#PLUS I ENJOY MY 12/night HOUSING RENT

[hiddenbysuccubi]

Me, fretting because I talked to HR about Stuff: .... Me, subsequently getting to go home on the earlier bus from now on and never having to worry about my coworkers not doing any of their shit and not having to do it for them ever again: !!!! My manager and I both sharing stories about being in management and having workers coming in drunk or on drugs on us: alfjdoihhaoihgoi My manager giving me a bottle of the homebrew beer he and his wife made: what is reality.

[firetrucks-fastcars]

Hot Chocolate Weather

For TWP 12 Days of Tarlos @tarlosweeklyprompts

Dec. 12: Enjoying Hot Chocolate Together

TK and Carlos ride out a storm together and test out a Reyes family recipe.

Read on ao3 here

“I’m not liking the way this looks,” Carlos grumbled, stepping away from the window where he’d been peeking out at the storm. The plastic blinds crackled when he released them and TK pushed down the urge to fuss about him bending the pieces. It was a pet peeve he'd never been able to get over after years of being scolded for peering through the blinds of rented apartments in the same fashion. As if sensing his frustration, Carlos gently adjusted the bent piece before drawing the curtains over the window. Out of sight, out of mind. 

“Do you think it’s gonna get bad? Judd was saying something about tornado weather.”

TK really hated storms. They weren’t an anomaly in New York but something about the humidity of the South and the potential for tornadoes made it worse. Plus past experiences with storms, rain, ice, dust, or otherwise, he was understandably wary of weather that wasn’t sunny and blue skies. 

“The news is saying just some bad thunderstorms here, babe. But I’m gonna pull out some candles just in case the power goes out.”

Severe thunderstorms had been brewing in Austin over the last several days with the potential of tornadoes in other parts of the state and it was finally coming to a head. Luckily, TK had just finished his last twenty-four-hour shift for the week and Carlos was finishing up a highly annoying stint on the night shift, so they had a long weekend together to ride out the storm. 

Carlos moved across the loft, digging up their abundance of candles that had been thrown into a random drawer during the moving process. Living in Texas his whole life, Carlos had amassed a collection of mismatched tea lights and taper candles only to be used in the event of a power outage. 

“It looked pretty nasty when we were out on calls today. When do you think the bottom is gonna fall out?”

His answer didn’t come from Carlos but from the loud crack of thunder and the subsequent torrential downpour that began beating the windows of the loft. 

“Never mind, I have my answer. Thank you Mother Nature.”

Carlos chuckled and joined him in his sprawled-out position on the couch. “You wanna watch Grand Designs? We have a couple of episodes to catch up on and nothing else to do for the next few days.”

“Sounds perfect,” TK tucked his feet under him and curled into Carlos’ warmth. “Let’s just pray the power doesn’t go out.”

“Don’t jinx it.”

“Doesn’t this building have backup generators?”

“Only for the lights in the hallway, so we don’t fall and kill ourselves if we have to evacuate.”

“If all else fails we can try and play Catan with two people.”

“I’m not sure how well that would work babe,” Carlos stifled his laugh where his face was buried in TK’s hair. “We do have Scrabble though.”

“Wasn’t it you that said, and I quote ‘In this house we Catan’?”

“You’ve got me there.”

Carlos navigated the TV menu, pulling up Grand Designs and pressing play on an episode they hadn’t seen yet. He relaxed into the couch, glad to have some time just the two of them. The previously scheduled 126 hang had been canceled due to weather, and while Carlos loved their friends, he was bone tired and not feeling in a very host-like mood. He wanted nothing more than to spend the next four days in their current position, and maybe a few others once he caught up on sleep.

TK leaned heavily on this shoulder, occasionally making comments about the choices the builders and owners were making, but otherwise content to just enjoy the show and his company. 

Carlos had barely dozed off when TK tugged on his shirt, “Baby, we should make hot chocolate. It’s the perfect weather for it.”

It took him a minute to process the request, his sleep-addled brain still coming back online.

“That sounds good babe,” he agreed, once his body had gotten with the program. “Let me just make sure we have the ingredients.”

“Ingredients? Don’t we just need milk and the little packets?”

“Have I taught you nothing Tyler? Homemade is much better. Come on, I’m gonna teach you a family recipe.”

Carlos moved into the kitchen muttering to himself as he began pulling things out of the pantry. TK padded in behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist as he watched him pull out more ingredients than TK had ever seen used for hot chocolate. 

“Can you grab me a saucepan and turn the heat on to medium?”

“Yep.”

TK rummaged through the lower cabinet as Carlos moved over to a small wooden box and flipped through a handful of index cards until he found what he was looking for. TK emerged victorious with the saucepan and sat it on the stove, then flipped the knob over until the flame lit and adjusted the heat according to Carlos’ directions. 

“Grab the milk from the fridge too please?”

TK once again obeyed his instructions, bringing over the oat milk Carlos always laughed at him for putting in the cart, but had become a staple in their fridge. 

“My Mami would slap me upside the head for using oat milk in this,” he teased, measuring it out and pouring it into the pan anyway. 

“Just don’t let her know I converted you,” TK leaned up to kiss his cheek.

“Measure out these spices,” he handed over a faded index card, ripped around the edges, with various spices and measurements scrawled on it. It wasn’t Carlos’ handwriting and he wasn’t sure that it was Andrea’s either. “Cut the cayenne in half though, since you’re a lightweight.”

“Very funny.”

They worked in amicable silence, moving around each other in a way that had only been perfected by months of running into each other until they learned their partner’s natural orbit. Carlos hummed along to the quiet music he had turned on, never being able to cook in the quiet, stirring the mixture as TK very carefully measured out the spices according to the directions bestowed upon him and handed them over. 

“You said this was a family recipe,” TK said, hopping up on the counter next to the stove, careful to avoid the heat. “How long have you been making this?”

“My whole life,” Carlos reached around him for the chocolate and poured some in without consulting the directions then resumed his stirring. “There’s been a few iterations in my family. My dad’s grandmother made the first one, but it’s had some tweaks and changes over the years. This is a combination of her recipe and my Tia Lucy’s.”

“It looks amazing, I’ve never seen so much go into just hot chocolate.”

“My family does nothing by halves.”

Carlos finally deemed the concoction ready, reaching above TK’s head to pull out mugs. TK couldn’t help but giggle at the choices, Carlos subconsciously grabbing each of their favorite mugs. TK’s was a gag gift from Judd for his birthday, covered in pictures of Buttercup’s big, goofy face. Carlos’ was one that TK had found and bought for him just because, hand painted with the Northern Lights. 

Carlos ladled a healthy amount into both mugs, topping them with marshmallows and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

“Tell me what you think.”

TK took a sip, careful not to burn his tongue. It wasn’t as sweet as what he was used to, and he could taste the heat of the spices but it wasn’t unpleasant. It made him feel warm in the best possible way and he eagerly took another sip.

“This is literally the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.”

“Good,” Carlos said, finally taking a sip from his own mug and humming contentedly. “My Mami will be glad to know it got your seal of approval.”

“If you make this again, I might just have to marry you,” TK teased, leaning up to kiss him, chasing the taste of bittersweet chocolate on his lips. 

“I guess I’ll just have to make it for the rest of our lives.”

“You’re gonna ruin norma; hot chocolate for our kids,” TK said casually. “They’re gonna think it’s crazy the first time they try Swiss Miss.”

Carlos hid his blush at the mention of their future children behind the rim of his mug, but TK caught the barest hints of a smile in his eyes. 

They were startled from their moment by the flickering of lights just before the apartment was plunged into darkness.

“You had to tempt fate didn’t you.”

Carlos used his phone flashlight to navigate to the living area, lighting enough candles to make things visible, but not enough to be concerned about a five-alarm. Luckily he lived with a firefighter and based on previous experience, had a fire extinguisher in every room. 

TK joined him, looking perfectly cozy in the candlelight, his mug cradled in his hands. They finished their drinks, now warmed from the inside out, and placed their mugs on the coffee table to be taken care of later.

Carlos laid back on the couch, pulling TK on top of him like a finance-shaped weighted blanket.

“You know,” TK mumbled from where his face was buried in Carlos’ neck. “If I get to spend all of them like this, I might actually learn to like storms.”

“There you go tempting fate again,” Carlos groaned, no real annoyance in his voice. “If we get you liking storms the rain may never stop.”

“Yeah whatever,” TK laughed, snuggling impossibly closer. “Blow out those candles so I can take a nap.

The power came back on a few hours later, startling them both out of their slumber when various devices started beeping as they came back online. They threw a frozen pizza in the oven, too lazy to make a real meal, and picked up where they left off on their show. The rain continued on through the night, a soundtrack to their evening as they washed dishes and showered together before turning into bed early. 

Carlos took his position as big spoon, nuzzling his nose into TK’s damp hair. He was once again almost asleep when the other man spoke, “I thought up something you can put in your vows.”

“What is it?”

“I promise to make you hot chocolate every time it rains.”

“I think we can work something out,” he chuckled. “Now go to bed Tyler.”

“Goodnight Carlos.”

“Goodnight babe.”

(If a few months later the line was worked into his vows, that was no one’s business but theirs. And if TK had the recipe memorized by the end of the year, then that was no one’s business either)

[lilylinnfield]

NIGHT SKIES

Hi Guys!! This is a story based on my supernatural dr. I'm getting back into tumblr/shiftblr and I want to document it. It's been so fun writing it, so I thought I'd share because I saw a post yesterday saying that we need more DR related stuff on Tumblr instead of all those 3D/4D stuff and I totally agree. So here I am sharing my first story with you. I love reading about other peoples DR's and maybe you enjoy reading about mine as well. Quick Disclaimer: I am not a writer. It's hard for me to come up with conversations and scenarios that fit the storyline and the characters in it. So I probably will only continue writing when I have finally shifted because then I can write from memory/experience rather then imagination. I love the thought of continuing this story based on the events that really happen in my dr. I also want to mention that english is not my first language, so mistakes will be made. Plus, sometimes it will differ from the original show. The Supernatural characters mentioned in this story are not my own, and I do not claim any ownership or credit for their creation. However, Nicolas and Lily are original characters, and their story is entirely their own. Literally. *giggles in reality shifting* Anywaaays, I'll stop yapping now.

Chapter 1 // Backstory

Content Warnings: mention of death, suicide, depression, grief, guilt Wordcount: 904

New Beginnings

It’s been nearly two years since you and your parents moved to the American Midwest—Bemidji, Minnesota, to be exact. Far away from everything you knew and grew up around. When you told people where you and you parents wanted to move, their reaction was almost always the same. Confusion written across their faces. You couldn’t blame them because although you were sure Minnesota had its charm, it’s not the usual place you’d expect someone from across the Atlantic Ocean to relocate to. For you and your parents, however, it was the perfect opportunity to begin a new chapter in your lives. And after all, this was where your parents grew up.

When they were younger, there was this bar named 'Roadhouse' where they used to meet up as teenagers. When they heard the previous owner needed to sell it and saw that it was available, they jumped at the chance to buy it.

Since then, they’ve been coming here regularly, dedicating their time and energy to renovating it—though they’ve been careful not to overdo it. It was important to them to keep the bar’s old charm. Fortunately, it was still in pretty good shape, so they didn’t have to invest too much into the renovations. 

The house you were living in, came together as part of the property. Located on a small Lake in the midst of a Forest. About 350 yards away from the Bar. You remember the day you moved in as if it were yesterday—in awe of how cozy and peaceful the place was. To you, it looked exactly like the kind of house a witch would to settle down in. Vines decorating the exterior, a wraparound porch with wooden chairs, and its own little dock for boats. After a long time you felt excited. Happy even. 

You are glad that you came with your parents. Sure, it wasn't easy all the time, and your parents tested your patience every now and then, but being with them has made this transition easier. You’ve definitely been itching to have your own place though. After working at the bar for the past two years and earning some extra cash by playing poker and pool with middle-aged men—who, weren’t very skilled, mostly because they were too busy flirting with you, which you found both disgusting and amusing (since you always took their money)—you’ve finally saved up enough to rent an apartment. Now, all you need is to find the perfect place to make your own.

Against your mothers will, your dad began teaching you and your younger brother about supernatural creatures when you were just 12. While Hunting itself was never an option due to your ages—your brother being a year younger—his stories left a significant impact. Significant enough, despite knowing that these creatures were far from the small town suburbs in the Netherlands where you grew up in, for you to keep a knife under your pillow. 

You like to think he meant well, wanting you to be prepared for what’s lurking out there, but looking back, you can’t help but feel a little angry at him for taking your childhood away so quickly. Not that you’d ever tell him that—these days, he feels guilty enough on his own. Both of your parents shouldn’t have to feel guilty; it wasn’t their fault that Nicolas committed suicide. Nicolas left a letter explaining his actions, saying he had been depressed for a long time and couldn’t bear the constant state of mind he was in. But knowing your dad, there was nothing you could do to change his feelings of guilt. To be quite honest, you couldn’t even free yourself from the guilt. You and your brother were like twins growing up, always spending time together and telling each other everything—or so you thought. You can’t believe you missed the signs. You’re still not sure if there were even signs to begin with, since he had hidden them so well. 

It got less heavy each year but you are still full of grieve and fighting depression everyday. That's the reason you and your parents moved away. The house and the city you grew up in, everything around you, was haunted by memories of him. It would have been too difficult to move on in the same town, with the same people.

[tatertotthethot]

The Doms Next Door 2.0

THIS IS A TEMPORARY REUPLOAD FOR THIS CHAPTER CUZ TUMBLR IS RAN BY A BUNCH OF BOTS. 2.1 HERE

Warnings/AN: frequent, casually cursing; comical, gay Jimin; insecure reader; steamy flirting; tattoo/sexualized Tae 🙃. Enjoy~ (TAEKOOK EDIT ABOVE IS ARTKOOK DONE BY NONCONMAN ON INSTAGRAM)

copyright © 2018 all rights reserved

_________________________________

Your tires came to a stop outside of the tattoo shop you've seen online— a brick building, covered in spray paint and street-style art. A sign buzzed over the awning of the entrance doors, with the built-in UV lights and graffiti-styled font displaying the name of the place in neon-red letters. Kink For Ink! The name alone was what first caught your attention last week, when you Googled "Tattoo shops near me" and it pulled up a list, with "Kink For Ink" being the first option. It just seemed so uncanny and fitting at the time, considering the previous run-in you just had with the sex-crazed neighbors a couple nights before. You couldn't help but to click the link to their Instagram.

A profile came up with 53.4k followers, which immediately blew your mind... but you quickly saw why. Every tattoo and piercing, no matter the body-placement, skin-type, or quirky design, was vividly appealing— certainly done by the articulate hands of certified experts. Even in the comments of the piercings that were posted, people were praising them for the "minimal" amount of pain they experienced, despite the fact that some of piercings were done in places you couldn't even fathom the thought of having a needle jammed through.

It said in the bio that the shop is owned by the two artists that work there— Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jungkook. You couldn't find out much about them, all their pictures showed was their work. You even went back to search for a personal account of their own, but nothing came up. You then went back to the bio and clicked a link to the official website, hoping to find out something, but you were met with a disclaimer rule at the top that automatically deemed your chances of even getting your piece done by them, slim-to-none.

