#'close but collei is the cutest'

[lupicalled]

if lisa is mom!shaped for razor and lisa considers cyno a brother that means collei is his cousin when are they gonna hang out and when is uncle cyno gona teach him gi:tcg??? when are he and tightnari gonna compare regional flora facts??? HMMM???

[pigeonpeach]

more genshin as cats!

I ran out of ideas lol. X reader. Pure fluff

First

Second part

Albedo:

Interesting! He is fascinated with the results, checking his paws and chasing his tail trying to look at it. Meanwhile Timeaus and Sucrose are freaking out, he’s having the time of his life. He is such a curious boio now! You have to keep him on a leash at this point. He wants to see the world like this! He’s such a tricky kitty too, he’ll gnaw on the leash till it gives! You must distract him, mayhaps with crinkly paper? He will reach for potions forgetting he has no opposable thumb. He will accidentally cause chaos. He does not mean to he is just so fascinated.

Ganyu

She woke up from her nap to this? She mustve dreaming! Oh she is so distraught! Don’t let her mother see her like this! she’ll be teased about this for centuries! But she doesn’t mind being picked up. A fluffy cat indeed. Stroke her gently till she falls asleep. She will go from alert to slightly less alarmed to sleepy to asleep. Maybe being small is nice if it means she can sleep in your lap so well. So tiny and warm. Oh and the sun is just perfect…

Tighnari

Quite confused? Is he cat or fox? How odd. He must study this and find a cure, but Collei struggles to write the notes for him and understand his meows. In the end he just has to be brought to the Academia much to his disappointment. But rather than help you’ve been snapping pictures of the entire ordeal.

Furina

Who dare do this to her! You must compensate for this! Lavish her with praise! For she is the prettiest and cutest kitty ever now! Praise her praise her! Brush her fur as Neuvillette is clearly not acting with enough urgency. He struggles to maintain his composure as she meows angrily at him. You hold her close, she refuses to touch the dirty ground, you must hold her! She cannot dirty her paws! She will not groom herself you must do it for her. She demands it! She’s not usually nearly as demanding with you, she really just wants you stay with her at all times. Making up excuses and being dramatic. If you left her alone she’d mewl sadly. Calling out for you. Oh its so scary without it you! Do not abandon her now! Even if its just to prepare her something to eat.

Scaramouche

HOW DARE THE DARSHANS LAUGH! Nahida treats this like s joke too. Constantly giggling at his grumpy expression. You hold him in his hat like its a bowl. He is so very mad. He will not entertain such nonsense! Return him to his normal form this INSTANT! You leave for a second to get some food for him and yourself, closing the door to keep him from running off. And then his loneliness kicks in. Waiting by the door meowing sadly. Don’t go! How can you leave him at a time like this! As a cat he’s lost his concept of time. And then when you return he acts like he wasn’t just mewling sadly. As distant as usual. You try to tempt him with a heating pad and oh it is very nice! He cannot resist napping in such a warm spot. He still mad at you though for not taking this seriously enough.

[erabu-san]

If hoyoverse won't give me content on Tighnari's parents (other than the brief mentionings in his character stories), then I'll do it myself😤

I think Tighnari's dad was a very striaghtfoward man, maybe not as approachable as Tighnari was in his Akademiya days. Being closed off, I think his only friends would be Kaveh and Alhaitham's dad's (and Cyrus). But when he got married and had Tighnari, he would be very gentle and doting with his son. And I think that attitude would be exclusive to Tighnari. Like, with other students it would be shocking to see Tighnari's dad smile, but he does it a lot with with his son! As for his mom, I'd like to think that his parents sort of had an enemies lovers dynamic lol. I think she's a lot more expressive and energetic than Tighnari's dad, causing him to avoid her (because her volume was too much for his ears to take...). I also think she was very doting! One of those mothers that constantly dote on their son as they beg her to stop haha. She just thinks her son is the cutest thing alive. And I don't think the doting stopped as Tighnari grew older. I imagine Tighnari bringing Collei and Cyno along for a visit to his parents and her immediately loving on him as soon as he walks through the door.

