#with the fan on and an ice cream from the shop down the road

[tiredofsatansbullshit]

who up yearning and longing for what once was, but can never be again

[hollandsangel]

casual | m. sturniolo

i’ve been scheming for weeks !! (actually started this before move over AND voice. so.)

basically i’m obsessed with this song

summary: the most dangerous label is the casual one; or you both want more

warnings: matt x fem!reader, use of y/n, ANGST, cursing, happy ending bc i’m a sucker & a lost cause

wc: 6.5k

the sun is dipping behind the horizon, painting the sky pink and orange. you have your window rolled down, letting the salt air breeze pick your hair up as you rest against the car door. matt has elmer’s new song playing on aux, something lofi with a bit of spanish mixed in.

“like what you see?” he speaks up, taking his eyes off the road for a second to look over at you. he stares for a second, your skin illuminated by the fading rays of the sun, kissing the tops of your cheeks and giving you a warm glow.

you press yourself up to sit properly and catch his hand resting on the center console. you always loved that he drives with his left hand, the right always close enough for you to touch. 

“it’s pretty,” you say, poking your head back out of the window, looking overhead at the passing trees, “the palms are so tall.” matt squeezes your hand, and when you look back up he’s already looking at you, smiling when you meet his eyes.. his hair looks lighter in the setting sun, the side of his face lit up all golden and warm. you bite your lip and smile, turning away with a slight flush.

“it’s green,” you tell him and he flicks his head back forward, muttering a curse under his breath.

“my bad,” he admits, refusing to drop your hand. 

it looked like he wants to say something, but he doesn’t, just takes a breath and lets it out before turning back to the road.

when the car pulls into the garage you reach to the back to grab your overnight bag. matt’s already out of the car, coming over to your side to open your door, “c’mon,” he says in that silly high pitched voice, just to hear you giggle.

you make your way to his bedroom, knowing the ins and outs of the triplet’s house like the back of your hand. matt follows behind you, his footsteps echoing amongst the hardwood floors. 

“i can’t wait to lay down,” you sigh, the effects of the sun's heat catching up with you now that you’re in the cool, air conditioned house.

“yeah, i’m feelin’ pretty tired too,” matt agrees, his voice heavy and suddenly cloaked by fatigue.

you’d been out all day, shopping on melrose, walking by the beach. dinner and ice cream and the beating sun soaked up all your energy. nothing sounded better than getting cozy in matt’s bed and watching a movie, maybe catching a bit of a nap before deciding to head home. you knew he’d insist on driving you, and that always hurt more than you’d like to admit.

the two of you weren’t dating, he wasn’t your boyfriend and you told yourself you didn’t mind. it wasn’t a very convincing lie though, most everyone around you could tell. it’s not that you hadn’t talked about it, you had, there were just things getting in the way.

matt was worried about how his fans would react, and he absolutely did not want it to be at your expense. you hated the thought of pushing him, like forcing him or asking too much, being too needy would only drive him away. all your friends had told you to stop, that you were only going to get yourself hurt, but you’d honestly rather have half of him and a broken heart than none of him at all. 

you never doubted that he cares about you, in fact you know he does. he always picks you up from classes, knows your order at all your favourite fast food places and keeps an extra toothbrush in the bathroom for you. it’s things like that that make the title of causal or just seeing each other sting a little bit more.

here though, all settled in matt’s bed, you try not to think about it too hard. there’s some liam neeson movie he insisted on showing you playing on the tv, and you’re happy to be watching it, but mostly happy to be watching it with him. his chest rises and falls under your head with each breath and it’s making you more tired than before.

“i’m so warm,” you say through a yawn, all comfy now in your sweats and matt’s crewneck, although the comfort comes mostly from his arms wrapped around your middle. 

“you can throw on a pair of boxers if you want, top drawer,” matt offers, his arms unmoving, keeping you mildly trapped against him.

“let me goooo,” you groan dramatically, making a big show of sliding out from under his arms and grinning to yourself when he laughs.

“come back,” he pouts, reaching for a stuffed animal to take your place while you cross the room to his dresser.

“just give me a sec,” you giggle, rummaging around in the drawer and pulling out a pair of plaid boxers. there’s something stuck to it, all tangled up in the mess of his clothes, “what the– is this my bra? i’ve been looking for this for like a month.” 

matt lifts his head just enough to see what you’re holding up, huffing when he hits the pillow again, “i dunno, sweetheart, you probably left it, you’ve got a lot of stuff here,” he sounds tired, and the words are pressed against his pillow now that he’s rolled onto his stomach. 

you’ve got lots of stuff here.

it digs into you, how casually he says it, an almost physical ache you feel beyond your ribs, right where your heart is. 

quickly you try to shake it off, shucking off your sweatpants and sliding the boxers up your legs so you can hurry back into bed before allowing yourself to think about what he said too much. 

“c’mere,” there’s a little smile on his face when he says it, arm outstretched for you to crawl under. immediately matt tucks you up against his body impossibly close, his nose stuffed into your hair and breathing you in. it feels nice, right, and you let yourself bask in it, like maybe the state of your relationship (or lack thereof) won’t be in limbo forever. he has to feel it too, the pull.

“i think you should just stay tonight,” he says quietly against your temple, leaving a little kiss there.

“are you sure?”

he nods, “it’s late, ‘m not gonna kick you out,” you can see his smile in the dark, his features lit up delicately by the dim light of the movie, “and i kinda wanna cuddle,” he admits sheepishly, trying to hide his blush when you turn to him.

“awe, matty,” you tease, scooching closer to him, hardly an inch away.

“hey,” he says all high pitched, making you laugh again.

“that voice always gets me,” you tell him, snuggling up under his chin.

“that’s why i do it,” he tells you.

it doesn’t take long for you to slip into an easy sleep with matt holding you, the mindless noise coming from the tv luring you deeper into unconsciousness. he’s being extra gentle, finger tips dragging along your waist under your top. you hardly feel him slide out of bed or tuck you in all snug under the covers.

nick’s in the kitchen when matt emerges from his bedroom for some water,  hunting for something in the pantry. matt rubs his eyes.

“hello?” chris leans forward on the couch, his voice startling matt.

“jesus, what– you’re just both out here at fucking two in the morning?” he grumbles, eyes squinted against the harsh lights.

“we ordered food,” chris stands up, walking into the kitchen.

nick nods, closing the cupboard, glass in hand, “we thought you were at y/n’s or something, i didn’t hear you come in,”

matt grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and a takes a sip before answering, “nah she’s here, she’s asleep,” he says, nodding towards his bedroom.

nick groans, “god, are you guys dating yet,” he asks, head rolling back against his shoulders, exsapertated.

matt’s eyes widen at the sudden outburst of noise, looking back at his door to make sure nick didn’t wake you, “dude, be quiet,” he urges.

you’d felt matt’s absence after a few minutes, the warmth of his body leaving the bed when he did. slowly you sit up, pressing the heel of your palm into your eye and swinging your feet to the floor quietly. you stand behind matt’s closed bedroom door, prepared to silently creep out and go to the bathroom when you catch his voice. 

“and no,we’re just casual,” he continues to answer nick’s question, who glances over and chris. “what— don’t look at him like that,” this earns him another sideye, “i mean it, it’s not serious.”

“matthew” nick starts, “isn’t she asleep in your bed right now?” nick points an accusatory finger in his brother’s direction, emphasizing his words.

it’s matt’s turn to look at chris, who holds his hands up in surrender, “don’t look at me, i’m with nick,” he says, looking away from his brother from where he remains on the couch.

“well she’s not my girlfriend, if that’s where this is going,” matt turns back to the fridge, not really looking for anything, just trying to hide from his brother’s judgmental, but justified, stares. 

it hurts to hear, even if you know it’s the truth.

“and why not, idiot,” nick asks, getting fed up. he can clearly tell how his brother feels and is getting frustrated, mad even, with the idea of him toying with your feelings. 

“i just—i just can’t do it.” that hurts more, a sharp pain you feel in your chest. you swallow dryly, and that hurts too. 

you decide you don’t have to go to the bathroom that badly anymore, and slowly sink back into matt’s bed. you know you and matt aren’t together, that he’s not your boyfriend, but a part of you has always clung to the idea that one day he would be, that he’d finally make the move. you thought he liked you enough to at least try.

tugging the duvet up to your chin you roll over onto your side to face the wall. matt comes back into the bedroom and you can hear nick and chris talking quietly for a second before the door closes again. you’re not too sure, but you think one of them mumbles your name amidst the conversation. matt slides back under the covers with you, coming as close as he can to wrap his arms around you.

it makes your head spin, his words rattling around in your mind, saying he “can’t do it,” but here is, body tucked perfectly against yours, holding you so tight you’d think he never wanted to let go.

—

matt seems notice that you’re a bit quieter than usual the next morning, but you try to hide it under the excuse of not feeling well. he offers to drop you off and you take him up on it, knowing that marinating in the misery you feel won’t solve anything but seems to be the easiest thing to do at the moment.

“text me if you need anything, okay?” his tone is concerned and you can feel him looking at you even though you’re trying to avoid eye contact. you know you’d cave, catching a glimpse of the light blue with all that worry clouding it.

“yeah, i will,” you sigh, reaching into the back seat to grab your bag. 

matt catches you, palm placed delicately along your jaw so you’ll look at him, “hey,” he says all soft, “c’mere,” he guides you forward slightly and you know what’s coming, you know it’s gonna hurt but you do it anyway.

he kisses you gently and you fall into it with ease, reaching out to touch his arm. when he strokes his thumb along your cheekbone you pull away, licking your lips.

“i’ve gotta go,” you whisper, afraid the full volume of your voice would shatter something, you’re not too sure what.

“yeah, okay,” he nods, pulling his hand away from your face and trying to smile as you open your door, watching you walk into your building.

he stays there in the parked car for a minute, wondering what’s wrong, pretending he doesn’t know that this whole situation hurts you just as much as it hurts him. he’s staring up at your apartment window, tapping the steering wheel and taking a long, deep breath.

“fuck,” he mutters to himself, pushing his hair back and putting the car in reverse.

—

you and matt don’t talk excessively for the next few days, only a few texts exchanged here and there and one phone call after he knew you’d just written a midterm. 

he called to ask how it went and tell you he was proud of you, and also to invite you out to dinner with his parents on the upcoming weekend. they were flying out to l.a. for a few days and he wanted you to meet them. it felt cruel.

“i dunno matt, i’ve got an assignment due sunday at midnight, i might not be able to make it,” of course you wanted to go, but the tug of self preservation was starting to become more equal to the pull you felt towards him. you were starting to lose sight of what was more important, him or yourself.

for so long it had been him.

“please, sweetheart, i feel like i haven’t seen you in forever,”  matt slumps into his desk chair, spinning back forth.

you cave and somehow your vision clears. it was him again.

