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phanfictioncatalogue · 6 months ago

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Phan Around the World (3) Masterlist

part one, part two

2 minutes (ao3) - easybubbyy

Summary: On the long flight to Australia, Dan gets a tad bit handsy. They sort it out in the bathroom.

Ain't as far as it used to be (ao3) - jestbee

Summary: Paris is different than he expected, and Dan can't lose the thing chasing him.

around the world and back again (ao3) - kay_okay

Summary: Phil looks down into brown eyes, sparkling and giant and ones he’s memorised the shape of.

anniversary (ao3) - possumdnp

Summary: Dan and Phil go to Vegas to celebrate the end of the US leg of the tour – and their fifteenth anniversary.

Bernie and Phyl (ao3) - skygremlin

Summary: Phil might have accidentally booked them an extra night at their Boston hotel. He also might have slept through his alarm the next morning. And he also might have sat in some chocolate and managed to ruin his pillow, requiring their already-late departure pause for a quick trip to a certain aptly named furniture store.

Birthdays In Poland (ao3) - developerdaniel

Summary: The fic where it's dan's 27th birthday while they're on tour and phil makes sure to still go above and beyond for the love of his life.

change (ao3) - manchesterau

Summary: Everything is carefully controlled and he wonders why it seems that coming to Australia loosens his self-restraint.

Colour Me Free (ao3) - realeyesrealize

Summary: Over the next few days Dan draws and redraws a tiny triangle on his bicep every morning with a sharpie, because he’s never been one to take decisions lightly, because he’s still afraid of commitment but the need to have those three lines on his skin is stronger.

Or: queer signaling, a triangle, an earring and Russia.

fallen green leaves (ao3) - hoodiestrings (orphan_account)

Summary: He moves to hug Dan from behind, rests his chin on his shoulder and his palms against the gentle slope of his stomach.

“You are warm,” Phil says. I love you, he means.

( or the one where Dan is in Phil's arms and everything is fine )

french toast, again (ao3) - buskingalbatross

Summary: Dan's ice cream shop dream, sort of. Not really.

Gästvänlighet / Hospitality (ao3) - Tarredion

Summary: Sweden gives Phil and his soulmate a warm welcome

golden kiwi (ao3) - possumdnp

Summary: "Phil turns the corner and spots it on display in a corner of the shop: a large golden kiwi statue. It’s quite possibly the most majestic object he’s ever seen."

(A fic set during Dan and Phil's day off in Auckland during the Terrible Influence Tour.)

Holidays and Other Seismic Activities (ao3) - PyroStormIsBae

Summary: Daniel Howell never really learned how to relax. (Set during their vacation to Turkey)

Knulla, gifta sig, döda (The one where they fuck in IKEA) (ao3) - Merrydith

Summary: The American leg of the Terrible Influence Tour was just beginning and what better time to let the builders put the finishing touches on the phouse while they’re away.

For Dan, everything is perfect. Phil is perfect, their life is perfect and it feels like nothing could possibly go wrong.

That is, until they decide to go get dinner at a local IKEA. Dan finds out something that threatens to break his heart and things start to go wrong. Then they go very very right…

Let your balalaika sing (ao3) - chiridotalaevis

Summary: Dan and Phil go to Russia during the Interactive Introverts tour

liquorice ice cream (ao3) - possumdnp

Summary: Dan and Phil go on a date to the zoo.

(Snapshots of their Swedish zoo date, September 2024. This fic is free from TIT show spoilers!)

Luxury (ao3) - JudeAraya

Summary: It was early, the dark edging on predawn translucent. The birds were only beginning to chirp. Here, nestled so deep in nature, the Costa Rican jungle all around their treehouse hotel, Dan could feel the hush of morning rising all around him. Phil was still asleep, breaths deep and even. Phil was exhausted--they both were really--but this was something Dan wanted to share with him.

natural. (ao3) - razussy

Summary: tampa, florida. known for plenty of things ranging from busch gardens to outback steakhouse. unlike the amusement park, however, there’s a certain drink phil’s been eyeing since he’s seen promotional advertisements on his nightly youtube sessions.

new zealand during six am (ao3) - watergator (orphan_account)

Summary: dan and phil wake up early during their first day in new zealand to get some laundry done

Origins of the Phass Inflation Post (Dan and Phil in Greece) (ao3) - EverythingIsAsItWas

Summary: Dan and Phil rarely take vacations just for themselves, vacations in which they make no content, do not work, and simply enjoy each other's company. Going to Greece feels like the perfect opportunity for this, but Phil also thinks it's the perfect opportunity for a video... and Dan likes being a little shit.

Phome is where the heart is (ao3) - blossomsphan

Summary: dan and phil go shopping at target while in Seattle for tit. they’re feeling festive for the season and a little sappy bc, well, duh 🧡

photos in portugal (ao3) - possumdnp

Summary: Mostly, Dan just looks silly and gangly-limbed, his curls dripping with pool water, his foot sticking out, and Phil can’t help but pull his phone out to take a picture.

A fic about their November 2023 Portugal trip.

Piggy Back Rides (ao3) - yikesola

Summary: “You know the last time I did this, I ended up in a cast, right?” Phil laughs.

A ficlet about playing and winning.

Stand clear of the closing doors (The next stop is: 28th Street) (ao3) - skygremlin

Summary: Dan and Phil are in New York on tour and agreed to meet a friend across the city, so having taken lots of trains around the world like the grown adults they are, they get on the subway. Except when the conductor calls out the next stop at 28th Street, they realize they've made a big mistake.

The Hockey Game (ao3) - Jinny12912

Summary: Dan and Phil go see a hockey game while touring through Canada. Dan has too much to drink during the game and needs some help from Phil to make it back home before wetting himself.

the pool noodle fight (ao3) - jonsaremembers

Summary: Navigating the emotional aftermath of Phil's near-death experience with the help of, uh, some foam pool toys.

third times the charm (ao3) - jestbee

Summary: Phil doesn't get sick in Japan, Dan worries anyway.

To Love (ao3) - thewakeless

Summary: dan, phil, moscow, and the overbearing emotional toll of being in the closet.

Today Is For Us (ao3) - CaibrynM

Summary: Dan and Phil take a day for themselves in between the tour ending, planning for their premiere in Brazil and the upcoming Christmas Holidays. Lots of Fluff and a little smut.

two chai teas (ao3) - twoheadlights (fizzfic)

Summary: Dan and Phil go to Chennai, India.

When in Washington (ao3) - dnpangels

Summary: An outsider POV fic about a guy sitting behind Dan and Phil at the University of Washington football game.

you can see it with the lights out (ao3) - calvinahobbes

Summary: Somehow it’s taken Dan until he got to Japan, but here it’s caught up with him, hit him like a freight train. Phil keeps laughing at him, showing him pictures on his phone of Dan’s face softened by it, posture loosened by it.

#phanfictioncatalogue #phanfic #phan #phanfiction #dan and phil #masterlists #travel #travel Masterlist

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sirowsky-stories · 2 years ago

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The Old Prince

Part 4

Author's Note: Hello, again! I still can't get this story out of my head. I'm introducing a new element to it in this chapter, which we'll all get more acquainted with in the next one, but I'm adding an image at the end of this one, to give you all an idea of what it'll look like.

Description: After realizing that Oberyn hasn't been honest with you, life back home has becomes anxious, filled with questions that you fear may never be answered. But you still have to try and find some normality, and this year's Thanksgiving Ball seems like a good place to start.

Rating: Mature 18+ONLY Warnings: Monster Oberyn Martell x Female Reader, AU fic, eventual romance, obviously Halloween themed, reader cusses, lots of angst in this one, overprotective coworker, slightly jealous Oberyn. Word Count: 6030 Author's Masterlist

You’re back at work already the next day. Halloween has come and gone, which means it’s time to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and since you’re one of only four employees at the local holiday specials store, you’re sorely needed. September through December are the busiest months for this type of store, so every day you’re not all working is a minor disaster. But if you’re honest, it isn’t your loyalty to the job that’s responsible for your quick return or the extra hours you’re putting in.

It’s simply because the job is the only thing that takes your mind off him.

When you’re home, he’s all you can think about. You hear his voice as clearly as if he’s standing in the room with you, asking questions about your life and then letting you prattle on for hours. Something you had attributed to his kind nature and polite manners. Now though, it seems more like he was trying to learn as much about you as he could, for reasons you don’t dare to even imagine.

He’d asked you about trivial things, like what book you’d last read or if you prefer to stack your firewood bark side up or down, which you still can’t see the harm in having told him. But he’d also asked you about your work, your people, your interests and how you spend your days, the answers to which must’ve allowed someone of his age and accumulated knowledge of people, to fully grasp your personality and character.

So, why is that making you have a mild panic attack every time you think about it? Because you have no idea what he might do with that knowledge. Maybe he was just curious. Maybe it makes no difference at all what you’ve told him. It is possible that he really was just happy for the company. It’s the “what if” that plagues you.

Because if he does decide to use his knowledge against you, the odds will be entirely in his favor, since you know nothing about him in comparison. You want to believe that you wouldn’t have fallen for him (and you did fall for him) if he is indeed the monster that tried to kill you. But in truth, there’s no way that you could know that with any certainty. Just like there’s nothing you can do to protect yourself from him, either way.

-=<>=-=<>=-=<>=-

The hours are endless and deafeningly silent in the days after your departure. He has never been one to wander, to have that restless tremor within, pulling one to their feet and refusing to let them remain still. But he does now. The stone will quickly turn polished with all his wandering, should the feeling not subside soon enough, which it gives no indication that it will.

So, he wanders. Through each of the nine wings and up into each of the nine towers, yours being the tallest, and the only one he lingers in. The only place that now offers him peacefulness. He is aware that he still calls it yours, even though your stay was brief, and you will never again reside there. But it holds so much of your scent still.

