#sunday with huge gaps in the winds

[supercantaloupe]

maestro also told a cello to remove his baseball cap so he could see his eyes better but communicated this as "take your hat off, it's too hot in here for hats. your hair is so beautiful -- look at that -- i am jealous, i wish i had that hair, i need a hat" while caressing his own hairless head

[your-divine-ribs]

Caught Red-Handed

Words: 6.3k

Doesn't Van ever think about knocking?

Friends to lovers // eventual smut // I have a Sam version of this story on my Wattpad too xxx

Imagines Masterlist Main Masterlist

You'd been friends with Van for years, right back when the notion of recording platinum-selling albums and touring the world was just a dream. He was that friend who you could talk to if you had a problem. He never judged you and he always had your back. He was the one person you could call on if you needed anything. So when you'd had a huge bust up with your friend and house-mate and he asked you to move into his house in Chester you didn't think twice. Larry had moved out just months before and there was Van, rattling around in the house all by himself. He'd never been any good with just his own company… and you were of no fixed abode. It was the perfect solution. There was just one small problem...

The past few months you'd started to see Van in a different light. His striking ocean eyes captivated you like they never had done before. The feel of his body pressed up next to yours when he greeted you with a hug made your heart race. And seeing him with his female fans fawning all over him just set off a sharp sting of jealousy which you had no business feeling.

Now here you were on a Sunday night, lounging on the sofa watching TV and feasting on takeaway pizza, trying not to react to the fact that your pulse had started to quicken the moment Van took his seat next to you, barely leaving a gap between your two bodies.

"Give us another slice of yours," he says, not waiting for your consent but reaching over into the cardboard box on your lap.

"No way!" You protest, slapping at his intruding hand and then snatching the box away out of his reach. "You've already had two slices you greedy git!"

"Come on, yours is well nice," he pleads. "I'll swap ya."

"Ughhh not a chance. It's not my fault you ordered the worst pizza on the menu. I mean who has pineapple on pizza anyway?" You wrinkle up your nose in disgust.

"Well, I'll just have to take control of this then if we're not sharing!" Van announces, grabbing for the remote control and switching channels.

You groan as Match of the Day fills the TV screen. You hate football and Van knows it. He's obviously just trying to wind you up and it's working.

"Hey that's not fair, it's my turn to choose what we watch tonight. Spider-Man's on in ten minutes and I wanna see it."

"Do you really wanna see the film, or just perv over Tom Holland, eh?" Van chuckles, holding the remote control higher as you swipe for it. "Ah that's it, isn't it? Ooh Tom, Tom! You're so sexy!"

He mimics you in a silly girly voice, throwing his head back and laughing as you narrow your eyes at him. God he's bloody infuriating sometimes, like a big kid.

"Shut up and pass it here!" You whine, setting your pizza box down on the empty seat next to you so you can reach up to grab the remote.

It's no use though, he passes it over to his other hand and stretches right out so there's no chance of you getting it from your current position.

"If you can get it you can watch what you like," he taunts. "And if you don't I get the rest of your pizza!"

You rise up out of your seat, leaning right over him, one hand on the back of the sofa near his head, the other reaching over as far as you can, fingers straining.

"You're so bloody annoying!" You complain, kneeling on the seat next to him so you can reach even further.

He just laughs with the widest shit-eating grin plastered across his face, riling you up further. You're almost there, your fingers practically touching the remote, just an inch further and it'll be yours…

And then your foot slips out from under you and you find yourself sprawling forwards, toppling right over into his lap. You're practically straddling him, your chest thrust right in his face.

"Woah! If you want my body you've only got to ask!" Van jokes, his whole face creasing into laughter at your obvious embarrassment as you scramble up on to your feet, your cheeks glowing.

You'd normally laugh it off, come back at Van with some cutting remark, but for once you're lost for words, a combination of your self-consciousness and the fact that being so close to Van has made your body react in all sorts of inappropriate ways.

You have an urge to get away now you're on your feet, putting your head down and heading for the door, mumbling something about not feeling too good.

Van springs to his feet immediately, catching hold of your arm just as you're about to exit the room, gently bringing you to a stop.

"What's up? I've not really pissed you off have I? I was only joking you know. We can watch whatever you like... Y/N? Are you alright?"

You've no choice but to turn and face him, your awkwardness increasing. You just hope you sound convincing.

"I'm okay, it's not you... I've just... come over feeling a bit funny... a bit sick. I think I'm just gonna go and lie down upstairs for a bit..."

Van's face falls with obvious disappointment and then creases with concern. "Hope you're okay..."

You pull away, saying you'll be fine, hurriedly rushing up the stairs and into your bedroom, pushing the door closed behind you and flopping down on to the bed, frustrated.

This has got to stop. You've known Van for so long he should be more like a brother to you. If anything happened it would just make things weird. Not that he's probably remotely interested in you at all romantically or sexually. The trouble is, now you've started to see him that way you can't get the thoughts out of your head. There's no way you're going back downstairs now to torture yourself all the more.

You sigh, resolving that you may as well just call it a night and try and get some sleep. You get undressed and shimmy into the little silk slip that you sleep in. It's far too hot to get under the covers so you lie on top, closing your eyes and trying to clear your mind, hoping that sleep claims you soon.

It's useless. Images of Van scroll through your head ceaselessly. His disarming smile... his stunning blue-green eyes... that cheeky way he looks at you, waiting for a reaction when he's winding you up...

It starts out innocent enough, but then your mind really starts to wander. You recall a morning last week when you'd bumped into Van in the hallway when he'd just stepped out of the shower dressed in nothing but a towel, his pale skin still flushed from the warm spray. Imagine if his towel had slipped...

Warmth floods your body at the thought and you squirm on the bed, pressing your thighs together.

Think about something else Y/N, for fucks sake...

Your thoughts drift to yesterday afternoon. Van was messing around with lyrics for a new song he was writing and he wanted your views on them. A smile springs on to your lips, you love the fact that he values your opinion so much.

This is a safe topic to think of. You picture the scene from yesterday. Van was sitting on the sofa in front of the window, strumming away, his eyes screwed shut whilst he sang, completely lost in the music. You'd been grateful for that so you could watch him uninhibited. The sun was low in the sky and it was streaming through the window, bathing him in a soft golden glow. God he'd looked gorgeous.

You'd been focussing on his hands, his long, slender fingers flying up and down the frets, expertly picking out the notes. His hands...

Oh god.... here you go again. You must admit you've become quite obsessed with his hands recently. His fingers are just so... long...

Just imagine...

Fuck... now your mind's really working overtime but this time you don't try and divert it. It's been months since you've been intimate with anyone after your prick of an ex dumped you, and he treated you that badly you've not felt sexy at all since... until now. Why not just enjoy the feeling? It's only a fantasy anyway.

Eyes still screwed shut, you hitch up your silky slip around your hips, spreading your legs apart. You start to touch yourself over your underwear, imagining it's Van's fingers instead of your own. That's when you realise exactly how turned on you are. In no time your heart's racing and your breathing heavy as you writhe on the bed. Your panties feel damp to touch as you curl your fingers around the edge of the lace and move them aside.

You start to caress yourself, dipping one finger inside you to gather the slickness of your arousal, then spread it upwards over your clit, moving in tight circles.

God that feels good. You tip your head back on the pillow and spread your legs even wider, moving your hips in time with your caresses, little whimpers of pleasure escaping your lips. All the time you're thinking about Van and imagining his hands on you, that familiar tightening feeling building in your core.

What you don't realise is that you have an audience. Van came upstairs a few moments ago to check on you, worrying about you feeling poorly.

He didn't knock. He didn't even think. Now he wishes he had... or maybe not...

He knows what he should do. Back slowly and quietly out of the room, pretend he's not seen you, then carry on pretending he's not seen you. But he can't. He's transfixed. He doesn't think he's ever seen a sexier sight in all his life than you pleasuring yourself. Hair spread wantonly over the pillow, brows furrowed a little, your mouth a perfect O shape. Your body's rising and falling with your deep breaths, your fingers gliding over your slick skin. Christ, those little moans that you're making. He can feel his dick stiffening, pressing uncomfortably on his jeans. And then...

"Oh Van..."

What the fuck?

The shock suddenly snaps Van out of his trance and he steps back quickly, kicking the door as he does, alerting you to his presence.

What the fuck?

Your eyes snap open in a heartbeat and you sit bolt upright, confused for a second until you see Van lingering in the doorway, a stricken look on his face. Did he see... everything? Did he hear his name?

Your heart practically leaps out of your chest and you grab for the duvet, horrified, wrapping it tightly around yourself.

"Jesus Van, haven't you ever heard of knocking?" You cry out, mortified, feeling the colour instantly drain from you in shock but then swiftly return with your humiliation, staining your cheeks scarlet.

Van appears to be speechless, his mouth opening and closing like he's a fish out of water. All the time he's shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Finally he manages to string together some stumbled words.

"I... I'm so sorry. I was... errr... worried about you... 'cause you said you felt sick. I was just... errr... coming up to check on ya."

"Yeah well I'm okay!" You say, your voice coming out high-pitched, your eyes darting around so you don't have to look directly at him.

"I can see that!" He blurts out.

You allow yourself to look at him now, and there's a moment where your eyes lock, and it's like there's a million things you both want to say but you can't find the words.

And then it passes. Van backs clean out of the room, still muttering his apologies, and you sit there in shock... absolutely mortified.

What now?

As soon as your eyes flicker open the next morning it all comes flooding back in a wave of red hot shame and humiliation. How the fuck are you supposed to face Van again after he's seen you in such a compromising position? And, even worse... did he hear you moaning his name? How the hell are you even going to look him in the eye if he knows you've been fantasising about him?

You hurriedly shower and dress and make your way downstairs to find that Van's already there, he's obviously rolled right out of bed and come straight down in the hunt for breakfast.

He stands in the kitchen in just a pair of trackie bottoms, no t-shirt, hair all mussed up and looking every bit as delectable as the full English he's frying up on the stove. Your mouth's watering and you're not sure whether it's the aroma of the bacon or the sight of him.

Your gazes lock as you enter the room and for an awkward moment you don't think anyone's going to speak, but then Van does, and it's an admirable attempt to make things seem normal but it just falls flat.

"Oh... morning love. Want some of this? There's plenty. I was gonna come and ask if you wanted some but..."

You thought you might disturb me finger-fucking myself on the bed?

Of course he doesn't say it but you're both thinking it. You can tell by the tiny hint of a smile that plays on his lips, the way he trails off, looking down, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Errr... no... thanks, I... errr... actually have... a meeting first thing. Thought I'd get to the office early, catch up on some stuff. I'm so busy at the moment. Honestly the emails... they never stop coming..."

Now you're babbling, and you have a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach that what's happened will taint your easy-going friendship with Van. You really don't want a silly moment to ruin the precious bond you have. You panic, still mumbling about your heavy workload as you grab a banana out of the fruit bowl and make for the door.

You cringe all the way to work and by the time you get there you're in such a state over it that you vow to try and put the whole thing to the back of your mind or you'll just drive yourself crazy. Thankfully work is busy and you throw yourself into it, managing to completely switch off your whirring brain. In fact you almost forget all about it until your phone buzzes with a text notification mid-afternoon. It's Van.

Van: Hi hope you're ok. Me and Bondy are having a few drinks down the local tonight if you fancy it? x

Usually you wouldn't hesitate, especially if Bondy's down from Newcastle. You love seeing the guys, but you realise that you can't face it and you find yourself grudgingly typing a reply.

Sorry Van, I'm having a rough day and I'm tired already. Have fun and say hi to Bondy for me...

Van obviously does have fun as he's still not back home by the time your eyelids have grown heavy and you've taken yourself off to bed that evening. You can't sleep though, lying there on your back staring up at the ceiling, going through scenes in your head where you and Van sit down to discuss what happened like two sensible, mature adults. The only problem is every single scenario you dream up has the same outcome: Van sniggering like a naughty schoolboy and you ending up red-faced and flustered and even more embarrassed than you were beforehand.

You're still chasing sleep when you hear the key in the lock and heavy footsteps traipsing into the kitchen at gone midnight. You sit up in bed, wondering whether you should get up and speak to Van but then you hear a loud clattering noise, followed by some curse words and muted laughter. He's definitely drunk.

You sigh, sinking back down into bed, listening to Van clumsily banging around in the kitchen, then you hear his footsteps on the stairs. You even find yourself counting the steps, waiting for the moment he'll walk past your bedroom.

And then there's silence... He's stopped... right outside your bedroom door.

You can just make out his shadow in the tiny gap of light filtering under the door. He's standing right there! Your heart almost stops beating and you realise that you're holding your breath, waiting for a sound... his voice, maybe a knock, or maybe he won't knock... again. Maybe he's standing there imagining you like you were last night...

And then you hear him move away.

The rest of the week carries on in the same vein. You blatantly avoiding Van by way of feigning imaginary illnesses or tiredness and enduring awkward encounters in the kitchen that have you quickly scurrying away, and by the time Friday comes around you're running out of excuses.

