avanguyen

[avanguyen]

[avanguyen]

After getting off of work, Ava made her way toward the downtown area of Windsor Bay. She was on a mission to find a particular book at Bookmarked, but of course she left with three additional books that she hadn't intended on getting. As she made her way down the sidewalk, she couldn't help but smile as a handsome stranger approached her. "No, don't be sorry. I've spent basically all of my life here, so you've come to the right person," she teased with a giggle. "If you're looking for something nearby, Sprinkle Sweet Cakes is just a few blocks away." The woman points in the general direction before continuing. "For donuts the best ones in town are at Hole In One over in the Farmlands. There's also Cookie Crumbles and the ice cream show Sugar Scoops in the Suburbs. Just depends what kind of sugar exactly you're craving right now."

he's been here for only two weeks but leon hasn't really been out that much. he found a studio space next to the radio station and has been working there pretty much all day every day, and if he's not, he's at home sleeping and probably getting stoned. but today the sun's shining bright and he's really in the mood for something other than his typical americano coffee that he pours himself in the morning. as he walks out into the downtown streets, he wonders where the fuck he should go. the blond sees someone standing by, and he's never been shy or introverted, so he approaches them with a smile. "hey," he says. "sorry to interrupt, but you're from around here, aren't you? i'm looking for a place to get a donut or something. or maybe one of those creamy cheesecakes? i guess you can tell i got a sweet tooth, and i'm craving sugar like crazy. anyway, do you know a place nearby?"

@windsorbaystarters

[avanguyen]

Crafty Hands was one of Ava's usual places to wander around when she had some extra time in her schedule. Today her mission was to find a few skeins of yarn in different colors to weave together into a cardigan. She chose a simple beige as the base, before scouring through the different color selection of the other yarns. There was a pretty burnt orange that caught her eye, followed by a deep shade of hunter green. As she weaved through the various aisles, her attention turned in the direction of another customer in the store. "That green is absolutely gorgeous," Ava agreed with an enthusiastic nod of her head. "The yellow is pretty too and I think they could work together. Do you have any other colors in the palette or just these two?" She paused for a moment before she let her curiosity get the better of her and she asked, "what is it that you're making anyway?"

「 who 」 juno + open [ 0 / 3 ] @windsorbaystarters 「 where 」 crafty hands

             juno   was   a   recurring   visitor   in   the   craft   store.   it   was   hard   to   find   a   good   selection   of   clay   ,   paints   and   glazes   in   windsor   bay   and   this   was   the   only   store   that   had   some.   after   chatting   with   the   cashier   ,   asking   if   she   could   leave   a   few   business   cards   on   the   counter   as   promotion   for   her   instagram   store.   she'd   gotten   a   few   orders   since   the   last   market   day   and   it   felt   thrilling   to   know   that   people   actually   wanted   to   buy   things   that   they   had   made.   right   now   they   were   working   on   custom   trays   with   intricate   designs   on   them   ,   cute   and   quirky   and   out   of   the   cookie   cutter   mould.   "do   you   think   phthalo   green   would   look   good   with   cadmium   yellow   ?"   she   asked   the   only   other   patron   in   the   store.   "i   know   it   might   be   a   bit   ...   much   ,   but   if   i   keep   the   design   simple   and   the   lines   delicate   i   think   it   could   have   a   real   cool   effect   ?"

[avanguyen]

[avanguyen]

"You're very welcome," Ava responded with a cheerful smile. She wasn't sure how much she would be drinking tonight, but even so she preferred to take it one drink at a time. It wasn't the type of occasion to be sipping a cocktail from each hand. "Well consider this a little charity coming your way for the evening. If you want, any other BOGO drink I get for the rest of the evening, I'll pass your way if you're interested."