“yeah, yeah, okay, i wanna see you too,”

matt smiles on the other end of the phone, “yay,” he says sweetly, making his joy obvious, “i can help you with your assignment if you want, too,” he offers, and you know he’s just trying to get a smile out of you.

you laugh without meaning to, “matt, you know nothing about the course,” 

“i’ll figure it out, anything i can do to make sure i see you,”

you bite your lip, trying to keep a smile at bay, “careful, you’re gonna make me think you like me or something,”

“aw, well i can’t have that now can i?” he teases, and it cuts deeper than he realizes it does.

“no,” you mutter, trying to hold onto the smile on your face even though matt can’t see you, “um, i should probably get going, if i wanna finish my assignment on time,”

“oh, yeah, okay. i could come by a little later with some food?” he poses it as a question, sensing your hesitancy.

“you don’t have to do that,”

“i know, but i want to,” he says it so easily, like there’s no reason in the world he wouldn’t come to your house after eleven pm just to sit on your bedroom floor while you do school work.

“canes?” you finally offer.

“be there in half an hour.” you hear the car keys jingle through the phone, the front door latching shut.

—

the triplet’s parents land on friday afternoon. you haven’t seen matt since wednesday night when he called and brought take out to your place, and you’re starting to feel a little nervous at the thought of seeing his parents.

you’ve spoken to them over facetime once or twice when matt had called them, but this is real, this is serious.

you think you’ve completely driven yourself insane with that, thinking of it as serious. for days there’s been a battle in your head about whether or not this means matt wants to make your relationship offical. it’s become such a problem that you’ve forbidden yourself from thinking about it.

taking a deep breath you refocus on yourself in the mirror, fixing your hair and trying to decide on a lip product for the night when your roomate wanders into your bedroom.

“how are you doing?” she asks, leaning against the door frame. you don’t answer, just look up at her with what must be a miserable expression, because she chuckles sadly at you, “that bad, huh?”

you groan and clench your fists, “i’m just confused!” you exclaim.

“i know, but i think tonight should clear some things up,” she tells you hopefully, and you really want to believe her.

“i hope so,” you sigh, “i just really like him,” you whine, defeated.

your phone dings then, a message from matt of course.

matt sturn

be there in twenty

ive got the kids

you laugh sadly at the text.

“‘s that him?” your roommate asks.

“yeah, him and his brothers are on the way, they’ll be here soon.”

“you’ll do great, don’t sweat it,” she tries to reassure you, giving you an over enthusiastic thumbs up before shutting your door again.

matt, nick and chris have been in the car for about five minutes and already matt’s debating driving into oncoming traffic. him and his brothers have had the same fight at least three times since you stayed over last week, and if he’s honest, he’s getting really sick of it.

“enough of this ‘i can’t do that’ bullshit, matt, she’s coming to dinner with our parents,” nick says pointedly, running out of air at the end of his setence, “you don’t just bring your hook up to that shit, so fucking stop talking to her if it’s that much of an issue,” he continues, leaning froward against matt’s seat, staring holes into the side of his brothers face.

matt is clearly aggravated, gripping the wheel a little too hard, “shut the fuck up, nick— she’s not just a hook up,” 

nick’s eyes get wider at this and he leans over matt’s seat, voice exponentially louder when he says, “you just proved my fucking point!!”

“you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” matt mumbles in a deft tone, staring harshly out onto the road.

chris leans over from the passenger seat, gesturing in matt’s direction, “and you do? you never shut the fuck up about her, and she’s always at the house but you’re too much of a pussy to do anything,” he yells over matt all in one breath, words coming out too fast. 

matt’s mouth is set in a firm line and he’s shaking his head, “you guys don’t get it!” he finally yells back, signaling and switching lanes before he can finish his thought, “i can’t do that to her,” the car’s stopped at a red light now, allowing him to look nick in the eye from the rearview mirror. both him and chris shut up for a second.

“i can’t do that to her,” matt emphasizes again, making his point with his hands, bracketing the last two words, “the internet would chew her up and spit her out. you think i don’t want to make her my girlfriend? do you think i like doing this to her? every fucking day i think about cutting it off because i don’t wanna hurt her, but i’m too fucking selfish to do it.”

“it’s green,” chris mumbles.

“shut the fuck up,” matt says through his teeth as he turns back to face the road, driving through the light.

“so what are you gonna do?” nick asks, softer now, arm hung over the back of matt’s seat.

matt looks up at him in the rearview again, taking a deep, anxiety ridden breath, “i don’t know.”

the three boys are silent for the remainder of the drive to your apartment. matt puts the car in park and mumbles something about being right back before getting out and heading up to your floor, slamming the car door a little bit too hard.

“jesus christ,” chris breathes, feeling the tension finally break.

there’s a knock at the front door, and you take a deep breath before opening it. matt stands with his hair a little bit messy and his cheeks a little bit red, but he softens when he sees you.

“hey,” you say, “let me just grab my bag,”

“wait, y/n,”

“yeah?” you turn back around to look at him. he’s standing in the middle of your kitchen, looking a little bit deflated.

“can i have a hug?”

your heart nearly shatters. is he feeling it too?

“wha– of course baby, of course,” you cross the kitchen over to him and he already has his arms open. immediately he locks his arms around your waist, resting his head against yours. you gently rub his back and rest your cheek on his shoulder.

“is everything okay?” you wonder after a second, feeling him breathe heavily against you.

matt squeezes you a little tighter and kisses your hair, “yeah,” he sighs, “nick and chris are just annoying,”

“you love them though,” you remind him.

he pulls away but keeps you close, hands on your hips now, “sometimes i think about reevaluating that,” 

you laugh at him, fixing his messy hair, “no you don’t,”

its his turn to smile, “you’re right,” he leans in for a quick kiss which you grant him, letting it dampen your nerves and reservations on the evening.

“i know, now c’mon, we’ve gotta go,” you slide your hand down into his.

“you don’t have to be nervous, by the way,” matt says to you in the elevator, still holding your hand. 

you let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding and he squeezes your hand, letting you know he’s there for you, “it just feels serious,” you finally admit what you’ve been thinking for the last few days. you’re a little bit afraid to look over at him, so you keep your gaze towards the closed elevator doors.

matt gives your hand a quick squeeze and glances at the side of your face, you can feel his eyes on you, “it’s not serious, don’t worry,” it’s a little strained when he says it, as if he means something else but you can’t quite decipher it. it’s too much to think about now and yet it’s all you’ve been thinking about for days, how ‘unserious’ it all is to him.

when you do get to dinner, marylou and jimmy are already at the restaurant. marylou is being so sweet to you, asking about classes and how you met the boys, what you like do to in your spare time and things about matt that you tease him over. you feel like a girlfriend, you feel like his girlfriend and you don't think you can take much more of it. she tells you how much he talks about you when he’s home, that even justin has started making fun of him for it.

when you look over at matt he’s blushing but staring directly into his plate, avoiding you.

the smile you plastered onto your face fades and you dig your nails into your plam under the table.

“excuse me, i’m gonna run to the bathroom,” you say to no one in particular, catching nick’s eyes. he seems to notice your pleading gaze, and sends you a text after you’ve left the table

nick stromboli 

you okay?

you lock yourself in the single bathroom and stand staring at your phone screen.

you

this is brutal

your mom is being sooo sweet but matt won’t even look at me

i feel like he's embarrassed

nick stromboli

he's actually the biggest idiot that ever lived

chris is lowk giving him a death stare rn

nick was being serious, chris staring at matt as marylou goes on about how nice you are.

nick elbows matt in the side and he looks over, more than slightly fed up.

“i think you should go check on y/n,” he whispers, making matt perk up a bit in worry.

“why?”

“i don’t think she’s feeling good,”

“oh, i hope she’s okay,” marylou interrupts herself.

“i’ll be right back,” matt stands from the table and walks to the bathroom, knocking on the door gently, “y/n/n? it’s me sweetheart,”

a slight panic drops through you as you push away from where you were leaning against the wall, trying to catch your breath.

“c’mon let me in, nick said you weren’t feeling good,” he knows you were nervous about tonight, and he’s hoping that’s all it is, that he can fix it.

you sigh, head tossed back to your shoulders as you breathe out before letting him in, hoping you look more composed than you feel.

“hey, you okay?” he asks gently, closing the door behind him.

“yeah, uh, i think i’m gonna go,” you mumble, looking away.

“what? d–do you want like a gingerale or something?” his brows are pinched and he’s reaching out for you. you step back without thinking about it. you don’t even notice you’d done it until you see the hurt look on his face. he reaches out again, slower this time.

“y/n…”

something in you clicks, or comes crashing down when his fingers brush your wrist, “i’m not your girlfriend matt, stop worrying about me like i am,”

he's a little bit stunned at that and pulls back, saying your name again. 

“no, don’t do that, i heard what you said to the guys last week, and you keep telling me we’re causal and we can’t be anything but we’re at dinner with your fucking parents. i can’t keep prenteding to be your girlfriend, or–or that it doesn’t hurt, i just can’t do it anymore,” 

there’s tears in your eyes you don’t notice until matt whispers, “don’t cry,”

“i’m going crazy,” you tell him, voice so soft, so fragile that his heart breaks a little bit.

“no you’re not, c’mon– we can work this out,” the words are so comforting, and normally he’s the one you’d run to for comfort, but he’s hurting you.

“are we gonna make it official, matt? or are we just gonna keep sleepingover at eachother’s houses four days a week and tell all our friend we aren’t dating?” you ask, pressing your fingertips underneath your eyes, “are we gonna do this for real or are you gonna keep telling your parents about me when you’re in boston, and–and keep coming to my house after midnight with take out just because i don’t wanna be alone working on assignments,” he doesn’t say anything, just stares at you with a solemn look, so you keep going.

“i can’t take the sorry fucking look chris keeps giving me when i’m walking out of your room, it hurts, matt,”

he steps forward finally, trying to make up for more than the physical space that separates you, “no, c’mon, just–just come back to the table. i’ll stay at yours tonight and we’ll talk about this,”

you hold back a scoff at the irony of him mentioning he’ll stay over, “i need an answer now.” you tell him. he’s gone back to standing a few feet away from you, not touching you anymore.

“an answer for what?”

“can you commit to this now? to me?” you feel like you’re pleading with him and you hate how desperate it is.

“we aren’t having this conversation in the bathroom right now, can we please just talk about it later?” matt asks.

you shake your head, “matt, we’ve been doing this for four months, i don’t wanna wait any longer, i’m not a toy.”

he stares at you, licking his lips. you stare back, suffocating in his silence. it’s all the answer you need.

“i’m gonna go,” you mutter, “tell your parents it was really nice to meet them, and that i’m sorry for leaving,” you add, looking away when you walk passed him to open the door.

you leave the restaurant and call an uber, hardly sparing a glance in the direction of his family’s table on your way out.

“is y/n okay?” jimmy asks when matt comes back alone. 

matt shoves a hand into his hair to push it back, not meeting anybody’s eyes, “she went home, she wasn’t feeling good”

“and you didn’t offer to take her?” marylou scolds, sure she raised her son better than that.

“she didn’t want me to,” matt admits, defeated.

nick and chris share a look, knowing that isn’t the whole truth, or really the truth at all. 

