#a fancy skincare set which I only just started using this week

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

I hate when you splurge or get treated to expensive stuff you normally eschew but then it turns out to actually be good 😭

[missmielyhoran]

Familiarity

in which you and Harry have a strange relationship...

Sugar Daddy!Harry Styles × Sugar Baby!Reader

[Warning- Angst, Little fluff, children, sadness, Harry being filthy rich]

Masterlist

*****

You were painting your nails when you heard the knock on the door. You got up from the floor fanning your hands in the air to dry down the nails.

You opened the door and there he was the same old man who visits you every weekend. Alberto, his name, you got to know after a few weeks in.

He hands you a new bag full of brand new clothes like every weekend, you take them with a smile and close the door as he starts ascending down the stairs.

You set the bag down on the floor where you were sitting previously when your phone buzzed. You picked it up from the floor and looked at the text sent by him.

Be ready at 5.

That was all it was, always. He was never the man of many words you got to know. You sighed as you took out the outfit he sent you this time.

It was an oversized sweater and a plaid skirt. This weirded you out at first. You expected a sexy lingerie or dress at first, but he never sent you anything like that. It was always casual outfits like this.

The clock stared back at you. It was 3 already, and if you didn't want to be late, you had to get up and get ready.

You had whole weeks to yourself but weekends you had to day how he wanted you to, every single step. He gave you shampoo, to body wash, skincare everything and that only reserved for weekends. Yes, if you liked something you could use it everyday and he paid for everything and even more.

He was sort of like your sugar daddy, well who were you kidding you did found him on sugar daddy website. Well not you technically, it was your best friend, Taylor. She was the one who suggested you go on the website when you were struggling to pay for your college, she was also the one who found him.

You couldn't even say no when you saw him. Those beautiful eyes held so much familiarity that you just couldn't.

He pays for you everything, from college to your groceries, everything anything. In return, you just had to play dress up and go on a date with him, not even sex which you were mentally prepared for, well sort of.

You got on with your usual routine of showering, washing your hair, putting on moisturizer, sunscreen, and then getting started with the same makeup you always did on weekends for him. Simple makeup, no foundation, and a bold red lip.

Soon enough, it was 5, and Alberto was on your doorstep, ready to take you with him. You got in the car. Very luxury car, something you only saw in your dreams.

Your heart was racing, even though it was a deal which you have been doing for the past 7 months you didn't know when it became more than that.

I mean, can you blame the girl for falling for a tall, hot, rich, generous man? with eyes like his? you were bound to.

Car stopped, and so did you thoughts. Alberto stood with open door, you got out and saw what was a small restaurant nothing fancy but not bad, it looked cozy.

You walked inside and saw it was empty, all the chairs were made but not a single person was there not even staff, from what you could see and guess with your intuition of knowing him for past 7 months, there was not more than 3 to 4 staff inside.

There, he was sitting on the bar stool, the lights from the small bar illuminating his side profile. His messy hair fell on his face just right, his ring cladded fingers holding the whiskey glass. He was dressed in nothing fancy himself, a simple orange sweater, and blue jeans.

You slid in beside him, catching his attention. His face lit up in a smile, and you just melted.

"You're here" He said, breathing out looking at you up and down. Your cheeks turned flaming red under gaze, "You look beautiful" He said, looking up into your eyes.

"Thank you" You mumble out. You didn't know why you felt this shy. You should be used to it by now, but his charm, his face, his hair, everything just made you fall and fall deeper.

You guys talked like you do, him telling you all about his week from his hectic work, the meetings, the annoying investors, to his daughter going through her runner phase.

Oh yes, he has a daughter, Aira who is 7 and going through her runner phase. She runs anywhere and everywhere whenever she gets a chance.

He shows you the pic of her showing off the teeth she lost yesterday, and you smiled. She had his eyes and curls and was an adorable child. He always kept you updated on her every single detail about her, and it never felt odd. Which you should have cause she was a stranger's child, to be honest, but she felt like your own.

It was late when you stumbled out of the bar with him. His arms around your torso holding you so you wouldn't fall down on your face.

You squealed when he picked you up in a swing, followed by a hearty laugh, which made him laugh also.

It felt like this had been happening for so long, not just 7 months or so but forever. It was as if he had been picking you up like this for years, but it wasn't. Was it?

It further got proven when he called you the name he always does, "Cherry". It would've been cute if you would've fed into your delusions and thought it was a nickname he gave you, but no.

The contract, the talk, you weren't here on a real date with him no, you were playing a part. You were not you but Cherry, his first love the one he couldn't have.

He slid in beside you, his arms around your shoulders. You put your head on his and closed your eyes. You wanted to sleep, fall into a deep slumber with his smell all around you forgetting who and what you were here for just him and him only.

So, you did. You fell asleep.

Harry smiled when he saw you fell asleep on his shoulder. It was your usual habit, every car ride no matter how long or short you fall asleep.

He sighed as he pushed some hair away from your face, your cheeks still red from all the booze, you were never one to hold liquor.

It was a sweet torture for him, this whole thing, this whole persona, yours and his both.

Alberto stopped the car in front of your apartment complex that was also chosen by him. He got out first carefully not to wake you up and rounded around to your side and picked you up to start to walk towards your apartment.

The familiarity of those steps always made him tear up, can't blame a guy for being emotional, right?

The routine had become so usual for him that he could do it with his eyes closed.

So, he opened the door, walked towards your room, and set you down on the bed. He took off your shoes and jewelries he knew you don't wear every day and set them on your nightstand.

Taking off his sweater, he walked out of the room to get some water when he heard the sound. He looked down and saw the cat circling around his legs purring.

"Yes Evie, still doing your witchcraft, huh?" He said, chuckling. He sat down and gave her all the belly rubs and scratches, "You being a good girl for Mama? I know you are" He said, kissing her forehead and getting up.

He took out the cold water bottle from the fridge, knowing you would have a headache in the morning.

He set everything on the nightstand and then slid in beside you. You smell engulfed him, and he melted into the bed.

For the first hour, he just watched you sleep. Was it creepy? totally, but he couldn't help it. He never could.

His phone buzzed, taking him out of the trance. He smiled when he saw the selfie Aira had sent him with her gummy smile.

Grandma made me pancakes for dinner.

How much did you bribe her darling?

I didn't! She loves me

That is true. Still

When you will be back Dada?

On Monday morning love

Okay

He heard the voice note say. She still couldn't type properly, but god did she sent him voicenotes.

Are you with Mama?

His heart stopped for a second as he looked over at you sleeping beside him. It was a difficult situation. It was difficult for an adult while she was just a kid. He couldn't even think how she was coping.

Yes my love.

Tell her I love her and miss her.

I will. Now go to sleep or I will sell all your toys.

He chuckled when a shrill No came in the reply. He put the phone down and shifted closer to you and brought you into his arms, and as always, you fitted right into it.

He kissed your forehead and closed his eyes, "One day Cherry. One day you will remember me"

*****

Taglist- @tenaciousperfectionunknown @that-daydream-look @harryspirate @tiaamberxx @lomlhstyles @vmpellie @sunshinemoonsposts @jayde515 @yeehawbrothers @sleutherclaw @ikea2-0 @thechaoticjoy @astridcommings @grapejuicebluesrry @gxbiqs

I think my writing is getting a bit rusty. It's not that good but I wanted to write it so yeah

Please Like, Comment and Reblog.

Tell me how it is here♡ would love some feedback

Love you

[bahorell]

Les Amis (& co.) and what they’re like camping

Enjolras: Is kinda scared of the woods. Also he’s that guy that really has a hard time putting his phone down because “I just have to respond to this one email”. “Yeah give me one second I’m dealing with a work thing”. “omg did you hear about what’s happening in Canada? It’s horrible those poor people” “Enj the point of this is to get away from everything for a couple days” “Right I know…”. So if there’s even one bar of service they gotta go find a different place. When he isn’t on his phone he’s very active in all his friends activities. He’s not super outdoors-y so he mostly tags along when other people do things. He’ll have Baz or Courf take him on rides on their paddle boards. He’ll tag along when Chetta and Ferre go on hikes. He’ll be Feuilly’s little helper person when Feuilly’s working on building the fire. Or he’ll just hand out with people at camp or on the beach of the lake/river and just talk.

Combeferre: Loves camping because of all the bugs and critters! Found the tiniest little frogs on the shore of the lake one time and made everybody look at them. Brings plant and animal and bug ID books with him and will take little leaves or flowers and stick them in the pages of the book when he thinks he found a match. He doesn’t usually snack too much when he’s at home but when he’s in the woods he is always eating something and it’s really when he’ll let himself just go balls to the wall with the junk food. The only thing he doesn’t really like about camping is that he doesn’t get to go on jogs in the morning because he’s smart enough to not run into the woods in the middle of nowhere with no service by himself.

Courfeyrac: Has an inflatable paddle board that he bought! He likes to play lifeguard and will paddle around to all his friends who are swimming and give them rides to shore. He likes to share his paddle board with his friends but he didn’t have enough money to buy a super super fancy one that has a large weight capacity so usually if someone else is on it with him it sinks into the water enough to stress him out. Also he shares a big tent with Combeferre and Enjolras and he likes to sleep in the middle of the two of them.

Joly: Invested in a super super cute small teardrop camping trailer a couple years ago. It’s easier for him to get in and out of than a tent or god forbid a hammock (Bahorel has to lift him into it then Joly wants to get in one… this is also partially because Bahorel sets up all the hammocks and they are p much impossible to get in unless you are also 6’7”) The inside of the camper is just a bed and the back hatch opens up to cabinets and drawers and a counter and stuff that makes a nice little make shift kitchen. He’ll set up the camp stove and the cooking area right next to it. He’s not super involved in any of the cooking it just gives him less stress when the food area is organized and the table legs are on a flat surface.

Jehan: Jehan tells the ghost stories. They aren’t very good at telling ghost stories so nobody really gets scared (except for Marius and if they’re really doing a good job Enj will get a little spooked). They also wake up with the sunrise so they’re up and ready to start the day at like 5am… and they really aren’t quiet about it so they manage to wake up 2/3 of everybody else at camp. Has more dietary needs than other people so when every one gets together to build a grocery list and meal plan for the trip they’ll make their own list. They really don’t mind because they HATE sharing snacks so having their own little baby cooler all to themselves is the best. Bousset: Somehow manages to have the most amazing balance and can get on and off Bahorel or Courf’s paddle boards like it’s nothing but when he gets in the canoe with anybody they somehow always tip it over within like 20 seconds. He is the opposite of Jehan he’ll sleep until like 2 in the afternoon if one of them doesn’t come to wake him up. He’s also usually in charge of getting all the booze together for the trip bc he’s very aware of what everyone likes to drink. He takes turns with Chetta sleeping in the trailer with Joly since not all three of them can fit. When he’s not sleeping in the tent he’s sharing a tent with Grantaire.

Feuilly: Fire guy. Loves the fire. Is always excited for the sun to go down so he can start the campfire. Will not take his eyes off the fire. I mean seriously. They once played never have I ever and when it got to be his turn they timed him to see how long it would take for him to realize it was his turn bc he was too busy staring at the fire to pay attention (it was a solid 4 minutes). Sleeps in a tiny little one person tent that would make anybody else claustrophobic but he LOVES it. He does set up a hammock right next to Bahorel’s. He doesn’t sleep in it but the two of them will take naps together in their hammocks. He also has to dowse his body in SPF 10000000000+ because he’s the whitest person ever, and somehow he still manages to get a sunburn on some part of his body.

Bahorel: He’s the guy thats super picky about the camp spot. “eh i mean this one is cool but it’s a little too close to the other campsite and I don’t wanna be that close to other people thats the point of this trip is to get away from everybody.” “This one WOULD be perfect but it doesn’t have good access to the lake so it’s gonna be hard for those of us that have boats to get down there” “Bahorel the boat ramp is like 1/8 of a kilometer away we can just walk down to that…” “i mean we COULD… but it just kinda sucks” Also Bahorel has this super nice hammock system with like a bug net and a rain tarp, he will not sleep on the ground because he is scared of bugs and also the baby boy likes getting rocked to sleep. He always follows Feuilly around when he’s looking for a place to put his tent and he’ll set up his hammock right next to him. And he WAILS to Feuilly when they get back home because his SKINCARE ROUTINE GOT MESSED UP FEUILLY OHHH MY GODDDD

Grantaire: Not super big on camping but if he’s with his friends he’s having fun. There’s something about being in the woods that makes him quiet… but not in a sad way. He feels really peaceful when he isn’t dealing with a bunch of people in a big city (Even tho he loves the city). He always brings stuff so that he can draw or paint the mountains or his friends on the lake but he usually doesn’t get enough time to really make anything more than a sketch. He’s not scared of water but he avoids going in the lake if it’s not a part of it that’s deeper than his tummy. He won’t get in the boats unless there’s a lot of coaxing (usually by Enj)

Marius: LOVES being in the woods. I mean really loves it. Surprisingly it’s usually Marius that sends out the text to the group chat that’s like “hey is everybody free in a couple weekends? I wanna go camping!” He just really doesn’t like going by himself or going with just one or two people. He wakes up super early as well and usually will sit with Jehan and share coffee waiting for everybody else to wake up. Sometimes the two of them will go on a little walk together. He winds down pretty early in the evening though since he wakes up so early and is usually ready for bed by like 8:45pm. He’s also that guy that wants to eat all the berries on the bushes they walk past and has almost given Combeferre a heart attack like 7 times.  

Eponine: She’s… alright to camp with. She gets kinda grumpy in the mornings because of how cold it is but she warms up (both temperature wise, but also her mood) once she’s eaten and it’s gotten warmer out. She really just likes to lay in one of the communal hammocks and read book after book. She’ll also tag along with Gavroche on a lot of his little adventures. When she’s not with Gavroche or letting Combeferre show her all the little bugs and cool plants he found, she just sunbathes. For HOURS straight. Going camping for her is just a really long fun weekend to get her tan on.

Cosette: She’s so fun to camp with!! She’s like… the best person to camp with. She always does the planning and researches everything there is to do at and near the campsite. She knows all the hiking trails nearby and what areas have service and which ones don’t. She knows which campsites have lake/river access. She also makes the best camp coffee. It’s really the only time she drinks coffee unless it’s like… finals week or she’s got an early flight or something. She also ALWAYS has to tell her dad where they’re going. She shares her location and route with him on the drive there and texts him to let him know she’s about to lose service and texts him the second she has a bar of service. He’s just very protective and she wants to make sure that he knows she’s safe. Plus if anything DOES happen he knows where she’s going and can come save the day.

Musichetta: She sleeps like the entire time she’s camping. She’ll wake up in the morning and move from her tent or the camper and go lay in one of the communal hammocks near the fire ring and doze off with her hot chocolate… which she has spilled a couple times. Once it warms up a little she’s walk down to the lake or river and lay down, get her tan on, and take a nap. One of her favorite things is to go on hikes with Combeferre. He’s one of the only people in the group that can keep up with her. If they go with other people usually by the time they reach the end of the trail the rest of the group is about 2 miles behind them. One of the best parts of camping for her is going home and showering after not showering for like 3 or 4 days.

Gavroche: Spends the entirety of the first day trying to find the perfect tree to put the perfect swing on. He also likes to try to find any big rocks near the campsite and go bouldering and run around on top of them. He still really has that childhood curiosity about everything and no fear. He’ll run off trail trying to find deer or elk. If he doesn’t get back home with a couple scratches or bruises he doesn’t consider it a good camping trip. He also will swim out to Bahorel’s paddle board and Bahorel will grab him out of the water and throw him back in. Gavroche thinks it’s the most fun thing in the world even though he’s growing really fast and it’s taking a little bit more muscle every year for Bahorel to throw him as far as Gav wants him to.

[spices-and-cherries]

Being domestic with Benoit Blanc would include...

There’s not nearly enough content for this wonderful man and so here I am, making it myself. I hope you all enjoy!

Warnings: Fluff

- You! Have! Matching! Mugs! You had seen a nice mug set for couples and had asked Benoit if he’d be okay with it. He said yes! A few months later, he had come home from a trip and surprised you with a new set. He bought them as a souvenir and thought you’d like them. Now, you have four sets. If it weren’t for the fact that you don’t really need an exorbitant amount of mugs, you’d probably have more.

- He’s messy. Not in a bad or gross way, he just tends to be disorganized. He’s one of those people who know exactly where everything is even though the place looks like a train wreck. It’s for that exact reason that you don’t go into his office very often (unless it’s to bring him a snack).

- His closet, on the other hand, is very neat. It’s most because he doesn’t have much there to begin with. He just sticks with what he likes and only gets new clothes when he really needs to. That being said, he has one drawer from your dresser just for his ties. He usually picks them out based on his mood and he takes his time to choose the right one. Pro Tip: Get him one for the holidays or for his birthday. He’ll wear it for a week straight.

- He doesn’t tend to take cases that are out of the region. He likes being in the comfort of his home and you - it helps him think better than some hotel room. He always asks if he can talk his thoughts out loud and you almost always say yes. It didn’t take long for him to start bouncing ideas off of you.

- He loves helping you out with your job just as much as you helping him. He’ll listen to you with all of his attention when you feel you need to go through your presentation just one more time. He likes to learn and likes to hear your voice. It makes him feel better about him always talking about cases - he doesn’t want you to feel like he’s taking and not giving. Of course, you’ve never thought that because you love to hear him talk and to see him get excited.

- You’ve split the chores and do as much of it as possible on Saturday. The both of you try to make it as fun as possible with music playing or having jeopardy in the background (the winner gets a forehead kiss). There is no laundry machine in your apartment, so you have to go downstairs. Folding and hanging it when it’s done, while a bit tedious, is the best part. You get to rest a little and talk about the week or anything new that’s caught your interest.

- At some point, you get a cat. He has short hair and is a sand color. His name is Sleuth. You and Benoit took almost a week to find the perfect name. You take turns feeding him and taking care of the litterbox. Sleuth is pretty affectionate and will most definitely sit on you as you cuddle on the couch. You may or may not have a folder of Sleuth and Benoit napping together saved on your phone. When you need to take five at work, it’s usually the first thing you go to. They make you feel fuzzy inside.

- You really want to have at least one plant, but Benoit doesn’t have the attention span and you’ve always had bad luck with them. You settle on a nice arrangement of cacti instead. They sit along the windowsill in the living room.

- He always let you use the bathroom first. You never really understood it so one day you dragged him in with you so you could brush your teeth together. Now, it’s a daily routine. Maybe you’ll shave at the same time or do your make-up next to him. This is also how you got him into skincare. He has very delicate skin, but he always stuck with moisturizer. You offer some of your foam cleanser and he accepts out of curiosity. He ends up liking it, so you buy another bottle. He was very touched.

- After getting sleuth, he brushes the hair off his favorite coat every morning. You end up getting him a lint roller because it was getting a little ridiculous.

- You now have an affinity for cigars. He usually smokes them outside out of concern for your shared space - not to mention Sleuth. You find that the smell of cigar smoke and his aftershave becomes very comforting. Maybe at some point you’ll give it a try. Maybe you’ll even enjoy it or decide to save it for special occasions. If you are ever curious about cigars, he would be more than happy to tell you anything you want to know.

- Benoit is sober. He finds that alcohol can mess with his brain and he doesn’t like the feeling of not being in complete control of himself or having no awareness of what’s around him. He totally respects it if you do enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or relaxing with a can of beer. For fancy occasions, like an anniversary or a holiday dinner, he may have a glass of wine and actually enjoy it. While he doesn’t have a lot of experience with wine, he does like white over red because it’s not as bitter. Either way, he’s the most content with his cigars.

