#I need to finish Gabriel and Eva

[fernsensei]

i forgor to post this

original pic vvvv

[eva-knits12]

Guys Night.

Trigger warning: breakup (not you and Cole), family, fluff

Summary: Your brother comes to visit, but has some sad, but shocking news.

I was in the staff room having my lunch that Cole packed for me, when my phone rings.

"Hello," I answer.

"Eva, it's Joey," says my younger brother Joey.

"My marriage, it's...it's...it's over," says a devasted Joey.

Joey worked in a doctor's office as a nurse. I was a teacher. I have a master's degree in education, a first for anyone in my family. I could have taken the job that was offered to me at a prestigious private school in the Detroit area, but I took a job in a small rural town right outside of Detroit. It didn't pay as much as that prestigious private school, but it was nice. I liked the people, I liked the staff, and I liked the parents. In fact, I made more than most of my colleagues. The principal of the school loved the fact that I had a high degree in my chosen field.

I met Cole when my car got a flat tire, making me late as I already was. Luckily, it was Monday. I had kept my car for as long as I did because it was cheap, it was reliable, and it rarely needed a repair. Cole saw me on the side of the road, trying to change the tire in my good work clothes.

"Need help ma'am?" asked a man, who was dressed ruggedly, and even looked it.

"Yes. Flat tire, and I'm running late. I have school," I say.

"Here, let me. I don't think you should ruin your nice clothes changing a tire. Grease stains are murder to get out," says Cole.

"Thanks, um, what's your name?" I ask.

"I'm Cole. Cole Turner. I live at the farm up the road," says Cole.

"I'm Eva. Eva Dromgoole. I teach at the elementary school, third grade," I respond.

"I'd love to take you out to dinner sometime," says Cole.

"I'd love that," I ask.

Cole gives me his number, and I give him mine.

"I want to properly thank you for the tire change," I ask.

"It's no problem, ma'am. Anything to help out a lady," says Cole.

My heart skips a beat. I didn't even realize that Cole was going to be my husband. With his last relationship with a government assassin, I think a relationship with a teacher was a welcome change.

Later that week, I take the kids on their field trip to the farm. I'm dressed in tennis shoes, a hoodie, and jeans. I have no makeup on, and the kids are going to learn about how plants grow and how certain plants grow things like strawberries, nuts, vegetables, and various other foods. I see Cole when we get off the bus. Plus, the students will get to plant potatoes, and we go back at the end of the year to see how they're growing.

"Well, if it isn't Eva, the tire lady," says Cole.

"Hi, Cole. Still on for Friday night?" I ask.

"Yes, I can't wait to take this lovely teacher out," says Cole.

"Ooooooooo, Miss Eva likes the farmer," says the class.

"Okay, guys. Simmer down. Let's learn about plants!" I say.

Cole proceeds to teach the kids about plants, and how we can grow food from plants.

Three years later, I look at the citrine and diamond ring on my left hand that looks like a flower. Cole proposed on my birthday, and right now, with the wedding planning, the school extending the year until Christmas Eve, and then until late June, it doesn't feel like it's a good time.

Now, my brother has just sprung his split on me. I get a call from my parents.

"Hello," I ask.

"Eva, it's dad. Did you just get a call from Joey?" my dad asks.

"Yes. all I know is that his marriage is over. I didn't ask why," I ask.

"Good," says my dad.

My dad and I talk for a while, and I go back to finishing my lunch. I shut my phone off. It can wait until I come home. I need to get back to my classroom.

"Yes, mom. I really need to get back to my classroom. The kids should be coming in from recess right now," I say.

I go back to the classroom. I finish up with my lessons, and then it's my turn to make sure that all the kids get on their bus, or get picked up. The principal helping me handle pickup, along with Jenson, the P.E. teacher. It's our job to make sure that the kids are going where they're supposed to go.

After, I turn on my phone, and check it, and there's a message.

"Eva, your mom keeps calling me, since she can't get a hold of you. Call me back, I think your parents might be coming over," says Cole. It's not Cole's normal voice, I can tell. Cole's anxiety was rising. He had no idea that my brother's impending divorce would make my mom try to get any gossip out of me. She has a knack for doing this, since my mom is a gossip. She could put an Irish mammy and a yenta to shame!

I pack up for the day, and head home. I have already graded most of the papers in class, and I graded a most of them during our 20 minute reading time. Preparing for Friday's spelling test, and math quiz was going a lot better. The kids are so eager to learn, and since a lot of them help out on their farms, they use math and science regularly.

When I don't bring home papers to grade, Cole and I are busy wedding planning. We're having the reception at a local golf course that does private events, weddings, baby showers, birthdays, anniversaries, corporate events. After I get home, Cole and I are going to see the venue, and then Cole is going to cook dinner for all of us.

Hopefully, my parents arrive on the weekend, and not today. Just as I get to my car, and put my seatbelt on, my phone rings.

"Really? Dad, it's going to be dark by the time you guys get here. Cole and I are looking at the wedding venue we picked out. Tonight isn't a good time," I say.

I call Cole, and give him an update. Cole sounds surprised.

"Alright, I know it's last minute. This could have waited until the weekend," says Cole, exasperated. I could tell, because Cole usually doesn't like to have company over at the last minute. Cole and I prefer to be told in advance so we have time to prepare the guest room, and our home office which also functions as a guest room.

Cole's parents are also coming up today, and we're all going to see the venue. That's why we planned on going out to dinner, and his parents would be spending the night with us, and then heading out in the morning.

After I arrive home, I give Cole a kiss. I change into something less business casual, and Cole is talking to my brother on his phone.

"Okay, I'll set up a room for you, but it's going to be crowded with my parents, and all," says Cole.

"Hi, baby," says Cole.

"Ready to go? My parents are dying to see the venue," says Cole.

"Let me pee, and then we'll go," I say.

I go to the bathroom, and relieve myself. I grab my purse, and Cole helps me in his truck.

I greet his parents, and then it's off to the venue.

Cole, his parents and I look at the venue. It has everything we need, so we speak with the event planner. We're busy picking out the date, when my phone rings.

It's my parents. They want to know when they can see the venue.

"I'll take you guys tomorrow. We're just speaking with the event planner, nothing is definite. I haven't even started dress shopping," I say.

As soon as we have a date in mind, I'll start wedding dress shopping. We have a lot of planning to do as is. We haven't even decided on a menu and cake right now.

Cole, his parents, and I look at the venue. It's nice, bright, and the sunlight pours in. The ball room looks exquisite.

"We're setting up for a wedding this weekend," says the even planner.

The ball room is opened up to reveal that it goes towards the courtyard, where there's an amazing garden. The even planner shows us that.

"This place was renovated two years ago. We do weddings, birthday parties, corporate events, anniversaries, christenings, graduations, etc. We even have a Mother's day brunch and a Father's Day picnic," says the even planner.

Cole, his parents, and I take a look at the photos of things.

"My husband is the manager, and he's also a photographer. We have great rates," she says.

"I love this! I'll have to show my parents. I really don't want to set a date until my parents have a chance to see it, and then we can discuss a date," I say.

Cole, his parents, and I all head back. Cole's parents settle into the guest room, and my brother has just arrived. Cole has pulled out some ribs that he's going to cook in the oven, and we're going to have some steak fries with them, along with some corn on the cob.

My brother knocks on my door, looking defeated.

"Hi, Joey," I say.

My brother collapses in my arms, in tears.

"Oh, Joey, what a bitch!" I say.

I didn't need an interpreter to understand what Joey was saying.

I start to take Joey's bag, but Cole's dad stops me.

"Here, Joey. I'll take your bag to the office. It's already set up. Now, why don't you go wash up, and join us for dinner," says Larry.

"Joey, she's the one who's missing out. Who runs out on a marriage? All for a rich doctor," says Kathy, Cole's mother.

Joey washes up. As I'm getting my sweats on, and just wanting to finish grading these papers while dinner is being ready, the doorbell rings again. It's my parents. I put them in the office, and my brother moves into our living room.

Cole is fixing dinner, and I'm just getting done grading the papers. Luckily, it's all A's and B's, and the kids are doing so well this term, I will throw them a picnic on the last full day of school. I'll even let them play after they're done turning in their textbooks and cleaning out their desks. They've earned this!

"Have you started dress shopping yet?" asks my mom.

"No, we haven't even set a date yet. I'm up to my neck grading papers, and we're coming up on the end of the year, so I still have to get the final grades in," I say.

It's the last week of school. So, the next week is just going to be the taking the final tests, then cleaning everything out.

"I'll show you guys the venue this weekend. I don't want make any final plans until you've seen it. Plus, Cole and Joey can spend a guys night together after we've shown you," I tell my parents.

When the next few days pass, Cole and I show my parents the venue. There's no weddings for the next few days, so we have a few dates in mind. Cole, both of our parents, and I will go to the venue to set the date.

Later that day, Cole takes my brother out for a guys night. They go to his favorite Mexican cantina, and then they go to a nice bar down the street to just have a nice, relaxing night with some live music.

Meanwhile, my mom and Cole's mom, start our wedding dress shopping. I have a simple, white lace gown in mind.

I actually found the dress after what seems like a few days of searching. A simple white lace gown that has a V-neck with a nice, back that doesn't put everything on display.

Cole, his parents, my parents and I have all chosen a date. Joey is okay with the date. Joey would have come with us, but he needs a guys day with Cole. Plus, I would be going wedding dress shopping after the date was chosen. I didn't want Cole to even get ideas. Isn't it bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding? I'm including the wedding dress in this. I really want Cole to be surprised.

Our engagement photos will be done on the farm. The venue's manager/photographer has a child in my class, so as a teacher gift, he's doing our engagement photos. As a gift, the venue's event planner, is going to give us a huge discount as a teacher gift, seeing as how she's married to the venue's manager/photographer.

"How could she do this Cole? Wasn't I enough?" asks Joey.

"Joey, you were enough. Carly didn't see it that way. She had an affair with that oncologist that was treating her mother. While you were working and taking care of patients, she was busy doing her mother's oncologist," says Cole.

"Joey, it's for the best. She's shown you her true colors, and you believe them," says Cole.

Cole and Joey continue to drink their beers while watching the baseball game. I'm busy trying on the dress, and deciding on a bridesmaid's list. Once I have the list, I'll send my bridesmaids some ideas of bridesmaid's dresses.

I really want my bridesmaids to pick out a dress that they all like, and can all agree on.

It's only a year from now. So far, Cole and I have already booked the venue, and I picked out my wedding dress. Now, we just need to get the bridesmaids and the groomsmen in order. We also have to get wedding favors, and we also have to pick out invitations. We'll make a list, and tick off each one as it happens. So far, we've already ticked off the venue, and the wedding dress. Cole will pick out his suit.

Cole and Joey are enjoying themselves, while my future mother-in-law, my mom, and I decided to make a day out of everything. We had lunch at a nice little tea house, and I ask about bridal shower rates. They do host them, and it just seems so perfect and cozy. I want my bridal shower to be more personal and intimate. The rates are amazing, and it's cheaper than it would be if my mom and my future mother-in-law had it a big, fancy venue. There's just enough room for the girls.

Cole and Joey are having dinner at the Mexican cantina, then coming home. Joey is just worn out. My dad and my future father-in-law have joined Cole and my brother. My mom and my future mother-in-law eat dinner at a local Chinese place.

My future mother-in-law, my mom, and I all arrive home. Cole and Joey arrive home a few minutes later, my brother is completely out of it.

"Did he..." I start to ask.

"Yep, he'll have one hell of a hangover in the morning. He just needs to sleep it off," I say.

"I'll get a bucket, as a just in case," I say.

"Oh, geez. I thought his last breakup was bad," says my dad.

"Just be lucky that was an engagement," I say. I pull out some blankets, and we help my brother onto to the couch.

My dad Isn't exactly shocked by this, but my future mother-in-law is. As a devout Christian woman, she's never seen anyone drink their broken heart away.

"It's fine, Kathy. He'll feel it the morning. He just needs to feel the same way on the outside as he does on the inside," says Larry.

The night passes, and my brother wakes up feeling like he was hit by a Mack truck. He grabs the bucket and throws up until he's empty. He empties the bucket into the toilet.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh...." moans my brother. I hear him. Cole hears him.