—

a few days later, after their parents had gone back to boston, matt’s shuffling into nick’s bedroom, where him and chris are laying on the bed on their phones. 

matt looks a mess, hair wild and eyes sunken in. he’s been in his bedroom all day, blinds drawn and door latched shut

nick thinks he’s wearing a hoodie of yours, the faded smell of your perfume lingering when his brother walks in. 

“…you okay?” nick asks, glancing up from his phone. 

matt shakes his head and sits on the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes with his fists, “i feel like fucking shit,” he admits, still looking down, “i hate that i hurt her,” he tells the two, as if his brothers weren’t already acutely aware, “i was trying so hard to keep from hurting her and i fucking did it anyway,” they wait for matt to finish, knowing he has a little more to say, “i was so fucking scared of making things offical that i lost her all together, she’s never gonna talk to me again,”

nick sighs and looks over at chris, the two of them sharing a sympathetic look before he moves forward and puts his arm around matt, who slumps against his shoulder, “that's not true,” nick says, “she probably should never talk to you again, but she’s a good person, and she’s our friend,”

“yeah, and she cares about you a lot, matt.” chris adds, sitting on the matt’s other side.

matt groans and covers his face, “i know, and that’s what sucks,” he wipes his palms over his face, “god, why was i so fucking stupid?”

“because you really like her,” chris offers, “and you’re gonna try and make it up to her…right?”

matt sits back up, staring at the wall, “i dunno, i want to, i don’t…” he takes a deep breath, willing the pit in his stomach to go away, “i’m more afraid of losing her all together than i was of any of that other shit, but i don’t know how to fix…this,” he says, dejected.

nick perks up, because he’s never seen matt half as lively as he is when he’s with you, or talking about you. he’s pretty sure matt was on his way to falling in love with you (if he hasn’t already) and refuses to let him lose hope,“i have an idea,” he says.

matt looks at his brother, desperate. the circles under his eyes a shade too dark, his cheeks sunken in, his lips chapped. nick continues.

“we’ll need waffles.”

—

it’s been over a week and a half since you walked out of the restaurant, and since you’d spoken to matt. nick’s been messaging you, asking if you’re okay and telling you he’s there for you. there’s been a bit of him telling you how stupid matt is, which you’d agreed with solemnly.

nick’s messaging you now. you’re posted up at your kitchen table trying to review for one of your exams, but more so warding off another wave of tears, pressing your fingertips into your eyes.

you pick up your phone to answer the message nick had sent, something about a sleepover at your place this weekend and a promise of a hannah montana binge, but there’s a knock at your door. you’re confused at first, wondering who’s at your door this late.

“did you order food?” you ask your roommate as you get up, looking in through the crack of her barely opened door. her headphones are on and she's hunched over a textbook with a highlighter, oblivious to any visitors.

your heartbeat speeds up a little bit as you begin to think about who’s on the other side. with a huff you look through the peephole, met with a slightly distorted image of matt anxiously shifting his weight from foot to foot.

he keeps looking down the hallway and biting the inside of his cheek. he’s holding something. a paper bag in one hand and a bouquet of delicately wrapped flowers in the other.

you turn the lock, hand shaking a little bit as the door swings open. he whips his head from where he was looking down the hall to the now open door, your eyes locking immediately.

“matt,” you whisper, not even meaning to say it.

he stares at you for a second, seemingly forgetting any words he would have said for a second before holding up the bag.

“i brought waffles.”

—

“please let me in,” he says breathlessly, as if he was holding his breath waiting for you to open the door. “i know i probably don’t deserve a chance, and you probably don’t wanna hear me out, but…but please,” he licks his lips, grip tightening on the stems of the flowers, (you didn’t think he was listening when you told him your favourites all those months ago) “i miss you,” it’s quiet, the way he says it. he’s pleading with you.

there’s an ache in your chest, you’re trying not to mistake his tenderness for pity. and yet you still find yourself letting him in.

“okay,” it takes so little convincing. you missed him too.

there’s little talking at first, mostly just you and matt grabbing plates down and dishing yourselves out. he went to your favourite diner, because of course he did. the waffles are still warm and are making your kitchen smells like butter and sausage. you move your books and laptop out of the way to make room for the two of you to sit, elbows touching when you start to eat.

you’re half way through your first waffle when matt speaks up. you could feel him staring, his body half turned towards you in his chair. some of your hair falls into your face and his finger twitches before you tuck it away. all he wants to do it touch you. hold you, kiss you, anything. he’s such a jerk. 

“i’m sorry,” 

you freeze for a second, still facing away from him. after you finish chewing you set your fork down and turn slowly, finally looking him in the eyes. the blue has grown a shade too dark, melancholic. 

“for what?” you ask stupidly, just needing to know how he’s felt about it all.

“fuck, everything?” he says, forcefully pushing his hair away from his eyes. 

you shake your head and turn back to your plate.

“y/n,” he sighs, “c’mon look at me,”

you do, but it hurts.

“i’m sorry for what happened at the restaurant, and i’m sorry things got so out of hand and–and that…this went on for so long,” he gestures between the two of you, fixing his wild hair again.

“this?” you ask, voice breaking, thinking the worst, that he regrets it all, that it’s over. it’s really over.

“this stupid fucking dance we’ve been doing for four months, it’s crazy. it was always crazy.”

you huff, probably a little bit too dramatically as you shift to face him fully, “matt, what are you saying?”

“i’m saying that i like you! and it was so stupid to fucking…dilute that becuase i was scared or some shit,” the latter end of his sentence loses volume, he’s getting shy again.

“but–but you just wanted to be casual–” you start, looking down at your crossed legs.

“no, i never wanted to be fucking casual, i was just…. fuck i was just scared.” he says around a mouthful of waffle. the air smells like syrup. 

“i wanna be with you all the time, i like you so much– i just– at first i didn’t want things to be weird between us, which is why i thought a relationship was the wrong idea, but then we started…doing relationship things and it only got better.” he starts, messing with his hair and pushing his food around his plate, “after i stopped being so afraid of that i just, i got scared of another thing,” he finally looks up at you, eyes a little sad, a little heavy.

you can tell that he knows how he’s made you feel, and despite that you hate that he’s sad. you never want him to be sad.

matt continues, “i’d hate for you to get hurt because of my fans, and i knew it was gonna be hard to keep things private, to keep things…ours. i thought that was something i didn't wanna do or i wasn't ready for but…” he sighs, cutting himself off and taking in another big breath. you want to reach out and rub his back, knowing he’s anxious and just trying to calm himself down. 

“you being mad at me i can deal with,” he starts again, “you being mad, or–or upset because of me, is harder to handle, but fuck, not having you at all? that's worse than anything else we’d have to face,” he looks up, dead into your eyes to make sure you understand the weight of what he’s about to say, “together.”

“matt…” you whisper. you’ve forgotten about the food. it’s getting cold but it doesn’t matter.

he shakes his head before meeting your eyes again, “i’d rather go through all that bullshit with you than go through nothing without you,” he sounds so sincere that you think your heart skips a beat.

“what are you—”

“i wanna do this. for real.” he nods once, watching you closely.

“do you mean that?” he hates how doubtful you sound and he hates that he’s the one to have put all that doubt there. he thinks you might cry.

“y–yeah of course i mean it. i should have said it a long time ago, and if it makes you feel any better nick’s been giving me shit for like, two months, and i think chris wanted to beat me up last week.” he offers you half a smile, hoping you’ll give one back.

instead you breathe out laugh. he basks in it.

“i want you to be my girlfriend,” you’re looking down again and your hair falls from it’s place behind your ear. he doesn’t stop himself this time, nimble, ring adorned finger pushing it back, “i wanna be your boyfriend,”

you look up at him, studying his face for a second before you speak. he looks tired and a little worn, like he’s been thinking too much and too hard and worrying even more.

“yeah?” you finally say.

matt smiles at you. he has such a pretty smile.

“yeah.” he nods, smiling now.

“so we’re not just casual?”

matt scoffs out a laugh and stands. you stand too and he wraps his arms around you, tucking his chin atop your head when your arms go over his shoulders. he kisses your hair and breathes you in, the lingering scent of your shampoo and your perfume and you. it’s all over his clothes and his sheets, but nothing beats having you in his arms again. 

“we were never just causal,” he assures you, as if you didn’t know.

tags ! @st4rswrld @urfavvev3lyn @mattsturnioloarchive @averysbestyears @its-jennarose @strnilolo @cherrypostsposts

also tagging some of my faves (writers & other creators!!) 🥹 @pettydollie @wcters @grimholic @floristmatt (if you don’t wanna be tagged lmk!!)

[stevesjockstrap]

@stcreators event 01: favorite

Ahoy Captain

“Jesus H. Christ.” Eddie stopped walking so sharply that Gareth ran into his back. He did a double take and his jaw was on the floor.

“What the fu-“ But Gareth followed his gaze and his jaw also dropped. “Is that?”

Jeff came to stand next to them, eyebrows raised. “…Steve Harrington in a sailor outfit?”

“That’s the Steve Harrington you won’t shut up about?” Drew said, especially loud in the crowded mall.

“Shut up!” He turned to hiss at him before rounding back to stare across the hall. “Did I die and go to heaven? Pinch me.” He pulled the sleeve of his leather jacket up and offered his arm to Gareth. He pinched his forearm roughly, without looking down. All of their eyes were locked on the figure in the brightly colored ice cream shop, now coming around the counter to crouch down to hand a cone to a small child. Doing so making the tiny shorts ride up his thighs, but Eddie’s eyes were suddenly drawn to where his v-neck hung open, getting a glimpse of chest hair.

“Buh,” he turned to Gareth to announce.

“Yo, we have to go in there. This is like once in a lifetime shit.”

Eddie adamantly shook his head and started backing away but Gareth and the guys shared a look before suddenly grabbing him under the arms to escort him awkwardly through the mall thoroughfare.

“Oh no. Oh no.” He chanted under his breath.

Back behind the counter now, Steve greeted them as they bodily pushed him into the store. “Welcome, fellas! Would you like to set sail on this ocean of flavor with me? I’ll be your captain!”

“Holy shit,” Eddie breathed. It’s so much worse, being this close. Steve’s eyes shine under the terrible fluorescent lighting and he can see the muscles in his arms flex as he leans onto the counter.

“If you need any help let me know. The flavor of the week is triple decker extravaganza!”

Eddie’s brain had stopped working. His arms were dropped as his friends went further up to the counter to look at the ice cream options. He continued staring stupidly at Steve as he leaned a hip against the back counter.

“You guys check out the new record store yet?” Steve Harrington was actually making decent conversation with them. What universe did he teleport to this morning?

“No, not yet,” Gareth answered. “That’s where we were heading actually, when uh-“ he awkwardly turned around to make eye contact with Eddie, still a few feet behind them and drawing Steve’s attention over to him.

“You don’t want anything?” Steve asked him. Oh he wanted something. Wanted to drop to his knees in front of him. Or the other way around. He wouldn’t mind either way. He would’ve done anything to have Steve’s undivided attention on him and now that he had it he was blanking on English. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. He finally forced his body forward, tearing his eyes away from Steve to send a panicked look at Gareth. He just smirked, the absolute asshole.

