. Knowing how much a little bit of flour stands out against black, you wondered if you could get away with leaving a hand print of flour on his pants or his shirt without him noticing.

Trying to discreetly cover your hand in flour, you walk over to Sanji hiding your hand hoping to look like you were just coming over to watch him cook. You place your hand on the small of his back. He looks over and down at you noticing that you had walked over a little suspiciously, but couldn’t figure it out.

“What are you up too?” He accuses you, smirking down at your oh so innocent face.

“Who Moi?” you asked as you hid your hand that was covered in flour behind your back and used your other hand to cover your heart and make a sad hurt face at Sanji.

“Yes you (y/n), you got quiet for two minutes, got a mischievous look on your face and then proceeded to walk over here. What are you up too and why are you hiding your left hand.” He jokingly accused as he turned to face you and tried to grab the hand you were hiding.

“What nothing! I’m hiding nothing, don’t you trust me” You exclaimed. Not wanting to get caught you turned around quickly to go back to where you were baking, but you hadn’t realized that you got flour on your back as well. Sanji quickly tried to look at this back where he felt your hand and noticed a lot of flour in the shape of your hand print on his shirt.

“ I knew it! I just knew you were up to something over there (y/n)!” He yelled.

Turning back to look at him you noticed he also had a mischievous look in his eyes and was grinning too much for your liking. You started to slowly pace around the island making sure he stayed on the opposite side as you.

“You're going down for this (y/n), so you better get ready!” He goaded while laughing. You watched as he passed in front of the flour, he grabbed a handful. Then took off running around the island to try to get to you.

“AAHHH!! SANJI DON��T!!” You yelled, as you took off running and laughing but also not wanting to get flour dumped on you.

Which is why you were running, because you just knew he was going to dump the handful of flour he was holding on you if he caught up to you. While chasing each other in circles around the island, you grabbed a handful of flour as you passed by. Turning around quickly you ran into Sanji. As you ran into him you threw the flour in his face, but not before he threw the flour he was holding in your face.

“AAAHHHH!” You both screamed at the same time. Then promptly fell into a laughing fit over how ridiculous you both looked covered in flour and the situation you both were in.

It took ten whole minutes to clean up the kitchen and sort of clean off your outfits. Sanji being the perfect gentleman, offered you a change of clothes but you declined. Mainly because you thought tonight has been so fun and amazing and you sort of wanted a reminder of how ridiculous you guys have been together. When you both finally sat down to have your dinner, it was with a happy fun filled heart and nothing about the night felt like it could get anymore perfect.

“I knew you just had to be up to something earlier when I caught you being shifty. I'm glad I caught you because I think that is the most fun I have ever had on a date before.” Sanji confided as he walked you out to your car and opened your door for you to climb in.

“It was a ton of fun, wasn’t it? I have to agree with you because that was also the most fun I've ever had on a date. I can’t wait for our second date.” You said as you looked up into his eyes, noticing he still had flour right above his eyebrow. Smiling, you lifted your hand and wiped your thumb across his eyebrow removing the leftover flour, loving the way his curly eyebrow felt against your thumb.

“Will you be my girlfriend.” Sanji blurted out.

“Yes. I thought you’d never ask.” You replied before he could say anything else.

Standing up on your tip-toes you kissed his cheek and quickly got in your car. You looked out your window and saw Sanji blushing and holding his cheek that you kissed. He was giving you the cutest dazed deer in the headlights look. You were also blushing, you gave him one last radiant smile before you started to drive home.

Little did you know that from that night on. It became a game, whenever you both were cooking or baking together, that one of you would end up with a floured hand print somewhere on their bodies by the end of the night. Preferably without the other person noticing or knowing.

#alternative some-piece #one piece au #ctay21 #guys look my first fic #my fan fic #op sanji #sanji x reader #major fluff #literally my cheeks hurt from smiling so hard writing this #i really hope you guys enjoyed this

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soysaucevictim · 4 years ago

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Last week of current stuff...

July 25

I woke up around noon, today.

After a bit of time browsing stuff, I worked on today’s Hello Fresh meal. Italian Sunday supper (I know it wasn’t Sunday, but whatever.) This was one of the more expensive Taste Tours kits - and I legitimately enjoyed it a lot! (Despite my appetite.)

First, today’s DD. 80 side leg raises with EC (40/40). Pretty breezy work.

Second, Day 25 of the 1′CC. 1′ lunge step-ups. One go, 30 reps. ROM demanded still limits just how fast I can execute this. Not a huge fave, but very doable.

Last, Day 24 of the XTP. Leg / tendon strength / active rest day. 3x100 side leg raises, 30″ rest. Breezy, and amused that it lined up with the DD, like that. :,D

Spent time on the usual... before deciding to start a draw stream at like 2AM. Finished another art project - despite it not being a fantastic decision to work this late. :,D

Technically only got to bed a bit after dawn. Woops.

July 26

I woke up about noonish- wanting to sleep a bit more. But heat + a brief power outage kinda pressed me to stay awake.

When power came back on and some browsing, I went for today’s exercise early. Despite being p damn tired. :P

First, today’s DD. 50 shoulder taps with EC. Fairly breezy work.

Second, Day 26 of the 1′CC. 1′ single leg hops with EC. One go, 30″/30″ and 124 reps. I’m pleased I could manage 2/sec. It was a bit of a challenge to maintain that, too!

Last, Day 25 of the XTP. Arm work. This sequence is a bit less capable of completely noodle-fying my arms (compared to presses, rows, and lateral raises). Very manageable. Numbers:

Alt. bicep curls: 54-48-40-34-30

Tricep extensions: 16-14-12-12-10

Watched The Mask with a friend, chatted a good deal of rest of night chatting and just browsing stuff.

I got to bed in the green zone. Think a bit of sleep debt caught up with me. but I’m okay with that. :P

July 27

I woke up before 11AM.

One of the first things I did today was my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 30 crunch kicks with EC. A fun one, a bit uncomfortable at seat though.

Second, Day 27 of the 1′CC. 1′ climber taps. One go, 70 reps. Abs still definitely felt it.

Last, Day 26 of the XTP. Leg day. Got a bit miffed about a phone call interrupting the workout, had to redo a set of lunges*. Anyways, numbers:

Squat into shoulder presses: 16-14-14-12-12

Forward lunges: 50-42-38*-30-28

I then went out for a psych appointment, went alright.

Spent rest of day chatting and reading a couple things (JD@tE & a friend’s work.) Got to bed in the yellow zone, combo of tired and needing to get up early tomorrow was good enough motivation.

July 28

I woke up around 8AM, today.

Went to a dental appointment this morning, went alright.

Spent a few hours gaming and watching YouTube before picking up Subway with bro and getting down to my exercises.

First, today’s DD. 40 squat hold side bends with EC. Just about manageable.

Second, Day 28 of the 1′CC. 1′ jumping lunges. Barely in one go, managed 52 reps. Oh man, I do not like jumping lunges. orz

Last, Day 27 of the XTP. Arm stuff. Whopping 4/5 exercises done to fatigue/failure. Numbers:

Alt bicep curls: 60-54-46-40-34

Upright rows: 18-14-10-10-8

Bent over rows: 20-16-14-12-12

Bent over flies (knocked weight down to 1x5 lbs per arm): 10-8-8-6-6

Spent much of day chatting and reading something a friend wrote.

Got to bed too late again... but not obscene by my standards.

July 29

I woke up around 10AM.

First thing I did was making some more trip reservations and a bit of my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 2′ side leg raise hold with EC (1′/1′, from floor.) Pretty breezy work. Trying to make the side switch swiftly/smoothly was probably the only challenging part for me.

(After going to my first Seeking Safety Group since forever, which was nice...)

Second, Day 29 of the 1′CC. 1′ jump squats. One go, 44 reps. I got pretty bushed at the pace I was going. Quads burned something fierce. But I’m glad I could carry on.

Last, Day 28 of the XTP. Leg work, tendon strengthening day. Definitely not calling it active rest at this point. Took a lot of willpower to keep the leg off floor for corresponding halves of the sequence. But I managed to get through it by skin of teeth. (Being fresh off the squat hops certainly didn’t help. Pffft.)

Spent rest of day chatting, starting watching Good Omens with friend, listening to music, and browsing stuff. Got to bed late again.

July 30

I woke up after 11AM.

One of the first things I did today was some dishes. And after that, I started on today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 30 push-ups with EC. Manageable, modestly sloppy, but acceptable.

Second, Day 30 of the 1′ Cardio Challenge. 1′ basic burpees. One go, 20 reps (+1 extra to complete another rep/cycle). Saving grace of burpees is the fact it takes a bit of time to execute one rep - but even 20 at that pace did get me pretty winded!

Last, Day 29 of the XTP. Last arm day of the program and my arms are so done. Numbers:

Alt bicep curls: 70-60-50-45-40

Tricep extensions (per side): 18-16-14-14-12

Bilateral tricep extensions: 10-8-6-6-6

Listened to my Discover Weekly music, had a hysterical time chatting with friend, watched another episode of Good Omens with ‘im, and decided to do a quick Janus doodle before turning in (way too late).

July 30

Despite needing more sleep, I got up around 8AM, today.

The first thing I addressed was cleaning my ears... feels so much better now. (wonder if that was influencing reduced appetite / food texture issues...)

Watched some YouTube, gamed, and did some dishes before doing today’s exercises.

First, today’s DD. 30 forward bends with EC. Relatively breezy, kinda of a warm-up for my program stuff.