You've had another exhaustingly long, hectic day at work and when you arrive home you breathe a sigh of relief when you stand quietly in the hallway, listening for any signs of life in the house and you hear none. Great... that means Van's more than likely out, so you've got the whole place to yourself. No sneaking around, no hiding away, you can just relax.

You kick off your shoes and make for the kitchen, on a mission to find the largest glass you can to fill with wine before heading upstairs for a long soak in a luxurious bubble bath. It sounds heavenly...

"Surprise!"

You practically jump out of your skin at the sight of Van in the kitchen as you push through the door. He's standing there holding a bottle of wine in one hand and two glasses in the other, the widest grin on his face practically splitting it in two.

"What's all this?" You exclaim, eyes wide, heart pounding from the shock of discovering that you're not as alone as you thought.

"Thought I'd treat ya... 'cause you've been working so hard and I also thought you needed cheering up 'cause you've been dead grumpy..."

"I've not been grumpy!" You protest, aware that you do, actually, sound extremely grumpy. You smile despite yourself.

He continues, placing the glasses down on the kitchen table and beginning to pour out the wine. "And you've been avoiding me."

Shit...

"I've not been avoiding you at all, I've just been... busy, and tired. It's been a long week."

He pauses, looking at you with eyebrows slightly raised. "Oh really? So you've not been avoiding me since..."

Uh-oh. Here it comes. You brace yourself, feeling your cheeks warming, watching his face scrunching in second-hand embarrassment for you.

"Since... The Incident..."

The Incident?  The way he says it, even pausing for effect, like he's talking about some award-winning feature film he's bigging up, leaves you in no doubt that you're not going to be able to get away with pretending like it never happened. He wants to discuss it. Right now.

You shoot out a hand, reaching for one of the wine glasses and gulping at the contents, hoping for the alcohol to dull your embarrassment, but sadly it doesn't work that fast.

"Did you have to bring it up?" You say, swirling your wine around in the bottom of your glass to avoid looking at him.

"Actually yes, I do," he says. "If we're gonna live together we need to clear the air. We can't go on like this. I feel really bad that I didn't apologise properly as well, so I'm saying sorry now. I really should have knocked. I just didn't think..."

"Okay, okay!" You interrupt, relieved that he actually seems to be handling the situation maturely and not descending to adolescent level. "Apology accepted. Can we just forget about it now... please?"

"Uh-huh..." Van nods before taking a sip from his own glass, but he's eyeing you over the rim in such a way that you know it's not the last you've heard of it.

You try for a distraction. "Shall we get a take-away? I'm starving."

That seems to have worked. Van immediately clutches his belly announcing how hungry he is and you suggest Chinese. Van places his phone on the kitchen counter and you spend a while hunched over it, perusing the menu. Then you wander into the living room with your wine, leaving Van to phone the order through.

You smile to yourself. Well... that was pretty painless. Hopefully now you can just get back to being housemates and carry on hiding the fact that you're secretly in love... hold on, no... LUST...with Van. There's no way that this is love. What made you even think that?

Your thoughts are interrupted by Van entering the room, grumbling that the restaurant are busy tonight so your food will take at least an hour.

"Well... we may as well have more wine then," he says, holding out the bottle to offer you more and you gratefully accept.

"Woah, not so much," you protest as he fills your glass so full it's practically slopping over the top. "You know how drunk I get on an empty stomach!"

"Lightweight!" He teases, setting his glass down on the coffee table and taking a seat next to you on the sofa.

To your surprise he doesn't sit facing the tele but angles his body so he's facing you, and when you glance over at him him he's got his eyes fixed on you with a grin. You look away but you can feel his eyes on you still.

"What?" You finally say. "What are you looking at me like that for?"

"Can I ask you something?"

Anxiety squirms in your gut and you take another large swallow of your wine. "Well... I'm sure you're just going to ask me anyway..."

You pretend to pick at an imaginary piece of fluff on your dress so you don't have to look at him.

"Do you... errr..." he pauses for a second before carrying on. "Do you do that... all the time?"

"Do I do what all the time?" You say, playing dumb, but you know damn well what he's talking about.

"You know... last weekend... when I caught ya..."

"Oh my god Van!" You cry. "What sort of a question is that?"

He shrugs, still grinning. "C'mon Y/N. How long have we been mates for? We can talk about anything can't we? I'm just curious... that's all."

The embarrassment is radiating off you in waves, but Van's completely unbothered. Your instinct is to tell him to mind his own business, but you don't. There's something about the thought of discussing such an intimate topic with him that's made your heart thump with excitement.

"Of course I don't do it all the time!" You giggle shyly. "Why? Do you?"

"When the mood takes me. Which is... errr... quite a lot actually!" He starts chuckling, while you shake your head. "Well? It's not like I've got anyone else to do it for me is it?"

"What are you talking about? You're not exactly short of female admirers are you? And probably male ones too! You could be shagging someone different every night if you wanted to!"

Van pushes his hair back off his face. He's still wearing a huge smile. "And why would I wanna do that? You know I don't sleep with fans. And I don't go for one night stands... not anymore."

You consider Van's words. He's right. He's certainly not the horny 22 year old he used to be who took full advantage of having girls throwing themselves at him everywhere he went when the band first started getting a following.

In fact since you've moved in with him he's not had any lovers over to stay the night at all. It was one of the things you were worried about when he'd asked you to move in with him to be honest. The thought of having to smile sweetly at a parade of loved up, freshly fucked conquests each morning whilst eating your breakfast just made you feel sick to your stomach with what you’re now realising is jealousy.

Van hasn't finished. He reaches over for his wine glass whilst he's talking. "It's funny isn't it? Back then I thought I was living the dream, but now I realise how kinda shallow I was. I guess as you get older you realise the thing about sex is it's not quantity but quality that's important."

This surprises you. You weren't expecting the conversation to take this sort of turn, you were anticipating Van teasing you mercilessly about what he caught you doing. You'd been dreading it, but the realisation hits you now that it would have been a lot easier to cope with. Hearing Van talking frankly about his love life is just making you realise how much you want to be a part of it. And it's not just the sex. You want all of him.

"Yeah well it's alright if you find someone you're compatible with I guess..."

Van drains his glass, reaching for the bottle and topping himself up. "You're so right. I mean why settle for a quick meaningless fuck with a practical stranger when you can have a real connection with someone?"

And then he looks at you. Really looks at you. You can feel yourself melting under his gaze. You want him so bad. And maybe he wants you too...

But maybe you're getting this all wrong. Maybe it's just wishful thinking and the wine and the talk of sex that's making you feel like the atmosphere in the room has changed. Your head's spinning with thoughts and you panic.

"I hope the food doesn't really take an hour! I'm starved!" You suddenly blurt out, making to rise up out of your seat, but Van darts out a hand to gently grip your arm, stilling you. He's still got that look in his eyes, a certain intensity that makes your belly flip and your heart stutter.

"I heard you," he says quietly.

"What?"

"I heard you say my name... last week. You were thinking about me weren't you? While you were..."

Oh shit! How are you supposed to get out of this one? You can't deny it.

"I... I..." you start but trail off. Your cheeks are burning and your head feels light and there's nowhere to hide.

Van takes your wine glass from you and places both his and yours on the coffee table. Then he reaches for your hand, his fingers curling around yours, entwining them together. He has an earnest expression on his face as he speaks.

"It's okay... don't be embarrassed. I have a confession to make actually..."

He shifts in the seat, moving closer, his eyes not leaving yours. The air between you is thick with a heady kind of tension which only increases as Van speaks again.

"Since I saw you... like that... I've not been able to get it out of my mind. I think it was the hottest thing I've ever seen. All I can think of is seeing you like that again. I really wanna be the one to make you feel like that... for real..."

"I... I..." you stutter, struggling to form anything coherent, your mind fogging over with lust, imagining what might happen.

Van pulls the hand that he's holding towards him, urging you to move your body around to face him more fully and you comply. He's getting closer still, now just inches away.

"Because I reckon I could make you feel good. Really good... if you'll let me?"

He reaches forward with his other hand, gently cupping your cheek. You want to surrender to him, your body automatically responding, your breathing deepening, nerves bristling, but you find yourself holding back.

"I... I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to... it's just... I don't wanna complicate things. I like you Van. Actually... I really like you."

You feel your cheeks warming from the unexpected confession you've just let slip, immediately fretting that you've said the wrong thing, but you don't need to worry. You feel Van's fingers brushing your cheek, his eyes simmering with desire but affection too. "You don't know how happy that makes me to hear you say that... the feeling is definitely mutual."

His gaze drops down to your lips and back up and you find yourself doing the same to his, waiting for the moment they meet, eager to taste him. But still you hesitate. "Can we... can we just... go slow?"

"We can go as slow as you like..."

You both lean in together, too hasty, teeth clashing. It's silly and awkward and you laugh breathlessly, pulling away.

"We'll try that again shall we?" Van chuckles softly and this time he takes the lead, his hand going to the back of your neck, winding through your hair, pulling you closer.

Your mouths meet and this time it's tentative and slow, your lips brushing each other's gently. You sigh into the kiss as it deepens, your tongues entwining. It's like a release, you've dreamt about this moment for so long and now it's actually happening.

Van's free hand goes to your waist and he pushes you back on to the sofa. You grasp at his hips, wanting to feel the weight of him on top of you and he obliges, pressing himself on to you, his knees sliding between your legs. Just the feel of his warm body flush next to yours makes desire pool down deep inside you and you feel your hips push upwards to meet his like they have a mind of their own.

"Hmm... someone's eager," Van whispers, as he pulls away from the kiss, hovering over you.

"You have no idea," you smile back, your hands sliding between your bodies and going to the buckle of his belt, hastily unfastening it. Ideas of going slow are suddenly the last thing on your mind.

He smiles wickedly, and he catches his bottom lip in his teeth as he looks down on you. "You're a fucking vision, you know that? I've been dreaming about this for so long. What I'd like to do to you..."

"Oh yeah?"

His belt's unfastened now, and you slide your fingers under the waistband of his jeans, but you don't get far before you feel Van's hands on your wrists, gripping them gently but firmly, guiding them away, pushing them back against the chair.

"Nuh-huh, this is all about you," he says. "Told you I wanted to make you feel good didn't I?"

"But..." you start to protest, stopping when he raises a hand and presses his index finger against your lips.

"All I wanna hear from those lips is how good it feels, okay?"

"So I've just got to lie here?" You say, biting back a grin at the smirk on his face as he rises up slightly, placing a hand on either of your thighs, pushing your dress upwards until it's bunched up around your hips.

"Yeah... think you can manage that?"

You feel a little vulnerable and exposed in front of Van in such an intimate way for the first time, feeling the flush on your cheeks, the adrenaline flooding your body with excitement.

His fingers trail down your thighs slowly, tracing little patterns on your skin, and you can feel the small callouses on his finger tips. You're so sensitive to his touch your body shivers every now and again and he watches you intently, a smile playing on his lips as you gasp as he inches closer to the edge of your underwear and then moves away.

"You're a fucking tease McCann," you say, watching his smile widen, his eyes light up with mischief.

"It'll be worth the wait... trust me," he says self-assuredly.

Christ... your heart's beating double time, your breathing getting shallow. You need to feel something, your hips twitching as Van places a palm on either of your thighs, slowly pushing them even further apart. Then he dips his head down, and you feel his lips pressing against your inner leg by the knee. He plants delicate kisses all the way up one thigh, then moves to the other side, repeating his actions. Little tremors shoot through you in anticipation.

"Van..." you breathe, yearning to feel his touch where you need it.

"What's up love?" He asks teasingly, fingers trailing along the edge of your underwear. "What do you need?"

"You know damn well what I need," you whine, impatient. All you can think of is his hands. Those long fingers and how they're going to make you feel.

"Let's get rid of these then," Van says, his fingertips hooking under the waistband of your panties. 

He begins to inch them down your hips, not taking his eyes off you as he does it and there's something about this that builds the tension in such a way that it's almost unbearable. When you feel his fingertips connect with your skin, one skimming over your your sweet spot, your body reacts instantly with a shudder of pleasure.

He leans over you to kiss you again, fingers exploring the folds between your legs, repeatedly flicking over your clit. It feels better than you could ever imagine and you moan softly into his mouth, bucking your hips upwards, chasing his touch as his fingers start to stray away.

"Don't stop," you plead in between kisses.

"Mmm... I have no intention of stopping," he purrs. "Tell me... how does this feel?"

He pushes one finger slowly inside you, followed by another, stretching you out deliciously. You whimper underneath him. "Fuck that feels good..."

You words tail off into passionate sighs and you close your eyes, tipping your head back. His long, slender fingers reach parts of you that you could never hope to, and before long you're writhing on the bed as he pumps them slowly inside you, moving your hips in sync with his motions.

Suddenly his touch disappears, and your eyes flick open. He's hovering over you, eyes glazed over with lust, and you watch as he raises his hand, slipping the fingers he's been pleasuring you with between his lips.