Steve frowned at him and he wanted to melt into the floor. “If you’re not a fan of ice cream we have cookies, too.”

Steve being so sweet to him finally rattled some brain cells loose. “Oh, um, no, that’s-“

Jeff chuckled from the other side of Gareth. “Eddie here loves ice cream. That’s why we had to stop in. Isn’t that right, guys?” The rest of his band laughed obnoxiously and nodded. Steve looked at all of them confused, but still with an easy smile when he turned back to Eddie.

“What’s your favorite?”

“Um, huh?” Eddie blinked at him. He watched as Steve pulled his bottom lip in to bite it, probably trying to figure out what was happening with him and the guys. Eddie’s gut clenched. He hoped he didn’t think he was doing anything wrong or they were making fun of him.

“Your favorite ice cream? We can talk about any of your other favorites after we get that out of the way,” he grinned at him and Eddie had to grab the counter in front of him when his knees threatened to give out.

“Rocky road?”

“Perfect. Coming right up! Cup or cone? Or waffle bowl? It’s like a big cone in a cup?”

“Cone please?”

Once he wasn’t under the heavy gaze of gorgeous brown eyes, he turned to his friends for help. But Drew just snickered at him and Jeff sent him a thumbs up. Dicks.

Steve handed him his cone and their fingers brushed. He dumped all the change he had into the tip jar and Steve fucking winked at him. The guys ordered their ice creams suspiciously easily, but Steve kept coming back to Eddie’s side of the counter. He tried hard not to hold eye contact with him as he licked across his ice cream.

“So was it worth it?”

“Wh-what?” He stammered.

“Coming in, for the ice cream?”

“Definitely. The ice cream is… great.” He looked around and realized his friends had gone to sit in the furthest booth by the door. Steve had only been sweet and amazing to him and he couldn’t leave without at least having a somewhat competent conversation. “But I- I really came in to see you.”

“Me?” Steve leaned further across the counter towards him. He turned those big brown eyes up at him and Eddie wasn’t sure if he could get any other words out.

“Couldn’t walk away from you in this getup.” His hand moved on his own accord to reach out and tug on the red tie in the middle of his chest.

“Oh,” he huffed. “Yeah. I wish I would’ve known before I agreed to work here. Not that I had any better offers.”

Eddie’s fingers itched to run along the blush that appeared across his cheeks.

“No, no, it’s- I mean, I like it.” He winced as it came out, but his eyes shot open when Steve chuckled. “Really. I really like it.” He cleared his throat because that couldn’t have been his voice. It was deep and gravely and sounded way too fucking hot to have come out of his mouth.

Steve’s wide eyes tracked his tongue as it came out to wet his lips. Fuck.

“Oh.”

Eddie leaned a bit closer, drawing on this unknown confidence that came from Steve Harrington hanging on his every word. “So what time do you get off, Captain?”

xx

This was a benedryl-fueled thought but Scoops!uniform Steve was the only thing my brain wanted to give me for “favorite.”

@lighthousebeams

[pendingnomdeplume]

pairing: hozier x gn!reader rated: G

PROMPT: Cleaning the other person's lips with a lick and a kiss.

author's note: This was pre-written and is part of a backlog of items I still have from the previous blog. xoxo.

The warmth of a normally hidden sun and the humidity of the last few days’ rain bears down heavily on you as you walk alongside Andrew towards a cluster of shops not too far from his home. Some folks smile and nod pleasantly, while others ignore you both completely, too preoccupied with their own lives to even register the baby giraffe of a man you’re trying to keep up with. 

“It’s too hot for this,” you whine, fanning yourself with your hand dramatically despite it doing absolutely nothing for you. 

Andrew glances at you and smiles. Somehow, he’s still wearing his denim jacket despite the current conditions. You’re impressed by his determination to keep his body covered in spite of all common sense. 

“You’ll get your iced coffee, don’t worry,” he replies, smirking at your annoyed huff as you continue walking. 

The shop isn’t busy when you arrive, having just missed the morning rush of folks on their way to work. There’s a few customers scattered about, but they pay you no mind. The barista at the counter is chipper as you order, and soon you’re sipping on an iced mocha while Andrew drinks an iced black coffee on your way back to the house.

“You just don’t know joy,” you say when Andrew pulls a face at your drink and shakes his head. “Enjoy your bitter bean water.” 

“Can I try?” he asks. You nod and hold out your cup to him. Despite being in a relationship, he’s still courteous about straws and lifts the plastic lid to sip directly from the cup. When he pulls it away, a line of whipped cream rests on his top lip. “Yeah, that’s awful,” he says before taking another small sip just to irritate you. 

You roll your eyes and laugh. “Baby, you’ve got…” You gesture towards your own mouth, and Andrew tilts his head in faux confusion. 

“Hmm?” 

“Just there,” you say, and he wipes at his cheek, making you giggle again. “You’re being annoying. Come here.” 

You’re both stopped in the middle of the pavement, shrouded by dense foliage–a perfect cover for any prying eyes. You look quickly up and down the road and see nobody, so you lean up on your toes and pull him close. He inhales sharply as you swipe your tongue over his lip, and you can feel him smile as you punctuate the gesture with a kiss. When you pull away, his eyes are wide but sparkling with amusement. 

“And yet, you keep rewarding me for my annoying behavior,” he hums.

[pablitogavii]

Passenger Princesa

SiInce our boys finally got his driving license, here's the cute little story for all you ladies <3

You were at home reading your book by the pool and getting some sunlight while Pablo left early in the morning for his driving test which he was so nervous about but you had no doubt he would do amazing. He was Pablo Gavi after all!

pablito: come out princesa. time to become a passanger princesa ;)

When you read that message you jumped from the chair rushing towards the front door where your boyfriend stood next to an opened passenger door of his car.

"Is this for real Pablito??" you asked and he smiled nodding your head as you rushed hugging him tightly congratulating him on passing his exam.

"Now, sit back and relax princesa" he said buckling you up before kissing your head and you were quite enjoying this 'princess treatment of his.

"I'm so proud of you amor" you said as he started driving you around the neighborhood towards the main road. One hand was on the steering wheel while the other reached and went to your thigh..he waited for so long to be able to do this! ;)

"Now I can always drive you places..even late at night when you crave McDonalds fries" he said and you chuckled blushing a little while you looked at his hand leaving shapes on your thigh..you could get used to this ;)

"Where are we going cariño??" you asked when he went onto the main road and he said to trust him and not ruin the surprise. Your hand started softly touching his on your thigh before you closed your legs around his hand making him smirk.

"Don't distract me princesa..I'm still a young driver" he said cockily and you blushed pretending to be innocent in this whole thing. When you arrived to your favorite ice cream place your smile grew.

Gavi parked perfectly like he'd done it so many times before, and when you were about to open the door he yelled 'don't you dare!' before rushing outside and opening it for you instead. Flashes of fan and paparazzi cameras were catching your little moment and you were super shy with red cheeks.

"Let them know who is mi passenger princesa ;)" Pablo whispered into your ear kissing your lips before closing the door and taking your hand to walk towards the ice cream shop.

"Gavi! Gavi! How is he at driving??" they asked you and you smiled nodding your head saying quickly 'he's a really good driver' making him smile down at you.

"My girl can finally be a passenger princesa" Pablo said making everyone scream and you to blush more hitting his shoulder while he chuckled adoring to make you embarrassed like this before you both left inside to get some well deserved ice cream.

y.n.bebe

Barcelona, Spain

I'm finally a passenger princesa!! <3 Te amo @pablogavi

Liked by 50K others

Comments:

alehandrobalde: por fin hermano JAJAJA @pablogavi

pablogavi: JAJA

pablogavi: mi princesita lindaaa <33

y.n.bebe: so proud of you bebé <3 liked by pablogavi

mikkykiemeney: watch out!! crazy kinds on the road!! hehe

y.n.bebe: let the road rage start!!

pablogavi: not you too amor jajaja

gavirafanclub: awe! love this! congrats Pablo!!

pedri: congrats hermano! finally i don't have to be your private taxi!!!

gavipedrifan: :(((( no more pedri/gavi car rides

pedri: he will always be my passenger princesa jaja

pablogavi: true true! jaja

Let's all hope, Pablo had no road rage JAJA

Thanks for reading! <33

[jaketswine]

your favorite bracelet

1.4k

warnings: bit of angst, lotta fluff

summary: jake can sense your apprehension about him leaving for tour, so he gives you a little gift to help.

it’s the day before your boyfriend, jake, and his brothers leave for their next tour.

they’re absolutely ecstatic about it, and rightfully so. they’ve put in so much effort to gain the position they have now, and are about to reap the benefits of their hard work.

jake has talked about nothing other than his music for the past week- over the moon to be back out on the road, seeing their fans come together to celebrate their love of rock and roll.

you’re excited for them, for him.

but you can’t help the loneliness that has already begun to set in, even with him right beside you.

to put it lightly, you miss him when he’s gone. like hell.

aside from being you lover, jake was your best friend. you could talk for hours about the books you’re both currently reading, sharing new music you find, even working together in the kitchen since jake preferred cooking over take out. you did almost everything together.

today was your last day with your errand buddy for a while, so you decided to take advantage.

in true jake fashion, he only began packing for the months long venture this morning. realizing quickly that he didn’t have quite everything he would need, you excitedly suggested a trip out to grab the few necessities.

you followed him around the stores, perusing the aisles, always keeping some sort of physical contact with jake.

you loved to hold his hand, link arms together, anything to stay close to him. and as of late, you’d started to slip your index and middle finger between his white braided bracelet and his wrist- a physical tether to the one you loved.

something you thought nothing of, but jake noticed.

after grabbing the items jake needed, and making a few additional stops just for fun, jake proposed a trip to your favorite ice cream shop as a treat.

securing your frozen desserts, you both made your way to a little lookout spot on the outskirts of town to spend a few more moments together away from the house.

you always kept a few quilts and blankets in the back of your car for occasions such as this, so jake grabbed one to spread out on a small hill near the car lot.

jake, having already finished his ice cream, gracefully plopped himself down, splaying out across the width of the blanket, patting the spot next to him for you to join.

you sat cross-legged next to him, talking more about tour and miscellaneous subjects as you finished your mostly melted dessert.

finally done, you shift to lay your head on his stomach, looking up at him, giving him a gentle smile. you’re trying not to let the thoughts of him leaving creep in as he reaches to lay his hand on top of yours, lacing your fingers together across your chest.

“talk to me, sweetheart.”

it had been silent other than the birds and bugs until that point, his voice causing you to jolt slightly. he let out a low chuckle at the questioning look on your face.

“i’m leaving soon, you’re bothered by it; I want to talk about it. I want to ease your mind a bit,” adding a gentle squeeze of your hand. “I do know you pretty well, you know.”

he was right about that. about both things actually. you thought you’d been doing a good job at hiding it, but your excessive clinging today may have been the hint he needed.

in your slightly anxious state, you slipped the first two fingers of the hand not holding his, through his bracelet once more.