Last, Day 30 of the Xpress Tone Program. Legs / lower body work. Pretty aerobic. Numbers:

Forward lunges: 60-50-40-36-32

Deadlifts: 20-18-16-14-12

Side lunges: 30-24-20-16-14

Goblet squats: 40-36-30-26-24

I then spent time making today’s HF meal. Scallops over truffled mushroom risotto. I liked it alright - but general consensus was that it didn’t exactly knock things out of the park. Additionally, it was pretty involved, so it might not see a reprisal in future.

Wouldn’t mind making something else with scallops or truffle oil, in future though (was given reasonable advice to be a bit conservative on that - given how strong of a flavor/fragrance that had.)

Spent rest of day chatting and planning out my next couple weeks of fitness stuff. Got to bed too late... narrowly overshot my yellow zone this time. But man, I was exhausted.

Summary of Experience:

I finished the 1′ Cardio Challenge in July 30. Overall, this was a pretty fun little challenge and a good balance for strength training! I did record my rep counts, so it may be interesting to see if I could squeeze more into the minute in future. I really liked the straight leg bounds, hops on spot, and most of the jacks. Didn’t like the lunging variations and split jacks so much. But, that’s just how it is~

I finished the Xpress Tone Program in July 31. Circuit structure made this interesting and distinct from IRONBORN. But I could dig it! I worked with a max of 2x5lbs per arm (halving it for lateral raises and flies). Many opportunities did this one kick my ass. These were my PBs:

Alt bent over rows (total): 20-16-14-12-12

Alt bicep curls: 70-60-50-46-40

Alt shoulder presses: 30-24-20-20-18

Bent over flies: 10-8-8-6-6

Bent over tricep extensions (per side): 6-5-5-4-4

Bilat. bent over rows:10-8-6-6-6

Bilat. bicep curls: 20-16-12-8-8

Bilat. hammer curls: 26-22-18-14-12

Bilat. tricep extensions: 10-8-6-6-6

Deadlifts: 20-18-16-14-12

Forward lunges (total, alt): 60-50-40-36-32

Goblet squats: 40-36-30-26-24

Hammer curls (total, alt): 22-18-14-10-10

Lateral raises: 14-12-10-8-6

Side lunges: 30-24-20-16-14

Split lunge into shoulder press (total): 14-10-8-6-6

Squat into shoulder press (total): 16-14-14-12-12

Tricep extensions: 18-16-14-14-12

Upright rows: 18-14-10-10-8

I COULD share the spreadsheets, if anyone is interested in seeing them~

#adventures with fitness #adventures with hello fresh

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pbandjesse · 4 years ago

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I dont feel so great right now. Belly hurts. But today wasnt a bad day. Just kind of emotionally draining.

I did not sleep well. I woke up because I had a terrible nightmare. But I was so exhausted and upset I got up to go get a hug from James and then went back to bed for an hour. It wasnt the best way to start the day.

But when I got up for real James made crepes. And I was okay. I got dressed and felt cute.

Last night I had gotten my new glossier box and they accidentally sent me someone elses order, along with my own. So I emailed them and they said I could keep it. So I got to try some products I hadnt gotten before. Their mascara is really nice! Light. And the cloud paint blush is really natural and I like it a lot. Nice little present from the universe.

We headed out a little before 10 to go to REI to pick up my new shoes. It was a nice drive out. A really pretty day today. We got out there and I followed the instructions and then my shoes were in the trunk and off to the grocery store we went. I wouldnt open the box until after we got food and they are awesome. They are not slip ons, the photo was deceiving. But they are perfect for camp beyond that. I ordered elastic laces so I can make them into slip ons but in the meantime they are great and I am excited about them. Also they are very comfy.

But before that we went over to the grocery store. It was the first time weve shopped together in a long time. It was nice to do it together. We got almost everything we wanted. It was a nice time.

An old man, a vietnam vet, called me a "painted lady". And we had some good banter. We ended up behind him in line and he was struggling with the machine but I was enjoying him. He had great silly old man cometary. Didnt love when he said they should have just bombed the vietcong but you cant win them all, and we lost Vietnam so you know?

We started to head home. And we were like 2 exits from home when traffic came to a standstill. We thought maybe it was protests but it ended up being a fatal car accident.

We were stuck on the highway for about an hour and a half. Thankfully we had drinks and a charger. We listened to podcasts and tried not to stress to much. I was more stressed because I had my intake for therapy today and I didnt want to miss it. I was also annoyed that the cops were doing their job and trying to direct people to turn around to go back to the other exit. Like it was ridiculous. Finally James just said fuck it and we drove the wrong way down the highway. We made it off the highway though and had a lot of traffic from people having to avoid 83. But we made it home a little before noon.

We put things away. I tried on my new shoes. I had a snack. And I got ready for my virtual appointment .James left to go on a bike ride so I could be alone. And then I just waited.

The doctor was a couple minutes late but we made it up on the other end. It was kind of nice to just run through my history with her. Her name is Rachel and she was very kind. I had to keep myself from like. Blabbing to much because this was just intake. But it was good. She didnt have a for sure appointment for me until the end of july but I am also on the waitlist so well see what happens I suppose. Im trying at least.

Once I was done with that I felt pretty drained. James was home. I went and bothered him. We did a little cleaning. I cleaned the fish tank a bit. We had a late lunch. James made me hardboiled eggs for my salad. He had never hardboiled an egg before. They came out good!

I took a half hearted nap where I most just scrolled on my phone. And then we ordered sushi and dumplings for dinner.

They came around 7. It was a really nice dinner. We watched some videos together. And then he had a video game meet up with his friends. Im glad he has that with his buddies.

I spent the next hour texting with Jess while I sorted through my stored makeup. I have realized that I dont want most of it. I just want to pair it all down. Get rid of the old stuff that smells. And while it feels way to wasteful to throw it away today, I did put it all in a bag and now I only have my daily makeup, a couple back ups, and then like fancy stuff for fancy days. And glitter. Felt good to sort. And now Im washing all the makeup brushes Im keeping. And hanging out with sweetP. Listening to James yelling about video games from the other room.

Im going to go finish cleaning my brushes. I hope you guys have a good night. And a good day tomorrow. Be safe.

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feelthepainofdodick · 5 years ago

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Addicted - Chapter 4 (D.D. x Reader)

Summary: You and David are dating but you get some devastating news that causes you to relapse and make bad choices. Consequences are bound to happen both in your relationship and your life.

Notes: This is the last chapter of the series. Thank you all for reading! I’m going to make some imagines after this so if anyone wants anything specific let me know! My asks and messages are open! I wanted to give a special thanks to @thesilentvibe for being truly the nicest person ever and talking to me about my writing. I am so utterly grateful I had someone to talk to about this. Hope you like this M. <3 Happy reading! -Julie

Word Count: 1639

CHAPTER ONE - CHAPTER TWO - CHAPTER THREE

DAVID’S POV

I woke up feeling so heavy. There was a huge weight on my shoulders, my chest, everywhere. I woke up and immediately went to look at my phone to see if (Y/N) messaged me back. Nothing. It was just past noon and no message back. Without even thinking I called her again. I was expecting it to go immediately to voicemail but it didn’t. My heart sank. I sat on the phone for every single ring until it beeped me to voicemail. Instead of leaving another voicemail, I sat back down on the couch, and just stared into space thinking…

It didn’t go straight to voicemail. That means she turned on her phone and saw my messages I left her and she chose not to answer. She chose to ignore my messages and continue doing whatever she was doing. Didn’t that drunk guy say she called some dude named John? Who is John?

Let me retrace my thinking. I know (Y/N) left the club suddenly. The drunk guy told me she was sad and called a dude named John. He also said she was going to this said John. Then I called her a million times and every time ended immediately to a voicemail which meant her phone was off or dead. Then I call her again when I woke up and it kept ringing. Meaning her phone is now on but she just didn’t answer.

I don’t know how to explain any of this other than she is cheating on me? Maybe something sad happened and instead of going to me for a shoulder to lean on she went to John. Why the fuck would she do that? We’ve been dating, we’re in love, does she not trust me? I don’t know what to do.

I felt like an absolute maniac. I was pacing all over my house. Natalie probably came back home while I was asleep and now is awake watching me pace. I don’t know what to do. Shit. Today is filming day. The vlog has to be up tomorrow. But (Y/N). It’s not like I can do anything. She is obviously alive just ignoring me. I guess I’ll just have to wait until she comes to me.

I film a bit with Jason and some of the guys at his house. I’m completely distracted. I have so many emotions about this whole (Y/N) situation. I’m scared because I don’t know where she is. I’m angry because she obviously doesn’t trust me to lean on me for anything. I’m worried she might be cheating on me. All the while, I am here at Jason’s house trying to get some footage for the vlog.

An agonizing few hours later and I’m finally back at my own home. I sit on the couch about ready to order Postmates when I receive a text from (Y/N). I am so shocked I nearly jumped off the couch. I opened the message and all it said was - I’m sorry. I love you.

What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I called her immediately and it went straight to voicemail. Again. What the fuck? I’m so confused. This girl disappears for over a day. Makes me think she is dead. Then doesn’t answer any of my messages when I know she has her phone on. THEN texts me that she is sorry and loves me. But doesn’t answer when I call her AGAIN. How am I supposed to take all of this? How am I not supposed to suspect she’s cheating. That message looked like a classic cheater message like in those stupid movies.

I’m pacing all over the living room when Natalie walks in.

Natalie: “David, what’s wrong with you?” She asks concerned.

David: “I’m freaking the fuck out over here Nat. (Y/N) has disappeared and I think she might have been cheating on me. I just don’t know what to think or do Nat.” You sighed in defeat and sit on the couch.

Natalie walks around the couch sitting near David.