• No walk-ins allowed.

• Every request/idea must be sent in through the DMs of our Instagram page. You will only be accepted only if it spikes our personal interests.

Yikes; You were instantly discouraged by this. The piece you wanted was something so common and cliché, that you actually got the image out of a child's coloring book.... It was the cartoon layout of the glass vase and enchanted rose, from the Beauty and the Beast movie. Cheesy, yes. But it was something of personal, nostalgic value. You remember when you were little— roughly around 3 or 4 years of age— when your parents started fighting and would spend all day screaming and throwing things at each other, putting you in a constant state of anxiety. But then you'd go to bed at night and pop the VHS tape, and the movie never failed to put you in a peaceful state of mind— a hopeful one. It's remained as your all-time favorite love story throughout the years. Which, is ironic, considering that the relationship itself was different, but almost as dysfunctional as your parent's. However, the fact that even the Beast was capable of change, and everything wound up so perfect and happy in the end, makes your heart happy. And even now, at age 19, it still puts you in your feelings. The previous remake of a movie is what actually inspired you to get the enchanted rose as a tattoo, after seeing it in 3D not too long ago. But you're only willing to shell out up to $200 for it, at most. You've just started college, and even though Jimin's parents own the house and let the two of you live there, rent free, you're still responsible for half the utility bills from month to month. Blowing every bit of money you have saved up, right at the start of the semester, would just be irresponsible. But $200 was manageable, and you're looking for anything that'll give you a little extra "oomph" to break you out of this introverted shell you've always known. Pushing it off would just delay it, and you were ready for change. The nose piercing you want is just a small little thing that'll hopefully add a bit of flare to the features of your face. These two guys could probably do the piercing/tattoo with a blindfold on and a hand tied behind their back. So, if it meant that you'd be able to get these things done in confidence, without having to worry about the outcome, you figured it wouldn't hurt for you to at least ask, even if they straight-up ignore you. So, after spending an unnecessary amount of time overthinking the wording of your text, you finally constructed a message in your notes and DM'd it to business page, after sending them a small, simple outline of the cartoony rose, and pressed send.

• You: Hello! I've been wanting to get this tattoo done for a very while now, and was hoping one of you will be willing to do it for me... along with piercing my nose? I know it's a very mediocre and cliché piece, and a nose piercing can be done anywhere. But I'm new to the area and I've never gotten a tattoo/piercing done before and I haven't really checked out any other places either because I found this page first. And from what I can see, you guys are pretty efficient and CRAZY talented. So, I trust it'll get done right.... only if you want to! I'm willing to pay $200 for this, but if it costs that much for just the outline I've sent then that's fine as well. But I understand if neither of you want to do it cuz that is really cheap compared to the ones I've seen lol. But either way, thx for ur time 😁

A few minutes went by and you had just unlocked your phone to check the message again, when the word "seen" popped below the message. You held your breath for a second— but seconds turned to minutes, and time went by with no reply, what-so-ever. You figured maybe you sounded a little too immature to take seriously; kind of like a prepubescent 12-year-old asking someone out for a dance... and you blew it. Which was disappointing, but predictable. So fuck it. Maybe it's a sign; you shouldn't get it after all.

11pm rolled around, many hours later. You were now hiding beneath your covers, beginning your "amateur threesome" exploration on PornHub. You were ready to see what this whole "2 guys, 1 girl" thing was all about. But just when you were about to type it into the search bar, you were interrupted by an Instagram notification dropping down from the top of your screen.

"KinkForInk sent you a message."

You audibly gasped, eyes turning to saucers as you clicked on the notif and switched over to the Instagram app.

• KinkForInk: Hi (Y/N). This is Tae, one of the artists of the shop. The tattoo you sent in is worth roughly $100... but I want to run an offer by you in hopes that you'll be interested.

— Your brows scrunched in oddity, stomach fluttering. An offer? For you?

• You: Okay, sure. What's that?

• KinkForInk: I've been looking for someone willing to showcase the custom design I've come up with, specifically for a much more... exclusive version of the Beauty and the Beast tattoo you sent. And if you'd be down for letting me and my partner put it on you, it'll be free. No charge. BUT you'll also have to sign a contract saying that you'll do a little bit of modeling for us once it's done. You think you'd be in to doing something like that, even if you get it?

— Your head spun for a second, reading the message over and over again until you could fully wrap your mind around what he was saying.

• You: Hold on... YOU wanna put a tattoo on ME so that I model for you? And it's FREE? Are you sure about this? I'm not even model material lol.

• KinkForInk: Yes, yes, and yes, you are. You'd be perfect for this.

• You: How do know that? Is it a face tattoo? Cuz I only have 6 selfies on here and you can't see anything past my shoulders.

—"Seen" came up as soon as you hit send, but a couple of minutes rolled by with no reply to the message, nor was he even typing. Maybe you came off a little rude. But it was already sketchy and it was a logical question.

— An image suddenly popped up: a screenshot of your Facebook profile. Then another— and much to your horror, it was the photo Jimin tagged you in last week, when the two of you were swimming at a local community pool. You were wearing a simple two piece, sitting at the foot of the lawn chair Jimin was also sitting in, as his legs were visible on either side of you and his lap was practically framing your ass. The photo was at an upward angle and looked so scandalous— but really, you had just asked Jimin to put sun screen on your back and he didn't want to stand up because the pavement was too hot against his bare feet. But you actually liked the picture at the time; it was just a silly joke and your ass actually looked quite nice from that angle. Plus, everyone knows nothing sexual actually goes on between the two of you, for obvious reasons. But Taehyung doesn't, so you couldn't help but dreadfully cringe when you saw the caption of the screen shot.

"Babymama 💦🍆"

• KinkForInk: Is this you??

• You: Yes, that's me. The caption is a joke tho... pay no mind to that. But this is like, really happening? You really think it'd look good on me?

— Why that picture though? You couldn't help but wonder.

• KinkForInk: Yes. Like I said, you're perfect for this piece. Are you down to at least see what the tattoo will look like? We don't expect you to be experienced with modeling or anything, but if you listen to us and cooperate, you'll do just fine.

• You: Yes I wanna see, and I'll do the best I can if I decide to get it... I'm just a bit shy, is all.

• KinkForInk: You'll be in good hands. I promise.

• You: Okay... are you going to show me??

• KinkForInk: Can't send it over a message, I don't want it plagiarized or the concept stolen. But the piece itself isn't necessarily crazy or anything, just more creative. I'd be more than happy to show you at my shop some day this week, if you'd be willing to swing by.

• You: Yeah, I can do that. When should I come?

• KinkForInk: Are you available after 5 tomorrow?

• You: I am, I get off at 4:30.

• KinkForInk: Great. Be here by 5:30, and make sure you've eaten in case you like the piece and wanna get started. It's pretty big for a first timer and gonna take a lot of time and patience. It'll have to be done in sessions but I hope you have a fair enough pain tolerance to at least get the outline of it done first.

— It can't be any worse than a bikini wax, you thought, shivering at the memory. That a story for another time. You decided on an alternative scenario.

• You: I give blood from time to time... but that's easy and doesn't really hurt that much. I think I can handle it though... maybe. I honestly don't know lol, I'm sorry 😣. But I can try my best. Can I ask where it's supposed to go?

• KinkForInk: That's okay, I'll work with you. It's supposed to go down the middle of your back. Starts between the center of your shoulder blades, and trails down the length of your spine to your lower lumbar. You'll see how it looks once we transfer a template on your back. But if you don't like it, there will be no hard feelings from my end. I can still do the tattoo you want if that's the case, free of charge just for your time.

• You: Oh no, you don't have to do that! I'd still pay!

• KinkForInk: Not if I don't accept your money. Trust me, I'm not worried about it. The nose piercing is gonna be $30 regardless, though. JK isn't so lenient.

• You: Of course. Will I have to take my shirt and bra off for the tattoo?

• KinkForInk: Yes, and for the pictures once it's done.

— Your mind blanked at that; thumbs froze over the keypad. He was typing again.

• KinkForInk: Don't let that discourage you. Again, you're in good hands. You can bring something to cover your chest. And the pics will be if your back as well.

• You: Okay, I can handle that. So 5:30 tomorrow?

• KinkForInk: Yes, please don't flake on us!

• You: Lol, I won't. I'll be there.

"They're gonna knock us the fuck out and sell our organs to the black market," Jimin declared. He had parked next to you outside of the shop, and was now sitting in the driver seat of his car with his door locked and windows all the way up, refusing to get out. You were standing right outside his door, still having to talk on the phone. "And is this Tae-guy an AllState representative or something?"

Jimin is petty. You wanted him here for moral support— which he's usually reliable for— but this time, he's just plain salty right and doing everything he can to remind you of that. Reason is, he's been begging you to get a matching tattoo with him ever since your 18th birthday, and you've always refused because of what he wanted to get.

Cupcakes. Jimin wanted to get matching cupcake tattoos... in honor of Cupcakke the legend. Sorry, but H E L L no.

You rolled your eyes, growing frustrated. He only has enough time to pop in and confirm that these two aren't gonna kill you, and then he's gotta head home to get ready for work. You were already supposed to be in there. It was 5:33pm, 3 minutes past the time.

"Jimin, you're the one that insisted on coming along! And now you're making me late!" you ranted. "I'm going in without you."

"Hold your horses, hoe! I'm finishing my blueberry slushie," He retorted, sassily bringing the straw to his mouth and loudly slurping it into the phone. He then abruptly flinched away from the straw with a disgusted expression, nostrils flared, body locking up; lips drawing into an air-tight knot that was so extreme and unnatural, it caused an ugly snort to break out of your nose.

He smacked his lips in exaggeration to the taste, face falling back into stone as an eyebrow arched over the top of his aviators; unamused and saltier than before... Like you were at fault for that, too.

"Or... Blueberry-ass, I should say."

That forced another giggle out of you as Jimin stiffly rolled his window down, phone still pressed to his ear and eyes still scowling at you behind the inspector shades. He bit down on the straw and withdrew it with his teeth before dumping the dark-blue contents of the drink out of the window, making it a point to shake the styrofoam cup empty of every drop before tossing it over his shoulder and into back seat. He then spat the straw out of his mouth with an audible "PLUUUUH!" of a French accent, and waited until the window rolled all the way up again, just so he could hang up the phone. You scoffed at this as you shoved your phone back into your pocket, scornfully watching Jimin exit the car and slam the door behind him. He snatched his glasses off his face as his cotton-candy hair swayed in the breeze, revealing his scornful eyes right back at you as he gestured for you to lead the way in exasperated manner— as if you were the one wasting his time now.

"Go on, lead us to the grave," He shooed, a snippy little shit. You sauntered away, walking up the side of the shop, then paused just before reaching the glass entrance door, when you remembered how much of a coward you are. You've never even stepped into a parlor before, and supposedly, this was a famous one. Which makes it more and more surreal when you think about it.

"Are we doing the mannequin challenge now? Is that what we're doing?" Jimin sardonically inquired.

"You go first, I'm nervous!" You whisper-hissed.

"You don't want me to go in there first— I'll show out," he reasoned, simply stating a fact.

"Please don't," you whined.

"Then, again, I'll show out?" He reiterated, as if to say duh. "How else am I supposed to break the ice? I look like Timmy Turner's Fairy-Gay- Parent."

You gave him a wary look... he's right. You sighed, slightly kicking your foot in distracted defeat. Fuck, you hated making an entrance to new places—

"Hold up— is that Drake?" Jimin suddenly blurted, holding his hand up to silence you. You honed in on the muffled track playing from behind the glass door, and Jimin's face soon light up like a Christmas tree before he spun around you, unstoppable.

"Jimin, NO—!"

"KIKI, DO YOU LOVE ME—?!"

It was already too late. The door was flying back behind him as he Milly-Rocked his way into the shop, leaving you no choice but the chase in behind him.

"—ARE YOU RIDING? SAY YOU'LL NEVA-EVA LEAVE FROM BESIDE ME— hello there."

You were panting, coming to a stop right behind Jimin, where you instantly latched on to the back of his shirt as you met the face of the man behind the studio counter. And, as corny as this is gonna sound: the world actually stilled for a solid beat... or maybe you were in the verge of cardiac arrest.

A pair of glossy-Black eyes looked up at the two of you; A series of silver-studded earrings trailed along the outer cartilages, peaking out beneath a head of soft, layer-swept hair. It was a Carmel-tinted blonde in color— thick and shaggy, and neatly spilling in waves around a headband that proudly sported a high-dollar brand-name you've never seen anyone wear in person before. G U C C I, it read— Meaning that the headband alone was probably worth more than some of your college text books, put together. It sat just a few inches above a pair of dark brows, that oddly brought out the shape of his cat-like eyes— irises like polished marbles. His ample lips had a sharp, well-defined Cupid's-bow, and a natural shade of pink that fit the porcelain appearance of his melanin-kissed complexion, to the finest degree.

And here you are, looking like an actual bum. You had just enough time to clock out of work and head straight over here to make it in time. You didn't even have any makeup on, and the only thing hiding your raggedy hair from those captivating eyes is your old baseball cap from high school. It took a second for him to take the bold presence that was Park Jimin— who was also frozen to the spot as he openly checked the guy out. He was hunched over the counter, a v-neck hoodie covering the rest of him with a thin, loose-fitting material. It was Black and allowed a full visual of his tan neck, and prominent collar bones. And it certainly didn't hide the fact that he had a pair of wide-set shoulders, either. A pencil sat in his hand— one that was laced with masculine veins, and lot of decorative ink. There was a silver ring on his thumb.. and a very heavy-looking Rolex watch.

The man cracked a grin at Jimin— a boxy one that dimpled in at the corners.

"Love the hair," he humorously began, twisting a quirky eyebrow at Jimin. You subconsciously snagged the bill of your hat as your eyes went a little wide at how mature the man's voice was.

"Love the watch," Jimin retorted, then reached around and gripped you by the wrist before pulling you into full view beside him. "You wouldn't happen to be Taehyung...?"

"Mhm," the man hummed, absentmindedly moving his wrist at the mention of his watch. His eyes cut over to you, and you swore you could see a minuscule reflection of yourself in his eyes, before they flashed back at Jimin and blinked. "You must be the babydaddy?"

Blood rushes to your ears. It's really him... a guy who looks like a high-dollar model himself, asking you to be his canvas model. Your own conscious didn't even know what to say right now. So you stayed quiet and still as Jimin took charge... which was a mistake.

"She wishes, but no. I'm the best-friend— and a gay one, at that," Jimin replied, and you knew he did that for his benefit. Thot. "I'm just here to make sure you're not gonna sacrifice her to Satan, or anything of that nature. I need her around in case I ever forget the Netflix password."

Taehyung chuckled at that, mouth opening to reveal a row of teeth shinier than Chip Skylark's. But then, you caught something behind his teeth that caused your gut to leap. A silver ball... a tongue ring. Your thoughts clouded over for a second.

"Well, I can assure you, she's safe with me," he said, looking over at you again. You blinked, nothing more. His brow arched at your lack of response, but this time, it was done more handsomely as he was still smirking at you. "Still, you don't look too thrilled to be here... You sure you wanna do this?"