ivelisse  was  never  one  to  turn  down  free  anything,  let  alone  free  alcohol.  they  had  only  budgeted  themself  enough  for  one  drink  that  night,  and  at  the  bottom  of  her  whiskey - coke  she  had  immediately  regretted  the  restriction.  she  had  never  been  very  good  at  sticking  to  her  own  word  ;  accepting  ava's  offer  was  a  happy  medium. “i  would  love  to.  thanks.”  dark  eyes  flickered  to  the  special  board  then  down  to  the  drink  that  was  in  front  of  them.  ivelisse  had  half  a  mind  to  ask  what  it  was  —  they  all  sounded  the  same  to  her  —  but  it  didn’t  matter  so  long  as  there  was  alcohol  in  it.  with  a hearty  swig,  they  soon  found  out  the  hard  way.  swallowing  the  sweetness,  she  tilted  her  head  towards  the  other,  “the  tickets  to  this  thing  were  expensive.  i  know  it’s  for  charity,  but  damn  …  i  need  a  little  charity  too.”

[avanguyen]

Where: The Lucerna, Prom 2025

Who: open to everyone @windsorbaystarters

Ava was all dolled up in her dusty pink vintage gown. It had been an old bridesmaid's dress that her mom wore decades ago for a friend's wedding. Since then it had been shortened, taken in at the waist, and dressed up with different accessories. Her tule skirt fluttered through the crowd as she made her way to the bar and ordered one of the drinks on special. When the bartender returned, they handed her two drinks instead of one. Turning to the closest person beside her she spoke, "Do you want this extra drink? I only ordered one but they must be some kind of BOGO special."

[avanguyen]

"Hey, don't be such a hater on sloppy joe's," Ava defended through a small giggle. Maybe she was weird but the menu item brought a sense of nostalgia to her tastebuds. Between the sloppy joe's served in the elementary school cafeteria and the very ones on the diner menu, Ava felt pure comfort in the sandwich. "As much as I do love a good sloppy joe, I think I'm going to take your advice and go for the crepes. Especially because it sounds very nice to be brunching in France right about now."

"Sloppy Joe is a sloppy no," Leonie shot down almost immediately, letting the menu she'd barely gripped fall unceremoniously onto the tabletop. "I've been desperate lots of times, but not bad enough to opt for that shit. Get the strawberry crepes. Then if we close our eyes just right, we could pretend we're brunching in France."

[avanguyen]

Ava was on her lunch break basking in the peaceful atmosphere of the coffee shop compared to the chaos of children at the library. Now that school was out and the summer reading programs were picking up in the library, Ava's day to day life at work had gotten chaotic and a little stressful. It was nice to sip her caramel macchiato and eat her pastry while catching up on a few chapters of her Kindle book. "Hm?" she asked as she whirled her head around, not quite sure if the woman was speaking to her or someone else. "Oh no, I'm just on my lunch break. Catching up on some reading and enjoying a small bit of time to myself."

open for @windsorbaystarters where: mug shot cafe

Elle claimed a small corner in the busy cafe with an oat milk vanilla latte and an almond croissant parked on the table in front of her. She'd been sitting there doing admin, and it was driving her a little bit nuts. Not something she'd ever get really used to. "Okay," She turned to the person next to her, who looked a little lonely. "What happened, your date stand you up or something?"

[avanguyen]

As much as Ava adored her job as a Youth Librarian, there were still moments she wanted to pull her hair out and crawl into a hole to escape for a little while. The beginning of Summer Reading at the library was enough to warrant those stressful feelings. With the kids out of school, the crowd within the library had already been picking up. She loved to see the little ones so passionate about reading and getting involved in the various programs—it was just the process of planning said programs and making sure they played out as smoothly as possible that increased her stress levels.

For the sake of her sanity she decided it would be the best move to get out for a little bit and do something fun. The Drive-In sounded like the perfect solution to decompress. Especially since they were playing Back to the Future, a film she hadn't re-watched in ages. It was a necessity to get the extra large bucket of popcorn with butter layered throughout, complete with chocolate Sno Caps and a Coke on the side. As the petite woman made her way back from the concessions stand, her attention was piqued by the sound of a voice. "Hm?" she asked as she tilted her head in confusion. "Do you want some of my popcorn?" After all, there was no way she would finish the entire bucket by the end of the movie and she was already planning on bringing the remainder home with her. She figured there was more than enough to share with someone else.