Natalie: “Just let it all out David.”

That’s what I do. I tell Nat everything. From my suspicions at the club. To the drunk guy telling me about John. My embarrassingly sad amount of messages and voicemails. Her last message.

As you finish telling Natalie the story, you hear the front door open.

(Y/N)?

(Y/N)’s POV

You got out of the airport and immediately into your uber. You were in the car with your phone in hand and decided that this was the time to listen to all David’s voicemails. On his way to his house is when you decided to do this. You felt so stupid barely listening to them now. You thought to yourself...

What if he tells you at the end of the voicemails that he hates you or something and you end up outside his house crying. Too bad. You disappeared on him and now its time to torture myself with these voicemails.

You listened to each one. David getting more and more desperate to know where you were. This beautiful, pure, kind hearted boy just wanted to know if you were okay. You started crying. His desperation to know if you were okay and safe made you feel like someone actually cared about you. Before this you always thought that you’re mom was the only person who would be affected if anything happened to you. When you found out she died, you felt lost. But, here you were, phone glued to your ear, hearing the boy you loved care about your well being.

You were parked outside of his house now. The thought of going in scared you because you didn’t know how he was feeling now or how you would even explain what happened. You toughened up, walked out of your uber, and into his house straight to where he was sitting in the living room.

He stared at you completely shocked. You didn’t know what to do so you just stood there. He got up from the couch, looked straight into your eyes, and said - you cheated on me didn’t you? He didn’t even wait for me to answer before pacing all over the living room yelling all kinds of gibberish.

Why would you do this to me? (Y/N) I don’t understand what I did wrong? How could you do this to me! We’ve dated for over a year and we loved each other. I don’t understand what happened.

You just stood there like a dead fish. You stared at him pace around and started crying. This was all too much. Your mom, the drugs, and now David thought you cheated on him. He saw you started crying and stopped pacing to walk over to you. He stood only a couple feet away from you when he said.

“What the fuck (Y/N/N)!” David yelled at your already sobbing face. You could feel the tingles on your neck when he yelled at you. You just stood there, in front of him, crying, attempting to hold your head up high. “Spit it out. Tell it to me straight!” He yelled again.

You straighten your back. Looked him in the eyes with tears rolling down your face and said. “I used again.”

His face softened. “What?”

(Y/N): “I used again.”

He grabbed you by the wrist and walked you over to the couch. He sat down and patted the spot right next to him for you to sit down too. He faced you and said -

David: “Baby. I need you to tell me everything.”

You sighed and told him everything. You told him how you went out to the balcony for some air at the club when you listened to a voicemail telling you the most devastating news. You told him that your first instinct was to call your old friend John to go back to your old ways of coping. You told him how you flew to Dallas and partied so hard you woke up on the parking lot of an animal shelter. You told him how you saw your old home become a place of sweet nostalgia into a place of deep pain and sadness. You told him how after you saw your mom and talked to the police that all you wanted to do was give him a hug. You told him how when you got back to Johns before leaving to the airport he told you how lucky you were to finally be out of your old life but their current one. You told him every gory detail while he sat there, not a word coming out of his mouth.

He was silent the entire time only for a few tears to leak out of his eyes. When you finished telling him for what felt like hours, he just sat there staring at you with pure love in his eyes. He grabbed your face with both of his hands and wiped your tears away with his thumb. He got so close to your face that your foreheads were touching, looking into your eyes, he said - you are the strongest woman I’ve ever met.

You started crying again when those words came out of his mouth. He pulled your face closer so his lips could meet yours. When they connected you could feel the love and care he had for you. The way he kissed you was like he was trying to soothe your pain. As if he were attempting to transfer the pain you felt over to him, so you wouldn’t have to carry the burden. When you both pulled apart, you immediately pulled him in for a hug. You both whispered I love yous to each other until you fell asleep, cuddled in each other’s arms.

#david dobrik #david dobrik fanfiction #david dobrik imagine #david dobrik x reader #david dobrik angst #david dobrik fluff #david dobrik fic #david dobrik x you #david dobrik series #vlog squad fanfic #addicted

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nsokolow · 5 years ago

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Talladega Nights: Mystery Beyond the Track-Ch. 2

Julie’s Simpsons alarm clock woke her up right when it was supposed to. Remembering she got the job, she immediately perked up as she slammed down the “off” button on the clock. Having slept in her clothes, she pulled her duffel bag out from under her fold-out bed, took a look at the few clothes she had with her, pulled out a Hello Kitty shirt, and considered wearing it. She however remembered she was going to be wearing a uniform at her new job, so she decided to wear what she had on and drove over to NASCAR.

As Julie pulled into the parking lot in her teal-colored Toyota, she took a deep breath. A new chapter of her life was beginning. She had heard of NASCAR here and there throughout her life, but never before had she imagined working for them. She was super proud to be working for a famous company that involved car races.

Julie walked inside a building and to the ticket booth. Understandably, nobody was in the booth. She turned to her left to see Jesse Andrews walking towards her with a small smile.

“Hey, Julie. Thanks for coming on time,” said Jesse.

“You’re welcome!”

Confused by Julie’s enthusiasm, Jesse shrugged off the feeling and continued talking. “So, I’ll walk you down to the women’s bathroom, which is next to where your uniform is, and then after you change, I’ll show you which garage you’ll clean first before you move outside…unless the other janitors already finished cleaning outside.”

“Yay! Thanks man!” Julie lifted up her hand for a high five…that she didn’t get. Dang it! Just like the attempted fist-bump!

Julie was led to the bathroom and she changed into her uniform, which consisted of a light blue, short-sleeved button-down shirt and dark blue slacks. She then left her clothes on the tool table and continued to follow Jesse towards the garage she was to clean.

When they arrived at said garage, Julie saw Ricky Bobby’s pit crew were right there examining the car, looking as if they were about to fix Ricky’s car. They were now out of their uniforms, though she recognized them right away. Jesse grabbed a broom that was rested on the wall, handed it to Julie, then walked out of the garage.

Julie looked back at him, shrugged her shoulders, then began sweeping the floor while she watched the pit crew talk about the car.

“I can’t believe this happened right when Ricky returned.” The crew chief, a tall, bald, dark-skinned man shook his head as he lifted up the bent up hood of the car. He looked at the damaged engine.

A balding man, who was shorter and had lighter skin and small eyes, put his hand on the top of the car and stared at it. “It might be totaled. The engine’ll make it, but I don’t know what to make of the rest of the car.

Another man, who had a more fit build and almond shaped eyes, looked at the back of the car. “The back isn’t much better, either. I can’t believe this!”

The one with the last name, “Muncie,” a slender man with straight light brown hair and blue eyes, and the only one whose last name she remembered, smiled. “Don’t worry! As long as we have friendship, heart, and teamwork, we’ll make it through this!”

“Or how about we give you a good beating to get us warmed up,” replied Almond-Shaped Eyes.

Julie felt really bad for Muncie.

“Friendship, heart, and teamwork helped me through a lot of things!” Julie said with a smile. She was a little angry as well, but she didn’t show it.

The pit crew turned around and looked at her. Crew Chief, Small Eyes, and Almond-Shaped Eyes looked back at Julie with confused expressions, while Muncie smiled in appreciation of the remark.

“Are you new here, Miss?” asked Crew Chief.

“Yeah! Today’s my first day! I’m Julie! Who are you?” Julie smiled pleasantly.

Crew Chief sighed. “I’m Lucius. I’m Ricky Bobby’s crew chief. Nice to meet you, Julie.”

“I’m Hershel.” Small Eyes said with a mild smile.

“I’m Kyle.” Almond-Shaped Eyes said with a straight expression.

“I’m Glenn! It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Muncie smiled as he extended his hand.

Julie’s pulse quickened as she looked into his eyes and shook his hand. “Hi! You too!”

“Boys, we’re gonna need to get a new hood.” Lucius announced.

“Oh, for sure!” Hershel said as he and Kyle turned back to the car.

Glenn smiled and waved at Julie before he turned around. Julie continued to sweep with more pep in her step.

“Okay, it’s time for your hour lunch break, Julie.”

Julie, who had been picking up trash with a four foot long trash picker and putting it in a tilt truck, turned around to see Jesse.

“Wait, what time is it?” Julie asked, surprised.

“Noon.”

“Really?”

Jesse nodded.

Julie spoke again as Jesse turned and walked away, “By the way, we never really talked about how long my shifts are and how many days a week I’ll be working. Not trying to tell you how to do your job…just…it would be nice to know, hehe.”

Jesse stopped and turned around. He thoughtfully turned his eyes upward as he mumbled numbers and moved his fingers. “We don’t have another race until next week, but Ricky and Jean’s cars are going to be worked on until then, our only janitors are currently you, me, and another guy, so how about you show up for the next two days from eight a.m. to two p.m.. I did schedule you from eight a.m. to two p.m. today. Sorry; I should’ve told you sooner.”

“It’s okay…I’m just happy I have a job.” Julie smiled pleasantly.

Julie ordered French fries from a Burger King. She then drove back to the Talladega Superspeedway, approached the empty bleachers, sat at the second-to-front row, said grace, then ate her fries.

“You went to Burger King?” a familiar man’s voice asked.

Julie turned to her right and saw Glenn standing to her right at the sides of the bleachers. He was holding a paper bag with his name written on it, the colors of the letters alternating from blue to green.

“Oh, yeah!” replied Julie, “It’s my favorite fast food place! You want a French fry?”

“Oh, no thank you! I went to Burger King earlier, and I already have French fries to go with my cheeseburger and Gatorade. What else did you order?”