- Sometimes, when the both of you can afford to stay up late, you put on a movie. While he enjoys mysteries, he has a strong affinity for older comedies and musicals. They remind him of his childhood. Some of his favorites are My Fair Lady (1964), Harvey (1950), and anything Charlie Chaplin. He also enjoys more modern comedies, not just because of the humor, but because you were the one to recommend them. He makes sure that there’s always enough popcorn and blankets and enough space for Sleuth to join you. These little dates are some of your favorites.

- You’re not the biggest fan of shoes in the apartment - you like to keep them by the door. Benoit makes an effort to remember to take his off when he comes home.

- He likes hearing you sing, whether it’s while you work or washing the dishes. He’ll try to keep as quite as possible so you won’t stop. On the rare occasion that you spot him and continue singing (you usually clam up immediately), he’ll sing or hum along.

- He’s really good at listening. If you are crying, he’ll just hold you close to him, rubbing your back or kissing the top of your head. He’ll wait until you want to talk and always knows what to say or when to not say anything at all. It’s not often that he himself will cry. If something happened at work, he won’t talk much. It doesn’t happen a lot, but you can see the tells and will let him have his space. You might have to baby him a little to get him to eat because he will forget. When the two of you go to bed, he becomes the little spoon and will melt into your arms. You’ll rub his back and run your hand comfortingly through his hair.

- He’s not super into PDA, but loves cuddles. He likes to be the little spoon when you’re on the couch taking a nap. He loves having your hands running through his hair. If you two are sitting, you’ll be resting your head on his shoulder and your arms around his. In bed, unless he’s sad, he is the big spoon. He like feeling like he’s protecting you. He will make you wear socks if your toes are cold, but finds it amusing if they end up anywhere but your feet by morning.

- He radiates heat. You end up eating less pasta during summer because for some reason it makes him almost unbearably warm. It makes him sad that you are less willing to cuddle with him as a result. But in winter, it’s a whole other story. It’s the best time to cuddle because he’s almost like a weighted blanket. Hot cocoa, blankets, a movie and Benoit Blanc equal a wonderful winter weekend. It’s also the only time of the year that you demand he holds your hand when you find yourselves outside. At first, bless his heart, he thought it was because you kept forgetting your gloves (which was partly true) and kept reminding you to not forget them - he grabbed them himself at one point. If you just tell him you want to hold his hand, he’ll understand a lot quicker.

- He’s not very good in the kitchen. You try and teach him, but at this point, it’s a lost cause. He makes up for it by cleaning up the mess after. However, if you decide to do something super easy, you like to make him wear your ‘kiss the chef’ apron because it absolutely looks better on him than you.

Please feel free to send me requests or ideas! I really liked making this one, so I might do a Part 2... 

- Simpy

[maybedefinitely404]

The Boy who Sings Next Door, Pt 1

Genre: just-out-of-college AU

Pairings: Pre-romantic/romantic Prinxiety, pre-romantic Logicality

Content: general anxiety/allusions to past panic attacks, (it’s Virgil, c’mon), food mentions, a lil yappy puppy, Hamilton songs (it’s Roman, c’mon), just the boys being super gay. 

Word count: 2.6k

Comments: I’ve been in a bit of a funk (not the good kind of funk) recently, and this is the only thing I’ve been able to churn out during it. It will have a part two, don’t worry. Gotta get that good Prinxiety content.

Comments (the sequel): This took almost a week to write due to said funk, so I apologize for any inconsistency that appears. I have edited this as much as my brain let me, so it should be good.

Virgil hadn’t lived there for long. In fact, it was just nearing the one month anniversary of the day his two roommates and him had moved into the townhouse complex on the grungier side of town. They were still getting to know the house; the basement Virgil swore was haunted, the crudely attached cabinets that Patton very nearly pulled down every time the shorter man had to climb the counter to reach the top shelf, and especially the upstairs bathroom’s shower that would become scalding hot if someone flushed a toilet while it was running. Janus’ shriek was something Virgil wished he could have recorded on camera. 

Meeting his new neighbours was still a fear he had to get over. Patton had already introduced himself to all of them (on the first day living there, with cookies, nonetheless), and was eagerly awaiting the day when Virgil would give the ‘okay’ to invite some of them over for dinner. He was especially excited about the man who lived to their left, a professor at the university across town that Patton claimed he had clicked with.

“A professor? How old is he?”

“He looked like he was our age!”

“A professor who’s twenty two?”

“Well… maybe he’s really smart! Or has a great skincare routine!”

Despite Patton’s obvious infatuations with the guy, Virgil was hesitant to meet him. He’d already had a less than promising accidental run in with the old man living on their right, incited by Janus parking in the wrong spot and poor Virgil being the one to open the door to the screaming neighbor. It had taken him twenty minutes to calm down from that panic attack. But after too many rounds of Patton’s puppy eyes, Virgil gave in. 

“Only the one guy though, and I get to have a code word in case I need to leave.”

“Okay! What’s the code word?”

“I don’t know. You pick.”

“Tiddylicious?”

“SHUT THE HELL UP, JANUS!”

Surprisingly, Virgil didn’t have to use the code word (which was not tiddylicious). Logan was a pretty great guy, if slightly lacking in the ‘emoting’ department. Patton and him got on like fire in a library, and his roommates happy wiggles the whole night was probably what gave the anxious man the bravado to stick through it. Janus even had the decency to make some honest conversation, which was a first for him. Logan eventually mentioned the fact that he had a dog, and the conversation immediately derailed into Patton squealing over the pictures he showed him. They took this as the opportunity to sneak away from the two, giving them the space they obviously needed. Gross. 

There was a line stretching across Logan’s backyard; a red cable that connected to his deck and reached to the fence on the opposite side. From this cord hung a pink leash, and to this pink leash, Logan attached his dog several times a day. Virgil didn’t know what the signal was for them, but every couple of hours, the sliding door would screech open and the dog would run to the gate closing off the porch, waiting impatiently until Logan clipped on the leash and let it run onto the lawn. The first time the small dog saw Virgil on his phone in the shade of his roof, it immediately took this as a grave act of terrorism and began to yap so loud that Virgil screamed. Logan quickly came back out, explaining that while his pup may have the intimidation factor of a stuffed animal, she thought all the grass of her yard and of the adjoining houses was hers to protect, even if the terrier was just about the size of a decent Thanksgiving turkey. A few head scratches later, and the two decently bonded, enough that she wouldn’t throw a hissy fit every time he sat on his porch.

That’s where he was now, half asleep in a lawn chair with one earbud in, when the tell tale squeak of Logan’s sliding door startled him from his rest. He reached up lazily and popped out his music, smiling slightly at the prospect of another conversation with Logan. Despite their age difference (it wasn’t all that much, but just enough that he got confused stares from the elder when he mentioned the prospect of ‘stealing someone’s kneecaps’), they were starting to become good friends. His hand froze, however, as he heard a voice that was very much not Logan’s coming from the man’s deck.

“Dear Alexander, 

I am slow to anger,

But I, tow the line,

As I reckon with the offense of your,

Life on mine.”

And if Virgil said he didn’t immediately feel butterflies at the soft lilting of the deep voice, he would be lying. He shrunk back into his shirt, hoping the other wouldn’t glance over the short bush between them and see his blushing face. Even if he wasn’t infatuated with whoever was letting Logan’s dog out, it wasn’t like him to try and meet someone new.

The screen door shut with a loud whap and the dog pulled at the red cord as hard as she possibly could, trying to get free pets from Virgil. He obliged, but made sure to duck back to his side as soon as the door reopened. 

“Raise a glass to freedom,

Something they can never take away,

No matter what they tell you.”

He lurched back into his own house at the sound of that gorgeous voice, slamming the sliding door and consequently scaring the hell out of Patton.

“Sorry,” he said quickly, scrubbing a hand over his face.

“What’s gotten you in such a hullabaloo?” Patton squinted from his table of crafting supplies, where it looked like he was putting together more pages for his scrapbook.

“I’m gay.”

“Ah,” The older man scrunched his eyebrows together, setting down his glue stick, “For Logan…?”

“No! Logan’s yours, don’t worry,” he ignored Patton’s indignant spluttering and blushing, satisfied that he wasn’t the only disaster gay in the room now, “Someone else is at his house.”

“Someone cute?” He was suddenly very interested in his book, trying to hide his red cheeks.

“I don’t know.”

“Then why are you in gay mode?”

“His voice.”

“His voice?”

“Quit laughing at me!” Virgil snarled non aggressively, refusing to meet Patton’s bright eyes.

“I’m not, I swear!” Patton giggled nonetheless, “It’s cute! I’ll have to hear it for myself sometime.” Virgil huffed, despite his growing smile, and went to his room, too overwhelmed to wait outside for the voice again, no matter how much his heart wanted to.

A couple days later, Patton showed up in his open doorway (it was his attempt to be less antisocial, and it made his housemates happy) grinning like a child who’d just gotten a puppy.

“I just talked to Logan-”

“Oh?” Virgil smirked, closing his laptop in favor of tea.

“Oh, shush. He just said during the summer, he has these fancy shmancy teaching seminars every weekend just out of town.”

“So?”

“Sooo…” Patton wiggled a little, sticking his tongue between his teeth, “When he’s not home, his brother watches Gremmy!”

“Gremmy?”

“How do you not know the puppy’s name? And also, you’re focusing on the wrong part of the sentence! His brother is going to be there every weekend, all summer!” 

Virgil tried to digest the butterflies that exploded in his gut, failing to hide his reappearing blush. “So? We don’t even know if he’s our age, or if he’s into guys.”

Patton dropped his gaze, sucking his lips into his mouth in a vain attempt to smother his smile. 

“Patton?”

“He’s our age and he’s into guys,” He squeaked. 

“You asked?!”

“It came up naturally!”

“How?!”

“Not important!” He was full on beaming now, hopping on his toes. “You should totally talk to him next weekend!”

“No. Nope. Not happening.”

The following Friday, Virgil found himself sitting on his deck under the roof, scrolling aimlessly through Tumblr, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he happened to see a new car pull into Logan’s spot thirty minutes after the man left. Nothing like that at all. He sipped absentmindedly on the lemonade Patton had brought him with a cheeky look on his face, trying not to think about the fact that the angel voiced man was right next door. And his heart absolutely did not begin to pound when the tell tale screeching of the screen door sounded.

This time, music accompanied the man’s singing as he hooked the dog, Gremmy, onto her leash.

“Angelica,

Eliza,

And Peggy,

The Schuyler sisters,

Angelica (Peggy) Eliza (Work!)”

Even if Virgil had only heard his voice once, it seemed fitting that he was trying to sing every part, altering slightly to nail the voice changes of every character. He curled up a little more in his chair as the man followed Gremmy out onto the lawn, music still pumping from his phone.

“Daddy said to be home by sundown,

Daddy doesn’t need to know,

Daddy said not to go downtown,

Like I said, you’re free to go.”

Virgil couldn’t breathe, but that was the heat’s fault. It definitely wasn’t caused by the gorgeous man now dancing in small circles on the grass, dog jumping at his feet as he laughed along to the music. The sudden warmth in his face was caused by the sun, not the toned muscle of the man’s arms, or the way his much too loose muscle tee showed off his tan, or how his light brown hair flopped over his eyes when he bent down to pick up a stick from the ground. All while singing; just carelessly enjoying himself. 

“Angelica, remind me what we’re looking for?

(She’s looking for me!)

Eliza, I’m looking for a mind at work (work),

I’m looking for a mind at work (work),

I’m looking for a mind at work (work),

Woah, woah, woah, woah, work!”

The harmonies were too much, his voice flawlessly adding a fourth harmony where there wasn’t in the song. Virgil jumped like a spooked cat, fleeing into the house and drawing the curtains shut hurriedly. He knew the other man had probably heard the door slam, but that wasn’t his main concern right now. 

“Gay panic?” 

Virgil spun around to see Janus, all too bemused, sipping Gatorade out of a wine glass. The man’s sense of class would not be affected by the time of day. “Gay panic,” He confirmed weakly, sliding down the wall, “He’s hot.”

“Let me see.”

“Janus, no, what are you doing?!” 

The taller man pulled the curtain aside, humming under his breath. “Oh yeah, he is hot.”

“Jan, stop!” He hissed, trying to tug Janus’ arm down from the curtain without being seen.

“Oh, he’s waving at me.”

“WHAT?!”

“Can I wave back?”

“NO!” 

Janus waved back, kicking Virgil lightly out of sight. “Let go of my sleeve, fucker.”

Virgil did, booking it upstairs as soon as Janus dropped the curtain. He flopped onto his bed with a groan that was almost loud enough to be a shriek, swearing to himself to not go outside for the rest of the weekend. And to kill Janus later. He did leave his window open though, but not because he wanted to keep hearing the snippets of song that floated up to his room every time the sliding glass next door opened. Not at all. 

Virgil hated that he ended up counting down the days until Friday, and that he couldn’t tear himself away from the window until he arrived. Responding to his housemates giggles and stares with a quick flip of the bird, he took his usual spot on the deck. Because the weather was nice, and he needs a tan. No other reason. Not that he would say out loud, anyways.

He didn’t have to wait long until the door scratched open and a calm, almost haunting melody reached his ears. He’s singing along to a track again, mixing in harmonies that send shivers up Virgil’s spine.

“I saved every letter you wrote me,

From the moment I read them I knew you were mine,

You said you were mine,

I thought you were- Shit, Gremmy, no, get back here!”

Virgil jolted upright as twenty pounds of fluff landed in his chest, paws digging into his sternum. The dog looked up at him with, dare he say, smug eyes? He ran a hand through the fur on her back, holding her collar with one hand in case she decided to bolt again.

“I am so sorry! She wormed out of the gate before I got the leash on her!”

He looked up from the dog and holy hell oh my god he’s way hotter up close. Never before in his life had he wished for Patton’s bubbliness or Janus’ general aloofness, but now he would rather have any personality trait besides anxious because oh god the hottest guy he’d ever met is staring at him and he has no idea what to say.

“Well, good thing she likes me, or you’d be down a dog.” What the hell was that?

Surprisingly, the other man laughed, folding his arms across his chest. “What, you don’t think I’d be able to catch her?”

“In all honesty, probably not.”

“How dare you!” He gasped, holding a hand to his chest dramatically, “I’ll have you know Gremmy loves me!”

“I’m sure that’s why she booked it as soon as she had the chance.” He extended the dog almost comically, her too short legs waving frantically in his grip. The man took her with a murmur of thanks, giving her a stern look that made Virgil snicker. A part of him was slightly shocked that someone related to Logan could be so… relaxed. The older man seemed held together purely by stress and logic, never without a collared shirt and tie, and he would definitely never be seen in the plain white v-neck this guy was wearing really well.

“So, you’re Logan’s brother?” Where the hell was this courage coming from?!

“Yup. You know him?” 

“About as well as I know any of my neighbors. So, barely. But he’s close with my roommate.”

The man’s expression turned to glee as he shifted the dog in his arms. She seemed unhappy being held when there were birds to be chased, but her struggle was lazy. “Patton, right? I’ve heard a lot about him.”

“Oh?”

He hummed happily, fiddling with Gremmy’s collar. “It’s about time Logan found someone who makes him happy. We never really understood each other when it comes to interacting with other people. He’s more secluded nerd, and I’m more…” He trailed off, waving his fingers under the dog cluelessly.

“More theatre nerd?” Virgil guessed, pleased with the way the man’s eyebrows flew up.

“How’d you guess that?”

“You’ve been singing a different Hamilton song every time you’ve taken the dog out.”

Instead of looking embarrassed or upset like Virgil would definitely be in his situation, he seemed to puff up more, almost delighted.

“Ah, I thought I had an audience! That was you?”

Virgil could feel his face turning beet red, much to his chagrin. This was it, this was the moment he died. Let the earth open up and swallow him whole, his little pride had been too wounded to continue. The man took his silence as answer enough, seemingly pleased with the reaction.

“I’m Roman,” The man grinned, holding out his hand. He took it hesitantly, the touch sending a shock up his spine that he was barely able to suppress.

“Virgil.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Virgil.”

He couldn’t help the authentic smile that tugged on his lips as they shook hands, Gremmy dangling from Roman’s other arm like a football.

“You too, Roman.”

[purplesurveys]

1274

Department One: Apparel And Jewelry

What are you wearing today?  Just a white duster dress. Very loungewear-y, hahaha. I didn’t feel like wearing shorts today.

What does your favorite shirt look like?  At the moment I’m obsessed with my Vante shirt. It’s fanmade but it was made tastefully; the designs aren’t too loud and I love the cute little shoutouts and tributes to his past paintings, so it had been a ridiculously easy decision for me to want to buy it.

What kind of underwear do you prefer wearing?  Eh I don’t really have a preference as long as I don’t find them uncomfy.

What are your favorite kind of jeans?  I’m definitely still stuck in my mom jeans phase. Idk man, I just love how they match nearly all kinds of tops.

What do the last pair of shoes you wore look like?  They were adidas sneakers. Not a big fan of chunky shoes but it’s an Ivy Park and it was on a big discount HAHAHA so I didn’t hesitate to get them.

How many shoes do you own?  A little more than 10. I love shoes and wanna collect them someday...just not today, hahaha.

How much jewelry do you own?  Not too big on jewelry; most, if not all the ones I wear are just borrowed from my mom since we share the same style anyway.

Do you own any real diamonds or other expensive jewelry?  Yeah, the ones I would borrow from my mom are pretty pricey.

Has anyone ever gave you jewelry as a present?  Yes, I received rings and necklaces from my ex. One of my aunts also gave me a necklace when I turned 7.

Do you like diamonds or gemstones better?  I just stick with diamonds...which is...also a gemstone too, if I’m not mistaken.

Silver or gold?  Silver.

Department Two: Electronics

Do you have a DVD player in your car?  Not in mine, but we do have one in the family car. I used to watch movies on there often but after one grueling road trip where my motion sickness acted up, I haven’t wanted to use it since.

If you have one, what does your camera/camcorder look like?  I just use the camera in my phone but back in the day I used to have a DSLR; that was when I thought I wanted to take up photography, heh. It was a Nikon D3100.

How much did it cost?  I’m not sure since my dad gave it to me as a present, but a quick search told me it would’ve cost him around P20,000 which issssss wow more expensive than I thought.

What kind of cellphone do you have?  I have an iPhone 8 with an LCD screen that’s deteriorating by the day HAHA. I really need to get a new phone.

How often do you send texts?  I text just for work purposes now, so it really depends on how busy my accounts are. Some days would require me to send out more texts than usual.

Do you have your own computer or does your family share?  I have my own laptop. My workplace also provided me with what’s supposed to be my work laptop, but they had it sent to me when I was already a couple of months into my job and all my needed files and programs were already in my personal laptop. Since I was too lazy to start everything all over again, I’ve never actually used the work laptop haha.

How many computers are in your house?  We have three laptops in total - my siblings and I each have our own. Kind of a necessity these days.

Do you still have a VCR?  I don’t think so.

How many DVDs do you own?  We probably have around 30-50 but most of them are movies from like the 2000s that we just haven’t thrown out. Personally, I have about five DVDs of old films like Gone with the Wind, Rebel Without A Cause, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, etc, and recently I’ve been buying BTS merch so DVDs are part of that mix too.

Does your car have a GPS?  No. I use Waze on my phone instead.

What kind of iPod/MP3 player do you have? Haven’t used an iPod in like a literal decade. I use Spotify for my music.

How many songs are on it?  Spotify doesn’t work that way since it’s technically a database of songs.