"Are you his friends?? How sweet! Would you like to see some pictures of when he was a baby?^^"

"Mom, please..."

I think Tighnari has very loving parents regardless. Thank you for listening to my rambles, and I hope it somewhat made sense <3 Have a good day!

WAAAAH AWWWW SO CUTE KBSKDKW omg yes tighnari's mom being the mom who love his child so much in a positive and healthy way !!

THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR HC WITH US !! 😩💕💕💕💕

[casualheizouenjoyers]

coffee shop || genshin hcs

venti, kazuha, tighnari, and heizou in coffee shop scenarios 

venti - barista

works morning shifts

every day you come into your favorite coffee shop

and everyday venti plays the most random selection of music

It goes from an upbeat pop song to a classical song played on the piano to a rap song to a heavy metal song to a-

I think you get the point

always doodles on your cup and puts hearts around your name

you once asked him what kind of coffee he likes to drink

man responded with the most complicated order ever

plus it had like

six shots of espresso in it

( no wonder he’s so peppy in the morning )

if come into the shop in a bad mood, he will do whatever he can to make you feel better

he always makes sure you leave the coffee shop with a smile on your face

heizou - customer 

he always comes in during the most random times

to be fair, he’s normally busy solving cases

you’re his favorite barista because your drinks apparently taste the best

you tell him its because its made with love

he’s always subtly flirting with you

you originally didn’t pick up on it until one day he asks you out and you realize he was flirting with you the whole time

it’s fine he thinks your obliviousness is cute

you thought it was a little embarrassing 

he tends to ask you to surprise him when it comes to your drink

other than that, he likes oat milk vanilla lattes

once you started dating he took his coworkers to your coffee shop just to point you out to them and swoon over you

kazuha - barista

works in the evenings

probably does closing shifts

because he works later in the day, he doesn’t get as many customers

pulls a stool up to the cash register and writes poetry when there’s no one there

knows your order by heart and makes it a few minutes before you come in

always happy to chat with you

literally the cutest

normally has his sleeves rolled up and wears a little black apron

prefers hot coffee to iced coffee

likes white chocolate mochas

beidou once visited him during the time you normally came in

and not so subtly whisper yelled asking him if you were the person he keeps talking about

the next day he writes his number onto your cup

tighnari - co worker

you & tighnari have worked at the same coffee shop for a while

you are extremely devoted to coffee making

and tighnari? 

hes just trying to get side money so he can pay for college

so you’re a little pissed when he gets the manager position, and you don’t

you’re not mad at him but

you cant help but get a little snappy when you work with him

you get a little surprised when he comes back at you with the same energy

his go to drink is a plain black coffee 

“You can’t even steam milk properly, Nari!” “Sorry, I don’t take criticism from someone who isn’t even a manager, “ 

sometimes he brings his little sister collei and she sits at a nearby table and does her homework

he turns a blind eye when you sneak her pastries from the displays 

is genuinely so soft for you he just wont admit it to you

[razorblade180]

Divine Summoning

Aether:*holding primos* I call upon devote followers! Let’s bring a god home!

Tighnari:Is he okay?

Nilou: It’s 50/50. He’s been scrambling for primos.

Tighnari:Bag looks a little lighter than last time. I thought he had more?

Keqing:*hiding jade cutters* You’re misremembering.

Collei:*dusts off bench*

Tighnari:Relax. Nobody is going on the bench today.

Aether:*pours primos out* We have enough for at least one five star so let’s hope-

Golden Meteor!

Aether:*eyes closed* Please please please please pleeeeaaaaase! I just want to show you the world!

A hand grabs his shoulder from behind.

Aether:….Keqing, who’s behind me?

Keqing:Well…it’s a person the world was rough to.

Aether:Gods damnit. *looks over shoulder* Hey Diluc.

C3 Diluc:Sorry to disappoint you.

Aether:We’re not empty yet. Maybe we pull of a miracle.

“Use these!”

Razor:For you!

Aether looked at Noelle, Razor, and Bennett holding an alarming amount of starglitter.

Aether:How much is that?

Noelle:20 wishes.