“Oh, just fries.” Julie said casually before she bit into another French fry.

“That’s it?” Glenn’s face dropped into a concerned look. “Why?”

“Oh, I’m just trying to save money. I’ve been unemployed for a long time, and I’ve been trying to conserve money, and my last job didn’t pay too well—“

“—Do you want to have half of my cheeseburger?” Glenn got up onto the bleachers and walked over to Julie.

Stunned at Glenn’s offer, Julie didn’t know what to say for a few seconds.

“Really? Thanks!” Julie said as she took the half of Glenn’s burger he tore off and handed to her.

“So, uh, what brings you to Talladega?” Glenn asked a bit shyly as he sat next to Julie.

“Well, I just moved to North Carolina, and I wanted to get involved with the new place I live in, and I found out online that there were some janitorial and mechanic positions open for NASCAR, so I sprung for the race to have fun and ask for a job.”

“Really? Nice! How come you didn’t apply for a mechanic job?” Glenn asked, still not having eaten one bite of his lunch yet.

“Well, one of the security guards said that being a NASCAR mechanic is a tough business to break into, and that it’s a boys’ club.”

“Well, you’re not wrong. I don’t think there’s ever been a female pit crew member before.”

“Well, I don’t mind being a janitor!” Julie bit into her cheeseburger. “It’s kind of relaxing.”

Glenn started. “Oh! I forgot to say grace!”

“Dear Jesus…” Glenn began as he folded his hands and closed his eyes. “…thank you for this food, please bless this food, and thank you for Burger King. Thank you for Lucius, Kyle, Hershel, Ricky, and Julie. Amen.”

Julie blushed at herself being named in the prayer. “Amen. So, you pray before meals, too?”

“Of course! There’s a lot of Christians in the South.”

“I heard about that; I didn’t know a lot of other Christians where I’m from, which is Southern California.”

Glenn gasped dramatically. “Do you know any actors or singers? Did you grow up with any?”

“Well…a friend took me to an Avril Lavigne concert, and she high-fived me when she ran across the stage and high-fived the front-row people. I didn’t wash that hand for a week, and that almost got me fired from a grocery store I used to work at because I was blamed for a coworker getting the flu. Turned out it was expired meat she bought from the store. My boss was sued and the store closed down.”

“Wow! That’s amazing! Not that you got fired, but Avril Lavigne! She’s cool! Like her song goes, why do people have to make things so complicated?”

“You’re pretty insightful!” Julie said as she took the last bite of her cheeseburger.

“Thanks! Lucius says I’m like a creepy little greeting card.” Glenn smiled, not at all insulted at what Lucius said. “The only creepy thing I ever did was stalk an ex-girlfriend.”

Julie burst out laughing. “You were a stalker? Did you like, cut her hair in her sleep and smell it every night before bed?”

Glenn chuckled. “Well, I would watch her from my car when she was at work or at her house. When I accidentally missed a day of work when I stalked her, I realized I needed help. I got therapy, and I learned the reason why I was holding onto her so much was because she was my first girlfriend, and I thought we would be together forever because I thought life was like Disney movies. I haven’t stalked her in months, and I don’t have feelings for her anymore. Besides, she turned out to be a Nazi sympathizer. I guess I should’ve noticed something was wrong, because when she and her friends waved at each other, it looked pretty stiff, and people would glare at us.

“Sheesh! Didn’t one of the janitors get fired for being a skinhead? I read that online.”

“Yeah, he and my ex-girlfriend are dating now.”

“Wow!” Julie grabbed a few fries and took a bite.

“So, what brings you to North Carolina?” asked Glenn before he took a drink of Gatorade.

A surge of panic painfully hit Julie. “Uh, I…needed to get away.”

“Oh! So you needed a change of pace?”

Julie grinned nervously. “That’s one way to put it.”

After a minute of Julie and Glenn eating in silence, Julie ate her last French fry.

“When do you get off work?” asked Julie.

“Well, me and the rest of the pit crew weren’t scheduled to be here today, but I’m planning on leaving around four. What about you?”

“I get off work at two. When we’re both off work, I was thinking…you know this skate park that’s a few minutes away from here?”

“Yeah! Klakston Park!”

“I was thinking…if you have a skateboard or bike or something…do you maybe wanna meet there after work? I’d bring my skateboard…”

“Really? Sure!” Glenn replied with an enthusiastic smile. “Four-fifteen?”

“Okay!”

“Glenn!” Hershel appeared in front of them. “You gotta check this out man! There was less damage than we thought!”

“Okay! I’m coming!” Glenn got up and followed Hershel. He turned back to Julie and waved. “Bye, Julie! See you at four-fifteen!”

“See you, Glenn!” Julie waved back.

“Well, well, well! You and the janitor seem to be getting along very nicely!” Hershel remarked as soon as they were out of Julie’s vicinity.

Glenn chuckled softly and looked down.

“Guess what? Our sweet little Glenn here is a stud! He already has a date with the new janitor!” Hershel announced as soon as they entered the garage.

A little embarrassed, Glenn grinned and turned to the side.

There was a collective, “Ah!” from the rest of the pit crew members…except Lucius, who pleasantly smiled, looked down, and shook his head.

“She’s very nice; she just moved here from California.” Glenn piped up.

Hershel perked up. “Does she know any movie stars or singers?”

Glenn was thrilled to be asked questions about her. “Well, no, but she saw Avril—“

“—Why’d she move from California?” asked Kyle.

“Well, she said she needed to get away, and when I asked if she needed a change of pace, she said that was one way to put it. She’s like a shooting star, daring to burst away from where she used to be and zooming off to the new adventure that is NASCAR!”

A long silence ensued.

“Glenn,” Lucius said, “Did she get any more specific about why she moved here?”

“Well, no, but—“

“Be careful, Glenn. You don’t know this girl too well yet.”

#talladega nights the ballad of ricky bobby #fanfiction #oc #jack mcbrayer #michael clarke duncan #david koechner #ian roberts #glenn #kyle #lucius #hershel #nascar

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ficstogo · 5 years ago

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Christmas With You

Pairing: John x Reader

Summary: You spend your first christmas with John.

Word Count: 2875

Warnings: None

A/N: What was suppose to be a fic at first I turned this headcannon to what you see here now. Sorry for the mix up! I need to learn how to read things over.

Exams were Exams. You were on your last one for the day and you were happy it was the easiest one you’ve taken before your holiday break officially began. You didn’t care much for the holidays all too much, the older you got the less magic it had. You didn’t hate it but you didn’t care for it either. You were mainly looking forward to spring and the warm weather to come back. That and the end of the semester. Happy that you were on the last question, you smiled at your freedom. Walking out the door, you see John waiting with his books in his hand and all snuggled up in a winter coat. It made him look cute, like a small child.

“Hi.” You said as you give him a peck on his lips.

“Hi.” Walking out, holding your hand with a smile, he asks, “How’d you think you did?”

“Pretty sure I passed. It wasn’t too hard of an exam.” You said with a smile to return.

“Well how about we get some coffee to celebrate.” He responded back as you gave a nod. Even if there was nothing to celebrate, it was a ritual to go to the coffee shop whenever the both of you got done with classes. It was your guys thing even before you two started dating about a month ago.

As relaxed as two people can be, you and John spent the time conversing with each other about whatever came to the top of your heads, no matter how ridiculous. The conversation then turned to the reason why everyone was out for classes. Christmas.

“So what are you up to for Krimble?” John asks as he takes a cautious sip of his refill.

“Uh, nothing really. Sleep in and all. My parents are actually away on holiday now that I’m in school so, no plans really.” You explained to him. Although you would like to spend the holidays with them, you were actually happy that they finally had some time to spend together alone.

John looked at you with a bit of concern. He didn’t like the idea that you would spend the holidays on your own but he was going to be visiting his parents also. “Oh, well I’m going to be with my parents to help them set up a small christmas party but I’d really like it if you’d come along to it, if you want.”

You only smiled at his kindness as you went to hold his hand. “I’m sure it’d be a fun time if I went.” You didn’t think too much of it. You already met his parents beforehand but as a friend. This would be the first time you would see them as his girlfriend but it didn’t worry you that much. They did like you, which you appreciated and they were always so kind to you, a second family you could say.

During the days leading up to the party, You spent your time doing the usual errands and going to work while John did the same coming in and out of your apartment to spend time or have dinner with you. There was that day you hadn’t seen John. He rang you up a little late since he went to help his parents. He sounded so tired but he wanted to talk to you before he went to bed for you him to go out tomorrow.

“I really wish I brought you along today, really. There was a street fair happening and there were so many knick knacks and paintings and just so many things I wish you’d seen…” He sighed out in content. You could only imagine his sweet smile as he was telling you about his day. You could honestly fall asleep to the sound of his voice, always so soft in your ears. Gentle as though he’s never shouted a day in his life.

As he went on about his day while you listened to his sweet voice, he brought up the plan for tomorrow. “So I was thinking maybe we’d stop and have lunch and then go round my parents house to help them set up. Julia should be there a little later.”

“And what do you suppose we should have for lunch then, love?” You smirked as you asked.

“Of course the usual! A great big lobster with some oysters! Maybe even snails! Fancy enough for you, dove?”

“Oh very!” You laughed. His sarcasm and sense of humor is what made you swoon over him, even when you first met him. After the laughter has subsided, you then ask “What time should I expect you dear?”

“Sometime around noon. We’re not expected at a specific time, so we’ll just goof around beforehand.”

After things were settled and planned, morning seemed to come by in a flash. You were up and ready to take on the day. The day of christmas eve seemed so busy as you and John walked around town noticing all the last minute shoppers. The two of you only enjoyed your time together before heading over to the Deacon household, where there was a whirlwind of activity going on in there, and being the good samaritans that you are, helped with these chores.