"You taste fucking amazing," he says, licking his fingers clean.

The action simultaneously makes you blush furiously but also stokes the fire that's already burning between your legs. You're so turned on you feel like the lightest touch might make you explode.

"Don't make me wait... please!" You implore, rising up slightly, reaching for his hips, feeling desperate now.

"But I don't wanna rush this, you look too good," he whispers, gently pushing you back down by your shoulders, before placing a sweet kiss on your lips. "In fact I'd say you looked good enough to eat."

Fuck... Your body's pulsing now, the heat between your legs intensifying. Van moves completely off the sofa, his fingers curling around your thighs, easing your body around so he's kneeling in between your splayed legs.

You look down to see him moving closer, and he keeps his eyes on you as he leans in, licking a slow stripe to your aching heat. Then he starts to work you with his tongue, concentrating all his efforts on the sensitive nub of nerves. Watching him pleasure you like this whilst he's looking you right in the eye is probably the single most erotic thing you've ever experienced, but you find that you can't maintain his gaze for long. The sensations are just too powerful and you can feel your eyes rolling back in your head.

"Fucking hell..." you breathe, and he hums an approval, the vibrations travelling through your core, making your body quiver.

You can feel that familiar tight knot starting low down in your belly, sure you'll peak soon, and as if on cue, Van suddenly hoists your legs up on to his shoulders to get even closer. He buries his head between your thighs, lapping relentlessly at your clit, easing two fingers inside you, curving them at a spot that has you seeing stars. You can feeling yourself unravelling at an increasing pace, hurtling towards your climax.

Your hands thread through his hair, tugging it roughly at the roots, losing yourself as the first swell of your orgasm hits you like a hurricane. Then it's wave upon wave of indescribable pleasure, moans falling from your lips, your legs trembling. Van doesn't stop until the last of the shudders wrack your body.

"Oh my god," you breathe, slowing coming back down to earth as Van emerges, leaning towards you with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"That alright then?" He grins cheekily, pulling your dress back over your body to cover you up, then resting his hands across your lap.

"Bloody hell, that was... a bit better than alright!" You say, still panting slightly.

Your body feels wrung out but in the best possible way. Van kneels there looking up at you, hair dishevelled, pupils blown wide, his lips still glossy with your arousal, and you think you might have just been transported to heaven.

"I suppose I should... repay the favour," you say with the most flirtatious of grins, raising your eyebrows at him.

Van's smile mirrors yours as he rises up from the floor, taking his seat next to you on the sofa and wrapping an arm around you, drawing you into a close embrace.

"Oh I'm definitely going to hold you to that love..."

[f1]

Lewis Hamilton urges Mercedes to fix downforce problem after finishing fifth in Bahrain

Lewis Hamilton urges Mercedes to fix his downforce problem 'ASAP' after finishing a huge 51 seconds behind Max Verstappen at the Bahrain Grand Prix, as he concedes 'the car is just not there at the moment' By Michael Rudling For Mailonline Published: 19:53 EST, 5 March 2023 | Updated: 19:53 EST, 5 March 2023 Lewis Hamilton claimed his car 'just isn't there at the moment' after finishing fifth in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion finished 51 seconds behind Max Verstappen, who won the race to give the reigning champion an ominous start to the 2023 season. Sergio Perez finished second in a dominant one-two for Red Bull, while the next quickest driver, Fernando Alonso racing with Aston Martin for the first time, was 38 seconds back in third. Hamilton was clearly not happy with his car after the result. When asked if fifth was the best finish he could have hoped for, the 38-year-old said: 'Yeah definitely, I gave it absolutely everything. 'I am generally happy with the race, it was much better with the qualifying and I am happy with my performance.' Lewis Hamilton has criticised his car after a disappointing start to the F1 season  He finished fifth in Bahrain, 51 seconds behind race winner Max Vertappen 'There's not much more I could have done. Set the car up differently maybe? But overall just lacking performance.'  He felt there downforce issue in Bahrain, as he continued:  'The team did a great job with the pit stops, just unfortunately, the car is just not there at the moment, we are lacking downforce and we have just got to work really hard to try and add that ASAP. 'Anything that is in the wind tunnel, we need it tomorrow. We need to push massively to close that gap. 'The Red Bull pace was huge, it must have been a second a lap, but those around us I think we can catch at some stage.'   Hamilton also touched on enjoying his battle with Alonso, as he added: 'Ultimately, as a driver, you hope that you are always going forwards or at least in a tussle. 'The start was great, gained a couple of places. Then we had that battle, I was close to the Ferrari at one stage.' For Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, the loss was a worrying start to the season.  Hamilton spoke of a downforce issue and added 'the car just isn't there at the moment' Toto Wolff called the Bahrain Grand Prix 'one of the worst days in racing' for Mercedes 'It was one of the worst days in racing,' he admitted. 'It is really not good at all and we are lacking pace left, right and centre. 'Red Bull are just on a different planet. That is what hurts because they are so far ahead. It reminds me of our best years where we just put a second on everyone else. That is the benchmark and we need to come back and we can absolutely do that.' Sunday's result means Christian Horner's team already have a 20-point lead in the constructor's championship. The next Grand Prix will take place in Saudi Arabia on March 19.  Share or comment on this article: Lewis Hamilton urges Mercedes to fix downforce problem after finishing fifth in Bahrain via Formula One | Mail Online https://www.dailymail.co.uk?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

[sbknews]

17th victory of 2022 for double WorldSSP Champion Dominique Aegerter

Aegerter won the final race of the 2022 season before stepping up to WorldSBK next year. Race 2 highlights - WorldSSP P1 – Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) - Aegerter took the final win of the 2022 season to conclude his last race in WorldSSP. - Race 2 win was his 27th overall in WorldSSP, his 17th this season and he now holds the record for most win in a single season in the category. - In 2023, Aegerter will move up to Superbike with the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team. "I think we couldn't finish the season in a better way! We won the Championship three races ago. Both years we took the Teams' Championship, the pole position awards, the fastest lap! These two seasons were fantastic, we wrote some history. The race today was amazing. We were finally able to ride in dry conditions in the fantastic track at Phillip Island. There was some wind. I had a big battle with Caricasulo and Baldassarri, also with Bulega. I was trying to always stay in front. And once I saw I had a small gap I tried to push a little bit more so I can open the gap and that they couldn't overtake me on the slipstream.  17 races won in one season with 19 podiums is just amazing. Again, a huge thanks to the Ten Kate Racing Yamaha team, they did a fantastic job to keep me always fully focused on racing. The team did a super job to prepare the bike because to ride 24 races without any technical issues, it means they have a lot of experience and are very precise. Without them I wouldn't have achieved all of this! I will miss them next year, but we will have some nice celebrations together before I have the first Superbike test in mid-December."

P2 – Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) - Caricasulo claimed second place in Race 2, bouncing back after yesterday’s crash in Race 1. - He finished the race 1.888s behind Aegerter and 2.637s ahead of Baldassarri. "After yesterday, I was so angry with myself. Everything was perfect but I missed only the last few corners. Today I wanted to be back on the podium. My target for this weekend was to give the team the first victory in World Supersport but yesterday was closer. I'm really happy about the weekend, we were fast in every condition, so I'm happy about that. To finish on the podium is important and I want to thank my team. We started from zero, with a new bike and everything new and now I think we have a very good level! My goal and the team goal is to stay together for 2023. The feeling is really nice with all the team, with Ducati. It's been a really nice year on the sporting and personal side!"

P3 - Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) - Baldassarri completed the podium for his last WorldSSP race before moving up to WorldSBK for 2023. - He finished his rookie season with four wins and 16 podium places. "A great way to end the season. We had a nice battle for the fans but then Domi made a small gap and we were struggling to catch him in the last part of the race. For sure, we ended the season in a very good way. Yesterday we had a wet race, today was a dry one at the best circuit in the world. I want to thank my team, to Yamaha and to all the people who believed in me this year. Now I can't wait to start a new challenge next year." Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) was fourth, finishing 7.287s behind Aegerter. Race 1 winner Yari Montella (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished in fifth place despite a Long Lap Penalty after a collision with his teammate. Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing Verdnatura WorldSSP) completed the top six. Wildcard Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto) finished in seventh place. He was followed by Australian rider Oli Bayliss (Barni Spark Racing Team) in eighth place. To note: Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was declared unfit following Sunday’s Warm Up session with stomach pain. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was the first retirement of the race after he had a collision with teammate Montella, with the incident placed under investigation by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards and Montella was given a Long Lap Penalty for his role in the collision.

WorldSSP Results Race 2 1. Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) 2. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) +1.888s 3. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +2.637s 4. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +7.287s 5. Yari Montella (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +7.597s 6. Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura WorldSSP) +10.707s Championship standings (after Race 2 - Round 12) 1. Dominique Aegerter (SUI) Yamaha (498 points) 2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (ITA) Yamaha (388 points) 3. Can Oncu (TUR) Kawasaki (264 points) For more info checkout our dedicated World Supersport News page superbike-news.co.uk/world-supersport/ Or visit the official World Superbike website worldsbk.com Read the full article

[freshthoughts2020]

GRISELDA IS NEEDED FOR ONE SIMPLE REASON

GRISELDA IS NEEDED FOR ONE SIMPLE REASON

February 3, 2022

A. THEY MAKE EVERYONE WANNA RAP!!

That’s it beloved!! It was only a matter of time before I wrote about them Buffalo Boys. I can’t exactly recall when I get wind of the Griselda Empire but if I had to put a finger on it, it was probably during the Tana Talk 3 release era and I know the JBP (The Joe Budden Podcast) had a huge reason on why I came across them.

I love Griselda because they circumvent all the bs that comes with rap and just stick with rapping!! Which is very rare in the music business. Griselda at its core is the 3 Man team of Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, and Benny the Butcher. Conway is considered the most lyrical but Benny gets that title from a certain people too! Me personally I flip flop between who’s the most lyrical adept between the two but it don’t even matter!

Westside is known more as a curator than a rapper but he gets off too! He’s excellent at putting projects together and bridging the gap between the arts and the streets. Westside Gunn is definitely a person I would hang around because he’s immersed in the culture. We all know street people and a lot of us come from the hood but street stuff can be overbearing with people constantly trying to prove their “streetness” and just operating on a low frequency in general.

Griselda is street at its core but man they so different. its not low vibrations. When them boys rap they spit with that hunger and its sound like they care man, that’s so important! Everybody wanna eat but with how easier it is to get a quick lick in music a lot of people hop in the booth and say bs, not these boys, they on that Jadakiss vibe, EVERY VERSE MATTERS!!

At this point to say you don’t like Griselda is saying you don’t like hip hop! And if you don’t like hip hop kick rocks!! lmao. Man every time I listen to these boys I wanna open up Logic and press record! If I’m feeling like that any lyricist that cares HAS to feel like that! With that being said, for those who don’t know let me drop my favorite tracks below for yall to go purchase and stream! I’ll do ten off the top of my head, check it out:

GRISELDA STARTER KIT

CRUISER WEIGHT COKE BY GRISELDA

97’ HOV BY BENNY THE BUTCHER

5 TO 50 BY BENNY THE BUTCHER

ALLAH SENT ME BY WESTSIDE GUNN, CONWAY THE MACHINE, BENNY THE BUTCHER

GEORGE BONDO BY WESTSIDE GUNN, CONWAY THE MACHINE, BENNY THE BUTCHER

JOHNNY P’S CADDY BY BENNY THE BUTCHER, J.COLE

RIGHT NOW BY WESTSIDE GUNN, JADAKISS , STOVEGODCOOKS

HELL ON EARTH PT 2 BY WESTSIDE GUNN, CONWAY THE MACHINE, BENNY THE BUTCHER

DR. BIRDS BY GRISELDA

SUNDAY SCHOOL BY BENNY THE BUTCHER, JADAKISS, 38 SPESH

[ltwilliammowett]

The Australian Titanic

Built in England in 1853, the three-masted Blackwall Frigate Dunbar was intended by her own Duncan Dunbar to be used as a cargo and passenger ship, but this was not possible as the Royal Navy hired her as a troopship for the Crimean War. It was not until 1856 that she began her proper duties and started carrying passengers to Sydney.

The Dunbar, 1853, by Thomas Goldsworth Dutton (x)

On Sunday 31 May 1857, under the command of Captain James Green, the Dunbar set sail from Plymouth for what was only her second crossing to Sydney. On board were 63 passengers and 59 crew members. The cargo included engine parts, furniture, coins, cutlery, food and spirits.

On Thursday evening, 20 August 1857, the Dunbar arrived at the entrance to Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour, after a voyage of 81 days. As the ship approached the harbour from the south, heavy rain and fierce high winds made navigation difficult. In the storm and darkness, land could hardly be made out. The lights of Macquarie Lighthouse were sighted to port, so Captain Green assumed that he had already passed the headland at the southern end of the entrance. It is also believed that Green mistook a nearby cove called The Gap for the harbour entrance. He altered course accordingly and had a blue signal light set to indicate the Dunbar's arrival to the pilot of Port Jackson.