“i’m just going to miss you. a lot,” you started. “i’m so SO happy for you.. and your brothers, believe me. i’m excited that you get to go do what you love with the people you love. and i’m excited for the fans who get to come see you guys play. i’m beyond proud of you.”

pausing, you let out a light, teary laugh, “i’m being selfish, and whiny.. mostly selfish.” he smiled at that. “I just know this is going to be hard and it scares me.”

you turned your head away from him, hoping he wouldn’t catch the tears about to flow freely.

he took in a deep breath, moving his unoccupied hand to run through your hair as he tried to collect his thoughts.

“do you know why I love you?” he asked, not expecting a reply. “I love you, I fell in love with you, because you are strong, and brave, creative, and kind, patient. one of the most independent women i’ve ever met in my life.”

he moved the hand from your hair to your chin, tilting your face back toward his, giving an empathetic and loving smile at the tears on your cheeks. he wiped them from under your eyes as he continued.

“I love you for those reasons, and so many more. but I know that those things don’t make it any easier to see me leave. to deal with me not being here.”

he glanced down to where your fingers were now anxiously picking at the chord of his bracelet. moving your hand off of his bracelet, he leaned up slightly to kiss each of your fingers individually.

a watery giggle followed his actions, as he unlaced your fingers, assuming he would repeat this with your other hand.. earning a questioning frown from you when he simply dropped both hands, moving his away from yours.

“jake, what…” you trailed off as you watched him slip the bracelet off of his wrist, turning it over in his hand a few times.

he held it up in the air, positioning it so that a cloud sat directly in the middle of the circle. he stared up at it, and you followed his line of sight to do the same.

after a few moments, he tilted his head back down to look at you, bringing the bracelet back down.

you looked at him suspiciously as he grabbed your non-dominant wrist, moving his hand up to morph yours into a fist.

he slipped the bracelet onto your wrist. “there,” he said plainly as he laced his fingers with yours once more.

you huffed an unassuming laugh, not quite catching on to what he was doing. you figured he was just transferring it to you, making it easier to fidget with.

watching you spin it around a few times, he realized you hadn’t fully grasped his gesture. “I want you to keep it.” running his thumb along the underside of your wrist, grazing the bracelet, he finished, “have a piece of me while i’m away.”

your hand stilled its fidgeting, contemplating what he’d said.

“jake, this is your favorite bracelet. it’s a good luck charm. I can’t just keep-“

jake let out a quick laugh, interrupting your thought.

“of course you can honey, I telling you to.” he continued to giggle at your astonished face.

“my favorite bracelet for my favorite girl.”

you lovingly rolled your eyes at the cliché sentiment, causing jake to chuckle.

“besides, you’re my good luck charm now, this,” he said, motioning to the white chord, “is just string. but I want it to be a reminder that I love you, no matter where I am.”

he was the one about to cry this time, melting your heart even further.

you sat up and repositioned yourself to lay on your stomach, next to him, resting your head on your folded arms across his chest. you moved a hand up to run your fingers over his cheekbone, across his cheek and to his jaw, holding his face as you raised yourself to place a kiss on his lips.

“i’ll guard it with my life,” you told him with a smile. “thank you. I love you, jake”

you gave him another loving kiss before resting your head back on his chest, shutting your eyes, feeling the rise and fall of his body with every breath.

“i’m gonna miss this.”

before he could get more sappy words out of his mouth, you reached up, blindly placing your finger over his lips to silence him.

“shhhh, don’t talk about it right now.”

he huffed a laugh, placing a kiss on the finger over his mouth.

“yes ma’am. I love you, sweetheart.”

you both remained on the grassy hill, drifting in and out of sleep, soaking in your last bit of time together.

you thought about the things jake had said earlier, and decided that you could handle this. of course you’d still miss him. terribly. but he’d be back. with all new stories to tell and love to give.

in the meantime, his favorite bracelet would work just as well.

[saleintothe90s]

Daily press, September 28, 1989

The more things change, the more they stay the same. 35 years ago people in South Carolina were still reeling from Hurricane Hugo. Very strange how people could just go to someone's house to donate (see left column) back then.

Imagine getting ready to get on a plane to London when you collapse at the airport.

I'd never heard of the comic Outland, it was a spinoff of Bloom County that ran only on Sundays. Here is Mortimer Mouse:

(eBay seller Erickson Comics and Paper)

I found this Sunday night, and then Monday night, I find out that Pete Rose died! VHS Tapes Old newspapers are magic.

Even in 1989, the clothes in these A&N ads already looked outdated. It was always like this with them. I could pull up a newspaper from 1994, and the clothes would look like the clothes people wore in ... 1989.

ooh, we have a Phar-Mor alert. We were not a Phar-Mor family, we did not visit the mythical store known as Phar-Mor. My mom said that area was too crowded. It was like a giant variety store with a pharmacy, right?

I was nosy, and looks like they broke up in 2001. So the Yorks were trying to gain "custody" of their embryo from a lab in Norfolk (they lived in California). I'm not sure if the couple were successful at having children though.

Oh no! It's our boy David Merritt! We remember him from the August 1, 1993 newspaper entry. Remember, his restaurant didn't open until 1992, and was hyping that it was going to open on April 7, 1990.

These ads are magnificent.

Old Mill? I gotta say it:

For you dead mall fans out there, both Outlets Ltd and Great American Outlet Mall are long gone.

I never thought that My Two Dads needed one censor, let alone two. I gotta watch My Two Dads, it has Paul Reiser and Dana from Step by Step! I love that podcast she has with Christine Lakin about Step by Step.

Speaking of censorship, STOPLESS GIRLS. I looked up the address, and looks like it was torn down.

No Cathy in this strip, but there are Fax jokes. Remember faxing in your lunch order? Onion rolls seem so old skool, I feel like I remember seeing them at the bakery at the grocery store when I was a real little kid, and then never again. Is it a regional thing? Do people not eat onion rolls in Hampton Roads anymore?

Garfield was upsetting that day.

OH I almost forgot. Speaking of upsetting:

A man on his bike was hit by a car down the street from the newspaper offices. So just you know, walk down the street and take a photo of it and put it on the front page of the local section. I hope Allen was ok. The McDonalds where it happened is long gone, but the building remains.

/edit/

So the day I went to publish this, I had to take the long way home from Suffolk, and I drove by this intersection on my way to the James River Bridge. Old newspapers ARE magic.

I know we make jokes about certain people putting raisins in potato salad, but what about raisins in your chicken.

I love the names of these raisin recipes! Silk Stockings?! Model T?! I would try a lil bite of each of these.

I can't remember where I mentioned this place, but it amuses me SO MUCH that back in the day you could go to Coliseum Mall and buy steaks.

wait. Bryers made jelly? I wonder if that's the same fruit that was in that yogurt they used to make that was so good. Breyers ice cream is soo bad now.

!! This was my friend Paul's mom! I about flipped when I saw this. This is exactly how five year old me remembers her. She would give me rides to school sometimes in her old jeep and would pick my mom up for room mothers.

Finally, this Eastern Airlines ad is beautiful. They had about a year and a half left, closed in 1991.

I completely forgot to post for September, I got 🦠 at the end of August that went into the first week of September, then I had to get ready for the Norfolk Zine fest, then then this weekend? Is Richmond Zine fest. Don't forget, my zines are available on my Etsy shop.

And there's a new design over at my TeePublic.

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[eyeslikewatercoolers]

Costco Trip- Wedding Planner AU drabble

I got this idea...barely 12 hours ago when Sasha on this week's Pit Stop said that she shops at bulk stores now. So I got the idea of her being a Costco fan, and then came this drabble!

Sasha loved Sunday mornings, especially after her youngest daughter was born. As her wife and teenage daughter slept in, she happily spent time taking care of Delia.

Sometimes they would have a cozy morning together at home, staying in their pajamas until noon. When the weather was nice, Sasha put her in the stroller and walked to the neighborhood park. 

But Sasha’s favorite way to spend a Sunday morning was taking Delia out shopping. Delia loved going to Target, seeing the bright red cement balls outside made her smile. Sasha put apple juice in her bottle, then treated herself to an over-priced coffee at Starbucks and browsed through the aisles together.

As Sasha pulled up to the parking lot of Target, she noticed very few cars parked outside. On the front doors, she read a sign with bold lettering.

Due to a large water leak, we will be closed for the day

Sorry for the inconvenience 

Sasha sighed, “Well, Dee, it looks like we’re not going shopping today,” she said as she looked in the rearview mirror to the backseat. As she pulled away from the store, Delia’s bottom lip quivered as she reached her small arms toward the red balls, but the window stopped her. 

“I know, sweetie,” Sasha said sympathetically as she drove down the road. She played the pre-set kid’s radio station on the car speakers to help Delia get in a better mood. As she sang along to Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride, a large sign up the road caught her eye. 

“How about we make a little trip to Costco?” Sasha asked as she turned into the parking lot Delia gave a curious look at the large, strange building. 

Turns out, Delia loved going through Costco. This store was busier than Target usually was at this hour. Delia stared at the other shoppers in wonder, as Sasha encouraged her to wave in greeting. 

As Sasha filled the cart with the essentials they needed at home, Delia reached out to try to touch and grab everything she could. Sasha had to apologize when her daughter grabbed an employee’s radio wire. 

“I’m so sorry, she’s in a grabby stage right now,” she explained as the employee kindly forgave them. 

Sasha shared some of the free samples with Delia as well, making sure the food was small enough for her to safely eat. She wiped the strawberry apple sauce from Delia’s face with a wipe from the diaper bag, before tickling Delia’s sides to make her laugh. 

After getting through the checkout line, Sasha pushed the cart to the food court area and found an empty table to claim. She unbuckled Delia from the baby seat of the cart and balanced her on her hip as she waited in line to order. 

Normally, as a good, responsible parent, she would order a healthy option for them to share. However the cashier informed her that they were out of the berry smoothies, so she had to pick something else.

“It’s never too early for ice cream, right?” she asked her daughter, before ordering a small cup of vanilla soft serve. 

“I’m glad you can’t talk yet,” Sasha said as they walked out of the store and toward the car. “If Mommy found out that I let you have ice cream before noon, we would never get to go shopping alone again!” she exclaimed as she unlocked the car, Delia giggling and clapping as she watched her mother load the car. 

Sasha buckled Delia into her car seat, reaching over to pass her a neglected toy to keep her busy. “Hope we can go to Target again next week, but this was fun for both of us,” Sasha said before she was about to shut the car door, but heard Delia start to make a noise. 

“Cah-cah,” she tried to say, and Sasha tilted her head in confusion. Delia just turned one year old a couple of weeks before, but still hadn’t said her first word yet. 

“What are you trying to say, pumpkin?” Sasha asked, waiting patiently. 

“Cah-cah,” Delia started again, trying to get the full word out. “Cah-Cahsto! Costo!” she said as she clapped.

“Are you trying to say Costco?” Sasha laughed with her daughter. “Your first word is Costco, I can’t believe it.”