"Here you go, buddy. Drink some of this. No cream or sugar, just black. This will help sober you up, okay," says Larry. Larry fixed the coffee and is already preparing breakfast.

"Larry, you don't have to prepare breakfast," I say. I'm showered, and I'm in my sweats. Cole is on the farm, checking on his plants.

"He's always loved his plants. He even had names for them when he was little. Also, our farm animals were all drawn to him," says Larry.

Kathy says that having a teacher in the family is such a breath of fresh air.

"Yes, I know his ex was a government assassin. Teaching is stable and it's rewarding," I say.

Cole comes in, takes off his work shirt, and washes his hands. He gives me a kiss, and he's starving.

"Smells good, dad," I say.

"OW! Why is it so bright in here?" says Joey.

"You drank a lot last night. You're hungover," I say.

"Ugh! Can you turn down the lights?" says Joey.

My parents wake up, and feel sorry for Joey.

"He's going to be sleeping this off for the rest of the day," my dad says.

My mom and my dad are sitting there, feeling helpless. Luckily, my brother doesn't have kids, so that's a plus.

Everyone gathers around our huge table, and eats breakfast. My brother only eats some sausage and some toast. He really needs to eat, so I also try to get him to eat some eggs, and some hashbrowns. My brother eats just a little bit.

"Joey, drinking your broken heart away isn't going to help," says my future mother-in-law.

"I have a niece, she's a good Christian girl," says Kathy.

"Kathy, I think my son needs to go through his divorce first, then maybe he'll consider dating at some point," says my mom.

The rest of the weekend is spent with everyone just relaxing and spending some time outside on our deck. We spend the night watching some movies. Cole and I are snuggling the entire time.

When everyone leaves, it feels like a weight has been lifted. We had no plans of everyone spending the weekend in the same place.

"Cole, I'm,.." I start to say.

"Baby, don't worry. This was going to happen," Cole says.

"Yeah, but the wedding talk was sort of crass," I say.

"There was nothing that could be done," says Cole.

"My parents and your parents wanted to see the venue, so we didn't have much of a choice. Plus, it was nice just to have a guy's day with your brother," says Cole.

"Yeah, and I got to get some things ticked off the list for the wedding," I say.

"Listen, next weekend, we just get to be lazy slobs," says Cole.

"Sounds perfect, even after the end of the year picnic," I say.

"What's even better is that we'll finally have some alone time," says Cole.

"I can't wait. The only time that we leave the bed is for eating, showering, and going to the bathroom," I say.

"Plus, we need a date night," I say.

"Mmm, I love you," says Cole.

"I love you, too, my favorite farmer," I say.

Cole kisses me lovingly and deeply. Cole picks me up, bridal style, and carries me to the bedroom. Cole and I end the weekend by making love, which is something that was needed. Cole moving inside me is beautiful, amazing, and special. Little do I know is that we conceived our twins on that afternoon.

I wake up the next morning, with a huge smile on my face. Cole has an even bigger one. Making love to the man I love, and then waking up naked in his arms is the best thing in the world.

[halcyonrio]

❀ *◦sean teale. cis man. he/him. pansexual. ⇝ hey, isn’t that rio mendoza? i think that the thirty two year old from milwaukee, wi, works as a mechanic and shop manager at wrench it, but outside of that people describe them as grease stained hands with a gentle touch, the crack ice makes as a frozen lake starts to thaw, lazy tousled hair forgotten in a rush, a coin left on the sidewalk, a half finished shopping list left in a book, the thwack a shoe makes as it makes contact with a soccer ball, and a stone cold forgotten cup of coffee. i hear they are forgetful & dense, but they are also known to be loyal & fun loving. consider giving them a visit at their home in seal harbor apartments and get to know why they’re called the halcyon. ( Katie, she/her, 31, EST )

Name: Rio Gabriel Mendoza

Gender: Cis-Man

Pronouns: He/Him

Birthday: June 1 1991 (32 Years Old)

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

Orientation: Pansexual

Relationship Status: Single

Occupation: Manager and Mechanic at Wrench It

Residence: Seal Harbor Apartments

Education: Associates Degree from Milwaukee Area Technical College

Languages: English (Fluent), Spanish (Fluent), American Sign Language (Basic)

Family: His father is named Raphael and his mother is Teresa. He has two younger sisters, Carla is twenty seven, and Eva is twenty two.

--

Halcyon: Hal.Cy.On (adj.) denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful.

--

Backstory:

Rio’s parents met at the University of Wisconsin when their mutual friends decided that the two had to meet and would get along with one another, fortunately they guessed correctly. For Raphael, a scholarship student from the DC metro area, Teresa was a spark of fire in an unfamiliar and cold city, away from his family. Teresa meanwhile was attracted to Raphael’s goofy personality and kind heart. Not long after graduation, the two were married and moved to Milwaukee for Raphael’s job and there they decided to put down roots.

Their timing was beneficial because Rio came not long after that with Carla and then little Eva finishing out their family. Since they were closer geographically to Teresa’s family, who lived mostly in Wisconsin, the three siblings got along better with their cousins on that side as opposed to Raphael’s family who remained in the DC Metro area. The relationship is friendly, but not as close although in more recent years it is easier to keep in touch with that branch of the family tree.

Rio’s childhood was pretty tame and quiet, all things considered. He would play outside with the neighborhood kids, go to the nearby elementary school, and took to playing soccer as a defender. He ended up playing through high school but the soccer team was not as widely popular as the basketball or football ones, something that suited him just fine. Academic wise, Rio tried his best and usually ended up averaging in the high C’s, low B’s range. He definitely is more of a hands on learner and prefers to learn more “useful” things than just how to pass tests.

When Rio graduated in 2009 from high school, he struggled for a bit, trying to decide what to do. While his parents encouraged him to think about college, there wasn’t a particular field that grabbed him and after a year of trying a few part time jobs, he decided that he needed some kind of degree and enrolled in the local community college. Gabe did enjoy himself at MATC, and a lot of the classes were good at appealing to his desire to know why what they were learning was useful outside of academia, but once he got his associate’s degree he had already decided that transferring to a four year university and continuing school was not for him.

While Rio was in college, he met a girl named Rebecca. The two got along well and since there was attraction there, they began dating. Rebecca was more outgoing and heled Gabriel overcome some of his desire to coast along and not draw attention to himself, to take pride in the accomplishments that he did do. The relationship was fairly serious, to the point most of them shared the same friend circles and they had moved into an apartment together. Rio really loved Rebecca and since he had been raised with the stories of how his parents met, he thought that they would eventually get married.

Then he came home one day to find Rebecca in bed with another man and the illusion he had made in his mind about their relationship crashed to his feet. He found out that Rebecca had been cheating on him for years with different guys and that his supposed friend group knew about her infidelity and never let him know. Heartbroken, Rio packed his things and turned to his family, who were just as upset as he was. Once everything was over and finalized, Rio tried to stay in the area but everything was too painful so he headed north. One of his best friends from high school lived out near Anchorage and they had been one of the few friends Rio was close to who hadn’t known about what Rebecca was doing.

Rio still goes back home to Milwaukee when he can, for example when his baby sister graduated high school and when Carla got her degree. He also will spend the occasional Christmas down there. But it can be difficult to make the trip back to Wisconsin on a whim. He initially got a job as a mechanic at Wrench It and throughout the few years he has been in the area he has eventually taken on the store manager position. Rio isn’t necessarily happy with his current residence and has been saving money to move somewhere better in the area. It also seems wise to keep a small nest egg in case something unexpected happens. He has yet to try to date again after his heartbreak and has been throwing himself into his work, although the hurt has definitely dulled now.

[mallahanmoxie]

simba's elusive reading list for the year of the lord 2024 may we read all this shit amen

writing this damn list out because i didn't do it last year and I ended up reading threeeeeeee books altogether and they were specifically the one where the guy gets alien pregnant and shits the babies out I am not kidding and the others were bridgerton so. I desperately need it.

A bunch of books I started 1-3 years ago and I have to finish. Eventually. (This year): Beautiful Wreck by Larissa Brown, Legendborn by Tracy Deon, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers, The Helm of Midnight by Marina Lostetter, The Comforters by Muriel Spark, If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

A book about deconstructing prophecies: The Art of the Prophecy by Wesley Chu

A book about deconstructing the fantasy book? I think?: Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat

A non fiction that isn't about history, for once: The Crisis of Meaning and the Life-World by L'ubica Učník (optimistically) or Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc (more likely)

A book about angels: Angels Before Man by Rafael Nicolás

A book about vampires: A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson, or alternatively, Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco

A book I've been seen recommended a lot: The Will of the Many by James Islington

A book that sounds disorienting: Crossings by Alex Landragin

A rec by storygraph on the Out of your comfort zone tab: The Artist of Disappearance by Anita Desai

A book with a pretty cover: The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson

A book already on my library, yet untouched: Shadow and Claw by Gene Wolfe or Slewfoot by Brom

A book recced to me by my aunt (<3): El silencio de la ciudad blanca de Eva García Sáenz de Urturi or Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard

[postguiltypleasures]

My Peak TV Journey *Bad Sisters*

(I have a lot of these started going back months. I"m going to try and quickly finish and post some soon, before the shows become a distant memory and while I decide if I want to write more about the ones that are continuing.)

I watched this because I still have warm fuzzy feeling towards Catastrophe and I saw Sharon Horgan was starring in it and show running it. While she shows are very different in subject, Sharon’s character here, Eva Garvey, had a different relationship to her family, but an equally troubling one with alcohol. And I’m interested in seeing 

If there was anything off putting it is that I am completely unfamiliar with the source series so trust on tricky subjects had to be earned.

I have to say that from the start I was surprised by how all the homes looked big and modern. It was distracting. Even later plot points about various financial insecurities didn’t make me wish I could go and visit those places. 

This is a really good show to watch with people, see how they react to things. John-Paul, the brother in law they eventually all conspire to kill,  is awful, but is he need to die awful or just need to give his wife, Grace, an intervention and try and convince her to leave him? (Eventually he is revealed to be worse than let on.) And the sisters are various kinds of bad. Bad with alcohol, anger, money management, and an affair. Their badness is  good complication to their motives. At first the various failed murder attempts don’t make the murder seem worth it. Bu the do make it feel necessary because it’s not like they can pretend that nothing happened. The moral squirming this show produces is riveting. Bibi, the first sister to suggest the killing, in particular is wrecked by the damage she does. 

I immediately recognized the “This pussy is mine” thing Ursula and her lover do from Gabriel García Marquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera. It ended badly there too. Why imitate it?

This is the kind of show where when recommending it you have to warn about the pet death! So many pet deaths.

I generally liked the Claffin Brothers, the insurance executive investigating the death for their own murky motives. Thomas had a sympathetic home life while being awful everywhere else. Matthew’s romance with Becka was fun and tense.

There is a second season, and I am not sure I want one. Sure all the messiness of the Garvey sisters and Claffin brothers lives remains unresolved. But this story feels over. 

[evita-shelby]

Between the Shadow and the Soul

Chapter 10:

“It’s a good investment, Polly will come around eventually.” Eva tells him while she helps him into of his gun holsters. “Won’t win the derby this year, might come in fifth or fourth, but worth every Guinea you spend. All two-thousand and fifty of ‘em.

“Are you sure you won’t come with me; men go there with their posh wives.” Tommy would have liked to walk into the auction with her on his arm, like they belonged there, but Eva has other things to do.

“I wish I could, but I really need to get all the paper work for the first shipments ready for Halifax, and make sure I have all that paperwork done in both English and Spanish. I’ll be all yours when you come back.” She helped him into his suit jacket, adjusting the lapels and fixing his tie.

“I never understood why you have to make so many copies, love.” Tommy enjoyed his marriage to his very industrious wife. Eva was never the type to shy away from work, be it managing the shipping business he refuses to take from her or keeping the house. Soon she’d have her own office and maids to take care of the rest. He could see them become the most powerful people in the United Kingdom.

“Just make sure all of you are armed, I have a bad feeling about today. Might be Sabini trying and failing to finish the job, I just know there’s going to be a person dying today, make sure its Sabini’s man.”