He sits there for hours sometimes, forgetting time all together as he drinks in your skin, hair, the faint lavender scent of your own sheets which you brought with you to this bed. He wonders how long it will take before he will no longer recall the softness of your lips. He thinks of them often, in the hopes that the memory might remain fresh to his senses for a little longer.

But after only one week, his resolve is already faltering. He dreams of you. Wakes up screaming and drenched in sweat at the memory of his teeth embedded in your soft and tender flesh. And other times, when the dream has been wonderful… he wakes up erect, longing so desperately for the mere touch of your skin against his own, that he cannot refrain from pleasuring himself to the very thought.

This does not shame him, though. He is much too old to concern himself with the public perception of what is considered right or wrong among the many varieties of carnal pleasures. The modern world would likely frown at his history of dalliances, as he has always been a man of omnivorous taste. He has never coveted children, but gender has never been an obstacle to pleasure, in his eyes.

He has found that women offer a comfort and an emotional closeness that the males with which he has explored enjoyment in the past, have not given as freely. But this was long ago. The world has changed much since then, and gender appears to have become less rigid of late, which Oberyn finds most agreeable. Still, it’s in a woman’s embrace he has most often felt at home and wanted, beyond that of the carnal.

And then there is you. His Valya, though his only by name, not commitment. The first person ever to command such control over his mind and senses. He feels almost enslaved by your very being, as though your mere existence demands his servitude. And surprisingly, he has no objections to this.

A terrible fatigue and weariness with the centuries upon centuries of managing himself, always fearful that a moment’s loss of control will result in carnage, has taken root within his being, and will not be untethered. It festers there, making him increasingly agitated, whilst also draining him of all desire and every grain of levity that he had once possessed.

But in your company, all this turns pale, irrelevant and silenced. You have freed his heart and brought light back to his soul, and now that he has felt it once more, he cannot stand the loss. The slow, but still so noticeable, reversion to that caged and lonesome man who spends every waking moment fearing the dragon more than any man who might encounter him.

Still, you are not as a drug to him. He does not crave you the way a drinker craves the bottle, enslaved by the need to consume, dull, and forget. Instead, he feels only brightened, strengthened and awakened by you. In your presence, Oberyn comes alive, for the first time in ages feeling stronger than the beast, and therefor less controlled by it.

Every waking moment, his mind looks for ways to relate to you. Everything he sees, smells, touches, it all somehow becomes about you, because that is how dearly he misses you. And it’s getting worse. Each day, he battles with himself over whether he has just cause to seek you out once again, and every day, pushing the victory to your favor becomes that much harder.

He knows that he will eventually fail, because even if he flew to the other side of the world, there would be nothing to stop him from returning. Your house, work and people are known to him, so the day that he eventually fails to convince himself that you are always safer away from him, he will have no trouble finding you.

It was you that kissed him. He did not ask you to. And that is the carrot which forever dangles before his lips, sweetening his thoughts with the notion that you might do so again, if given a chance.

-=<>=-=<>=-=<>=-

It takes three weeks before you begin to be able to walk around outside your own house after dark, without fighting panic at the sight of every deep dark shadow, expecting to see golden eyes glowing as they stalk you. The fear is still there, but with every day that passes without any sighting of the serpent, you’re starting to become less controlled by it.

You tell yourself that he wouldn’t have let you go just to come after you again, that would’ve been pointless. But you also wonder if the woman who’d owned this house before you, and who’d vanished without a trace one day over eight years ago, had really wandered off and gotten lost like people think, or if she too could’ve encountered your captor.

All in all, over the past fifty years, the Seven Hills have claimed nearly thirty lives, half of which have been accidents when people have underestimated the danger of some of the trails, falling to their deaths over cliff-edges, or simply getting lost. But the other half are unaccounted for. People who just vanished out there. Assumed to have fallen into crevasses or perhaps been buried under mudslides. Natural events.

If Oberyn hadn’t brought you back, you would’ve become part of that statistic. Which is a frightening thought. It’s all frightening. Just the reality that dragons aren’t a myth is enough to make you shiver in your bed when you’re trying to sleep, which you haven’t been able to do much of recently. Fortunately, the holidays are tightly packed at this time of year, so you have no problems staying busy.

The city council made a brilliant move around a decade ago, with the decision to create a separate account for all profits earned by tourism. The Seven Hills isn’t a city which depends financially on tourism, so it didn’t affect the overall economy. And the brilliance of this move, lay in what that money has since been earmarked for. Which is celebrations.

Holidays, anniversaries, and other significant events are all celebrated with parades, formal balls or just big parties, all at the expense of that one account. The idea had come from a police officer, who had been concerned about a steady incline of violent crimes, and her hope had been that people who have fun together might be less likely to harm one another. Which had happily turned out to be correct.

So, when you wake up on Thanksgiving morning, having managed to scrape together a handful hours of decent sleep, it isn’t a family dinner you’re planning on going to. Not that you have any family to celebrate with, even if you’d wanted to. You were an angel baby, left at the front steps of the local church when you were just days old. The woman who’d ended up raising you had been lovely, and your relationship with her had been good, right up until she’d died shortly after you’d turned sixteen.

After that, the city had become your family, albeit a distant one. You like your coworkers and you do hang out with them outside of work now and then, but you’re not close. You don’t talk to them about personal stuff. Perhaps because you’d started your life being abandoned, that’s what you’ve come to expect from everyone, so you shield yourself from caring too much. From letting people in.

Which is why Oberyn’s betrayal hit you so hard. Because you did let him in. Against the wisdom of all your experience and even the fact that you had literally no reason at all to trust him, you’d told him everything that you never tell anyone. In just a few days, he’d somehow managed to make you feel safer with him than with any other person you’ve ever met, and he’d done that despite knowing that he was the one who’d almost killed you.

“Stop it…” you tell yourself, closing your eyes for a moment over your morning tea, because you’d promised yourself that you’re not gonna let him ruin this day.

Not Thanksgiving. Not the one day of the year specifically dedicated to remembering and celebrating the positives. This year, the city’s celebration is gonna be a ball at the old courthouse. It’s the fanciest building in town, made of stone and actually resembling a castle more than anything you’d normally associate with legal matters.

It was commissioned in the late 1800’s by a wealthy lord who wanted criminals to know just how far removed from greatness they were, so he had every piece of metal within the courthouse coated with gold and silver, and every chair was made for comfort and splendor. Except the one offered to the accused, which was just the simplest and cheapest wooden chair that could be made.

Because of the small fortune of precious metals, the house was prone to burglary and vandalism, so over time, its splendor lessened and by the time they stopped using it, some fifty years later, it was far from the opulence of its original state. But around thirty years ago, the city decided that since it’s a historic building, it should be preserved, and spent two years and a lot of money on restoring it. And while the metals are fake these days, it still looks every bit as pretentious as it was always meant to. It’s a perfect venue for any kind of party, though. And especially a ball.

You’ve had a dress picked out and ready since before Halloween, but because you’re also part of the crew for this event, you won’t be putting it on until you’re already there. It’s packed and ready, along with some makeup and hair styling stuff, all of which you’ll need to remember to bring so that you can get changed once your work is done. All the staff from the shop try to help out for these kinds of events because you’re the town’s experts on decorations, and you all enjoy getting to apply your skills on a bigger scale now and then.

The party starts at 4 pm, with the mayor of the city giving his annual thankfulness speech, which is never as dull as it sounds, because the mayor is a former standup comedian, of all things. And although he’s pushing seventy now, he still knows how to work a crowd and get a good mood going. After that, the dance begins. It’s a blend of classics like foxtrot and waltz, as well as line dance and even hip-hop, but the first one is always a traditional square dance.

Everyone who lives here knows that one, because if you chose not to participate in the first dance, hardly anyone will talk to you for the rest of the evening because they’ll assume that you’re a person who just hates fun. You know that because you made that mistake as a teenager. After the dance, when everyone’s gotten their appetite going, the Thanksgiving dinner is served, and then the program ends and people can just hang around or go home.

You arrive at the courthouse shortly before 9 am, after tending to Casper and triple checking that you remembered everything, finding two of your colleagues already there.

“Hey, Boo,” Simon calls to you as you walk in with your bags.

It’s a nickname you’ve earned over time, by managing to individually scare every one of your coworkers into falling to the floor, just by saying “boo”.

“Hey, Si. How are we doing?” you answer, dropping your stuff in a corner and then looking over the boxes of decorations.

“We brought all the labelled boxes, and Kelli remembered the glitter cannons.”

“What about the balloons?”

“Oh, yeah, Micah’s already working on those,” he says, and gestures casually towards an unspecified area of the building.

“Great, then I’ll get started on the leaves and garlands. Unless you want help with the tables?” you ask, looking out over the large open space that had once been the waiting hall and grand foyer.

It had been made to look like something out of the roman empire, with giant marble pillars recessed into the walls, serving no purpose other than to add to the grandeur of the room. The hall cuts through the entire length of the building, perhaps a hundred yards long, and easily thirty yards wide, with a curved ceiling around fifteen feet off the floor at the center, and five big crystal chandeliers dangling from up there.

It’s full of tables today, but the size of the room makes them look like something from a dollhouse. In contrast, the empty courtroom which will serve as the dancehall, looks smaller than it is.

“Nah, I’m good. You get going on that, I’ll let you know if I need your help,” Simon replies, so you smile and nod, before grabbing a box and setting off to the right where the big double doors to the courtroom stand open.

It’s fun work, getting to decorate a place like this, and while all four of you initially work separately, soon enough, you’re all helping Simon in the foyer, because the tables always take longest and requires the most precision.

“You know, you really didn’t need to bring your makeup, Boo,” Kelli says when you’re working side by side on the finishing touches of the table decorations.

“What do you mean?” you ask her, but you have an idea of where she’s going with this.

“Look, I don’t know where you went, but if it’s true that you were just lost in the woods, then you must’ve found the fountain of youth or something.”

She doesn’t sound envious or even annoyed, just disappointed, and you want to retort so badly. To rebel against the notion that you’ve lied about getting lost in the woods just to cover up a trip to some fucking beauty clinic, or whatever. But you can’t, because you can’t explain the change in your appearance.