Soon evening came around, you helped Julia and her mom with making dinner while tidying everything up. John went out with his father to finish up some errands and making sure the guests found their way to their residence.

The night was filled with laughter, stories, family, friends, and of course, some alcohol. Although it was a fun time for you all, you only found yourself speaking to either Julia or their parents as all the other guests were unfamiliar faces. John on the other hand, had to be the good son and speak with all the guests, such as his uncles and cousins as well as some work friends and neighbors. It was a bit hectic to say the least but fun over all. At times you find yourself talking to John in the kitchen before he gets dragged out to see another aunt from a far away land, but as the night dwindled down, you found yourselves to each other once more as you huddled up against his side while his arm was slung around your shoulder, his fingers playing at the tips of your hair.

You realized the time and how the both of you were beginning to be in the state of fatigue. Everyone else seemed to still have some energy as they kept at talking to each other, eating, and drinking. Lifting John up by his arm, he was ready to fall asleep. “It’s about that time we get home now, don’t you think so love?” He only nodded his head as his eyes were trying to keep open. You went to go find John’s family to let them know you both were heading out, giving them your thanks and goodbyes, you both found yourselves out in the cold. Walking a couple blocks with the both of you looking as if you were connected to the hip, you headed to the direction where most of the taxis would drive by.

The feeling of his hand holding on to yours while his head rested on top of yours as a temporary pillow only made you smile. Your poor boy was tipsy and tired and he only wanted to sleep. It was your mission now to get you both home and tuck him in for a good night’s rest.

You were happy that there was at least one taxi out this late at night for this time of the month because you didn’t know how long you were able to hold to John. You only relished on to the feeling of John snuggled up so close to you with his head still on top of yours as you rode all the way to his apartment. These little moments were what you really liked to think about and to live in.

Once you both arrived to John’s apartment, you fished for his keys in his pockets as he chuckles, saying, “Getting a little handsy there bean?”

“Come off it John, you know that’s for tomorrow morning.” You replied with a wink, unlocking his apartment door. He mainly spent time at your place as it was a little more spacious than his, at least by a few units. He also felt more at home there with you then he ever felt here by himself. And he’s lived in his apartment for a good amount of time. The thought crossed his mind to express that feeling but he thought that that should be saved for the morning as well.

The last time you were at John’s apartment was right before he asked you out. Both studying in his small living area as he left all the necessities to do so at home. A fond memory it is as it was out of the blue yet it was bound to come up at some point. Everything was the same since then. Neat, orderly, clean yet bare. There was nothing there to really indicate that there was actually someone living here. What made you chuckle though was the small plastic christmas tree that was on the coffee table with lights twinkling around it. It was cute in the sense that that was definitely a John thing to do. It was small gesture yet it showed how he was very much into the christmas spirit.

You two once again dropped yourselves on his couch, a comfortable silence taking over as your heads leaned against each other. You only had a smile on your face as you made sure to save this to memory bank. Taking a peek at John, you see that his eyes are closed. You leaned in to kiss his cheek and asked, “Got any hot chocolate?”

“Yes. In the cabinet left of the sink.”

“Would you like a cuppa?”

“Yes please, love.” He says in a small polite demeanor, as if he were a child.

Getting up, you took a second to look at John again, brushing his hair to the side of his forehead while he smiled at the touch. In the cabinets were packets of hot chocolate as you had the kettle going on the stove. With your back against the counter and arms crossed, you looked at the sight before you. All small and dimlitted, quiet and peaceful. For some reason you wanted to save this particular memory in your storage system as well. Nothing was going on but you could only assume that you wanted to save the atmosphere, the way everything felt in this exact moment.

Heading to John, you nudge him a bit as he was close to being knocked out and passed him his hot chocolate. Sitting up straight, he takes the mug from you and asks, “I hope you had a good time. I prayed that nothing embarrassing happened while you were there. Julie told me nothing did but, you know…” He chuckled.

You smiled at him taking your spot next to him. It was cute how he still worried about his family embarrassing him even though many of those occurrences have already happened. Baby pictures, 11 year old girlfriends from grade school, and so on. What else could possibly embarrass him that you hadn’t already witnessed? “No, I had a good time. I just didn’t know most of the guests there.”

“Neither did I and the funny thing is that the majority of them are family.” he chuckled taking a sip from his mug. You two talked about the events of today until you finished your mugs of hot chocolate. Looking up at the clock that faced you both, you knew you two were going to sleep in later than usual as it was nearing 1:30 in the morning.

The night ends with his arms wrapped around you and your head against his chest. His breathing soothes you into a deeper sleep while his head rests on top of yours once again, loving the feeling of someone holding onto him throughout the night.

Before you know it, morning takes over and you find yourself staring at one of the walls at your side of the bed. You blink a few times as you try to recollect the events from last night as well as what today is. You were excited about today as you quietly got off the bed and headed into the living you room where you left your bag to retrieve John’s present. Before you could even take it out, you hear John calling out your name in his raspy and groggy voice. “I’ll be right in!” you say in a tired yet happy tone.

Slipping back in the room, you see John with his back facing you while he stretched out his limbs. Taking a seat next to him, he raises an eyebrow at the package you have in your hands. You have a wide smile as you landed the package right on his lap, only for him to look down, realizing what the box is. “Seems that father Christmas has left me a gift!”

You scoff at his comment and say, “Ppff, father Christmas, it’s me you should be thanking!”

“Oh, I’m sorry love! Of course!” He says as he leans in to kiss your cheek. He then looks back down at your gift and starts to unravel what’s inside. His eyes go wide as he sees the gift that you got him. He’s in shock to see that you got him a brand new camera, obviously a replacement for his broken one. “Jesus! Y/N, this must of cost you all your savings! You didn’t have to get me this!”

“Deaky! Of course I had to get it! This was the one thing I was really looking forward to and I wanted to get the best for you. You deserve it.” John could feel his heart constraint a bit. He sees how the devotion and care in your eyes and it only made him question how lucky he is to find someone like you. You were too sweet to him and terribly caring. He knew from there how thoughtful you were and attentive you are to his needs. He only wished that he could be up to par with you as you deserved much more than him.

John leans in to give you a peck on your lips as he looks back down to his camera with heated cheeks. “Thank you love. I think it’s perfect, especially for what’s coming next.” He then gets up to his dresser that’s nearby and pulls out a dark blue velvet box and starts handing it to you but when you reach for it, he pulls away. You look up to him in confusion when he explains, “Now I don’t want to hear any “you shouldn’t have”s because if we’re being honest, your gift might’ve costed a lot more than mines.” He then hands you back the box as you look at him in wonderment. Inside contained a beautifully crafted wired necklace where it wraps around a crystal of your favorite color. You’re taken back at the fact that he had gotten you such a wonderful gift.

He takes back his seat as he looks down at the necklace in your hand. “Remember how I went to my parents to help them with some errands while there was also a street fair going on? Well I might’ve asked this nice lady to make a gift for my special girl and, well, I think she did a right job, don’t you?” You turn to look at him, feeling some tears pricking at the corner of your eyes. You wrapped your arms around his neck while burying your head into his neck. You were so happy in that moment, knowing that out of all the men that you have dated or would have possibly dated, he was the one that made you the absolute happiest. If anything, he was far better than any gift you had ever received and you never wanted to lose him. His face heats up once more as he feels you kiss his neck and ask him to put it on you. You blink away the small amount of tears that were piling up in your eyes and hand John the necklace. Sweeping your hair to the side to clasp your necklace, he kisses your shoulder while rubbing them as well and then lays his chin on top.

“Merry christmas dear.I hope there are many more to come…”

You turn to wrap your arms around him again saying “I’ll bet money on that. I can’t possibly imagine that this is the last christmas I’ll spend with you.” John gives you the biggest smile you’ve ever seen as he plants a passionate kiss to your lips. His heart swelled at hearing you say that. He loves where his relationship with you is and where it’s going and the fact that you felt this wouldn’t be the last of you two not only eased his mind, but made him think of future with you.

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sirkkasnow · 5 years ago

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06 Sleep With One Eye Open

Ao3 link

07/12/13-07/13/13 Friday - Saturday

There was no rest whatsoever, much less for the wicked, that night.

“Ford. For cryin’ out loud. I feel fine. She feels fine. Just let us go to sleep.” Stan nudged away the glass of water in front of him, chin propped in a cupped hand, supported in turn by the elbow propped on the kitchen table. He and Clary had changed into dry clothes and managed to get down a sandwich apiece, accompanied by fanciful flower-cut carrot slices, before Ford started hovering over them both like a broody hen.

“He’s got a point.” Clary was nursing her own glass of water - caffeine was forbidden for the time being. “There was a shockwave. We might be concussed. I don’t feel concussed, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t sustain some injury.”

“I’ve started analyzing that sample vial you brought, Stanley, and the dust has got at least a minor soporific component. You’re going to have to stay up all night for observation.” Both Stan and Clary groaned in protest, her head dipping to rest on her forearm.

“Can’t you wake us up every two hours?” she pleaded.

“I should take you to the hospital.” More groans. “My upstairs study isn’t too cluttered. We’ll set you two up on the couch, I’ll keep an eye on you for the night, and I can probably allow each of you to nap for an hour or so at a time. That’s the best I can do.”

“You’re not gonna give either of us a moment’s peace otherwise, are you.”

“No.” Ford folded his arms and frowned down at them both. “Go on, go get pillows. You can finish giving me the details about your encounter today.”