Shortly before midnight, the ship was only about six nautical miles from the harbour. When huge breakers were sighted directly ahead, additional scouts were posted. It was realised on board that they were too close to the shore, so a manoeuvre was initiated to move away from land. However, there were too few sails set and there were rugged rocks on a direct course. Before the Dunbar could move away from the shore, she hit the rocks south of Sydney Heads between Macquarie Lighthouse and The Gap bay. The force of the impact was so strong that the Dunbar almost capsized and the stem was torn away. Several massive walls of water rolled over the starboard side one after the other, taking people, lifeboats and the masts with them.

Wreck of Dunbar, South Head, by Samuel Thomas Gill c1862-1863 (x)

The force of the churning sea and the storm literally smashed the ship lying on its side. Water rushed into the hull and drowned passengers in their cabins before they could rush on deck. Out of 122 people, only one survived. His name was James Johnson and he was part of the crew. He only survived thanks to a wave that washed him up on the cliff and he was able to climb up from where he was rescued two days later. At first, no one knew anything about the accident itself. It was only when the Grafton a steamer drove through a debris field that it became clear that an accident must have happened there. From then on, a rescue operation began in which Johnson could be saved, bodies recovered and cargo salvaged.

Newspaper who reported about the accident (x)

Some of the bodies showed traces of shark attacks. They were finally buried on 24 August 1857 at St Stephens Church in Camperdown Cemetery in O'Connell Town (now Newtown), a suburb of Sydney. The funeral procession to the cemetery was attended by an estimated 20,000 people and the day itself was declared a national day of mourning.

James Johnson, 1857 (x)

The identified victims were given individual graves, while 22 unidentified victims were buried in a mass grave. A memorial to the victims still stands in the cemetery today, with a salvaged anchor placed next to it.

Grave of Dunbar victims at St Stephens Church, Newtown, c.1900 (x)

Johnson remained in Australia and became a harbour pilot in Newcastle, where he rescued the sole survivor of the Cawarra in a similar accident in 1866.

The Admiralty Anchor recovered from the Dunbar wreck site in 1910 and later displayed at The Gap at Watsons Bay as a permanent memorial to those lost in the tragedy. (x)

The wreck itself was not found until 1955, when divers found only the remains, but many treasures such as coins and jewellery. However, these disappeared into private collections. The wreck has been protected since 1976.

[papergirllife]

Chapter 12 (M)

Synopsis:

You don’t know what it’s like to be free, to make your own choices, and live your own life. For your whole life, your parents have been treating you like a puppet on strings, controlling your life to every single detail, as well as ignoring the fact that you have feelings. Other times, when you disobey their wishes, or speak up about your own opinions, they bash you down with words, in other words, psychological abuse, has led you down the long winded road of depression and anxiety. What happens when you meet a man who’s willing to be your guide out of this terrible downpour? Would you give a shot at happily ever after?

Warnings:

big age gap (kinda?)

issues on anxiety

issues on depression (mild)

issues on parental abuse

smut

Ever since that night, you’ve decided to not stress so much about your business course grades, changing your everyday two hour study rule to only an hour for that course. As for your English course, you understood your lessons right away, only revising as you did its homework. The change of workload has improved your mood as well as appetite. You even started seeing a professional for help, under Johnny’s orders, a cousin of his from Canada, Wendy, who is a licensed psychiatrist, seeing her every Sunday morning made you feel better as well as putting yourself in a better light, you stopped blaming yourself for things that were apart of you because of the trauma you’ve been through. You realised that many aspects of your personality, like always being on high alert, was a sign that you were used to living on survival mode, which in turn induced sensory overload which turns into the panic attacks. These symptoms have gradually started getting lesser, having Johnny by your side gave you a new sense of security, a safety blanket to fall back on.

Johnny was worried that he couldn’t look after you mentally as well during times when he’s too busy with work, so the best solution he could think of was therapy. At first you were sceptic of his idea, citing you coped just fine all these years, despite having moments here and there, but he wanted you to heal from your trauma, so you agreed to his suggestion, but you were strongly against the idea of medication. You’ve read and studied the after effects of anti depressants, it made you stray away from any sort of pills that were said to ‘help’ you cope. Plus, you were doing just fine without them, even better now, after seeking professional help.

Johnny is glad to see you smiling more now, although you had moments were you had to overcome episodes of your mental health deteriorating all of a sudden, you’ve generally became brighter and happier. Johnny started teaching you things you didn’t understand over dinner, he wouldn’t have ever thought that he’d be good at teaching, or maybe you were just an exception for him, Johnny thinks strongly it’s the latter.

Soon, the two of you have gotten even closer than before. Some nights, you’d sleep next to Johnny when the weather gets cold, his warm embrace surrounding you like a huge blanket as you slept, nightmares didn’t happen whenever you fell  asleep with Johnny.

Johnny has been really patient with you, mentally and physically. The most the two of you have done is cuddle and kiss? Make out? Like once? Well it lasted for like 2 minutes, before you ran out of breath and the two of you resume doing whatever that you were doing, the tension in the room that day was nearly unbearable.

It’s not that you didn’t want to get intimate with him, it’s just that he had work and you had just found a balance between taking care of yourself and studies, you were worried that you’ll tip the boat by adding anything on the plate. At times, you’d be worried that Johnny wouldn’t be able to tolerate the slow pace between the two of you, and maybe look for someone else instead, but the way he comes home on time smelling like how he had hugged you before going separate ways in the morning, struck out all possibilities that he was seeing any other person, which made you feel guilty of thinking him that way when he’s been nothing but good to you.

Yet the thought of going bare in front of him scared you, you aren’t someone who’s really confident with your own body, hence why you constantly exercise and monitor what you eat, but you felt most insecure when you see your chest, you were barely average in that department and nothing compared to the models and actresses Johnny’s been with in the past. You tried eating more healthy fats and burning them immediately by exercising, but they seem to look the same, which makes you question if the logic that breasts grew until you’re 30 was true, and being lactose intolerant doesn’t help either, the internet always boasted about how dairy could make them grow, though many women said that it didn’t really work for them either. Sometimes you wish you didn’t know how those women looked like, maybe you wouldn’t be so insecure with yourself.

Johnny was looking forward to today’s events after your Saturday class, but even more so his alone time in the house. These nights have been hard for him to control himself, he knew how you love cuddling him whenever you slept, but the way your shorts ride up higher when you move in your sleep, it makes his thoughts go feral.

There’s nights where he’ll have to sneak out to the bathroom outside the hallway just to relieve himself, thank goodness you were a heavy sleeper. Though, he wouldn’t have to sneak around today, he could touch himself in the comfort of his own bed while you are out in class.

Johnny didn’t want to pressure you into anything, you just started coming out of your shell more, the idea of sex would have you running for the hills in seconds, and Johnny doesn’t ever want to make you feel uncomfortable or pressured to touch him, which is why he only does this when you’re fast asleep or out in class.

Johnny sighs contently as he slipped out of his sweats and underwear before laying down on the bed, he takes your pillow to breathe in your scent, the sweet scent of roses from your shampoo reminding him of you. Johnny takes his length into his hand, giving a few tugs on the tip to get him worked up, precum beginning to slide out like little pearls, lubing himself up as he close his eyes, imagining your figure beneath him, he thinks back to the time you ate an ice cream popsicle on a hot summer day, he imagines your lips wrapping around his length as he thrusts into his own fist, eyes scrunched shut as he focuses on pleasuring himself. The pace of his hand goes faster as he nears his high, your name falling from his lips as he bulks into his fist in sloppy thrusts as he pushes himself over the edge, spurts of white semen on the white sheets.

Johnny immediately gets up from his position, planning on changing the sheets, but before he reaches out of the door, he sees you, through the crack of the door, a shocked expression on your face.

Your Saturday class was cancelled because your English teacher had a minor accident with her car, so she had to cancel today’s classes. You decided to take a cab home, planning on what to do with Johnny, other than the dinner he promised you at the restaurant he had first took you to. You thought of going shopping with him, since he wanted to get a new coffee machine to replace the one that broke down. What you didn’t expect was to come home without anyone in the living area, though, Mark did move out after resolving his issue with his dad, you thought Johnny would be watching a movie or something, when you walked further into the house, you could hear Johnny calling your name, but he sounded like he was in pain, so you quickly followed his voice, only to be led to his bedroom.

You were going to push the door open, but before you did so, the door had a small gap cracked open, and that’s when you saw, Johnny with his pants off, his hand wrapped around his penis? You guess? That’s when you realised that he was masturbating to you. You were shocked to say the least, you never thought you’d be the topic of his, never mind, but you are his girlfriend, isn’t that normal? is it normal?

You don’t know why you didn’t back away when you could’ve just acted like nothing happened, you were just transfixed at how he looked like, it made you feel things you never had the chance to venture about, a warm feeling settling in your abdomen, but it wasn’t affection, it was something similar, but much stronger. Before you knew it, he finished or came, you don’t even know what it’s called, and he looked ethereal, the way he threw his head back as he says your name one last time. The sight made your legs freeze in place.

That’s when he caught you.

“Baby?” Johnny asked as he pulled the blankets up to cover himself.

You quickly ran into your own room and shut your door, embarrassed that you got caught watching him do something so intimate. You tried to get the scene out your head as you did your normal at home routine, change into comfy clothes and putting away your bag, trying to feel as mundane as possible.

Johnny cursed at himself for not being alert, if only he hadn’t been so focused on getting himself off, he would’ve heard the familiar chime of his front door. Johnny thought of chasing you, but he wasn’t dressed and he heard you shutting your bedroom door. So he decided to change the sheets to kill time and trying to calm himself, he wants to give you some time for yourself, maybe to register what happened? Johnny feels lost and disappointed in himself for tainting your innocence, he doesn’t even know if you watched porn before, for fuck’s sake, heaving a sigh, Johnny runs his fingers through his locks, a habit he developed whenever he was frustrated about something at work.

When he was done with changing the sheets and taking a shower to clear his mind, he decided make his way to your door, knocking it gently, just in case you were taking a nap, Johnny was extremely nervous, his palms clammy from cold sweat.

“Baby? Can I come in?” Johnny asks, his tone gentle, barely above a whisper.

He heard your tiny footsteps padding to the door, opening the door to reveal yourself, your hair down and wearing his clothes, you had a nervous an expression on your face as your fingers were anxiously twisting the hem of his shirt. Looking at the sight of you now, he felt even guiltier at that moment.

“You’re done?” you asked in a timid tone, scared that you’re overstepping his boundaries.

“Yeah,” Johnny said, looking into your eyes out of habit, but looking away after a millisecond, he felt ashamed.

You opened your door wider, silently inviting him inside when you moved away from your door and sat on your bed, Johnny following suite. The two of you sat crossed leg on your bed, eyes shying away from each other. Johnny decides to speak up first, deciding that it would be even more awkward if he prolongs the silence.

“I’m really sorry for what I did, baby. I’m sorry for making you feel uncomfortable, and seeing you in such a light without permission,” Johnny says, his eyes downcast, hands held together.

You were surprised at his apology, you had been blaming yourself instead, all the while you were pondering on how to word your apology.

“No, Johnny, I should be the one apologising, I shouldn’t have invaded your privacy like that, and I didn’t feel uncomfortable, in fact, I’m really surprised you would still think of me even, when you could have been thinking of anyone else, I know I’m not much, just an average looking girl-

“Baby, no. You look perfect, and definitely not average. Do you think I’ll lay eyes on just anyone? Your beauty stole my heart on the very first day we met,” Johnny said, hands holding yours, disbelief in his eyes, why in the world would you ever view yourself as average?

“Really?” your face carried a mixture of surprise and happiness, which made Johnny feel better about the situation, he holds your cheek in his hand, leaning in to kiss you softly, thinking he should use his actions to show how much he values you if words aren’t enough to get it in your head.

You immediately deepened the kiss, your body leaning into Johnny’s, his hands wrapping around your waist, you thought that this was the perfect opportunity to take your relationship to the next level, but when you guided Johnny’s hands underneath your shirt, Johnny immediately pulled away.

“Not yet, baby. Only when you’re ready,” Johnny said, still quite out of breath from kissing you.

“But I am-

“No, I don’t want you to do this for me, you’ll know when you’re ready,” Johnny said, his tone stern, but caring.

“Then when can I be ready?” you asked Johnny as you held him close, arms around his nape as he swayed his body back and forth, as if he was really handling a baby instead of a young lady in his arms.

“When you think of yourself instead of putting my pleasure before yours, I want you to place yourself first, I don’t want you to have a bad first time, I want it on your terms, okay?” Johnny said, hoping that you won’t get the wrong message of him not wanting you.

“Okay,” you agreed, you were kind of bummed, but sort of relieved that you didn’t have to face this challenge now.

“Why are you back so early, baby? Didn’t you have a replacement class today?” Johnny asked, wondering why you were suddenly home.

“The lecturer’s car broke down midway,” you said.