“Oh, I found something…” you say between tight jaws, unable to hold back your frustration at the mere thought of the slithering serpent.

She can tell from your tone that asking any further questions isn’t gonna end well, so she changes the topic, instead getting back to the evening and how excited she is. But when the time comes for the four of you to get ready, you find yourself standing there in your dress, staring in the mirror at the face that isn’t yours, and yet, is somehow also the perfect you.

Not perfectly symmetrical or flawless in that kinda way, but just… perfect in a sense of natural beauty, perhaps. Kelli’s right, putting makeup on is basically redundant, since there’s nothing really to improve. And if you’d had a choice in the matter, it might not have felt so artificial. But it does. It feels anything but natural.

“Not today,” you remind yourself, meeting your own eyes in the reflection. “You can wallow as much as you want tomorrow, but today, you’re thankful to be alive and to have all the comforts you need. And for Casper, your white knight. Even though he ran away.”

When you walk back out into the grand hall, you’re met by the sight of people pouring in through the massive, double oak doors, in a slow and happily chatting procession. They’re allowed to sit at the tables if they want to, even though dinner isn’t for several hours yet, since there are only a few stone benches available throughout the building for anyone needing to rest their legs.

Everyone knows who you are, so as you make your way through the crowd, you’re met with greetings and polite nods, but also a lot of slightly stunned and gaping faces as they look you over. You try to ignore it and just focus on finding your colleagues, but soon enough, you’re hearing people whispering about you as you pass them. And suddenly you’re regretting picking such a glamorous dress.

It’s golden in color, which you’d picked because of how perfectly it compliments your skin tone, but which now makes it feel flamboyant and excessive. But it’s also the simplicity of it that drew you to it. There aren’t any garnishes, it’s just a softly flowing fabric that hugs your form in a very gentle and comfortable way. Not too tight anywhere, not restricting your movements at all, since the skirt is designed to make it look like liquid gold in motion.

By the time you reach Simon, standing at the door to welcome people, you’re regretting having come here at all today.

“Hey… are you alright?” he asks when he sees you, and while you notice that he too roams over your form with wide eyes, unlike everyone else, he doesn’t comment on it, and his gaze returns to your face with a concerned wrinkle between his brows.

“Everyone looks at me like I’m a freak,” you whisper, dropping your head forwards to not have to see anyone’s scrutiny anymore.

Ordinarily, you wouldn’t be particularly concerned about people’s opinion of you, and again, if this change had been your choice, you could’ve held your head high and ignored them. But since it wasn’t, you’re left feeling unfairly judged, and knowing that you��re also incapable of defending yourself on this matter just makes it that much worse.

Instead of trying to comfort you by telling you that there’s nothing wrong with you, Simon turns away from the crowd and gives you a long and firm hug. Because that’s the kind of person he is. He suffers from terrible anxiety himself, something he’s learned to live with and knows how to manage for himself, but which also makes him really good at understanding that words can be powerless against feelings sometimes.

You thank him before he lets you go, because he’s already made you feel better, and he just smiles in return before getting back to work. You stay there next to him, letting his calm and positive energy infect you while you try to avoid looking at any one person for too long as you help him welcome them to the celebration. The mayor is the only one who stops to shake your hands and thank you for your work, before he steps inside and prepares to deliver his speech.

As always, he executes it with practiced ease and has the crowd in tears of laughter before the end, even though he’s managed to fit in serious things like being thankful for the continued decline in crime rates, or how well the city has recovered after a local factory had burned down six months ago. He finishes by encouraging everyone to step over to the courtroom for the dance, and everyone does.

The wonderful thing about dancing is that no one cares all that much what anyone else is wearing or how they look, as they move across the floor together. It’s just about having fun and letting the rhythm take you. Still, once the square dance is done, Simon kindly comes to your rescue when no one on the floor offers to pair up with you for the next dance, which is a foxtrot.

He’s not the best dancer in the room, but again, none of that matters as the point is to let go of expectations and enjoy yourselves free of judgement. He doesn’t step away when the song ends and you’ve taken your bows, preparing to lead you on for the next one as well, but just as you take your positions, there’s a voice to your right.

“May I cut in?”

You stop breathing at the mere sound of it. The voice that’s haunted your thoughts and dreams for weeks now, the voice that heats your blood and sends shivers along your skin.

“Uh… sure,” you hear Simon hesitantly agree, since you’re not objecting, and then step away.

Still not breathing, you look up as the much taller Oberyn takes his place, confidently taking your waist and then your hand, sending sparks through you with his mere touch. He looks exactly the same, donning his customary green coat and black trousers, as suitable at a black-tie event as they’d seemed in the dark and mysterious castle.

The coat is one of those stand-up collar ones, with around fifteen silk buttons leading from his Adam’s apple down to his waist, where the weight of the fabric holds the two sides close together down to just below his knees. And the sleeves stop over the base of his hands, not at the wrist, so whatever he might be wearing underneath, no one can see it.

The only other time you’ve been this close to him (aside from the kiss) was when he’d carried you inside that first day, and you hadn’t been paying this close attention to him then. But you are now. Because you wholeheartedly suspect him of being a monster underneath those clothes. Still, not one bone in your body is telling you to run.

“Breathe, Kaivalya,” he whispers close to your ear, and your body responds as if it had been a command, desperately filling your lungs until you start to feel dizzy.

“You… you shouldn’t be here,” you whisper back, just as the dance begins and he starts to waltz you around the room as elegantly as if he’d been a professional dancer.

“No, I really shouldn’t,” he agrees, and then pauses before adding: “But I can’t stop thinking about you.”

The air flowing over his skin as he moves sends his natural fragrance straight into your nostrils, and it makes your knees weaken, stoking the heat that already simmers somewhere in your gut, clouding your thoughts with desire. But it’s that feeling that gives you the strength to push away from him. It scares you. The hypnotic way that you react to him. And that fear is enough to give you back your senses.

You step back, almost colliding with another dancing pair, and when he lets go of you, you turn and start to make your way to the exit. The air suddenly feels thick and hard to inhale, strangling you as you try to free yourself of the crowd, the music, and the strange sensation of your brain being caged by your own senses.

Reaching the brisk winter air outside of the main entrance, you stop, holding on to a lamppost at the top of the stairs not to fall over with how dizzy you feel. A hand comes to rest on your shoulder, but it isn’t Oberyn’s. Simon has noticed what’s happened and followed you outside. He’s a good guy, and you can imagine how that scene in there must’ve looked to him. But you would’ve preferred it if he’d left you alone this time.

“Who is that guy, Boo? You want me to get rid of him?” he asks, but before you can answer, you feel him twitch and pull away from you.

“You could not remove me however hard you tried, boy,” Oberyn says, and you can hear a dark tinge to his voice now.

But it’s not arrogance. It sounds more like… jealousy.

“That’s not up to me. If my friend doesn’t want you here, then you’re not staying, and I’ve got plenty of people here that’ll back me up if I ask them,” Si persists, entirely undeterred by the other man’s superiority.

There’s a slightly possessive edge to the way he says “my friend” which would ordinarily have made you feel appreciative of his protectiveness, because you’re not actually that close. But today, it makes you feel like a toy being fought over, and you don’t like it. You straighten up, having finally gotten yourself under control, just in time to see the serpent step closer to your colleague.

“That’s enough, both of you!” you call out to get their attention. “Simon, go back inside.”

“Boo-…” he begins to protest, but you cut him off.

“I just needed some air, I’m fine. Please, just go so that we can talk.”

He hesitates, throwing a suspicious glance at the other man, but then does what you’ve asked. Because in the end, he knows that you’d never agree to be alone with someone that you fear might hurt you. But the things is, you do fear that Oberyn might hurt you. You just also need answers, badly enough that you’re prepared to demand them now that he’s here and can answer you.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you either,” you admit once the two of you are alone. “But I’m pretty sure that we have very different reasons why.”

He remains at a respectful distance now that you’re not dancing, and you notice that the heat from before is starting to fade, leaving you exposed to the winter chill. You cross your arms over your waist to keep them warm. There are no sleeves on your dress, so the slight breeze is already threatening to make you shiver. Why is it that whenever you’re around this man, you’re either too hot or too damned cold?

“What are your reasons, my lady?” he asks, and his voice is soft now.

Not inviting or seductively soft, but more like it’s been subdued by worry and trepidation.

“I need to know… what you are,” you say quietly, watching his face without blinking for fear that you might miss some revealing detail.

But his features remain unchanged, and no answer seems to come to his lips, so you step closer while trying to fortify yourself against something, but you’re not even sure what.

“Are you the one that bit me?” you ask, damned near choking on the last two words, but still, he remains statuesque before you, driving your fear into frustration. “Damned it, you owe me answers, Oberyn! Tell me the truth…… Are you the serpent?”

For what seems like one endless moment, he merely stares back at you. But then, ever so slowly, a terrible sadness begins to flood his eyes. He bows his head and closes them, perhaps trying to stop the feeling, but it just spreads. Spilling into his brows and forehead, and then down to his cheeks and mouth. It’s subtle, and yet so distinct. So unmistakably sorrowful, as if drawn from the sky and the deepest recesses of the earth, filling every cell of his being with a pain unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

“I will not ask your forgiveness… I could never earn such a thing,” he says, speaking so quietly now that you have to step even closer just to hear him. “I ask only that you believe me when I say that I never wanted to hurt you.”

He opens his eyes again, and when he finds you standing closer, he backs away and shifts his hands behind his back, as if trying to keep them from reaching for you.

“I saw you running, and I tried to distract myself by going after Casper, but it was too late. I had already caught your scent,” he explains, and you’re mildly impressed that he isn’t making excuses or trying to convince you that he’s worthy of redemption.

“And if I were to run away now?” you wonder, trying to understand how the man and the beast are connected.