Clary shot Stan a fleeting, resigned smile, swallowed a long gulp of water and pushed back from the table. “See you in a few minutes.”

They reconvened at the study, the space cluttered as ever if less dusty. Clary rubbed her eyes as she looked around, tossing pillows and blankets on the couch and taking an armload of books off Ford’s hands. “How’s this going to work?”

“Short naps. I’ll wake you up every hour or so to check the pupils and ask some of the usual questions. Coherence checks, really.”

“Yeah, we might as well stay as awake as we can.” Stan finished locking in the legs of a card table in one corner and hauled up three mismatched chairs, then plunked a battery lantern in the middle. “Sixer, can she crash for a while? She did all the hard work out there today.”

“You’re no lightweight, Stan, but you are the one who got a snootful of glitter.”

“I did not. Just a little dusty.”

Clary dropped the books off at the foot of the filing cabinet, dragged a chair out with her heel and settled into it with a sigh. “Serious question, you two.” She reached out to flick on the lantern, getting little more out of it than a wan circle of pale yellow light on the table’s surface. “Are we going to talk about the fact that we were running for our lives from champagne bubbles of explosive death this afternoon?”

An awkward silence hung on the air. She blinked, sleepy and implacable, at Stan and then at Ford.

“I’m fairly sure it wouldn’t have killed you,” Ford said at length, squaring up a stack of books that Stan knew for certain had been crooked for years. “I’ll know better when I head out tomorrow to document the aftermath. Turned you into shambling crystalline abominations, maybe.” He paused, lifting his head with a faint frown. “Perhaps we should do the cinnamon-and-formaldehyde treatment. Just in case.”

“No,” said Clary and Stan in unison.

“It’s just a thought.”

Stan rummaged a deck of cards out of a drawer. “Like I said. Gravity Falls is weird. S’what got him out here in the first place.” He nodded to Ford as he dropped into the chair opposite Clary and began to absentmindedly shuffle. “If this changes things, offer still stands, we’ll rent you somethin’ to get you to Portland or whatever.” He meant it in all sincerity but let the cards snap together with a tiny bit more vehemence on the next pass. “If you’re gonna stay, though, stayin’ with us is the safest option, no doubt.”

She smiled a little, watching his hands. “Are you warning me that things could get even weirder?”

“‘Course not. Simply statin’ the facts.”

For a little while the soft slap-and-clatter of the deck was the only sound.

“I think,” Clary finally said, “that I’m still all right with staying until the car’s fixed. I want to be included as you’re analyzing that stuff, Ford. And if there’s anything else I ought to know about, I expect to be in the loop.”

“You’re not going to dismiss all of this as hallucinations from heat exhaustion or the like, then?” Ford kept his tone level, but Stan could hear the hopeful note in it.

She laid a hand over her brow and peeked up at Ford through splayed fingers. “I believe in evidence. I’m not so stubborn that I can’t accept what I’ve personally experienced. And I promise you, I was coherent through all of that mayhem.”

A quick, pleased smile plucked at a corner of Ford’s mouth. “Fair enough.” He took the third chair, setting down a notebook, a penlight, one of his favorite pens and Clary’s action camera. “If you’re not going to sleep right away, let’s review your afternoon. I know what your routes looked like, so it won’t be hard to track down the sites….”

Stan dealt himself a hand of solitaire and mostly listened, interjecting now and then when he could clarify a point. Ford had always been a thorough interrogator and Clary was a good witness, offering a clear timeline and careful descriptions which Ford kept cross-checking against her shaky video.

She was yawning more than she was talking by the time he was done. “Eyes,” said Ford, and Clary winced as he checked each pupil. “Sleep. I’ll get you up for another check in an hour or two.”

“Yes, Doctor Pines.” She shuffled over to the couch and stretched out under a blanket. Within two minutes her breathing went deep and even. Ford turned to Stan with bright, undimmed interest, and he gathered up the cards with a sigh.

“Okay, go on, pick my brain, but you’ve already got most of it.”

He lost track of time almost immediately once Ford let him get a quick snooze. The wee hours dragged by with alternating moments of consciousness and too-brief sleep interrupted by stupid questions.

“What’s the capital of South Dakota?” Ford asked somewhere around three-thirty.

Stan squinted up at Ford, rubbing at watering eyes. “Who cares?”

“I’ll take that as a correct answer.” One thumb tilted over towards the couch, where Clary was down for another shift. Ford’s voice lowered. “What’s your take on her?”

That was a more interesting question. Stan leaned back in his chair enough to make it creak. “What d’you mean? She’s sharp, sure, she’s been better company than I thought she’d be.”

“She didn’t panic today, and she’s taking the local weirdness in stride. Which of course might mean she’s a federal agent.”

Stan shook his head fractionally. “Gettin’ your magnet gun to malfunction at just the right moment would’ve been a neat trick. No, there’s a couple things she doesn’t wanna talk about, but not that.” He glanced over to Clary. “She’s still wearin’ her neckerchief.”

“I’m wearing turtlenecks in July. I’m sure she has her reasons. In any event, she’s quite adaptable, and we could use a lawyer - “

“No, no, no - “ Stan flapped a hand at Ford in frustration, struggling to keep his voice down. “What in the hell do we need a lawyer for?”

“You’re still legally dead, Stanley. I wouldn’t mind being able to fly again.”

“She’s a tax specialist!”

“She’s an experienced attorney, and don’t you think trustworthiness should trump everything else?” Stan glared. Ford sat back, fingertips tapping in sequence along the penlight’s barrel. “We’re not going to be out on that boat forever, you know.”

That shut him up, as Ford knew perfectly well it would. Stan tipped his tired head back and gnawed on his lower lip for a while. “When did the world get so damn small?” he muttered, a question that neither of them needed or much wanted an answer for.

Eventually Ford rose, nudging Clary awake with a careful hand on her shoulder to run her through another series of questions. “Pierre or Bismarck,” she murmured blearily, “I can’t remember which. What time is it?”

There were three clocks in immediate eyeshot, all of which read something different. Ford checked his watch. “Five fifteen.”

“Almost morning. Fantastic.” A faint glimmer of pre-dawn light was beginning to tint the sky, the room’s multicolored window marginally less dead-black than it had been. Clary pushed herself upright with a groan and shambled over to the card table. “Deal something out, Stan, we might as well stay up until breakfast.”

“I should keep checking on you until at least noon after that, but I can let you get a few hours in a row. You both seem to be fine.” Ford made himself at home in the third chair. Stan squared the deck, shuffled a couple of times, fished out the two of diamonds and dealt the rest out in three piles.

Stan felt himself fidgeting after two quick and uneventful hands. Sheer fatigue was wearing down his usually uncrackable poker face. The other two were unreadable anyway as the room slowly filled with the faint light of early morning, the lantern’s dim circle overwhelmed until Ford shut it off. Clary scooped up the cards of the current trick and stifled yet another yawn with the back of her hand. “At this rate none of us are gonna manage to come out ahead.”

“Well, we’re more or less evenly matched.” Ford set his fanned cards facedown, checked his watch again and jotted a note. “Eyes, Clary.”

She sighed and obligingly let Ford take her chin in his fingertips, angling her head so he could check each pupil with his penlight. “Of course we’re evenly matched. All three of us have been counting cards.”

Stan snorted in disbelief and slapped his cards on the table. Ford’s laugh was lower and rustier than usual - even he was starting to wear down. “You too? Really, Clary? Really? I expect that kinda crap from my own brother!”

“I majored in math, man, I specialized in statistics and data analysis. Of course I’m counting cards. You’re the one hellbent on cheating at hearts.”

They bickered for most of another hour as the stained glass went translucent and jewel-bright. Stan tried out a half dozen variations, trying to find some way to outfox the others, but anything they couldn’t count cards on he couldn’t count cards on, and he didn’t have the sleeves to hide anything. Clary kicked him in the shin after one particularly egregious attempt, the blow softened by her floppy sock and her low husky laughter. She left her foot resting against his slippered one which was all right he supposed.

Stan was showing off a couple of the simpler card-cutting tricks when the doorknob rattled, then turned, the door creaking open to reveal a startled Dipper and Mabel. All five stared at each other in confused silence.

Mabel clapped both hands to her face. “You had a slumber party and you didn’t tell us?!”

“Not quite a slumber party, I had to make sure they were both all right - “ Ford clambered to his feet, pink with embarrassment. Mabel pointed in accusation at the rumpled blankets and pillows on the couch.

“You three were up all night! Come on, Grunkle Stan, Grunkle Ford, you have to let me host one now.”

That set off a quiet but intense argument. Mabel was doing a fine job of mustering a logical case in favor. Clary set down her cards, rubbed her eyes and curled a tired smile for Dipper at the doorway. “Breakfast?” She nudged Stan’s foot with a toe. “Make me a couple of pancakes, would you? I think I’ve earned those.”

“Deal, kid. Think we both have.”

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“Are we going to talk about the explosions?” Clary looks tired, but determined.

I’m pretty sure we were both seeing things.

Methane. It’s always methane.

Gravity Falls really is that weird.

#Gravity Falls #gfdatingsim #DDtMMW #Swooning Over Stans #Stanley Pines #OClicious #fanfic

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lindoig4 · 5 years ago

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Chicago - Part 2 - 12-15 July

12 July

We ordered breakfast from room service again – a smaller single serve, but again, we could not eat it all between us!