Who: Open (2/4) @windsorbaystarters Where: Silver Moon Drive-In When: June, nighttime

One more month of steering clear of any bar or late night temptations (that anyone could bear witness), the last couple months she knew she was hermitifying herself in the comforts of the Mountainside home. The peacocks, the dogs, the pig. Louisiana the lizard she could swear started speaking back with a fully formed french accent days by the pool. Greatful for weekends with the kids at Ballet Babies and a newly minted summer start on the golf course, still, Ryan wanted human interaction — if even through a giant screen. The last stretch of documented 'sobriety', and a screening of Back to the Future blaring behind and an edible later. The chilli dog and bag of popcorn that sat to the side getting cold as she searched for well, everything. Turning to the nearest person, leaning her arms on the empty bag, a lazy grin upturned at the corner of her lips as she said, "Hi. So. Feel like a pay-it-forward?"

[avanguyen]

There was never such a thing as too many books, at least according to Ava. She already had a stack checked out from the library that was filled with a mixture of books she was personally reading and some books as possible options for future story times. Not to mention her bookshelf at home was overflowing with untouched books she had picked up from book stores and thrift stores. She would always find a way to just squeeze a few more books onto it. That or she would one day have to cave and purchase yet another bookshelf to add to her collection.

The petite woman strolled down the aisle with an armful of books. It was quite easy to lose yourself and let your mind wander when taking in all of the beautiful artwork on the covers, as well as the interesting descriptions her eyes glazed over. She was lost in her own little world as she turned the corner, not realizing someone else was turning the corner of the opposite aisle. Ava lost her balance and a couple hardcovers fell to the floors with soft thuds. "No, it's okay. I'm kind of in my own little world over here and should have been paying more attention." She knelt down to reach for the few scattered books that had been sent flying from her arms.

open starter ➛ any! location ➛ bookmarked @windsorbaystarters

One thing Dylan enjoyed was a good book, often times, with his job continually keeping him on the computer for extended periods of time he needed to shut his brain off. Being the lead on the current cyber-security project, meant that lately he was pulling longer than twelve hour shifts. Delegation wasn't something that was Dylan's strong point, his manager pushing him to learn those techniques or he'd be loosing even more time. After making sure projects were given out and tasked properly, and with a click of a button his dual monitors and laptop faded to black. The rest of the day and the following two were all his to enjoy — or attempt to enjoy. Earlier that day he had placed a small order of books on hold but decided to go pick them up and do a little browsing before actually purchasing the books he already had there waiting for him.

Just as he was exiting one aisle, a few other books in his hand he went around too fast and bumped firmly into someone, sending his books spilling to the floor. "Shit — my bad." Turning to look at the person he had just knocked into and see if he had sent anything tumbling to the floor for them.

[avanguyen]

There was nothing better than waking up early on the weekend and swinging by Morning Harvest before the crowds really begin to form. After making a quick stop to the coffee shop for a caramel iced coffee, Ava strolled through the aisles of fresh produce as she gazed at her list. She made a bee line towards the vegetables, wanting to stock up on a fresh array of them to prep salads and other meals for work the following week. As her cart swung around the corner, she spotted the zucchini she had been looking for. A man muttered a few words as she approached, causing her to instinctively ask, "what?" in case he had been speaking to her. "Sorry, are you looking for something specific? I mean, I don't work here or anything but I still may be able to help."

Open Starter: @windsorbaystarters

Location: Morning Harvest

More often than not, Teddy finds himself at Morning Harvest. It's almost funny, thinking back on his life and how things could have panned out so differently. He has no idea where he'd be if things had worked out the way they were supposed to, but then again, back then, he had no idea that cooking would ever bring him a sense of calm. And calm, it did. There was no better feeling, now, in the middle of a busy morning, cranking his music up and letting it all go. Nothing but the sound of sizzling bacon and the smell of coffee to put a proverbial pep in his step.

What didn't bring him calm, however, was shopping for ingredients. For the restaurant, it was one thing. There was a set routine, an inventory. He had people to make sure he was ready for every day, and he managed the responsibilities just so, so that he'd not have to sweat the small stuff and could just cook. But for himself? For his own apartment and cooking for others in his free time? It puts him on edge.