“I would let you,” he replies quickly, clearly eager to make you feel as safe as you can around him. “In my human form, my human instincts are in control. You are never in danger from… me.”

“But if you were to become that thing right now…?” you press on, still far from convinced of your own safety.

He thinks on that for a moment, and there seems to be something uncertain to his conclusion.

“The real reason why I sedated you for the journey home, was because I needed to fly you back,” he begins, and you can’t stop the sharp gasp and the two steps that you stumble backwards, away from him, as you hear that. “But even the beast is enchanted with you now, Valya. I want only to protect you, no matter what form I might take,” he finishes, unable to keep himself from coming closer and extending a hand to you.

“No, you stay away from me,” you warn, stepping back further.

He stops cold, and the sorrow in his eyes transforms into something you can only describe as the purest pain imaginable. It cuts and tears at your heart, because even though he did hurt and lie to you, he doesn’t deserve to suffer this severely for it. But however much you might want to ease his pain, you don’t know how, because you can’t reconcile with what he’s done to you.

“As you wish, my lady,” he says, and his voice breaks at each word.

He straightens himself, and then bows fully, dropping his entire torso halfway forwards in a perfect display of submission. And when he rises again, tears have filled his eyes to the brim.

“Always…” he adds in a barely audible whisper, and then he turns and starts to walk down the front steps of the courthouse.

The air cools significantly as he departs, and you wonder if that’s just your senses tricking you, or if he really does warm his surroundings by his presence alone. Then, just as he reaches the ground, a faint glow appears in the sky, maybe a hundred feet to his left, and seems to swoop down over him. He sees it, and stops walking to follow its journey with his gaze, as it makes an elegant turn which changes its direction towards you.

And when it does, you can see that it’s an owl. But not like any you’ve ever seen before. It’s almost transparent, and when it flaps its wings, they seem to leave entire galaxies of stars behind them, fading as quickly as they appear. It flies straight at you, landing on top of the half-pillar that makes up the corner of the stone railing to the staircase, where it folds its wings back and just stares at you.

Mesmerized by its large blue eyes, you stare back, feeling as though an infinite mass of knowledge lies within this creature, and that it uses this knowledge to judge you. It’s about the size of the golden eagle named Marahute in that Disney movie with the mouse rescuers, but the fact that you can almost see through it makes it slightly less imposing.

If it is judging you in some way, it can’t be too damning a conclusion because you feel no discomfort from the being. In fact, for the entire time it stares at you, you feel nothing at all. Then suddenly, it opens its wings and takes off with one large leap, fading into nothingness within just one little second.

“Wow…” you breathe, having completely forgotten your worries for a moment.

“You saw it?” Oberyn asks from his spot on the ground at the bottom of the stairs.

“Yeah, it was amazing. What is it?” you wonder, taking your eyes from the sky and back to him, finding him looking extremely puzzled.

“She is the Sky-spirit: Caelum. But…… humans cannot see her.”

You stare into his eyes while his words reach you, and the implication behind them slowly sinks in. The temporary reprieve of your emotional turmoil is wrung from you with ruthless force, and this time, it’s your eyes that are suddenly brimming with tears, your frame that’s brutally tortured by the inescapable truth.

“What did you do to me…?” you accuse, glaring at him now because all you have left to turn to is anger. “What am I? What did you turn me into?”

But as horrible as you feel, as much as these thoughts are plaguing you, your feelings still somehow pale compared to the enormity of his. The knowledge that he’s robbed you of your own reality, seemingly without him even knowing how or understanding why, is mercilessly demolishing him from the inside.

“I don’t know…” he confesses. “I am so deeply sorry, my dear… I have no answers.”

Your tears fall as the cold finally creeps into your blood and makes you shiver. Hugging yourself, trying to come to terms with the thought that you don’t know who you are anymore, you feel so lost. But then the air around you is warmed up once again, and you look up to find Oberyn before you. He takes you in his arms and hugs you close, flooding your body with that same heat as before, even now when you’re in too much distress to feel anything good.

“But I will not stop until I have found them,” he promises, then he kisses your temple, pulls away, and with a gust of wind, he’s suddenly just gone.

Part 5

The Ten Spirits of the World Air - Forest - Water - Stone - Night - Autumn - Winter - Spring - Summer. (No, I didn't miss one. You'll see.)

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! If you wish to be notified when this story is updated, follow @sirowsky-stories and turn on notifications, or just ask nicely, and I'll tag you.

@kittenlittle24 @joelswritingmistress @pedrostories

#oberyn martell fanfiction #oberyn martell x female reader #oberyn x reader #game of thrones fanfiction #game of thrones au #modern!au #halloween writing #halloween fic #spooky season fic #spooky season #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal character fanfiction #sirowsky stories

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choicesseptemberchallenge2023 · 2 years ago

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[Masterlist]

Welcome to Choices September Challenge!

Hello everyone! I'm Aura (@midnightmelodiz ). This is my first time hosting this monthly challenge, so I'm really excited about it. I really hope you all will like the prompts chosen for this month.

🍁GUIDELINES🍁

This is a prompt based contest. There's a prompt given for everyday, using which you'll have to create a content. Some days have multiple prompts, and different types of prompts. Feel free to use them all in the same work if you want.

You can use multiple prompt for the same work if the prompts are for same day. Don't mix and match prompts from different days.

Almost all kind of contents are acceptable. List of acceptable contents : fanfictions, drabbles, short-story/one-shot , poetry, microtale, art, mood board, theme, banner or other graphics etc.

Work based on any book from the Choices universe are welcome.

Submitted works will be featured on a weekly masterlist.

You can participate as many times as you want throughout the month.

Multiple entries for the same prompt, or same day prompts are allowed.

If your work contains NSFW/mature or triggering content, please use appropriate warning.

Mention/list the prompt(s) you are using in your content.

If possible, in stories, drabbles etc., write the prompt(s) in bold.

You can use the tag #choicesseptemberchallenge2023 & #choicesmonthlychallenge .

Please tag @choicesseptemberchallenge2023, feel free to tag me too : @midnightmelodiz . You can dm me your entries as well since Tumblr glitches a lot. Honestly I'd prefer if you dm your works, as Tumblr tags don't always work.

If I don't mention your work in the weekly masterlist, please send me a dm with the link.

🍂PROMPTS🍂

🍁 DAY 1 : Memories •||• "I can't be who you want me to be"

🍁 DAY 2 : Stars •||• Two people who keep crossing paths but miss actually meeting.

🍁 DAY 3 : Sea, Ocean •||• "You really like it?" "No, I was kidding."

🍁 DAY 4 : Moonlight, Moon •||• They have been secretly in love with each other for a long time.

🍁 DAY 5 : Diary, Journal, Notebook •||• "We're here now. Everything's alright."

🍁 DAY 6 : Dreams, Day Dream •||• "I'm in love with you!"

🍁 DAY 7 : Hope •||• Sharing something personal about them that they've never shared with anyone before.

🍁 DAY 8 : Coffee, Hot Beverage •||• "Come back! I'm not ready to get up yet. So you aren't either."

🍁 DAY 9 : Date Night •||• "I'm home, sweetheart!"

🍁 DAY 10 : Gift •||• "I care about you. I always will."

🍁 DAY 11 : Travel, Holiday , Vacation •||• Sharing an ice-cream together.

🍁 DAY 12 : Books, Reading, Writing •||• "You and me, it's never going to happen."

🍁 DAY 13 : Flowers •||• "I want to be with you." "I don't."

🍁 DAY 14 : Polaroid, Picture •||• Clicking candid pictures of their S/O to capture the special moments.

🍁 DAY 15 : Childhood, Nostalgia •||• "I love you. It's always going to be you."

🍁 DAY 16 : Cooking, Baking •||• Pretending to date each other to get out of a situation.

🍁 DAY 17 : Picnic •||• "That's all I really need. Some time with just you."

🍁 DAY 18 : Cuddle, Snuggle •||• Taking care of the other when they're sick or feeling low.

🍁 DAY 19 : Museum, Library •||• Picturing a future together even though they know it might never be true.

🍁 DAY 20 : Blue •||• " Are you saying that there's hope? Maybe in the future-" "No."

🍁 DAY 21 : Love, Kiss •||• Sending love letters to the other.

🍁 DAY 22 : Friends, Friendship •||• "It feels like I've known you forever."

🍁 DAY 23 : Fall •||• "I'm seeing someone."

🍁 DAY 24 : Serene •||• "Guess all those romance novel paid off after all, huh?"

🍁 DAY 25 : Secret, Surprise •||• "Is that my shirt?"

🍁 DAY 26 : Chocolate •||• Predicting the other's words or moves.

🍁 DAY 27 : Sunset •||• "Why did I know you would say that?"

🍁 DAY 28 : Wedding •||• "I always knew you would get together someday. What took you two so long?"

🍁 DAY 29 : rêveur, rêveuse •||• " You are all I could ever ask for."

🍁 DAY 30 : Home, Heart •||• "I'm here for you. Always."

**{Credit for most of the dialogue prompts goes to this blog~ @youneedsomeprompts}**

Have fun creating!

#choices stories you play #choices #choices monthly challenge #choicesmonthlychallenge #choicesseptemberchallenge2023 #choices september challenge 2023 #writing prompt #dialogue prompt #fic prompt #prompt challenge #word prompt

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nancypullen · 10 months ago

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Good Day

Yesterday was fun...actually FUN! The mister was making some noise about starting a project that's been on the table for a while. You see, this house was born without windowsills. It's tragic. I've never lived in a home without windowsills. Where the heck are you supposed to put little herb pots or cute holiday knickknacks? Where are cats supposed to sit while they watch birds?

I'm sure the original builders saved money, but it's cramping my style. Mickey has assured me that it's easy enough to cut, paint, and install sills. SO that's what he plans to do. Personally, I think we should start in a room no one sees, like his office. He plans to start in the living room and kitchen...

If the end result is windowsills that I can enjoy, I will be forever grateful.