"She's just nervous because you're really fucking hot," Jimin announced, unyielding. "You should feel how sweaty her hand is."

"Don't listen to him— I'm gay too," You lied in panic, trying to defend yourself from the absolute truth Jimin spoke just then. You snatched your hand away from him and jutted a finger at the door, eyes beading and lid twitching as your nerves ran amuck. "Goodbye, Jimin."

"She's a lonesome hetero," Jimin told Taehyung, assuring him with a face that showed no bluff. "One look at her camera roll, and you'd see for yourself—" You were yanking him away by the arm now, in a tug-of-war game that Jimin obviously could've won if he really wanted to. But he figured you suffered enough and eventually let you drag him out of the shop, waving bye to Taehyung before turning to look at you with beading eyes.

"I think he wants to fuck you— text me as soon as you can," Jimin uttered with unmoving lips as before he walked to his car. You stopped for a second, noticing he was actually being serious. How could he possibly think that he wants to fuck you, just from that small encounter? And what is the odd sensation currently coiling in your stomach? Things grew awkward again when you re-entered the shop, coming to a stand at the same spot... only alone now. He was still amused, it seemed. And so calm and cool despite this odd, intense look in his eyes. It gave him a Casanova effect, where all he had to do was give you that look and it'd instantly make you blush.

"He seems like a fun person to be around," he noted, somewhat honestly, but more so making fun of the red-hot appearance of your face.

"He's a pain in the ass," you muttered, trying to conjure up a smirk but hardly even able to speak properly from how dry your mouth was. It felt like there was a white-hot iron expanding in your throat. "I'm really sorry about him."

"Don't be. I'm just glad you're here— thought you'd chicken out." You nervously wiped your clammy palms over the back pockets of your jeans as Taehyung got up from the barstool behind the counter and approached you on the other side of it, a whole head-and-a-half taller than you. He was wearing black cardigan jeans and matching combat boots.. his headband and jewelry the only thing not black on him. And oddly enough, he made it look fucking fantastic.

"Mh-mm," You hummed, not trusting your voice. You've never needed a sip of water so bad in your life— he even smelled expensive.

"Well, It's very nice to meet you," he formerly began, and you mustered up the normality of placing your (dried) hand into his much larger one, as he held his out to you in greeting. And boy, was he close. So close that the heels of your spine itches to lean back from the proximity.

"It's nice to meet you, too. I'm really sorry if I'm acting weird. I'm just nervous." — Your mind struggled to stay focused on your words, arm tensing at the skin-to-skin contact. You were extra-effected by the firmness in his grip. You really wanted to look down at all the bold ink you saw dashing across the veiny surface of his tanned hand, or see if those were images or scripted letters on the knuckles of lengthy fingers... But you were held captive by those God-blessed eyes... And that fucking tongue ring. It was infecting your head in ways that weren't necessarily healthy for your current state of mind, as you saw it peering in and out at certain words.

"And physically shaking," Taehyung pointed out, brows twitching down at your trembling hand in his as if he was concerned for it. But his smirk gave off an odd sense of fascination to the involuntary symptom, like it was cute or something? Hm. He glanced back up at you, causing your dehydrated throat to bob as his other hand came to clasp over the rest of yours, swallowing it completely from the wrist down. "Intimidated?"

"V-Very," you spluttered, a small slither of saliva copulating down your throat as you looked back up at him. He absentmindedly rolled his tongue ring over the button row of his teeth as he watched you with tainted eyes— undoubtably getting cocky with that damn grin of his and proudly teasing you about your reaction to him. It gratified the effortless sex-appeal he had. You were even beginning to imagine that tongue ring elsewhere, and you literally just met him. Then, as you felt the band of a ring move along with the pad of his thumb as gently ran it across your trembly knuckles, chills shot up all the way to your shoulder. Oh... oh wow. You glanced down at his knuckles on reflex this time, and saw a four-letter word scripted in black ink across the bottom row of his knuckles, and another word scripted on the middle section of his fingers. A silver band on his naked thumb. STAY TRUE, it said.

"And why's that?"

"I.. feel like you're a celebrity," you sheepishly admitted, your other hand wedging into your back pocket as you had to stop yourself from reaching for the bill of your hat again. Is he flirting? The words seem too innocent for the way he was making you feel. It was getting so hot in the oven of his massive palms, and he wasn't even squeezing you hard enough to cut off any circulation, but yet your fingers were beginning to tingle.

"Mm, no. Just a little popular, really," he granted, teetering his head a little as he pondered the thought. You could see his vocal chords contract in his sleek neck as they project his smooth, pungent voice. "You still trust me?"

"Mhm," was all you could muster. He'd gotten even closer, to where his hand had gone into a prayer stance around yours. You were aware of how wide your eyes had gone from the awe you... you knew this was just the beginning. He was going to be very handsy throughout this whole process. But in a very twisted way, you were more than okay with that. Even if it meant you were at risk of fainting from actual dehydration. Maybe you were in over your head. But you couldn't will yourself away from this now. And then, just as a wide, heart-stopping smile edged out on that mind-numbingly handsome face, the door at that back of the room swung open, and heavy-metal rock blasted through the quiet vibe of the scenery and caused you to jump a little at the disturbance. Taehyung shot a wicked smile over his shoulder, and his next words nearly knocked you out right then and there as you beheld yet another, breathtaking sight.

"Oh, there you are," Tae eagerly acknowledged, one hand still holding yours as he walked around to grab your with the other, presenting you to the.. hulking presence in the room. "This is (Y/N), our next little experiment."

[nothingunrealistic]

naturally was going "hmm what kind of fins (fish) would young taylor in the bathtub wish for. how would we know what they think would be the best fish tail to have" & then was just thinking of Younger Taylor Hcs just in general. got any you'd wanna share, or like, any faves from what's been provided either as unofficial ideas or via those glimpses of info in the show's text. Fave can be in a "truly enjoy this" way & or simply more of a "truly Thinking About This An Extra Lot" sense lol. They

Boy Do I… first, a listing of everything we Know from canon about their childhood / early life / family:

taylor grew up in “a place like” connerty’s small apartment where “the heat pipes bang practically all night” in the winter [2x11]

taylor’s mom would deem the apartment they rented for her & douglas too expensive, and if she & douglas were shopping for furniture, they’d argue about how much things cost [4x07]

taylor never thought they’d be thinking about living a life where they book private jets [2x09]

the masons’ home is hundreds of miles from any body of water (as shown here) and douglas had to fly to nyc to see taylor [4x03]

douglas figures taylor’s mom won’t miss him getting in her way back home [4x03]

taylor has a sister; when she gets married, in michigan, taylor is part of the wedding party [2x09]

at a young age, taylor was always measuring information around them, and sweet / affectionate, especially toward douglas [4x03]

taylor’s favorite cereal as a kid was frosted flakes [4x09]

taylor was never really douglas’s “little girl” like he claims [4x03]

the first time douglas brought taylor to his lab, it meant a lot to them, and the next day they gave him designs to remake it [4x06]

douglas taught taylor: “don’t just have an idea, build the model that proves it” [4x07]

according to douglas, taylor gets the “unyielding compulsion to get it right” from him, and their relationship was best when they “kept things mathematical” [4x03]

douglas wishes he could have built real wealth / success and given it all to taylor [4x03]

wendy mentions to taylor that douglas has “exploited your need for his approval,” and taylor agrees that douglas only cares about his own advancement rather than being a father first [4x07]

douglas dislikes the military / the government [4x06]

taylor is surprised by douglas quoting a pop song [4x07]

when taylor was younger, the bathtub was the only place they could go to be alone and think, and they’d press their legs against the sides hard enough to make them go numb [3x11]

taylor started playing online poker at age 12 under the screen name ZackCody892 and played up to 16 tables at a time (and for thousands of hours) [2x03]

douglas was fired from his job at an aerospace firm when taylor was in 7th grade. this firing damaged their relationship with him and “affected the home life.” for years, taylor thought douglas had been fired so that the firm could steal his invention, and only found out the truth from his personnel file [2x11, 4x05, 4x06]

taylor has had 927 hours of therapy prior to their session with dr. gus, and that number hasn’t changed at their first session with wendy [2x03, 2x08]

douglas, in bringing taylor food and coffee, claims they rarely take the time to look after themself [4x04]

taylor used to lie to themself and others but is now past that, and knows “how hard it is to have things inside you that you can’t communicate” and “what it’s like to face public scrutiny over who you are” [2x08, 3x02, 4x04]

when taylor reminds douglas about their pronouns, he says “this talk again?”, implying it’s a discussion they’ve had before [4x03]

taylor once got into a bar fight with a high school classmate (it’s unclear whether they were still in high school at the time) after seeing y tu mamá también in a theater [5x07]

taylor was active in occupy wall street in college [2x10]

taylor played poker in college against classmates, grad students, & professors, but their opponents kicked them out for winning too much; additionally, the competitive aspect made them sick (described as “malaise” or “vertigo-like symptoms”) [2x03, 4x12]

taylor planned to go to chicago for grad school and study with eugene fama [2x02]

mafee picked taylor as his intern because they were the only applicant who wasn’t boring / didn’t care about the same bullshit that everyone from wharton or harvard did [5x04]

douglas initiated the visit to taylor, claiming it was because he’d missed them, after not being ready to see them even though taylor’s mother wanted to visit countless times [4x03, 4x07]

taylor is trying to be “everything to their father” in funding his company, and neither of them will be able to come back from taylor being forced to betray him [4x06, 4x07]

wow that’s a long list. and now, my own thoughts and extrapolations:

taylor grew up somewhere in the west / midwest with their parents and sister, who’s a few years older than them, in a house small enough that they had to share a bedroom with her. hence, needing to hide out in the bathtub to get any space & time alone.

from very early on, taylor was douglas’s favorite child and he was their favorite parent — douglas saw taylor’s intelligence & insight (and saw himself in them) and chose to put time & effort into teaching / guiding / molding them, hoping they’d one day follow in his footsteps / support his ambitions, and taylor liked that attention & recognition. (douglas’s attitude toward taylor’s sister is essentially “well she’s here too i guess.”)

douglas taught taylor enough about aerospace engineering & mathematics for them to understand the value of his lattice fin concept, and to generally have a better grasp of engineering concepts than your average (even very well-read) business major / financier. (remember how rebecca knew a robot’s “proprietary” power source was a combustion engine because her father was a mechanic? same deal here. see also: the “smash electronics apart to find the microchips inside and figure out who makes them” strategy; taylor comparing losing grigor’s money to building a turbo engine and having the nitrous tank blow up in their face.) this manifested in both directly teaching them in his lab and in playing games like the silverware-stacking game we see in 4x03, or like douglas throwing out math problems for taylor to solve on the spot, or the two of them solving math problems together.

douglas also imparted his taste in music (which does not include anything new / popular) to taylor, though their taste as an adult (or even as, like, a teenager) isn’t identical to his. this is how they discovered rush in the first place and why they have such strong opinions about The Best Rush Albums. (if douglas had such a ranking, it’d be closer to axe’s than to taylor’s.)

listening to rush helped make taylor a libertarian 😔 that’s just life when you’re a neil peart stan, which of course they are. they admire his lyrics + his drumming talent + his absolute poker face in performances.

douglas also taught taylor to play blackjack, which inspired them to go and learn poker on their own and start playing online. they tried to keep it a secret, but it's hard to be secretive about spending hours a day playing online poker on the family computer. (this is 2006 or so, after all.)

taylor figured out that they were Not A Girl (or at least had thoughts of “hm i don’t enjoy being addressed / perceived as A Girl”) fairly young but didn’t acquire a concrete vocabulary for / specific understanding of that for some time. (if douglas is calling they/them pronouns “that woke stuff” in 2019, he sure wasn’t saying anything clear or favorable about trans people in 2009 or 1999. ditto for online poker sites.)

douglas’s firing exacerbated every negative aspect of the mason family dynamic. he doubled down on pushing taylor toward his field, urging them to succeed where he’d failed, and warning them against letting anyone Steal Their Value. money got tighter, taylor’s parents argued more, and any activities taylor was in (like, say, swimming at the ymca) that required payment got cut; they may have figured out how to make money (illegally!) from online poker at this point. the combined stress of financial instability, being torn between pursuing their own ambitions and fulfilling douglas’s expectations for them, and increasing Gendered Expectations in general — plus the whole “playing online poker for hours a day” thing — probably put taylor in therapy within a few months, if they weren’t in therapy already. (how did their parents pay for it? i don’t know either.)

stealing this from that interview asia & brian & david did in 2017: if taylor had not already taught themself to think and speak directly & incisively and look people in the eye when they talk, et cetera, it started here, whether in therapy or on their own time.

taylor went to college in new york city. douglas did not want them to do this, for a number of reasons, and would have preferred they stick closer to home (and study something other than finance), but doing so would have made them miserable.

by the time they finished high school (circa 2012), taylor had properly heard of trans people and figured that they were somehow One Of Them, but not until college did they hear of people being nonbinary and go “ohhhh yeah that’s me.” (they’d also gotten a Short Haircut in high school, but didn’t go full buzzcut until college. unsurprisingly, they got some shit in high school for being Visibly gnc.)

for some period of time while figuring out their gender situation, taylor went by the name neil as a nod to neil peart. (it’s fun to imagine that they still have a faceless twitter / tumblr account where they go by neil. doubles as a way to prevent anyone connecting it to their real life.)

taylor came out to their family while in college. their mom and sister had fairly similar reactions of “well i don’t Get this exactly, but i love you and want to support you and i’m sure you know what you're talking about better than i do and you did clearly hate it every time i urged you to conform to Standards Of Womanhood so sure i can call you Them and my [child / sibling] :)” given some time to think about it. douglas… well. if he’s starting from a place of “i don’t get this,” he’ll end up at “so it must be wrong and stupid, because i’m always right,” especially if This = his favorite child being different in some significant way from who / what he thought they were. obviously he doesn’t react well or supportively, and the strain in his relationship with taylor tips over into full-blown estrangement. bad times for everyone.

if taylor’s bar fight happened when they were old enough to legally enter a bar, it happened after coming out to their family (also after the live poker fiasco), and before making plans for grad school / internships. most likely it was on a summer break they were spending back in their hometown. (another fun thought: taylor seeing the video of axe punching a guy, just weeks after they punched a guy, and going “well maybe i should work for him.”)

if douglas was at taylor’s sister’s wedding (and maybe he wasn’t!), it was awkward for everyone when he and taylor crossed paths again. barest of pleasantries, passive-aggressive comments, et cetera. naturally, it took a few more years — and douglas realizing that taylor, now being fairly wealthy and successful, could probably fund his dream project if they didn’t hate him — for him to decide to visit them.

[prose-for-hire]

Dashing through the snow

12 Days of Christmas: Day two

Pairing: Cordelia Chase x fem!reader

Request: Hi! i have loads of Cordy ideas but I dont want to overwhelm you, so imma just send one! could i please have “How can you possibly look good with snow in your hair?” with Female Reader? Could i also have like a lil bit of angst? like they had a fight and Reader like makes it through a snow storm, because of course it snows on the hell mouth, and ends up at Cordy’s door

Requested by: @onehellagaykid

Warning: Some arguing/angst but a fluffy end. Reader is feeling low at the start of the fic.