“And here I thought my pregnant wife was against violence.” He kisses her sweetly, he never likes being rough with her. Never been the type to handle women roughly and never will. “What sort of example are you setting for our unborn son?” he teases her and she doesn’t roll her eyes at him, even with her morning sickness she’s not in as bad as a mood as she was a month ago.

“I’d kill Sabini myself if it means you stay alive long enough to give me kids two, three and four.” She says only half joking.

“Tell me their names and I might consider coming back alive, love.” He says as if he’d ever consider dying. Tommy knows that her visons can change, but maybe he can get her to forget about the doom she sees for a few minutes. After two years of marriage, he’s become the expert on getting Eva to live in the present.

“It will be Charles, Felicity, Isabel and Martha. Three girls who’ll have you wrapped around their fingers.” She says as if its just a matter of time, and Tommy knows better than to doubt her. The names of the girls change, once in a while its Diane, Elvira and Valeria.

“Just like their mother.” He laughs against her neck. “I’ll come back, Evie, I’ll always come back.”

__

"Fuck, i wrote anus instead of year!"Eva takes out the gorgeous fountain pen Tommy uses for official signatures and adds ~ on top of every 'ano' she wrote. Much easier than typing her spanish copy of the ledgers again.

“What exactly do you do, Eva?” Lizzie asked after she saw her at Tommy’s. Lizzie hadn’t officially become Tommy’s secretary until recently, when the workload became too much for Eva to handle.

“I take care of the shipping part of business, I make sure we have ships ready for the ports we are sending it to, and see if we have men and ships for the new ports, we now have rights to. I used to do all this back in Mexico.” Eva kept on typing, the S.S Gabriel and the S.S. Eva were the first ships to have the rights to anchor at Halifax and New York and as such needed to be loaded at a very specific time so they can avoid searches from the police and Sabini’s men. Eva didn’t trust Churchill to keep his word about the Imperial License.

“It's very specific.” Lizzie points out reading the original document, Eva was working on the two copies made for her uncle and her records.

“Until Churchill makes good on his word, we have to time it in accordance to my intuition. Reduces the odds of them doing searches on my ships.” Eva’s choice of words is not lost on her.

“I assumed Shelby Family Limited owned your portion of the SRA.” Lizzie seems surprised that Tommy does not actually own Eva’s share of the English Fleet.

“My parents will made sure no one can hold their shares and ships unless they are blood relations to my grandma, Dominga Arambula. So, neither my Uncle Jack nor Tommy can take my inheritance from me nor can this company use other shipping companies for international trade.” Eva explains as casually as if she were saying the sky is blue.

To her it was, she’d been born into a well to do shipping company with five ships and she would die Mrs. Shelby, shareholder of one of the most successful shipping companies and owner of four airplanes and thirty ships. “Little Charlie, however, can take my share and merge it with Shelby Family Limited if he wants. Hence why my uncle was so desperate to have Tommy and I get married. He thought Tommy the type to keep his wife away from business.”

“You don’t plan to stop working when you have your boy?” this seemed to surprise Lizzie. Most women quit their jobs after having a baby.

“I’ll be handling some of it, but the bulk of it will be handled by my cousin Tiago when he comes next year. You’ll like him.” It will be maybe five years until they marry, but Lizzie Stark will be Mrs. Elizabeth Rosales by 1927. “Tall, green eyes and doesn’t judge anyone for their past, present or future. Educated to boot, was at the top of his class in Mexico City and was a spy during the revolution.”

“And he is coming here to administer your company or take my job?” Lizzie jokes. She had closed the door on sex work for good, if she were fired, she feared she might have to return to it.

Eva had never seen why prostitution was so frowned upon, these were the same people who went into the new world and the rest of the planet raping and stealing and said God had told them to do it. The Americans even made it a national holiday to thank God for letting them get away with all the horrors committed in his name. Still, the world was not as enlightened as Eva and Lizzie Stark wanted a respectable job that would eventually give her a respectable husband with whom she’d start a respectable family.

“The Company is expanding, and he promises to come with at least two ships and crew with enough experience to handle our maiden voyages to Asia.” Eva doesn’t mention that one of those ships has to be built which is why Tiago won’t come until 1923. “Unfortunately, one of the ships was destroyed and has to be rebuilt, which is why it's going to take some ten months for him to arrive with the Yaritza and the Nayeli. He might come with his sister Nayeli, if my auntie allows it.”

“Your family names ships after each other, doesn’t it?” Lizzie points out. Eva had never thought she’d be friends with her, or that she’d never even feel jealous of Tommy having his former lover working for him. But here they are talking about something that barely involves Tommy.

“Yes, my grandfather’s first ship was named Dominga after my grandmother and by the time I was born every one of his children had a ship named after them.” Some, much like their namesakes, didn’t survive the Revolution and the wars before it. The S.S. Eva had been the only ship to survive the burning of the Smith fleet in April 1914.

“The new ship is going to be named Charles or Charles Henry, depending on who is at the shipyard to pay for it.” Eva discreetly takes off her shoes and lets herself get lost in the distinct smell of Tommy that lingers in his chair. “Uncle Jack wants to make sure my dad is properly honored in death. He feels guilty about being so quick to accept rights to am American port so soon. We all do.”

“That’s what bothers you isn’t it, that Tommy has you making legal business with the Americans?” Lizzie manages to hit the nail on the head.

Eva complains. “It's killing me just to type United States of America. What's worse, Polly asked me to do a reading about Michael’s future and I see him marrying some blonde American cunt.”

“I don’t know who you hate more, Grace or Americans?” Lizzie jokes. Eva’s loathing of Grace was very well known, she was the specter Campbell always brings up or comes back like a cold sore.

“Americans, I think, but Grace is a close second.” She should not feel so threatened by a woman in a another continent, but Eva is and as much as she loathes it, she just can’t help it.

“I bet this will blow the Americans out of the water, Evie.” Lizzie takes out a letter addressed to one Thomas Shelby.

“Should’ve burned this when you had a chance.”

Notes:

---

The difference between anus (ano) and year (año) im Spanish is ~/Ñ. Mexican keyboards and typewriters have that extra Ñ, Eva really struggles with Tommy's english typewriter.

[pinelife3]

An investigation: if supermodels are so dumb and vapid, how do they pull artistic geniuses?

This is a picture of Nick Cave and his wife leaving the inquest into their son’s death. Their 15 year old boy fell from a cliff after taking acid and becoming disoriented. 

I cannot even conceive of how terrible it must be to lose a child. The drugs and the cliff make it an episode of Skins (or Euphoria for the zoomers) but that’s your little boy. It was a stupid accident and now you never get to see him again. A teenaged tragedy. Unendingly unfair. 

Ghosteen, the 2019 album from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, is a complex, existential album in conversation with the death of Nick’s son and his feelings of loss and grief. Nick Cave is an artist - his life’s work is to share how he feels and what he thinks. What he’s expressing with Ghosteen is sorrow and longing - and some larger angst about the purpose of existence.

Through all this tragedy, I’m sure you couldn’t help but notice... who’s the babe with the shiny hair and the fabulous gazongas? That’s Nick’s wife, man! Susie Bick - or sometimes Susie Cave. She was a major model in the 80s and 90s. A model and an artist - it’s actually fitting. 

And what’s more, Susie is the founder of The Vampire’s Wife - a label which has become super popular in the last couple of years. (Fashion people eyeroll The Vampire’s Wife because every dress has the same silhouette, but that’s out of the scope of this blog.)

There is a perception that models are are vapid and unserious. Their job is to look good, keep their mouth shut, and move merchandise. They cannot offer anything profound because their value is surface level. Men and women both push this way of thinking. 

For example, when Brad Pitt was recently revealed to be dating 27 year old model Nicole Poturalski, people were disappointed. Brad Pitt has been a cultural fixture for decades - after all this time, people still find him fascinating. And they expect him to date someone who is equally compelling. Clooney married a human rights lawyer - why is Brad dating someone who makes posts like this on Instagram...

This was Lainey Gossip’s take on the new girlfriend: 

A model, younger, it’s so predictable it’s almost boring.

Nice! I guess we’re all feminists until the woman in question is young and hot. 

It's easy to assume the worst of a person who is unknown to us, but is beautiful and hooking up with someone famous. A million mean thoughts spring to mind. “A model, younger”. That’s scorn. You know exactly what she’s saying: hot but dumb. An uninteresting person. We know what Brad really wants her for... 

If Brad Pitt is compelling to you, how compelling must Nicole Poturalski be to have won and held his attention? Brad Pitt has not been celibate in the four years since he separated from Angelina Jolie, but not until Nicole did we have confirmation of someone who he was definitely seeing. He allowed himself to be photographed with her en route to his French chateau. And what ensued was a weird story - she’s in an open relationship with some old German restaurateur and she has a son? She’s a sugar baby? Why would Brad fucking Pitt get publicly involved with someone who has a messy personal life: why hook up with a married 27 year old and weather months of stories about her open marriage if he didn’t actually like her? Why even be seen with her? The relationship is a little weird - but the reporting on it has been nasty. The new sugar baby angle which has emerged in the last week (late October 2020) is basically calling her a whore. This is the level of suspicion and derision directed at a model dating a public fixture like Brad Pitt. The notion that Brad Pitt would pay for female company or sex is patently absurd. 

If our assumptions about models are correct, why do so many models end up with artistic geniuses? I don’t care about the Victoria’s Secret models who hooked up with the bassist from Kings of Leon. I’m talking about beautiful women who made it with icons, the premier humans of the past century:

MUSICIANS

Nick Cave and Susie Bick

David Bowie and Iman

Kanye West and Amber Rose

Bob Dylan and Sara Lownds

Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall

Mick Jagger and Carla Bruni

Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin

Eric Clapton and Pattie Boyd

George Harrison and Pattie Boyd

Madonna and Jesus Luz

MISC. POWERFUL PEOPLE

Salman Rushdie and Padma Lakshmi

Donald Trump and Melania (lol)

Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni

Evan Spiegel and Miranda Kerr 

Hitler and Eva Braun (What?! She had a brief career an artist’s model...)

Michael Jordan and Yvette Prieto

Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall 

ACTORS (perhaps not artistic icons... but still creative and interesting)

Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves

Johnny Depp and Kate Moss

Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk

Bradley Cooper and Suki Waterhouse

Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse

Vincent Cassel and Tina Kunakey

Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubrey

Leonardo DiCaprio and half the VS roster

Huge congrats to all the models with more than one entry on the list. You’ll note that there is a dearth of female icon/male model pairings - this is kind of interesting but not something I feel like getting into.

To some extent, the prevalence of the artist and model pairing makes sense. Men like good looking women. Rich, powerful men are high status and have access to good looking women. Plus, an artist needs a muse.

Many of the models in the list above are actually iconic in their own right. Like, when someone is having a great day on RuPaul’s Drag Race and looking sleek and skinny and flawless RuPaul might compare them to Iman. People pay $10,000 USD for handbags named after Jane Birkin. 

Conversely, in the case of Amber Rose, she became the most desired woman in the hip hop industry c. 2010 because she was with Kanye. And most especially because she broke Kanye’s heart. Everyone wanted the girl from “Hell of a Life”. People point to that song as being about Kim - it was prophetic, yes, but not written about her.

Anyway. Could an icon, a legend, a genius, make it work with someone who had nothing to offer but a fast metabolism and a beautiful face? Do poreless skin and puffy lips make up for never finishing high school? 

Wouldn’t being with someone superficial or unserious mean the artist was fundamentally boring in some way too? This is increasingly the assumption about Leonardo DiCaprio - seen above photographing his 23 year old model gf for her Instagram. Even Reddit mocks him for his age gap relationships with models.

And here’s where I try to make my point: 

Kate Moss’ daughter, Lila, recently had her modelling debut during Paris Fashion Week. It was big news because she’s celebrity spawn - and of course her mother is one of the most iconic models ever. She was eviscerated. 

On The Daily Mail, the comparisons to her mother flowed. What’s interesting is that Daily Mail readers do not like Kate Moss but they will defend her 90s modelling career with their life. They laud her bone structure, her waifish figure. An irresistible, undeniable face. 