I think you can buy actual windowsills and just slide/glue them in place, but of course our windows are not standard sized - that would be too easy. To make a long story even longer - this post has nothing to do with our windows. Mickey told me that he was going to drive into Dover (about 40 minutes) to shop at the Lowe's there. He encouraged me to go with him and I made every excuse in the world not to go - I had chores to do at home, I needed to do a big grocery shop, I'd just spend money there that I don't need to spend, etc. Then he said the five words that had me in my shoes and out the door in a flash, "Dover has a Home Goods." He suggested dropping me at Home Goods while he did his lumber shopping. Girls, that was the golden ticket. I've been in many, many Home Goods stores. MANY. If I see one, I usually stop. I have left money in Home Goods in various states and cities without a regret. So when I say that the Home Goods in Dover, Delaware is the best I've ever seen, believe me. If there is a heaven, I'm pretty sure I just got a glimpse of what it's like. I could have spent an entire day and a thousand dollars. Because I am frugal I kept it to $35, but I'm very happy with my haul. I tried to be mindful and not get swept away in the massive and beautiful Halloween section but I did end up with one gorgeous crow and a single, glittery pumpkin in my cart. I mean...who could resist?

That wooden cake pedestal was purchased as well. It will be part of a fall centerpiece for the table - isn't it lovely?

I grabbed a pack of napkins from their endless selection and have already used them to transform a dollar store pumpkin.

Now that she's dry I'll add some burlap ribbon and lace.

September is off to a good start. I mentioned a crow. I can't resist a good crow. The one at Home Goods had been looking for me. He's perfect for a project. You see, a few weeks ago I picked up four chunky candlesticks at an auction for just $2. I knew that I'd want to turn them into something else, so this is what I'm starting with..

I'm going to chalk paint them ivory and distress them so a bit of that dark wood shows through. That dollar store stack of pumpkins will be painted in more muted colors, and maybe I'll add a wide burlap ribbon somewhere. How fun is that?? One simple trip to Home Goods has resulted in several craft projects to keep me happy. That's a win. I did buy a few practical things as well, like these adorable reusable straws. Pink with gold crowns!

I use straws every morning when I drink my protein shake. The grandgirl uses straws when she's here as well. I usually buy boxes of pretty floral straws, but these are just as cute and can be popped into the dishwasher. I love having a list of artsy things on my to-do list, and autumn is my favorite time for that, probably because the stuff is just so much fun to make. My last clay ghost is ready for paint and I'll start him today. I'm giddy over that. He's the one who will be a patchwork quilt. I thought I was being so original, and had even dreamed up a book about him. When I did a quick Google search to make sure nothing similar existed, I realized I'm a couple years too late - but doesn't this story sound delightful? Much better than mine.

"His parents are both sheets...his grandmother was a lace curtain..." I love that so much. All the more reason to enjoy painting my little ghost. Anyway, after my $35 Home Goods spree (I regret not buying the Halloween bedsheets) Mickey suggested we grab lunch. If there's one thing I enjoy almost as much as Home Goods, it's going out for lunch. Nothing fancy, we just popped into Qdoba where you can build a semi-healthy, spicy bowl. And, as if the day wasn't splendid enough, when we finally pointed the car toward home we went through a Starbucks drive-thru for a yummy drink. You guys, I felt like I'd been let out of prison after being wrongfully convicted. Home Goods, lunch, and Starbucks - what a fun day! At the moment I have laundry chugging and another load to go in after that one. I should probably dust, and clean windows...but the odds are very good that I will be painting and crafting today instead. It's a holiday, I'm allowed. Alright, time to start painting candlesticks, so this is where I'll sign off. Sending out loads of love, encouragement, and the hope that this new month brings happiness to our doorsteps. While we're waiting, we might as well create a little of our own.

Stay safe, stay well. XOXO, Nancy

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purplesurveys · 6 months ago

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1953

Which flower is your favorite? Peonies! It's been my favorite for a while and I don't think it'd still change as I'm not much into plants and flowers to begin with.

Have you ever picked wild flowers? No. The only thing I've ever plucked out are weeds LOL at home.

Have you ever walked through a forest? Hmm, I dunno - does hiking a forest-y mountain count? I've climbed two mountains, both of which get super deep in the forest.

Do you enjoy walking through nature parks? I wish I can answer this but we don't even have any here. I feel like I would enjoy them, but probably just in moderation - being in nature isn't really my top favorite activity.

What was the last wild animal you saw? Can't even remember...I live in the city, so all I see are birds, dogs, and cats.

Have you ever seen a mountain in person? Yes, many of them and many times.

Do you prefer jam or butter on your biscuits? Butter. I don't like fruits so I've never sought out jam.

Have you ever explored somewhere abandoned? I probably have but nothing comes to mind. It's definitely not a hobby of mine, though.

Where is the last place you went to as a tourist? Vietnam. I was in Da Nang before we flew back to Manila - the literal last spot I visited before we headed to the airport was this quaint little cafe just right outside our Airbnb. It was al fresco, there were lots of trees with their branches swaying ever so gently, I was surrounded by a mix of locals and fellow tourists who were also out on their own, and everything just...felt nice. It was the perfect peaceful vibe to wrap up a really fulfilling trip.

What country do you most want to travel to? I'd love to go back to South Korea but this time to explore Seoul, because I was in Jeju the first time.

Do you have any plants in your home? We do, but it's my mom who owns and maintains them.

Do you have a garden? Just a very small one in front of our house.

Do you prefer to read in bed or in a chair? Chair. I'd fall asleep if I read in bed, lol.

What is the last book you read? It's a book on Philippine artifacts. I haven't touched it since September-ish, but I plan on coming back to it once we have our holiday shutdown which starts this weekend.

Do you prefer tea or coffee? Coffee.

How do you take your tea or coffee? My favorite coffees are caramel macchiato and Spanish latte – so, really, I like my drinks on the sweet side. Whole milk takes my tummy through hell and back so I like to sub it with either oat or almond milk.

Do you have any pets? If yes, what are their names? If no, do you want any pets? I have three and they are my world :) Their names are Cooper, Agi, and Max. We also previously had Kimi, Arlee, and Miki.

In the last 7 days, my sister and I have also been looking out for and feeding a pregnant stray that's been roaming the neighborhood - we call her Mama Cat. She started bringing another cat by like Day 3 lol so he can eat too, and we're suspecting he's the dad so we've called him Dada Cat haha.

Have you ever kept a physical, hand-written journal? I have, but I was always terrible at maintaining them.

Have you ever caught a butterfly in your hands? Nope.

What style house do you want to own? Modern and minimalist. I'd be perfectly happy with a house that looks like this:

Do you enjoy long car rides or long walks? Either is pleasant as long as the scenery and vibe is pleasant. I wish I could walk more but I live in the most walk-unfriendly country ever.

What is in the drawer nearest you? Just my home clothes and some knickknacks I hoard in case I need them one of these days.

Would you rather swim in a lake, a river, or the ocean? I'd like to try swimming in a lake - it seems so peaceful.

Are there any interesting landmarks where you live? Nah it's pretty uneventful here and Metro Manila as a whole. Tourists are much better off in the provinces where we'd have so much more to offer, food- culture- and destination-wise.

What is the last thing you took a picture of that wasn’t yourself? The dogs.

Would you rather play in the snow or the rain? Snow.

What is the last thing you cooked? I can't cook, heh.

What is your favorite fruit and vegetable? For fruits I like avocado...and tbh just avocado; I hate fruits. Veggies - I like broccoli, eggplant, asparagus, and green beans.

Do you like to drink or snack on anything while you study or read? Nooooooo I avoid eating when I work, lol. I tend to enjoy the food so much that it ends up distracting me, and I'll take more bites than do the work that I need to be doing.

What is the last piece of jewelry that you wore? Not sure. Maybe a necklace? I don't usually wear jewelry.

Have you ever pressed flowers or leaves into a book? I don't think so, no.

What do you usually order at a cafe, if anything? Spanish latte is consistently in menus so that's my safest bet.

Do you prefer studying at home, at school, or somewhere else? I usually work at home but for a change of scenery I'll sometimes go to a coffee shop.

Have you ever found a four-leaf clover? I don't think I'd ever find one here.

Are you more of a day or night person? Night.

If you could live in a fictional world, which would it be? San Junipero.

What are three things that you always carry with you when you leave home? Phone, at least 1 ID, a hair tie. Very unique!

What did you do the last time you hung out with your best friend? We went to the UP bonfire because we won the championships at men's basketball!!!!!!!!!! :D It's only the fourth time it's happened since 1940 so DUH we made sure not to miss out. Such a sweet bonus that Eraserheads happened to have a surprise performance, too. They hadn't performed on campus since 1999 so it was extra special...I never thought I'd see them in my lifetime so I was definitely on cloud nine then.

Which type of muffin is your favorite? Chocolate.

What color is the sky right now where you are? Very dark blue.

Have you ever taken an art class? Not voluntarily.

When is the last time you tried a food completely new to you, and what was it? This fancy ass overpriced siomai at this fancy ass restaurant where I met up with Leah. 500 pesos for four pieces of dumplings I could have gotten LITERALLY 20x cheaper at some sidewalk food stall hah. But I wasn't paying so I didn't feel too violated lmao

Do you believe there is an answer for everything? In theory, yes. We're not always guaranteed the answers we're looking for, though.

Are there any smells, tastes, or sounds that you associate with childhood? There's this sweet nutty scent that'd always be at my mom's bank whenever she'd take me there as a kid. It was the only place I smelled that smell so it stands out quite strongly in my memories.

Would you rather live in a coastal town or a town closer to the forest? Coastal town. How lovely would that be?

What sounds, smells, and tastes do you associate with your favorite season? I don't have a favorite season.

When is the last time you spent all day in bed? On my literal bed, maybe 4 years ago when I was still rotting away from my breakup? I do spend time on the couch quite often though.

When is the last time you went for a walk? Wednesday.