You sighed, not listening when Cordelia pleaded with you to get out of bed and do something with your day. It broke her heart to see you feeling this way. But you just grumbled and turned over in bed, pulling the bedclothes back up over your head.

You were feeling a little low. You had definitely not caught the holiday spirit. You had been laid off. Just in time for Christmas. You had insisted that you wanted to find your own career, not just some desk job at a PI firm that your girlfriend had sweet-talked the boss into giving you. Cordelia insisted she knew him from where she used to live, that he was more of a friend who would be happy to help her girlfriend out. But you weren’t sure. Her boss (Angel, his name was) gave you the creeps. He was silent, pasty and you wouldn’t be surprised if he grew fangs one day and told you he wanted to drain the blood from your body. Needless to say, you assumed Cordelia and her boss worked for rich men that wanted to catch their twenty-something new partners cheating. Not demon-related-save-the-world-type cases.

You were a little cynical, unfortunately especially so at this time of year. It made it so much worse now you had lost your job. It wasn’t even a good job, which somehow made it sting more that you had been let go.

When Cordelia sees a problem with someone she loves, she tends to overcompensate. And, because of the time of year she had gone overboard with seasonal activities and tasks to make you ‘feel less bored’ around the house. She loved that you had moved in, you were the only person apart from the ghost that she actually liked sharing a home with. Having her girlfriend in her bed every night was bliss. However, ever since December came around she could feel your mood worsening almost by the day.

One morning, she left for work and asked you to make a start on some of the Christmas tasks. Suggesting a long list of ideas to give you something to do. It wasn’t right to her that you were just staying in all the time. She stopped short of just shaking you by the shoulders and telling you to cheer up already.

By the end of the day, Cordelia had fought two vampires whilst her mind being distracted by you the entire time. She was excited and kind of hoping that you could have takeout and enjoy the new decorations you had hopefully put up. You smiled as you heard her put the key in the lock, pleased that she was home. You had got yourself up and dressed a few hours ago, but you had become distracted and you really didn’t want to make paperchains. It was only really fun if you did it together. You had only started to enjoy Christmas again since you had started dating Cordy.

You leaned in to kiss her when she stepped through the door, but she moved slightly, looking at the bare room. She had been really excited and had hoped that you would have surprised her or something. You moved away from where you had tried to kiss her and looked at the ground slightly. The guilt was creeping in a little. It was only a small thing and you would usually at least humour her with the holiday decorations.

“You’re annoyed with me” You sighed as she stepped into the room further to see you hadn’t even made a start.

“It’s not as if you have anything else to do all day!” She said bluntly. This made you look up, your face set.

“I didn’t feel like it” you replied, your voice neutral. The only time you found the decorations fun was when you were with her.

“Yeah, well, you don’t feel like much right now. It’s like someone swapped out my girlfriend for the grinch” She cut in. You hadn’t spoken about the way you had just been doing nothing other than watching crappy daytime tv and trying to figure out why things moved during the day when it was only you inside. You had set up a camcorder but it mysteriously turned itself off instead of revealing the objects seemingly moving themselves. You hadn’t mentioned the way she had been irritating you by suggesting everything under the sun for you to do. And she hadn’t mentioned how much it worried and simultaneously annoyed her that you weren’t doing anything with your life.

“Cor, I just didn’t want to! You can’t just throw your Christmas crafts at me and expect me to suddenly feel better! Why can’t you just leave it!” you finally snapped.

“Fine. Okay! I will. I’ll leave then” she replied coldly.

“No- I didn’t mean that, I-” you put your hand on her shoulder but she swung around quickly at the sensation.

“What, you meant you wanted me to just stop what? Talking?! That’s, like, one of the only things I’m actually good at!” She shouted, the upset visible on her face although she bit back tears. This had been building up for a while between you both. But you hadn’t expected her to grab her coat and walk straight to her boss’ house though. But she did.

You had both cooled off from your agitation after a few hours and you were both now desperately sad. Missing the other. It was leading up to Christmas and you usually planned out little events to do together. You realised you really had been hard to be around lately. Just as Cordelia realised that her constant needling was reminding you about your situation. How you must wish you were doing something but you were struggling to keep up the effort.

She wished you would just take the job at Angel investigations. She would love to have you around more, she always found herself missing you during the day and she knew you would get on so well with the others. They had been so supportive after she came out to them and she knew for a fact that they would be there for you just the same. Plus, it would mean she finally had a way in to explain about demons as well. She just hadn’t found a way to tell you although she really wanted to.

You sat in the lonely room, a light snowfall had started but you didn’t pay attention. Nothing to look forward to now you didn’t expect her to come back any time soon. You were on the verge of tears as you scanned over the room. The full box of crafts and paper she had cut out herself for you to use. She was so thoughtful and what did you do for her? As you continued to scan the room, something caught your eye. The angel Cordelia had kept with her and put on the top of the tree every year. The last two years you used to wait for the weekend before Christmas day for you to spend the weekend and finish decorating together. She always put the angel up there with you.

Somehow as you were watching the flashbacks of your Christmas pasts with Cordy, it had started to snow heavily. The snowstorm was getting worse and worse, almost as if it were linked with your own mood.

You felt stupid. You missed her desperately. This wasn’t right, you were in love. And it was Christmas. You should have just made the paperchains. She works hard and you hadn’t even bothered to thank her for trying so hard to cheer you up. You had just snapped rather than explained that her repeating herself so often wasn’t helping.

You got up suddenly, zipping up your coat and grabbing the angel. You took a deep breath and ventured outside. You braved the elements and made your way with purpose through the streets. You skidded through the different roads trying to remember the way to the offices. You could barely see several steps in front of you. But still, you kept walking. Until your feet felt numb. The snow whipped around you as you trudged cautiously trying not to take a wrong step that would land you unceremoniously on your ass.

She was too important to you. Giving her this angel, in case she didn’t come back before Christmas, was something that seemed more important than breathing. Than being warm. You knew this meant a lot to her and you didn’t want her to be without it.

 When you finally got to the office, you hesitated. Your fist hovering against the door. You really didn’t want Angel to come to the door. Even his Christmas decorations looked as if they had come from the 1800s. Eventually you just bit the bullet and knocked. You were numb from the cold now and almost completely wet through.

“Y/n? Did you walk here?”

“I… didn’t want you to have Christmas without this. She’s your favourite” You explained, taking the little angel out of your pocket to give to her. You were just now realising how ridiculous that sounded. You had walked all that way in a freak, probably curse-related snowstorm to give her an ornament she probably would have come to pick up if she was staying away longer. She knew that this was your apology and you could tell by her reaction that she was touched. She clutched the angel in one hand and reached for you with the other.

“How can you possibly look good with snow in your hair?” she said softly, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear. You smiled at the ground at her compliment, it always meant more to when a compliment came from her lips.

“I’m sorry, I know you were only trying to help. But I just don’t think it’s a quick fix” You offered and she nodded thoughtfully.

“Me too” She replied softly. She wished she hadn’t snapped as soon as she did. She ushered you inside grabbing blankets and wrapped you up in them.

As you warmed up, you nestled into her. You told her that you would take the job at Angel investigations if it was still open. That you just wanted to spend as much time together as you could. As well as being able to afford your half of the rent too. And as if he could hear through walls, Cordelia’s boss knocked on the door and confirmed that you were welcome on the team so long as Cordy handles your training. He nodded at you. You shivered, and not from the cold, some leftover predator-prey instinct as he squinted at you and ducked back out again.

It was now Christmas eve and you were back in your shared home with your sweet girlfriend. Back where you both belonged. Your Christmas present that year, along with the other gift Cordy got carried away and bought you, was that you were informed that demons and vampires exist. The only upside was that you were right all along about Angel. When you told Cordy this she burst out laughing and hugged you into her on the sofa you were both sat on. The fire was on and the tree was now fully decorated complete with the angel on the top that Cordy had had since she was a baby.

You didn’t care about the stupid arguments, the squabbling anymore. You just wanted to be with each other over the holidays. She took your hand and circled her fingers softly in your palm before taking your hand properly. She then kissed the back of your hand tenderly as she smiled, gazing into your eyes as she did. You exchanged your love for each other, this moment only sweeter now you had aired your differences and made up. You cuddled into her, wrapping your free arm around her and settling against her. You left two soft kisses against her forehead before your eyes both moved towards the tv. You watched her favourite Christmas film and wished silently that moments like this would never end. 

You were happy when you had her by your side again and you had hope for the new year now. Your new job did sound like something you would enjoy. And you knew you would be happy so long as you were by her side. She was your light. Your happiness. You had no room for cynicism in a moment like this. It was too perfect. She was too perfect.

[movieguy50]

Hey everyone,

I just want to give everyone a quick update as to what's going on with the scams or what's called operation drain and run out of the 200 that were arrested the other day most have been released must have been very forthcoming and giving information some of them have been detained further pending for their interview and or their charges are going to be dropped or reduced law enforcement agencies have confirmed that there are some more smaller cell operations of this type going on here in the United States and in Canada they are now getting in with the Canadian authorities to help with the investigation up there I can't tell you that 75 of the 200 people arrested the other day were members of Tumblr so basically yes they were right under our nose and we did not know it but I knew it.

I can also tell you that information from this point forward is going to be very slim because they are wanting to Big Cheese the people that are actually masterminding all this and they're going to have to start being careful what information they let out and that's totally acceptable to me I totally understand that and they did say the other thing about passing the info. on to you guys as much as they can. They said that I have been a big help in this there's been a few other people that have come forward they've also been assisting and helping out but I still need some more help so anything y'all got if it if it means you got scammed don't worry about being embarrassed you're not going to be judged or you're not going to be treated like shit just because you fell for it.

So now if you've noticed that I changed the format of my blog it makes it look like it's in a daily or weekly episodic TV show it's still called a slice of my world but it's also episode 1-18 this is starting to become a daily or actually it should say it bi-weekly thing of me posting and I have enjoyed it don't get me wrong but the title of this is called oh how things have changed and it's basically going to be a lot of difficult reading from this point forward but stuff that once you read it you'll understand why it has been so difficult I I'm going to Chronicle the night of January 20th of last year through the morning hours of January 21st which is what I considered the moment my life changed forever.

So we begin on January 20th 2020 I had to go to work I walked 4 miles to go to work because I didn't have a vehicle anymore and we were living in a motel so I had to you know make sure one of us is working until a lot of times where I was staying even hard for me to get a ride. So I work the 3:30 to close shift which basically meant I left between anywhere from between 12:30 and 1:00 in the morning I worked at a movie theater which by the way was probably the best job I had ever had in my life I I love that place I would love to go back to another one like it. So basically I got off work about 12:30 that night and normally I would have a ride to work on Monday nights this week it wasn't possible because of something that happened at the theater the manager got behind on his paperwork on and couldn't get out on time like he normally does I had to go to the store that night because we didn't have very much food so I went to store I got about 2 or 3 nights worth of food with enough till I get to my day off from work to go to the store and get more. That was a common occurrence so by the time I got done with the store and got home about 2:30 in the morning my wife was asleep she had been sick for about a month before this which now I have directly linked into being one of the first cases of COVID-19 in the united states'.

I came home and like I said she was asleep and I gave her a kiss like I usually do sometimes it wakes her up sometimes it doesn't this time it woke her up we start talking for a little bit I went outside and I did my usual ritual I go outside and smoke a little weed you know kind of relaxed a little bit for about 20-30 minutes yeah I went inside and cooked dinner now for a little background my wife had been sick for a while she had a heart attack November 8th in 2018 and then she had a stroke Easter Sunday of 2019 a stroke that she refused to go get taken care of even though I begged her and had other people beg her to go to the hospital she would not do it when she had the heart attack the doctor was not able to fix all the blockages to her heart because some of the arteries were too small so he told me privately that if she had another heart attack she wouldn't survive it I knew that I told her that about 3 months later so she knew but on this night I never had any dream or knowing that 2 hours after I got home from work she would be dead she had a massive heart attack I was just getting ready to start cooking dinner when she started really screaming about chest pain and I've never heard her go off like she did and even though I called 911 it still took the damn people 20 minutes to get out there otherwise I still think she'd be alive but then again maybe not so to try to make a long story short they would not let me ride in the ambulance with her to the hospital she was still coherent but when they did the ekg in the room where we were staying at I could tell the guy's eyes that she wasn't going to be much longer and I think the reason why they told me I couldn't ride with them was because for the same Theory I think that they didn't want my last memory of her to be of her fighting for her life and dying and I am thankful for that because I've had horrible nightmares about this whole thing and so after I made all the notifications and everything that day I went back to work two days later and I was told I could stay out as long as I needed to they were really really super awesome and amazing to me hell they were even responsible for giving me the money to get my wife buried because they donated money they put a pool in together to help me. The thing about it was is I don't know what upset me more the fact that I wish there was something more I could have done or the fact that I had to have a fucking cop show up to my door to tell me that she was gone even though I had already known it. So when I went back to work two days later it was very very hard because she used to work there too and she used to work at the podium on the weekends where she took the tickets and everything and told people where the theaters were and everything else and I wasn't there for 2 hours and I just doubled over it was just like a big flood of emotion but I made it that night but the hard part was with the weekends because those were the nights that she worked the most everybody loved my wife it worked up there and so I mean I didn't feel like I was so alone then the pandemic came I lost my job I lost my place where I was staying I had to go to my sister-in-law's house which was the biggest mistake of my life cuz I really found out what kind of people they were plus that's when I developed a curiosity for methamphetamine and then I met the bitch from hell not even 2 months later and keep in mind she was just supposed to be a companion we weren't like going to be boyfriend girlfriend cuz I still way too broke up about my wife's death that's all I wanted cuz I couldn't stand being lonely anymore just like I can't stand it now but she got me hooked on meth and I say she got me hooked because she kept bringing it around me knowing that I found something new that I really liked and I didn't ask her to bring it around I could have said no but this has to do with that 28 day period from June to July where she was drugging me putting the dope in my food in my drinks that's why I blame her.