“That makes two of us unlucky for the day,” Johnny said, which made you laugh as you snuggled even closer to him, his chest vibrating as he laughs, a feeling that would always give you those warm swirls in your stomach.

[phantomchick]

List of wips - aka struggles

Call Me A Jason Todd fic I started two years ago and still go back to poke at longingly, will the second and final chapter ever be posted? Who can know for sure.

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I tell myself that I don't need Anyone (But the truth is no one needs Me) Another Jason Todd fic I haven't completed, posted two years ago for whumptober, it was the only day of whumptober I participated in, intended to be full of Captain Atom and Jason Todd interacting during the fall out of Bludhaven getting chemo'd but he doesn't show up in the first chapter and have you ever tried to read Infinite Crisis? It's a fucking mess. With this wip I have a close to justifiable excuse in that I refuse to write without knowing the canon, and reading through all the canon that's relevant is A Task.

-

The Monster in The Man A Merlin fic floating around my drafts, currently at a good bit over 5k wherein Merlin gets POSSESSED by an old enchantment gone mad. Written because a Merlin fic I read ended on a horror style cliffhanger and I couldn't handle it so I charged my way through the first 2k of a sequel and I've been adding to it ever since. Angst with a hopefully happy ending, if I ever frikking finish it.

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The Dragon Lord In the aftermath of his father's death after Merlin inherits his father's dragon lord abilities he notices some minor changes to his interactions with his friends, the thing is that Merlin is a dragon lord and unusually what he hoards is people, things might just turn out the better for it.

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Maelstrom A Naruto time travel fix it fic that wouldn't leave me alone until I got the first chapter out, ironically it has left me entirely alone since I finished the first chapter and I have no idea if inspiration for it will ever return or when that will be.

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You Don't Know Anything Long long ago in a land of asks and a time of legend @paradise-runway sent me a fic request for "one where the other Bat boys find out the circumstances of Jason's death and resurrection and their reaction?" it has been lingering in my drafts haunting me ever since, someday, someday I shall fulfill what has been promised.

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Of Curses and Covenants A longfic exploring the magical underbelly of Gotham's history, focuses on the intertwined relationship of the Wayne Family and the Zatara Family brought about by how often Waynes through the generations have ended up being cursed. I have an index of all the curses ready, the problem with this one is the plot and the story.

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Vicki Finds a Bat (temporary title) Vicki Vale stumbles upon a still alive young adult Jason Todd at a wafflehouse on the way back from snooping into Cobblepot's latest criminal schemes. Convincing the young man to go back home to his loving father might prove more of a challenge than she thinks however. (will have a happy ending if I ever fucking finish it, for now it looms in my drafts like an unhappy gargoyle)

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Hug Deficit A fic about Jason being touch starved and his family fixing it, hurt/comfort all the way, post resurrection.

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Stephanie Brown and The Mansion of Man Pain Robin Era Steph, she and Alfred have pumpkin spice lattes together, it's their thing because I say it is. Includes, Alfred raised 5 boys counting Bruce, he's not sure how to handle a little girl and Bruce trying to dad plus Steph trying her best. Would be a lot easier to write if I was any good at comedy.

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Another Time, Another Place Some twenty years or so after their death, Martha and Thomas Wayne appear in the middle of Wayne Manor's ground floor parlour room, the major problem with this? Not only are Bruce and Dick away, Alfred's on holiday in England! Which is why Jason as the eldest has been unwillingly nominated by his younger siblings to deal with the situation at hand. Martha and Thomas in this are heavily inspired by @unpretty's amazing portrayals in her fics with them.

- Queen Blackfire and the Lazarus Lord An au with Soulmate identifying marks: Jason Todd was having an okay time as de-facto leader of The Outlaws, a band of misfits and rebels with hearts of gold (or at least silver) saving the world the best they could and filling in the gaps the more straightforward heroes tended to miss while they were at it. Then he found out he was soulmates with the Alien Warrior Queen bent on declaring war on planet Earth if the Justice League didn't find her soulmate for her. Things with his friend, team mate and potential future sister in law Kori just got super awkward and the only good thing he can find about this situation is how angry (and protective? But maybe he's just imagining that) Bruce seems over the whole thing.

Side note: Kommand'r freaked out during the years Jason was 'dead' and accidentally brought peace to a huge chunk of space and intergalactic society via building up her empire after throwing herself into work to escape the grief.

- To Grasp The Hand of a Fox Naruto and Kurama travel back in time to save the world but unfortunately they land in the same moment that Kurama's just been put under a genjutsu by Madara Uchiha, Naruto has to make his way to Konoha and wake Kurama up before the villagers seal him away inside Mito. Can he save his friend in time to save them all?

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Those Winter Sundays Mcu fic. Snapshots of Tony working hard for the avengers and no one noticing. Civil War Team Iron Man.

- Salvation Rides a Solar Wind Iron Man fic in a Science fiction / Western style fic where Tony's presence is described through the eyes of the aliens he helps. Au where the war with Thanos goes very differently. The type of fic that needs like 5 multi chapter fics in a single series to truly shine, hence why I will likely never finish it.

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And We Break Away Again Jason goes back to Talia after Damian is brought back from the dead by Bruce. It's not that he begrudges his little brother his resurrection, the opposite, but he can't ignore what Bruce did to him by taking him to the magdala valley and he can't ignore what Bruce doing for Damian what he didn't do for him, (do for Dick, do for any of them besides the blood related one) means. So he decides to go back to the only person who ever seemed to understand why he wanted to avenge himself in the first place, the only person who seemed to agree that he had a right to be angry that he'd died at all, the only person he can trust to hold him together while he feels like he's falling apart that won't judge him against the heroic mold while they're at it. Not sure if this will be a oneshot or a series but we're going good Talia with this one regardless, DC's been ruining her lately but through fanfic all things are possible so fuck them.

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Fan The Flames In the aftermath of a magical fire taking hold of the Daily Planet in Metropolis, Superman is missing, can Batman and the rest of the Justice League find their friend as well as the identity of the evil arsonist before Lex Luther does it first?

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In a Whisper (In a Wish) Ichigo Kurosaki protects people, it's not just who he is, it's what he is, down to the core of his very soul. The only problem is, that a few weeks ago he sacrificed half his soul to protect the world. It aches inside where he knows something important used to be. When everyone he cares for is avoiding him and he's starting to feel more like a shadow than a person, that aches at him too and he can't help but wish, quietly, privately, painfully, to himself if no one else that things were different, that he wasn't so broken or so alone. But if wishes were fishes they'd fill a whole sea (just be careful not to whisper them within the hearing range of the Hōgyoku).

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An Honest Conversation (Is A Bitter Thing To Crave) Jason kidnaps Bruce but things don't go as Bruce expects. First of all the reason Jason was able to kidnap him was because Stephanie of all people was his insider, why would she support someone Batman knows she's only met once. And second of all the reason he's been abducted - So that Jason can drug them both with the same substance. And when Bruce asks what he's doing this for Jason only responds, "We don't trust each other enough to have a truthful conversation otherwise" and refuses to say anything more while they wait for it to kick in. What will be revealed by this forced honest encounter on both sides? -

carrying the world on thin shoulders Midoriya Izuku deserves better from literally all the adults in his life so this is part whump part hurt comfort part fix it fic that sprawls out from time to time but it's pretty bad tbh, at some point I'll probably make it neater and give it something resembling a coherent plot. Hopefully. -

Trust Issues HP fic. Harry gets dosed with a potion that's supposed to reinforce your strongest survival instinct, the person who drugged him might've intended to be helpful but said potion happened to be at extra strength and he was given what would be a normal fix for the regular version but for this one is twice the recommended amount. Great.. The biggest problem about all this - beyond his internationally wanted godfather Sirius endangering himself by hiding out in a cave near Hogsmeade against all rational advice, his best friend Ron hating him, everyone in school besides his other best friend Hermione also hating him or avoiding him and the entire Goblet of Fire problem - is that he can't bring himself to trust anyone enough to tell them what's wrong.

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Truth is Treason in the Empire of Lies A post marvel avengers story, thor pov probably, made because I like to dive into a pool of thor & loki sibling feels sometimes: Starts off as Thor regales his new human shield brothers with the story of his banishment and return to Asgard ending with Loki falling into the Void and the Avengers have some questions, questions Thor had not thought of, remarks on things that Thor doesn’t know how to explain away.  After he goes to Loki’s cell and asks him some things he becomes more and more angry despite having no one he can punch > Gets drunk and criticises Sif and The Warriors Three after they try to calm him down > mention of Loki still being underage by Aesir standards during Thor 1 seeing as Thor was being crowned due to being of age in the movie > heavy inspiration drawn from queen regnant by peaceheather. “For while the Treason I detest, the Traitor I love still.” Currently just an outline.

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Separation Split personality disorder Red Hood and Jason Todd, alternatively, Red Hood is a demon/parasite latched on to Jay. A lot of work necessary considering right now it’s currently just an idea inspired by a cool tumblr fanart.

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A Trinity of Head Wounds The dcu trinity in the aftermath of a fight against some alien invaders (or something along those lines), whump, hurt/comfort, starts with them arguing, ends with them bleeding on each other in a friendship way, whole thing should take place in a single room on the watchtower and be a oneshot so it's gotta be a short and sweet one-two gut punch with the feelings which is difficuuult.

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A Stark in The Stars an mcu fic, a really over complicated mcu fic, mostly because of Steve Roger's timeline fuckery, Tony's alive but he's not supposed to be, but so are a lot of people who were dead but aren't now you might say what with the snap and the blip. The thing is that Steve's timeline fuckery is making it so that everyone keeps getting confused between the two different timelines of events, obviously more confused the more that their characters were connected to the films/the events that were altered, the punchline of this particular fic though is that Tony's still alive and he's unaware of the timeline of events where he died. And as he's currently in space he's also unaware that everyone on Earth thinks he's dead (because why wouldn't they? he died in endgame after all). That makes this fic super tough to write because like ultimate unreliable narrator right here and not sure how to tie in the whole 'oh wait actually everyone on Earth thinks I'm dead because of the canon timelines' thing in or at what point of the story to do that at. The fuckery of it all gives me a headache. Plot is hard. Also all of that's basically background to the actual focus of most of the fic thus far which is Tony travelling around space in an Iron Man suit up until the point where it won't be background.

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Magic Chained Merlin au. When you put magic restraining cuffs on Magic himself you don't just bind him you bind all magic the world over. It is therefore, infinitely lucky that Uther Pendragon never became aware of this fact.

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A Child in The Cold bnha Midoriya deserves better also Recovery Girl and Aizawa have shit to answer for as far as I'm concerned.

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[llithiumstars]

I’ll bite, how is botw first in the timeline

Preface: it's 2am rn and I'm sick

Botw is first in the timeline in the same way that Sunday is sometimes considered the first day of the week. Sure, Monday comes before it, but weeks just keep happening.

I wanna say, I'm super on board with botw/2 being the end of the timeline, with the split ends somehow converging. My little crack theory tho, is that it all loops back.

The timegap between botw and any other game, no matter it's placement, is HUGE. 10,000 years since the last hero cycle. And, looking at what little we know about that time period, it seems odd that it would come anywhere After the other games. Because of its direct references to TP, OOT and SS, botw is most likely supposed to be linked to the child timeline: but, TP especially, was actually quite advanced? With its technology, with it's architecture etc. The Sheikah are almost gone after the events of OOT + TP, and Ganon is straight up Dead.

For that 10,000 year gap to make sense, it can't.. happen after twilight princess, or spirit tracks. Unless something COMPLETELY devastated Hyrule/ new Hyrule. Now, it's feasible for that sort of archaic society to come from the events of Zelda II, but the map doesn't add up, and again the Sheikah are almost all gone.

The Vah Ruta in the room: the Master sword + the cycle of demise doesn't exist until Skyward sword. Correct. The Master sword + the cycle are seen in botw, so surely it has to come after?

The master sword, forged by a hero of the skies in an age long forgotten, and the cycle of demise cursed upon him, lasts throughout the eons. Something catastrophic happens, Hyrule falls to calamity Ganon for the first time. The remaining races work with the remaining Sheikah to create divine beasts and seal away the calamity. Hyrule is reset to an ancient time in terms of culture and progress, but they do succeed. New tribes branch off, the yiga and the zonai, the Rito appear from a distant land, travellers on the wind.

Calamity Ganon rises again, and the new people of Hyrule are ready, and fight back with the hero and the goddess born princess. 10,000 years later, botw happens. Calamity Ganon, after it's successful blight on Hyrule, is beaten back by Link. The people of Hyrule, knowing that this cycle will continue, look elsewhere for safety. After the discovery of lands above the clouds, ancient and Safe, the Sheikah and the Hylians take to the skies. The Zora and Rito head north, to distant lands. The Gerudo and the Sheikah who remained conquer the desert, and the Gorons stay in their volcano.

Years later, a boy finds a sword, blessed by the goddess, under the great statue on his home island. It has lost most of its power, and must be reforged by a hero of the skies.