It seems silly to praise someone for the shape of their head and the way their skin fits over it... it’s not a talent, is it? Maybe it is! There is no shortage of hot girls in the world - but there may be a shortage of girls with preternatural charismatic beauty. Lila Moss (left above) is attractive - she even looks quite a bit like her mum. Perhaps in the pic above she even looks hotter than her mum (right above). But Kate Moss is more interesting: less perfect - half her eyebrow is missing, she’s less manicured. She exudes some kind of darkness, newness. Lottie Moss, Kate’s younger half-sister, is a similar story. Obviously attractive, obviously interested in modelling - but she’s lacking something. 

Bella Hadid came from a similar-ish background to Lila Moss (Bravoleb parents, frequent appearances on Real Housewives of Beverley Hills in her teen years, groomed by her ex-model mother) but Bella Hadid has it. She may have risen through the ranks due to nepotism and cosmetic surgery but she is someone people want to look at. She is sought after - not foisted upon us. Again, it’s not because she’s the hottest woman on the planet. She is gorgeous, but on top of that, there’s something beguiling about the angles of her face.

What’s this thing that clicks in your head telling you that Kate Moss’s face is more interesting than her daughter’s? It’s an intrusive thought: her skull shape is pleasing, let your eyes linger. A command: you will not forget that face. 

Iman has it. Look at her. On meeting Iman, Bowie said: "I was naming the children the night we met... it was absolutely immediate." How many beautiful women had Bowie met in his life? How many had this effect?

Can you imagine trying to keep David Bowie or Bob Dylan interested in what you’re saying? Or Madonna? Or Michael Jordan? Most of us do not have a single thought in our head which would be of interest to these people. The models I listed earlier transfixed them. Mick Jagger could have romanced every woman on the planet - but he only wanted Jerry Hall (pls disregard affairs so I can make my point). 

When a model hooks up with an artistic genius, it’s illogical to assume she’s vapid or that the icon is with her for shallow reasons. What we should assume is that she is the most interesting woman that icon has crossed paths with in a long time - which would make her very interesting indeed.

[belle-keys]

Here’s me roasting some foreign language literature

2/7 of my final exams are finished so I will be roasting all of the Spanish and French literature books that I studied over the last two years, ranking them in order of how much they should have existed in the first place, uwu.

Spoiler: I have no idea what I’m talking about.

8. Pays-Mêles and Nanna-Ya by Maryse Condé.

Main idea: Men are trash.

Synopsis and Review: Two novellas about the legacy of colonialism in the French and English Caribbean. Umm, women suffer a lot, racism exists, rich kids are treated like breeding mares, guys beat girls a lot, everyone’s life is kinda suckish. I... I think that’s it, lmao. I swear I’d rather die than ever have to reread these stories beyond for my exams. I just can’t tell you what the point was. This was painful, but Condé raises important questions concerning négritude and the partiarchal nature of Caribbean society so I can’t give this nothing.

Rating: 1/5

7. El coronel no tiene quien la escriba by Gabriel García Márquez.

Main idea: Go vegan.

Synopsis and Review: This was almost as bad as Condé, but it’s not last because I have a special fondness for Colombia and Colombian history, and I also love seeing la mujer stick it to el coronel. It lowkey reminds me of my parents. I, personally, as a being, would have curried the rooster a long time ago but not everything is about me. A lot of absolute nothing happens in this book and I won’t pretend otherwise. It’s just a lot of old people basking in their own futility and impending death. It’s borderline painful except for one scene where el coronel thinks he’s talking to a dead guy out of nowhere. That was fun. Also, screw Sabas.

Rating: 1.25/5

6. Un Papillon dans la Cité by Gisèle Pineau.

Main idea: Diasporic life is overrated.

Synopsis and Review: Okay, a kid narrates this book and it was kind of annoying for me. But, all that happens is that Félicie goes to France and realizes that it ain’t shit and that she misses her Grandma. It’s basically 5 chapters long, but there’s admittedly some commentary and subtext about why white countries aren’t the Promised Land and also, the writing style was sometimes interesting to me. That being said, I lost a lot of hours on this book.

Rating: 1.75/5

5. Une Si Longue Lettre by Mariama Bâ.

Main idea: Disappointed but not surprised.

Synopsis and Review: So our resilient Senegalese queen Ramatoulaye is writing a letter to her BFF as they discuss exactly how their husbands have (repeatedly) failed them. Basically, Ramatoulaye’s husband got a second wife behind her back who happens to be a girl that’s his teen daughter’s age i.e. the daughter’s friend. Ramatoulaye says “screw it” and decides to just be completely independent from him. Now, this is the most interesting thing about the story... the details about their childhood and the political background of the country didn’t interest me as much. Anyway, the hubby dies which triggers Ramatoulaye to write the letter. Whoop.

Rating: 3/5

4. Cuentos de Eva Luna by Isabel Allende.

Main idea: Only women deserve rights.

Synopsis and Review: This is an anthology of short stories about ~the human experience~ and features a lot of feminist rhetoric, commentary on European imperialism, humanity, power dynamics, and love. And sex. Lots of fade-to-black-the-CW-type sex scenes that we had to discuss with our teachers, lmao (save me). Anyways, the stories we zoned in on were beautiful and empowering even despite their conciseness. Nonetheless, my issue with this book is the *ahem* magical realism. Eye- okay, listen, I get that the stylistic choices of Allende are to create a fable-like reading experience for the reader, to enchant them, whatever, but for me, personally, sometimes her writing style in these stories comes across as a wee bit pretentious. Maybe that’s the whole point but I found myself cringing enough to remember this detail.

Rating: 4/5

3. Bodas de sangre by Federico García Lorca.

Main idea: Woe is me! *snatches babe*

Synopsis and Review: I love this play so much, I almost put it second actually. My sole qualm with it is that everyone is so fricking extra in this bitch that I’m like “stop lamenting to the moon and start stabbing each other please!”, but other than that, this is exquisite solely because it’s full of drama and angst. Mutual pining, cheating, forbidden romance, secrecy, discourse on the validity of the bride’s virginity? It’s all there, bud. Leonardo is a bit of a bitchass but I imagine him as a hot Enrique-looking ass type guy so I can’t really blame the bride. Out of all the main characters on this list, I only want to fight Leo slightly less than the MC of my #2 pick.

Rating: 4.5/5

2. Les Mains Sales by Jean-Paul Sartre.

Main idea: Eat the rich.

Synopsis and Review: Okay, Hugo is the biggest bitchass of all time, but like, he humors me with it, okay. Olga is the baddest HBIC ever, and Jessica deserves better. Anyways, the discourse on power and politics and capitalism through pure dialogue was enough to hook me yet not overwhelm me. The constant foiling, and every passive-aggressive conversation between Hugo and Jessica was worth the 8 weeks of studying it. The ending made the entire story even better than it already was. Everything in this play boils down to “I’m insecure and I wanna die but then I wouldn’t be able to fight the bourgeoisie so what now?”.

Rating: 5/5

1. La Casa en Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.

Main idea: You can run, but you can’t hide (from yourself).

Synopsis and Review: This is so beautiful that I didn’t even need to take this book in 2020 yet I still think about it all the time. It’s the most lovely in-school book I’ve read in secondary school. This is a book that’s meant to be read only in Spanish, because the translations of the vignettes aren’t done any justice in English. Anyway, it’s a collection of short stories and vignettes about Esperanza, a young chicana girl in Chicago dealing with her internal, familial, and cultural issues. It’s hella freaking inspiring so go learn the Spanish language and read it. Now.

Rating : 6/5

Anyway... I’ll miss some lit classes. But not all.

[kariachi]

Me: *wakes up**immediately goes ‘when I say Everybody Live I mean Everybody Lives, including Gabby*

Also Me: *proceeds to write out exactly how*

~~

Gabby wasn’t entirely sure what to think as she and Casey made their way up three stories of stairs. A necromancer. His aunt talks them into quitting their jobs and moving out west- them with a baby on the way- and the first thing she does is direct them to a necromancer forty minutes from her home. Gabby hadn’t even known magic and aliens were a thing until a month ago and now here she was putting her trust in both. Specifically, in the rodentlike alien she saw when they opened the door, with long ears, golden eyes, and covered in light brown fur. They turned as the door opened, chattering, and immediately started waving them about.

“Hello, hello, I haven’t seen you around,” they said in a thick accent as they ushered Gabby towards one of three large stations consisting of tables and shelves full of what seemed like random stuff. Casey they urged towards the front wall, lined with stacks of chairs in various sizes. “Grab a chair for the dam and yourself, go on now.”

“Hi,” Gabby replied, pasting on a polite smile to hide her nerves. “We’re new. I’m Gabrielle Jones and this is my husband Casey.” The necromancer turned their appraising gaze, which had been on Gabby since she walked in, to Casey.

“Jones, Jones, kin to Devin’s litter?” Casey, the great lummox, grinned more easily.

“They’re my cousins,” he said, and the necromancer nodded.

“I should’ve guessed, from the size of you. Going to be at least as big by my guess.” And that, it seemed, was enough for them, as they turned back to Gabby.

“Was the climb alright for you?”

“It was fine,” she said with a nod. Her back wasn’t happy, but she’d been working on her feet for too long to call a twinge in her back trouble anymore. The necromancer did not seem convinced. They waited until she was seated, giving a sharp look to the chair that was just a few inches too low for Gabby’s comfort, before coming closer.

“I’m Rilev,” they said, their hands and eyes glowing green as they slowly, methodically even, waved them in front of her, hovering longest around her belly, “and if those stairs start causing you any pain or tiredness you tell me so, so we can meet at ground level, or at your home.” ‘At their home’, as if they weren’t staying with Casey’s aunt and her husband. Gabby opened her mouth to give an instinctual polite reply, only to be cut off with a sharp look. “Any pain or tiredness. A long pregnancy wears on the body enough, it doesn’t need any help at it.” She nodded again.

“Well, my back is a bit sore after it,” she said, and Rilev nodded, turning their magic on Casey.

“Then we’ll use the spare room on the ground floor next time, unless you’d be more comfortable at home?” They frowned at Casey, ears twitching back. “I’m sorry that magic won’t be able to help with your injuries. Brains are finicky and you have to get at them while the wounds are fresh. I will be able to give you something for those headaches though.” Casey tensed at the same moment Gabby did, wide eyed and blinking. Okay, so Rilev probably knew what they were doing, part of them hadn’t actually expected anything. Or, well, part of Gabby hadn’t at least.

“That would be, great,” Casey said hesitantly, squeezing Gabby’s hand, “we’re staying with my aunt though, and don’t exactly have a lot of money…” They’d been barely making ends meet and certainly not covering medical bills before, between Casey’s problems and the baby. Now they were running off their minuscule savings and were unemployed and living in his aunt’s guestroom and- Rilev’s calloused hand landed on Gabby’s arm before she could truly work herself up with stress and worry, the necromancer whirring soothingly.

“No worries,” they said, “a proper necromancer prices to their customers.” What did that even mean? “Now, you.” They waved a finger at Gabby. “Everything seems to be going good and proper, but you aren’t eating enough, and not healthy enough.” Fuck but Gabby had heard that more than her fair share.

“Food costs money,” she said automatically, the same thing she’d said to her doctor back in Denver every time he’d chastised her for not eating right. Given she and Casey had been in that ‘too successful for aid and too poor to live’ category, there hadn’t been much she could do. Rilev tutted, went to one of their tables, and pulled some paper and a pen out of seemingly nowhere.

“This planet,” they muttered, “‘work hard so you can starve productively’, I swear it.” Their writing was slow and deliberate, a reminder that English probably wasn’t their first, maybe even not their third language. “Go to these stores, they’re on Main Street- drive north from here until you see a big, redbrick building and that’ll be it- you’ll find them easily. Armando is human and so is Yelt’s husband, so they’ll know what they have that you can eat. Tell them I sent you and that you need a balanced diet.” They finished the note with a flourish and held it out for them. Casey took it, holding it so they could both look it over. Two businesses were named, along with a basic outside description and some notes for their purchases. Things like ’40 red 60 white’ under the butcher shop and a whole list of suggested fruits and vegetables, several of which they didn’t recognize.

“We can’t afford-”

“No worries,” Rilev interrupted again. “They’ll take care of you. Especially since this is prescribed.” Gabby had her doubts and it looked like Casey did too, but Rilev continued anyway. “Gabrielle, I want you back in for another check in fourteen days, same time. There’s a blue door at the back of the building, it leads to a spare office for just these occasions. If things change or you need to get a hold of me for any reason, my number is there on the bottom of the page. Casey, I’ll need time to prepare your tea, but it should be ready in an hour or so. I’d suggest doing your shopping, then coming back before you head home to pick it up.” And, well, that seemed to be that, shoulders tense like they were waiting for a blow to land Casey got back to his feet and helped Gabby to hers.