Aether:I only pulled 60 times!

Noelle:Well you had like 30

Bennett:And they just kept falling on me….

Aether:Thanks guys. *spends* Hopefully this will push us close enough to pity-

Golden Meteor

Everyone:OH MY GOD, WHAT!?

Aether doesn’t even wait and starts running for the impact zone. The golden light turns right for him as he leaps in the air and Nahida lands right into his arms, full of smiles and laughter.

Nahida:Hehe, You got me! Hello my Knight of Flowers!

Aether:Welcome home!!!!

Nilou:This is the cutest thing I’ve ever!

Keqing:If you say so. *looks up* Uhhh Aether?

Nahida:Oh right! I brought a friend!

Aether looked up to see a second gold light coming towards him. Nahida made room for him to catch with his right arm. He reached out, catching a sleepy looking Qiqi.

C3 Qiqi:Long time…no see. Qiqi missed you. *leans on him*

Keqing:*wide eyed* This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

Nilou:Oh now you agree?

Aether:…

Nahida:Something wrong?

Mona:*runs out of house* DID I SEE TWO LIGHTS!?

Aether:…HE’S CONFIRMED.

Keqing:How do you keep getting rewarded like this!?

Aether:I don’t know but I’m happy.

Collei:Heh, it’s a good thing I warmed that bench. I feel bad for whatever Anemo is ending there.

Anemos watching:….

Jean, Venti, Kazuha, Sucrose:We’ll we already know it’s not gonna be us.

Heizou:Welp Sayu, hate to see you go but-

Sayu:It doesn’t take a detective to know how this story ends Heizou.

Heizou:*hits the floor* It’s not fair! What was it all for!? All these good artifacts! What was I in the end!?

Scaramouche: *in the distance* A prototype!!!

[mrsarnasdelicious]

Teach You - Stephen Colley Smut

For Early Access to my smuts subscribe to my Patreon.

“Thank you for dinner.” Stephen says. He is still quite shy, but you find that rather adorable. “Any time, sweetling.” You cooe. Stephen’s cheeks turn the cutest shade of raspberry pink.

“Why don’t you stay for the night?” You purr. Stephen’s fluster darkens. “A-are you sure?” He stammers. You smile warmly at him. “Of course I am. We’ll have a cuppa tea, a nightcap and tuck in.” You cooe. “I would like a cuppa.” He says. You get up and put a kettle on for tea. “Let me help you with the dishes.” Stephen rises as well. “Oh sweetie, you don’t have to, you are my guest.” You tell him gently. “I want to.” Stephen insists. You chuckle softly. “Very well.” You muss.

You wash the dishes and Stephen dries. You let him tell you about the time he crashed a rich family's dinner party. He sends you a shy but charming smile and you laugh about his story. Every now and then you touch his hand, when you give him another plate or fork to dry. 

When you sit down for a cup of tea, in the living room, Stephen hesitates on where to sit. “Come here.” You cooe, gesturing for him to join you on the sofa. Stephen obliges and sits down beside you. 

He’s still rather shy, even though you’ve been socialising in the same circles for a while now. You know he fancies you. And you most certainly fancy him. You’re a few years older than him, but that doesn’t matter to you. 

You raise your hand, warmed up by your mug, to gently stroke his flushed cheeks. “You are so beautiful.” You cooe gently. Stephen averts his eyes, his cheeks flushing darkly. “You are too, miss Y/N.” He mutters. “Please Stephen, no need to call me miss all the time.” You say sweetly.

You scoot closer, leaning against him. Stephen stiffens a little. “There is no need to be so shy.” You cooe. You reach up and cup his cheek. You make him look at you. “Y-you make me shy mi- .. Y/N.” Stephen stammers. 

“Do you fancy me Stephen?” You ask gently. Stephen tries to avoid your cheek, but your hand on his cheek prevents that. He swallows thickly. “It’s okay, Stephen, I fancy you.” You cooe sweetly. “T-truly?” Stephen stutters. “Yes Stephen, truly.” You reply.