[sciencespies]

China’s Zhurong rover returns landing footage and sounds from Mars

https://sciencespies.com/space/chinas-zhurong-rover-returns-landing-footage-and-sounds-from-mars/

China’s Zhurong rover returns landing footage and sounds from Mars

HELSINKI — China has released landing process footage from its Zhurong rover as well as video and sounds of the vehicle roving on Mars.

Footage of the entry, descent and landing shows deployment of a supersonic disk-gap-band parachute, separation of the backshell, followed by powered descent, a hazard-avoidance hover phase, and landing.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) published the footage in a Zhurong mission update early Sunday Beijing time. Video of the descent of the Zhurong rover from its landing platform, including sounds made by the vehicle’s egress, was included in the release.

The sounds were created by the metal on metal interaction of a rack and pinion system and recorded by Zhurong’s climate station, which intends to capture sounds of Martian winds.

Huge Zhurong update: Here’s full footage of the Zhurong rover’s EDL, showing parachute deployment, backshell separation, and landing, including very cool hover during hazard avoidance phase. [CNSA/PEC] pic.twitter.com/iWUXrFKf40

— Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) June 27, 2021

“With the files we released this time, including those sounds recorded when our Mars rover left the lander, we are able to conduct in-depth analysis to the environment and condition of Mars, for example, the density of the atmosphere on the Mars,” Liu Jizhong, deputy commander of China’s first Mars exploration program, told Chinese media.

NASA’s Perseverance captured similar sounds of driving on Mars in March.

The 240-kilogram Zhurong rover successfully landed in Utopia Planitia on May 14. The deployment took place late May 21 Eastern, following a week-long series of checks and analysis of the environment.

The six-wheeled, solar-powered Zhurong has since covered 236 meters on the Martian surface. An undated panorama shows Zhurong and tracks leading back to the landing platform, along with surface and horizon features.

Zhurong had earlier dropped a remote Wifi camera when still close to the landing platform. The rover then returned to pose for a joint selfie with the lander. The new update this time featured footage of Zhurong’s drive back to the landing platform and later making a turn.

“Zhurong Rover is more independent in its driving on Mars [compared with China’s Yutu lunar rovers]. It can judge by itself whether there is a path ahead based on its own image analysis. It will make a judgment about every one meter in its driving, and move towards the target set by the ground,” Jia Yang, deputy chief designer of Tianwen-1 Mars probe, told CCTV.

Remember the remote camera that Zhurong dropped for the rover/lander selfie? It captured super cool footage of Zhurong driving away [CNSA] pic.twitter.com/6dGmLoMlMO

— Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) June 27, 2021

The rover is part of the Tianwen-1 mission, China’s first independent interplanetary mission. Consisting of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover, Tianwen-1 launched in July 2020. It entered Mars orbit Feb. 10.

Zhurong is equipped with six science payloads, including a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy instrument for analysing surface elements and minerals, panoramic and multispectral imagers, a climate station, magnetometer and a ground-penetrating radar.

It aims to return data on potential water-ice deposits, weather, topography and geology, complementing science carried out by missions from other space agencies.

The Tianwen-1 orbiter is currently in an 8.2-hour orbit, allowing a pass over Utopia Planitia once per sol to perform a data relay role. Zhurong has a primary mission and design lifetime of 90 sols (92 Earth days). It is currently unknown if Zhurong’s mission will be extended beyond this.

Tianwen-1 carries seven science payloads. It is expected to change to its dedicated science orbit with a period of 7.8 hours after supporting Zhurong.

The Tianwen-1 mission builds on technologies and capabilities developed through the Chang’e lunar program orbiters, lander and rovers. It also draws on head shielding and parachute expertise from Shenzhou human spaceflight endeavors.

Meanwhile NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter revealed Zhurong’s progress with images captured with the HiRise camera June 6 and June 11. The images provided evidence of Zhruong’s driving activity in absence of regular updates from CNSA.

China’s Zhurong rover (bottom) and landing platform (top) imaged by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA/JPL/UArizona

#Space

[editorialsonlife]

Well hi tumblr its been a while since I did a brain dump so here we go. strap yourselves in it’ll be fun. 

- its been 10 days since my last counselling session and I sound like a loser but I miss it and also am pleasantly surprised that I haven’t lost my shit yet so long may that last. I booked floats in instead while Anne is away and A+ decision past self. 

- just roped shelley into signing up to a terms worth of pilates classes with me so bring on those for tuesday nights which I’m excited about. 

- got my hormone test results back. testosterone optimal levels start at 4. Mine at at 0.07 so no wonder I’m fucking wiped out all the time mate. my oestrogen levels are down significantly though which is good and my progesterone just sneaks in to the ‘optimal’ level part so still estrogen dominant but bridging the gap slowly. hence taking up pilates and i need to get back into some low intensity weights as well to try boost that testosterone level again. fun times. 

- just like, holy fucking shit I forgot what life was like without pervasive, constant, existential anxiety all the fucking time. it was basically just a year of being on edge, jittery and unable to focus. peaks and troughs throughout that time, and very brief windows without it but hot damn, has it taken its sweet time to get back under control. and It’s been a fucking mission to do it but man am I happy I’m through it now. it’s so nice to be back to feeling like myself again. to laugh a bit more. to find more time to smile and more reasons for joy and just goodness in life. 

- I’ve journalled for 159 days in a row at this point. it is a lifesaver and I love it. meditation is a lot patchier but its still a good time. 

- I got majorly sunburnt on sunday and it’s so sore. I’m v glad I snuck lidocaine aloe vera gel into the country. is so good. 

- yoga has also been great. thursday evening yin with candlelight and acoustic music from two kid who liv down the street and some nights it rains and it’s just, I walk up the hill and am dying and out of breath but like, there’s just this sense of calm the moment you walk in and I fucking love it. slowly learning how to exist in my body again in a peaceful manner. 

- my body and my brain are not yet quite peacefully coexisting but I think we’ll get there. I’m working on it. sex is still an interesting challenge. food is still a mess. body issues are still all over the show. but ya know what? I’m here and I’m doing it anyway. we’ll get there. baby steps in the right direction. 

- less than 6 months til wedding 2.0. got a dress, got a photographer, got the venue, got the celebrant. 

- family remains a fun challenge. honestly mates. its a bit nuts. daves parents came down a couple of weeks ago to stay and oh my goodness what a weekend. not sad to not have to repeat that any time soon. going up to see my parents this weekend which should be good. 

- got another maple tree over the weekend, YAY

- We got a garage door opener installed and oh my god I feel so rich every time i push a button and the door just rolls up? it’s so bougie and so unnecessary and so LUXURIOUS and its jsut fab and I love it and I hope the novelty never wears off honestly. 

- we replanted the vegegarden this weekend for summer and the fucking wind already snapped one of my tomato plants RUDE but hopefully the other half survives which would be great. I hope it does. 

- my cherry blossom tree is flowering and its my fav. the cabbage tree out the front is dying as well which is gunna be a pain in the butt to get down ebcause its right by our power line to the house but hopefully it’ll hold out a while longer. need to deal with that sooner rather than later tbh. the apricot tree appears to have a fungal infection from my limited googling? and if it is, it sounds v hard to manage and I’m not sure I’m up for the level of maintenance its gunna need. 

- our electric lawn mower continues to bring me great joy. 

- its bedtime I really should be putting this laptop away right now. 

- I spent the afternoon writing down what I want my life to look like in 10 years and fuck me its quite terrifying and a bit exciting and just, the gap between here and there is so huge but like, I want it but I don’t know how to make it happen but also how good could it be??? 

- we have also been in dicsussions about getting a puppy. this is a serious life consideration right now. so good. 

- there is more but I need to sleep. I have enjoyed shouting into the void. sleep well little internet friends and I hope you are doing ok wherever you are. 

[safflowerseason]

Those West Wing photos make me long for a Veep reunion special. It’s too bad that if they do one, everyone will be separated again. Dan and Amy don’t see each other for 24 years. I want a scene where Dan sees Amy, but she doesn’t see him. But knowing Mandel, Amy would shoot him longing looks because she's forever in love with him even after the way he treated her, while he’s hitting on two young girls at the same time.

Hi Anon - thanks so much for writing in. All things considered, I think we’re comparatively lucky that the finale flashforward did not include Amy making longing looks at Dan…I’d put it more to Anna Chlumsky than David Mandel that Amy ever developed any kind of closure where Dan was concerned. Certainly the fact that she was even speaking to him is a pretty big concession, lol (and speaks to the general illogic that defines their S7 storyline). My conspiracy theory is that a pre-Trump Dan/Amy ending (the one where they actually follow through with the baby) would have consisted of Dan accidentally hitting on his own adult daughter at Selina’s funeral. Some kind of super cliché daddy joke that would also underscore Dan’s completely absence from and lack of interest in Amy's life seems like a plausible place for Mandel to take Dan. (And we know that Mandel likes jokes about incest). 

I’m not sure if you saw my earlier post with thoughts about what a “special new episode” reunion might look like—there are some pretty obvious ways to get around how all the characters scattered to the winds. And Dan and Amy are the only characters where we’re given a firm clue that they have not seen one another in many years (I think? Truly the finale is such a blur to me). However, I think it’s also worth pointing out that Amy’s comment about not seeing Dan since his third wife was born is clearly a joke, a bit intended more for the audience than for Dan himself. It doesn’t make sense as something she would actually say to him. (how would Amy even know when Dan’s third wife was born?) So to me, the implied 24-year time gap is not something that would be super hard to get around if they wanted to. I absolutely do believe that the joke is supposed to communicate to the audience that Dan and Amy are not involved in each other’s lives to any degree and they have not seen each for many years. Absolutely. But also...Veep is a comedy and it’s a joke, and jokes are inherently flexible, so I doubt anyone on the creative team would be a huge stickler for the 24 years timeline. (But who knows, I could be way off). 

Ialso don’t think a revival under Mandel would deliver much on the Dan/Amy front, even if they did share some scenes together. They’re not a defining element of the show for him, and both Reid Scott and Anna Chlumsky seem very invested in the S7 endings of their characters. I could see them wanting to play off one another for old time’s sake, but hardly to the degree where it’s revealed to us that Dan is suddenly more interested in Amy than he is in having sex with much younger women who fit Mandel’s idea of femininity. It’s not like we’d see Dan get into a jealous snit over Amy’s marriage to Bill Ericsson. Mandel-era Dan isn’t wired that way. 

What The West Wing is doing is a staged performance of an episode from S3, and I would absolutely kill for a staged performance of a Veep episode from S1-S4. I am 100% in favor of this type of reunion special. But I doubt it’s ever going to happen, since Mandel would be in charge and would naturally want to do something from the era of the show he was responsible for. I could maybe see them doing an S1 episode with him at the helm, since he seemed to draw a lot of inspiration from that season. It seems like something the cast would love to do as well, since they speak so fondly of the active rehearsal process from the Iannucci years of the show, and their backgrounds are all in live theater/comedy anyway. It was so cool to see them act in the reunion special last Sunday, even via Zoom...watching Anna Chlumsky get her Amy face on was so delightful and interesting, I would pay *a lot* of money to watch a filmed version of a staged Veep episode. 

But in truth, I suspect what we saw last Sunday is going to be the only Veep reunion special for quite some time. Once the pandemic is over (or even before it’s over…Timothy Simons has been quarantining in Canada for the past two weeks, presumably for a project), the cast is all going to have new things to work on and I think there’s simply not an appetite for a reunion yet when so little time has passed since the show went off the air.

[tuckermouse]

Rosalie Hale x Reader: Part 1

Ever since the Cullens came to town, people tended to stay away from them. There was an instinct to leave them be and mind your own business. (y/n) felt it at first too, but they didn’t really mind the weird vibes the Cullens gave off. They just wanted to welcome the family to the town, especially the Cullen siblings to the school. 

Well, that and (y/n) was enamored with the blonde Rosalie ever since they laid eyes on her. (y/n) wasn’t struck by Rosalie’s beauty first, just her elegance. Sure, the whole family’s graceful, but Rosalie moved with a form (y/n) has never seen before. Second, (y/n) saw the melancholy in her eyes-it was always there, mingling with any other emotion Rosalie felt at the moment. The distinct but subtle sadness combined with the elegance only reminded (y/n) of a willow tree, moving with the wind but standing its own ground. One thing is for sure-Rosalie was the most beautiful willow tree (y/n) had ever seen. 

“Are you done staring at Rosalie? I was totally asking you about your plans for this weekend since that new movie just came out,” Jessica said. 

Angela leaned into the conversation before saying, “We’re all seeing it, and we wanted to know if you could go. We’re going on Saturday.”

(y/n) mentally cursed at her predicament. Their parents were going out that day from some meeting thing, and they promised to babysit their siblings the entire day. Another perk of being the oldest with a huge age gap: you’re the built in babysitter of the family. “Sorry, guys. No can do. I promised to watch my siblings all day Saturday. Maybe I can catch up with you all on Sunday.”

“I’m sorry, (y/n). We’ll tell you if the movie is even worth seeing,” Angela offered kindly. 