“And, how much do we owe you then?” Chittering, Rilev’s eyes flicked about for a moment before they nodded.

“For the tea, little Kevin keeps raving about your mutton ribs, so a rack of those should cover the next few months. We’ll see if I like them and how well the tea works before deciding on any recurring payments. For pregnancy consultation and birthing aid-” they took another moment “-bring me a chair poor Gabrielle can sit comfortably in. I won’t have a patient of mine being uncomfortable, especially not when they’re carrying.”

Gabby didn’t know what the opposite of sticker shock was called, but she was sure feeling it. From the way Casey mirrored her dropped jaw and bugged eyes, he was too. Rilev just chuckled and waved dismissively, like she hadn’t just promised the rest of Gabby’s baby-related healthcare and several months of medication for Casey for a fraction of what one obstetrician appointment had cost them- without tests- back in Denver.

“I wasn’t reared on a mud fence,” they said, “there’s no reason you should have to struggle just for being hurt and having children.” There just, there were no words. There wasn’t air.

“Thank you,” Gabby breathed, relief and hormones threatening to ruin her composure even as Casey damn near vibrated next to her. Rilev shook their head with a smile, waving them back towards the door.

“Nothing to thank me for, child, I’m just doing my duty. Now you two go enjoy your day, come back later for your tea, and eat right. You’ll suffer more than the kitten without, I promise you.”

Three hours later found them heading back to Bellwood with a week’s worth of produce (put on a tab that Yelt was happy to set up, trusting that of course Eva’s nephew could be trusted to pay it off when he could), plenty of fresh meat (put on the tab of a man neither of them knew, but who supposedly was a friend of the family and would be happy to have helped if he even noticed the addition at all), and a jar of a pungent, silvery powder that should last Casey a month if the instructions were followed. They’d also received two truly massive lunches to-go for about ten dollars, a list of people to talk to about empty apartments and buildings in progress, another list of people around the town who were hiring at the moment, and some not so subtle advice that someone who could get a hunting license and use it well could probably make some good income selling hides, carcasses, and other bits and pieces around town.

Amidst all this Casey had wrecked on alley (‘No damage done, just spooked the kids, that composter is sturdier than that’) and somewhere along the line Gabby had started crying and not been able to stop no matter what she did.

This might actually have been a good idea after all.

[ofevcngelines]

the sound of approaching footsteps always earned a mixed reaction from evangeline. on the one hand, an impending conversation meant measuring her every word, holding her tongue until she could be sure everything had the precise meaning she needed it to. on the other hand, it was a welcomed gesture that left her honored to take someone’s time. she’d only just finished handing out pamphlets for roses’s upcoming charity auction for the ‘lesser privileged’ families of the church when those oh-so familiar feelings were dredged up by the sound of footfall heading in her direction. a distracted gaze stayed glued on her belongings as she gathered them into her bag, preparing to head off to her next class. she spoke before she looked, guessing whoever it was had approached her about the auction. “gabriel is still handing out pamphlets if you missed them. and unfortunately i have to get to class.” once she’d slung her bag over her shoulder, however, eva’s gaze finally landed on the other person. “oh! it’s you,” brows raised in faint surprise as she put on a grin once she’d recognized her classmate. “did you, um, need something?”

[gvbejvmes]

Drabble-a-thon: Four, Song

Title: Like a Cole Porter Song Rating: PG-13 Relationships: Gabriel/Johnny, Johnny & Kaleidoscope Johnson, the Alphabet City Art Collective Trigger Warnings: None?  Brief Summary: Well, did you evah? What a swell party this is.

“Are you sure I have to be here?” Johnny asked, looking completely and totally uncomfortable. He looked absolutely gorgeous in his linen suit, and if they were going to a 20’s themed party at anyone else’s house he’d be fine, but they were going to Kaleidoscope Johnson’s Annual 30th Birthday Party at his Upper East Side Penthouse. 

It wasn’t that his husband didn’t get alone with his mentor. It was more like his mentor made him very uncomfortable, To be fair, the first time they met had been… eventful and there had been slightly more groping on Kale’s part than Gabe had anticipated. Ever since that first meeting Johnny was just a little… wary around the older man.

Gabe snorted, already wishing he hadn’t taken Kale up on his dare and had opted for a linen suit, too. Don’t get him wrong. He knew his legs looked fabulous in his flapper dress, he just was a little cold and a little wishing that he’d worn nylons and not gone commando. He felt a little like a frat boy, and was already uncertain about how he was going to sit down without giving anyone a free show. 

“You know the rules, Jay. If you don’t have a date for Kale’s birthday gala, he pairs you up with another single for the night. And Velvet had to go to Seattle for her sister’s wedding. Otherwise, no offense, baby, but she would have been my first choice in date.” 

His husband sighed. “I still think she made that up, and don’t try to show me her Instagram posts again.” He said as they walked into Kale’s penthouse, which felt a hell of a lot like walking back in time. If he didn’t know any better he would have thought they actually were in the 20′s or 30′s. Everyone was decked out in their 20’s finest. Everywhere was gold, and glitter, and booze. So much booze. Or more specifically so much fucking champagne. There was even a live jazz band. When Kale threw a party, he didn’t know how to be subtle. He always went all out and then some. Fuck, there was even a receiving line.

The party was already in full swing because when he and Johnny walked in there were only a couple of other people ahead of them. When they got to the head of the line, Kale was sitting in a huge golden oak rocking chair in a white linen suit, a matching hat perched on the top of his head. There were stacks of gifts on either side of him. “Oh, look at you!” He squealed in delight, making spin motions with his hands. “Do a twirl for daddy, and I’ll give you a treat.”

He could feel his husband blinking and staring at Kale. “Well, that’s disturbing.”

Laughing, Gabe gave a twirl so he could see the full extent of Gabe’s outfit. “It’s your birthday, Kale. We’re supposed to be giving you gifts.” He pointed out with a raised eyebrow, but he wasn’t going to lie, Kale did give the best presents.

Kale grinned. “Oh, Gabey. You brought me the best present. You always bring the best presents.” His eyes went over Gabe’s shoulder, obviously staring at Johnny. “Do I get to touch or is it just for looking?”

“There will be no touching!”

His husband almost sounded hysterical. Gabe turned, and pressed a kiss to his husband’s mouth before turning back to Kale. “You said something about having a present for me?” 

“That’s right. Your gift.” They were both ignoring the indigent sounds coming from Johnny. Reaching behind him, he produced a long thin box and handed it to Gabe. “For you, Gabey. And it works.” 

Opening the box, he found a long cigarette holder. “Oh, Kale!” He grinned and pulled it out of the box, tossing it to the side with his friend’s gifts. “It’s perfect.”

Kale offered him a benevolent smile before waving a hand in their direction. “Go on, enjoy the party.”

Taking Johnny’s hand they went directly to the bar. “See? It wasn’t that bad.” They didn’t have to even order, the bartender just handed them two drinks.

“I was told that both your glasses are to remain full of giggle juice all night.”

They both took a sip, and then immediately looked at each other. “And this is why we didn’t drive.” Gabe said before taking another sip. 

Before Johnny could say anything, Steven, the annoying twink from the collective, approached with Katie, a no nonsense middle aged woman and another member of the collective.”There you are, Gabey!” And, ah, Steven must have also been on Kale’s list of people he wanted the bartenders to get very very drunk. “Kale has an assignment for us.”

“The party isn't at a Kale appropriate level yet.” Katie explained. “We need to play ‘well, did you ever.’”

Gabe groaned. “No.” 

Katie grinned. “Yep.” She linked arms with Johnny. “C’mon, handsome.”

“Sorry, baby!” Gabe called out as he downed his drink and waited for it to be replaced with a fresh one before letting Steven link arms with him and dragged him into the crowd of people. Not quite knowing what to do with his cigarette holder, he tucked it behind his ear. 

“Have you heard? Professor Munch ate his wife and divorced his lunch?” 

Two people turned and looked at Steven in complete and utter surprise, which was Gabe’s cue to act completely ridiculous. It wasn’t exactly difficult given how he was dressed. “Well, did you eva’.” He drawled out before smirking at one of the guests and giving them a small curtsey. “What a swell party this is.”

They left behind the surprised and laughing couple before moving further into the group. “Have you heard that poor dear Blanche got run down by an avalanche?” Steven asked once they were in front of another large group of people. 

Gabe grinned when people turned around to look at them. “Oh, don't worry, she’s a game girl you know, got up and finished 4th.” He gave a salacious wink to the small audience they’d acquired.“That girl’s got guts.” He said, which earned a round of laughs. 

“Well, did you eva’.” Steven laughingly called out, which caused more giggles. 

And that was the point of this game. The whole point of the game was to say ridiculous things until party guests started laughing and having as good of a time as the drunk idiots running around the party were. Kale would be coming out soon to really kick off the party. He just needed them to spice things up a little bit. And then… the music changed, which Gabe knew meant that it was show time for Kale.

Scanning the crowd of bodies, he couldn’t find his husband, which made him groan. That couldn’t be a coincidence.There was no way in hell that was a coincidence. Shit. Where was Johnny???

The lights around the jazz band dimmed, and Gabe quickly finished his drink and set it down on a nearby server’s tray. Steven was still attached to him, so he passed him off to a stranger before moving towards the stage area in time to see Kale step onto the stage in a bright red suit. God, how many outfit changes was he going to have?  Last year he had five.

“You could have a great career, and you should.” He crooned out, and Gabe’s stomach dropped. His mom had been a Cole Porter aficionado. He knew what song this was, and his husband was going to kill him. “Yes, you should. Only one thing stops you dear: You're too good; Way too good!”

And suddenly Katie was pushing Johnny onto the stage and into Kale’s arms. “Fuck.” A waiter pressed another drink into Gabe’s hand and if it hadn’t been for the bubbles he would have downed it. Instead he finished it in three big gulps as Kale continued to sing. 

“If you want a future, darlin', Why don't you get a past? 'Cause that fateful moment's comin' at last…”

Gabe winced at how uncomfortable Johnny looked. Oh, he was going to have to make it up to him. He knew Kale enjoyed making Johnny uncomfortable, but this was on a whole new level. He was suddenly glad that he hadn’t gotten his mentor a gift because this was ridiculous.

“We're all alone, no chaperone can get our number. The world's in slumber -- let's misbehave!!!”

The crowd around Gabe cheered as Kale dipped Johnny, going in for a kiss and somehow Johnny managed to squirm out of his grasp and landed on his ass. Shit, everyone around them thought this was scripted. He set his empty down and made it to the stage in time to see Johnny scramble to his feet. But he wasn’t running away. He was staying on stage. Wait... was this scripted? 

“There's something wild about you child that's so contagious. Let's be outrageous--let's misbehave!!!”

Gabe made it to the stage in time to see Kale pull Johnny back into his arms. His husband still looked uncomfortable, but he wasn’t running away. He looked like he was... humoring him? And then he... he... winked. What the fuck! 

“When Adam won Steve’s hand he wouldn't stand for teasin'. He didn't care about those apples out of season.”

The people around Gabe were laughing and cheering, but he still had no idea what the hell was going on. Once again, Kale tried to kiss Johnny, and once again Johnny got away from him. And this time, Johnny slipped off the stage and right into Gabe’s arms, looking like the cat who ate the canary. 

“They say that Spring means just one thing to little lovebirds. We're not above birds. Let's misbehave!”

Kale made some comment about him being a spoilsport, but Gabe only had eyes for his husband. It took him far too long to realize that they’d started dancing to Kale’s singing. Fuck, what had been in those drinks? His arms were looped around Johnny’s neck while Johnny’s arms were wrapped around Gabe’s waist. “What was that?” He asked in total and complete confusion. “When did you and Kale rehearse that?” 

Instead of responding, his husband just pulled him closer. “I don’t want to talk about it.” He said, looking slightly traumatized. 

Gabe laughed. “You’re full of surprises, baby.” He said before burying his face into the crook of Johnny’s neck, his cigarette holder clattering to the ground by their feet.