Sasha got back into the driver's seat and drove to the exit to get back on the main road. She watched Delia in the backseat wave at the store as they left. 

“I guess we’re going to Costco on our Sunday morning outings, huh?” 

[leffee]

Day 17: Coffee-to-go

Sharukh, Zoe, and Vinnie entered a small, local cafe from the somewhat chilly outdoors and immediately started rubbing their arms while standing close to the cash register.

“What do you boys want to order?” Zoe turned to the two while eyeing the menu hanging above. “My usual coffee is here, so I will just take that.”

“Me too.” Vinnie and Zoe eyed Sharukh.

“Really? You have your usual, here? I didn’t know you went to such small cafes.” The former questioned, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“I don’t.” Sharukh nodded once. “But a cafe is a cafe, fancy or not, I’m sure they have what I want.” He got closer to the cash register with the other two following closely.

“Hello, how may I help you?” A young lady who seemed to be bouncing on her toes addressed Sharukh.

“I would like Venti Iced Caramel Macchiato with 2 extra shots of espresso, 3 pumps of sugar-free vanilla syrup, 2 pumps of hazelnut syrup, 1 pump of caramel syrup, made with almond milk, no ice, extra foam, double blended, topped with light whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, please. Oh, and make it coffee-to-go.” The cashier blinked at him during a pause.

“Of… of course, sir, but could you repeat that again?” She reached for a small notebook and a pen and smiled crookedly causing Sharukh to sigh but he did repeat his order without delay. “Anything else?” She turned to the other two.

“Yes, darling.” Zoe took her turn. “Grande Flat White with an extra shot, steamed coconut milk, 3 pumps sugar-free hazelnut, and extra foam for me.” After the cashier finished scribbling down the next order she looked back up at the trio.

“That’s all.” Vinnie raised his flat palm in the air.

“Really?” Sharukh sat down on the nearest chair as the cashier went to make his and Zoe’s coffees. “If you forgot your money I can pay for you, my generosity knows no bounds after all.”

“Welllll,” Zoe pushed herself in front of the superstar, “mine does not either, I can pay for you, Vinnie, if you’d like.” She half-heartedly glared at Sharukh who returned the challenging stare.

“Nah, I have my money on me.” Vinnie patted his pocket and sat down as well. “I’m just not really a big fan of coffee, I can drink it and all, it just works weird on me.” He shrugged casually.

“Really?” Vinnie nodded at Sharukh’s question. “I see, oh well.”

The two were sitting in comfortable silence while Zoe moved back to look at the endearing desserts on the display and took pictures of some of them. After a minute or two, hers and Sharukh’s coffees were ready, and they took their respective paper cups. Just when they were all about to turn around and leave, the lady behind the counter stopped them. Or rather one of them, “Hey, um, you’re Sharukh, right?” She smiled widely when said person looked back at her and nodded. “Oh my gosh, I’m such a big fan, I-I never thought I’d see you here and, and- can I have an autograph?” She took the same notebook from before and presented it to him with an intense gaze. 

“Why, I could never reject such a request from a fan.” Sharukh took the pen and wrote his signature across one of the pages making his fan squeal and thank him profusely. After getting a grateful goodbye, the three friends left the cafe and stood in place for a while, Sharukh and Zoe blowing on their steaming coffees.

“So, where do we go now?” The only one without a beverage asked, looking from side to side.

“Hmm,” Sharukh mirrored his movements. On their right was the road to the park, on their left, a way towards the more suburban area of Downtown City. “Let’s continue in this direction.” He nodded to the left. 

“Hm? You want to go away from the city center? Why?” Zoe questioned, taking a trying sip from her cup.

“That lady inside the cafe recognized me, and I’m quite sure the whispering got louder then which means that the paparazzi will most likely be here any minute, and once they are, where are they most likely assume I went, towards the city center with lots of people and shops or to some boring suburbs?” He let the question hang in the air. “Exactly, I’m not in the mood to deal with them today.”

“Ugh, how come the paparazzi never arrive when I come?” Zoe grunted but started walking. However, then her expression brightened, “Wait, psh, whispering? Don’t worry, darling, I’m sure they were talking about moi, which means you won’t have to deal with anyone questioning you today.”

“If you say so, Zoe.” Sharukh and Vinnie exchanged amused glances.

The trio continued on their stroll, with mainly Zoe and Sharukh doing the talking. Vinnie didn’t mind being the quiet one in their company, he barely even knew what exactly they were talking about anyway, something money, wealth and fame-related that he couldn’t really add much onto. However, there came his time to cut in too, when Sharukh took his first sip and almost spat out the drink. 

“Eugh, alright, I was not correct, maybe not every cafe makes my favorite coffee the same way. This is so disgustingly sweet, not for my finer tastes at all. Zoe, would you like to drink it?” He reached out his coffee to her, but she shook her head quickly. 

“No, thank you, I don’t really fancy too sweet coffees either, I mean it.”

“Hm. I presume it will have to go to the bin then.”

“Wait!” Vinnie interrupted him before he could begin to look for one. “If neither of you want it, I can drink it.”

“Are you sure?” Sharukh questioned doubtfully. “You said you don’t like coffee all that much.”

“Yeah, not that much, but I can drink it. Penny always says it’s never good to waste food and it won’t hurt me.”

“If that’s what you want.” Sharukh handed him would-be his coffee and then continued chatting with Zoe. Every now and then he stole a glance at Vinnie who fortunately seemed to fairly enjoy the hot beverage. “To each their own,” He whispered under his breath.

Their leisurely walk proceeded with the conversation flowing nicely and the cups being emptied steadily. That is until a yawn cut through the air. The first one was nothing revolutionary, but then another came, and then another one, and then one more.

“Vinnie? Why are you yawning so much, you didn't sleep well last night? You were fine just a while ago.” Zoe raised her brows at her friend who every now and then fell a step or two behind them.

“No, it’s not that.” Vinnie covered his mouth to yawn yet again. “That’s the thing I was talking about earlier, that coffee works weird for me.”

“It makes you sleepy?” Sharukh guessed.

“Yeeep, don’t ask how that works, no idea. But like, it makes me veeery drowsy.”

“You should have said so before, should we sit down for a while or…?”

“No.” Vinnie shook his head immediately. “Believe me, that won’t work, I will be like that for a while too but no biggie.”

Sharukh exchanged a look with Zoe who simply shrugged. They weren’t anywhere near any of their houses, and Vinnie looked like he was about to fall asleep standing right there and then and if that happened, well, he wouldn’t be standing for long.

“Alright, come on.” Vinnie eyed Sharukh with dimmed confusion, but the other paid no mind to that and with one swift movement picked him up and threw him over his shoulder.

“Woah.” Vinnie chuckled while Zoe sighed dreamily.

“So strong!”

“I don’t deny that,” Sharukh grinned and adjusted his grip on Vinnie who was already making himself comfortable even if with subdued energy, “but honestly, he’s just really light.”

“Ah, that’s true. But you know what? Now the media most definitely won’t find or recognize you.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I don’t think anyone would expect to see you physically carrying someone instead of it being the other way around.”

“You might be right. Vinnie?” But the other was already asleep. “Oh well, once he wakes up, I will tell him he has a new job.”

“You want him to be on your shoulder each time you go outside?”

“Precisely.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Something about those two, elegant, famouse and rich people doing stuff together and then there's just Vinnie rubs me the right way. He's just kinda there.

[austin-in-taiwan]

July 15 - Taipei - Chiang Kai-Shek memorial, Shilin night market

Today was another very eventful day with tons of Taiwanese history and food! However, we did have a free morning today. How did I spend it? Since the time difference is +12 hours compared to home in Florida, I woke up at 8 AM to watch the Argentina v Colombia Copa America final. If you know anything about this final, you would also see that it not only went into overtime (+30 more minutes of gameplay) but also was delayed an hour and a half because of fans without tickets storming the stadium to try to get in. So, unfortunately, I spent my entire morning trying to watch this game. However, I filled the rest of my day with great food, and the itinerary was exciting, so that made up for it.

Jacob, Jack, Andy, and I went to a nearby beef noodle shop that was recommended by an Uber driver the night before. It was really good (picture below)! After that, we had an hour-long classroom session, during which I did some reading about the Chiang Kai-Shek personality cult!

Then, we traveled to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. It was one of the most amazing memorials I've been to. We were even able to catch the changing of the guards, which is very similar to one in Virginia at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Chiang Kai-Shek's statue was comparable to the Lincoln Memorial in terms of size and his position (sitting down). Downstairs, there was also a very cool exhibit about his life, and it included both a section praising him and one talking about his negatives!

After that, we traveled to the Grand Hotel! The view was absolutely stunning. A wall was filled with pictures of famous people who had visited and events that had occurred there. President Eisenhower, Reagan, Nixon, and Clinton had all visited the hotel before.

Finally, we ended our day at the Shilin night market. I tried numerous foods, including bao buns, peanut roll ice cream, a Korean cheese hotdog, pork skewers, and green tea. All in all, it was a great dinner, and I really enjoyed the Shilin market!

Academic Reflection

Throughout the guided tours and the reading I completed, I learned much about Taiwan's history, especially Chiang Kai-shek. I knew very little about Chiang Kai-Shek before today. All I knew was that he was a leader of Taiwan! So, after doing some independent research, I learned about his involvement in the Republic of China, WWII with China, the Chinese Civil War, his relocation to Taiwan, and his legacy as a leader here. Furthermore, from the article in my textbook for this program, I learned some fascinating information about how Chiang Kai-Shek developed a personality cult. Despite the absence of specific agencies or direct orders from him instigating this, several independent organizations played a role in its emergence. Competitions among artists were held to create statues and paint portraits of him, roads were named in his honor, and his photos were displayed in schools and military institutions, which also took part in celebrations dedicated to him. These collective efforts and many more fostered this "personality cult" for Chiang Kai-Shek among the Taiwanese.

Throughout the tour, I also learned a lot about the history of Chiang Kai-Shek and Taiwan from our tour guide, Peter, and the museum. First, I learned how Taiwan has transformed into a democracy after Chiang Kai-Shek and his son's rule (they both ruled until they died). It was super interesting to see how Taiwan is rated a much better democracy than the US (the US didn't even break the top 20 democracies in the world). Furthermore, I learned how the view on Chiang Kai-Shek is very split. Many people still praise him (probably party as a result of the personality cult), but also there are now many people who condemn him for his authoritarian style of rule, cultural suppression, and especially the 228 incident ( a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in 1947) which lead to thousands of Taiwanese civilians deaths.

[afterthegreatunknown]

Randomity: Surprise Appearances

As Fiona and Fernald continues to walk down the street of Downtown Ordin —Fiona holding her shopping bag with her right hand, while she holds her brother’s shopping bag with her left hand— she couldn’t help but stop. In the distance a few blocks down, is a frozen dessert place.

It’s a gelato shop. A gelato, if Fiona recalls correctly from her V.F.D. tutor, is an Italian based frozen dessert that is similar to ice cream. It has less air and butterfat compare to ice cream, and the texture is supposedly different too. What is the texture, Fiona has no idea.