(y/n) smiled before sensing eyes on them. They turned and made direct eye contact with Rosalie, watching from across the cafeteria. In an attempt to diffuse the awkwardness, (y/n) smiled and gave a small wave. Rosalie gave a little huff and rolled her eyes before giving into the tiniest of smiles. (y/n) knew they’d get to her one day.

------

The next day, (y/n) sat in their biology class whilst staring out the window. Usually (y/n) would pay attention, but a certain blonde plagued their thoughts. 

“And for the endangered species project, I will be assigning partners.” A groan resounded in the classroom. “Hush,” Mr. Molina uttered before continuing with the assignments, “Mike and Lisa, Eric and Jeremy, Anne and...” 

(y/n) spaced out before hearing, “and Rosalie and (y/n). Get with your partner, pick an animal, and get this done by Monday. The more creative, the more credit!” (y/n) perked at this information. They turned around to face Rosalie, who was still at her desk, looking at her nails in a bored manner. (y/n) smiled before walking over. 

“Looks like its me and you,” (y/n) began. 

Rosalie rolled her eyes and replied, “Yes, me and you.” 

(y/n) continued, “Well, we can do Sunday at my place. I would say tomorrow, but I’m babysitting my siblings that day and I don’t want that to interrupt-”

“Saturday is fine,” Rosalie said, looking a bit more intrigued. “I’ll be there by 1.” 

(y/n) blinked, surprised someone their age wouldn’t mind being around children, especially during a project. “Alright, sounds great! Hope you like toddlers and kids.” Rosalie smiled widely at (y/n), which made their heart pound.

“I do,” Rosalie responded softly. (y/n) knew they were getting to Rosalie’s heart, day by day. 

[kiszkakiss]

Connection

Pairing: Josh Kiszka x Reader

[AO3 or Wattpad, if you prefer: x / x]

Summary: Based on this request. You meet Josh at the movies and discover that you have a spark.

Warnings: Language (a little bit), flaaffff, shit writing.

A/N: Sorry this took so long to post. It didn't turn out exactly how I'd originally thought it would but I hope you all enjoy anyway. x

[Word count: 1,873]

You were waiting in line with an assortment of sweets you’d picked out. Checking your phone for the time, you started tapping your foot, eager to get settled in the movie theatre. You could tell the people in front of you were equally as impatient. What is going on? You thought. The lines weren’t usually this long. Cinema dates were something you did with your ex but you didn’t want it to be tainted by that. Friends thought it was odd that you went on your own but you found it to be a pleasant experience, opting to take yourself once a month or so.

Still waiting in line, it was almost your turn and you caught a glimpse of the cashier. He must have been new because you’d never seen him before and he was looking a little stressed; red faced, rushing around, spilling popcorn and fumbling with change. He looked like he’d been at the beach all summer; tanned skin, curly hair atop his head lighter than his brows, probably a little lightened by the sun. As you walked up the counter to pay for your treats, you noticed he was rocking some hoop earrings like your own and you spotted a little gap between his front teeth as he apologised profusely for the wait. His voice was kind of raspy and his accent a little unusual. That was unexpected. “It’s no problem.” You replied and popped your sweets on the counter. “Just these, please…” You took a quick look at his name tag. “…Joshua.” “Josh is fine. Is that all?” He asked, his eyes pleading with you to stick with what you already had. The poor thing was left alone, handling everything by himself. “Yes, that’s all.” you answered and he sighed with relief. You gave him the exact amount of money so that he didn’t have to get all flustered, picking out the correct change. “Enjoy your film.” Josh said, sounding sincere.

The film was just okay. You didn’t expect much from a generic rom-com but you hoped to be pleasantly surprised this time. You felt that familiar dizziness of walking out of a dark movie theatre and into the foyer; still regaining your bearings. It was quiet as you’d waited for everyone to leave first and you spotted Josh at his station, leaning his elbows on the counter. He seemed more relaxed now that there wasn’t anyone rushing him off of his feet. “See you, Josh.” His head snapped up at the sound of your voice and he waved back at you with a smile.

-

It had been a couple of months since you took yourself on a movie date as you had been busy with work and school. Sunday afternoon seemed to be as good a time as any to go and catch a film at the cinema; it’d be quiet and there wouldn’t be huge lines for popcorn. You decided to wait and see what was playing when you got there.

When you arrived, you scoured the options and ended up settling on another rom-com. Maybe you were still a little bit hung up over your ex. You just wanted to be transported into a world where love has its ups and downs but it all works out in the end; they live happily ever after. As you walked towards the assigned theatre, you heard a familiar voice greeting you. You quickly spun around, hoping it wasn’t someone you knew who was going to ruin your alone time. You were surprised to see Josh, clad in his obnoxious orange uniform. He was sweeping popcorn off of the floor and recognised you. “Oh, hi.” you called back to him. “You were here a while ago, right?” he asked, walking over to you. “Yeah, it’s been a while. I’ve been busy.” you explained, although you didn’t need to. He nodded, understanding, and leaned on the side of the counter. “Thanks for going easy on me before. That was my first day. You were the only person who treated me decently.” “I can’t believe they left you alone on your first day, that’s terrible.” You empathised. “It was awful but I got the hang of it eventually.” There was a pause and you were torn between wanting to watch the movie and chatting more with Josh. “I’m y/n, by the way.” You offered your hand to shake and he took it, gripping it firmly. His skin felt as smooth and soft as it looked. “And you’re Josh, I remember.” “Sorry, must not have made the best first impression.” He massaged his neck anxiously, looking everywhere but at you. “No, you were doing your best and I appreciated that.” You gave him a reassuring smile and he slowly managed to look at you again. “So, um, not to be demanding or anything but could I get some popcorn?” Josh laughed loudly at that and shook his head, setting the broom against the wall and walking behind the counter. “Of course you can. Got to do my job. Sweet or salty?” He asked, preparing the box. You thought about it. “How about both?” “Coming right up.” His smile was bright and wide as he scooped one part sweet and one part salty popcorn into the box. You went to grab your purse from your bag but Josh’s voice interrupted your concentration. “It’s on me. Enjoy your film, y/n.” “Thanks, Josh.” You took the popcorn from him and turned to make your way to catch the film but something made you stop in your tracks. You turned back around. “Hey, Josh?” You called out. “Yeah?” He answered. “Do you want to hang out sometime?” “Sure,” He was blushing but not as much as you were. “we can swap numbers after the movie.” “Okay, see you in a bit.”

Alone in the theatre, you chose your favourite seat in the middle. You couldn’t stop smiling about your interaction with the curly haired cashier. Even during the film, your mind wandered back to him; how sweet he seemed and the way he treated you. Complete opposite of your ex who was tall, dark-skinned and treated you like shit; although it took you a while to realise this.

Once again, you emerged from the theatre, feeling a little wobbly from sitting for so long. You spotted Josh leaning against his station but he had changed out of his orange uniform. He was wearing khaki skinny jeans and a plain white t-shirt; a red puffer jacket on top to shield him from the autumn wind. “Woah. I almost didn’t recognise you without the tangerine.” You laughed as you made your way towards him. “Oh, so, we’re comfortable enough to make fun of each other already?” Josh smiled wide and gave you a nudge, teasing you. “I finished my shift… we can do something now, if you want?” You thought about it, anxiety creeping up but you knew you couldn’t pass up on him. “Yes, please. I mean, we can get some coffee? I don’t like coffee but something? Sorry, I’m nervous.” You stuttered, internally face-palming at your idiocy. “We can get hot chocolates?” Josh suggested. You nodded, unable to contain your smile and followed him through the main door, out into the cold.

-

Josh was funny. Very funny. He made you choke on your hot chocolate and made tears stream down your cheeks from laughing; your mascara running down with them. You were both getting stares from other people in the small cafe but you paid no mind, just enjoying spending time with this beautiful ball of sunshine. That’s really what he was. You felt as if you’d been left out in the freezing cold and Josh was the only one that was able to warm you up and make you feel… well, simply feel. “God, you are ridiculous.” Josh tilted his head at that. “I love it.” you added and his eyes lit up as they wandered all over your face. “So, what were you doing before working in the cinema?” you asked, taking a sip of your hot chocolate. Josh sighed at that. “Well, I went to college for film.” “Ah, I see the connection.” “Yeah, kind of. I’ve made a ton of films. They never really got much attention outside my hometown, though.” “I’d love to see one. Or two. Or, like, all of them.” You babbled. Josh chuckled. “They’re a little embarrassing, I am in some of them but they mostly star some friends and my twin.” “You have a twin? Identical?” “Yup, identical.” “Finding it hard to believe there are two of you… that must have been insane to grow up with.” The corners of his lips turned up and into a smirk. “Well, I’m five minutes older. I sort of took the lead by default, so, I’m a little more rambunctious but he can be equally as rowdy. Our childhood was a whirlwind when our younger sister and brother were involved. We spent a lot of time outside; hiking, camping and such.” “Wow. Big family. My family is nothing like that. I grew up in the city.” “You’re an only child?” Josh placed his hand on yours when he asked; your other hand warmed up by your beverage. “How did you guess?” You questioned, surprised. “You think that having three other siblings is a big family.”

There was a short pause as you both thought back to your childhoods. You finished the rest of your drink and sighed. “That was delicious. Thank you for this, seriously.” You pulled out your purse and went to pay. “Wait.” He jumped up from his seat to stop you. “This is on me, as well — my treat.” Josh insisted but you paid anyway. “You already bought me popcorn. Let me return the favour.” “Fine but I’m giving you a ride home.” “I won't say no to that.”

-

The drive to your apartment was filled with conversation. Just talking about silly things, music, film and everything in between. Josh was so easy to talk to. You barely knew him but you felt as if you’d known him your entire life. There was an instant spark between the two of you and you couldn’t ignore it. It seemed Josh couldn’t either. When he pulled up to your apartment, he turned the car off and cleared his throat, turning to you but not quite looking at you. “Do you think we could do this again?” A lump formed in your throat; you absolutely wanted to hang out again but you weren’t sure if he meant as a date or just as friends. “For sure! Let’s do it.” You exchanged phones and gave each other your numbers. When you swapped your phones back, you felt a tension building between you as your fingers brushed together. You had to ask, “Would it be like… I don’t know… a date—?” Josh interrupted by leaning over and quickly pressing his lips to the corner of your mouth. Your eyes closed automatically at the soft touch and you exhaled. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” you giggled and Josh took your hand in his, placing an equally quick kiss directly to your lips which you welcomed, smiling as you went.

[orionwhispers]

Dating Alfie Solomons would include... 🐻

(a/n just a lil summin summin until i have time for a full imagine, just how i picture the loml Alf xxx ask is always open. Love u)

- he’s a huge hopeless romantic, big believer in soulmates and love at first sight but was under the impression that cupid would skip over him for everything he’s done.

- but then, in a bustling bar in Camden, your eyes met from across the room - like something in a fairytale. 

- (in reality it was a hot and sticky night in a pub filled with dangerous gangsters and dirty money, shattered glasses and drunken women but he’s convinced it was much more beautiful than that)

- his breath got hitched in his throat and he almost choked on his rum and it felt like he had been sucker punched, he knew nothing about you only that he had to have you. 

- you were visiting friends in town for a week and had only heard of the ‘wandering jew’ through rumours and whispers, you hadn’t wanted to get involved in any bad business so thought a night on the town with the girls would be perfect - little did you know whose attention you would grab. 

- he was internally freaking out which is so rare for him that he thought he might be having a heart attack

- sent you over a drink 

- your friends literally went silent when they realised who sent it and you were taken aback that the gorgeous stranger was a feared gangster

- smiled graciously at him and he almost fainted

- then he managed to collect himself and came over to introduce himself

- by the end of the week he had you hook, line and sinker and was already calling you ‘my girl’

- the kind of love that happens so suddenly and hits you like a truck

- like you could be married for 30 years and it would still feel like the honeymoon phase

- he literally praises the ground you walk on

- respects your opinion more than anyone’s 

- personal space??? don’t know her.

- big spoon af

- the kind of bear hugs that engulf your whole body

- literally picks you up and spins you around

- hands hands hands 

- always touching you

- starts off slow

- fingers grazing yours, then an arm next to you, then an arm wrapped around your shoulder, then he gets bored and puts it on your thigh, then he’s too far gone and pulls you onto his lap

- even in a business meeting 

- he dares someone to say something

- i totally see him as the kind of guy who gets your name tatted on his chest over his heart 

- also has a ring with your initial engraved on it 

- it’s his favourite ring that he never takes off, also its on the perfect position on his fingers so that when he makes a fist, its in the prime place to connect with a face - he thinks of it as his secret little weapon and loves the indent it makes on people. 

- he’s secure in your relationship and knows how much you love one another, but if someone looks at you the wrong way or says something even a little but out of line - they’re losing a fucking eye 

- this leads to arguments because “Alf! You can’t scalpel anyone who talks to me!” 