What size is your TV?  Never bothered to ask/check.

How many TVs are in your house?  Four. Living room, dining room, master bedroom, my brother’s room.

What video game systems do you have?  We have a PS3 and PS4. 

What about handhelds?  Switch. I believe my sister also still has her DSi stored somewhere.

How many video games do you have?  Probably somewhere around 50-60. My dad and brother are content with repeating their games lol.

Department Three: Home

What kind of shampoo do you use?  It’s a Dove variant but I’m just blanking out on the specific name/what it does.

Soap or shower gel?  Shower gel.

What does your comforter look like?  It’s pretty colorful and has geometric shapes and lines.

Does it match your pillows?  Yep, they come in a set.

What size is your bed?  Twin.

Do you or your parents like to decorate the house with various things or is it plain?  My mom puts considerable effort in decorating the house but it’s nothing overboard that it feels tacky. There’s enough decor in enough spaces.

Does the furniture in your house match?  Sure. I imagine my mom would be very irritated if she felt something was uncoordinated at home.

What does your couch look like?  It’s a gray L-shaped couch. Gabie broke a portion of the couch’s springs when it had only spent its like first two weeks at home but surprisingly my mom has not noticed it yet; probably because she barely sits on that side.

How many does your dining room/kitchen table seat?  It has six chairs, though since we’re five one of the chairs is almost always unoccupied.

Do you have any fancy china?  No, my mom isn’t the type to collect those.

Do you have outside furniture?  Yeah we have a table and chairs up on the rooftop, if they count.

What do your curtains look like?  My siblings and I have pull-down blinds. The other rooms have these pulled-back gold curtains that’s accompanied by white sheers.

Department Four: Grocery

What kind of bread do you get?  Sliced white bread, always. Sometimes my mom will pick up pan de sal, but she gets those from a certain bakery and no longer the grocery.

What is your favorite kind of cake?  CHEEEEEEEEEESECAAAAAAAKE.

Do you get a lot of sweets from the grocery store?  Eh, nah. Not a big fan of sweets.

What kind of soda is your favorite?  Don’t like soda.

Do you drink juice? What kind?  I can take it or leave it. I wouldn’t buy it for myself.

What is your favorite chewing gum?  Doesn’t matter to me. The flavors last for only like a minute anyway.

Do you usually get candy from the check-out aisle?  Nah. Those are far more accessible so who knows who could’ve touched or tampered with them. Plus, I mentioned I don’t like sweets.

What is your favorite soup?  Miso or cream of mushroom.

Have you ever had soup when you were sick?  No. I don’t enjoy hot beverages/liquids very much so I doubt I would feel comfort from soup when I’m sick.

What are your favorite canned vegetables?  Not sure if it’s a cultural difference thing but canned vegetables kind of sound gross and I don’t think I’ve encountered those (I actually had to look it up lol). My parents always buy fruits and veggies as is.

What do you eat for breakfast?  Fried rice is a constant but my mom switches up the set of viands every time. Some of the meals she serves would be hotdogs, eggs (either scrambled, omelette, fried, or sunny-side up), corned beef, dried fish, hashbrowns, luncheon meat, tapa, and Vienna sausages. Poptarts or toaster strudels?  Poptarts. I’ve never had toaster strudel and I’m honestly not sure what that is.

What salad dressing do you prefer?  Spicy mayo.

Ketchup, mayonnaise, or mustard?  MAYONNAISE. I can live without the other two.

What kind of cookie do you like best?  I only ever eat chocolate chip.

What kind of snacks do you get at the grocery store?  Salted egg chips or Pringles. Not a big fan of snacks either. This survey is making me realize I’m way more into full meals than anything else.

Do you get the meat from the deli?  Er, we don’t have delis here. Too fancy a concept lmao. If we have them, they are most likely in those extremely upscale, boujee neighborhoods.

What is your favorite frozen dinner?  I mean my dad buys frozen meat, fish, etc, but the frozen dinner sets that I see in American culture, which I’m guessing is what’s being referred to in this question, are not common here.

Do you prefer frozen dinners to actual cooking?  I honestly can’t imagine how it’s filling, but then again I’ve never tried it. Personally, food made from scratch is still the best.

What is your favorite kind of pasta?  Fettuccine.

Do you eat meat? And if not, do you eat vegetarian meat?  Yes, I eat meat. I get vegan options if they’re accessible and affordable, but those choices are hard to come by here.

What is your favorite fruit?  Avocado is really the only one I’ll give a pass to. Everything else tastes horrible.

What about vegetable?  Broccoli, bell peppers, green beans.

Department Five: Health And Beauty

What kind of makeup do you normally use?  None. If I absolutely have to put on makeup, I will begrudgingly put on foundation, maybe some eyeliner, and lip gloss. And they will all most likely be borrowed from my sister.

Do you wear more makeup on special events?  Not necessarily.

What is your favorite makeup brand?  I wouldn’t be the right person to ask because I would just say none of them.

Do you use any acne products?  Mmm no, I just splash water on my face, really. I actually got into a conversation about skincare with my co-workers yesterday and besides the usual shocked experessions I get when people find out I don’t use products, they recommended I at least get moisturizer and sunscreen. Idk, let’s see but historically it’s been hard to convince me to invest in skincare haha.

What kind of perfume do you use?  I have one of Beyoncé’s perfumes, Heat Rush. I don’t actually know if that’s still in production but it’s been my staple for like a decade or so now.

Have you ever been on a diet?  No. I never really had to be on one.

What products do you use in your hair?  Shampoo and conditioner.

How often do you brush your hair?  Only when I have to leave the house or have an important virtual work meeting.

What do you take when you have an upset stomach?  Nothing. The toilet usually solves that for me lol.

Do you take any prescription medicine? Nope.

Department Six: Movies, Music, And Books

What is your favorite movie of all time?  It’s been Two for the Road for a solid nine years and it doesn’t look like anything’s on its way to dethroning it anytime soon.

What genre of movie do like best?  Drama. The more realistic it is, the better.

What was the last movie you watched?  It’s a Korean film called Be With You. I liked it and I cried waterfalls, but the ending was so rushed it was kind of disappointing.

What was the last movie you purchased?  I don’t buy movies. If I wanted to see a film I’ll check if Netflix has it, then if they don’t I just try to scour one of those illegal movie streaming sites that always happen to have thousands of pornographic ads hahaha.

What is your all time favorite band? Paramore. Do you still buy CDs?  Only from artists I’m an extremely huge fan of. Right now that would be BTS, so I’m catching up on all the albums they’ve released in the last eight years.

What was the last CD you bought?  I got the Butter album set, if that counts. If it doesn’t, the last full-length album I purchased was Dark & Wild.

What was the last song you listened to?  I think it was Permission To Dance.

What is your favorite book?  I haven’t found it yet.

Do you even like reading?  I used to love it a lot more, to the point that back in grade school I was known as always having a book in my hand. I just don’t know where that passion went.

How often do you read?  Nearly never. I mean...I do read fanfics, I guess; but I won’t count those.

Department Seven: Sports And Fitness

Do you own a bike/scooter/skateboard/etc.?  We do have a bike at home, but that doesn’t mean I know how to ride it. We don’t have the other two.

How old were you when you learned to ride a bike w/o training wheels?  I still don’t know how to last on a bike without training wheels heheh.

Have you ever been camping?  Nah.

How often do you work out?  Nope but at work my boss just started another fitness challenge, so I’ll probably have to get back on working out soon just because I would want to accomplish the challenge.

Are you in good shape?  Sure, I think so. I’m not like fit fit because I neveeer exercise haha, but I also don’t make it a point to constantly eat unhealthy foods or have an unhealthy lifestyle to the point that it affects my body.

Do you go to a gym?  I do not. I thought of getting a membership at the start of the year but I’m glad I didn’t push through with it because all the gyms are still closed anyway.

Have you ever been fishing?  No. Idk if it’s my kind of pastime or not.

Have you ever been on a boat?  Yeah. My country has like 7000 islands so I was bound to get on a boat at some point in my life haha.

Can you play golf?  Never seemed interesting to me so no. Even on Wii Sports I barely picked golf.

Ever rode on a golf cart?  Yeah, in resorts where we had to ride them to be taken to our room.

Would you ever go hunting?  That’s an easy no.

What is your favorite sport?  Pro wrestling or table tennis.

Ever played on a sports team?  No, my school didn’t have a table tennis varsity.

Department Eight: Toys

What was your favorite toy as a child?  Cash registers because I liked the buttons. Also Play-Doh sets that had those contraptions that would squirt out the clay in various shapes.

Do you still play with toys?  Well, no.

Do you collect any toys?  I don’t, but I’m not opposed to start buying Funko Pop figurines of people or characters I’m interested in.

Did you ever have building blocks?  Sure, but I was never creative enough for them.

Did you play with dolls?  No.

Barbies or Bratz? Which were better?  BRATZZZZZZ

What is your favorite board game?  Scrabble.

Do you like to do arts and crafts?  Hell no.

Do you think that kids now have it better than when you were young? For sure, but isn’t that kind of the goal?

[goldenmazzello]

Lay all your love on me | Part 2

(I don't own this gif. Credits to the owner)

Warning: Alcohol, anxiety, angst, hungover, languague, mixed feelings, flashbacks. 

W/C: 5k.

Masterlist

~

Although you were all exhausted from your last day on set, you were going out and have some fun and celebrate. You needed this. You all needed this. So when Ben suggested to go to a new bar for some drinks all of you enthusiastically agreed, especially because you, Joe and Rami were coming back to the US tomorrow.

Now, you were at your hotel room getting ready for your last night in London. You chose a little black dress with embroidery black sequins all over it, it also had a nice cleavage that left nothing to the imagination. That was your favorite dress, you felt absolutely confident when you wore it. You put on a pair of black high heels, you were almost ready.

Suddenly, you heard a knock from the door and gave a glance to the clock that was hang on the wall. Fuck. You were late and you hadn't done your make-up yet. You weren't used to wearing a lot of make-up, you prefered having a good skincare routine but since you've had eye bags from the exhausting week on set and your skin wasn't helping due to your PMS pimples, you decided to slightly cover them.

You opened the door and Joe was standing there, wearing a white dress shirt, a pair of black jeans, a leather jacket and a pair of black boots. He looked stunning.

"Wow, you look..." You both said at the same time and laughed. You moved your sight to the floor with blushy cheeks.

"Are you ready?" Joe asked while studying you with a curious expression from the door frame.

"Hmm...do we have time?" You played with your hands, nervously. "I mean, I've haven't done my make-up yet, but I promise it won't take more than 5 minutes. Please Joey." You looked at him with puppy eyes, trying to convince him. He chuckled.

Joey. You were the only person who called him like that. You thought that maybe his mother called him like this but no, you were the only one and Joe found it pleasant. He got annoyed when someone who wasn't you used that nickname.

"Okay, you are already pretty but anyway, you can do it, we have like 10 minutes." He checked his watch as he entered the room and sat on your bed.

"Thank you!" You hugged him and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. He could feel your scent. His heart began to beat hard like a hammer. He swallowed.

You grabbed your makeup bag which was a few inches away from the bed on a table and started to apply your red lipstick quickly. Joe was following every movement. You bent over the table to have a better look of your face in your little mirror to apply concealer and Joe couldn't help but fixate his eyes on your thighs and then, your ass. it wasn't the first time he did it, but that little dress allowed him to have a perfect view of your long legs and he couldn’t resist. 

"I'm ready!" You turned around and faced him, he was silent and pretended to look at the window. "You okay?" You walked towards him and grabbed his hand.

"Y-yes, I was just...thinking about our flight" He lied. You rubbed his hand gently and sat by his side. You'll be the death of him.

"Sure? You look...tense" You said worried.

He nodded. "I'm tired but I not going to stay in bed in our last night in London." He tittered.

"Okay, let's get going!"

~

The bar was overcrowded, something to expect for a bar that opened two weeks ago. There were some tables and chairs lined up against the walls and others were just packed into the middle of the room. It was kinda dark, since the lights were red colored, but it was perfect, you still could see people’s faces. Music from the 70s, 80s and 90s was playing at the background.

As you sat at the table, you could notice that it was full of bottles that Ben and Gwilym had brought, since they were the first of the group to arrive.

“Well, you really want us to celebrate tonight Ben.” You raised an eyebrow while looking at them. Ben giggled. 

“Of course!” He said as he grabbed a glass and poured champagne on it. “Where are Rami and Lucy?” 

“Here!” They shouted from the door and walked towards the table. “What the hell...we’re only six in here. why is the the perfect amount of alcohol for the entire bar?” Lucy asked, blinking. 

“Your blonde friend wants us to be shit-faced.” Replied Gwylim and took a sip of wine. Ben shrugged. 

You raised your drinks and Ben began talking "Cheers for this movie and everything that will come with this!"

"Cheers for us guys!" Rami shouted.

Bohemian Rhapsody was a very promising movie. It was one of the most anticipating of the year worldwide, so maybe it will lead to awards nominations such as the Oscars and it also will give all of you more recognition. The best was yet to come.

An hour later, you’ve already drunk half of what was on the table. it was going to be a long night.

There was a tall blonde girl leaned on the bar counter, who was gazing at your table. She was having a drink with a straw that made her lips look big. Maybe, she was doing it on purpose.

“Hey, that girl is trying to get your attention.” Ben elbowed Joe and he looked at her. 

Your eyes rapidly moved to Joe, waiting for his next move. 

“Go and have fun.” Gwylim blinked. 

“I don’t know, I don’t think she’s looking for me.” Joe commented.

Joe wasn’t interested at all, especially since you were on his thoughts all day. But maybe, if he tried to talk to other women he could keep his mind occupied for a bit. Whatsmore, he has been in a forced celibacy for the past months due to filming so it could be an opportunity.

"Are you kidding me? Joe, she's been staring at you for like the last five minutes." Gwilym said. "Go and invite her a drink, do something!"

Joe hesitated for a minute until he put his phone in his pocket and went with her.

You didn't know why, but something made you feel sick to your stomach. Why were you feeling like this for Joe? He was your friend and you should be happy for him. Did you...like him? It wasn't a secret that he was very attractive, but you never thought about him as your lover.

Your not-so-sober state was making you feel so nauseous. You were also tired from your last days of work which were stressing and hadn't been eating properly because you were busy. This wasn’t going to end well. 

You stopped drinking and sighed. There was a growing unease running through your veins, you couldn't take it anymore. You rushed to the bathroom. Fortunately, you were the only one in there. You locked yourself in an individual loo and pressed your forehead against the door, breathless. You closed your eyes and tried to catch your breath, but you felt as if the sharp point of a knife was stabbing you in the chest. The feeling of your heavy pounding heart and a persistent tightness in your shoulders were taking over you. You began to count, one, two, three, four to remove the explosion in your brain that was sending your thoughts spiraling out of control. You couldn't put into words the way you were feeling.

A few minutes later, your breath was becoming normal. You stayed there, trying to recover.

You thought it wasn't going to happen anymore, or at least tonight.

On the other side of the bar, Ben noticed that you were gone. He looked for you desperately, but he couldn't find you anywhere.

He immediately went to the bar counter where Gwilym was standing there, laughing out loud, he has just moved his hand on Joe's head and disheveled him, showing off his perm. Joe wasn't happy at all but the girl just laughed and continued talking.

"Guys, I can't find (y/n) anywhere." Ben explained.

Joe's eyes widened. he apologized with the girl and looked for you. Gwilym followed him.

"Why don't we tell Lucy to go and see if she's in the bathroom? She might be there."

"It's a good idea but, where is Lucy?" Joe moved to the crowd where Rami and Lucy were rocking their bodies to some 80s love songs.

Joe explained her what happened and she went to the bathroom. Rami helped the boys.

What if someone hurt you? what if you were in danger and you couldn't ask for help? Joe couldn't stop thinking about the worst case scenario. He felt a twinge in his chest.

As Lucy entered the bathroom, she looked under each door and felt relaxed when she saw your black high heels there.

"(y/n)? (y/n), are you okay?" She knocked the door.

She sent a message to your group chat.

Lucy: I found her, she's in the bathroom. Don't worry.

"Yes, absolutely." You opened the door and she almost jumps. Your eyes were red and your mascara was running on your cheeks.

"What happened? Did someone do anything to you?" She hugged you tight and you hugged she back even thighter.

"No, no. I'm just...I don't know, I was feeling anxious but I think I'm better now." You moved to the mirror and opened the tap water. You washed your face.

"Was it for anything in particular? What were you doing when you started feeling like that?"

You explained the situation and she hugged you again. “I’m here for you, don’t worry.” She said sweetily. You smiled. 

You came back and the guys sighed in relief.

"She's okay, don't bother her." Lucy warned them. Joe sat beside you and put his hand on your shoulder.

"Do you need anything?" Rami asked.

"Give me that." You snatched the wine bottle off his hands.

The blonde girl showed up again. She whispered something on Joe's ear and gave him a piece of paper. Then, she blinked at him and left the bar.

"Man, what's on the paper?" Ben was dying to know about it. Joe gave it to Rami. Ben stucked out his tongue.

Rami opened it. "Ohh, what a heartbreaker you are, Mr. Mazzello." He gave it back to him. Joe held it in his hands as he read.

"I really liked your perm. If you fancy doing something after the bar, let me know 64788433"

Joe tore the paper and took a sip of wine. Ben, Rami and Gwilym's jaw dropped. You felt relieved. "What?"

"I can't believe you're wasting such an opportunity!" Ben said with a wide eyed face.

"She's not my type." He continued drinking.

He didn't feel like leaving you. He felt alarmed by your state, you were his friend and he wan’t going to leave you when you were feeling like that.  Although he didn't know what happened to you, he could notice you were tense. He would do anything to make you feel better.

"Dude, you're mad. It's your last night here." Rami insisted. Joe didn't care.

"And, what about you? Did you find anyone for tonight" Gwilym asked you, mischivously.

You almost choke. "W-What?"

"You know, a one-night stand.” He moved up his eyebrows. You giggled.

"I'm not much into that, I'm more classic, you know." You confessed.

"Come here, I'm gonna find you a hot date!" Lucy begged you.

"It's okay Lu, I wanna be on my own tonight." You smiled gently.

~

It was 2 a.m, you were all a mess and there were like 3 more hours ahead. Oh shit.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to our place tonight.” Yelled a man from the little scenario, holding a microphone. ”It’s 2 a.m and that means, It’s karaoke time!” He raised his arms and people clapped excitedly. “We invite you to come here with a partner and give us a performance! Who will be our first duo tonight?” 

“Here! These pretty girls right here are going to sing first.” Ben jumped from his chair and pointed at you and Lucy, who gaped at you. 

“Oh no, shut up Benjamin!” You tried to sat him back to his place but it was impossible. 

“Come on girls, let’s go!" The man encourage both of you. Everybody turned their heads to your table. You swallowed.

"Are you sure?" You asked Lucy and she shrugged.

"I guess we have to do it, we have no choice." She said in a small panicky voice as the whole bar was waiting for you to go.

"Fuck, then let's do it."

You rapidly took two more shots of vodka so as not to be so conscious of what you were going to do and walked towards the scenario with her. As you got out of your chair, Joe followed your body with his eyes. He swore no one ever looked so good in a dress and it hurt him to know he couldn't have you that night.

Ben took out his phone from his pocket and started to record, maybe it would end up posted on Instagram.

"So, to who do we owe the pleasure tonight?" The man handed Lucy and you microphones.

"I'm Lucy and she's my friend (y/n)." Everybody clapped and there were some whistling. For a second, you regretted wearing that dress.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Lucy and (y/n)!" He yelled, leaving the scenario.