We walked downtown to where we were to join an architectural tour on the river. It was hot and the walk was quite a way, but interesting to see so many things so different from Oz – and some that reminded us of previous visits to the US. We were a bit early for the tour so sat in the shade and had a drink before joining the rapidly forming queue. We were in the queue for a while before we discovered that we had to exchange our pre-purchased voucher for a ticket at an office a little way away. We had been anxious to board early because there was very little shade and the sun was really burning – so I raced back to swap our voucher and that took longer than expected. I ran back to rejoin the queue and Heather wasn’t there. I was starting to get a little concerned when I heard her calling me from on board the boat. They had come down the line while I was away and told Heather to go to the very front (still don’t know why unless it was our advanced age – most people were quite a bit younger) and then ushered her straight on board. Then they saw me coming and ushered me on board too – just ahead of the hordes of other people in the line. Maybe there are advantages in looking old, hot and bothered!!

The tour itself was quite fascinating, but the guide/raconteur spoke a little like a machine gun and pumped out so much information that I was quite lost 15 minutes into the tour. The boat took us downstream to where two more rivers flowed in forming a big Y that has become a symbol of the city.

The river itself has an intriguing history in that it used to flow the other way - into Lake Michigan. In the early days, the abattoirs and other dirty industries were in that area and all the waste was dumped into the river, blocking it and polluting the lake quite horrendously. To resolve the problem, they dammed the river near the estuary and dredged a huge channel to make the river run in the opposite direction to pollute St Louis instead. There were lots of big court cases to try to reverse the decision and to make Chicago pay compensation but there is still a deal of ill-will over the issue 100+ years later.

Despite not remembering much of the commentary on the tour, it was a great way to see a lot more of the city and its buildings. We got a lot more history and numerous amusing anecdotes along the way, but recounting them here (even if I could recall them) probably wouldn’t make much sense out of context without the buildings in front of us. We took lots of photos and many of the buildings have fascinating histories or stories about them and it was quite an entertaining 2-3 hours.

Our tickets entitled us to a free antipasto plate at a nearby restaurant and we were desperate for a very cold drink so took advantage of it - and enjoyed watching a bit of baseball in the sports bar into the bargain.

Refreshed and revived, we took a circuitous route back to the hotel, stopping for another drink when the going got hit and hard again. We then went out again to acquire some victuals to get us through the night and came back with a pizza (not really like a proper Aussie pizza) but nonetheless tasty and nourishing and we ate it in our room and washed it down with our bottle of Aussie red. (Incidentally, pizzas are called pies over here!)

13 July

We had a wrap for brekky (bought it on our way home yesterday) and spent the morning in our room sifting photos and writing up our blogs. I even had some bills to pay!

We gave lunch a miss because we had our pub crawl tour early in the arvo. We caught a cab outside the hotel to go the mile or so to the tour rendezvous. Big misteak! Gridlock and detours everywhere because of the Taste of Chicago food festival that is on until Sunday and is based just across the road from here. The cabbie tried really hard, but we could easily have walked the trip in half the time. We rang to say we would be late but actually got there just before proceedings really started. Average speed roughly 2 Kph!!! But the driver was really on our side, did a few interesting manoeuvres to speed our trip and then wouldn’t take a tip at the end of the ride. Unusual, but really nice!

The walking tour was really interesting. Our guide (Jen) melded architecture (which she teaches at University), social history and plain old good fun (sometimes perhaps a little fanciful) and was always entertaining. We stopped at several places while she talked about the buildings, their history, the architecture and their place in the social development of Chicago and I found the context quite fascinating. Just as San Francisco’s present was heavily dictated by its Earthquake and fire history, the Great Chicago fire is one of the overwhelming factors giving rise to the city as it now is.

It was supposed to be a tour highlighting the seedier side of Chicago, particularly back in the early 1900s, featuring Prohibition, crime, political corruption, Al Capone and so on and she brought it alive for us with her anecdotes (some of which may have contained an element of truth). I just suspect that Chicago really was a good deal more seedy that her more extravagant stories – a lot of fun and definitely some ‘seed’ but I don’t think she wanted to leave us with the impression of how bad it actually might have been.

We stopped for a drink and mini-burger at the Billy Goat pub (rich and evocative of the time), followed by a drink and some locally-special crisps in a wonderful bar in the old rebuilt Lawry Mansions and finally on to the Intercontinental Hotel for a drink and the most delicious toast smothered in blue cheese sauce you can imagine. I take that back! It was so good you simply couldn’t imagine it!! The tour lasted almost 3 hours and it was fun and educational from go to whoa. Highly recommended!

After walking back to the hotel, we relaxed for an hour or two and went out to find a restaurant for dinner. After walking quite a way, we eventually opted for some Chinese takeaway, just as they were closing, and took it back to our room. Not quite what we intended, but deliciously spicy nonetheless.

14 July

Today we had breakfast just down the road, then hopped on the Hop On Hop Off bus for a loop around the city. It took almost 2 hours to complete and the temperature was in the low 30s so we were hot and sticky before we returned to the start of the ride. We had a milkshake near the bus stop but decided not to brave the heat for another trip to any of the other places along the route because our ticket gave us the second day free and we thought we would fill in part of tomorrow doing that.

Despite the heat, we strolled……. We called in at an interesting pub for a cold one on the way home. All pubs seem to be interesting, rich in history and character, decorated in ways that probably reflect local pride and culture and the range of available embrocations seems endless. As it turned out, this was the pub we set out to find before settling on our takeaway the previous night. It was just a little further along from where we walked - under the El.

Chicago has the El – an elevated railway with the famous Loop around the main Downtown area and with 8 or 9 lines running off it to all points outside the city – all colour-coded to make it easier to find your way. We have read quite a few Sara Paretsky books and the El and the Loop always feature in them, so we decided to ride the Loop just for fun. We were told how to do it – catch one line out and another back so we could go all the way around – so we did, but we went quite a few stops further than we had to but it was hot outside and not quite as bad inside so it was worth it.

Then back to our air-conditioned room for an hour or so before we went out for dinner.

It is the Taste of Chicago food festival here at present (finishes tonight!) so we went across with the idea of sampling a few goodies and checking out the scene. Well, let me tell you that being a couple of older people in a massive, crowded throng of hustling bustling young things all bent on feasting and having a good time is just not my thing. They had maybe a couple of hundred stalls selling food and drinks of all descriptions (plus dozens of non-food stalls) and approximately ten million hungry families eager to stoke the internal fires - it was not a happy place for me. The event closed numerous streets around the hotel and occupied several complete ‘city blocks’ of what was otherwise roadways and parkland and it was really a matter of shuffling along wherever the crowds went and hoping that we could work our way to the edge of the human torrent to where the food was. You first had to line up to buy strips of 14 tokens at $10 per strip and then use them at the stalls to make your purchases. Each serve was priced at from 4 to 25 tokens (that I saw) so you had to juggle your choices to ensure you had enough tokens - or lose you place in the queue while you trekked off to buy more tokens. We ended up with 3 dishes for 42 tokens and escaped back to our room to eat the spoils and drink our bottle of Aussie wine.

15 July

Checkout day today, so after we finished a few Sudokus, it was breakfast, repacking, showers and a bit of tidying up and then sorting photos and writing until noon when we had to be out of our room. We cloaked our bags and walked down to the HOHO bus-stop and hopped on for the ride around to Navy Pier where we had decided to have lunch. It was in the mid-30s but felt even hotter to us so we were very glad to get inside the Pier buildings where it was cooler. We checked out the shops and food court but settled on a slow pub meal in air conditioned (relative) comfort. Then we strolled through the rest of the complex into a huge cool glassed-in atrium with trees and numerous clever water features (a bit like Crown used to have) and then out into the Fun Park with a Ferris wheel, a couple of merry-go-rounds and some good views of the Lake - if you could tolerate the Sun!

We hopped on a little free trolley for a 2-3 km ride to State Street and back before catching the HOHO bus home. Big problem! Our ticket was not valid! It seems that we were sold the ticket for the wrong bus company yesterday and despite having ridden on that bus before, we were told we had to ride a different bus - and the last full route for that one had finished for the day. When that bus did arrive, it was only going one more stop and would then finish until tomorrow. The driver and guide saw our disappointment and asked where we were staying - 7 stops (at least 4-5 miles) further along. The driver and guide had some secret adventure ahead of them so offered to get us to our hotel, despite the problem. They then also picked up 2 more stranded passengers and dropped them a few stops along - but delivered us to the door of our hotel. Not to the nearest stop – absolutely to the front door. It was so hot, we thought they were angels and had no compunction about giving them a tip!

We had time to kill so sat in the hotel foyer - and froze! From about 40 degrees outside, the A/C was set to about 15 inside and it was blasting straight down where we were sitting. We rugged up and sat there for an hour or so until we could get into the restaurant for dinner.

We took a cab to Union Station and found it crowded with hundreds of Amish folk - at least we think they were Amish from their odd ultra-conservative clothing, beards, hats and so on. They are obviously in a number of families or clans, each with its own uniform. We had a few of them on our Zephyr train so maybe there is a convention on, but it is a bit disturbing to see so many very young bonneted short-haired girls in long black dresses, each with several kids in tow and all the guys standing around with their strange hats and peculiar beards.

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rydenstories · 6 years ago

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I found a journal in my hotel room

My girlfriend and I are just finishing up road tripping around the US, seeing concerts, attending festivals, visiting landmarks, etc. As you can imagine, we've seen a ton. It's been great, but by the time we started our long journey back to our home state, the trip had taken a lot out of us. Not just physical exhaustion, we'd nearly drained our savings for the trip as well. The plan had always been to drive straight through, taking turns at the wheel while the other slept. With tension rising as time passed, the plan quickly changed and we looked for the cheapest (but still nicest) hotel we could find.