“Come, close your eyes.” You whisper. Stephen closes his eyes, his eyelashes fluttering beautifully. “Oh my.” You whisper. You can barely believe this wonderful young man is right here, in your grasp. All yours to please. You arch up and press your lips against his. Stephen stiffens again and whines softly. But he quickly softens and kisses you back. You smile against his lips and press a little closer into the kiss. Another whine sounds from Stephen’s throat.

You slowly move into his lip. Stephen tenses briefly, but seems to decide he likes what you do. He tentatively puts his hands on your hips. You run one hand into his hair. Stephen whimpers and breaks the kiss. He inhales sharply and presses his lips against yours again. His kisses are quick and almost biting. It is as though your lips are hot to the touch, but Stephen still desires them enough to risk getting burned. It is eager and fast. Not unpleasurable, but better suited for a quickie, not for a full session. 

You place your hand on Stephen’s chest. This makes him halt. “Are you in a hurry?” You ask softly. Stephen avoids your eyes. “N-no..” He sputters. “Then kiss me slowly, Stephen.” You whisper warmly. “Yes, miss … I .. Y/N.” Stephen mumbles. He leans in to press his lips against yours. This time the kiss is slow, but still urgent. You moan against Stephen’s mouth. Instantly, Stephen moans back. It is a glorious sound that makes your blood rush. It makes you yearn for him. 

You lick at his bottomlip. Stephen opens his lips to you. You reward him with a happy little moan and lick into his mouth. The sound Stephen makes is desperate and hot. You swallow it, savouring it’s taste. Stephen’s hands raise, clawing at your cardigan. “Go ahead, take it off.” You whisper into Stephen’s mouth. He obliges, carefully helping you out of your cardigan. You smile against his lips and let your fingers trail to the buttons of his shirt. Stephen arches into your touch. You unbutton his shirt, while you explore his mouth with your tongue. 

You back off and help Stephen out of his shirt. You marvel at his strong shoulder and arms. “You are beautiful.” You whisper, running your fingers over the soft downy hair on his chest. “T-thank you.” Stephen murmurs. 

You close the distance to kiss him again. Stephen lifts his hand to cup the back of your head and does his best to keep the kiss tender. You moan softly against his mouth and explore his chest and belly. He still has the softness of youth but underneath it you can feel hard muscles. It awakens your desire for him, like flames in the pit of your belly.

You rise from his lap. 

“Come.” You cooe. Stephen gets up, obediently. You gently reach for his hand. Stephen gently intertwines his fingers with yours. You lead him up the stairs, to your bedroom. 

“Are we going to… ?” Stephen asks. You turn to him. “Would you want that?” You ask him softly. Stephen goes bright red. “Y-yeah.” He mutters. You draw him into your bedroom and to your bed. Stephen only just manages to push the door shut. 

You fall down on your bed, pulling Stephen on top of you. He has no time to gasp, for you draw him down for a kiss. Stephen tries his best not to put his weight on you, but is all too happy to kiss you back. You tangle your hands in his hair. A soft desperate moan rises from Stephen’s throat. You happily taste the sounds he makes. You draw softly at his hair. More moans spill from his lips onto yours. You drink them in, savour them. They taste so good. 

You back up on the bed, to the headboard. Stephen eagerly chases after you. You grin at him and pull him closer again. He renews the kiss. His lips become eager and biting once more and his kisses are fierce and questing. You moan lowly at him. 

Stephen becomes bolder. His mouth wanders to your jaw and into your neck. He presses quick heated kisses to your flesh. You moan softly and press him closer against your body. Stephen grunts against your skin. “Oh yes, give me more.” You whisper. Stephen nips at the junction between your neck and your shoulders. His lips venture upwards. You moan loudly when he bites your earlobe. “Yes, yes!” You encourage him. He nips again and then his teeth trail to the shell of your ear. You reward him with loud moans. Stephen presses a kiss behind your ear and groans against your skin. 

Slowly he grinds his pelvis down against yours. “Oh gods..” You whine. “Is that good?” Stephen asks shyly. “Yes, yes Stephen, it is very good.” You cooe. Stephen smiles against your neck and grinds down again. You moan for him, tangling your fingers into his dark tousled curls. “Oh .. Oh god.” Stephen whispers. You roll your pelvis back up to him. Stephen gives voice to a strangled little moan. You feel how hard he is in the confines of his trousers. And how large, you feel that too. “Oh .. oh my Stephen.” You mutter. 