You both moved to the little screen you had in front of you. Lucy chose Wannabe by the Spice Girls.

You took a deep breath and started singing. "Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want." You moved your head to Lucy's direction.

"So tell me what you want, what you really, really want." She sang and held your hand. You both started moving your hips from side to side following the rhythm of the music, trying to remember some moves from the music video.

The boys were singing and clapping from the table, totally enjoying it. You started to feel more comfortable and to enjoy it too.

"If you wanna be my lover." You both sang the last line of the song and hugged. You quickly came back with the boys while you heard clapping again.

"You girls nailed it!" Rami gave Lucy a quick peck.

"I still hate you, Ben. You better be careful, I'll kill you." You blustered annoyed. He mocked you. 

"Please tell me you're going to sing with me!" Joe put his best puppy face that made it hard to deny anything.

"Yeah Joe, when pigs fly!"

Two hours later, you and Joe were on the scenario, you were totally sloshed.

"Purple rain, purple rain. I only wanted to see you underneath the purple rain." You both sang from the top of your lungs. Joe had his arm around your waist and you had yours around his neck, moving backwards and forwards, trying to dance.

"For you Ben, I'll ruin my voice for you!" Joe pointed at Ben, who was trying to hide behind Gwilym.

Joe lost his balanced and fell to the ground, but that didn't stop him for singing. Screaming.

"I only wanted to see you underneath the AHHHHHHHH PURPLE RAIN, PURPLE RAIN, UHHHHHH." He grabbed your leg like a kid.

"Okay Joey, it's enough." You burst out laughing and helped him up.

~

As fast as you opened your eyes, you closed them. A merciless sunbeam was squirting straight in, making the oppressive force in your head go deeper. You turned around and checked your phone, 12:30 p.m, you had to be at the airport in exactly five hours. 

You couldn’t remember neither coming back to the hotel nor falling asleep. As you sat up bed with a rather unpleasant feeling, you felt a shiver down your spine, the room was cold and you were still wearing your black dress. You felt a wave of nausea and ran to the bathroom. You ended up bent over the toilet, puking your guts out. You haven’t been like this in months. The last time you were like this was last year when your ex broke up with you. When you finished puking, you struggled to lift your head up, but the head throbbing was making it impossible. You rested your head in your hands and began to rub your temples, trying to massage away the headache. It was pointless. You felt you were going to die in about five minutes. 

You looked at your face in the mirror, your mascara was running on your cheeks and your red lipstick was smeared, you looked terrible. After cleaning up your face with a damp cloth, you turned on the shower and tossed your dress and your underwear. You felt really gross. The drops of water running down your body felt warm and you enjoyed it. After a long shower, you got changed into your comfiest clothes and finished packing. 

While you were drinking water, your phone buzzed. Joe was calling. 

“Hey, how are you?” Asked Joe with a husky voice. He might have just woken up. 

“I feel like shit, I’m never drinking again.” You protested. Joe laughed. 

That's what everybody says waking up with a terrible hangover and then, they drink again and repeat it over and over again.

“We both know that’s a pretty unconvincing lie.” 

“Well, I’m not drinking any soon. That sounds better?” 

“Absolutely.” You nodded, smiling. “Can you come to my room? I can’t move and I feel I’m about to pass out if I don’t drink water soon. Please, I’m gonna die, don’t let me die!” Joe screamed, being totally dramatic. 

“You aren’t gonna die, Joey. I’m on my way.” You hang and walked towards his room. You knocked the door and Joe cursed, he had to get out of bed. 

“God, I can’t even walk.” Joe said as you entered the room. He jumped back to bed. “Come here.” 

“Are you sure?” You asked, walking on his direction. 

“Of course, come here, I’m gonna die.” Joe pouted. You rolled your eyes and lay in bed. 

You called room service and they brought you bottles of water and some snacks. 

“Joe, you have to take short sips of water.” 

“I’m thirsty.” 

“I know but it would get worse.” You squeezed his bottle and now, his face was wet. You laughed out loud. 

“You’ll regret it.” He left the bottle on the nightstand and started to tickle you. 

“Please, please, please, Joe, stop or I’m gonna throw up the water, please stop” You begged between laughs. Joe stopped and you sighed in relief. 

“Well, I see you aren’t feeling so bad after all.” 

“Kinda, but I wanna stay here until we head to the airport.” He moved close to you. 

“So do I.” You placed his head on your chest and hugged him. Joe felt he was going to die. 

Never had he been this close before. He didn’t want to move because he was practicaly on your boobs. He tried to avoid any dirty thoughts but his view wasn't helping. When he felt your fingers through his hair, he closed his eyes.

Joe wished this was part of his routine. You and him, waking up together on the same bed, him, giving you kisses all over your face and body. He wanted to kiss you so bad. He liked to think that your lips were as soft as a cotton. He hoped someday he’ll find out if he was right.

"You know," said Joe, breaking the silence. "I think you've never told me, but how did you find out about Queen?" Joe questioned.

It was a rainy cold saturday afternoon. Boredom had taken over you, so you decided to sit on your computer while your mom was baking a delicious banana bread while your dad was working on a project for his job, you assumed that he had become a workaholic because no one would ever dedicate so much time to his job on a free day.

"Can you look for a song on YouTube? It's awfully noiseless in here." Your dad said stretching his back, he had been sitting for like 5 hours.

You knew that your dad liked The Rolling Stones so you clicked on Start me Up music video. When it finished, you checked on YouTube's suggestions. Queen - I Want to Break Free. You knew that Queen was a well-known British band but you've never listened to any of their songs.

"Dad, mom, do you like Queen?"

"Yeah, well, I used to listen to them a lot when I was young." Your dad told you.

"One of my favorite songs by Queen used to be I Want to Break Free." Your mom said as he took out the banana bread out of the oven. It smelled amazing.

"That's the one YouTube suggested me."

You watched the music video while eating what your mother have just cooked. What a pretty girl, you thought when a blonde schoolgirl appeared in the kitchen. A few months later, you realized it was actually Roger Taylor.

"I can't believe you thought he was actually a girl." Joe couldn't stop laughing.

"In my defense, some people in the 70s thought he was a woman."

"And then what happened?"

"Then, there wasn't a day in which I didn't listen to Queen, and nowadays it's still that way. I really love them. They helped me through difficult times and they still do.” 

He smiled. “It’s crazy how every person has at least a memory of Queen in their lives. I remember that Bohemian Rhapsody was the first song I downloaded on Napster.” You interrupted him. 

“Which is ilegal.” 

“Shh, don’t tell Brian and Roger.” You giggled. “And then,” he continued. “When I directed Undrafted, I would drive every morning listening to Somebody to Love and it gave me good vibes for the day. It was great” 

You talked for like two hours about Queen. Now, you were on Joe's chest. "What are your plans for the next days?" Joe started to play with your hair.

"I'm staying in New Jersey with my family, you know, it's been a while since I've seen them. And the other week I'm having an audition in New York for a theater play."

"Great, what is its name?"

"It's Romeo and Juliet. A classic. I really hope I'll get this, otherwise I don't know what I'll do." You sighed.

"You'll get the role, don't worry about it, you are wonderful." Joe grabbed your hand and you rubbed his.

"Thank you. And what are you up to this week? Any meeting or something?" You inquired.

"Not yet. I'm going to visit my family and some friends and of course I'll wait for you to free so we can start with our To do list in New York." He smiled sheepishly.

"I can't wait for it!"

"Hmm, I was meaning to ask it earlier but anyway, what happened last night?"

You were frozen. You tried to find the exact words to explain him you were feeling anxious and that you didn't know the reason why. He let you know that you could always count on him.

A few minutes later, Joe fell asleep, he was still holding your hand. You stared at him for like an eternity and thought about how you felt last night. You weren't sure about your feelings as something more than a friend. You loved him with all your heart, he had become someone you really cared for, you were together all the time and you knew that it would still be like that from now.

He had a peaceful look in his face that made your heart melt. You were grateful that you were going to spend a few days in your hometown where you will have enough time to clear your mind.

~

After a week at your parents' home, you came back to your apartment in New York and now, you were getting ready for your audition. You kept reading the script over and over again while you were on your way in the taxi.

While you were waiting in the queue to enter the theater, your phone buzzed. It was a message.

Joe: Good luck sweetie!

You were beaming from ear to ear.

~

Joe finished cooking one of his specialties, meatballs with spaghetti, his favorite food. His friend Aaron was about to come in any minute. It was a long time since they last reunited, especially because they were busy with their acting careers.

The doorbell rang and Joe opened the door of his house. Aaron Tveit was standing there, holding a bottle of wine and some cans of beer happily.

As they ate, they talked about their lasts projects and brought up some memories of Joe's movie, Undrafted, in which they were co-stars. When they were about to finish the delicious supper, the doorbell rang. They looked at each other.

"Is it really the doorbell?" Aaron asked, confused.

"Yes but, that's strange, I'm not expecting anyone."

Joe opened the door and his gaze flickered over your presence. 

“I wasn't expecting to see you until tomorrow, what a lovely surprise!” His smiled disappeared when he noticed you were weeping. "What's wrong?" 

“Sorry I came out of the blue but I really need you.” When you leaned over the frame of the door trying to enter his house, you saw he had a guest. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know you had people tonight. I can come tomorrow morning." You moved backwards. 

“Don’t leave, (y/n).” He grabbed your arm. “You can join us.” You hesitated, “Please, stay.” 

You entered his house and he took you to the kitchen, not before telling his friend he would be back in a minute. You sat on the counter and he stood in front of you. “Tell me, what happened?” 

“The audition...” You played with the edge of your shirt, avoiding his gaze. “It was awful, they treated me so unkind...and obviously I didn’t get the role.” 

“I’m so sorry, (y/n).” He embraced you in such a tender and warm way that made you feel safe immediately. He rubbed your back and whispered sweet things in your ear, sending shivers down your spine. 

You couldn't lie, in the days you spent away in New Jersey, Joe couldn't leave your mind. He was there, 24/7 and you couldn't stop talking about him to your family. Your mom only needed two hours to say you were having feelings for him, despite your denial. 

“Forget about that.” He took you to the dining room, where his friend was with his phone. As he saw you were coming, he left it on the table and smiled.

"(y/n), he's Aaron. Aaron, she's (y/n)." Joe introduced each other. Aaron was a brown haired man with beautiful blue eyes. He seemed to be in his mid 30s, just like Joe.

You remembered seeing them on tv, he was in Gossip Girl!

"It's nice to meet you, Joe talked about you a lot!" He admitted. Joe blushed and you smiled.

Did he really talk about you with his friends?

Joe insisted on serving you a plate of food and you acepted it. An hour passed, now you felt better, Aaron was so friendly.

“I’m having an audition on friday for a musical, If you like, I’ll give you the script.” Aaron said while you were having a sip of wine. 

“What is it about?” 

“It’s a Broadway musical based on the movie Grease. I think you’ll like it. They are looking for someone to play Sandy Olsson." 

You almost choke. “B-Broadway? Oh God. I don’t know..” 

Broadway. It was a tempting proposal, but you weren’t sure if you were going to be acepted to play a role in a such an incredible musical, especially after your failed audition from today. 

“Hey, why don’t you give it a try?” Suggested Joe. “You have nothing to lose. It’s a big opportunity, you should definitly go.”

“And you still have time to prepare for this.” Aaron unlocked his phone and asked for your number. “I’ve just sent you the script. Don’t worry, I can help you if you want, you can call me at any moment and I’ll try to help you. Tomorrow I’ll send you the adress and everything you need to know. And if you want, I can pick you up and we can go together.” 

“That would be nice, thank you.” You smiled. 

“So, that’s a yes?” Joe asked expectantly. 

“Yes!” 

Joe was absolutely happy for you. However, his mind was being cruel.

“Joey, are you listening to me?” You asked him. He rubbed his eyes. 

“Sorry, I think I’m falling asleep. What were you saying?” 

“Can I stay here tonight?” 

“Sure!” 

He had to do something, too much love will kill him. 

[studywithyashu]

my study routine! (FAQ)

Hello lovely folks of tumblr! I’m here to talk about my study routine because I get these questions a LOT and I feel like I should clear up my planning methods.. I’ve decided to do this in a bit of a different format to the typical masterpost, call it a bit of an FAQ if you will, of just questions I get a lot both IRL and on tumblr ;) as always feel free to comment if you have any questions, or slide into my asks/messages if you need help with anything. Much love!!

1. ‘do you have a set study routine currently?’

The short answer is no, I currently have a bit of an on and off thing going with my studying. Right now, I spend about two days being productive (catching up on notes, exercising) and then one day just relaxing (Netflix, seeing friends, reading). I’m looking to slowly amp up my productivity (see this ask for a more detailed explanation on my view of productivity right now) and maybe get it to about a 5 days of productivity to 1 day of relaxation ratio but I’m trying to go easy on myself.

2. ‘what about when you’re in university/school?’

Now this I can get INTO, because pre-corona when we were in full swing university, let me tell you that you’d be hard pressed to find a vet student that didn’t have some sort of routine. They might not consciously have one or plan one out, but vet school is BUSY so more often than not we slip into routines just because we have to.

Now you guys know that I’m not the type of girl to just slip into routine, and I like to have stuff thought out pretty well when it comes to how I use my time. Here’s what a typical day at vet school looked like for me in terms of studying and (equally important) mental breaks to keep me productive:

7:30am - wake up, make breakfast + to-go coffee and get dressed, review timetable and pack properly.

9am to 11am- first two lectures of the day

11am to 1pm - lunch break and time to just chill. I usually sit in a cafe with my friends and grab a quick sandwich, I’ll maybe squeeze in half an hour of revision but I don’t fret if all I do is watch Netflix and stuff my face in the corner of the student lounge. 

1pm to 3pm- we usually have either group research work, independent learning, practicals, and occassionaly dissections which last a bit longer, so on those days I’ll be in till about 5pm. If I have nothing scheduled as coursework I will sit in the library and study, study, study.

5pm to 6pm - I either go to the gym or go to a therapy appointment based on what I have scheduled for that day. 

6pm to 8pm - I will do a bit more studying and then sneak up to the common room to play the piano or talk to my friends who are still in uni. This is generally a less productive session because I’m tired and I’ll usually eat dinner in the middle of this session or just take a nap on days where I’m feeling extra tired.

9pm - I would’ve walked home from university by 9pm (or earlier) on most days. I do my skincare, sometimes I cook dinner, and if I need TLC I’ll take a warm bath and spend time goofing off with my lovely flatmates just talking, watching films, or the latest Riverdale episode (every Thursday!!) to give my heart a little rest <3 

9pm to 11pm - If I am running behind or have loads to do, I will pull it together and study into the night (sometimes staying up pretty late) but I usually avoid this since I prefer light reading at night or if I really need to study doing something easier like watching videos since my focus is pretty off at night and I would much rather be texting a cute boy or watching a rom-com (wow I just exposed myself) 

so that’s a typical day at vet school! as you guys can see I kind of have my life first: coursework, practicals, social events, exercise, piano, therapy.. and then I carve out time to study wherever possible and realistic. Obviously on weekends I try to have one day of just studying, but if a friend is in town I might just have fun on the weekend and make up for it by changing up my social committments the following week. The most important thing is to take your needs and priorities into account.

3. ‘ok, so you have a routine... but how do you stick to it? Doesn’t it get overwhelming?’

Okay, so yes- it does get overwhelming. More often than not it is overwhelming, especially since I sign myself up for extracurricular commitments and can’t say no to a party, like ever.  But more than anything else at all, my habit of bullet journalling has (pardon the language) saved my ass. I read somewhere that if you write down goals, you are much more likely to achieve them. You don’t need a fancy bullet journal if that’s not your thing - google Calendar works just fine! As long as you plan out when you’re going to do what and keep track of all your committments, lectures, and appointments you should be able to find time to study. Often I will clear out a sunday or saturday in my calendar and put in big red letters ‘STUDY DAY’ on it, so I know that studying is my priority that day and only studying! I scattered about 4-5 exclusive study days per month into my calendar while I was in uni and often added more if I felt like I was behind. 

4. ‘I understand that you have to plan stuff out in advance, but what about sticking to it? my bed just looks way comfier...’

To this I can only say - I get you, I’ve been there, I’m honestly there most of the time. I think it shocks people how ‘unproductive’ some of my days both in and out of uni are because I think I come off as really organised and hard working (and not going to lie, I think I am) but the truth is about 50% of the time I choose my soft bed and Netflix over studying. That’s OKAY. Honestly some days I would rather go on a run, visit a friend, cook dinner, or take a long bath than study, because I need to feed my soul. That’s okay and we should normalise it more.

When push comes to shove, and I’m behind on work, obviously I will compromise on sleep or exercise or social events to finish stuff but I don’t like to give myself a hard time for being a human being with a life beyond work. Especially in vet school, striving for perfection is pointless - you are working to pass your exams, that’s all. obviously if you’re in high school your study goals will be a bit different based on the unis you’re applying to, but the same advice follows - chill out! You don’t need to beat yourself into submission every single day when it comes to studying, that will get you nowehere.

What I do instead is I study a little bit everyday and make sure that it feels like a natural part of my schedule. It doesn’t feel like ugh, I need to pause my life and pause my fun to study. Instead it feels like hey I just finished an amazing lunch with friends/gym session/relaxing bath and now it’s study time, all is well and balanced with the world! yay! As a student, that is the most important feeling you can have with regards to your studies. It takes a while to build this up as a habit and it’s totally okay to start small by carving out just half an hour daily. Consistency is your biggest and most valuable tool.

5. ‘so what you’re saying is... be chill? relax? but also be consistent? but give yourself space to have a life? that sounds like a whole new attitude!’

yep. that’s because it is. Obviously some people are blessed with the ability to just focus whenever they want or go on marathon study sessions, but I’m not like that so I had to cultivate my attitude towards studying and focus. I had to start viewing studying as just another part of my day, like waking up, brushing my teeth, or running.

I hope this helped and as always send me all your questions and I’m more than happy to have conversations about your study routine over message <3 I’m always here to help you guys wherever I can :) 

stay safe x

[prettywordsyouleft]

Could You Marry Me? - Part 4

Summary: Marriage was something you dreamed of reaching after falling in love with the man of your dreams. Yet the romantic in you is thrown out the window when you end up having to fake your engagement with your personal assistant.

Pairing: Son Hyunwoo x reader

Genre: office au / ceo x personal assistant / co-workers to lovers au / romance / fluff / fake dating

Warnings: none

Index: Preview | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Perhaps you did have the luck of being like a drama couple on your side. Dinner had gone well; you had everyone convinced that you and Hyunwoo had fallen in love within the office. It helped that he knew little nuances about you that could cement parts of your storyline, and even you hadn’t been aware that he had picked up on your little habits like twirling your pen in your hair mindlessly when working at your desk.

Your surprise was genuine and so the reaction was positive.

“We need to get together again soon!” Mina gushed and you nodded happily, holding her hand in yours and feeling entirely warm. Normally you had been kept at arm’s length, not having the ability to quite match her playing field. Now that you were engaged however, you wondered if becoming closer friends would be possible with her. You didn’t realise you had wanted to be a part of her circle until now.

This desire fuelled you on. From what had been one dinner date was now having lunch with Mina a couple of times a week and you even started planning your wedding together.

Which didn’t seem as scary as you believed it would be.

“You really don’t have anything planned yet, do you?”

“Well, we just recently got engaged,” you reminded Mina over the phone, twirling your pen in your hair and catching yourself in the act. You glanced out your office window towards Hyunwoo’s desk, smiling lightly when he caught your gaze. He blinked before smiling back, returning to his work and you swung around in your chair. “We have plenty of time to plan a wedding.”