The other man’s lips pressed against his ear, and he crooned out softly, “You know my heart is true, and you say you for me care... Somebody's sure to tell, but what the hell do we care? Let’s misbehave.”

Pulling back to get a better look at him, Gabe shook his head. “Who are you and what have you done with my husband?”

There wasn’t a response, but he didn’t expect there to be one.

First Song: Well, Did You Evah? Second Song: Let’s Misbehave

[thesimperiuscurse]

fifty questions tag.

Thanks to @itheaxel + @bloody-personalblog-mary for tagging me! I reduced the questions down to 35 because I either answered similar ones before, or they were irrelevant. Here’s the full 50 (sorry Pi, just using your post lmao) if the people I tagged want to answer them all. 

How old is your sim? 17.

When is your sim’s birthday? July 12.

What is your sim’s ethnicity? Uhhh... American? To be more specific, she has some Spanish, German, and Korean from her dad’s side of the family, and a lil Mexican from her granddad Max. 

Does your sim have any nicknames? Eva.

Do they have a job? If so what is it? In the summer she works at a gelato shop on Malibu Pier.

Where does your sim live? Los Angeles, California, USA.

Who does your sim live with? Her home is with her parents and siblings, but she’s about to sorta live by herself in a university hall type environment. 

What environment did your sims grow up in? (strict, loving, cold etc.) Loving, and quite free as well. Cherry kinda let the kids run around outside doing whatever, but if a scolding was needed Gabriel always stepped in, because the kids took him more seriously lol. 

What are your sim’s favorite foods? Hawaiian pizza (fight her), acai bowls, campfire s’mores, summer fruits from the garden. She’s not picky as she both loves junk food and fresh vegetables/fruits. 

What is your sim’s favorite drink? Caramel frappucino from Starbucks. Coffee, really. 

If they have one what is your sim’s favorite color? Sea blue.

Does your sim believe in any clichés? (love at first sight) No, she’s a fairly practical person. 

What is your sim’s sexuality? Straight.

Is your sim a pet person? If so what is their favorite animal? SENOR JULIO RICARDO MONTOYA DE LA ROSA PAPPERINOOOOOOOO.

Does your sim have a best friend? Counting all her siblings and cousins, she has 9 ‘best friends’, and has grown up super close with India. Later in the story she has a best friend squad that includes India, Piper Rozehart, Keanu Goldman, and a character called Sasha Copeland who I haven’t made yet. 

What is/was your sim’s favorite school subject? When she was attending normal high school, music. Conversely, she absolutely hated maths and can’t do basic equations for shit. 

Is/was your sim a high, mid or low achiever in school? Again, in normal high school she was a mid achiever; not super stupid but nowhere near as intelligent as her older siblings. 

Are they planning to go or have they already been to college? If so, what would be or what was their major? She is currently at the beginning of a two-year pre-professional ballet programme at Los Angeles Academy of Performing Arts.

Does your sim have a favorite tv show (cable) and/or movie? She and her siblings are hardcore Marvel fans.

Is your sim a Netflix viewer? If so what are their top 3 shows. The Good Place, The Umbrella Academy, Stranger Things. 

Does your sim like books? If so what’s their favorite one? Eva doesn’t read books very often, but Fawn made her read classics such as Harry Potter. She also likes the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus series. 

Does your sim enjoy video games, if so what is their favorite one and do they play on pc or console? Mario Kart competitions get pretty heated in the Kingston household. Wii Sports is also a favourite. 

What is your sim’s personal style? Minimalist with a rough/sporty edge. Her staple outfit is a clean white tee, denim shorts, motorbike jacket, and white Adidas shoes.  

What kind of music does your sim listen to and who is their favorite artist? Pop + hip hop + jazz, a real myriad, so she doesn’t have a fave artist. Anything bursting with energy and strong beats, easy to dance to.

What is your sim’s favorite type of weather? Hot, cloudless skies. 

Does your sim prefer to start fights or finish them? Sometimes she does start fights, but tends to finish them, because she’s a kickboxer. 

Does your sim have a dream job? Prima ballerina at a high ranking company.

What is your sims favorite hobby? Music. She plays guitar and can sing, and her siblings also play instruments -- Fawn + Santiago play piano and sing, Matias plays bass guitar and drums, Alec plays violin. They have a lil family band as a result. What else is to be expected from two musician parents? 

What does your sim look for in a romantic partner? To not be a dick, I suppose. Eva has thin patience so she doesn’t spend much time thinking about romance anyway.

What is a flaw your sim has? She is extremely competitive and this can cause friction with *certain* people around her. 

How do others generally perceive your sim? People generally tend to like Eva as she is friendly and optimistic. However, as with the last question, she can rub people the wrong way if they are also competitive or strongheaded. 

Does your sim have a greatest achievement? If so what is it? Gaining a scholarship to the most prestigious ballet school in California.

If they have one, what is your sim’s greatest regret? Letting Matias name the puppy. 

Does your sim have a favorite emoji? 😂

What is the last text your sim sent (and who did they text)? Here’s my own twist on this question - a bunch of texts I saw on Pinterest that looks just like conversations Eva (blue) would have with Mako (grey).

I tag: @aeranii @pottery-sims @vil-lain @silverowlblog @simsered @notjustabooksims @twinsimskeletons @loladiamond01 @blitzzaro @iwatzuka @sadisim @simnights

[bedbellyandbeyond]

Light Showers

(Story Post)

Nathan had scrounged himself together a dinner after a day of moping about. He felt guilty for not going to school that day since he wasn’t technically sick, but Reid had seemed to think he deserved the time. Perhaps his mental health needed it, but he just didn’t feel right justifying it like that. He tried making himself busy though so for a bit, he worked on planning an activity for his class tomorrow, a little craft project he hopped they’d all enjoy. He worried though that these small tasks weren’t intellectually challenging enough for some of them, such as the Yulinians like Kidd, but he’d learned that their quiet observation of their friends was their way of enjoying the company and learning. Some kids expressed themselves more in their actions than their words, while there were even kids who you could only tell their emotions by the colour of their eyes. It was definitely a learning curve for him as a teacher but thankfully the parents mostly filled him in early on. The kids really were smart too. It didn’t take long before they were asking about his stomach, and being rather blunt about it, as kids were. He figured they’d know eventually so he told them he was having babies. Many were excited but some were confused and with that confusion came the one question he had no interest in answering: Where do babies come from? He managed to deflect the question every time, telling them their parents would know, but it took games and rewards to distracting them enough from it. Of course, they wanted to touch and feel his stomach too, which he politely declined, but sometimes he’d be surprised by the odd poke from little curious hands that he really didn’t want. Thinking about all this at least made him feel a bit better about staying home. Around 7:30pm, his phone went off and he picked it up.