Tentatively you cup a feel. Stephen whines keeningly. You stroke him through the cloth of his trousers. He bucks into your hand. “Oh .. Oh..” He breathes. The sound is music to your ears. You rub him more firmly. Stephen moans softly. 

“Take off your clothes Stephen.” You whisper hotly. “A-are you sure?” Stephen asks. “Oh yes, Stephen, yes.” To demonstrate your conviction, you unbutton his trousers. Stephen softly moans when you stroke him through the cloth of his underwear. “Will you, too?” He asks. “Yes, of course.” You purr, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips. Stephen sweetly kisses you back. You suck softly on his bottom lip to hear him moan.

Stephen slips out of your embrace and undresses. He’s boyish, but you see the man underneath his skin, about to burst out at you.

You take off your clothes as well, showing him what you have been hiding. Stephen bites his lip at the sight of you. “You are so beautiful, miss Y/N.” He whispers. 

He comes back to the bed. You reach for him at once. 

Stephen happily sinks into your embrace as you kiss him. You tangle your fingers into hair and stroke down his back with your other hand. You give his firm round butt a little pinch and Stephen whines into your mouth. You grin against his lips and do it again. Stephen gingerly grinds down on you. You roll your pelvis up at him. Stephen moans loudly. But then he breaks the kiss. “You have to take off your clothes too.” He whispers. “I do, don’t I?” You agree. “Yes please.” Says Stephen softly.

You unbutton your shirt, shrugging out of it, as well as your cardigan. Stephen’s eyes run over your breasts, almost spilling out of your flower adorned bra. “So beautiful.” He whispers. “Do you want to touch?” You cooe. “Yes! Yes please.” Stephen says. You take off your bra and puff up your chest to invite him to touch. Eagerly Stephen cups your breasts with his large hands. “They are so soft and so warm.” He murmurs. You smile sweetly at him. “They are all yours, sweetie.” You purr.

“Oh my god.” Stephen sounds like he can not believe his luck. 

“Go ahead.” You purr. Stephen licks his lips. He eyes your chest with some considerable hunger. You put your hands over his, making him squeeze your breasts. “Hmm, Stephen.” You purr. Stephen eagerly paws at your chest, groping your breasts. His hands are strong. You moan softly for him. He tugs at your nipples and presses his finger into your flesh. You can see greed widening his pupils.

“Use your mouth, honey.” You cooe. Stephen licks his lips. “Yes Miss Y/N.” He leans in to press a sweet kiss between your breasts. “How many times am I going to have to say, don’t call me miss.” You rake your fingers through his black curls. Stephen makes no reply.

Instead he rains kisses on your breasts. You moan softly under his ministrations and gently press his face closer against your flesh. Stephen groans in delight and flicks his tongue at your nipple. “Hmm, that is very nice, sweetie.” You purr. Stephen repeats the motion. You moan gently for him. 

He paws at one breast while kissing, nipping and sucking at the other. All the while he moans ever so softly. He rutts his hard cock against your soft, warm thigh. And he hates that it is still covered up with your skirt. 

“Take this off.” He whispers, tugging at your skirt. “You can do it, if you like.” You cooe. Stephen’s eyes widen. “Truly?” He asks. “Yes, of course.” You titter. 

Stephen ever so gently draws down your skirt and your undergarments. His eyes drift to your womanhood. You smile at him and lean forward to take off your stockings. 

“May I touch you?” Stephen asks. “Of course.” You cooe. Stephen runs his fingers from your pelvis mound to your folds. His breath catches in his chest. “So soft.” He whispers. “Let me show you.” You murmur, parting your folds for him. Stephen bites his lip. “Go on, touch me.” You encourage him. He runs his finger through your folds. “So wet.” He whispers. “I get much wetter, sweetie. I’ll teach you how.” You purr. “Yes please.”  Stephen looks up at you with an eager grin tugging at his lips.  