You had briefly discussed with Hyunwoo about this when you went over the contract. Knowing you were the only daughter of an affluent family meant you couldn’t just skimp out and have a private wedding. But you had proposed having the wedding sooner rather than later. It would mean most of the more expensive venues would be fully booked out and you would save costs by limiting the time you had to plan. Whilst you knew your parents would be thrilled as long as you had a husband at the end of the day, you also knew giving your mother the opportunity to plan for a long period of time would be disastrous for keeping this marriage contained.

Considering it was a fake marriage as well, you felt guilty enough for even allowing them to pay for the ceremony.

“What date did you decide on?”

“Uh, well we’re hoping to talk to my parents this weekend about it,” you started, staring at the small desk calendar where you had pencilled in ‘meeting with family’. Forcing a smile despite being on the phone, you tapped at your desk for an answer to crop up. “But maybe a spring wedding?”

“Spring is only two and a half months away, Y/N! You don’t have time if you want to plan everything! Oh my goodness, that’s it! I’m putting myself in charge of helping you with this. As someone who is already married, I know what needs to be implemented immediately.”

“Oh, no I wouldn’t want to ask that of you.”

“I insist! So I’ll come around to your apartment after dinner tonight to get some of this inspiration really flowing, okay?”

So that’s how you ended up rushing through your final meeting for the day, dashing home and standing awkwardly in your front entryway letting Mina into your apartment soon after.

“It’s so cute!” she enthused, smiling brightly at you as she placed down her bag, looking around. She then turned to smile again at you. “I remember the days before Jihwan and I lived together. Though we moved in before our marriage because we couldn’t handle being apart from each other.”

You smiled as she giggled, and then you realised Mina was subtlety asking why you and Hyunwoo weren’t living together yet. You cleared your throat. “We have decided to move in after we’re married. Since we work side by side so intimately now, we already know we’ll be able to live together as well.”

“That makes some sense, though there’s always so much more to learn about the person once you start sharing the same space,” she agreed and you relaxed at her acceptance. “Oh! Can I use the bathroom? It’ll be the first time I get to go without an audience. My son tends to think the bathroom is public domain when Mummy is in there.”

Chuckling, you directed Mina to the right door and then set about making some tea whilst she was in there. When she returned, she was frowning. “Do you see Hyunwoo out of the office?”

“Of course I do, he’s my fiancé after all.”

Mina sat down and took the mug you held out to her, still perplexed. Then she turned to you for answers. “Does he not stay over?”

“He… he does.”

“It’s odd that he doesn’t see the convenience of leaving his toiletries here. I noticed there was no toothbrush in the jar next to yours and no sign of his skincare either. Come to think of it, there were no slippers in the doo-”

“He’s a little particular about these things,” you interrupted with a laugh that sounded desperate to regain her confidence. You were unsettled, feeling this magical world she had encompassed you in start to darken around the edges for the fake you truly were. You attempted to smile. “I’ve been trying to convince him to just keep a set of everything here for practicality for weeks now but he likes to use his own things from home and cart them over when he stays.”

“He sounds rather efficient.”

You relaxed, nodding with ease over a word you used to describe him often.

It was a shame that you yourself weren’t nearly as onto things as you thought you had been. Once Mina was gone, you rung Hyunwoo in a frantic state, barely stopping to listen to how sleepy he sounded on the other end. You glanced at the time, cringing at how late it was.

“Yes, Y/N?”

“Tomorrow after work, we need to go shopping.”

“Is this necessary?” Hyunwoo asked as you grabbed from the shelves and dumped multiple toothbrushes into your cart. He eyed your excessive number of items and then sighed. “I’m sure your explanation has eased her mind and it isn’t as if you will often have her over to your apartment.”

You nodded mindlessly, looking at shaving cream and then at Hyunwoo. He pressed his lips together in a firm line before stretching above you for the brand he preferred. He placed one into the cart and you reached for two others to stock in the cabinet under the sink. “I don’t think it was a once off, Hyunwoo. She’ll be back over again and this time I’ll be prepared for her.”

“With the way you’re preparing, it’s going to be overboard,” he commented with a sigh, shaking his head along with it.

And yet he humoured you.

He allowed you to grab for things you needed, chiding you for the items you didn’t. Soon, he was replacing your ill-informed choices with his own, laughing at you constantly. He even shunted you playfully when you reached for couple clothing. And unlike every other boyfriend you had tried this tactic in the past with, he didn’t object to it, smiling down at the matching outfits. You decided you had uncovered that Hyunwoo had a softer side to him than all the smarts suits and capable assistance you were too used of.

It made your heart skip without you quite understanding it.

“Shall we go get coffee?” you suggested and he nodded more freely than usual, smiling warmly at you as he pointed to a nearby café. You grinned and once your purchases were in the trunk of his car, you followed him into the coffee shop.

And then you stared up at him blankly.

Why didn’t you know what he drank? He could list off your order every time without missing a beat, and yet here you were trying to decide if he was an Americano or latte kind of guy.

What surprised you was Hyunwoo actually waited for you to decide. At work, whenever you hesitated, he would be prompt in sweeping in to speak for you, to direct the conversation in a way that you could effectively continue after his save. Right now, he was remaining tight-lipped, albeit with a ghost of a smile tugging up the corners of his mouth.

You let out a small indignant breath at him playing coy.

“Ma’am, your order?”

With a final glance in Hyunwoo’s direction, you ordered two drinks and then took the number handed to you by the clerk, firmly spinning around and moving to a table along the far wall. Hyunwoo chuckled when he sat down. “You don’t know anything about your fiancé.”

“Excuse me?!” you responded immediately, guilt filling your chest at his statement. He was entirely right but with the uncharacteristically playful expression still evident in his eyes, you didn’t want to back down either. “I happen to know some things about you.”

“Like?”

“You look really good in suits,” you admitted and you were certain his ears reddened at your compliment. It gave you instant confidence to continue. “And you look just as good out of them.”

“Huh.”

You smirked. “See, I know some things.”

“I guess you do,” he agreed, taking the drink the clerk handed to him and staring in at the contents. You were hesitant, hoping that an Americano was the right pick. Hyunwoo lifted the drink to his lips, smiling when he put it down after taking a sip. “Not bad.”

“You don’t drink it? I thought you’d be a simple coffee drinker. Nothing too fancy.”

“I’m actually fond of caramel macchiato,” he replied, surprising you at his choice.

You eyed him carefully, wondering if he was teasing you. Hyunwoo’s emotions didn’t betray him. You huffed. “So maybe I need to learn more about you then.”

He merely smiled, not denying nor agreeing with you. And the longer you stared at him smiling like that, you found yourself grinning back.

And then you giggled. “It’s like we’re dating, don’t you think?”

You hadn’t meant to blurt it out and cringed immediately at such a foolish remark. You weren’t deluded or anything, you knew Hyunwoo was here with you, going through all of this because of you. To assist you. And yet, when he smiled so easily like that, for the smallest of time, you wondered why you hadn’t seen this side to him until now.

You kind of liked it.

He didn’t seem put out by the statement, in fact, he was still smiling. Hyunwoo then glanced up at you, his eyes full of warmth. “Let’s class this as our first date then.”

_________________

Part 5

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[trashcanmarvelfan]

Boyfriends & Beauty Vlogs - Tom Holland/Reader

Summary: Reader is a professional Hollywood makeup artist who also has her own popular YouTube beauty vlogging channel. She has been dating Tom Holland for about 8 months in secret when they decide to make their relationship public by participating in the ‘I do my boyfriend’s makeup’ tag.

Warnings: None? I’m pretty sure this is G-rated, or at least PG. There might be like 1 swear word and an innuendo towards the end that you can take it as you like.

Word Count: 3,397 according to my Google Doc.

Author’s Note: This was partially inspired by an ask I saw on another Tumblr, but I can’t find the original ask so I’ll paraphrase: Basically Peter P. watches the reader put on makeup and tells her that she’s beautiful even without it (I think.) Combine that with my current obsession with makeup tutorials on YouTube (which is hilarious since I don’t wear much makeup AT ALL) and you’ve got this glorious piece of trash fic. This is likely going to wind up being a series as I discover more tags for the Reader to do (or even have Tom & Reader answering the YouTube comments on the video they’re filming in this fic).

(PS: I purposely didn’t use any brand names for any products that the Reader uses, although it’s very common for beauty vloggers to tell their audience what product they’re using.)

Cross-Posted on AO3.

Y/N Y/L/N adjusted one of the lights in her beauty room as she was getting ready to film the latest video for her YouTube channel. “We good?” she asked her friend/assistant Carmen, who was adjusting the camera. “Everything looks great,” Carmen replied.

“Are you ready?” Y/N said off-camera to her boyfriend of 8 months.

“Absolutely,” he replied.

“Ok then, I’ll go through my initial welcome then I’ll call you into frame,” she explained. “Are you sure you’re ready to do this?”

Her boyfriend nodded. “If you’re comfortable with it, so am I.”

“Ok, let’s go.”

Carmen hit the record button and the red light lit up on the front of Y/N’s camera.

Y/N beamed at the camera. “Hi, everyone, welcome back to my channel! Hope everyone is doing well and enjoyed my last video. As I said last time and as you can probably tell from this video’s title, I have a special surprise for you.  I’ve mentioned my boyfriend several times on this channel but he’s never made an appearance nor have I ever even mentioned him by name. Well, there was a reason for that, but he & I have talked about it and since a lot of you have been asking about who my ‘mysterious boyfriend’ is he’ll be joining me today for the 'I do my boyfriend’s makeup’ tag.”

She looked off camera. “You want to join me, honey?”

Her boyfriend walked into frame, just his torso showing since the camera was angled down to where Y/N was sitting.

“Well, have a seat, you goof!” Y/N laughed as her boyfriend sat down. He leaned over towards Y/N and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Hello, love.”

Y/N took a deep breath. “Everyone, this is my boyfriend, Tom Holland.”

Tom looked at the camera and gave an adorably awkward wave. “Hi, everyone.”

Y/N looked over at Tom. “So, thanks for joining me today, babe.”

“It’s no problem, love,” Tom replied.

“Normally this is where I’d ask if you’d ever worn makeup before, but I don’t need to since I’ve been your makeup artist before and therefore already know the answer to that one,” Y/N teased.

“Yes, but you never used a lot of stuff on me, right?” Tom replied. “I only recall some sort of powder.”

Y/N nodded. “Well today we’re going to do a full face - eyes, lips, everything. You ready?”

Tom nodded.

“Ok, so this is primer.” Y/N held up a small bottle. “I’m going to put a little bit on my fingers and I’m going to rub it all over your face and neck. It’ll moisturize you so the rest of the makeup doesn’t dry and crack.” She squirted a pump of the liquid onto her fingers and rubbed them together. “Here we go.”

She smoothed the primer onto Tom’s face, turning his head gently to get both sides of his neck.

“This feels really nice,” Tom remarked.

Y/N laughed. “I know you’ve used moisturizer in your skincare routine.”

Tom shrugged. “Yeah, but I’ve never had my beautiful girlfriend be the one applying it to my face before.” He shot a cheeky wink towards the camera.

Y/N shook her head. “You flirt.”

Tom grinned. “You love it.”

“Anyway,” Y/N said jokingly, “the next step is foundation. I think I managed to match some foundation that I already had on hand to your skin tone, although I didn’t actually swatch it on you so we’ll have to cross our fingers and see if it works. I did grab a few other shades just in case.”

She pumped a dollop onto the back of her hand. “Let’s see…” She dipped her finger into the foundation and swiped a tiny bit onto Tom’s face. “Huh, ok, wait, that might actually work.” She held up an oval-looking sponge, one end flattened and the other rounded into a tip. “You know what this is?”

“Some sort of makeup tool?” Tom guessed.

Y/N laughed. “Technically, you’re right. This is called a beauty blender. I’m going to take the beauty blender and dip this pointy end into the foundation and dot it all over your face, then I’m going to use the other side to buff it into your skin.”

“Ok.” Tom leaned in a bit.

Y/N pumped a bit more foundation onto the back of her hand and began to dot the foundation onto Tom’s face. “Ok, so I know everyone is going to have questions, so leave a comment down below and we’ll try to answer as many as we can in another video. I know the biggest question everyone’s going to want to know is how exactly we met and/or got together. Well, as some of you already know, I was hired as a makeup artist on Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far from Home, which meant I did Zendaya’s makeup for FFH. I did Tom’s too for both films, but since he wasn’t on set a whole lot for Endgame we didn’t interact much and since he’s so naturally pretty all he needed on FFH was setting powder so he wouldn’t be shiny in front of the cameras.”

“Aww, thanks love,” Tom interrupted. “You’re naturally pretty too.”

Y/N grinned. “Thanks, babe. So anyway, Z and I became friends during the FFH shoot so while we were in London she invited me to go out to dinner with her, Tom, and Jacob. Tom and I sat next to each other at dinner and afterwards he said he wanted to buy his mom some new moisturizer for her birthday so would I mind helping him pick something out while we were in London since I’m a professional makeup artist. So we exchanged numbers and a couple of days later he texted me asking if I could go shopping with him. Little did I know that it was just a ruse.”

“Hey, I had to get your number somehow!” Tom protested. “I didn’t really feel like I had a chance to get to know you enough during Endgame to ask you for it and Z wouldn’t just give it to me – she said I had to work for it!”

Y/N laughed. “And you did. You suffered through 2 hours in a bougie skincare store in order to find your mother some skin cream for her birthday.”

"Totally worth it,” Tom said with conviction.

Y/N couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. “So then Tom offered to take me out to dinner at some fancy London restaurant as a 'thank-you’.” She stopped to include the air quotes.

Tom turned slightly toward the camera so he could chime in. “Yeah, I planned to take Y/N to one of the nicest restaurants in London, right, thinking I was going to impress her, but when we get there it turns out the place was closed because 3 people had gotten food poisoning the night before.”

Y/N finished blending in the foundation. “Ok, wait a sec, babe. Next step is concealer.” She held up the tube. “I’m going to swipe this under your eyes, on your chin, and on the bridge of your nose, then I’m going to use the same beauty blender to smooth it out.”

“Wait, so it’s foundation, then concealer?” Tom asked. “Wouldn’t you want to conceal first?”

“You would think, but this is how it goes,” Y/N replied. “You’re correcting what the foundation didn’t cover.”

“Oh, well that does make sense.”

“Ok, just stay still for a sec, but you can continue talking.”

“So anyway, the fancy restaurant is closed, so Y/N suggests this fish-and-chips spot we had passed on the way there. We get in there and place our orders, start talking, pause to get our food, and the next thing we know the place is closing.”

Y/N finished blending in Tom’s concealer. “We had literally sat there and talked for 4 hours,” she added. She set the beauty blender down and picked up a brush and another container. “Ok, next step is setting powder. This is what I used on you on set.”

She tapped out a bit of powder, dipped her brush in it, and tapped off the excess before brushing a light coat all over Tom’s face. “So yeah, we sat there and talked for like 4 hours, then Tom walked me back to my hotel.”

“I was so nervous because I wanted to ask you out for real, but I didn’t know how to tell you that my mum’s birthday had actually just passed.”

Y/N laughed. “You heard that right. Tom’s mom’s birthday had actually been the week before and Tom didn’t really need a gift.” She leaned back to take a look at Tom’s face. “Ok, next step is bronzer followed by contour, then highlighter. You don’t really need bronzer so we’re going to skip that, so we’re just going to take this brush here, tap into our contouring palette, and brush a little here on your cheeks, across the forehead, and then take this fan brush and go down either side of your nose.” She followed through as she explained.  "You know what, we can skip the highlighter too. We’re just going to do a tiny bit of blush instead.“ She grabbed her blush palette. "Yeah, we’ll go with this one.” She dipped a blush brush against the palette, tapped off the excess, and swiped a bit on the apples of Tom’s cheeks. “Perfect.”

She set her brush and palette down. “Okay, we are going to lock this all in with some setting spray, but before we move on to the eyes we’re going to take a little break, so let’s go ahead and get this set.”

Y/N picked up her can of setting spray and said, “I’m just going to spritz this on your face. You might want to close your eyes real quick.”

Tom did as instructed and Y/N gave his face a quick spritz. “All done,” she declared. “So again, next is eyes but before that we’re going to take a quick break and will be back soon!”

“And we’re out,” Carmen said as she cut the camera off. “I’ll be right back.”

“So, how do you feel?” Y/N asked Tom.

“Surprisingly light,” Tom replied. “It doesn’t feel like there’s much on.”

“Good, that’s how a good makeup job is supposed to feel.” Y/N stood and stretched. “You want something to drink? I have bottled water in the fridge over there in the corner.”

“Yeah, that would be lovely. It’s a bit warm under those lights.”

Y/N grabbed Tom a bottle of water and sat back down next to him.

“Thanks again for doing this with me,” Y/N said, giving him a quick peck on the lips. “Maybe eventually we can try out some of the other tags.”

“Like what?” Tom replied.

“Well, they’re mostly variations of this one - like you’d do my makeup, or I’d do Harrison’s makeup, or one of your brothers.”

Tom nodded. “Yeah, alright. I probably could talk one of them into participating since they all adore you. Sam was right pissed that he couldn’t fly out here for this trip. He said he wanted to see me 'looking all pretty’.”

Y/N laughed. “We’ll get him out here eventually.” She checked the time on her phone as Carmen walked back into the room. “Ok, ready to get back to it?”

“Sure. What all is left?”

“Eyes, so eyeliner – well, we’ll attempt that, at least– shadow, mascara, and a lot of people do false lashes but I don’t because they make me look like fuzzy caterpillars are resting on my face, so we’ll skip that. Then lips and some more setting spray and we’ll be done.”

“Angles are still good,” Carmen stepped behind the camera and checked the viewfinder. “You guys ready?”

Y/N sat up a bit straighter and nodded.

“Ok then, 3, 2, 1.” Carmen hit the record button and the light lit up once again.

“Ok, we are back from a quick break, so now we’re going to move on to eyes.” Y/N picked up an eye pencil. “We’re going to try eyeliner, but if your eyes water too bad we’re going to have to skip it.”

She took a deep breath. “Ok, babe, close your eyes and stay still so I don’t accidentally poke you.”

Tom sat stock-still while Y/N lined his upper lids.

“Ok, now I’m going to attempt to do your waterline.”

Tom looked puzzled. “My what?”

“Your waterline,” Y/N repeated. “You know, where your tear ducts are.” She smirked. “You trust me?”

Tom began to look mildly terrified, but nodded.

“If you’re uncomfortable or your eyes start watering we’ll stop, I promise,” Y/N reassured Tom. “Now, get as close to me as possible.”

Tom scooted forwards on his stool.

“Here we go. Now, keep your eyes open and look up for me.”

Y/N managed to get the eyeliner on Tom without too much trouble. She checked his eyes out. “Well, damn. That’s not too bad.”

She sat back. “Ok, the rest of this is easy.”

She picked up another brush and her eyeshadow palette. “We’re just going to get a nice smoky eye going here, so we’re going to dip into this gray color here and get that all over the lower lid.” She pursed her lips as she worked. “Anyway, babe, we were talking about how you walked me back to the hotel after we had fish and chips in London.”

“Oh, right,” Tom replied. “Yeah, so I walked you up to your hotel room and was trying to figure out how to ask you out for real.”

Y/N grinned. “You’re so cute when you’re nervous.” She dipped her brush into a deep purple eyeshadow and continued working on Tom’s upper lid.