“You want to get some gelato, Fernald?” asks Fiona, gesturing her head at the shop. “We have some leftover money, and it is our Saturday together. Why not get ourselves a nice little treat?”

“I rather have a sorbet or a shave ice, to be honest,” replies Fernald. “But if a gelato is what you want, Fiona, a gelato you will get. I just hope that the workers don’t freak out over my hooks.”

---

Fernald and Fiona take one of the window booths, and sit opposite from one another. Fernald has a mango gelato, and is taking his slow time. Fiona eats her strawberry gelato faster than him, though she too, is taking her time. Fernald gives a sigh as he leans back against his seat.

The bell of the door chimes, and enters two adults. The first person is a woman whose light color hair is mostly cover by her sunhat which obscures much of her face—except her ears, which shows off her pearl earrings. The second person —a bowtie wearing man carrying a satchel —takes off his hat, and reveals a quiff that reminds Fernald of a stick of dynamite.

Fernald couldn’t help but give a sharp gasp as he watches the woman take off her hat. The woman and the man briefly look at his and Fiona’s direction. Fernald quickly looks downward at his gelato, and starts eating it rapidly. He can’t believe who enter the gelato shop.

“Fernald, are you okay?” asks Fiona quietly.

---

“I’m fine. Totally fine,” says Fernald, his voice going slightly higher than usual. “I’m totally not freaking out that Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Haines walked into the gelato shop with her brother!”

Fiona blinks behind her glasses. “Am I supposed to know who is Lizzie Haines, Fernald?”

“What!?” Fernald hisses at Fiona, and leans over the table. “You never heard of Lizzie Haines? She’s just one of the greatest actresses of our time! She starred in the seven-time award-winning film The Long and Winding Road! Hell, one win was her as ‘Best Actress in Leading Role’! She appeared in plays like Pygmalion and The Mouse Trap, and many more! I can go on about all the roles she did, but we could be here forever!”

“Wow!” Fiona sets down her spoon. “I never seen you gushing over any actor or actress before! Why don’t you get Lizzie Haines’ autograph?”

Fernald couldn’t help but laugh, and gestures himself. “You think she would want to sign an autograph to a guy like me?”

“You never know! I could ask on your behalf!” Fiona slides out of the booth. “In fact, I’m doing it right now! He or she who hesitates is lost!”

“Fiona! No!”

As Lizzie and Kellar look away from the brother and sister—she can tell that the two are siblings by their similar facial structure— she hears her little brother laughing, and waves down one of the workers behind the counter. The worker smiles at them, and Kellar raises four fingers.

“We’re taking our gelatos to go,” says Kellar. “Two limes, one coffee, and one peaches, please.”

“You got it, sir!” The worker nods her head, and scurries over to the gelato counter.

As the worker gets out four takeout cups with lids ready, Kellar turns to Lizzie. “I didn’t think that we’ll find a fan of yours here. You think he wants to take a photo, but is too scare?”

“I wouldn’t know why he has to be scare of me,” replies Lizzie, looking back at the brother and sister. “Do I give the impression of being scary?”

“Well, you do take after Mom more than me.”

Lizzie playfully slaps Kellar’s shoulder. “Says the one who inherited her love of all things Italian! Especially food!”

---

Kellar starts to tease Lizzie when he hears a soft, teenage girl clearing her throat. He turns around, and sees the triangle-glasses wearing girl in the navy inspire outfit standing in front of Lizzie. In her left hand, is an annotated copy of T.S. Elliot’s, The Waste Land, and a blue pen.

“Hello,” says the girl softly. “You’re the actress Lizzie Haines.”

“Yes, I am,” answers Lizzie, and gestures at Kellar. “And this is my little brother, Kellar.”

Kellar watches the girl turn her attention to him. “Hello.”

“Hello, Mr. Haines,” replies the girl, and re-focuses back on Lizzie. “Ms. Haines, if you don’t mind, would you sign my older brother’s book? He’s a major fan of yours.”

“Of course!” Lizzie gently takes the book and pen from the girl’s hand. “What’s your brother’s name, my dear? What’s your name as well?”

“Jules. And I’m Freddie. Short for Winifred.”

“Well, Freddie,” says Kellar, slapping a hand on his knee, “I have a question for you. Is Jules willing to take a photo with my sister?”

---

Jules —and Freddie— as it turns out, is willing to take a photo. The photo is taken outside the gelato shop though. Lizzie and Kellar had to take their gelatos to the hotel where Mom and Stepdad are at, and Jules and Freddie were done eating their gelatos and needed to go back home to their own stepfather.

“It is okay for me to be in the middle?” asks Lizzie, staring upward at Jules; he’s several inches taller than her and Freddie.

“That’s-that’s fine, Ms. Haines,” says Jules nervously. “Uh, it is okay for me to put my arm and hook around you?”

“Oh, for sure!”

Jules carefully places his arm and hook around Lizzie’s shoulder. Lizzie does the same for Jules and Freddie. From the corner of her eyes, Lizzie can see Jules forming a big smile on his face. Clearly, the man was scare she wouldn’t be accepting of his physical disability.

“All right! Give a big smile for the camera!” Kellar presses the button on the instant camera.

A bright light soon flashes. The instant camera then prints out the photograph of the three. Kellar carefully takes it, and smiles.

“Now I call this photo a keeper!”

[lucero-is-here]

Headcanons: Ian Devine

Requested by:

Don’t know much about him either but LET’S GOOOOO

Photos of him first:

- Ian’s hair is constantly getting tangled because of the fact it’s curly. He spends more money on conditioner than anything else.

- Ian really really likes dogs. The bigger the dog the better!

- He blasts music in his house. He absolutely loves music.

- he taught himself how to play guitar. It took a while but he got through it!

- his fingers have bandages on them because the bandages make it less painful for him when playing the guitar!

- his main source of caffeine is energy drinks

- he has a collection of headphones and earphones. Ask to borrow a pair and he’ll show you his collection for you too choose.

- he wears boots most of the time. He says they look cool and are comfortable.

- he tried wearing platform boots once, and he fell down wearing them. Nonetheless he loved the platform boots.

- he loves kids. He loves He lets them braid his hair and everything. Sometimes they say they want to be able to play guitar as well as him, and he says they can do it if they try their best!

- he loves candy…ESPECIALLY SOUR CANDY. He likes sour gummy worms the best though. Don’t leave him alone in a candy shop unless you want him to buy at least three bags of candy.

- He’s pansexual.

- he likes rings. He collects rings, and one of his favourite rings looks like a guitar that has been bended around his finger!

- he tried making his own rings before. Whether he tried making them with paper, bending paper clips…He tried a lot of ways to make his own rings. Some succeeded some failed though. But that’s okay!

- he doesn’t like to admit it, but he uses skin care a lot-

- he paints his nails sometimes! And he makes little designs too (roses, skulls, etc)! He paints his daughter’s nails sometimes (in canon game he has a daughter called Izzy Ramsey, you can go search her on the criminal case wiki)

- he ate a random flower on the side of the road once for fun.

- he can dance and sing. And he’s really good at it.

- he likes sandwiches. Especially egg sandwiches.

- Tattoos. He has a lot of tattoos on his back.

- He has necklaces. A lot of necklaces. And he loves them all a lot. He will gladly lend you some to wear though!

- his favourite flavour of ice cream is chocolate. He just really likes chocolate.

- as I said he really likes chocolate. REALLY REALLY LIKES CHOCOLATE.

- he has a dark blue dream catcher in his room that was given to him by a fan and he loves it a lot.

- his closet has a lot of outfits of very fun colours. Hoodies, button up shirts, tank tops, Hawaiian shirts- he has a lot of shirts basically.

- donuts. He likes donuts. He made his own donuts once and they actually tastes good somehow-

- He can bake. He baked cookies and cakes before- but he doesn’t tell people that much until they come over or something, then he shares with them the things he baked.

- now he can cook…But sometimes with the risk of burning the kitchen down. He set the water on fire once by accident somehow too.

Ian: uh- man…I set the water on fire…

Ian’s friend: IAN HOW TF DID YOU SET THE WATER ON FIRE-?!

Turns out that wasn’t water, that was oil/grease. From that day onwards, Ian was banned from frying anything unless under supervision of someone who definitely knew how to cook.

- Ian likes the beach. He likes rolling around in the sand and jumping into the sea. He really likes it when he finds seashells too.

- Ian bought a little hermit crab at a boardwalk once and named the crab Herm. He ended researching about hermit crabs and learnt how to properly care for them.

- Ian had this giant husky as a kid. He loves this husky and would always take it on walks. The husky’s name was Oreo.

- Ian is really athletic. He can run a lot, and he likes swimming. Swimming is his favourite sport.

- Ian’s favourite fruit is blueberries.

- he actually has a good relationship with his parents. His dad was also in a rock band and was so happy to learn his son also ended up in a rock band. Ian loves his family ^^ (might be wrong but hey: Headcanons)

That’s all for now! Part 2 maybe?

[sohannabarberaesque]

Postcards from Snagglepuss (Minnesota State Fair edition)

Of misty mornings, scones and coffee

Seven in the morning ... when the Minnesota State Fairgrounds can be said to come into a life of its own as things get started for another day of the fair.

Which this particular morning sees Huckleberry Hound and yours truly, joint partners in a rather interesting road trip experience, repair to the French Meadow Bakery's premi in the face of a misty drizzle for breakfast--or is that brekkie, as my Australian compadre Kwicky Koala would refer thereto? More specifically, fruit-filled scones with creme fraiche drizzling over the top, fresh from the on-premises ovens even, and some decently-crewed Fairtrade Organic coffee.

Yours truly chose peach; Huck, strawberry. Fresh frozen, for the most part, sweetened in its own juices even!

And finding a seat on the patio of the aforementioned, we two couldn't resist as much such delectable fruit scones as much as the company of stunned early-morning fairgoers trying to figure out the day's plans for making the fair rounds--but harketh! some such seem as surprised as crazed teenage fans of some rock music star, wondering where we were all their lives even as we were trying to get nourished on scones and coffee! Perhaps it was selfie opportunities more than anything that aroused their attention, long-suppressed memories even!!

As if that weren't enow--

"Huckleberry Hound? Snagglepuss? Do you recognise us?"

For some reason, Yakky Doodle and his faithful compadre, Chopper the bulldog, made their way to the French Meadow, sitting practically at the next table over.

"Heavens to nostalgia shows!" saith I.

"And rather stunned we could come across you two," Huckleberry added.

"Aww, it wasn't anything" was how Chopper remarked, preferring a strawberry-banana protein smoothie to start the day. Yakky, for his part, enjoyed the odd handful of his favourite cracked corn that Chopper brought along. "So what brings you both to the fair?"

"To put it simply, Chopper and Yakky," Huck remarked, "we like to spend a few days here heading into the fall." Myself: "And what were you to say if, heading into the fall, you were to join us after the fair for some sojourning into our new premises?"

"What 'new premises' are you speaking of?" asked an incredulous Chopper.