Today he finds himself standing in front of the produce, spiraling over mushrooms. "The recipe called for enokis. There are no enokis. There have always been enokis. Shiitakes are not going to cut it for this and god forbid I use a button." He didn't realize he was muttering to himself, his head lost in his own dissociation.

[avanguyen]

There was nothing better than one of your best friends surprising you on a random work day. Moments like those always made the days shine a little brighter and her love for her best friend only grew deeper. "The story time kids are always a fan of it, so you'll never hear a bad review coming from them. I've also read it to my cats and they haven't had any complaints either. Actually my cat Milo even looks a bit like the illustrations." She had considered bringing her cat into the library to go along with story time. However her boss wasn't onboard with the idea and argued that it would be a disaster by chance if anyone were allergic to cats, which fair. "How is Mr. Darcy by the way? I need to come over sometime and steal some snuggled form him."

Chesney felt a warmth spread through her when Ava took her first sip of the strawberry lemonade. She had always loved surprising her friends with treats, but Ava was one of those friends who made it feel like a massive success every time. No matter how small the sentiment, Chesney could trust that Ava would make it seem special. "Well, I for one think that sounds like a hit, but you're probably right. It just doesn't seem like it will sit well with the whole book club. However, I might have to check it out. I bet Mr. Darcy would love it."

[avanguyen]

Once the man mentioned the classic that was War and Peace, Ava opened a new tab on her computer and typed the title into the system. Once the search page loaded, it was revealed that there were currently two copies in the system. "Pretty sure it says you're a man who loves classics, and that's never a bad thing." The librarian flashed him a sweet smile. She just loved to see people of all ages coming through the doors and checking out books and using the other resources the library has to offer. Ava traded the man his ID for the application back so she could input the rest of the form into the library's system. "You are all ready to go with your new card and I'm going to load you up with a little goodie bag of pamphlets and information about some of the cool things we offer here." The librarian stood from her seat as she handed the man the goodie bag from behind the desk. "If you follow me, I can show you where War and Peace should be," she gave him a nod in the correct direction and began leading the way.

Cat took the pen and clipboard before immediately working to fill it out in the best print he could. Granted, his handwriting wouldn't win him any awards, but he'd gotten a lot better at filling out forms when he'd gone around town applying for jobs. "Hmm? Oh," Cat paused, tapping the pen gently against the clipboard, "I read War and Peace a while back, which was really good, and I thought I might pick it up to read it again. I also liked The Outsiders. Not sure what that says about me, but it's the truth."

[avanguyen]

Ava sat in the booth directly across from her friend, currently having the same tyle of debacle. But instead of waffles or pancakes, it was breakfast or lunch. "As much as I love a good pancake from time to time, my heart has always belonged to waffles. So clearly that's where my vote is going." She peered back down at her menu, trying to narrow down her choices. "I'm not sure if I want breakfast or lunch. It's between the strawberry crepes or the sloppy joe special."

CUSTOM MADE FOR ⦂ @avanguyen LOCATION ⦂ SUNRISE DINER.

"Avaaaaaaaaa," Leonie found herself groaning, slouched back in the booth to the point gravity was beginning to pull her to the floor. "Do I want a waffle or a pancake? I don't wanna thiiiink, do it for me."

[avanguyen]

There was nothing like tapping into one's creative side while sipping a cocktail...and an occasional tequila shot. After a stressful week at work, it was the perfect way for the woman to blow off some steam and have a little fun. Ava did her best to do one of those single stroke portraits. The perfectionist in her sketched it out in pencil first, not wanting to make any permanent errors. One she was happy with the basic outline, Ava dipped her brush into a glob of paint and began her single stroke without picking the brush back up from the canvas. "I'm all for abstract! I'd say this piece I'm working on is pretty abstract as well." The black paint began to fade as the brush continued to trace over the pre-drawn lines. "Fuck, I was trying to do one of those single stroke pieces, but the paint is running out on my brush." She turned her half complete painting around for Nora to view. "May just cheat by dipping the brush in paint and and picking back up. Because really. Who is ever going to know?"

open starter / @windsorbaystarters

location: shade culture

prompt: nora is making a very bad painting of your muse while they drink, could be a date or just a casual night out, feel free to assume connections.