“So we’re standing there,” Tom continued, “and Y/N says that she’d see me Monday on set then she goes, 'tell your mom happy birthday for me… you know, when it comes around next September’ before winking at me and going into her room.”

Y/N laughed. “I had been interested in you for a while and Z knew that, so when I mentioned to her that you had asked me to go birthday gift shopping with you for your mom she called you an 'idiot child’ and told me that you were interested in me and had been asking her for my number, then said that Nikki’s birthday was actually the week prior. I just couldn’t figure out a way to tell you that I knew what you were up to without embarrassing you.”

“Well I did feel like an idiot for a second since I was basically busted, but then my phone chimed with a text.” Tom smiled at the memory.

“I just couldn’t leave him hanging,” Y/N explained as she started on Tom’s other eye. “So I texted him immediately telling him that I had a really great time and asking if he’d like to do something the next day.”

Tom chuckled. “I immediately said yes, of course, so we quickly planned to go for coffee and to an aquarium.  Since it was early and a Sunday the aquarium wasn’t very busy, so we had a lot of time to ourselves. When we got to the dolphin tank, Y/N turned towards me and said something about the dolphins, but I was too busy looking at her to catch it. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to make a move, so I took her hand, leaned in, and kissed her, and the rest is history.”

Y/N’s eyes crinkled up at the corners. “Best first kiss of my life,” she said. “Now, mascara. Try not to blink, ok?”

She swiped mascara on both of Tom’s upper eyelashes and carefully applied it to his bottom lashes.

“Last step – well, second-to-last, really – lips. I’ve chosen this really pretty plum color for you, so we’re just going to kind of line your lips here with a deeper color…” She trailed off as she lined Tom’s lips, making sure to slightly over- line his top lip to make it seem fuller. “And we’re going to fill in with the plum.”

She scrutinized her work. “Let’s see…” She dabbed a little bit more lip gloss to the corner of Tom’s lips. “Ok, done. Just another spritz of setting spray and you’re done! Close your eyes.”

Tom held still while Y/N set his makeup. “You ready to see what you look like?” she asked.

Tom laughed. “I’m kind of nervous but then again I trust you, so… yes?”

Y/N picked up a hand-held mirror and gave it to him reflective side out. “Ok on the count of three, flip it around and check yourself out. 1, 2… 3!”

Tom flipped the mirror over and his jaw dropped. He lowered the mirror and showed his shocked expression to the camera. “Damn, love, I look good.” He raised the mirror once again and checked himself out. “It hardly looks like I’m wearing makeup at all except for the lipstick.”

Y/N laughed. “ Well, yeah, we were going for a full beauty look, not drag makeup.”

Tom looked over at her. “Can I kiss you with this stuff on my face?”

Y/N grinned. “Yeah, it’s set so it shouldn’t smudge.”

Tom leaned over and gave her a tender but chaste kiss. “This looks amazing. If I ever have to wear makeup for a role I’m bringing you as my personal stylist.”

Y/N laughed again and turned back to the camera. “Well there you have it. Thanks so much again to Tom for being such a good sport and for letting me use him as my canvas, thanks to you for watching, and again, I know you guys will have questions, so leave us a comment down below and we’ll do our best to answer them in a later video. And always remember: Bring your inner beauty out. Bye, guys.”

“Bye,” Tom echoed.

“Annnd, cut.” Carmen stopped recording and closed the viewfinder on the camera before checking the time. “Ooh. I’ve got to run – gotta pick Simon up from daycare since my husband’s working late.”

Y/N nodded. “Don’t worry, we got this. Thanks so much for helping out this afternoon. I’ll see you later!”

Tom checked himself out in the mirror again as Carmen left. “This really looks fantastic. Can we get a few pictures so I can post them on Insta after the video is released?”

“Absolutely, babe.”  

Tom pulled out his phone and took a few selfies, then took some more shots of him & Y/N together. Tom texted Harrison one of the photos and laughed when he got a response.

“What?” Y/N asked.

“Haz said that the makeup is a vast improvement on me and that we make a very pretty couple,” Tom said.

Y/N smirked. “Tell Haz I’m willing to pretty him up for my audience too. Just say the word.” She bit her lip. “So the world is going to know we’re together in a few days’ time. I know I keep asking but you’re absolutely sure you’re ready to go public with our relationship? I know how much you value your privacy. Don’t feel like you have to do this for my benefit.”

“To be honest, I’ve been wanting to shout it from the rooftops,” Tom replied. “You have no idea how many times I’ve almost talked about you in an interview. You’re beautiful, talented, brilliant, and best of all, mine. Now I’ll be able to talk about my incredible professional Hollywood makeup artist girlfriend all the time.”

“Aww, honey, you’re too sweet.” Y/N gave Tom a long, slow kiss.

Tom stood. “Now, let’s get all this put away so we can go see just how 'long-lasting’ this makeup is.”

*************************3 days later***********************

Tom sat next to Y/N as she finished checking the settings on her latest video. Y/N added one more tag and sat back. “Ok, it’s done loading. Ready?”

Tom put his hand over hers on the mouse. “On the count of three. One, two…. three.”

And together, they clicked the 'publish’ button and revealed their relationship to the world.

[prettythoughtful]

Yes, it’s Veganuary! I’ve been a vegan for around 5 years now (I have a terrible memory which I’m sure non-vegans would attest to my diet but really it’s a desire to never live in the past), and whilst veganism is very much focused on diet… it’s also not!

Veganism isn’t just not eating animals, it’s living in a way that does as little harm as possible which encompasses diet AND lifestyle! I love that Veganuary is getting bigger and bigger each year but I didn’t want to add to the already-covered FOOD elements of eating a vegan diet. In my opinion it’s the easiest part! FOOD IS GOOD. You can get it everywhere, it’s always in your face and in the year of our lord Keanu Reeves, 2020 has already started with a bunch of big companies launching new vegan ranges. It’s great! No more side salad’s and fries no matter where you go to eat!

So, instead of adding to the noise of food (which is very difficult for me. I’m an eater), I wanted to talk about skincare.

(Some of these links are affiliate links which just means, if you happen to click and purchase, I get a tiiiinny kickback from it 😉 )

If you want to adopt a vegan lifestyle this month or, hey, maybe go vegan full time or at least veganise your life in a REALLY easy way, you can start with your skin care products. Quick caveat: I’m not going to be talking about plastic reduction today but that’s something I can hit up on another day. 

Did you know that SO many big brand skin care ranges out there STILL test on animals? Either directly or indirectly, it’s still going on and a great way to implement veganism into your life is by going CRUELTY FREE*.

Want to know a list of some well known brands who still test?

Aussie Hair care, Avon, Benefit, Biore, Bobbi Brown, Chanel, Clairol, Clarins, Clearasil, Clinque, Estee Lauder, Garnier, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal, Lancome, Mac, Maybelline, Neutrogena, Origins, YSL. See full list here.

It’s shocking, isn’t it? And these are the people who openly test on animals**.

If you’ve read this far – thank you! I promise, it will be worth it, because I’m going to tell you about a few of my favourite skincare items (cleansers, toners, masks, moisturisers) so you can take a look and maybe even make a switch!

Cleansers 

When it comes to cleansers I’m a bit of a newbie. I used to always use face washes growing up but when I went vegan I just starting using (avocado) oil to take my makeup off because it’s obviously not tested on animals, it’s organic and comes in a glass bottle so no worry about plastic. I generally don’t have an issue with my skin but I do get blackheads on my chin -always have- and it wasn’t really until I was bought a soapy cleanser as a gift that I realised how lazy and silly I was being! These are the cleansers I use at the moment and what I think of them (please note; this post isn’t in any way affiliated – these are my honest opinions!!).

my CLARINS Re-move 

You might have noticed I said that Clarins wasn’t cruelty free and so I’ll quickly let you know that the my CLARINS range is their first CF range. The rest of their products aren’t suitable for vegans. I was bought this as a gift but I am the type of vegan who supports vegan ranges from non-vegan companies because I believe that buying them will let the company know that there is a market!

Now for the actual info; this cleaner is a gel formula which I’m not particularly fond of in general but I do feel like it does a good job! Clarins is a brand that likes to add overpowering scents to their products, this is no different. The smell is very perfume-y and reminds me of Clearasil. I wouldn’t say it was good for overly sensitive skin but if you like to feel really clean, this will do the job!

e.l.f Superclarify 

I love e.l.f products so if I wanted to cut this blog post short I’d say just buy their entire range because they do great makeup too but I want to give you options! I was bought this as a gift for Christmas so I’ve not been using it for a long time but I have used it every single night since I got it because I love it so much! There’s a sort of pearlescent look to it, for some reason, which I think is unnecessary and it’s also a gel formula like the Clarins cleanser but this one gets a good foam going with only a little bit of product. It smells a little bit floral but like essential oils instead of chemicals. After using it your skin feels really refreshed. Totally recommend it!

Toners

I have always used witch hazel as a toner, which I recommend because it smells lovely and doesn’t strip moisture from your skin, but I also go a new toner for Christmas and, again, I’ve been using it every night and loving it.

e.l.f Supertone 

There’s a bit of a misconception that toner ‘resets’ your skin, but that’s a myth. Toner shouldn’t remove makeup, your cleansing should do this, but it should remove dead skin cells and help your pores and, thus, the overall tone of your skin – go figure!

This e.l.f toner is citrus-scented and you can feel it has an acidic reaction with your skin, so instead of just removing dead skin cells I feel like you can really feel it going a bit deeper and helping clear out deeper set dirt in the pores. I swear since I started using this my skin feels more even and my blackheads feel like they’re clearing up.

Moisturisers

I’m a big fan of moisturiser! I feel like more people need to get into them so I really hope this post sways you if you don’t use them already. I’m not even just talking about reducing wrinkles or looking younger because I couldn’t care less about that, I just think they make you feel better by either helping with dryness (which can make you feel horrible) or helping you look more awake or else just making you feel a little bit decadent because you’ve smooshed your face a little bit. Facial massage is just the best and this really encourages it!

I’m going to run through my moisturisers in order of when I use them in the day so…

Morning moisturisers:

Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Reviver, Instant Smoother

I use this as my first step moisturiser every single morning, before I put makeup on etc. It’s very light like a serum and smells so good with it’s orange/grapefruit-y scent. It adds a little bit of luminescence to your skin and adds an instant boost of moisture to your skin, making it look super smooth and even.

Body Shop Vitamin E 48h Moisture Cream 

I always do a double moisturise in the morning because I’m fancy like that! Once my vitamin C soaks in I pop a dollop of vitamin E on top. This formula is thick and delicious. It’s scent is a little bit like Nivea – I don’t know what it is but it’s so good and just reminds me of being a kid and smothering myself in Nivea all day every day but sadly they aren’t CF so this is the closest I can get to that wonderfulness! Standing on it’s own legs, though, this is a fabulous moisturiser which makes your skin feel like its best self and you don’t need a lot of it to get results.

Evening moisturisers:

e.l.f Superhydrate 

After I’ve cleansed and toned my face I’ve started using this moisturiser and rolling it in with my rose quartz face roller – are you noticing how much I love massaging my face yet? Again, I got this for Christmas in an e.l.f set and it’s really a lovely product. It’s the strangest moisturiser I’ve ever used because it’s like jelly – totally wibbly-wobbly and when you scoop a little bit out the next time you look at the pot its just back to it’s jelly-like self. Hard to explain but I like it! Once on your skin it melts in easily. You can use your hands to rub this in but I really like the way it rolls on so I do that every night! Afterwards your skin feels bouncy and a little bit sticky for a few minutes but I really think I look, dare I say, like a kid just out of the bath afterwards. You know, that totally clean totally refreshed look? Adore!

LJ Natural Overnight Organic Skin Drink

I like to support small and local businesses and was so excited to stumble upon LJ Natural. If you’re local to me in Wilmslow, Cheshire you can nip in to grab home-made, organic and natural skin care products but you can also shop via the website no matter where you are! I use this moisturiser if I’ve had the heating on a lot during the day which really saps the moisture out of my whole body, let alone my skin. Adding a little bit of this before beds resets all of that and I love the texture of it; a little bit gritty, if that’s a good way to put it. The grains dissolve as you rub it in and you’re left with a covering of oil but in a good way – it slowly sinks in overnight and helps to overcome dryness. The product is for dry, mature or sensitive skin which I don’t really have but over the winter months it’s been a lifesaver!

Feeling Fancy moisturiser: 

my CLARINS Re-Boost

Unlike the way I don’t really like the strong scent of the Clarins cleanser, I can honestly say the moisturiser is totally different! If I have a bath I use this afterwards to add to that feeling of ahhhh. The formula is light but incredibly powerful. It sinks in immediately leaving your skin really soft and smelling a bit fruity which lulls me right to sleep!

Masks

I love a face mask and will do one every few weeks. I wish I could do them every week but I forget. That being said I do like to save them for when I’m going to have a really long shower or hot bath which I only do every few weeks! (Relax, I do wash! I just usually have short showers!)

e.l.f Supermask

Made like a moisturiser this mask is a bit confusing and you have to really remember you put it on! It’s very light and doesn’t sit on top of your skin, like every other mask I’ve used, but sinks in immediately so the only way to remember to rinse your face is to set a reminder! Well, I suppose that’s not the only way, but it is for me! I got this one recently and have only used it once but it was a nice experience and my skin felt refreshed and unprovoked. You know what I mean? It washed off easily might be the best way to put it!

Body Shop Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask

One of my fave masks every this green concoction is light and smells like matcha so you feel like you’re doing something really good for your skin! I really love the glass jars that Body Shop use for their masks and it kind of adds to the experience of doing something a bit decadent but also something good. It really leaves you feeling clean and calm.

Body Shop British Rose Fresh Plumping Mask

Another beautiful glass pot with another beautiful mask inside. I LOVE rose scented stuff; give me all the rose flavours. I could wear this whilst eating Turkish Delight and be in heaven. Oh that gave me an idea for tonight… anywho, the formula is like jelly and it’s flecked with rose and aloe vera (hence the consistency) and it’s so cool on your skin you feel instantly relieved. Once washed off – which can take a few attempts – your skin is glossy and smells so good you want to do it again. The pot does say to use daily or a few times a week but you don’t get that much in the pot. I like to treat myself but I also like to save money so…

I really hope you liked this, it’s a bit of a different post from me but I’m trying to lean towards easy ways to add veganism into your life – in my opinion, after food, skin care is the next easy way because all you have to do is Google cruelty free brands and away you go! Enjoy and maybe the next time you go to buy something for your skin you think about making a cruelty free choice!

Sam

  *I could rant a little about CF here… maybe I will.

Ok, so if you see a product that says VEGAN on it, it might not actually be vegan. A lot of companies are using the term as a sneaky sales pitch but what they mean is that the product in question is made from plants with no animal derivatives. In order for a product to be vegan it needs to be labelled cruelty free. This means that it’s not made of animals and it also hasn’t been tested on them either! Cruelty free is what a product is, vegan is what we are – I hope that makes sense!

** There’s a grey area out there as well, though. Some companies will state they don’t test on animals but if they sell their products in China the company isn’t technically vegan. China test all incoming products on animals so whilst the parent brand might not do the testing, by selling in China they sign a contract to say they’re happy for it to be done! There’s an ongoing argument regarding whether or not vegan’s can still use the items that are sold in the UK, knowing that the parent brand tests elsewhere, as well as an argument regarding whether or not vegans should buy from companies that sell both cruelty free AND non-cruelty free products but honestly, the choice is yours. There’s no such thing as a perfect vegan, all we can do is our best!

It's here! My first #Veganuary blog post all about S K I N C A R E. Check it out if you're thinking of going cruelty free this year! Yes, it's Veganuary! I've been a vegan for around 5 years now (I have a terrible memory which I'm sure non-vegans would attest to my diet but really it's a desire to never live in the past), and whilst veganism is very much focused on diet...

[okaywowcool]

 hey guys! back again for another monthly favorites post, this time for july! read below the cut to hear some of my favorite clothing pieces, new shops, trends, and makeup and skincare items that i’ve used in this past month! 

you can also check out this link to read through my past faves! 

CURRENT FAVE PERSONAL PIECES

Plus Size Grid Print Overall Mini Dress - $24.90, available in 0X - 3XL

Not too long ago I picked up a few pieces from F21 (mostly out of a Strong fear that they would be going out of stock in the near future, lol) and this was one of them. The zipper feels sturdy with the metal they used (I was worried, since this runs slightly bodycon on a non-padded, average curvy body (if you’ve not read about how plus-sized models are commonly padded out to get the “ideal” shape or “ideal” fat distribution, check out this article here by Refinery29.) and the zipper is the functional closure of the dress. The dress has zero stretch, so I was a little concerned about something flimsy that I felt like would break eventually, but so far so good. I’ve worn it with a super cute beatnik type get up out to lunch and errands with my girlfriend (black turtleneck sweater, beret, and chunky black sandals) and felt super cute, but still a little self conscious just since the more bodycon silhouette is something I’m still not super confident in wearing, which is something I’m trying to get better about. So a big recommend! I’m a size 22/24 and got a size 3XL and thought that was perfect, not too tight, but still hugging my curves in a cute way. 

Plus Size Grid Print Tie-front Shirt - $19.90, available in 0X - 3XL

I have a serious problem finding button ups that are cute on me...I have a fairly large bust but smaller shoulders and it’s hard to find something plus-sized that isn’t either totally oversized and weird looking on me fit wise, or so tight there’s massive gapping between the buttons at the biggest part of my bust. But this button up really works for me. I’m not sure if it’s the slightly relaxed cut or the fact that it’s a crop, but it’s absolutely perfect...it’s rare you buy something online and it fits exactly the same on you as it does on the model, but this did and I was so impressed! This is definitely going to be a new staple in my wardrobe, as soon as it’s not too hot to commit to long sleeves.

I ordered a few more things that I haven’t had much of a chance to style/wear yet, but everything worked this go round which is pretty rare...this was very much me that day:

Surgeon General’s Dress - $35, available in XS - 5XL

I’ve been wearing a lot of my own stuff here lately, mainly because it’s so easy to throw on and and still be bold enough for it to feel like a Look, while totally keeping me cool. This dress’s print looks super bold from a distance, but y’all would be surprised to see how long it takes people in an office setting to actually find out what the print is of, since it’s so blown up it can read as abstract. The fabrication is also really good at keeping you out of the hot hot hot hell zone, and is super cute with a breezy sheer cardigan thrown on over it! 

FAVE NEW SHOPS

Avocado Bag, $40

I want to own pretty much everything in this entire store since I found out it existed just a few weeks ago, and if I didn’t have some self restraint I would have preordered at least 3 bags from here so far. Miju Miju is a cute shop full of bags that were originally intended for use as cute, unique ita bags, but they’re also totally cute to use to display your pin collection, or even just leave plain with the empty clear window showing the cute pop of lining color. The fact that they’re convertible from a crossbody purse to a backpack also makes them a literal dream for me, since that’s pretty much the only kind of bag I like to carry. They also have a discount code running right now for the preorder, you can use BOW7 to get $7 off one of these bad boys! I know I want the avocado, egg, and pink coffin ones all sooooo bad. 

Pastel Rainbow Shooting Star Necklace - $60

Petey Hana is an etsy shop with a lot of super cute hand painted jewelry, perfect for all kinds of kawaii fashion styles and also just bold statement pieces. I’m so in love with the obviously hand made look, especially with ceramic and polymer clay jewelry, because it just feels like there’s extra love put into it. Combine that with all the bright colors and I’m just in love with this whole shop! 