Then after my ex got murdered at a house party I lost my sister-in-law and nephew and then my step daughter called me one day two weeks before Christmas to tell me that she lost her fiance her baby's daddy after he had a heart attack from A congenital heart defect that he had for 6 years the only bright spot of 2020 was my step daughter had a daughter of her own and that to this day that baby is my love bug

As where I'm at right now I'm going to be homeless by next weekend again unless I can come up with $250-300 dollars by Friday night it doesn't look like it's going to happen folks unless I can get some donations and get them quick I am taking donations right now if you can help I don't care if it's 5 10 15 20 $25 whatever it is it will help I don't expect nobody to give me the money all at once cuz I know a lot of people don't have that kind of money right now so just little donations will help right now I had to actually go to Walmart today and steal food God I hate myself for doing it I didn't get caught but still my conscience was getting the best of me for much of the evening I got enough food here to last me for 2 or 3 days if I end up getting to stay here but like I said it's not looking very good at this point I've tried local resources I've tried all kinds of Charities help and all they want you to do is hurry up and wait and I ain't got that kind of time and I told him that so I I'm asking for any help that anyone could give if I don't get if I can get at least $250 out of 400 I can go get me a motel room for the week and I'll get me by until I can come back here when my roommate comes back cuz then he'll have the money for the rent and everything else so I can come back here so I just need to really get by for a week I have not had any dope in nine days I'm going crazy but I need a place to live first before I can be doing that shit so I'll just have to deal with it if you want to help I'll give you my cash app I will put it at the end of this post for everybody so the last 18 months has not been fun I went to six suicide of Temps and I just been existing when before I had it all anyway so that's basically going to end this episode of a slice of my world I'm sorry if this was such a downer for a lot of people but you know I the more and more I feel like I tell my story easier everyday gets for me cuz I don't feel like I'm burying myself with all the emotion and having to keep it bottled up anyway I will talk to you y'all whenever I talk to you I may be on Hiatus for a little bit because I won't have a phone here after tomorrow unless I go someplace that has Wi-Fi and depending on my living situation I mean like I said I'm I'm hoping and praying somebody will be able to help out by donating a little bit of money to me so I can keep a place over my head somehow someway anyway y'all. I love you take care of yourself and I'll see you on the other side

Cashtag $jojo091069

PayPal

Venmo

Google pay

Message for those tags I left blank as I don't know them by heart yet

Love,. Sean

[lost-inthedream]

In good company

Anon request: Going on a 2 days 1 night trip with Inseong please pleaseee pleaasee

Inseong  x  reader

Genre: fluff/ suggestive 

Words: 1,6K

Summary: Non idol Inseong is the kind neighbor who comes up with giving you a ride to your hometown, even though it is pretty distant.

Warnings: mentions of sex. 

Sorry for any spelling or grammatical mistake you find.

You and Inseong lived at the same building but you didn’t talk to him even though the guy looked pretty friendly with everyone.

Actually he lived there for at least one year now and you know he were Korean. Anyway, he had more friends visiting him than you have despite you lived there for a longtime.

It was three days before Christmas. You planned to take a bus for a six hours trip to your family town but when you tried to buy the ticket they didn’t have any. You felt dumb.

You were already visible angry but when you dropped your cell phone on the stairs you lost it and voiced some curses right  in Inseong’s presence. The screen was now damaged.

“Oh I hope it’s still working.” He said trying to calm you down.

“Damn. This one was expensive.”

“Look mine” He interrupted you by taking his own cell phone from his pocket. “It’s worse. I’m so unlucky. My cell phones never last.”

You continued to go upstairs and you couldn’t help to say:

“For me it’s not bad luck. I’d call it clumsiness.”

“You’re right” He accepted as you arrived in front of your apartment.

“Sorry, I didn’t meant it. I’m just having a bad day.”

He felt sorry for you and asked if you didn’t like the holidays season. What made you start crying because of the way you felt about yourself plus the loneliness feeling and also because your cell phone was now broken.

The cute guy in front of you got pretty nervous and went after you as you open your door, he sat next to you on your sofa and tried to help you feel better. After some minutes you both notice how peculiar the situation was. You were practically strangers.

He apologized for entering your apartment but that fact didn’t bother you at all. He started to talk a lot then, explaining all the stupid things he constantly does, so you having a broken cell phone didn’t look a big deal anymore.

Initially you were trying  to smile but once you concentrated in his kind expression you started to smile genuinely.

He was so talkative!

“Wait were you going to take a bus to your hometown? So… hm… maybe I could carry you there by car. You only have to pay for my car fuel and…”

He explained that it wouldn’t be a problem at all. He would make a trip while helping a friend. He was calling you friend! It sounded very weird for you. Actually the guy himself was weird but you let it pass since he was cute and kind. He somehow convinced you and you planned the entire thing.

You would leave the town by the next day after lunch, being able to arrive your hometown in the evening.  You said he could stay for the night and go back home by the morning without problems.

He arrived at your apartment wearing a cap the next day. It gave him a charming look.

When you were about to say he looked fine, he praised the way you tied your hair. It made you blush and forget all your words.

His car was a red Jeep and smelled very good inside. Somehow the car suited him a lot and you felt pretty comfortable.

“Don’t worry Y/N, I checked my car last week and everything is fine. I may be clumsy but I pay a lot attention when I’m driving.”

“I apologize for calling you clumsy. You have a beautiful heart.”

Your comment made him a bit flustered and he hid it buy fixing his mirror.

You spent the first hours making the route inside the town. There were still a lot of cars around and you preferred to stay in silence in order to not disturb Inseong. His playlist running while you looked the way he acted instead. He was a very good driver, stopping by the yellow light and not rushing the pedestrians when the traffic light got green. His hands looked really soft holding the steering wheel  or the gear shift. You would be biting your nail if weren’t wearing gloves, the guy were definitely good-looking and it started to get accentuated by the way he weren’t trying to impress you.

You were finally on a road out of the town and he started a conversation.

You went along pretty well and he answered all your questions about Korea and seemed really interested about your town too. You talked about childhood and teenage years. Somehow you started to talk about first experiences.

“The first time I drove a car I was so tense that I woke up with my entire body hurting the next day” he told you.

You ended up talking about your first kiss.

It was starting to snow, you didn’t pay attention until it got really bad. You were already in the car for four hours. He decided to stop when you both find a motel.

“We can go back to the road when it stops.” He suggested you as he parked the car.

“Even if it stop I guess it will still be risky.” You say getting nervous. “Maybe getting back is a better option.”

“We’re going to see.” He unbuckled his seat belt and placed a hand on your shoulder. You both get out of the car and ran to the covered space to see how the snowstorm goes. As you expect, it doesn’t stops and you rented a room.

There were two beds in the room, you chose the one next to the window and kept looking outside.

“I think doing this makes you more anxious” Inseong voiced behind you.

You explained you felt pretty upset that he was doing you that favor and now both of you were stuck in the middle of the route.

“Don’t be. Listen, I still have to tell you about my first kiss.”

He was so good to distract you. How not to regret not being friends with him before? Also he had that sweet face that you wanted to stare every time he started to blabbling.

“I was 12 and I have a crush on my classmate, but she was super shy. That’s why it was hard to approach her. I had to be friends with her first. It was such an awesome plan because she was a nice girl and the more I got to know her the more I liked her.”

No doubts it was a very cute episode but the way he looked at you were not completely innocent. His gaze talked more than his words. The way he took off his scarf made you feel some type of way. He talked about her hair, her clothes and suddenly added in the end “I loved to talk to her exactly the way I’ve been enjoying talking to you today.”

You giggled and confessed he was a good company then looked away from him.

He called you and sat by your side keeping a safe distance. You eliminated it by yourself. Your knees touched his and he teased you by pushing yours but finding difficult to maintain his eyes on you.

You called him this time and said you wished you were friends before.

He shut you up with a kiss.

You weren’t completely surprised by his hungriness for your mouth.

He took his time to put his hands on your body but when he did you wanted it to never end.

You had the impression he was kind of holding himself to not look too eager.

You passed the afternoon cuddling and he eventually spooned you, his hot breath on your neck.

There was no more snow about 7 P.M but you both decided to stay and continue the trip on the next day with more safety.

You took that opportunity to “know each other better”. Hehe

Let’s say you did it naked.

For a first time you got along pretty well in bed. Thanks to him asking you what you liked and workshipping you on the places you reacted positively to his touches.

You had sex under warm blankets.

He lying over you and you could feel the weight of his body.

You woke up before him in the morning and kept still to not bother his rest.  The weather was a lot better and he would need energy to drive you towards your parents house.

He woke up already with a soft smile.

You took a simple breakfast laughing and giggling about everything and went back to the car. You estimated more 2 hour on the road.

His cap were now on your head and you both sang songs along.

When you were almost arriving your childhood neighborhood he told how much he was happy to make you happy.

You knew he didn’t have reasons to stay the night because it was still morning but he could still have lunch with your family.

He accepted it gladly.

Your parents felt amazed by him and fed him with the best they had.

He eventually tells them that his entire family still lived in Korea and it got your mother wondering...

When you and him were talking for the last time in the balcony, he took your hand and kissed it. You rubbed his cheek in response. His nose was redish because of the cold wind and he looked sad but uncomplaining.

When he took his backpack from the floor, your mother opened the door making you both turn to her.

“What about we having a guest to this Christmas, Y/N?”

You didn’t understand why she was asking you that now. “Hm honestly? Whatever mom.”

“Ok.  So it is up to me to decide, right?” She turned to Inseong and asked him “Would you like to stay for Christmas as my guest?”

“Your guest? It would be an honor.” He said and took a glance at you. “But I’m not sure.”

You took your mother’s hand and voiced “I’d also be happy if you stay.”

[withyounct]

What’s wrong kid? (2)

Reader x Single dad!Jaehyun

Genre: Fluff

Words: 2.6k

Prompt: You notice a child crying at a school playground. You decide to see what’s up and meet an extremely stressed/extremely handsome father.

Prev | Next

A/n: There is a slight Reader X Jaemin moment for like 12 seconds. Enjoy!

Watching Hyunjin was not only the easiest job ever it was also the funniest. She had such a ray of youthful exuberance mixed with an odd amount of maturity for her age. It was Friday night and you were putting her to bed when she hit you with a comment that completely threw you off.

“I hate this.” Hyunjin pouted, eyes brimming with tears. You immediately panicked. You were reading her favorite bedtime story. She was surrounded by her favorite plushies, her favorite star nightlight was on. Everything was downright perfect.

“You hate what Hyunjin?” You treaded cautiously while pulling her closer to you on the bed.

“You’re always gone when I wake up.” She admitted sadly, holding onto your side. You thought about it for a minute. For the past week you two spent every late afternoon and evening together. You would put her to bed and, in her mind, disappear until the next afternoon.

“I'm sorry. But you get to see your dad in the morning.” You reminded her hoping it would make her feel better. She just pouted more.

“Why can’t I see you both in the morning?” She asked innocently. The implication of staying over made your face hot, so you ruffled her hair in hopes to distract her from your slight panic expression.

“Well I don’t live here.” You laughed. You reminded her that you guys get to spend all of Sunday together. She accepted this begrudgingly and fell asleep after two more books.

You wandered into the living room to find Jaehyun on the couch reading through some documents. He looked up upon your arrival and sent you his signature smile, dimples and all. You stared at him questionably. How long has he been home? Why didn’t he say goodnight to Hyunjin?

“I didn’t want to interrupt. She would have been too hyper if I came in and its really late.” He answered before you could ask. You nodded understandingly and took a seat by him.

“It’s your house and daughter. You wouldn’t be “interrupting” anything. Plus, I wish you would have.” You added letting your head lean on the back of the couch. Jaehyun placed down the stack of papers and copied your movements.

“Why?” He turned his head in your direction and for the second time that night you had to hide your panicked expression. This close up you could see just how handsome he really was. You scanned his face and couldn’t find a single flaw. The raise of one of his eyebrows brought you back.

“She’s upset because I disappear before the morning. I sucked at explaining it to her; your input would have been helpful.” You blushed being caught staring dumbly. He smiled and turned his head back forward.

“You probably did a good job, but I’ll talk to her in the morning.” He reassured. You hummed and silence fell between you. After a few minutes he let out a heavy sigh.

“I’ve been so busy; I'm starting to feel like a shitty father.” He confessed. You were taken aback. In the week that you’ve know him he was anything but a ‘shitty father’. You sat up and nudged his leg.

“A shitty father wouldn’t wake up at the ass crack of dawn to prepare his daughter’s lunch and make breakfast. He wouldn’t take his time out of his already busy day to make sure her hair was done nicely, and her uniform was ironed. He wouldn’t care if she’s with someone that she actually liked watching her. He wouldn’t bust his ass day to day to make sure she has a happy and secure life. Jaehyun you’re nowhere near being a shitty father.” You ranted more concerned than you need to be.

There was a silence that engulfed you two unlike the first and you felt that you might have overstepped your boundaries. But, you weren’t going to apologize for being right. He looked at the leg that you nudged then at you. You saw a smile make its way across his face and he laughed.

“Has anyone told you your kind of amazing?” He asked while in a laughing fit. If your face wasn’t hot before it was then.

“Several times a day.” You lied, slightly turning away from him.

“Thanks.” A calm smile replaced its former. “I really needed that.”

“Anytime.” You softly smiled.

Since it was Friday you stayed longer than usual. You talked Jaehyun into putting his work away and to watch a movie with you. You, being the horror fan that you were, suggested The Conjuring. Jaehyun told you that he didn’t believe in ghost, which you thought was funny given how many times he got startled by a jump-scare.

Saturday rolled around and you were hanging out at Mark and Haechan’s apartment. Haechan had called you over to help him pick out and outfit for the party that night; the party you had no interest in going to.

“Mark ‘I never leave the music building’ Lee is going, and you can’t because?” Haechan grilled, throwing clothes on you while you laid on his bed. Mark shot a “I can hear you’ from the kitchen, but neither of you paid him mind.

“I got other shit to do.” You picked up a plaid shirt and threw it in the ‘no’ pile.

“Being what? You disappear more than I do nowadays. Which is fine, but we would like to know who you’re ditching us for.” Mark asked walking into Haechan’s room. You looked between your friends and saw a hint of concern in their expression. You asked if this was a common concern across everyone, including Kun and Ten, and they nodded.

“I've been babysitting this really cute girl.” You stated simply. They looked at each other then back at you.

“You like children?” They asked in unison.  

“Meh, but she’s really adorable and fun to be around.” You confessed. They looked at each other once more and shrugged, accepting your explanation. Mark pulled out his phone to text the rest of your friends and Haechan went back to throwing clothes at you.

About 30 minutes later you felt your phone vibrate.

“I’ll be right back.” You announced to the two.

“Jaehyun, what’s up?”

“Y/n, hey. My friends and I are taking Hyunjin to the aquarium, so you have the day off.” He informed happily. You could hear Hyunjin screaming in the background about fishes with another male voice; you guessed it was Johnny’s.

“Okay have fun.” You smiled.

“We will.” You heard Hyunjin and Johnny? scream ‘dolphins!’ before Jaehyun hung up. You chuckled to yourself and turned to walk back into the room. There you were greeted by a nosy Haechan leaning on the door.

“Oh man what a bummer, it looks like your plans are cancelled. So, you’re going to this fucking party.” He let out a cheshire smile. You always had a hard time saying no to him so after an hour of begging you gave in.

“I'm gonna go home and change.” You rolled off his bed and attempted to grab your keys. Mark got to it first and shoved it in his pocket.

“As if. We let you leave, and you’ll just lock yourself in your room till tomorrow.” He smirked. You squinted at him, but said nothing because he was right. Haechan pulled out his phone and dialed Ten.

“Hey, can you do me a favor and pick Y/n out and outfit for a party? Yeah and can you bring it and her makeup bag here too. Thanks.” You heard Ten yell “fuck yeah’ on the other end before it went dead.

Ten and Kun brought over the stuff and took your car back to the apartment. You begrudgingly got ready. The outfit screamed ‘Ten picked me out’ a red crop top with a lace bralette under, high waisted ripped black jeans with fishnets, and black boots. You finished up your makeup and stole a few of Haechan’s accessories when Mark announced it was time to go.