soft fingers pressed the paint brush against her own canvas, a decent size, now almost entirely filled with a sketch of nora's company, one she sought to capture through a rather heinous painting. " it's a bit abstract... y'know, artsy " a giggle escaped the brunette's lips, a side effect of a few too many tequila shots, as she refused to take on the wine offered earlier. " can't be that bad, right? i feel like i really captured your eyes " sadly, nora's talents on the ice rink hardly extended to an art class. " let me take a peek at yours! "

[avanguyen]

When it came to her job, it had been all Ava had dreamed of doing from a young age. Ever since her parents took her on her first trip to this very library and signed her up for her very own library card. It had a safe place in her wallet next to a few folded up dollar bills she would occasionally receive as small bits of allowance money. When she first got the job as Youth Librarian, it was as if her life had come full circle in a sort of poetic way. Every day she loved waking up and going to her job, which was all she could ever ask for in life.

"Well in that case, let me grab an application for you." The librarian shuffled over to the section of the desk where they kept clipboards with library card applications attached. She attached a pen to the top and handed it over to the man while she began typing his information into the library's database. "So is there anything in particular you're looking for today?" she curiously asked as the keyboard rapidly clicked.

When Cat pictured a librarian, he'd pictured an older version of this same woman. There was a certain level of friendliness that came with the profession, at least as far as Cat assumed based on what he'd seen in movies and television shows. A young librarian only made him feel safer, somehow, with his decision of approaching her. If anything, he knew she was so passionate about this career choice that she'd secured it this early in life. Ultimately, he was just grateful to have someone who wasn't going to bring up his past, because the older folks in town definitely had plenty of opinions on how that'd shaken out.

"Well, I appreciate it," he said as he slipped his wallet from his back pocket and took out his ID. "It's definitely been more than five years, so I'm sure I'm not in there anymore."

[avanguyen]

It was a rather quiet morning at the library today. There had been a few patrons typing away on the computers, but they mostly kept to themselves with the exception of a quick question here or there. And there were only a few pre-teens browsing through the juvenile section. They were thankfully actually looking through the books and not wreaking havoc and making a mess like other kids around their age had done in the past. With not much else to do, the librarian used this time to print some coloring pages to refill in the youth area's coloring station. It was a simple yet fun way to pass away the time. She always liked to chat with some of the usual kids that made appearances during her weekly story times. They would yap her ear off about their favorite cartoon characters, super heroes, or even what they were currently reading. She tried to store away those little tidbits in her mind and search for coloring pages of those specific characters.

It wasn't until someone approached the desk that her attention was snapped away from her scrolling. "Hello," Ava greeted with a sweet smile. "You're not a bother at all! I'd be more than happy to get you set up with a library card." She minimized her coloring pages project while pulling up the window she needed to sign patrons up for cards. "Do you have your ID on you?" she asked as she set down a paper application and a pen in front of the man. "I'll just check the system really quick with the information on your ID and see if you're still in here or not. Cards do expire every five years, so if it's been five years or more, chance are the system booted you out. And if it did just that, I'll get you entered back in and all set up, okay?"

↦ closed starter  / ava nguyen @avanguyen ↦ location: national memorial library

Cat had never been much of a reader before lock up, but he'd picked up a book his cell mate loaned him and somehow transformed into one. It was one of the easiest ways to escape reality, and he'd fallen in love with it. He'd mostly been limited to what he could get his hands on from other prisoners and the very limited library, but now he was out and ready to expand his horizons a little more.

He'd meant to come by the library sooner, but things had taken so long to get situated. First there was moving in with his mom, then getting his license reinstated, followed by getting established with a job and parole officer. For the first time in over a decade, Cat Carter was having to learn how to make his own meals again. Today was the day: he'd driven himself to the library with every intention of leaving with not one but two books, if not a list of more to check out next time.

"Excuse me, miss," he said softly as he approached the librarian sitting behind the front desk. "I hate to bother you, but I need to get set up with a library card. I tried doing it online but it was giving me trouble... I guess I could already have an account from when I was a kid, but frankly, I don't remember ever actually using it."