Strawberry Milk Cocktail Knit Sweater - $31

I’m not sure why it took me so long to realize that the Ester Loves You collab “Ester loves Chuu” was referring to a shop’s name and not just the cute Japanese kissing sound effect....but it took me until doing that cute request for rabbit purses recently for me to figure out that Chuu was indeed, a store. This shop is adorable and has lots of unique styles in it for super affordable prices. I can’t fit into any of it myself really BUT it’s still been a big inspiration to look at their photography and see how they’re styling their pieces! 

Walk the Line Striped Dress - $78, available in US size 10 - 30

I wanted to use this cute image from Fat Girl Flow, since it was Corissa’s IG where I first saw this shop as well AND because it’s so helpful to see products on non-models. Soncy is a really cute really incredible shop. Y’all know I’m not the biggest fan of the whole Fashion Nova curve look, it just never has felt very “me,” even though it’s a staple for many other plus-sized bloggers/influencers. Soncy feels like Fashion Nova’s classy older sister who has her own very successful etsy business selling fancy leather goods--which is not at all a bad vibe...one part hippie, one part mature, and one part sexy. Still a similar style, but there’s not as much emphasis on the whole Kylie Jenner booty body-con everywhere look, and things just look higher quality...they’re more expensive, but everything in the shop is available in sizes 10 - 30 and everything is miraculously under $100, which is just awesome. 

FAVE JULY SILHOUETTES

Pier Pursuits Cropped Jumpsuit - $64.99, available in XXS - 4XL

Right now, one of the silhouettes I’m obsessed with is super wide leg jumpsuits. This one was really the first one that sparked the intense love for me, the proportions are so unique and perfect and I love that these jumpsuits are starting to show more traditional dress like necklines...this one from ASOS curve does a similar thing which I really adore. 

Front Twist Flutter Sleeve Tee - $9, 0X - 3XL

Twist front crop tees (even the ones that are just from twisting a not in a normal tee!) are just such a look for me right now. There’s something very nostalgic about them, almost like how when tying jackets around the waist was coming back as a styling choice when 90s nostalgia started going strong, that makes me just super happy and it’s a natural type of ruching that is really attractive without looking kind of dated and old. It just looks good on everyone, truly. 

PRINTS & COLORS

Fluted Sleeve Mini Dress in Ditsy Floral - $51 // Infusion Cut Out Bralette in Vintage Floral - $52 // Ditsy Floral Ruffle Jumpsuit - $40

There’s something so nice and vintage feeling about a ditsy floral print, and I’ve been wanting to create some of my own patterns that mimic this feel for a while but still haven’t quite gotten around to it. It’s just such a nice subtle way to wear florals, a print that I tend to be really picky about since they can go ugly fairly easily or run the risk of looking dated or matronly depending (and I mean dated like...2008 versus a nice vintage feel) but ditsy florals just always look so cute and nice, too subtle to ever really be offensive and easy to transition from season to season. 

Daisy Street Cami with Peplum - $24 // True Stripes A-Line Skirt - $38 // Miss Selfridge Pinafore Dress - $56

i’m also just really feeling chambray this month, especially with a subtle white pinstripe. aside from chambray just feeling really lovely to the touch (bc i’m all about those textures y’all) it’s such a lovely soft approach to denim that feels so airy and perfect for summer. 

MAKEUP/SKINCARE

LIPHOP Ombre Lip Balm - $2.59 

I bought this little lip balm for real cheap off of aliexpress a while ago, in quite a few shades since it was so cheap. I’ve found that the darker shades are by far my favorite, though they don’t look quite as dark on me as they do in the photos. It’s very similar to just putting on a little chapstick--these just add a natural little pop of color for a fresh bitten look to the center of your lips while hydrating them overall. I like that it gives that popsicle stain look without the matte feel of some similar products, like Glossier’s Generation G and Colourpop’s Blotted Lip, or the actual commitment of doing a proper ombre lip look. 

Bliss Makeup Melt Jelly Cleanser - $12

This one is actually not one I’ve gotten to try yet (it’s sitting in my cart to be purchased as soon as my current cleanser runs out) but I wanted to include it on this list anyway because I’ve been wanting to try it for a while now. It’s supposed to be a really good dupe for Glossier’s Milky Jelly Cleanser, but has a smaller price tag ($12, vs Glossier’s $18) as well as coming with more product (6.4oz vs Glossier’s 6oz). Last winter I was looking for a good cleanser that wouldn’t dry me out quite as much as my current one does. I’m currently using Tony Moly’s Peach Foam Cleanser, which I think is really lovely in a lot of ways--the foaming is fun, the smell is amazing, and it does really make you feel clean, but it dries my skin out sooooo much right now, even in the summer where I have a little more oil. It claimed to be moisturizing and gentle but I guess my skin is still just too wimpy to take it, and I’ve been looking for a change. This dupe is also rose scented, which I’m super excited about--I’ll be sure to tell you all how it is! 

so that’s it for july! look forward to seeing some of my highlights for august next month and feel free to let me know if there are any other categories you’d like me to add each month! <3 

[diaryofanoverthinkersposts]

The house shows are the only thing that makes me happy

Today I got in the shower and a giant clump of hair fell out. I’m convinced this isn’t due to my starving because I really haven’t lost that much weight. Also I always have a lot of hair fall out of my head. It just makes you wonder. 

I’m always out of breathe. I keep dropping everything because I’m shaking all the time. I even broke an expensive skincare item I got from my job. RIP. 

I think I’m fine because I do eat. I drink fancy coffee, and I eat a bagel with cream cheese and sugar free jello. Okay on paper it sounds pretty bad I will admit. But I’m only two pounds away from being in the 150-160 range again.... which I haven't been in since my junior year of college. 152 is the ideal weight. when I reach that I’ll start eating the normal 2000 a women of my age should eat. And I’ll start going to the gym too.... it’ll be like starving just kick started my health journey. 

When I pray to God, I ask him to forgive me for this. I told him the options are deal with things by starving, or deal with things by dying. Ironically starving is what keeps me alive right now, as I hang by a thread. I felt him empathize with me. I know God is still fighting for me, I just wish I could fight for myself. 

I texted Kat apologizing for being so draining a few days ago. She answered this morning that I am not draining. But like, I know I am. If I wasn’t draining why is it that everyone I know needs a break from me? That’s how I know I’m never gonna get married. How could someone want to spent every moment with me? Its borderline impossible. 

My skin feels soft though. I use like 5 fancy products from Sephora to hydrate it. My lips are extremely chapped. I know I am dehydrated. I went to the supermarket yesterday and bought a lot of bottled water as well as a giant amount of sugar free jello. 

Writing this makes me realize how sick I am. I’m getting help. Super soon. Like next week. I’m gonna be okay. Maybe I just need a few days of allowing myself to be mentally ill. 

Tiktok is going awfully. No one comes to my live streams. My recent tiktoks have like 100 views. and with 17.8 followers thats literally nothing. I’m also running out of ideas. Sometimes I wish the tiktok success just never happened. this is new pressure in my life; the constant fear that it could end at any time, and it might finally be ending. It makes me hate myself because it’s my fault. If only I had worked harder. 

I’m also not looking forward to working a 9 hour shift in an hour. I’m continuing to apply to jobs, I applied to 8 yesterday. Fingers crossed. Imagine a world in which I could afford my rent, AND basic necessities like conditioner and body wash. Yesterday I was refunded for something and I got an extra 100 dollars to spent on necessities and gas. Not one penny on fun. This is being an adult. 

Also cat still hates me. I deserve that. But this morning I panicked because I realized I never told her about the gift in Nashville. So I texted her. I said that she doesn't have to talk to me but the gift I ordered to her house is a bonus gift, and I have something for her that I planned to give her at thanksgiving. of course my job didn't let me get off, so I’ll just have to drop it off during Christmas. She didn’t respond, but at least she knows now. 

I haven’t even looked at my keyboard in... I don't even know how long. I just get depressed. I have an acoustic set coming up at the house show on December 4th. I’m so scared. I’m scared it’ll sound awful. I haven’t even picked the songs, nor completed writing the songs I wanted to write. I’m writing a song called “Rose Street” as a thank you to Autumn, Jake, And Joey for helping me plan everything. I have the time of my life planning the shows, but lately it’s been feeling like the energy is off. Halloween was a fun show, but we were all so stressed out about it. And the August show we were all excited. It was new, it was exciting. I just wanna bring that energy back, and that’s why I’m writing the song. 

“we make fools out of those who don't think that big things are coming soon,

we built palaces and empires out of light up balloons, 

and I’m telling you,

give it a month or two, 

you won’t believe what we’ll defeat, 

if we keep on kicking it on Rose Street”

I love them. I love every stressful minute of planning. I love marketing and putting balloons all over town. I love deciding which bands to book and booking the bands. I love decorating. I love planning a theme. I love designing the posters. I love every minute of it. I hope it comes back... the energy I feel when I think about our house show series. I’m so grateful for it. 

Maybe I should be in event planning. I don't know, I don’t think planning other peoples events would make me as happy as planning my own. I’m just so grateful to God for providing me and my mom such a beautiful house. And I’m thankful for the rose st team for wanting to do this and loving it. 

I often joke that I am a child and that Autumn is the adult in the room. I don’t think she likes those jokes, but I mean it’s true. I don’t know how she plans details to things so thoroughly. I’m just an artist. I cry and turn my whining into music. 

Joey is a professional. He’s creative but also understand audio more than any human should. He said he felt left out last meeting cause we weren't listening to his ideas. I feel so bad for not noticing. See? I’m so obsessed with myself I don't even notice when my friends are in pain. Joey took a break from talking to us for like a month. Autumn was convinced he was mad at us, and honestly I’m not even sure. At first I thought it was just another break he was taking from humans, but now I think it might be something else... the energy is off, like I said. I will play for revival. 

[skinkcare-blog]

90 Questions, Beauty Edition

Helloooo, I’m starting to jumpstart my blog here. I really miss it, and a few encouraging people from my school have told me to start blogging and posting about what I love which is skincare and makeup. I saw two tags on tumblr and decided to form this 90-question tag. You’re free to take this if you want it, but I’d love to see your own answers!

1. Do you remember your first makeup item?

My first makeup item was most likely a cheap kohl liner that costed me like 20 pesos or something. Bands like Panic! at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, Greenday, etc. were really famous when I was in elementary school and my best friends started getting into putting heavy black eyeliner... of course, I had to follow!

2. Describe your perfect mascara?

I’ve got straight-ass baby lashes, and I think I’ve found my holy grail: Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir mascara! It’s really good and doesn’t smudge on me. The first time I put it on I was aoskdfasdfjhaeuirjhj!!!!!! WOW!!1 Are those really MY lashes! Wow! I put it right before my law school finals and was really happy the whole time because I felt so stinking’ cute with my lashes, lol.

3. What kind of coverage do you prefer from foundation?

Full-ass coverage to hide my imperfections. But that’s usually uncomfortable, so when I just have school or stuff, I do like light coverage.

4. Favorite high-end makeup and skincare brands?

For makeup, I have a favorite brand for each item like eyeshadow, lipstick, etc. It’s hard to choose. But I freakin’ love everything that Anastasia Beverly Hills releases. For skincare, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Herbivore Botanicals. Everything seems to work for me and my collection of theirs is growing.

5. What cosmetic and skincare brands have you always wanted to try but still haven’t?

Boscia. Vinter’s Daughter. Sunday Riley (I keep canceling my orders because I just can’t justify the price tags. Ugh). Laneige. Indie Lee. Chanel. Giorgio Armani. Guerlain. High-end stuff my broke ass can’t ever afford, lmao.

6. Favorite drugstore brand?

Maybe L’Oreal. I love their clay masks and the Miss Manga mascara too much.

7. Do you wear fake lashes?

Yes! But they’re such a hassle, so only when I’m going to some party (or when I’m taking selfies lol)

8. Is there any kind of makeup you can’t leave the house without?

I would say lipstick, but the brows really make the face and these days I really can’t leave the house without putting on some dip brow. :( Kilay is life.

9. What is your most cherished beauty product?

I’ve got a lot since I’m finally, finally (after 120312932 trials and errors) finding my own holy grails, but it’s probably Glossier Cloud Paint in Haze. Started my whole “drunken blush” thing going on lately. It also lasts forever even on my oily skin. I put it on in the morning once, and when I went home my mom asked me “why are you so red? are you drunk?” And I just. Yassss.

10. How often do you shop for beauty products?

Too often for someone who’s kind of dirt poor and in law school, tbh. I pick up one or two items every week or two.  But again, as I’m discovering my HGs, I’m trying to cut down on my impulsive buying. (It’s hard.)

11. Do you have a “beauty budget” or do you spend freely?

As long as my parents are in a good mood I spend freely... just not excessively! 

12. Do you utilize coupons, reward cards and sales when you shop for products?

Of course, I try to. But sometimes I can’t wait to get my hands on a product so I just pick it up already!

13. What type of product do you buy the most of?

Lipsticks. I’ve got way too many. (70-something.)

14. Do you avoid certain ingredients in cosmetics and skincare?

Avoid parabens! And sulfates! And weird things like bird poop and horse fat! (I know right?)

15. Do you have a favorite place to shop for makeup?

Yes! Russian’s The Beauty Source in Makati! Super friendly people there. The sad thing is though, it’s all high-end. I mean I do tend to buy high-end stuff but things like La Mer are... phew. Never in a million years.

16. Do you like trying new skincare products or do you stick to a routine?

I love trying new skincare products because my skin is so problematic and I’m always trying to find things that’d work for me. 

17. Favorite bath and body brand?

I like The Body Shop, but my favorite scents are from Bath and Body Works.

18. Are you clumsy applying makeup?

I’m clumsy in general. So!

19. What do you apply first, concealer or foundation?

Foundatiooon. Duh.

20. What do you love about makeup?

It’s therapeautic for me, I found out. Like it makes me feel happy and calm whenever I do my makeup. Or even just do a swatch party.

21. Lipstick, Gloss, Lip Stain, Balm, or Lip Liner? 

I just discovered Peripera’s Ink Velvet tints, and though they’re a bit drying I love them. So I’ll go with those since they’re the only ones that stay on after I eat and stuff, lol.

22. How do you make your Lipstick / Lip Gloss last longer? 

I use lip liner, usually. And to make them last extra long you gotta stop licking your lips!  23. How do you pick a Lip Color that looks good on your skin color? 

I tend to not go for super light shades because those wash me out and just don’t look good at all on my skintone.  24. What are some cheap ways to take care of chapped lips? Good ‘ol lip butter and some sugar scrub. Or vaseline.

25. Favorite drugstore lip product? EOS lip balms are nice.

26. Favorite brand name lip product? Kylie Cosmetics (for liquid lipsticks and lip liners), Fenty Beauty (for dat mf gloss bomb!), Peripera (tints)! 27. Do you usually play up or play down your lips? Play down. I love MLBB shades. 28. Eyeliner in Pencil, Gel, or Liquid? Liquid. B-) 

29. How do you do a cat eye? 

I just... wing it! Honestly. I’ve been putting on fancy eyeliner since I was like 13 so I’ve got the hang of it now. (Still mess up sometimes tho. Blame the shaky hand.) 30. What do you use to remove eye makeup and mascara? Right now I either use Pixi double cleanse, Skininc coconut cleanser water, and Maybelline oil-based makeup remover. The Pixi one works the best but kind of stings my eyes. 31. How do you make your eye makeup last longer? Good eyelid primer! Setting powder!  32. Cream or Powder eye shadow? Powder since I have yet to try any cream eyeshadows. I tried using Glossier’s cloud paint in Dusk on my eyelids once... it was a weird, sticky mess. #nope 33. What tricks can you do to make your eyelashes look longer? If you’ve got baby lashes like me (who am I kidding, even babies have longer lashes than me), just use false lashes lol. 34. How do you brighten up your eyes? 

Glitter eyeshadow, inner corner highlight, concealer, nude kohl liner and black as FUCK mascara. Yes.  35. What color(s) go with your eyes? 

Warm shades. 36. Favorite drugstore eyeliner? 

I don’t use drugstore eyeliner!  37. Favorite drugstore eyeshadow? 

I also don’t use drugstore eyeshadow. I’m picky as hell. 38. Favorite drugstore mascara? 

L’Oreal Miss Manga voluminous mascara forever. 39. Favorite drugstore eye pallette? Eh, pass.

40. Favorite brand name eyeliner? K-Palette eyeliner! Asia represent!

41. Favorite brand name eyeshadow? Anastasia Beverly Hills for powder eyeshadow, Stila (Magnificent Metals Glitter and Glow!) for liquid eyeshadow. 42. Favorite brand name mascara? 

Marc Jacobs’ velvet noir saved my life. 43. Favorite brand name palette? 

Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour palette helped me lose like 10 pounds. 45. If you can only use one eye makeup product, what would it be? 

Mascara, okay. 46. What is the difference between an eye primer and an eye base? 

Imo eye primers are more of like the “glue” that holds everything together and an eye base is what goes over the primer as like. The base color. Makes everything bolder, brighter and last longer. 47. Any tips on applying falsies? 

Pray. 48. Favorite brand of falsies? 

I really love Lilly Lashes but they’re mad expensive (like $30). 49. How do you pick your shade of foundation? Whatever says medium lmao I go with that. I’m shit at picking foundation and concealer shades but I’m usually like a pure beige/medium/warm beige/nude warm vanilla things like that. Yellowy. 50. What's a good foundation for oily skin? 

ESTEE LAUDER DOUBLEWEAR FOUNDATION SAVED MY OILY ASS SKIN. 51. What's a good foundation for dry skin? I’m not sure.

52. What's a good foundation for normal skin? 

Probably the Fenty Beauty foundation and every other foundation in the world, you lucky ducks. 53. How do you pick a foundation for your skin color? You pick one blindly and hope it’s a match. Hehe. 54. Tinted Moisturizer, BB Cream, or Foundation? Foundation. I love tinted moisturizers in theory but they don't work for me (for some reason the NARS one stings?) and BB creams are TOO white for me. 55. What is a BB Cream? Blemish Balm cream. Also known as the culprit for my ghastly white face in old pictures. Boo.

56. What do you use to apply your Foundation? Either a beauty blender or a foundation brush by Artis, BH Cosmetics or Real Techniques.

57. How can I make my nose look slimmer or straighter? 

Contour, boo. 58. Cream, Powder, or Liquid Blush? 

LIQUID BLUSH CHANGED THE GAME FOR ME. 59. Favorite foundation? 

Estee Lauder doublewear. 

60. Favorite concealer? The Tarte Shaptape is real good imo. Not sure if it’s holy grail material but it’s good for what it’s worth. 61. How do you conceal a pimple? I fail at that.

62. How do you conceal dark circles? 

First you gotta color correct (I use the LA Girl pro concealer in the orange shade) and then you put on the concealer. Use a beauty blender to blend the orange color corrector first then the concealer.  63. How do you get rid of or lessen dark circles? 

If you know the answer to this that doesn’t involve water or sleeping early, please hmu. 64. What is your daily skin care routine? Morning: wash face with my The Face Shop Dr. Belmeur foaming cleanser, tone with witch hazel, put on vitamin c suspension (The Ordinary), then Hyaluronic Acid (also The Ordinary).

Night: remove makeup with the Pixi double cleanse, cleanse with The Face Shop ^ cleanser again, use a mask, tone, put caffeine solution (The Ordinary) under eyes, put hyaluronic acid, then rosehip oil (The Ordinary).

65. What is your weekly skin care routine? 

Theta’s it. I use masks like Herbivore’s Blue Tansy as often as needed and advised. 66. How do you prep your face for makeup? 

PRAYER.  67. How do you take off your makeup? 