Later, we found ourselves pulling up to the building directly next to the highway that would be our haven for the night; a cheap chain hotel with a bright sign that read "NIGHTLY $4O, WEEKLY $200" and a giant parking lot nearly packed full of semi-trucks. There are two more hotels on the same side of the highway underpass similar to this, two gas stations, and a fast food restaurant. The crowning feature of this small area, however, is a goliath stone cross that almost looms from the other side of the highway. It towers over everything, including the church that stands behind it and is illuminated by two bright white spotlights. To be truthful with you, this SOUNDS very odd when typed out but after weeks of driving past countless places like this, it's all just something I've come to shrug off as very mid-west.

The lobby wasn't packed like the parking lot, but there were more people wandering around the main floor than I'm used to seeing in near any hotel. Mostly gentlemen, reading books, eating cup noodle, watching the news, and chatting joyfully. It actually kind of reminded me of living in the dorms during college. Very friendly environment. I found myself surprised at how just... nice everything was for how not nice you'd expect it to be, you know? Still, we didn't really pause to reflect on that before checking in and quickly rushing to our room. My girlfriend did a quick check of her side of the bed and was asleep within minutes, but even with how tired I felt, I couldn't bring myself to go to bed so early and decided to check over the entire room.

Fairly clean. Carpet was really new, too. Not bad for the price. I sat down on the edge of the bed, feeling satisfied enough. Still, I pulled out the nightstand drawer, more-so to satisfy my curiosity about hotel bibles than anything else. Instead, there is this dark blue composition notebook. I've been reading it for a little while now.

It seems to be a journal, with many of the entries summing up the mostly uneventful days of the writer, a truck driver with a wife named Lynae. The writing itself is really messy and although I can tell that the author is deeply thought and well spoken, many of the larger words are spelled phonetically; smart, just not book smart. The journal is really full and some of the earlier entries are really interesting, detailing run-ins with hitchhikers and feuds with other drivers. The entries stop very abruptly and the last few are particularly unsettling. I can't be entirely sure, but I think those were written in this room. These are the last few entries. I've copied them down and done corrections to make it overall more legible, but otherwise I haven't changed anything.

___________________________________________

July 27th The money is in and it is good! I knew Bone would come through for me on that last haul. Now I just gotta get the rig back home! I'm glad I finally have the money to stop and rest in a real bed, too. The old cabin just ain't as comfortable as it used to be. Maybe that's what I'll be fixing next! I called Lynae and let her know I was coming home and she near squealed over the phone. I'm thinking now's the time to get her that pretty ring. Anyway, I saw Monty again today and asked if he was gonna return my MP3 player but he just kind of shrugged me off. It was pretty damn rude, actually. Knew his parents didn't teach him manners. He just got up in his truck, wasn't even gonna stick around. Weird actually, he almost always sacks up for the night, doesn't like driving after dark. Oh well, hope he enjoys a nice night drive! All over nothing!

Anyway, seems time to hit the hay! I'll be headed out tomorrow morning and I'll hopefully be home for supper!

July 28th Woke up this morning with the worst kind of headache. You know the kind that stings behind the eyes, burns your nose? Awful. Soon as I got out of the bed, the nausea hits. Damn it! Happens after every long haul; I get some bug off some dirty oldie who ain't never heard of antibacterial soap and I have to sleep it off in some crummy hotel. Fucking figures. Anyway. Seems like this place is much less crowded than last night and near all of the fellas that are here are total strangers to me. I wandered around a little bit, went to the lobby and grabbed some good stuff from the snack machines. Hung out for a few minutes, too, but instead of the normal circulation of news and talk TV, the counter girl was watching some weird black and white film. I ended up just going back to my room, throwing up a little, and getting some sleep. I napped until now, which it's pretty late. I'm getting 1 AM on my room's alarm clock.

I went downstairs to grab some clean clothes from my rig and smoke a cigarette but the front and side doors of the building were locked. I didn't see any employees around though, so I figure they're on their late night break. I hung out down there for a while and waited for someone to come open it but gave up eventually. If I'm being honest, I was feeling a little uncomfortable. It was too damn quiet. Plus, that church changed the lights shining on that giant cross. They're red. What a weird color for a church to pick. I don't know, maybe the fever is just making me loopy and paranoid. I better try to get some more sleep.

July 29th When I woke up this morning, the alarm clock said it was already well past noon. I thought it couldn't have been right because it was still pitch black in my room, no light shining through the open curtains at all. I got up and sure enough, it was still pitch black outside. So I figured my clock was broken. I guess the fever's got me feeling more and more irritable since I got here, otherwise I don't think I would've even brought it up let alone complained, but I yanked the cord from the wall and left my room.

The lobby was still empty, door still locked, and no employees in sight. I rang the little bell on the counter but nobody came. Hell, I waited in that lobby for a damn hour and nobody came! I'm starting to feel worse, too. My head is pounding so hard and I can't get any damn medicine since I've searched high and low for an unlocked exit and found not a single one. I don't really have any choice except to lay down and rest. Tried to watch TV, but all it's pulling is the weather channel and black & white movies, so I guess I've been watching the weather channel for a couple hours now. I'm going to try to rest more.

Oh. By the time I turned on the weather channel, it was saying it was 2 PM. The clock for sure was not wrong, but I have yet to see any sign of the sun.

August 2nd It's still dark outside and according to the weather channel's date, I'm missing some days. My head is so foggy that if I didn't remember at least a little from the other day, I don't think I'd question the initial notion that I just... slept through it from being so damn sick! I'm not sure that's what this is anymore. I'm not sure what this is at all anymore and frankly, I'm scared as shit.

The bit I can remember is only a small sliver of time. I got up and near shit my pants when I saw that not only was the alarm clock plugged back in, the damn thing was set again. I remember checking the door to find that the privacy lock was sure enough in place. Unlocked it and I swung open the door but then it all goes blank after that. Now I'm here and it's more than a day later and there's some kind of music coming from somewhere. Searched for it but found nothing.

As for the cross, they turned the lights off all together. I went up to the fourth floor to get a good look outside. Seems like everyone just left... All the haulers.... Gas station attendants.... Highway drivers.... Everyone. My rig is the only one in the parking lot. I'm beyond scared... I could break out but I'm so weak.

Aug 3rd My door was open when I woke up. All the doors to all the rooms are open. People's things are sitting around but there are no people. I've stopped pretending that this is normal. Something is so fucking wrong here and I can't even find a single clue as to what's happening or why it's just me. I've slammed my whole body weight into doors, searched high and low for keys or any damn thing that might help me get out of here. Nothing. It doesn't even seem like there's a world out there anymore. Like something just picked the hotel up, emptied all the people out besides me, and let darkness swallow the rest of it up. I can't see anything beyond the parking lot. Somewhere out in the vastness, though, I can hear that music from yesterday. It's something low, with a lady's voice singing over a very slow and out of key piano. She sounds sad but I can't make out what she's actually saying. I think I would be more concerned if the noise itself didn't make my headache so much worse. Instead, I just feel angry.

[[The entries no longer have dates after this and I can only assume they are each separated by at least a day just due to the previous writing pattern, but who knows.]]

xxxx I've spent a lot of time wandering around the hotel. At first, I tried closing all the tenant doors again. It made me uncomfortable to see them that way, but as soon as I'd hear the latch and I'd turn away, they'd loudly swing open again. Scared me shitless, as you can imagine. Then, after a couple more times, pissed me off. Even despite my fucking throbbing headache, all of the rage within my chest spilled out of my throat in a torrent of screams. As you probably could guess. My screams haven't received a response beyond that same sad song that only gets closer. Or louder. I don't know.

I've started searching through the rooms. Going through people's things. I wonder where they are. Did they get to leave? Or did they go somewhere else? I'm still not sure. Does it even matter? Things are getting worse for me regardless what happened to them.

xxxxx The parking lot is gone. It seems like the closer the darkness creeps towards this place, the worse my headaches get. I've tried to move to a higher room to get away from the darkness, but then I wake up back in my original room again. The weather doesn't play anymore, but the black and white film channel does. I've tried to sit down and watch it, but after a couple minutes, it ends up being far too painful. I can't... describe the pain. It's everywhere. It's in everything, god damn it.

xxxxxx First floor is gone. The cross is back though. It's illuminated in that same strange red light, taunting me from out in the darkness.

I've been through every inch of this damn place, trying to find some kind of haven away from this madness. I tried to go downstairs at one point. Into the darkness. My ears are bleeding now but I made it back to my room in one piece.

xxxxxxx Oh god. Dear Jesus Christ. Her singing is now screaming. The piano is grating. I wanna go home.

xxxxxxxxx I think this very well might be it. If you'd believe it, the higher floors went before this one, making it damn clear that this has always been coming down to me. It's been coming for me since I got here. I think even Monty could sense it.

Despite having every light in the room on, as well as every single one I could steal from this floor, it just keeps on growing dimmer. The girl. She's not screaming anymore. She doesn't need to scream. She knows I hear her. It's like she's right over my fucking shoulder, whispering right in my ear. And just like that, someone is knocking on the door. Darkness is seeping underneath like black smoke and I know I don't need to answer. It's creeping over the pages, up my arms, shoulders, face, and into my mouth.

Lynae, I'll miss you. ___________________________________________

I'm really.... shocked. It could easily be.... anything..... but something between the too comfortable vibe in the lobby, the handwriting, and the overall feeling I've had since picking the journal up absolutely tells me that there's something to this. Now that I've got it all copied down, I'm getting my girlfriend up. We're taking this journal down to the front desk. God fucking willing, we're leaving as soon as we can.

#my story #mine #creepypasta #nosleep #spooky #creepy

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