Since you had no intention of going you had no idea whose party it was. When you pulled up at Hendery and Xiaojun’s house you were surprised. They were friends of Yangyang and acquaintances of yours. They both came from fairly wealthy families, so they rented out the biggest and nicest house off campus.

“Holy fuck you look hot.” Jaemin greeted when you entered the house.

“Thank Ten.” You blushed at the sudden compliment.

You were suddenly dragged by Lucas and Xiaojun who demanded you do shots with them. Somewhere between the jello shots and real shots you were pulled to the dance floor by Hendery. To say you were having fun would be an understatement. You had a comfortable amount of alcohol in your system and you felt light as a feather.

More partying and shots later, you found yourself in an intense make out session with Jaemin. It was a mutual thing. After dancing for what it felt like hours, you drifted to his side on the sofa. The two of you were talking about nothing when lips met. He pulled you onto his lap and you carded your hands through his hair. You guys were going at each other for a good 5 minutes when you were interrupted.

“Umm.” Renjun’s voice broke you two apart. You looked down at Jaemin then back at Renjun and Jeno. You slid off of his lap and opened your mouth to say something, anything, when they both just walked away. Jaemin glanced down at you and the two of you squinted at each other. You were the first to break into laughter. Jaemin soon followed suit. He grabbed your hand and pulled you into the kitchen to do more shots with your friend group.

It was nearing 3am and you were beyond tired. You found space on one of the couches upstairs and was leaning on Lucas’s side when Jeno appeared.

“Y/n you okay?” He asked sweetly.

“Mm tired.” You pouted.

“Where’s Mark and Haechan?” Lucas asked while petting your head.

“Fucking it up on the dance floor. Y/n, here let me take you home.” Jeno, being the angel he was, pulled you up. You waved bye to Lucas and was gently place in the passenger seat. The drive was mostly silent since Jeno was the comfortable silence type.

“You don’t have to answer this, but do you by chance like Jaemin?” He asked suddenly at a red light. You weakly turned your head from the window to him. You could see the worry on his face.

“Not like that.” You answered, way to tired to elaborate. You rolled your head back to the window and sighed at the coldness on your warm face. When you arrived at your apartment you dreaded the walk up the stairs. While you were complaining in your head, Jeno got out the car and opened your side.

“Here.” He unbuckled the seat and scooped you up bridal style. You could have protested, but you were happy you didn’t have to make the walk and possibly trip and die. You informed him that Kun had your keys, so you both waited until they answered the door. Jeno passed you on and left. The last thing you remembered was Ten and Kun taking off your make up and putting you to bed.

Waking up the next morning sucked. Jaehyun had a full day so you had to be there by noon. You slammed your alarm off and sat up. You had a few sitting minutes so you pondered if you should text Jaemin, but decided to give your brain time to process what to say. So, you texted Jeno thanks instead. On your way out the door, Kun handed you coffee and Ten sunglasses.

“Did someone party to hard last night?” Jaehyun joked when he opened the door.

“You have no idea.” You muttered taking off your sunglasses.

“You can tell me over coffee. You look like you need more.” He said leading you to the kitchen. You smiled at his offer and tried to forget about his hands on your shoulders.

He placed a mug of coffee in front of you and you laughed at how much cream he put in it.

“So, spill.”

“I made out with one of my friends and had way too many shots.” You sighed. You noticed the shock spread across his face and another expression you couldn’t quite place.

“Oh, um well. Do you like this friend?” He asked awkwardly and you were a bit thrown off, but kept your face neutral.

“No. Not like that, but what if he likes me and it makes shit awkward.” You worried. Jaehyun’s face looked, what you would consider, relieved. But again, you kept your face neutral because there was no way. Right?

“You should talk to him. You guys are friends, so I'm sure it’ll be fine.” He ruffled your hair in reassurance.

“Wise words from a wise guy.” You joked. He cringed at how lame it was and you two talked until he had to go.

Hyunjin was taking her afternoon nap when you decided to suck it up and call Jaemin. Before you could get anything out, he spoke.

“Fam. You’re one of my best friends and I love you, but not like that. You just looked really hot, not to say you don’t look hot all the time I pride myself on having the hottest group of friends and I don’t know what happened, but I'm sorry. Are we cool?” Jaemin pleaded. You laughed because he was also lowkey freaking out.

“There’s nothing to apologize for. We’re good.” You smiled.

The day with Hyunjin was filled with its usual fun and adventures. You two spent some time in the garden and had an intense hide and seek battle. You got done putting her to sleep when you heard the door open. You looked up from your spot on the bed and saw Jaehyun smiling holding up a box. You carefully snuck out the room and followed him to the kitchen.

“Hyunjin told me your favorite dessert is cheesecake.” He smiled holding up the box proudly. You went to retrieve plates and told him about your conversation with Jaemin.

“Wise guy is always right.” He noted, placing a piece of cake on your plate.

“You can’t use my lame joke against me.” You laughed poking him with your fork. He smiled softly at you laughing and went into his pocket.

“Here. You can use this freely.” He placed down a key. You glanced down at it and picked it up. You were happy that he trusted you this much, but it seemed a bit fast. He must have picked up on your hesitation because he closed your fist with the key in hand. Your pulse jumped by a thousand at the sudden touch.

“Hyunjin is really good at sensing people to the point where it’s kind of scary. She trusts you as much as she trusts me even though she hasn’t known you for long. Please take this key for emergency and non-emergency purposes.” You saw the pure sincerity in his eyes and hooked the key to your keychain.

“You’ll regret this when I eat all your food.” You murmured trying to hide your growing blush.

“I doubt that.” He smiled.

Jaehyun slowly opened Hyunjin’s door and made his way over to her. He smiled down at the dolphin plushie that Doyoung bought her squished between her and the bed. Carefully, he petted her head. Despite his efforts, her eyes slowly opened.

“Did I wake you? I'm sorry.” He spoke softly.

“Daddy.” She smiled. “Y/n’s gone?” She asked. He nodded and noticed her sad expression.

“You really like her?” He asked more than stated. She sat up and nodded quickly. She proceeded to tell him everything she thought was amazing about you.

For the first time in a long time, Jaehyun wasn’t sure if his heart was swelling because of his daughter or you. But he did agree, he thought you were amazing too.

[argylemnwrites]

OTP Questions

Thanks for tagging me @addictedtodrakefanfic, and thanks for building this list of questions @mskaneko! I always find things like this crazy fun!

1. What other couple would your OTP get along with?

Like, in universe? They get along very well with Liam and Iris (who I will write more about going forward), although Iris and Riley are closer in the It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment universe even though they see each other in person less often.

2. Do either of them have secrets even the other doesn’t know?

Not really, most things have a way of coming out with these two, and most of their “secrets” aren’t something they intended to keep from the other, it just never came up in conversation. The closest is probably that Drake slept with a woman Riley knows at court years before they met, but when Drake tried to tell her, Riley said ignorance was bliss and that she did not want to know that detail.

3. Who is the one that sees the big picture, while the other focus on the small details?

Riley is a big picture optimist (”everything will sort itself out” type of thought pattern most of the time) usually, whereas Drake tends to focus on the details, even though they often frustrate him.

4. Who does stuff on impulse?

The one who moved to Cordonia with guys she’d known for less than 24 hours on a whim, hahaha!

5. What is their favourite holiday?

Drake loves Christmas, Riley loves Halloween.

6. What is their favourite board game?

Drake prefers card games, but he does enjoy Risk quite a bit (Riley refuses to play with him because she finds it painfully dull). Riley likes Clue and Monopoly.

7. Who would go out of their way to do something silly to make their partner laugh?

Riley

8. Favorite canon moment of them?

When Drake asks Riley if things would be different between them if they met under different circumstances after the Tariq incident. The moment is such a perfectly vulnerable one for him, that it just holds a special place in my heart.

9. Least favorite canon moment of them?

“I don’t know what to say. My kid sitting on the throne? I mean, it would be an incredible honor.” - Drake Walker, on his honeymoon, agreeing to King Liam’s plan to name his yet-to-be-conceived child heir to the Cordonian throne before discussing it with Riley.

10. Who is the competitive one?

They are both incredibly competitive. They both insist the other one is more competitive.

11. Who likes to go on drives to nowhere in particular

Seeing as Riley never got a driver’s license growing up in Manhattan and feels incredibly uncomfortable behind the wheel, we’ll go with Drake here. I could see him doing this to clear his head on trips to Texas.

12. Who sings along with the radio?

Riley will if she’s in a good mood. Drake will if he’s drunk.

13. Who would accidentally set the kitchen on fire while cooking?

Riley. Not only is she a mediocre cook, but she’s more easily distracted and might tend to forget she left something on the stove.

14. Who is more seductive when they are drunk?

Drake gets really affectionate and cuddly when drunk, but whiskey dick is a thing so... Riley is a happy drunk primarily (unless she is drinking to cope in which case she is a very sad drunk), not so much a horny drunk. She does get pretty handsy when she’s just tipsy, though.

15. Who wakes the other up in the middle of the night to tell them a cool dream they had?

Neither. Riley is difficult to wake up, so Drake wouldn’t bother when he could just tell her later. Drake is such a light sleeper that Riley wouldn’t want to be one more disruption to his sleep just to tell him about an interesting dream.

16. Who asks weird questions in the middle of the night?

Riley, if they’re both still awake. Otherwise neither.

17. Who likes to walk around the house naked and who tells the other to go put some clothes on?

Okay, so all this makes me think of is the Seinfeld episode where Jerry is dating a woman who chooses to be naked all the time and it brings up the discussion of good naked and bad naked. Riley is prone to stripping down for “good naked” tasks pretty often. Sometimes it’s just to flirt and tease, but other times it’s to persuade Drake to do something he doesn’t want to do. He catches on to this tactic pretty quickly, so he will tell her to cover up and that it isn’t going to work if he suspects she has ulterior motives. This behavior pretty much comes to a halt once Riley is pregnant as she isn’t as confident given the changes that are occurring to her body, and after they have a kid, nudity as a flirting and/or manipulation technique just doesn’t happen all that often.

18. Who is always ready to have sex at any time, at any place?

Both of them, although Drake won’t at his work functions/parties in the It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment universe because he’s too nervous they’ll get caught and he’ll get fired.

19. Who likes to surprise the other with a lot of small random gifts?

They both buy each other things, but Drake’s gifts to Riley are more practical (he’ll grab her granola bars or creamer before she runs out) whereas Riley chooses more random fun items that just made her think of Drake.

20. Where did they take their first picture together?

Maxwell snapped a pic of them walking back from the first cronut run together.

21. Who knows the most useless facts?

Drake. Riley often questions how accurate his claims are, but he’s right more often than not.

22. Who is more likely to forget their own birthday?

Neither, but Drake is far more likely to try and downplay his birthday. Riley never lets that happen.

23. Which bad habit of their partner do they find the most annoying?

I don’t know if these are truly bad habits or just irritating ones, but Drake cracks his knuckles absentmindedly, which can get on Riley’s nerves, and Riley never returns food to the same spot in the refrigerator, which really annoys Drake.

24. Who is the better driver ?

Definitely Drake. Riley doesn’t really drive, though Drake has attempted to teach her during trips to Texas. She’s just not that interested in learning.

25. Who is more likely to admit they are wrong in an argument ?

This is a struggle for both of their stubborn asses. Drake is more likely to say he’s wrong, but Riley truly means it more often when she says it.

26. What is something that reminds them of one another?

The smell of peaches reminds Drake of Riley. Probably an obvious answer, but whiskey reminds Riley of Drake.

27. Would they get matching couple tattoos? If yes, what it would be?

Nope, neither one of them are tattoo people.

28.Who sleeps wrapped up in a cocoon of covers?

Neither. Both prefer just a sheet and a thin blanket, plus a quilt/comforter if it’s winter.

29. Who would win in a pillow fight?

Riley’s agility and impressive aim give her the slight edge.

30. Who likes to take photos of the other when they’re not looking

Riley would be more likely to do this

31.Where would they go to get away from everyone else and just be alone?

In canon, Drake goes fishing at a small creek between the capital and Valtoria. Riley goes to the undercroft area of their estate. If they are looking to get away together, they go camping on the grounds of their estate, cycling between a few different locations so it’s harder for the staff to track them down.

In It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment, Riley is very willing to share “her beach” with Drake. If they are looking for a longer getaway together, they’ll rent a car and get out of the city to go camping.

32. If they got to pick what one another wears for a day, what would one another wear?

Riley likes seeing Drake dressed up in a simple suit since it’s a break from the usual. Navy would be her preferred color. Drake would have Riley wear a slim cut red dress with a length short enough to be sexy but not so short that he feels that everyone is going to be checking her out.

44. What do they love most about each other?

Drake loves that Riley has a bit of a temper, but uses it for “good,” such as calling out stuck up, snobby assholes (He loves that she swears up a storm with her temper, too). Riley loves the way nothing she can say or do phases him.

Bonus: 3 random HC about your OTP

In canon, they host a Superbowl party every year, even though neither one of them really cares about American football, because Riley feels this is one America tradition they can still embrace without it being seen as a “thing” by the press (They drew some flack when they tried to have a July 4th barbecue with fireworks because that was seen as too political)

In It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment, they attempted to rent a cabin to get out of the city for a couple of nights around New Year’s Eve to escape the insanity that first year, but Riley did not have a driver’s license and Drake’s Cordonian license was deemed insufficient, so they had to text Liam to emergently transmit them some additional documentation. He essentially just wrote a three sentence letter on stationary with the royal seal stating that Drake had a driver’s license in good standing.

In any universe, they will intermittently have intense poker nights (just the two of them), that devolve into drunken rounds of strip poker and insane bets.

Tagging @drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @ravenpuff02 @omgjasminesimone @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore​ if any of you are interested in joining in the fun (sorry if this is a repeat tag for any of you), or anyone else who sees this and wants to play along!

[lockdownuk]

Lockdown Diary Part 3

A personal account during the lockdown in the UK due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

23/03/2020 8:30pm Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, gives a live address to the nation to, effectively, put the country on lockdown to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus strain, Covid-19.

Many of us have been self-isolating for days but this latest development within the UK in reaction to the pandemic feels very serious and very scary. I decided to keep a simple diary and where better but online.

Day 61: Writing this in the afternoon on day 62. An exercise driven day. Two walks and stair climb as usual plus I popped round Jeff’s early evening. First time I’ve been to his house, 1 Garden Row, Elmington. It’s further than I thought so, with walking there an back, I managed a daily total of 14km. It was good to see him and have a social (but social-distanced) beer. When I got home, @9:45pm, I made thai green chicken curry, watch The Report (a great, if worrying film) and then TikTok-ed until gone 5am!

Day 62: Typing this on day 64! Beer round Karen’s. Missed Sam’s quiz.

Day 63: Typing this on day 64! Beer round Karen’s. Again! Well, it is bank holiday Monday! Had dirty pizza for tea and watched The Heat. Again! It is the most piss funny film.