What do you like to put on your toast? Scrambled eggs.

Would you rather watch the clouds or look at the stars? Either sounds lovely, but I like the stars just a little bit more.

What smells are your favorite? Seafood is definitely up there.

What is your favorite shade of blue? Indigo.

Do you like to make to-do lists? Definitely, especially at work. My daily to-do lists are my lifeline.

Do you prefer iced tea or hot tea? Iced coffee or hot coffee? Iced for both.

What is your ethnic background? Filipino.

What is your favorite animal on the merry-go-round? Idk I've only seen horses on them? Haha.

What can you hear around you right now? Just the aircon running and I also have an old Jungkook live playing in the background.

What was in your last sandwich and what bread did you use? It was uhhhhh just your good ol Zinger from KFC hahaha.

Have you ever been camping? Nope.

What are you currently listening to? JK :)

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ash-and-books · 10 months ago

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Rating: 1/5

Book Blurb:

Exes. Professional rivals. Just one bed. What could go wrong?

All Jessica has ever wanted is her own happily ever after. But until that happens, she spends her days as a small-time romance writer, penning satisfying Happily Ever Afters to soothe the heartache left by her ex-boyfriend Nick—also a romance writer and now her biggest rival—who has found success writing love stories without happy endings. It’s what he’s good at, after all . . .

So when their professional obligations bring them to a remote inn a few days before Christmas, they’re a little more than peeved, especially when they get trapped sharing a room in a snowstorm. But what’s more fitting for two romantic writers in a slump? Realizing the friction between them might be the only cure for their writer’s block, they decide to turn their frustration into fiction . . . and the pages start flying. But will Jess’s heart soar, too? Nick is the last guy on earth she should love . . . but what if he is really all she wants for Christmas?

Review:

Exes who are both romance authors and forced to face each other again five years after their breakup in which one of them has to award the other one at a ceremony??? While also being trapped at a holiday inn sharing one room... what could go wrong? Jessica loves Christmas... except for the one Christmas in which her ex Nick dumped her right during Christmas. Nick and Jess are both romance authors (except all of Nick's books dont have happily ever after endings) and now that Nick is the more successful author and they share the same publisher, Jess is forced to be the one to give him the award at the company ball. Nick and Jess have not spoken or seen each other over the five years they've broken up. Nick hates Christmas, he also can't seem to write a happy ending for his books.... and he's still very much in love with Jess and absolutely regrets dumping her. Now that he finds out that she's going to be the one giving him the award.... and that she's in need of a room to stay in since her room was cancelled, it'd be the perfect opportunity for him to get a second chance with her... if she could forgive him. Trapped together sharing one bed, Nick and Jess will have to finally face the reason Nick dumped her all those years ago out of the blue and why she should give him a second chance. When I tell you I couldn't stand Nick, I mean it. The whole "reason" for the break up felt shallow and honestly I wouldn't have gotten back with him at all. The fact that Jess, someone who never heard an apology, a single reason or call from Nick all those five years, in which he "regretted" dumping her out of nowhere should be a clear enough indicator to sleep in the lobby rather than be anywhere near him. The fact that she caves in under 5 seconds and then within like a day or two is immediately back in her feels for him?? Yeah no thank you. I love second chances when they are done right and this one just didn't feel any way earned at all. Just like the book says, these two characters are not the iconic romantic couple Nick and Jess from New Girl, because at least the second chance romance felt earned there and actually worked. This one just didn't connect with me at all and I honestly didn't care for their second chance at all. If you like quick second chance romances then I'd say give this a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

Release Date: September 24,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

#book review #bookish #book #all i want is you

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triviareads · 10 months ago

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ARC Review of A Jingle Bell Mingle by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy

Rating: 4/5 Heat Level: 4/5 Publication Date: September 24th

Premise:

Adult film actress Sunny agrees to live with ex-boybander-slash-prior-hookup Isaac Kelly in his spare bedroom so she can work on the script for her new romantic holiday movie.

My review:

A Jingle Bell Mingle was a super sexy, super touching (ha, see what I did there) raunch-com, and the perfect way to wrap up the Christmas Notch series. We've been edged by Sunny and Isaac ever since they had an off-page threesome with another pornstar (It's what Isaac's dead wife would have wanted, okay?), and I was excited to see them pick up where they left off, even with a two-year gap.

Yes, this book does start with an early bang, and I do appreciate it not only because I love an early sex scene, but also because I love when couples don't necessarily need a lot of build-up before sex, but they have ways to go before they can actually be in a functional relationship— It feels very contemporary.

So Sunny moves in temporarily to work on her holiday movie script, and gets it in her head that the only way for Isaac to regain his creative muse is.... dates. With other people. What follows is a hilarious sequence of dates including a hot mechanic, hot librarians, and a hot catty pornstar from That threesome (Isaac and Sunny are both bisexual). Obviously they're all disasters.

Also, I LOVE Sunny; she's bubbly and quite fearless, but she also has some very real insecurities where Isaac is concerned, particularly when it comes to the emotional aspect of their relationship. She also has ADHD and you see these moments of hyperfixation throughout the book, my favorite being the mystery of the mailman, WWII soldier, and his wife, and whatever they were up to back in the day.......

As for Isaac, if you're a fan of a sadboi hero, he's your man. Isaac is.... tragic, to say the least but like, in a hot way because who doesn't love a hot tragic widower? He was also celibate for two years, between the first time him and Sunny hooked up and the present which, again, HOT.

Here's where it gets less hot but packs an emotional punch: Isaac isn't over the passing of his first wife. At all. And at first, it's sweet and sometimes even funny how dramatic and overwrought he gets at times. Then you see the extent of his unhealthy coping mechanisms, namely shutting everyone out to grieve alone, and making Sunny feel reduced to a body rather than someone he can have an emotional connection with. I really appreciate how this book deconstructs that thing romance heroes are prone to doing, where they're convinced they only have one great love of their life, and they're gone now so he can never love again. A lot of romance novels have that development off-page or kind of brush over it so it can get to the happily-ever-after, but not here. Isaac is forced to confront this not only with Sunny, but also his boyband friends/former Christmas Notch heroes.

The sex:

Isaac and Sunny are down-and-ready, anytime, anywhere kind of couple, so obviously they're a fan of a quickie (see: their first time on-page), and public sex because they just can't wait (which is how Sunny ends up shoving fistfuls of cash into a photo booth while Isaac has a hand up her skirt and rips her tights). Isaac does have a bit of a STERN edge but I'd say it's less bossy and more dirty and desperate, plus loads of dirty talk.

I also like how Sunny is never super hung-up on her body as a plus-sized woman, but there's still that moment of genuine awe when Isaac picks her up and drops her on the counter of a public bathroom (another one of their more public encounters lol), and that felt so real to me.

Also, we do get the rare contemporary romance butt stuff, and it does go both ways :D ft. the return of the gingerbread-scented lotion (iykyk).

Overall:

What I love about the Christmas Notch books is that they're genuinely funny (not all romances billed as romcoms are, in my opinion), and they're sexy, sex-positive, AND body positive in a way I rarely see in traditionally published romance novels. A Jingle Bell Mingle was no different and I'd strongly recommend it to any romcom fan.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

#arc #arc review #netgalley #sierra simone #julie murphy #contemporary romance #avon books #romance novels #book review

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ashleywool · 11 months ago

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72 hours until my in-person callback

...with the neuroendocrine surgeon! 😜

Confirmed: there is a lesion on my pituitary gland which may be either a pituitary adenoma, a Rathke's cleft cyst that's behaving like a pituitary adenoma, or both. Whatever you wanna call it, it seems to be the source of all this crap, and surgery will be the next step.

I am SO grateful to the scheduling team for following through on their promise to call me the second a cancellation came up so I wouldn't have to wait until mid-September. I can't wait to SKIP off the subway into the UES on Tuesday morning (if not physically, then spiritually). I can't wait to MAYBE HOPEFULLY have surgery scheduled by this time next week, to get this stupid tumor thing off my pituitary gland for good.

I'm starting to feel some sadness about the prospect of leaving this apartment. This second-story walkup studio, the first lease I ever signed. This apartment was my dream for so long. For a whole year, I got to live that dream--and for half of that year, I even got to pay for it myself.

It's weird, as a person who believes in disability pride and abhors capitalism, that my two primary goals right now are (1) obtain this surgery so that I can become healthier, (e.g., less disabled), and (2) in doing so, obtain the ability to work as hard as I can, so I will have a shot at attaining financial independence again, and maybe even retaining it this time.

But no. That's not it. What I want is to feel better, so I can do more things that I love, and earn enough of my keep to have my needs met and be able to give back to the world in a meaningful way.

I want to work because there are so many things I enjoy working at. I want to make money because participating in capitalism is the only way to ultimately free yourself from its trappings and help others do the same.

And also, I want to sing and dance and roller skate and walk in the woods and read all the books and pet all the cats and bake cookies from scratch and engage in all the niche fandom content and visit my family and friends whenever I want and host them for holidays without worrying about whether or not I'll have the energy.

Tuesday will bring me one step closer to all of that. Thank God. God is still good.

Just over 71 hours.

#brain #neurodivergent #cushings disease #cushing syndrome #endocrine system #endocrinology

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coffeeconfess · 1 year ago

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holy moly it's been a hot minute since I've posted. I considered deactivating this acc since I graduated in September but I'm starting uni in February so knowing me I'll find someone to replace 🍯 and 🐕 pretty quickly. I'm gonna give a quick recap of the last couple months since I don't really have anyone else to talk to.

On my last day I handed out a couple letters to teachers that I was going to miss, and that obviously included 🍯 and 🐕. 🍯 ended up sending me an incredibly sweet text in response that made me tear up. I'm a little worried about how 🐕 responded to his letter since it was incredibly close to just straight out telling him I love him. I know how everyone else responded since my friend who's still at the school told me, but he didn't say anything about it. I'll probably be visiting the school sometime this year since there's a project they were working on that I helped with but didn't get to see so I'm hoping I didn't make things weird.