"Our motorhome," saith I. "I decided to swap my long-running Mini Cooper for a slightly modest-size motorhome with my longtime bud, Huckleberry Hound even, and maybe a few of my fellow Funtastic-type friends from time to time."

"Boy," Yakky responded enthusiastically, "isn't that going to be an improvement ... at least that mean old Fibber Fox won't get into much of a scrape with us!"

"So, Yakky and Chopper," Huckleberry remarked, "consider yourself part of our party for the fall. By way of a little cabin Crazy Claws has out by Wisconsin Dells."

"Not a bad thing, eh, Yakky?" was how Chopper responded.

"But you're just the first," I added. "There's bound to be a few others coming along after the fair ends."

Leaving Yakky and Chopper with nothing but the best, Huck was quick to enquire, "By the way, Snag ... who else did you have in mind for the fall part of the trip?"

"You'll see," said I. "Especially as Peter Potamus has plans for us to join him and his Magic Divers for some diving this winter in the Caribbean via his Diver's Delight."

"Formerly Yogi's Jolly Rodger," Huck remarked.

Satisfied, nourished even, with the scones and coffee, it was noted that the two of us would be doing some celebrity server duty at the All-You-Can-Drink Milk Stand down the way later in the day ... but not before noticing Magilla Gorilla trying out the Dole Fruit Whip stand in close proximity. (That's basically selected tropical fruits whipped up like soft-serve ice cream. Supposed to be more nutritious.)

"Jeez," Magilla noted, "you ever try soft-serve bananas?" as he was handed a dish thereof. (Obviously, Magilla just cannot resist bananas in any form. Peebles' Pet Shop, don't you know.)

*************

@warnerbrosentertainment @stuffaboutminnesota @jellystone-enjoyer @a-gang-of-silly-bananas @archive-archives @thebigdingle @themineralyoucrave @princessgalaxy505 @screamingtoosoftly @thylordshipofbutts @warnerbros-blog1 @indigo-corvus @theweekenddigest @iheartgod175 @warnerbrosent-blog

[enfyswanders]

Ireland, Part 2: July 16-19, 2024

After the initial panic of driving on the narrow roadways and the thrill of getting engaged, the rest of the trip was spent mostly enjoying each other's company and driving to various places in the southwestern part of the country.

On the 16th, we went on a tour of the Dingle Peninsula by bus, partly because I wanted a break from driving, but also because the Dingle Peninsula looked like it might be especially terrifying to drive around (and, based on my experience as a passenger on the bus, I was correct). Our guide and driver was an affable elderly gentleman who grew up on the Dingle Peninsula so long ago he remembered not having a telephone in the house, and when the first person in town got a television. The scenery throughout the tour was epic. We saw where the initial Rey/Luke scenes from The Last Jedi were filmed (the scene with the porgs!). We also saw lots of high cliffs and beautiful views of islands off the coast. And of course, we took lots of happily-engaged-schmoopy selfies.

During our stop in Dingle, we did a bit of frantic ring shopping (didn't find anything, but we did get my ring size and on the bus ride back I found a ring I liked on Etsy, so Niall was able to order it). We also saw this very confusing establishment that's simultaneously a bar, bike shop, and hardware store.

Dingle is also noted for being the home of Murphy's Ice Cream, which had a store in Kilarney we visited several times during our stay. Their ice cream was phenomenal, especially the raspberry sorbet, which was easily the best either of us had ever tasted. The website notes the ice cream is "handmade in Dingle" which gave us a lot of giggles about eating "handmade Dingle cream."

The latest Adventure in Doing Laundry was probably the simplest - we visited Speed Queen, a laundromat built into a gas station. Being a fan of the song of the same name by Thunderpussy, I had to get a selfie with the sign.

One of our remaining days was spent road tripping to the Limerick metro area, where we visited Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, where they had thatched-roof houses, elaborate faerie gardens, and some pretty fantastic shopping. We also had some delicious scones with clotted cream while chickens and a turkey wandered around our feet, which was whimsical AF. I highly recommend it as a tourist stop, especially if you have kids with you. It's easy to spend hours there.

On the way home, we visited Grange Stone Circle, which is the largest stone circle in the EU. We had to wait for the landowner to move his cattle before we could get in, and one of the cows was curious about us and kept trying to nuzzle me over the fence, so that was cute.

We spent our last full day in Ireland hiking around Kilarney National Forest again, and this time we saw at least a dozen deer; running errands; packing; resting; and then celebrating our engagement with an astonishingly delicious dinner at Rozzers Restaurant, which is part of our B&B. I had local mackerel as a first course, some incredibly buttery and tender lamb for my main course, and a trio of sorbets (blackcurrant, whiet peach, and pineapple) for dessert, which was followed by petits fours. There was an absolutely gorgeous sunset that evening, too.

Our drive back to the airport, while long, was a lot less fraught than our initial drive to the B&B, since I was more experienced with the roadways and the vast majority of the trip was highways.

We managed to fly on the day of the big Crowdstrike/Microsoft incident, though, which made for a long wait in the queue to check in (the self-check-in machines were all down) and some slight delays in our flights. The nice thing was that because we waited in line and spoke to an agent, she was able to put us on an earlier flight to London, which gave us both more time to make our connections from there and a shorter wait in the Dublin airport. During our short stay in the airport, though, I finally tried some Butler's Chocolate - both in hot chocolate form and an individual chocolate candy - and yep, it lives up to the hype.

It was bittersweet to say goodbye, knowing we had such an amazing week together, that I had more adventures ahead, but that we'd be apart for another month before we were reunited. But we're so grateful we had the time together in Ireland and that it was such an unforgettable week.

[funkforbreakfast]

New England Coastal Road Trip

Today felt like a calling to road-trip. I woke up at my aunts house in Marshfield and had that rare motivation to run. I changed and tried to sneak out to a beach — spoiler alert, there’s almost no beach parking in Marshfield. I tried to set out on the rocky shores by Brant Rock but tumbling amongst the beach was a struggle. Fortunately my aunt reached out, wanting to walk on the beach (and she had a parking permit!) The beach was littered with crab claws — some of which seemed foreign for the area and perhaps dropped by a wandering tourist. But the shells were almost as plenty and we took home a peachy spiral. My aunt raved of all the coffee shops and bakery in her hometown. While I was sold on the rumored gigantic gooey cinnamon bun, my clock said otherwise. I needed to be heading north if I wanted to make it to Newburyport in time. Long road drives feel familiar at this point - a time for me to listen to good music and go without social contact for a bit. The hour twenty to a golf shack where I was meeting up for a Facebook marketplace deal breezed by. I heard this town was a gorgeous walk-around town by the coast, but I was feeling more and more lonely on my trip. By now it was getting cloudy and I was either 50 min home or 30 min away from my childhood-family-summer-vacation-spot. I chose north up to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where I could catchup with some former high school teachers of mine at their summer house. I plugged “Ice-House” into my Google maps and drove north. When I pulled off into the coastal New Hampshire town, the sun was poking through - coating the streets and pastel houses in its warmth. The familiar side of the road restaurant welcomed me to its dirt parking lot. I wasn’t planning on spending my life savings - but lunch naturally added up to be more than what I budgeted for. I chowed down on a fried clam strip plate with a blueberry pie a la mode to its side (honestly, desert came before the meal).

I was foolish and said "No" when the server asked if I wanted tartar sauce with my clam strips. They were good, but the ketchup could only carry the fried dish so far.

My favorite thing to order here is just a cheeseburger — not that I have had it in a minute, but I remember it being juicy and cheesy and dripping down my hands as a child. They also would serve it with a lettuce bun, though our waiter seemed confused by that request.

The pie was the real highlight (naturally). I am a big big fan of eating fruit when it is local and when it is season. There is no place better for blueberries than New Hampshire and Maine – and I like to believe that when the fruit grows on the coast it's even more special. It was perfectly tart for an ice-cream-topped slice but the overall berry flavor was muted.

It was an afternoon spent gabbing with friends before purchasing a surprisingly affordable Trader Joe’s haul. I was excited to get home though (for the first time in a week) and shower and open some packages.

In trying to be more true to myself, I think I am a choosy extrovert. Being around close friends feels recharging of my social battery, but if I am trying to meet new people at a party where meeting new people is not the vibe (iykyk), then I'd rather sit one out. Maybe you could call me an ambivert. Maybe labelling humans on spectrum based systems is inherently flawed! It was a wonderful day, but I can’t help but wonder if it would have been more memorable with a friend - or maybe I need to get more used to my own presence.

Highlighted spot: The Ice House in Rye, NH

[detectivereads]

The Rocky Road to Ruin by Meri Allen

This post/review is fan entertainment; I’m not being paid.

10/5

I saw the cover of the third one in the series and I couldn’t help myself, so I got the rest of the series so I can read them in order.

Boy howdy this book was amazing, I got it one day and by the morning of the next day I was almost done with it, I could not put it down. I was wake till after midnight reading this book, it was that good.

We have our main character, Riley Roads, back in her hometown of Penniman, Connecticut for her best friend’s mother’s funeral. By the end of the service, I was already not liking the older brother Mike. He was the quarterback of his high school football team, always had a string of girlfriends and he is a realtor now and is with a super star tennis player. By the end of the first few chapters my dislike for Mike increases when he is trying to convince Caroline (the sister and Riley BFF) to sell of his mother’s farm and ice cream shop.

Riley is the one (with the help of a small black cat) that finds the murdered body of Mike in the barn.

Ok, I am already liking Riley a lot, leading up to discovery she notices that Mike’s wife (Angelica) is not in the cottage that both are staying, when calling the authorities for Mike, she notices the room wine glasses that has lipstick on it (assuming its Angelica’s). Riley also finds a note, which Mike (assuming) was to meet somewhere, Riley remembers that Mike would bring girls back to the barn when he was in school.

Even more about Riley, we learn early on that she is not just a Travel Blogger Librarian, she also works for the CIA (as a librarian). She recently got back from Rome after a botched mission, and we learn later what her mission was and what went wrong. Part of me is hoping that we get to see more of that line of work come back, maybe sweet justice for that botched mission.

I am towards the end of the book, and I still have no idea who murdered Mike, and not to mention that there are more mysteries peppered in with the big mystery, but to me everything slowing connecting back to the death of Mike. When the reveal happened of who did it and why I was floored. At one point I thought it was this person, the way that there was a build up to the actual culprit when both Riley and Caroline are putting everything together was amazing, I didn’t expect this person to be the actual culprit. By the end of the book all the other mysteries were connected to the murder of Mike and they were all wrapped up neatly.

Also, upon the grand reveal of the culprit I liked what the book did, normally we hand a confrontation with bad guy where the amateur detectives would have to stall long enough for the police to show up and stop the culprit from doing anything else to the main characters. This book didn’t do that, and I like it very much. I do like the big confrontation at the end of the mysteries don’t get me wrong, but this was something different.

This book was amazing, Meri Allen knows how to keep the reader on their toes, I haven’t had a book like this since Shady Hallow by Juneau Black or Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien. Meri Allen has found herself a fan now and I can’t wait for the 4th book to come out. (I have the other two in the series)