Day 64: Well, I have been feeling guilty about treatung the bank holiday w/e l;ike a bank holiday w/e. It’s dawned on me that that guilt is way too self-disiciplned. I got up about midday, usual two walks and stair climb but that’s it. I need to clean the house from top to bottom, get on top of my online courses, get the garden done, get the car fixed, go shopping…fucking hell - if only I had the time…

Day 65: Today I swapped Amazon prime free trial for about the 5th time in my life. Same card and address - will they get wind of my skullduggery. This is all so I can finish watching Hunters and catch Homecoming S2. I went shopping at Asda near Raunds. I wish I hadn’t, it’s no good for a comprehensive shop. Received an email from RCI inviting me to a Zoom meeting with Pal Mulcahy for a business update. I fear the worst. And it’s at 10:00am, FFS!

Day 66: Logged in an attended zoom forum with Paul Mulcahy and over 250 RCI staff this morning. The message was that there is going to be redundancies. I expected this and expected to fall victim. All staff that are going to be put through cionsultation would be contacted today. I however wasn’t! Very, very surpised. meanwhile, Nick Reilly asked to connect via LinkedIn (including become a LinkedIn staff team member -  that’s new to me so I’ll see what it is but I accepted the invitation) Later, I WhatsApp-ed him and asked who has been affected from IT. All he could tell me was no one on Jon Rodger’s team is under threat. Also, Mark C emailed - I’ll respond tomorrow. I got up at 09:00ish and had my mornming walk before the 10:00am meeting. I am now, at 09:30pm, fucking knackered. Dinner and then bed, methinks but not before one more episdoe of Hunters!

Day 67: Typing on Day 68. Got pretty drunk last night. I’ve got blisters from walking (new boots) so I don’t think I’ll walk tomorrow (well, today!).

Day 68: I did fuck all today. Got up after 1pm, no walking. I did manage to clean the bathroom (and smash my little mirror) and do my 26 stair climb. I am typing at 9pm and I feel whacked!

Day 69: I have an abscess. It’s not too painful (today) but I am going to call the dentist tomorrow (Monday). I think antibiotics are in order. I watched a film, which I actually started yesterday, called The Voices starring Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arteton and Anna Kendrick. Fuuuuuuuuuuuucking weird. The closing credits are the most bizarre, in context, I’ve ever seen. But, in general, a very good film. Back to normal exercise regime today plus hovered the hall and stairs. Get me. It’ll be interetingh to see my Google Fit figures for May tomorrow.

Day 70: Contacted the dentist who advised salt water rinsing and ibuprofen. But, tbf, it’s a lot better today and the swelling has gone right down. The dentist I called was the Oundle House (Rodericks) one. I was not hopeful since last time I saw them they referred me to their Northampton clinic for root canal work which was quoted at over £600. However, the dentist was very nice, had my x-ray to hand from that last visit and seemed more interested in making sure I’m OK than gaining a paying customer. He still wants to see me when possible though! I must mention the weather. It has been glorious weather nearly every day throughout May (it’s June 1st today). Seriously sunny and like a holiday every day. The news mentioned it today - the level of sunshine throughout the transition from spring to summer is unprecedented, apparently. My T shirt tan is, quite frankly, ridiculous!

Day 71: Today’s ‘must mention’ is what’s going on in the US and it’s not particularly related to Trump. There was a black man killed while under arrest. George Floyd died Monday 25th May (8 days ago) A policeman, who knelt on his neck for minutes while he complained of not being able to breathe, has been charged with murder. Now there are riots and curfews and military intervention all over the country. It’s similar to the English riots of 2011. It’s worrying, sad, scary and not what the fight against the pandemic needs. Most of all, it’s racism rearing its ugly head yet again. I’ve had a normal-ish day. received an email from Jim checking in, talked to a recruiter about a promising job lead (although the hours are 8-5 which I am not happy about), talked to Barry across the road and sent Barzzy a WhatsApp. And I logged in Shaw Academy and started lesson one of module 2 of web Design. It’s been a while, so long overdue, but I only did about 15 minutes. Must try harder / do better! As I type, late (10:10pm) I have dinner cooking and a strange pain in my left side and am in the middle of No Country for Old Men. Don’t think I’ve seen it since the cinema (13 years!)

Day 72: As soon as (well, within a couple of days) I mention the weather, it turns. It’s rained a little and is a lot cooler (15° rather than mid-20s). Much better for walking, I have to say. I finished Hunters today (Amazon Prime series). While I enjoyed it, it got too surreal at the end. It is loosely based on the real story of Nazi hunters in the US in 1977 but the straying from loosely based to down-right ridiculous fiction annoyed me. If it goes to S2, I will watch it, however. Received some of my rental deposit back today (the law changed so that only 5 weeks rent can be demanded as deposit). Over £600. Nice.

Day 73: I made a short video for Marc and Clare’s 26th wedding anniversary. I ‘dressed up’ for it. I enjoyed doing it and I think it was appreciated.

Day 74: Typing on Day 75 for no other reason than I couldn’t be bothered on day 74! I received a letter either today or the day before (well, yesterday or the previous day!) from Mr Minos at the eye clinic informing me that, while there is some stuff going on in both eyes (garnered from the photo scans done at the last hospital appointment), he wants to see me in three months. Always a refief when that happens. Been getting into two series on Amazon: Alex Rider and Modern Love. One is a male Hanna, the other is soppy affairs of the heart based on real life stories (from essays written in the NY Times). Both enjoyable for totally different reasons.

Day 75: Lazyish day. Well, not really, just that I only went for one walk, alebit 6km andI got pissed on. Wehn the rain hit, it was also fucking freezing! Some of the clouds were stunning today, made for great photos. As I type, it’s 21:12, I’m listening the wonderful Phoebe Bridgiers. Now, I’m gonna make some tea and sup a few ales, I reckon.

Day 76: Done lots of walking today (over 13,000 steps) I made sausage casserole with too much chilli (scotch bonnet and birdeye). I had an online (fb) debate with Sam over whether the George Floyd murder was a racial.

Day 77: Received a new (used) wing mirror for the car. £18 with delivery, I reckon that’s a bargain. I cashed in £20 from Prolific as well, so I’m satisfied at the financial full-circle. Dropped the car off at Barnwell (Nene Valley Body Shop) and walked back - 7km. Just about to dive into tea - finishing the blazing hot sausage casserole from yesterday. Then I’m going to do some more Rubik’s cube practice with my recently acquired GoCube.

Day 78: Lots of daily walking, 26 stair climb, press-up and late nights watching TikTok (gone 3am this morning) are making for a constantly knackered Tim Stubbs. Today I made veg soup and cooked up some meatballs. Both are delish. How did I ever to learn how to conjure up such stuff? The Rubik’s cube learning is coming along except that I need good daylight to distinguish between the yellow and white faces on the flipping thing!

Day 79: Listening to Radio 6 most the day and the news is making for dire listening. Forecast of severe recession, especially if there is a second peak of the virus, which I think there will be. Plus, an offshoot of the George Floyd murder and the #BlackLivesMatter movement, institutions and town councils are being lobbied by campaigners to remove statues of anyone associated with things like slavery (one was toppled in Bristol at the w/e) and rename buildings etc. that were named after historical characters with any links to something that now is deemed wrong or offensive. I agree with it but it’s not pleasant to hear amongst other bleak news. Walked to Barnwell to collect my car - front trim reseated and new wing mirror fitted, £20 - bargain (I source the replacement wing mirror). But, also, forked out £165 on car tax! Cleaned the lounge from top to bottom. Knackering!

Day 80: Chatted with Dad and Rita - he’s pissed off with the slavery backlash but otherwise they are both OK. I saw Baz in the Tesco queue where I mentioned my disgust at the Thursday market being allowed (I found I could not maintain 2m at all times just walking to Tesco’s!) and that I really don’t want to catch Covid19 as I will probably die. Maybe a bit dramatic but he messaged me later today to say he’d been thinking on what I said and offered to shop for me. I replied that I am OK to shop but am scared at how people are taking things so much less seriously than when lockdown started yet the virus is still out there just as it was then! I am very touched at his massage. I thoroughly cleaned the bedroom and changed the bedclothes today. House work really knackers me out!

Day 81: Spare room cleaned today. Not much else to type about. It’s Friday, I making curried mince and I don’t feel like a beer. How I’ve changed!

Day 82: I did have beers last night. Ended up going to bed with daylight and dawn chorus for company. Today, when I woke, gone 1pm, I have been greeted by what can only be described as thoroughly depressing news from every quarter. This includes violence in the capital, further virus outbreak in Beijing. Fog’s political posts on FB make for depressing (but vaild) reading. I’m feeling thoroughly fed up today. Not even music can lift my mood…

…but, I am currently listening to Craig Charles on BBCR6 and, I have to say, he’s putting in quite an exceptional effort - there may be hope that my mood might lift, even at gone 8pm! I might have a beer or two and grab something postivity and enjoyment from the day after all.

Day 83: Another late one last night but up before noon today. Started watching something called Condor on Sky One. It’s OK - there’s stuff I wanna waytch on Amazon Prime but, more often than not, it keeps telling me there’s ‘a problem’ when I try to play anything. Pissing me off. I just checked and I have two weeks of the initial 12 of furlough to go. I shall started asking the questions about what might happen on the Connections website.

Day 84: Typing this on Day 85. On the way back from dropping off some shoes for Sean Davies at his brother’s (martin) I met Karen and she said why not pop round for a beer so I did. Certainly not used to a drink on a Monday so that, and the genral upheaval to my evening, while good fun and a nice change, put pay to my usual diary entry! I sorted Amazon Prime out by leaving the TV turned off for over an hour. Day 85: Tim did the garden today and it looks great. The pipes in the bathroom have been knocking loudly, on and off, for a couple of weeks now. Last night, they were so loud that today I took it upon myself to resolve it or ring Woodfords. So, having turned off the water, run the taps dry to get rid of any trapped air and then turned the water back on slowly, I discoved it’s the cistern and its pipes. Woodfords are arranging Corvee to visit. Meanwhile, leaving the water turned off at least stops the noise which is, otherwise, costant and unbearable! I emailed HR a couple of days ago about what’s happening in a couple of weeks time in terms of furlough when the 12 weeks will be up. Sue Cockimngs got back to me attaching an email Deryn sent on 15th May which I never received. Basically, they’ll extend furlough if need be and an update should be forthcoming late May/early June. Well, that time has passed, so who knows what is going to happen. The furlough scheme (CJRS) has been changed by the govenment, I’ve read, and it looks like any new people would have to have been furloughed by June 10th (it’s the 16th today) so no furlough rotation, which is annoying. The CJRS ends 1st October with employer contributions required from 1st August - that’s D-Day as far as I am concerned….so job hunting will have to step up a notch! Day 86: Pete’s birthday and he bought himself the same speaker as me. When I asked if it lived up to his expectations he mentioned it’s better through WiFi than Bluetooth. That confused me as I haven’t got WiFi available on mine…..long story short, I bought the wrong fucking speaker. I got a AudioPro AddOn T10 instead of C10. To say I am fucked off is an understatement. To think I was so pleased at the cheap price I paid. Now I feel like I have wasted  €200. Bollocks.

Day 87: Finished Alex Rider last night. Another series that started off so well and ended a litte weak but, overall, not bad. I’ve started keeping strange meal times…lunch very late (4pm) and dinner really late (11pm). I need to sort it ‘cos it’s playing havoc with my sugar levels. I had a huge hypo while having my second walk today, second day on the trot that’s happened. My late dinner was Chinese chicked curry with a quarter of a scotch bonnet and two birdeye chillies. Delish.

Day 88: I have managed to be bitten yesterday or the day before on one of my walks. There are strange, itchy lumps on my right inner forearm. And I do mean itchy. I trimmed my sideburns today, I was very pissed off with them. My hair looks just a little less shit. I did a shop at Tesco in Corby today. Mainly booze as follows: 20 cans Sam Miguel £18 18 cans Stella £15 20 bottles Bud £10 8 cans Tyskie £9 3 lrg bottles Warsteiner £5 £57 Bargain.

Day 89: Lazy day. One short walk and usual stair climb. Howard and Sue popped round to give me a pressie - bottle of Monkey Shoulder. I’m building up quite a collection of whisky!

Day 90: Dad called and we chatted for an hour or so. I had to apologise for not sending a father’s day card! Dan messaged me and offered to pay for a pizza delivery which I declined.

Football has started again this past week…Prem and Championship only. L1 and L2 season was cut short and Posh missed out on the play-offs by one place. As I type, Everton v Liverpool is on Sky Sports on a Sunday evening - it’s very strange with no crowd. There’s crowd noise being played thorugh the tannoy.

[findmeinpops]

FindMeInPops’ 12 Days of Ficmas: Day Eight - A Cynic’s Christmas (Part Two of Two)

Part One is here.

It’s that time of year again where I try to pump out a drabble or one-shot for each of the twelve days leading up to Christmas! I have a couple already written but some of them will be written by prompt and on request - I have a prompt list that I’ll reblog now, if you want to take a look - so bare with for any editing errors! Enjoy, my loves, and have a happy festive season :)

And quick note, if anyone prefers AO3, the link to my 2019 12 Days of Ficmas collection is here. x

Ship(s): totally platonic Sweet Pea x Female!Reader

Rating: K+

CW(s): homelessness

Reindeer Games: Comet - Traditions

@riverdalebingo: Traditions

Six hours. Six fucking hours, that was how long Y/N was out shopping. Sweet Pea was in bed when he had heard her close the front door. He had crawled from his bed and stuck his head out of his bedroom just in time to see five members of the apartment block staff, plus Y/N, all carrying armfuls of shopping bags through the hallway and into the living room. He was far too sleepy to venture out and ask what she was doing so simply sighed and wandered back to bed. It was probably selfish of him but he had been up early that day to do a shift at the part-time job he had. Y/N insisted he did not need it but he wanted to give some kind of contribution to rent / groceries etc., even if it was so small when compared to Y/N’s contributions.

The next morning, Sweet Pea was woken from a dreamless sleep by Y/N prodding him quite harshly in the arm.

“What…” He grumbled, feeling both groggy and very confused.

“You need to get up, we have stuff to do.” She poked him again. Her voice was far too cheery for the morning and, by the slightly damp hair and coffee in hand, she had been up for a while already.

“I- what? What time is it?”

“It’s 2pm.” Y/N’s tone was akin to that of a chastising mother, as she perched on the edge of the bed. “How did I not know you slept in this late, it’s not healthy.” Sure, they lived in the same apartment but they did not study the same subject, Sweet Pea had a job, and he generally spent most of the time when he was at the apartment in his room. Y/N had no reason to know about Sweet Pea’s sleeping habits but she thought that she would have noticed that they woke up five hours apart.

“What’s not healthy is not getting enough sleep so I would rather sleep until 2pm than be tired all day.” Y/N had to stop herself remarking at ‘all day’ considering he was only awake for the afternoon.

“I guess… We’re going off topic, you need to be up and dressed in twenty minutes, we have stuff to do.” Swiftly standing from the bed, she shoved the mug of coffee into Sweet Pea’s hands before spinning on her heel and marching out of the room.