“Hello?” He’d just finished eating and was googling tips on reducing stretch marks when the call came in. Caller display said ‘Dracula’. “It’s me,” Nari said. “I’m coming over.” “The doc told you, huh?” Nathan sighed. “Look, you don’t have to come… I’m fine.” “Honestly, if I could turn around now, I would, but we're already on our way. Just checking that you're home.” “We? Whose we?” Nathan asked. “See you soon,” Nari said before hanging up. Nathan groaned and went to go put on something proper. He didn’t like the idea of Nari bringing a stranger with him but company would be more interesting than watching Netflix by himself. Not fifteen minutes later, his doorbell rang. He had pulled on a big knit sweater and some jeans so he felt decent enough. Going all the way back downstairs felt like a chore but he managed and was thankful he wasn't further along yet. The bell was being rung for a second time as he finally opened the door. To his surprise, he wasn't met with Nari's face but Dax and Samara instead. “Surprise!” Dax said, holding out a ribbon wrapped box to Nathan. “Spoiler: I hope you like red velvet.” Nathan blinked and took the box from Dax. “…You bought me a cake?” “Cupcakes but yeah,” Dax said, putting his hands in his pockets. “I mean, I hope you’ll share though.” “Uh, of course…” Nathan turned around to go put the cupcakes down somewhere. “Come in. Come in.” Samara looked around as she followed Dax into the front hall. “This place is a nice size. You have a lovely home.” Nathan placed the box on the coffee table in the living room and came back. “Thanks. It was my grandmothers. Where’s Nari?” “He’s right behind us. Just getting stuff from the car,” Samara said. A moment a few more heads popped in. Pierce and Diederich brought in more gifts and Nari showed up at the door just after them. Nathan rushed over. “Please come in,” he said, acknowledging Nari’s vampire rules this time. “Thank you,” Nari said, stepping inside. He pulled out a box from his pocket and handed it to Nathan. “This is for you.” “Geez, are all these things for me?” Nathan asked, looking over at the boxes being placed beside the cupcakes on the coffee table. “What did I do for all this?” “Well, it’s a baby shower, isn’t it?” Diederich said, conjuring up a pair of onesies in both hands. “Gifts are a given. Literally.” “Baby shower?” Nathan walked over to Diederich to receive the clothing but looked back at Nari. “Did you tell everybody?” Nari rolled his eyes. “I didn’t have to. Word travels fast in the school. Did you think your students didn’t have friends and relatives at the school too?” “Also, you told me,” Pierce said raising his hand. “But I didn’t tell anyone, I swear.” Nathan looked down at himself and rubbed his stomach. “…Well, I guess there was no way I could hide it… But you didn’t have to do this for me.” Nari shrugged. “Sure, but we did.” “You’ve been away a lot recently,” Dax said. “Some of us have been worried about you and when you didn’t show up today, we figured we could help out.” “Yeah! We miss you at school a lot so we wanted to make sure you we’re doing alright,” Pierce explained. “We may have known you were pregnant, but it wasn’t until Nari told us you didn’t have a partner that we realised you were going through all this alone. So it was Nari’s idea that all of us come visit.” “It was Pierce’s idea to make it an impromptu baby shower though,” Nari said. “We would’ve been here earlier if it weren’t for having to get gifts.” Nathan looked at the group now sitting in his living room, looking at all five faces staring at him, hoping the best for him. He couldn’t help it and his jaw started trembling as a few tears fell down his cheeks. “Nathan?” Dax’s face turned to concern as he got up and placed a hand on Nathan’s back. “What’s wrong?” Nathan sniffled and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “It’s…It’s nothing… I just… I didn’t realise I had this many friends…” He tried to shake it off. “I’m sorry I’m crying… It’s the stupid hormones…” Dax smiled and guided him down into an armchair. “It’s okay, Nathan. Of course you have friends. Listen, all of us…” He motioned around the room. “All these weirdos, we need each other. We’re all going through things and they might be different, but we can all relate. Most of us are just trying to fit in, but when we’re together, we don’t have to.” Nathan smiled and wiped his eyes again. “Thanks… Guys, this means a lot.” “So, do you know what they're gonna be?” Diederich asked. Nathan shook his head. “No, not yet. I kind of want it to be a surprise.” “Do you have names picked then?” “Uh, yeah, I think I do,” Nathan said. “If it's boys, then I like Caleb and Gabriel. If it's girls, then Eva and Grace.” “And if it's a boy and a girl?” Pierce asked. “I think... Grace and...Gabriel? I don’t know, I can't decide between Gabriel and Caleb.” “Aw, I liked Eva though...” Nari commented. “Well, Grace was my grandmother's name so I want to honour her for sure,” Nathan said. “You should go with the two Gs so they match,” Pierce pointed out. “Then they'll really be twinning.” “But then they'll have the same initials,” Nathan said. “I guess with middle names, that would change...” “If you pick Caleb then he would sound like a comic book character,” Diederich said. “Caleb Cassidy. That is if I assume they'll be getting your last name.” “Uh, yeah. I gotta... And it'd be weird with their father's... Grace Grace.” “Mm. More reason to pick Eva,” Nari said. “He wants to name his daughter after his grandmother whom he clearly loved,” Dax said. “I feel like you of all people should be able to appreciate that, Nari.” Nari frowned. “...I can, but you don't have to say it like that.” “I don't even know if there is a girl in here though,” Nathan said rubbing his side. “So, truthfully, I'll really be deciding when they’re born.” He'd noticed Samara staring a little more than the others every time he touched his abdomen. “Do you want to see it?” “Hm? Yes, if that's okay,” Samara asked. “Do you have any stretch marks?” “You have an unhealthy obsession with scars,” Dax said, side eyeing his friend. “I've told you a thousand times, every scar tells a story,” Samara said. “Each one tells of strength and battle.” Nathan lifted his shirt and pulled a bit at the side of his stomach to see the scars he'd found before. “I think I've been pretty lucky so far with stretch marks, but uh, there's like three big one's I've counted on the underside. I can't really see from here. I'd have to look in a mirror...” “May I?” Samara asked, approaching with her hand out. “Uh, sure...” Samara placed a hand on his stomach and traced a finger along the marks on his stomach. It tickled a bit and made him shiver. “These are good scars. Strong definitive ones. Worthy representations of this transition you're going through.” “Gee...” Nathan chuckled uncomfortably. “Thanks.” Samara stood back and sat down again. “Be proud of your scars. They are proof of life.” “Well, I guess I shouldn’t really worry about scarring…” Nathan said, rubbing his right shoulder. “When are you due?” Pierce asked. “Um, end of December,” Nathan answered. “So soon?” Pierce exclaimed. “It feels like just August you were smaller than my thigh.” “Well, uh, my condition makes my pregnancy progress almost twice as fast as normal,” Nathan said. “Condition?” Diederich asked. “What sort of condition does that?” “Um, well...” Nathan looked over from Dax to Nari. Dax patted his back reassuringly. Nathan took a deep breath. “Well, I have lycanthropy...” “Lycanthropy?” Samara asked. “You're a werewolf?” Diederich simplified. “Fascinating.” Nathan shrugged. “I guess, from an outsider’s perspective, sure…” Pierce was sitting there, jaw dropped. “A werewolf?! A real one? Like in the movies?” “Yeah, but like in real life,” Nathan mumbled. “Barmy,” Pierce muttered, staring at Nathan with such awe. “How does your condition lend itself to your pregnancy though?” Diederich asked. “Well, uh… It’s kind of complicated…” Nathan rubbed his thighs. “Well, first… I’m only pregnant because of the wolf… I’m a man, through and through, but when I transform, the wolf is female… And a wolf pregnancy is nearly four times faster than a human so for half of each month, my pregnancy is sped up. But I really don't want to get into the science of it right now.” “Ah, no problem,” Diederich obeyed. “I've—and I'm sure I'm not the only one here—just never seen a werewolf in the flesh before.” “Well I'm still a person,” Nathan said rubbing his stomach. “Not some kind of novelty.” “No, by all means, I have no intent to dehumanise your experience,” Diederich withdrew. “I can only imagine the pain and distress that accompanies such an ailment. At work, I would have never guessed that you were suffering like that. You work very hard.” “I mean, it's just kindergarten...” “That's nothing to turn one's nose up to,” Diederich said. “I don't think I'd have the patience for children so young.” “Any time I’ve passed your class, you've always had the children engaged in learning,” Pierce said. “Unless it was nap-time of course. Kids love you.” Nathan blushed and scratched the back of his head. “Well, I hope so... I'll have two running around here.” “Have you made up a nursery yet?” Dax asked. “I could help you.” “Thanks but it's pretty much done...” Nathan said. “When I found out they'd be here in December instead of April, I sort of went straight into nesting mode.” “Oh, can we see?” Pierce asked excitedly. “Uh, sure,” Nathan said. “It'll be upstairs...” Dax helped Nathan to his feet and the group headed upstairs and to the back where he had the nursery. He'd painted it in a light green and decorated a bit with a floral motif. There were two cribs across from each other and a change table against the wall on one side. A few boxes of diapers were stacked in a corner, but beyond that, there was hardly much more about but a couple old toys. “This is what you call nesting?” Nari asked. “You have barely the essentials.” “Well, it's not done, and I'm on a budget, so...” “I think it's gift opening time,” Pierce said. “That sounds about right,” Dax concurred. “Since we're already here, why don't we just bring them up?” “Oh, uh sure,” Nathan said. “But there isn't really anywhere to sit in here...” Samara punched Dax's arm as the visitors all headed downstairs. “I told you, we should've gotten that rocking chair.” Nathan tidied up some of the boxes while he waited for them to come back upstairs. It wasn't long before they were back with the various gift wrapped items. Samara had even brought up a chair from the dining room for Nathan to sit on. “We didn’t get a lot of time to put a lot of thought into these but I hope you like them,” Dax said handing over a gift bag. “Well none of you had to do this. The fact that you thought of me at all today is a gift enough,” Nathan said as he started taking out the tissue paper. He found a pair of plush purple bears inside, bird themed socks and two bars of soap. “Aw, they're so cute. Thanks Dax. The twins are going to love these.” “The soaps are completely natural,” Dax said. “I picked two different one’s hoping you’ll like at least on of the scents.” Nathan took a sniff of one. “Oh, coconut. I love coconut. Thanks.” “You can open mine next,” Pierce said handing over a big wrapped present. “It's mostly for you.” “Wow, it's big... I hope you didn’t spend too much money on my behalf...” Nathan said as he started unwrapping it. “Naw, it's worth it,” Pierce said. Nathan opened the box and unpacked a big U-shaped pillow. “Oh, a body pillow! That's actually pretty awesome. I'll definitely use this. Thanks.” Pierce beamed. “I’m glad you like it.” Diederich offered up another gift bag. “It’s a little heavy.” Nathan took it and weighed it. “Yeah, geez, guys. You’ve gone all out…” He took the tissue paper out and found the bag to be just stuffed with picture books. “Yes, this is so great. I wanted to get books for sure but I haven’t had a chance to get to a bookstore yet… Diederich, thank you so much.” “Don’t mention it. Books are very important,” Diederich said. “I tried to find English versions of the books I liked as a kid.” “Here.” Samara handed over a present. “I wish I had these as a kid.” “Gosh, getting me curious…” Nathan unwrapped it quickly. Inside the box was a plush soccer ball, a couple raglan style onesies, and two sets of toddler sized light up sneakers. “Oh, shit. Light up sneakers. I wish I had those too as a kid. And that’ll help me keep an eye on them once they start running off. Thanks, Samara.” “No problem, Nathan.” “I’m last, I guess,” Nari said, handing over another present. “It’s mostly just practical things. Not really sentimental.” “Well, practicality is really important too. And I’m already impressed with you guys on such a short amount of time arranging this.” Nathan unwrapped the present which was a couple storage boxes filled with items such as bottles, rattles, blankets, socks, lotion, wipes, nail clippers, and so on. Nathan took out the blankets and smiled. They were grey, red, and white striped on one side, and black polka dotted on the other. “And you said ‘not sentimental’. These blankets scream Nari.” Nari shrugged. “I didn’t really pay attention picking them, but I suppose you can remember me when you’re swaddling them.” “Oh yeah. I gotta learn that…” Nathan said. Nari patted his shoulder. “I can teach you. It’s simple.” “Okay, sure. That’d be great,” Nathan appreciated. “Thanks Nari. Thanks again all of you for these gifts. They’re really great.” “Well, that’s not all,” Pierce said. “We made a plan for you for after the twins are born. We googled useful gifts for first time parents and found this great idea. It can be very difficult to cook for yourself when you’re caring for a baby, and with two it sounds near impossible. So for the first couple weeks, we’ve made a schedule and each of us will prepare meals for you on different days so you won’t have to worry about cooking.” Nathan blinked and looked between each of them. “…Seriously? That’s… God, that sounds amazing…” Nari nodded. “As long as you agree to it of course.” “I mean, I wouldn’t say no if you’re actually willing to go that far…” Nathan said blushing. “I just… I feel like I don’t deserve that…” Dax shook his head. “You do. Trust us, it’s not that big of a deal and it’ll be good reason for us to visit you while you’re away from class.” Pierce nodded. “We’re going to miss you when you’re on leave.” Nathan smiled and chuckled a bit, tears welling up in his eyes. “Guys, you’re really so kind…” He sniffled and wiped his eyes but the tears kept coming. “Shit, I’m crying again… I just… I’ve been really scared about all this going in alone, but you guys make me feel like I’m not alone and things are actually going to be okay…” Nari gave him a hug. “It is going to be okay. We’re here for you. Never think that you’re alone.” Nathan buried his face in Nari’s shoulder. “Thank you… Thank you so much…” “Aw, hugs,” Pierce said, wrapping his arms around the two of them. Moments later they were all in a group hug, comforting Nathan. He managed to calm down and stop the tears so he broke up the hug. “Okay, okay… I’m good…” he said smiling. “…So cake time?” “Oh, it is definitely cake time,” Dax said, before they all headed back downstairs to enjoy the cake.

[peace-favor-your-sword]

Just a little something I whipped up..oooohhhhhh 6 months ago and never finished. 

I present to you.. the Sleep Series starring Gabriel Reyes/Eva and Genji Shimada/Eve...

My OC is Eva, a lovingly bossy ex-medic, and my friend’s OC Eve, weapons specialist supreme, also known as the great @mountevey. Check out her page and give her a follow. She’s a literal angel and I love her to bits 💙

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Genji (prefall)/Eve 

Genji wandered into the break room, feet silent, and saw that there was one small light above the stove on. Other than that, the room was dark, silent, and exactly what he needed. He breathed a sigh of relief. The clock read 4:35 and he knew the base wouldn't be up for another couple hours. 

That meant Eve wouldn’t be up for another couple hours, and he was surprised to admit to himself that he missed her. His head seemed much more clear when he was around her, and he felt less inner turmoil, less pain. But he didn't want to hurt her with any of his inner demons, so he made sure to separate himself when he was having a hard day. It was for her. 

But he didn’t want to stay in his room, not after his fourth night in a row with some of his worst nightmares, ones that left him sweating and crying when he awoke. 

The walls always seemed to press in on him, making it so he couldn't breathe. Out here, he felt less alone, though he physically was. He sat down on the couch, and rubbed his face, feeling the scars as his fingers dragged down his face. He looked down at the scars on his arms and sighed. He estimated he had gotten less than an hours sleep, and he had even gone to bed early. The nightmares just wouldn't let him rest, and he laid down on the couch, against the back and put one hand under his head. 

It felt so nice out here…cooler, with more room. He felt as though he could actually relax, and he trusted himself enough to let his eyes close. 

--- 

Eve wandered down the hall, and rubbed her eyes as she turned to walk into the break room. As she walked to the sink, she idly thought about her boyfriend. He had gone to bed early last night, and he had seemed tense and upset. As much as she had wanted to go after him and make sure that he was alright, she knew he needed his space. So she allowed him that, even though it was hard for her.

She grabbed a class from the cabinet and filled it halfway, and drank it slowly, letting the cool water run down her throat. It was another one of those nights that she just randomly woke up and she shook her head in slight irritation. Why did that always seem to happen? 

She set the glass in the sink, and walked to the door by the couch, and looked at it in passing, jumping slightly as she saw the lean figure of Genji laid out. 

She looked closer and saw that he was completely asleep, but his eyebrows were furrowed. And the rest of his face was bare, and she stared at him with a slight smile on her face, enjoying the rare chance to see the rest of his handsome face, so freely shown. 

'Another nightmare.' She thought, and the wheels turned in her head, as what to do to help. Suddenly an idea came to her head, and she glanced around the room, and checked the time. There was about an hour and a half left until the rest of the base would wake up and she wanted to make sure that he slept for all of it. And she could use a little more rest herself. 

She sat down softly on the cushion and carefully eased her legs next to his. She laid her head on his arm and let an arm drape across his chest. She felt him stiffen and start to stir, and she closed her eyes, knowing that he was looking at her, his red eyes glowing slightly in the darkness. 

She then felt him lay his head back down and lean against her own head, and she fought a smile as she felt him gently kiss her head, and tighten his arm around her waist. They both settled in and for once in a long time, the nightmares left him alone, and he knew it was because of her. 

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

Gabe/Eva 

Gabe wasn't a man of many regrets and he liked being that way. But right now, he was regretting one thing. He regretted going to bed so late last night and getting up so early this morning. The rational part of his brain told him he needed to take a power nap, but he kept trying to argue, as he drank his fourth cup of coffee. 

He was trying to down it a little quicker than usual, on the off chance that Eva walked In and saw the stack of three other cups. He didn't want her lecturing him today. Her background as a medic made her particularly insistent when it came to the teams health. 