It wasn't too bad being out of school to start off with, I had a bunch of free time and eventually I got a holiday job, but it's gotten lonelier and lonelier. I miss being asked about my weekends and what movies I've watched and what books I'm reading. I miss having a mentor. I miss having adults who cared about me and my mental wellbeing. I'm an adult now, but I still feel like a fucked up little girl who just needs a hug and someone to watch cartoons with. My home life is a complete fucking mess right now and school was the closest thing I had to stability and it feels like the ground has collapsed beneath me. Maybe once I start uni I'll regain that sense of stability I had, maybe I'll be happier since I'll be with like minded people, but I'm not good with change. I miss being looked after. And god, I miss them.

I don't know what my feelings towards them were. I can't tell if it was love or infactuation or something else entirely. But I just can't stop replaying memories in my head and thinking about how much I miss them. I'd do anything just for a hug. Maybe that'd give me some form of closure.

#male teacher crush #male teacher x female student #teacher crush #age gap crush #tc community #tc feelings #unrequited crush #teacher crush community #student x teacher #tcc feelings

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resilient-carrot · 9 months ago

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On Turning 26

I was so excited to turn 25. It felt like the whole world was changing right before my eyes. I was convinced that the morning of September 27th I would wake up and feel like everything made sense. The world would stop feeling so out of control everywhere I looked. (I know that feeling never goes away. I was so hopelessly optimistic).

I spent my 25th birthday sicker than a dog. I took a few COVID tests that all came back negative, but I could NOT taste my birthday cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. I felt robbed. Those tests felt like huge liars. We had just moved into a rental property in Winter Garden that was incredibly dated. I was having a really hard time coping with the fact that 2023 was a year of painful change. I sold my home. We moved back to Florida. It was a hard.

We were doing the darn thing, though. Cam and I both had a lot of growing to do once we got through the move. We took it one day at a time and learned how to be these people that we found ourselves trying to settle into. It was uncomfortable, but we were doing it. All the while, I had some serious demons to face on my own.

I switched therapists in December of 2023 and upped my appointments back to weekly sessions. The last time I was in weekly sessions, I was in survival mode. We were trying to keep me here to fight for another day. This time, I wanted the weekly sessions to not be for survival, but for healing.

"Little Ashley", as my therapist and I call her, needed some grace and love. I had spent little to no time in previous sessions working on healing the trauma of my childhood. Those age-old scars on my soul were still raw, still begging to be paid attention to.

I never gave those scars a chance. I never looked at the pain and confronted it. I think those scars could easily have become faded and unnoticeable had I simply let the pain in. I just... couldn't. The survival skill was to push it down, turn the other way. If you don't look at it, it doesn't exist.

So January 2024 comes around and I meet my new therapist. I also get in to see a psychiatrist. I get the official diagnosis of GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) and some sort of mixed depressive disorder. Previously, I had a counselor unofficially diagnose. The official diagnosis led to me getting the real help that I needed medically to become stable. The psych read me like a book in one session. We discussed my care plan, and off I was. It was time to do the dirty work with my therapist that I had been putting off for so long.

I cried more sessions than not. I cried a lot. Which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. I am a crier, through and through. Every session with my new therapist has been hard. Every. Single. One. However, each and every session I walk out feeling a little bit stronger (Sara Evans really killed it with that song).

I lost my final form of communication with my mom. For all these years, I have kept her at an arm's distance. I've checked in on her, wished her happy holidays, and kept tabs on my middle siblings, Kyle and Adrien. She cut me off this Spring. She tried to tell me that everything I have written about, the stories I have shared, they are all a lie. I had it all wrong, she insisted. She wanted to sit down and set the story straight. She blocked me. I couldn't believe it. I still can't, honestly. I had a session with my therapist a few days later. She reminded me that I wouldn't be sobbing over these tales of treachery if they weren't real. I wouldn't be working so hard to heal my heart. So, I had to continue trekking forward. Mom was out of the picture now. Nothing really changed, anyway. We spoke so rarely.

I then had to confront the narcissist in my life. It all but killed me. I tried so hard to tell them that I wanted a relationship. I just had some conditions. I needed to be respected, and I had a whole list of how that could be accomplished. I was honest, I was vulnerable, and I was ignored. I kept getting interrupted and told that "none of those things had ever happened". The body shaming , the nasty remarks about my partner, the belittling... I had made it all up, apparently. I left before I could finish my speech.

Needless to say, 25 was a wild ride. I have never been more proud of myself, though. I feel like though my 25th birthday wasn't life-changing, the whole 25th year of my life was. I tackled some very difficult hurdles in my personal life, and my emotional stability only increased as a result.

I know that on September 27th, 2024, I will not wake up and feel this drastic change. I know that I will wake up and go to work just like I do any other Friday. I'll be surrounded by my students who I adore and my coworkers who I am so incredibly grateful for. I won't hear from my mom. I'll likely hear from the narcissist and not respond. I will, however, go home to an incredible partner and three fur babies who will demand pets. It'll be the start to a new chapter. A chapter that I hope holds so much growth and joy. I’m ready to continue this journey of healing and seek the joy in each day that comes my way.

#writing #mid twenties #author #women writers #my commentary #mental health #therapy #kindness

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libertyreads · 1 year ago

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Book Review #42 of 2024--

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay. Rating: 4 stars.

Read from July 4th to 6th.

Before I get into the bulk of my review, a quick thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at G.P. Putnam's Sons for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Holiday Honeymoon Switch follows Doppelgänger best friends Holly and Ivy who met at a Christmas party one year and are inseparable ever since. Nearly a decade later, Holly is left at the alter facing two unacceptable options: go on her honeymoon alone or spend two weeks with her icy parents trying to deal with everything. Her best friend Ivy comes up with a plan to switch holidays (Holly will go on Ivy's artist retreat while Ivy goes on Holly's honeymoon). Everything that happens afterward is a Rom-Com good time featuring two solid love stories. The Holiday Honeymoon Switch comes out on September 24th and is available for preorder now.

There was so much to enjoy with this one. The most prominent story element that sticks out to me is the friendship between Holly and Ivy. A lot of people say they are ride or die for each other, but with Holly and Ivy you know they mean it. They would do anything to help their B.F.F. Including swapping holidays (and other important plot related things I can't say). There's a little bit of suspending your disbelief with this one, but the characters felt so real and so well rounded with flaws and problems of their own. I was more than willing to go where the story wanted to take me. I felt like the romances felt so real despite the story taking place over such a short span of time. I can generally vibe with book relationships that happen quickly as long as the characters are acknowledging that this is "so weird and so crazy but feels so right" or something like that. I need them to let the reader know that they see how weird things could look from the outside but that something magical/wonderful is happening.

I do feel like one of the romances was easier to connect with than the other. I felt like I could root for Holly's romance more than I could Ivy's and I think it's because I didn't feel Ivy's emotional connection with her hero the way I did Holly's. I could connect with Holly's emotions more than I could with Ivy's. And maybe that's all down to really good writing of two different characters. Holly mentions multiple times that Ivy plays things a lot cooler than Holly does when it comes to romance.

Overall, this was such a fun and quick read for me. With real life being so time consuming lately, I don't remember the last time I read a book in three days. I think this one is going to go well for so many readers which makes me so happy. For the book's Christmassy rating, I would give this one three, maybe three and a half poinsettias. It doesn't get a higher Christmassy rating just because I don't love Christmas set in island/beach locations so it threw off the vibe for me a little bit.

#the holiday honeymoon switch #Julia McKay #books read in 2024 #2024 reading challenge #goodreads challenge #goodreads #booklr #bookblr #bookstagram #bookish #books #netgalley #G. P. Putnam's sons #g.p.putnam's sons #putnam

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lovelyleclercs · 3 years ago

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Bringing the Holidays Home to You- LN4

Lando Norris x Fem!Reader

->Canada gets hit with a huge snow storm, meaning that nobody could fly in or out, meaning you can't go home for the holidays like you always did. Lando finds a way to bring home to you for the holidays.

word count: 1422

warnings: Not proof read, probably super cheesy

A/N: I absolutely hate the way this turned out lol but here is a land fix, as promised.

As you looked out the window of your 5th floor office, you couldn’t help but think about how badly you wished you were back home in Canada, sitting on the couch with your nieces and nephews as you all sipped on some hot cocoa after building a snowman. It was a Christmas tradition- one that you had always done since your oldest niece, Taylor, was old enough to understand the concept of building a snowman.

Canada had gotten slammed with an intense snow storm, your hometown covered in around six feet of snow. It wasn’t unusual for Canada- snow storms were pretty common- but this was the first time that a snow storm would ruin your christmas.

Lando had agreed to finally go to Canada for Christmas this year, as the two of you had spent the previous two years in the UK with his family. As much as you loved spending the Holidays with the Norris family, you had missed your family back at home and couldn’t wait to go back.You had been anticipating this trip for nearly three months, booking the flight back in September once they had become available.

The trip had very quickly become even more important to you after finding out that you and Lando were expecting your first child back in early November- you planned on telling your entire family during this trip back home.

Lando had noticed how upset the cancellation of the flight made you. When you received the email late last night, you had completely shut down, not wanting to do anything at all for the rest of the night. He suggested watching a movie, setting up Christmas decor in your shared apartment, and even going down the road to your cookie shop for a late night cookie- but you were having no part of it.

The moment you had left for work that morning, Lando had decided he needed to do something, anything, to cheer you up. While there was no way he could get you home for the holidays, he was hoping that he just might be able to bring the holidays home to you.

Lando spent the entire day decorating the apartment from the kitchen, to the bathrooms, to even going as far as to decorate your home office, which you hardly ever used.

The kitchen was decorated with little gingerbread garland that he had found at the bottom of a tote, the garland being strung on the backsplash all around the kitchen. He had swapped the normal dishes out with the Christmas dishes, something he remembered you did every year. After that, he swapped the dish towels out with Christmas ones, as well as swapping all of the candles and soaps out with Christmas scented options.