Double Cleanse, wipes, and Micellar Water (Garnier). 68. What are some DIY face masks? 

Honey + avocado + apple cider + oats.  69. Where can you buy face masks? 

I usually purchase mine from The Face Shop, Herbivore Botanicals, L’Oreal and just korean brands. 70. What facial moisturizer do you recommend? 

I don’t know. I want to try the Fresh Seaberry oil though. 71. How can I get rid of or shrink my big pores? THAT IS MY CURRENT PROBLEM. :( 72. How do you highlight your face? 

I use a good high-end highlighter (my favorite one is from OFRA), wet my brush using MAC Fix+ after dipping it into the highlighter, and bam. Cheekbones, nose bridge, tip of the nose and cupid’s bow. 73. How do you contour your face? 

I use either Kat Von D’s contour palette, or Too Faced’s milk chocolate soleil. 74. How often should you clean your makeup brushes? Depends on how much I use ‘em.

75. How do you clean your makeup brushes? I either use some soap + olive oil or the Daiso or Beauty Blender cleansers. 76. What are some inexpensive makeup brushes? BH Cosmetics’ are really nice!

77. Do you prefer matte or shimmer eyeshadows? I used to love matte shadows but now I super love shimmer shadow. 78. Do you prefer matte or dewy skin? Can I have dewy skin that doesn’t look oily, please.

79. Do you prefer matte or shiny lipstick / lipgloss? Matte because it lasts longer. 80. When did you start wearing makeup? Officially started getting really into it when I was like 13. 81. Who taught you to put on makeup? Myself. 82. What is your favorite brand of makeup? Already answered this!

83. What product do you never leave home without? I always have lipstick in my bag, powder be damned.  84. If you only had $50 dollars for makeup and skincare, what would you buy? I’d buy all the shit I have in my Althea cart (all skincare)! 85. Who is your favorite beauty guru on youtube? BRETMAN ROCK. Does he count? 86. How long do you take to get ready in the morning? Like half the day.  87. What online makeup store is your favorite? Sephora! 88. Who are your favorite beauty blogs on tumblr? Temptalia. Does that count? 89. How long should you keep a product? Until it ain’t spoiled, lmao. 

90. What product are you hoping to buy next?

Honestly, I really want the Fresh seaberry oil and I’m waiting for it to be in stock again. 

[happy-gravity]

2019 Family Skincare Sets!

Hello everyone! 

Here is a summary of the items in your kit! I also included the containers, *edi* and will soon list a few products I wanted to add, but didn’t quite make the minimalist, universal cut. 

I thought about nerding out on the ingredient/formula decisions, but thought it might be too wordy and boring! Let me know if you’re interested in my criteria for selecting ingredients to put on skin. 

“1 - Oil Cleanser” by ROHTO – Hada Labo Gokujun Oil Cleanse

$13.48 for 6.76 oz – $1.99/oz (link: from “Kyotoite” Amazon seller: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GGV7VFM/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_eALlCbGVD8P1H)

This is an olive oil-based cleanser which is effective enough to remove even heavy, waterproof makeup and sunscreen, while respecting the moisture barrier of the skin. It also is safe for the eye area— this was important to me. I discovered a lot of men and women use these cleansers in Japan, and was hooked. Used Mac’s and Cliniques for awhile, but this is far more economical, natural derived, and fragrance free. Rohto/Hada Labo is a Japanese company, and happens to be an “Amazon’s Choice” product.

To use: Make sure hands are clean, and both face/hands are dry. Pour a nickel sized amount on hands. Lightly disperse on hands before massaging face. Massage for 15 seconds, rinse hands, and add wet hands to massage for another 15 seconds. Repeat massaging and rinsing hands 1-2 more times, and rinse away the rest from face. Optionally, follow with your regular cleanser, though I rarely find it necessary, it does feel good after the gym or during the summer. I recommend the COSRX Low-pH Good Morning Cleanser ($7.50-$11) for a more traditional cleanser. For a lower priced, US-based gentle makeup remover/cleanser, I recommend the pink-capped Garnier micellar cleansing water, available at all drugstores. 

“2 - Essence“ by COSRX – Propolis Light Ampule

$19.26 for 20 ml – $28.75/oz (it is $28 direct or from Ulta, but easily found for less on Amazon. Product in my experience is identical and authentic. Have also purchased on JoyPink Ebay seller’s page. Here is amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XY3JBUU/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_hMLlCb4B2GT09)

Propolis Light Ampule is intensive caring ampule with 83% of Black Bee Propolis Extract and naturally originated moisturizing ingredients which will make your skin glowy and smooth without stickiness! I love this, it gives a lasting and noticeable glow. This step is a “humectant” based product that you can use before other skin treatments without it effecting penetration, and will boost the moisture retention capabilities of your skin!

To use: a small amount— one to three “drops”, or about a pea size (partial pump from sample container) is all you should need. You can use this “straight”, or mix with an carrier face oil for intensive moisture— I like sweet almond, hemp, or MCTs, and sometimes I will add a drop or two of rosa damascena oil to this face oil, if I’m feeling fancy. Mom, dad and grandma got sweet almond with the rose oil, instead of the exfoliator. 

For most times, I just use this straight and under moisturizer. Lightly disperse the pea-ish size amount and fingertips to warm it up a bit, and tap/press all over face. Avoid getting in the eyes. After patting/tapping until absorbed, quickly move on to moisturizer to seal it in. 

Caution (from box)

1. For external use only. 2. Do not use on damaged or broken skin. 3. Stop using and ask a doctor if rash occurs. 4. When using this product, keep out of eyes. Rinse with water to remove. 5. Keep out of reach of children. 6. If product is swallowed, get medical help or contact Poison Control Center.

For less expensive alternatives, try their Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence (I really like this one and I got it for Claire) or their Snail 96 Essence for more anti-aging benefits. CosrRX is a South Korean brand popular in the States.

“3 - Moisturizer“ by COSRX – Balancium Comfort Ceramide Cream

$26 for 2.82 fl oz – $9.23/fl oz: https://www.amazon.com/COSRX-Balancium-Comfort-Ceramide-Cream/dp/B07CZZ2QGB

From box: A lightweight facial moisturizer that soothes irritated skin while protecting skin barrier. Suitable for all skin types (oily, dry, dehydrated, combination, sensitive skin). Key Ingredients: 10,000 ppm of Ceramide NP, 50% of Centella Asiatica Leaf Water, and 500 ppm of Centella Asiatica Medical Grade Extract. Good for dry, combination, and sensitive skin. Provides soothing, healing, moisturizing, and protective benefits. EWG Verified (Safe Level), Hypoallergenic, Dermatologist Tested, Cruelty Free, Alcohol Free, Artificial Fragrance Free, Artificial Pigment Free, Paraben Free, Sulfates Free, Phthalates Free (also free of other irritants I avoid). 

They won’t tell you this, because they have their own eye creams, but it is safe under use around the eye. 

To use: Once again, less is more! A pea size amount on back of hand is all that’s needed. Rub the product between your fingers to warm it up. Gently massage on to face until absorbed, starting on areas most prone to dryness (for me, is cheeks/undereye, mouth, above brow). It is preferable to use a spatula, with a jar container, which you can ask for for free (with a sample!) at Sephora. The product itself comes in a large squeeze tube. 

For truly oily skin, you can just use the Ampule and mix with a drop or two fo hemp oil, and use this every once in awhile as needed or after exfoliating. This may be a good route to take during the hot, humid summers. Another good option for oily skin is Isntree’s Aloe Gel (Moist Type).

It is incredibly hard to find a moisturizer (or SPF) in the States that meets my criteria.

“X - Exfoliant“ by Meishoku – Detclear Facial Peeling Jelly (Non-Fragrance)

$12.96 for 180 ml/6.08 fl oz – $2.13/fl oz : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FO9CJG/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_z7LlCbKRY0NFC

I purchased and gifted the mixed fruit option, but would do non-fragrance now that it’s available. I come back to these types of exfoliants because they seem to be very gentle yet still effective at getting dead skin off. I will use it on my elbows and hands sometimes, too. Meishoku is a Japanese brand.

From box: A jelly type peeling gel to peel off dirt and dead skin gently. Meishoku Detclear facial peeling gel is made from fruit AHA and plant BHA. The fruit AHA contains fruits extracts such as strawberry, blueberry, cherry, peach, pomegranate and apple acid. The plant BHA is made out from plant extract (I think they mean willow bark here) Meishoku Detclear facial peeling gel can gently remove dead skin cells, melanin, sebum and other impurities on your skin's surface. In addition, it can be used partial area of your face such as nose and chin to remove black spots, pore cloggers and other impurities in pores. 

To use: Make sure face is dry, preferably clean, and with no makeup on. Dispense about 3-5 pumps to clean, dry palms (this ends up being about a quarter amount... less isn’t more here). Avoiding eyes and mouth area, gently massage the jelly in a circular motion. Rinse off well with lukewarm water after the impurities comes out. Use once or twice a week.

Containers

Here’s my favorite part! I really like the LDPE dropper bottles because they are child/leak proof and accommodate almost any formula, while easily getting the amount you want out and refilling is relatively easy. It helps me take along my stuff to the gym or during travel with ease.

Prunus LDPE Plastic Dropper Bottles with Multi color Childproof Cap and Longthin Tip (25, 20 ML)

erioctry 5ML Airless Pump Bottle-Empty Refillable Airless Vacuum Pump Cream Lotion Bottle Travel Bottles Toiletries Liquid Container for Cosmetic Make-up Pack of 6 (Transparent) (heads up, cannot use cream or liquid makeup in these)

15ml/0.5 oz, 12 Pack Snow Diamond Empty Amber Round Glass Jars, with White Inner Liners and black Lids, High End Glass Containers for Salve Cream, Premium Vials (15ml/0.5 oz, 12 Pack)

6-Pack Travel Size Plastic Squeeze Bottles for Liquids, 30ml/1oz TSA Approved Makeup Toiletry Cosmetic Containers

Sea Team 6pcs Multicolored Portable Travel Toiletry Pouch Nylon Mesh Cosmetic Makeup Organizer Bag with Zipper

Thank you for reading, and being good sports when receiving this strange gift lol. If if my lateness on this write-up has caused you to use more than the recommended product, I am sorry! Hoping this trial will be long enough to help you discover whether these sort of “clean beauty” / Asian cosmetics make difference, or are of interest to you. Let me know if you have any questions!

Also, thank you ALL for the gifts! Using and loving each and every one :) 

[oh-my-otome]

Midnight Cinderella Suitor’s Fashions

@aquisces-arts wanted to see what the suitors would look like in modern clothes, so I did my best conceptualizing what each would wear and why.

Let’s start with King Byron:

Byron dresses very monochromatically-- wearing different shades of black head to toe, and choosing gold accents that catch the light. 

If you look at his hair, you can see that his wisps are very controlled. Even his cowlick is styled neatly. He would probably use a light pomade. The details on the jeans give texture without distraction, like his black casual shirt in the game. 

The gold zipper on the knees also satisfies his love of gold hardware. If you notice, Byron does not wear jewelry aside from his earring, which he shares with Nico, so I think a planetary key chain would be a good choice for him, as it combines his star-gazing hobby with an outlet for an accessory.

Of course, a Rolex is a must, and I think he would always give himself a chaste spritz of cologne before stepping out of the door. This scent is unisex and has a dry-down that smells of vanilla, woods and leather.

I don’t think he would shy away from stylish shoes-- he may even be a subtle trend-setter. Because Byron can hold his liquor with the best of them, and because he doesn’t tend to let himself get too casual out in the open, I thought martini glass novelty socks would be a fun twist. It would be his own little secret. While it may not be that wild of a thing for the rest of us, considering Byron’s aloof personality, he may feel that it really is daring indeed.

Let’s keep going with another king, Robert:

Robert’s overcoat may be green, but he actually wears a lot of brown and beige. I feel like Robert would want to keep a low profile-- he’s not into drawing attention to himself.

Robert seems like he would be at home in comfortable clothes that are no-fuss, and extra-comfy. He may purposefully fly coach, but his fancy schmancy luggage would be designer first class-- the better to spot it on the carousel in the airport. 

I think he would splurge on some plush headphones to pass the time on the plane, as he country-hops. Since he likes rather long necklaces, I kept the length, but changed the style, so that it wouldn’t compete with his favorite tee. 

Because he likes to switch up his hair-do, flexible shaping spray is a must; and you just know he’s the type to carry a pocket comb. I also added some scrub because he just seems like the type to exfoliate at least once a week. 

In his bag, he probably has a small journal for jotting down whatever corner bistros catch his fancy. Maybe he even has a small sketch pad and colored pencils, too, for when inspiration strikes.

As for footwear, he would need something super comfortable to carry him from museum to museum. The paint splatter on these are a callback to his profession.

Here’s what I think Nico would wear:

Because Nico’s hair is already dyed pink, I think he wouldn’t try to be too matchy with his clothing. One item that matches and that’s it, so I tied in the color of his locks with a button-down. The pants give him ease of movement, since he does all types of ninja stuff when you’re not looking. Plus it has lots of pocket space; you just know he’s got all types of short swords, poison darts, tea cups and whatever else. As one does.

As Nico is the only suitor who canonically conceal-carries, I thought having him carry a large pocket knife, with other accessories, would suit his tastes. Nico also tends to wear suspenders, both on his butler uniform and his casual clothes, so I gave him a pair here as well. 

He seems, to me, to be the type who just sticks their hand in the closet and puts on whatever comes out, so I gave him items which are both black and brown to maximize his styling options for whatever he throws on that day. 

He has a comfortable pair of shoes for quick escapes. Nico likes wearing scarves and neckties. Here, I’ve given him a bandana instead, which he can wear for fashion or use as a bandage. In keeping up with his big bro, they have the same headphones, only Nico’s are silver.

Here, Nico’s overall look reflects his character: completely unassuming badass.

I feel like Alyn would be a sneaker head:

He tends to make his shoes the focal point. He would be the type to have a whole closet section just for his shoes. He needs style and function-- something that would suit his tastes and also allow him to defend the princess even when off-duty. I feel like he would choose hard-toe boots and sneakers with a lot of cushioning.

Alyn keeps his shirts plain, almost always choosing raglan shirts and henleys in baby soft modal cotton. He goes with a basic feel-good pair of jeans in a deep color, every time.

He almost always chooses to wear red and navy together. Playing up the red in his eyes, and his auburn hair, you can find that color in everything from his tees, to his shoes, to his phone case. 

As he is technically always on duty to guard the princess, Alyn, like Nico, would carry a small knife. Since he wears a necklace with almost every outfit as it is, I chose to give him a ring instead. 

Alyn trains hard everyday as part of his job, so I feel like he would be concerned about smelling like it, too. This exfoliating soap smells of cedar wood and oak moss, and would keep him smelling so fresh and so clean.

Leo, like his twin, also accessorizes with red a lot:

I didn’t want to make them too matchy, though. Unlike Alyn, Leo tends to roll his sleeves up, so I gave him a tee, plus a flannel shirt that has tabs to hold up the sleeves. Leo calls more attention to himself, so he would like louder jeans than Alyn, who doesn’t go in for distressing.

Leo wears a lot of hardware every day, so I simplified it to just a bracelet and a necklace. The dog tag has a cross on it, just like Leo’s brooch. Because he is afraid to sleep, I imagine Leo drinks a lot of coffee to keep himself awake. Since he’s always encouraging the princess, I chose a coffee mug that encouraged him instead.

If you look at his sprites, Leo wears a lot of different materials, so to visualize that, I went with different textures. The stars on his sneakers are raised, the tee is textured jersey for softness, and the jeans have mock rips. To pull in the reds that he goes for, I thought he would like this phone case with a colorful snake.

Let’s do Giles:

I feel like Giles would be the type of person who would be chucking deuces on the way out of the office door, on a Friday, like “lmao, see you suckers!” 

He would be as dressed down as possible. He wears so many hats, so I think he would be the most likely to sleep in. Rather than drinking coffee, he would probably have a hot chocolate overflowing with marshmallows to satisfy his sweet tooth.

I gave him a feather soft twin set with flocking so that he could cozy up with his kitty and get some shut eye. But, should the princess suggest it, Giles would throw on some smart duds and hang out at the local coffee shop, no matter how pooped he felt. Here, he’s drinking a mocha cookie crumble frappacino. His second one that evening. And don’t touch his vanilla scones! Okay, maybe a bite-- a small one.

Albert has no chill, so I think that this is as dressed down as you’ll ever see him:

The jeans are quilted and paneled for a biker inspired look, and they are flexible enough that he can take down any attackers without a wardrobe malfunction. I didn’t give him a knife, because I thought he would probably go for hand-to-hand combat.

If Albert was going to make a statement, I think he would do it with actual words. So you can not only feel his disdain, you can read it, too. He’d definitely have a snarky coffee mug and his phone case reflects his work ethic.

Because Albert canonically works until he drops, his version of casual clothes are simply whatever is under his uniform that day. He just takes his coat off, but it probably feels like heaven to him at the end of the day. It looks so heavy!

While Alyn and Nico would have shoes with traction so they can do knight stuff, Albert would choose oxfords because he is also the king’s adviser. He has to do two jobs at once, so he needs to be able to look the part as he transitions between supporting the crown and actually defending it.

I gave him a sturdy watch and kept his glasses mostly the same. Since this is modern Albert, I imagine that he would wear contacts for the most part and switch to glasses after hours.

Albert often wears ties, but I gave him a dog tag made with black sapphire stones instead.

Louis wears almost all blue, so I added in some brown accents to switch it up:

I gave him some dressy-casual oxfords to take him from the ball room to the chic café in town. He has a patterned scarf since, like Nico, he can’t go without something covering his neck. Instead of gloves, I thought he might like a thick cuff bracelet. Louis looks so delicate, so I wanted to choose different materials and textures. 

I get the feeling that, no matter what, his sense of style is always semi-formal, but he tries to use at least one piece of clothing to make it a little casual. Even though he complains about the formalities of his social rank, he can’t quite bring himself to dress down like a townie, but he doesn’t feel like himself all dolled up in a tux either.

Louis’ hair is always on point-- and it looks so fluffy! But I bet if you touched it, it would be full of hair gunk to keep those tresses right where he wants them.

I wanted to give Sid something he could run to the store or hang out in:

I think Sid is very meticulous about his skincare and always buys the full product line. He would always have a pair of sunglasses in his pocket. His faux leather jacket has an attached hoodie, providing not only warmth-- but he can also use it to disguise himself.

I think this look will help him blend in, since he tends to go to more casual places to do his work. Similar to the hood, the sunglasses also give him an incognito look. Since Sid works all over in different countries, he would listen to music during his commute.  

I didn’t pair Sid with any fragrance, because I thought that would make him stand out more-- which is bad for the type of work that he does. He doesn’t need people remembering specific details about him, and the sense of smell is the strongest.

I don’t know much about Rayvis, but I wanted to style him anyway. He’s another one that wears a lot of one color, so I pulled out his accent color here:

He looks like a rather stiff person at first, so I imagined him as someone who has a really cute secret weakness, like indulging in decadent desserts at the end of the day. Chocolate strawberry cheesecake seems like it would do the trick, and it fit with the colors of his formal clothes.

For texture and mixed materials, his wool coat has leather sleeves, the maroon sneakers have plush velvet and the cable knit cap provides interest. 

I added a color-blocked button down and his black skinny jeans have distressing that you’d have to get up close and personal to see. 

His sunglasses also have a subtle hint of color. I don’t know what it is with MidCin guys and scarves, but I couldn’t let Rayvis be chilly, so I added something for him to cover himself with.

@astridapples, @widzzicles