You gently direct Stephen’s finger to your clit. “Be very careful, I am very sensitive here.” You cooe. Stephen obeys, caressing your clit as softly as he can. It feels better than you imagined. Better than when you do it yourself, better than when other men did it. You moan ever so sweetly. Stephen’s ears colour red at the sound. He bites his bottom lip and caresses you again. Your core gives him a little wink, releasing a heavy bead of arousal. 

Stephen lays on his belly between your legs. “I want to taste you.” He whispers, while looking up at you. “Taste me.” You cooe. Stephen leans over, his tongue swiping up your slick arousal. You moan and bunch your fists in the sheets. “Oooh Stephen.”You whimper. 

“You taste so good.” Stephen whispers. His tongue flicks at your clit. “Oh!” You moan. Your core clenches again and more arousal slowly drips from you. Stephen is all too eager to lick it up. His thumb rubs steadily but gently at your clit, while his tongue continuously darts out to lick up your arousal. “Oh .. oh fuck, Stephen.” You moan. It feels amazing. It’s just the right combination of experimental and tender. 

“Stephen, I need you to push a finger inside me.” You murmur.

He obliges, slowly pressing his thumb inside you. You moan loudly. “Oh god.” Stephen mutters, making wide eyes at you. He fucks you slowly with his thumb and keeps lapping at your clit. You are brought right to the edge. “I am going to cum if you keep this up.” You whisper, stroking Stephen’s face. Stephen smiles a soft smile against your folds and experimentally sucks down on your clit. That is your undoing. “Oh fuck!” You cry out. Your climax washes over you in a wave. All the tension ebs from your muscles. You feel like your body is made of jelly. Stephen moans sweetly while he licks you clean. 

He sits on his haunches and looks at you. “I want to fuck you.” He whispers. You smile at him. “And I want you to fuck me. Let me lay down properly, sweetie.” You cooe. Stephen scootches backwards, so you can spread out comfortably. He looks down on you, his eyes dark with desire. “Come have me, baby.” You purr. It takes Stephen a moment to let it sink in. “Come on.” You murmur, opening your folds for him. “Take me Stephen.” You purr. 

Stephen slowly lowers him, letting you help him line up. “Have you been with a woman before?” You ask softly. Stephen blushes and shakes his head. “I am very glad to be your first, my sweet.” You whisper. “Push in baby.” You cooe. Stephen obeys, his glans breaching your core. You moan loudly. “Oh my god… the sounds you make.” Stephen whispers. “Do you like it?” You ask. “It arouses me so much.” Stephen answers. “Now fuck me baby.” You purr, drawing Stephen down to you for a kiss. Stephen is all too eager to kiss you back. He pushes his cock all the way into you. He is so big and he fills you so completely. “Oh my god, Stephen.” You moan, dragging your nails down his back. Stephen whimpers. “It is so good. It is so good to be inside you.” He whines desperately. 

You understand he is not going to last long. But you don’t mind. He’s young and will likely recover quite quickly. 

“Do it, fuck me.” You hiss. “Yes mi- … Y/N” Stephen’s cheeks tinge pink with fluster. He slowly withdraws from you, almost all the way. This stimulated nerve endings you did not even know you have. “Oh god Stephen!” You moan. He thrusts into you again, a little faster this time. You moan loudly for him. Stephen whimpers in reply. “You are doing so well, Stephen.” You murr lustily. “It’s … oh god it is so good.” He replies. He leans down to kiss you and thrusts more slowly so your teeth don’t clatter together. 

His thrusts are languid and slow. He does his best to make this last as long as he can. But his muscles are tensing in the direction of his lower belly and the flames awaken inside him. “I .. I won’t last.” He stutters. “That is fine sweetie.” You cooe. You caress his cheek. “Cum for me.” You purr. It is all Stephen needs. His thrusts dissolve into spasmic bucking and with a loud whimper he spends himself. “Very good. You are so good for me.” You cooe. 