- he’s stubborn as fuck and lectures you about keeping you safe and the dangers of people around you and yada yada so obviously you take the high road and ignore him

- he hates!! being ignored by you

- tries everything to get you to talk but you stay quiet 

- eventually apologies by getting you a puppy

- this leads to another argument about how puppies can’t solve everything 

- but eventually you give in because he and your new puppy are so adorable and you can’t stay mad at him even though now you have like 6 dogs

- at work he’s a big scary gangster man but around you he just crumbles 

- you literally make him weak at the knees... this man giggles, giggles! around you

- you have him wrapped around your little finger 

- he physically cannot say no to you (so people always try to use you to sweeten him up... it works) 

- you hate him spending money on you but if you even say you like something in passing or make an offhand comment the next day it’s laid out on your bed for you

- he loves to show you off

- he used to hate fancy events with pompous pricks but now he adores them because he loves that the most gorgeous girl in the world is hanging off his arm

- literally can’t control himself around you and halfway through the party he pulls you into the bathroom to fuck you against the wall

- buys you abundances of dresses and shawls and necklaces and shoes just because he feels like it 

- but mainly so you can give him a fashion show and he can take them off

- you are both protective as fuck of each other

- obviously he’s more physically threatening  terrifying, like the man is bloody massive so he uses that to his advantage, so that and his job basically means he can make anyone cower in fear with just a look 

- has his men watching you 24/7 

- when you go out with friends you always spot one of his workers tailing you

- sometimes if you’re out he’ll be hidden in the shadows

- “Alfie! You can’t follow me here!” 

- “What? I’m not following you - bloody cheek, I’m just ‘aving a drink, love. Nothing to do with you.” 

- “Alf.. this is Susie’s baby shower. They aren’t even serving drinks??” 

- he can also be gentle and soft though 

- like if he comes home and you’re crying in an armchair... boy... at first he’ll freak and unholster his gun and demand a name and get ready to fuck someones shit up but you calm him down and ask him to stay with you and he’ll turn into soft mode

- pull you onto his lap and stroke your hair and wipe your tears, he’ll listen to you intently and offer advice and make you laugh... then he’ll run you a bath and make a cup of tea and wash your hair 

- but when you’re relaxing he’ll slip downstairs and ring Olly and tell him to find information on someone so he can go and ‘have a little chat’  

- you get protective when he thinks he’s invincible 

- arguing about his recklessness and the people he gets involved with

- one time you yelled at Tommy for being a bad influence 

- Alfie died with laughter at seeing you so mad but his heart swelled at how much you cared

- other times its the simpler things 

- like when he comes home battered and bruised and covered in blood

- and you’re too exhausted and emotional to even cry, and you know he needs comfort more than you even though he’s to proud to admit it

- so you’ll clean him and bandage him up, disinfect his wounds and stitch him back together again

- you’re the only person he completely calms and relaxes around, and you distract him from the bad thoughts and make him feel something other than the sadness and pain 

- Olly has also ran through the streets at midnight multiple times and banged on your door to get you to come to the bakery, Alf’ll be fuming and covered in crimson because he’s been shot or someone fucked him over and the only thing that’ll make him somewhat rational is seeing you 

- age!! gap!!

- you’re a lot younger and that fuels most of his protectiveness 

- he also knows exactly how to get under your skin and wind you up when he doesn’t want you involved because he thinks it’s too dangerous 

- “Sweetie, the adults are talking.” 

- literally throwing your shoe at his head 

- he secretly loves being older because he has more experience and gets to show you and do things for the first time

- again he’s super secure with your love but that doesn’t mean he isn’t possessive

- will literally mumble ‘mine’ into your hair and skin

- worships your body!! if you ever feel insecure or a little down about how you look he can change that in one second 

- wet kisses all over that make you giggle and squirm

- but also can be rough and dominating and dark

- ass or boob man? how about anything he can get his hands on

- literally doesn’t matter - if its attached to you it’s getting kisses 

- has a thing for lingerie 

- he’s so used to calloused hands and blood and guns that seeing you in pink lace and white ribbons winds him the same as a bullet in his gut

- but his personal favourite is when you wear one of his shirts 

- slow and soft in the morning but also bending you over his desk at lunch

- sucking on his thumb when it gets too rough 

- actually convinced you might be an angel sometimes he just stares at you because he’s dumfounded that you’re with him 

- pet names

- angel, doll, baby girl, little one, kitten 

- one time he called you princess in front of Tommy and bitch was shook 

- bakes you bread and buys you flowers just because

- domestic af and sleeps in on Sundays and drinks cups of tea from tiny mugs

- this man is brilliant with families and makes your mum love him the first time they meet

- late at night as you trace his tattoos he opens up about the war and tells you stories from his childhood 

- teaches you about his religion 

- ride or die type of love

- “you’re mine”

-  “i’m yours”

- inside jokes and so much gossip like whenever he has a meeting with the Shelby’s he comes home and rants to you about those dumb bitches 

- keeps a photo of you in his wallet, “for good luck”

- weekends spent driving down to the coast with the dogs

- a match made in heaven, both constantly wondering how you got so lucky 

in conclusion i love (1) man 

[bryonysimcox]

Four wheel driving, van repairing and living slowly: Week 6, Spain

It was a week mostly spent in a cottage in the hills, editing films, fixing the van and exploring Iberic villages. It was a week of taking things slow. Here’s my round-up of week six on the road.

By far, this has been the least ‘eventful’ week on the road. By that I mean we haven’t done loads and loads of travelling around, exploring or seeing lots of different stuff. But it has made me realise two things. Firstly, the reality of vanlife is that there will always be weeks like this one just past, where we knuckle down with work and van admin. And secondly, that time is the greatest asset of all.

Living slowly is a revelation.

I’ve always been the kind of person who tries to cram as many things as possible into a  day. Even if I’ve got a spare ten minutes, rather than just chill out I’ll look for any small job or activity I can do to ‘make the most of’ that time. The downside of this approach is that you’re always rushing around, you sometimes don’t give a task or activity the attention it deserves, and you’re often late because you never quite finish one thing before another pops up!

Life on the road feels like a therapeutic process which is deconditioning me from being so busy all the time. Rather than thinking about the next job I need to do or how I could make something even more time-efficient, I’m taking things one by one and really relishing activities which I might’ve previously avoided because they were ‘indulgent’ or slow. That has meant reading more books, cooking, and this week even playing my violin (which I promised myself I’d play, given that we’ve brought it all this way!). It has also meant reaching out to friends and family, and being there for others.

(image) ‘It’s okay, I’m right behind you’, my latest collage for Analogue Bryony which was made in the Barraca.

I think there’s something in the ‘slow movement’ that we should all consider. In the modern world, the idea that time is the most valuable resource we have and that we should indulge ourselves in it has been replaced by the idea that time is money and efficiency is king. It’s kind of scary that I’ve had to embark on a trip like this to see how wrong that is, and to unburden myself from being a slave to efficiency.

Spending solid days and long hours working on filmmaking and admin for Broaden makes day trips and adventures even sweeter when they come.

On Thursday, I insisted that we get out and about. Even though we have spent most of the week staying in the ‘Baraca’ (the small cottage in last week’s post), George transformed the van parked on the driveway into his own editing office and practically locked himself in there from 9am - 8pm most days. By Thursday, I was keen to explore the region around us, and George was keen to test Suzi’s 4x4 abilities, so we headed north, up towards the Iberic villages of Ullastret, Peratallada and Palau-Sator.

It was only thanks to recommendations from a family friend that we found the villages, as they were tiny settlements away from the coast. We took some pretty sketchy roads to get there, but were really impressed by how well the van can handle off-road situations, especially when put into four wheel drive. Suzi the HiAce has selectable 4WD, which means that she’s only in 4WD when you switch a button and go outside, twisting the locking hubs on the front two wheels. This manual 80s style approach may seem antequated, but so far seems pretty foolproof and means that we can cruise along in 2WD most of the time when it suits.

(images) A pretty fun morning of proving Suzi’s off-road abilities!

A series of fortified medieval towns with narrow streets and stone buildings, the Iberic villages were utterly charming.

Ullastret, Peratallada and Palau-Sator all had a similar urban structure, with an old town wall and circular street pattern. Churches, markets, towers and prisons were some of the key historic buildings, and Peratallada even had a castle situated in its core. Ullastret was perhaps my favourite, not least because so many of the modified buildings featured beautifully-designed and understated architectural interventions. It was definitely apparent that Catalunya is a wealthy region, because even civic elements like street lamps, bins, railings and paving stones are well-designed and well-made, carefully crafted to remain in-keeping with the impressive historic setting.

(images) The historic Iberic villages: peaceful and charming.

(images) Sophisticated architectural detailing characterised these towns.

From the villages, we headed east to find one of the famous beaches along the Costa Brava - a beach I’d been recommended called ‘Aigua Blava’. We’ve had so many great travel recommendations, and surprisingly many of them have been from Australian acquaintances (it really is true that you Aussies see a lot of Europe when you visit this part of the world!). Aigua Blava lived up to its name, with aquamarine water framed on both sides by fancy hilltop houses and a small sandy beach. Unspoilt by the tourists of summer season, we practically had the whole beach to ourselves. Of course, I had to go in for a swim too.

Wild swimming feels like another part of living ‘slowly’ and of being present. It’s my way of connecting with my surroundings, of celebrating the natural world and the incredible opportunity George and I have to explore these places.

(image) Another wild swim in the bag, still cold this time of year but the stunning setting of Aigua Blava made up for it.

On the note of celebrating the natural world, I’ve been determined to spend as much time as I can outside. That said, it can still be pretty chilly here in Spain even though it’s been really sunny. Whilst George spent most of the week putting the final touches into the running documentary in his van-office, I stubbornly insisted on working on my laptop outside, on the porch in front of the cottage and wrapped up in lots of layers! From my ‘outdoor office’ I wrapped up some graphic design for the running documentary (artwork to be released soon), researched film festivals to enter it into (any recommendations welcome), and pitched our videography services to countless potential clients.

(images, left to right) George editing in his van office, me wearing all the necessary gear to be working outside, and the grape vines which surrounded our cottage.

Launching a videography channel and company can feel like a bit of a daunting task, but I’m generally finding that George and I have a lot of complementary skills. It’s really nice having someone to bounce ideas off, and the more we produce, film and edit together, the more we can learn from each other and fill in the gaps of our knowledge. I know it feels like every week I say we have video content coming soon, but I really can’t wait to release some stuff to show you all. That said, filmmaking is a time-consuming process and in the name of living slowly, I’m going to embrace taking as long as we need to get the videos ready!

Sunday was our last day at the cottage and saw us dedicate our time and energy to Suzi the van.

There had been a growing ‘to do’ list for the van, and so we finally set about getting it done - cleaning her out and fixing her up. It’s hard to admit it after the painful van-building process, but George and I have realised we actually really miss having a building project on the go. We both love making things, and are already plotting future tiny-houses and electric campervan conversions (yep, just six weeks into this trip…!). So on Sunday, it was all hands on deck. I cleaned the floor and all the drawers and shelves, which collect dust and dirt so quickly. I also installed some latches on cupboard doors, which have been propelling themselves open when we drive around corners.

Meanwhile, George set about replacing the headlights and reversing lights with LED bulbs. A few had blown, so we decided that if we were going to try and take off the light clusters, we might as well upgrade all the bulbs for brighter ones at the same time. The light clusters are an absolute pain to take off, and involve removing the grill and other parts (confusing construction seems to be a trend for 90s Japanese car design). Unfortunately the bulbs we had ordered for the rear lights and the fog lights weren’t the right fit, so those two are a job for the future.

George also fitted an LED light bar below the rear bumper so that we can see more with the reversing camera, and it worked first time! It’s so cool how many different types of LEDs there are on the market these days and how affordable they are. With a little bit of electrical knowledge you can do a lot of lighting modifications.

(images, left to right) Replacing old (and dim) bulbs, removing the headlight units to get to the bulbs, and George working underneath the van to wire up our new reversing light.

Ready to hit the road again, we rounded the week off by heading south towards Valencia.

Valencia is our next destination, but we plan on splitting the journey over a few days. The first leg involved us skirting around Barcelona, naïvely taking the ‘no toll road’ option which involved a huge detour and some insane elevation. The price of the toll would’ve probably been less than the time (and fuel) spent slogging up towards Manresa at about 40MPH! Nonetheless, we battled the hills and some insane winds and finally made it back to the coastal road.

Late Monday afternoon we stopped at Torredembarra and wandered along the beach. Eerily quiet, it seems this area is popular with holidaymakers through peak season and almost abandoned off-peak. We only stayed for about an hour, walking against strong winds with a beer in hand and photographing repetitive apartment block designs. It is the curious places like this that make travelling by road so worth it, because you can stop by for a short stay and see the in-between places, places just as locals see them, and places in their off-peak state.

(images) Golden hour scenes from the empty beachfront of Torredembarra.

It feels great to be living in the van again. We had a marvellous stay at the cottage near Palamós, but Suzi is our home, wherever that may be. I’m going to carry on living slowly and take each day as it comes.

Next week, Valencia.