He set down the empty cup and his stomach growled. Thus begun the mental battle. Did he get up and go get something to eat, and give his brain a good 15 minute break, or did he just power through it? Dinner was about 3 hours away. After 5 minutes of debate and a finished report, he stood up with a sigh, he pushed the cups into the small trashcan by his desk, cracking his neck. He powered off his screens and walked to the door. 

He walked down down the hall, stretching his arms and back slightly, hating how good it felt to be up and about. 

He walked into the kitchen and a wonderful smell assaulted his nose. That punk kid was at it again, and he cursed him for it. 

Indeed, there was a plate of brownies on the counter, haphazardly cut by the one and only Jesse McCree. He picked up one, and bit into it, closing his eyes happily. This was the most amazing food cooked in this place.

Should he be eating something with more nutritional value? Absolutely. But Gabriel Reyes never passed up anything chocolate. That just wasn't right. He had morals.  

He then wandered over to the couch and flipped through the pages of a random book on the table. Some western novel. He shook his head with a smile. Must be something that Jesse was reading. He sat down with a sigh, kicking up his heels and relaxing into the soft cushion. This was so much better than office. See? He could make good decisions and he finished off his brownie with a final bite and leaned his head back. Now this, this felt nice. He felt his shoulders relax and he looked at his watch one before closing his eyes. 

Just 20 minutes of rest and then he'd get back to reports. 

---

Eva walked down the hall and took a deep breath right before she walked in the break room. Angela had asked her to help her with restocking supplies and she had gotten done almost twice the amount she thought she could do. She had walked down the hall a pleased smile on her face the whole time. 

As soon as she hit the corner, she smelled them. 

Chocolate brownies. Jesse McCree. He’d done. He’d made brownies, just like she had asked him to that morning. She broke into a trot and ran into the room, spying them on the counter. 

She squealed, dancing on the balls of her feet, as she grabbed a brownie, and continued her tiny dance around the kitchen, towards the living room. She had to put her feet up for just another minute, maybe eat another brownie. 

Then she stopped suddenly, her mouth still in mid chew. 

Gabe. 

He was asleep on the couch, his head resting on the back of the couch, his feet propped up in the reclining portion. 

She sat there for a moment with her back leaned up against wall, eating the second brownie, enjoying the opportunity to watch the man she loved face, peaceful and quiet for once. It almost never happened. The work had been overwhelming this week and she knew it was hard on him. 

She then hopped through the doorway and walked over to him, pulling his shoulders up, and grabbing a pillow to put at the end of the couch. 

“Wha-“ he started to say, and she simply placed a finger over his lips. 

“I’m just getting us both comfortable..lay down.” She instructed and he resisted laying back, a frown on his face. 

“I have to get back..” He tried to fight her, but she was in one of those moods again, and he wasn’t going to be able to stop her. 

“Gabriel.” She said quietly and with warning, but she should have known that a smirk would come over his face. 

“So bossy.” He replied simply and let her push him down completely on the pillow, and she laid down next to him, her head on his chest, and she sighed with contentment. He wrapped his arms around her in response, and closed his eyes.  

Maybe just for a few more minutes. 

--------

[robertshugartca]

“I love this sheer beige nude nail color for darker skin...

“I love this sheer beige nude nail color for darker skin tones,” shares celebrity nail artist Betina Goldstein whose A-list clients include Zoë Kravitz, Salma Hayek, Issa Rae, Rosamund Pike, and Issa Rae. “Other sheer nudes have pink or white undertones that don’t match well for darker skin tones. This color balances the nail bed color to the skin color while still maintaining a sheer clean look.” “Veque is one of my absolute favorite nail polish brands,” says celebrity nail artist Mazz Hanna who counts Constance Wu, Julia Roberts, Amber Heard, Kaley Cuoco, and Tyra Banks. “It’s a female-owned company based out of Seattle, and its colors are rich and delicious. It also has beautiful line of inclusive nudes to match every skin tone, and one of my favorite nude colors for darker skin is this one called Buff. It’s sheer, but not too sheer, and looks incredible on darker skin.” For more full coverage and an opaque effect, Goldstein loves this nude nail hue from Chanel. “It’s the perfect balance of deep beige and rich caramel,” she says. “It’s actually one of my all-time favorite polishes.” A light cinnamony-brown that’s on the neutral to warm side of the spectrum, this fan favorite shade from Essie has a flattering hint of red, which Bachik especially loves for those with darker skin tones.  “For darker skin tones, I usually suggest choosing a nude-colored polish that has a slightly orange undertone, and I recommend going one to two shades lighter or darker than your actual skin,” explains celebrity nail artist Karen Gutierrez who works with celebrities like Gina Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Zoe Saldaña, Eva Mendez, and Gabrielle Union. She loves this precise shade from Zoya, which is described by the brand as a “warm milky light brown nude creme with soft orangey undertones.” Another great option for those with dark to deep skin tones who have a warmer undertone, this rich and flattering shade from OPI is one of Bachik’s all-time go-tos.  “Just like a foundation for your face, there are nail polishes with different undertones,” explains Goldstein. “Unlike foundation, however, your nail polish doesn’t have to exactly match your skin tone, but it should enhance it.  "With that in mind, you want to choose a nail color that will complement your skin tone, and for dark to deep skin tones, I personally lean toward polishes with caramels and deep creamy beige tones like this one from Patricia Yankee.” “As crazy as it might sound, matching a nude nail polish to your skin tone can sometimes be a mistake,” Gutierrez warns, echoing Bachik. “I’ve noticed that when I’ve done this in the past, it has a tendency to wash out my hands and make my nude manicure look gray and muddy, which is why I like going either a little darker or lighter.  "It’s possible that you may need to layer two different shades of nude nail polish to find the perfect shade, starting with the darkest nude at the base and layering it with the lighter nude."  For a shade slightly deeper, she reaches for this bottle from Christian Louboutin. (Spendy, but gorge.) "Kateri is an absolutely stunning shade. The formula is deep and luscious, and Zoya just came out with a wide, flat brush that makes application super easy,” Hanna tells us. “For medium tones, try a nail nude nail color with hints of pink or peach,” recommends Goldstein. “ This full coverage, opaque polish from Chanel is great for medium skin tones with pink undertones.” “To be honest, there are a lot of nude nail colors out there, but not a lot of good nudes,” Bachik laughs. “I usually mix or layer nude tones to get the shade I’m looking for.” That said, this iconic shade from Essie is one of his favorites. Aptly named, this flattering shade from Deborah Lippmann is another great option according to both Gutierrez and Bachik.  Gutierrez agrees that medium skin tones often look best with nude colors that have a hint of pink. One of her top picks? This ultra-glossy iteration from the color geniuses at Tom Ford.  Also slightly pink in undertone, this chic polish from House Louboutin comes highly recommended by Gutierrez. (Plus, polish packaging just doesn't get better than this.)  Described as a “sweet coffee cream,” Gutierrez says this delicate shade of nude packs the perfect pop of nude-hued punch.  “This nude nail color from OPI is one of the most popular colors in my kit,” Hanna shares. “While it looks amazing on everyone, I think it looks the most flattering on medium-toned skin.” If you love saturated (aka non-sheer) nail colors and have medium-toned skin with olive undertones, Goldstein loves this cool shade of beige from YSL.  “Think of these sheer nude nail colors as foundation for your nails,” Goldstein says. “This particular one has soft peach pigment which looks great on medium skin tones."  "The point to a flawless nude nail manicure is to subtly showcase your nails,” says Gutierrez. For lighter skin tones, she loves this elegant shade of nude-pink from Burberry.  What would a nude nail color roundup be without this cult-favorite polish from Essie? According to Hanna, it’s one of her consistent go-to shades when working with clients who have fair and light skin tones although she says it actually looks great on most skin tones and is a staple in anyone’s polish arsenal.  “My number one go-to shade for fair skin is this blush-colored shade from Oribe,” Hanna tells us. “The color is absolutely beautiful on fair skin, and the formula and brush are divine. I literally can never have enough of this color. I could easily go through an entire bottle in a busy week—that’s how amazing it is!” “This sheer white gloss hue from Jinsoon is another one of my favorites for those with lighter skin tones,” adds Hanna. “Since this color is on the lighter side of nude, it looks super chic on fair skin and short nails.” “This nude nail color is chic and elegant with a soft pink finish,” explains Goldstein. “I recommend applying two coats for more coverage.” “This shade from Essie is sheer with a hint of light pink,” Goldstein says. “It brightens up and evens out the nail bed and is great for medium to dark skin tones too! I love using this polish on myself and clients because it doesn’t change colors or turn yellow.” “If you are very fair with pink and red undertones, I recommend sticking with a nude with white or soft blush undertones,” suggests Goldstein. Bachik agrees and loves this popular shade from Chanel.  If you have a light skin tone with neutral undertones (aka not too cool and not too warm), Bachik says this pink-y nude nail color from OPI is one of the best you can buy.  Don’t have neutral or warm undertones? Try this demure shade from Essie. Bachik tells us it’s his go-to nude hue for clients with a lighter skin tone and more cool undertones.  Next up, these are the only nail colors worth wearing this spring, according to WWW editors.

source https://gothify1.tumblr.com/post/183509949855

[darcelle-medlyn-qut]

Task 2 | Line + Site

ABOVE | Art>Infrastructure (Task 2)

PROCESS

I found this task difficult and took double the given time frame to settle on a final outcome! I had looked into Gabriel Dawe's installations with string during my artists research on line and direction and thought it would be a sufficient idea to make my own visualisation, multiplying the installations around the photo of the tree in KG (see iterations below in documentation). However, I found out pretty quickly that while I'm pretty deft with Photoshop nowadays, it was going to be almost impossible to edit due to the transparent and complicated nature of the installations.

My contingency was to appropriate Eva Hesse's Rope Piece (1969-1970), my intention was to multiply and scaled up the installation to drape around the tree branches. I abandoned this iteration after an hour, my obstacles being image quality and the fact that there was too much happening visually in the image to distinguish a linear installation.

This got me thinking about the notes I made about what I like in spatial art when I started the unit. BALANCE, MOVEMENT, CONTRAST, GESTALT, FORM, SCALE.

I came across Dutch Lucian Den Arend whose practice based in public and land art, creates geometric and abstract sculptures. Saatchi Art says,

"He involves the observer of the work with the interaction of lines, planes and material. His work owes its significance to this interaction. He uses materials from his surroundings - depending on the location, these can be metal, stone, water, earth or plants; as long as he is in control." (Saatchi Art, n. d)

I found the public sculpture S.A.I.L. (1977) and admired the fluidity that Arend achieved out of an industrial material. I ditched the tree photo, the Uni campus really doesn't mean much to me anyway. I struggle with Uni so the campus leaves me a bit lost for inspiration. I used a photo from my most recent roll of film of the view of the train station and Wesley Hospital from my yard. The area I live in and love has been subject to over development in the last few years, they're turning Auchenflower into Milton and any concern for residents or the old heritage homes in the area is disregarded. My home has been a direct target for development proposals! Brisbane's changing and ever developing landscape is something that does interest me.

I thought what if I put an intrusive sculpture on top of the Wesley that the council would despise? So I arranged duplicates of Arend's sculpture, scaling it accordingly then linking the separate parts together to create a seamless, linear, organic and surrealist looking form. This was an experiment but it does speak to me of over development, so I call this experiment Art>Infrastructure. It uses steel, an industrial material I'm familiar with after living next to a construction site for a year. Yet as Arend intends, the sculpture is entirely its own form, not modelled off any reference. It subtly contrast against the landscape, taking up the view. It conquers the Wesley with in grand scale, the visualisation is now speaks directly to site.

DOCUMENTATION

REFLECTION

This task was frustrating and took some determination to finish, but in the end I came to a conclusion that felt authentic to me, even though it's a sample of another artists work. I typically struggle to connect with a work if it doesn't feel true to me, so these exercises stretch my comfort zone. In future, if I research the site more I should be able to find a meaningful way to connect with it and consequently create work that is unique to that site. I may need to do more research on Chauvel Place to stir some inspiration for the other tasks. I'm curious to experiment more with Photoshop to visualise potential works, the plasticity of digital mediums allows me to try many different conclusions. Though I should try not to get carried away!