Stephen slowly pulls out and lays down beside you. He is panting heavily and his face is very flustered. You roll onto your side to first kiss him deeply and then put your head on his chest. Stephen draws the sheets over your entangled bodies. “That was phenomenal.” He whispers. “Yes it was.” You agree.

“I love you, Y/N.” Stephen whispers, just before he falls asleep.

[whotfisdeshawn]

Feb 2021

It’s been 2 months since the dust settled; a little less than. I am home and somehow home doesn’t feel like the appropriate word.

I am full of contentment being here to watch two of the cutest little humans grow while simultaneously missing the life I had over 1,000 miles away. I have this insanely bad habit of day dreaming about things that were or things that will be but never of how things actually are. Sometimes it drives me mad feeling like I am the only one who thinks that way.

I moved to Virginia when I was 21 years old. Real and raw adulthood was barely tearing at the seams. I moved to Virginia for reasons that were not the same as the ones to blame for my return to Texas. At 21 years old, I gave Virginia 5 years of my life. I am now 26. That means I gave Virginia my developing adulthood. I spent 2 strong years out of that time learning who I was. Meeting all kinds of colorful faces, learning to nurture friendships and how to be kind to myself. I learned financial struggle and work place promotion. I was learning how to survive and thrive, alone, and to truly see the beauty in that along the way. When I think back on my decision to leave, I think it was a forced decision, by my own hand. I would have stayed if circumstances had been on my side. I think Virginia deserved all of my twenties to continue to pour lessons and growth back into my soul. That is a regret I have recently placed in my music box. A regret that I didn’t learn everything that Virginia needed to teach me. Time betrayed us both in that way.

Here is what she did teach me though:

Lesson #1: Everything is worth taking the picture. I found beauty in everything there. It was full of culture and poverty but it was still picture worthy in a poetic way. People often worried about my methods of photo-taking however. Sitting on the ledge of a 6 floor parking garage, with my feet hanging in the wind to take the photo shown above for instance. Being so close to the kiss of death has always felt a little romantic and poetic to me somehow so I never minded the misunderstandings of IDR. It’s a beautiful photograph, and well worth the pouding heartbeat I had when I grounded my feet after the fact.

Lesson #2: Memories can always transcend you when you’d like them to. Granby St. in downtown was the hot spot for my friends and I. We were locals at Tap It. Crappy beer cheese fries and endless rounds of pool sessions topped with quarters in the music box or drunkenly singing at the top of our lungs to the live band on Wednesdays and Thursdays. There was nothing special about that bar. It’s ordinary and didnt, in any way, set itself apart from other bars out there. But it has a piece of my heart for the memories it gave me. Vaping inside wasnt allowed. I would tread down the stairs often and slip outside to take a hit. The buildings outside were tall. Businesses at the bottom and livable conditions up top from what I used to see. I used to face this street many a time while vaping (see picture below). I always felt inspired by it. I kissed a girl on this street. She became a pretty important piece in my life before she left it. I was asked to be a god mother on this street. To anyone who has never been there, it’s just a road. But when I see this picture, I see love, pain, happiness, helplessness, and hope. Memories I have seared into my heart that I am better because of.

As per the initial photo in this post, and one of the many other things Virginia taught me; Lesson #3: support locals. I was a coffee local at so many places. Elliott’s Fair Grounds, Cafe Stella, and American Brew were some of my favorites. If you needed food, Press 626 Wine Bar made a mijito that every tastebud danced to and a basket of paramasan truffle delight that melted on my tongue. White collar Mac n cheese was always the bread winner after a colley walk bar crawl to The Public House. But adding the crusted chicken was always a must. It changed the flavor game. Handmade trinkets and goodies always came from Kistch. Such an aesthetically pleasing store to have been in. Discovering the sparkle of local talent in all forms made me feel like my body was full of glitter. And while I don’t mean that literally, it’s a feeling I can’t describe.

I’m forever endebted to Virginia for the love of coffee, food, drunken adventure, heartbreak, hope, and possibility it gave to me. I wouldn’t change one second of the time we shared together and I hope our memory making isn’t over yet. Virginia gave me friendship and independence, love and light. Because of her, I got to know me. Maybe that makes her my home away from home.

-ir