After the kitchen was decorated to his liking, he moved to the bedroom. He had found a small tree hidden in the attic and set it up in the one empty corner of the bedroom. He changed the bed sheets out to the Christmas ones that had cute little snowmen on them. He strung up white christmas lights all around your room, knowing how much you loved cozy lighting- especially during the holidays.

Lando didn’t have much to decorate your office with, but he was able to find some random strands of tinsel, which he hung off of your desk as well as hanging some colored Christmas lights from the curtains.The bathroom took little time as all Lando had to do was change out the shower curtain and the soap scents, but he was proud of himself for being able to change the shower curtain without any help.

The final room was the living room. Lando spent nearly five hours decorating every corner of the living room. He started by putting the tree up first, which took up about an hour alone. He never expected putting together a tree would be so difficult alone. Once the tree was put together, he spent about 45 minutes decorating it, making sure that all of the tinsel and ornaments matched in color.

After the tree was finished, he turned towards the mantel, putting up a few christmas themed picture frames with photos of the two of you over the past couple of christmases as well as a new christmas frame with a photo from the first ultrasound the two of you had last week.

After putting up photos, Lando grabbed the two large stockings as well as the one small stocking off of the counter and hung all three of them up, putting the small stocking in the middle, his on the right, and yours on the left.

After hanging up a few strands of lights, putting out some sugar cookie scented candles, and turning on the fireplace, Lando sat down on the couch and waited for you to arrive home.

At just about 5pm, you opened the door to the apartment and dropped your purse on the counter as you slipped your shoes off. “What do you want for dinner, Lan?” you yelled from the kitchen, not even noticing the Christmas decorations.

Lando walked into the kitchen, a smile on his face as he approached you, placing a kiss on your cheek. “Hello my love, how was work?”

You shrugged, wrapping your arms around him as you rested your head on his shoulder. “It sucked. I hate my job, you know that”

“You could always quit, you know that. When the baby arrives, someone is going to have to take care of it”

“I can’t just expect you to pay for everything, Lan.”

Lando kissed you gently, his hands resting on your sides. “I want to take care of you and the baby. Imagine if you quit your job and brought the baby along to every race weekend… We wouldn’t have to spend so much time apart…”

“I’ll think about it, honey. Right now, the only thing I'm worried about is dinner. What do you want me to make?” you asked, looking into Lando’s eyes.

Lando laughed and looked at you. “You haven’t noticed, have you?”

“Noticed what?”

Lando pointed at all of the decorations in the kitchen. “I decorated while you were at work!”

You looked around the kitchen, noticing all of the Christmas decor that was placed out from garland, to dish towels, to hand soap. You couldn’t help but smile wide, feeling incredibly grateful for everything Lando had done. “Lan…”

Lando kissed your forehead and smiled “I know how much you wanted to go back home this christmas, but obviously mother nature had other plans, so I wanted to make sure that you felt as much at home for the holidays as possible.”

You teared up and pulled Lando into a tight hug, burying your face into his shoulder. “This is so sweet, Lan… thank you…”

Lando rubbed your back gently, a smile also forming on his face. “Come on my love, I want you to see the rest of the apartment!”

You wiped away your tears and took his hand, following him to the living room. As you looked around, you saw how well he decorated the tree, feeling relieved that he was able to decorate it the way you liked it. When you looked over at the mantle, you smiled and teared up once more. “You got the baby a stocking and a frame? That’s so sweet…”

“Well it is technically their first christmas, they need to be included too!”

You smiled and wiped your tears away before walking past the bathroom with him, noticing how he changed the shower curtain by himself- something he’s never been able to do before. “Great job on the curtain honey”

“Thanks! But wait until you see the cute christmas bedding I bought for our bed!!” he said as he pulled you into the bedroom.

You looked around the entire room, noticing the small christmas tree tucked in the corner, the warm string lights, and the cute little snowmen bedding. “Lan, this is all so cute and cozy, I love it!”

“Good, I’m glad you love it because tonight we are going to cuddle in bed and watch a christmas movie together while we drink hot cocoa and eat some pizza”

You smiled and wrapped your arms around Lando’s neck. “Thank you so much for this, Lando. All of this means so much.. More than I think you even realize.”

Lando kissed your cheek gently and smiled “no need to thank me. Now get into bed, i’ll go make us hot chocolate”

#lando norris #lando norris imagine #lando norris fanfic #lovelyleclercschristmas #formula 1 fanfic #f1 fanfic #formula 1 pov #f1 imagine #f1 pov #formula one fanfiction #lovelyleclercs christmas

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lightning-storm-studies · 2 years ago

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No-stress Summer Learning Challenge 🌞

Where did the idea of the no-stress summer learning challenge come from 🤔?

I see do many posts about summer studying, that it makes me worried. People spend their time studying during summer holidays, already preparing for the upcoming semester/school year. It's your free time and, as someone, who already has a full-time job (and is trying to finish her thesis to get a master's degree), I can tell you, that you probably won't have that much free time in the summer once you start working. Yes, it's sad and unfair, but unfortunately, it's real 🙁. So please, take your time, use it for something else, than worrying about exams, preparing for school and getting stressed and burnt out before school even starts. Don't waste your energy sitting in front of your PC/laptop, or with a course book, learing stuff by heart, while the sun ☀️ is shining outside, children are playing and other people are going out with their friends and families. And if you already work full-time, but also are still a student, don't use whatever free time you have on summer to study even more. Unless you absolutely have to, of course (I'm in this kind of situation, I have to write my thesis during summer, because the deadline is in September), but even then, don't use all your time for schoolwork. Although I consider summer studying an unnecessary stress factor, there's a difference between studying and learning. Studying is for school, learning is for yourself 🙂. I'm not telling you to be lazy the whole summer, but to consider learning something, that doesn't include schoolwork. It may be related to what you're studying in college/at school, or it may be something totally different. It may be something about technology 🔌 (programming, robotics, electronics...), art 🎨 (drawing, painting, embroidery...), nature 🌱 (gardening, foraging, birdwatching...), music 🎶 (singing, playing an instrument, making electronic music...), foreign languages 🗺️, sports ⚽, cooking 🍲, baking 🍩, kintting 🧶, sewing 🪡... the list is endless. So, as an alternative to summer studying challenge, you can start a no-stress summer learning challenge.

The main rules 📑

The main purpose of this challenge is to find motivation to learn for yourself 😀 again, so no exams, no homework, no grades, just you and your goal .

You're free to choose what you're going to learn, based on your own passions, dreams and ambitions 😍, without worrying about other people's judgement and expectations.

It's supposed to be stress free 😌, so there are no fixed schedules or deadlines. It's up to you to plan your learning and decide, how long it's going to take you.

To stay focused, please choose one topic and stick to it. It doesn't mean, you can't learn anything else. Actually you should, because staying concentrated on one thing for too long can make you burn out quickly, but have one main goal 😎.

Remember to take proper breaks 🥱. Learning all the time will only make you sterssed and tired. It's not school, so you don't need to worry about any fixed due date or preparing for a test.

Don't be too hard on yourself and remember that mistakes are a part of learning 😯, not a failure or shame.

Preparing for the challenge and completing it 📚

Think about, what do you want to learn this summer. It doesn't have to be very specific at this stage. For example, it can be something like "I want to learn about cats 🐈", or "I want to learn to draw 🖼️", or "I want to learn about tea 🫖".

When you know, what you want to learn, do your research, to be able to set a more specific goal. Read about this topic, watch some videos, maybe try to find people, who have more knowledge about it, than you, and talk to them. Let the "I want to learn about cats" become "I want to learn proper cat care 😸", the "I want to learn to draw" become "I want to learn to draw manga 🎏" or the "I want to learn about tea" become "I want to learn, how to brew various kinds of tea 🍵".

You've done the research, so now it's time to find your "why", because to stay motivated, you need to remember that you're doing it for a reason and that this knowledge is useful. The "I want to learn proper cat care" becomes "I want to learn proper cat care to make my cats healthier and happier 😻", the "I want to learn to draw manga" becomes "I want to learn to draw manga, because I'm interested in art and Japanese culture 🌸" and the "I want to learn, how to brew various kinds of tea" becomes "I want to learn, how to brew various kinds of tea, because I like tea and I want to make it even better 🍃".

Once you find your motivation, look for the learning resources 💻. It can be an online course, internet articles, scientific papers, books, YouTube videos, TikTok videos... whatever, depends on what you're going to learn. You can also contact someone, who is na expert in what you're learning, and ask them for help. While learning from blogs, videos, etc., remember to check the sources, to make sure the person, who created this content, knows what they're talking/writing about.

When you know your resources, plan the whole thing ahead 📝, considering your other summer plans (like traveling or going out with friends), to make sure, that you have enough time for learning and that the time you're going to spend working towards your goal is fairly evenly distributed to avoid stress and burnout, but remember to make your schedule flexible, so you don't have to worry about learning at a fixed time. Again, it's not school.

You've planned everything, now set reminders in your phone 📱 and/or write it down in a planner 📔 or on some post-it notes 📄... whatever works best for you to remember about your goal and the time you've decided to spend learning.

To minimize the risk od procrastination, divide the tasks into smaller tasks. You can write to-do lists ☑️ (either digital, or on paper), so you can see your progress and know exactly, what needs to be done.

To avoid getting burnt out 🤯, step away from what you're learning once in a while. Don't overwork yourself, you're not preparing for an exam.

To ensure you have enough energy ⚡, take care of your health, both physical and mental. Take breaks, sleep long enough 😴, go out with your friends, stay hydrated 💧, exercise 🏃🏻‍♀️, spend some time in nature 🌲.

Last, but not least: remember to post regular updates about your progress on your blog. It can be every day, every three days, once a week... you decide. It can include photos, but doesn't have to. Just make it regular and tag it with "no-stress summer learning challenge" or "no-sslc" 😊.

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