***

Eighteen minutes later and he was showered and dressed, fighting a yawn as he left his bedroom but he froze in his step. To say he was shocked at the state of the apartment would be the understatement of the century.

Every spare inch and surface was decorated with lights and Christmas ornaments. He had not even seen further than the hallway but he already got the impression that Christmas threw up all over the apartment.

Green garlands adorned the walls, each wrapped with strands of warm-white fairylights, giving the hallway an pleasant glow. The ornaments that had sat on a large dresser tucked in the corner of the hall had been removed and replaced with a small three-foot, fibre-optic Christmas tree; the tips glowed white and were decorated by small red and silver shiny baubles hanging from each branch.

Tentatively, he crept round the corner into the kitchen, not surprised to find that this room had been decorated just as - if not more - liberally as the previous. In addition to the ornaments and lights, neat piles of items, ranging from flour and sugar to more decorations to shopping bags filled with tins and boxes of food. Y/N obviously had a plan and Sweet Pea was terrified of what she was dragging him into.

For the large majority of the time, Sweet Pea did not struggle to say no to people but the exception was always Y/N. She either did not give him a choice or argued and complained until he said yes, her vocal sparring rivalled Sweet Pea’s, or sometimes she just resorted to pouting and saying ‘please’ in the sweetest, butter wouldn’t melt tone that she could muster. However she did it, though, Sweet Pea always struggled to say ‘no’ to his best friend and, knowing that she was doing all of this for his benefit, assured him that there was no way that he would be able to refuse. He would complain, he would argue, but he would not say ‘no’.

“Good, you’re up.” Y/N clapped her hands as she hurried into the kitchen. She inspected the table’s contents for a few seconds before nodding, presumably finding everything she wanted there, and then motioning for Sweet Pea to follow her back into the living room.

“Now, I did the rest of the decorations,” how, Sweet Pea did not know, she had got back at half eleven last night, and this amount of work must have taken hours even if she did have some help, “but, because this is your first Christmas, you must decorate a Christmas tree.”

Sweet Pea did not particularly want to decorate a Christmas tree but Y/N just gave him a look and he quickly obliged.

Y/N pulled a box, filled with brand new fairylights, baubles, and tinsel, along with a seven foot faux Christmas tree, into the centre of the room, before they began to assemble it. If he was completely honest, Sweet Pea found the whole process incredibly therapeutic and maybe enjoyed it too, especially when Y/N began to play Christmas music through her phone, singing quietly along whilst doing awkward but nevertheless adorable bottom-wiggle dancing - kind of like dad dancing but for a twenty one year-old girl.

After the pair had finished haphazardly assembling and decorating the tree, Y/N took a picture. Sweet Pea appreciated Y/N resisting the need to redo all of it, he had managed to make even pre-chosen, colour coordinated decorations look higgledy-piggledy. She seemed to be on a tight schedule though as she hurried him into the kitchen before scooping up the pile of ingredients and laying them out on the worktop.

“Next,” announced as she washed her hands, “we are going to make some gingerbread biscuits.”

“I’ve had gingerbread biscuits before.”

“Sure, but have you ever made gingerbread biscuits and made the entire house smell like a delicious Christmas bakery?” She took Sweet Pea’s silence as his answer. “Exactly. Can you follow a recipe? I need to go and do something in the other room.”

After getting confirmation that he could indeed read and follow written instruction, she scuttled back out of the room, having grabbed a large shopping bag filled with what, Sweet Pea did not know, but it looked heavy.

As always, Y/N had been right. The gingerbread baking in the oven had smelled heavenly and he had no qualms in telling her so. Sweet Pea had accepted a short time into their friendship that Y/N normally knew better when it came to practical things…or most things really.

He guessed that was one of the many benefits of growing up in a wealthy family, no doors were truly closed - money could buy most things and no-one denied the rich an opportunity. She had traveled, she had appreciated many cultures and learnt many things both practical and academic. But that did not mean that he was unable to teach her anything. When they met, Y/N had just moved back to London, without her mother this time, and had a child-like naivety about the world - something that Sweet Pea was lacking to the extreme. Hearing his story had kickstarted the whole process and she had been slowly losing her rose-tinted glasses over the last three years.

Her and Sweet Pea evened each other out in that respect. Y/N had been overwhelmingly naive and Sweet Pea had been overwhelmingly cynical; neither of them had lost that part of them entirely but Sweet Pea had been learning that there were good people in the world and Y/N had been learning that there were bad people as well as coming to the realisation that not everyone had it as easy as she did - this was when she began to donate such a large percentage of her allowance to local charities.

“Sweet Pea!” Y/N not-so-gently shocked him from his reverie. “Stop daydreaming and box up those biscuits, we’re going out.”

As they had packed up the car, Y/N had refused to tell Sweet Pea where they were going but the large number of food and toys in the bags they moved into the boot gave him a clue. His suspicions were confirmed when they pulled outside a nearby homeless shelter.

Sweet Pea was very happy that Y/N had included this in her Christmas Eve plans. The homeless, or nomads as Y/N liked to call them, had an especially tough time during the festive period and the fact that they were able to help them out just a little, maybe bring a bit of joy into their day, was incredibly important to him. One of the many charities that Y/N made regular donations to was the London Homeless and the pair spent many an afternoon volunteering at the local soup kitchen.

“Y/N! Sweet Pea! How great to see you!” Jane, the main organiser for this particular shelter, greeted them each by name, embracing them. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

She helped the pair carry in the bags, a couple of the other volunteers taking the food into the kitchen to be distributed as necessary. Y/N handed Sweet Pea a specific bag, instructing him to take it over to a rickety table in the back corner of the hall. When he opened it, the bag was filled with small red and green stockings, colour coded for either adults or children; within them were hygiene supplies but also a few sweet treats, and toys for the children.

Sweet Pea and Y/N spent several hours there; the shelter had been setting up for the annual nomads’ Christmas dinner, prepared and cooked by a couple of volunteer chefs from local area. The pair joined the staff and the nomads, they all sat down together, they pulled crackers, joked, laughed, and chatted, enjoying the food and company.

Once they had gotten home, they drank Bailey’s and watched The Muppets’ Christmas Carol - of course Y/N had thoroughly enjoyed comparing Sweet Pea to Scrooge - before leaving a brandy and mince pie out for ‘Father Christmas’. They then immediately drank and ate both. And in the morning, Sweet Pea had woken to a filled stocking hanging on the end of the bed.

Y/N had taken the time to plan a few days where she included both the more traditional traditions as well as the more unique ones. Y/N was good for Sweet Pea and Sweet Pea was good for Y/N. They had the best Christmas ever with the person they loved most in the world.

[let-it-raines]

Betting on the Bullseye (23/30)

Summary: Emma Swan loses a drunken bet that means she has to ask her celebrity crush - if you can call him that - to be her date to her office’s annual fundraising gala for Boston’s Children Shelter. Killian Jones is that celebrity. She expects all kinds of humiliation and for her dignity to be completely lost all because of the ridiculousness of the situation. 

What she doesn’t expect is for him to say yes.What she truly doesn’t expect is to actually like the man.

Rating: Mature

A/N: I can never thank you guys enough for loving this story so much and letting me know whether by click, kudos, comment, reblog, or hiding out in your comfort zone and simply enjoying! It’s been an absolute thrill to write, and some of my favorite chapters are coming up! 💙

Found on AO3: Beginning | Current

Tumblr: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 

Tag List: @nikkiemms @resident-of-storybrooke @wellhellotragic​ @bmbbcs4evr @onceuponaprincessworld @jennjenn615 @mayquita @captainsjedi @teamhook @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @artistic-writer @branlovesouat @dreadpirateemma @kmomof4 @ekr032-blog-blog @galaxyzxstark @lifeinahole27 @andiirivera @ultimiflos @hollyethecurious @thejollyroger-writer @superchocovian @cs-forlife @qualitycoffeethings @jonirobinson64 @notoriouscs

“So can you tell me again why I’m going apartment shopping with you today instead of Killian being here?”

“Because,” she begins, pulling on a jacket to fight off the early-October chill that’s really coming in this year, the temperatures dipping much lower than usual. All of September was like a blazing inferno until the calendar changed and suddenly a flip was switched for all of Boston to turn into a snow globe…just without the snow. Though, she wouldn’t be surprised if it decided to come early this year with how things are going. “Killian is meeting with the producers of his movie again so that they can do some screen tests with some other actors, so he can’t be here.”

“Okay, but, like, if he’s buying the place, shouldn’t he be here?”

“I mean, obviously Rubes,” she sighs, opening up her front door and holding it open for Ruby to walk through before she can lock it, “but he’s busy and I figured you could give me second opinions. Besides, we’ve already narrowed it down to these places anyways. He knows that he likes them. He just hasn’t physically seen them yet.”

“Well, my dear,” she begins, wrapping her arm around Emma’s shoulder as they walk toward the staircase, “I can be Killian for a day. Just don’t expect me to help you christen any of these places.”

“You know, some things that you think about, they should never be said out loud.”

“But I just love my darling Emma,” Ruby mocks, adding in what has to be the worst British accent she’s ever heard as she kisses her hair. “She’s just so damn pretty and has hair like gold. And my God, I want to marry her and let her have all of my beautiful babies so that we can be on billboards together.”

“Billboards?”

“Out of all of that, your focus was on billboards?”

She shrugs as much as she can with Ruby’s arm on her shoulder as they exit her building and walk to where her car is parked a few buildings over since she couldn’t get her usual parking spot last night. “Kind of seemed like an outdated thing. Figured you’d go with viral videos or something since we’re already so good at making those.”

“If I didn’t know you were talking about the Christmas video thing, I’d swear you were talking about a sex tape. Something to keep in mind if you ever say that out loud again.”

“You have issues.”

“Ooh,” Ruby gasps, moving her arm, “you two could be in Vogue. There we go. That’s where you and all of your pretty, pretty babies can have your pictures taken.”

She snickers underneath her breath, words escaping her for how to even respond to that as they load up into her bug. She is one hundred percent not ready to seriously think about babies right now, but she can indulge in the thought when Ruby is messing with her. She and Killian have casually talked about kids before, but it’s never been anything definite. They just know what they need to know for when their lives come to that point…sometime in the future. Right now they’re simply trying to find somewhere to live.

Plus, if she thinks about giving birth too much she really freaks out. Some shit goes down.

Sometimes literally.

Nope. No. not thinking about that.

“Whatever you say,” she laughs as she sits down in her seat and closes her car door, “but I can pretty much guarantee that you won’t be seeing my face on any billboards.”

“Eh, I could always rent one out myself. Anything is possible when you don’t care about wasting money and going into loads of debt just to mess with your friends.”

-/-

“Damn,” Ruby whistles as Emma trails her fingers along the marble countertop, tracing the gray line that moves throughout the island to break up the monotony of the white. “This is fancy. You’ve even got a view of the water out this window.”

“That would be all Killian’s preference,” she admits, walking away from the kitchen and through the living room to stand next to the open windows that look out onto the water, the docks filled with boats. “His house is on the beach, you know? And he likes to be near the water. I figure he should have at least that.”

“I mean, it’s not like the rest of this place is too shabby.”

“I know, I know. It’s just – ”

“What?”

“It’s so modern, and neither of us are very modern people, house wise. I mean, I’ve never really had the option to do anything other than thrift store ‘oh that’s kind of a cute chair,’ but I do like the traditional stuff. I think the clean lines kind of throw me off. It’s like it’s not lived in.”

“Well, it’s not. It’s new. Didn’t the realtor lady say that when she was showing us around? What was her name again?”

“Dorothy.”

“Like in the Wizard of Oz?”

“Yep,” she sighs, turning back around to go explore the kitchen now that they have free range of the place with Dorothy standing outside very obviously faking talking to someone else so that Emma thinks there’s another buyer. Sometimes she wonders if real estate agents know just how transparent they are. Not that she would ever tell Elsa that. She’s not about to mess things up there, and she’s sure that Elsa is fantastic at her job. Well, she knows she is. Elsa set them up with Dorothy’s agency and helped them find some of these places when they were in California last month. It’s like she’s sucking up even though literally no one can hear her thoughts. “She’s really sweet, but she kind of makes me nervous if only because I think I’m disappointing her whenever I don’t like a place.”

“Well, in all fairness, you probably are. She doesn’t get paid until you pay the big bucks.”

“True,” she admits before opening up the cabinets, checking their depth as if she knows how much space kitchen appliances take up when she owns the bare minimum. “She was flirting with you, you know?”

“Oh, I know,” Ruby agrees, her voice rising in pitch. “That’s why I felt so bad that I couldn’t remember her name.”

“Did her beauty just make you forget everything?” she teases, leaning back to smile at Ruby who’s got her bottom lip between her teeth while her fingers tap across the countertop. “Oh my God,” she gasps, closing the cabinet a little too loudly, “you like her.”

“Possibly,” she huffs, rolling her eyes before she hops up on the counter, legs swinging and heels clicking against the cabinets. She sits on counters a lot, and the white will likely get scuffed. That’s probably something to keep in mind. Apartment shopping is so damn overwhelming when you have to think about things like your friend’s heels scuffing the counters or Brody spitting up on the carpet when Mary Margaret brings him over. And literally a million other things. “I mean, I’ve spent about forty-five minutes with the woman as she shows you apartments in Boston I’d never dare step into on my own, but yeah, I don’t know. I felt a spark.”

“Did you actually just use the word spark to describe it?”

“Yes, don’t judge me. So this place is a no go?”

She nods her head, looking around one last time. “This place is a no go.”

Despite the fact that she and Killian mapped out every one of these places online before requesting a showing, she goes through seven of them hating nearly every one. One of the apartments literally had a bathtub next to a window that could be seen by anyone walking by on the sidewalk, and a home they walked into honestly made it feel like she was on some kind of old Naval boat. Seriously, there were a million different levels that were not shown online and the staircases made her feel claustrophobic. They keep striking out on things, and it’s starting to get a little disheartening.

There’s about a ninety percent chance Ruby is going to have a date after today, though, so at least one good thing has come out of this, especially because she knows that Ruby hasn’t dated much since she and Victor broke up, just a few nights out with people she’s met online that have not turned into anything.

At least those people weren’t murderers. Dorothy doesn’t seem like the murdering type, but you never know.

Such a fun thing to think about.

“So are you familiar with the area?” Dorothy asks as she lets them into another apartment, their last one on the list before they drive to Back Bay to look at a house that Killian likes that’s next to the river. The pictures online looked nice, but she wasn’t completely sold on how close the bedroom window was to a public park. At least it’s not like the bathtub thing.  

The risk of murderers being Tinder dates and peeping Toms looking into bedroom windows is not one she’s willing to joke around about.

Her mind is a wonderful place to live sometimes. It’s too bad there’s no real estate there.

No. Wait. That’s weird. She’s really got to stop looking at listings. She might be going a bit mad.

“I’ve been around here to eat a few times,” she admits, walking inside and immediately noticing the floor-to-ceiling windows that she loved online, the view of the harbor in this apartment even prettier in person as miles of water stretch out before her, “but I’ve never looked at the apartments over here. This is gorgeous.”

“Isn’t it? The views are great, and you’ve got to see it at night when all of the lights are turned on. You’ve got a great patio out there with a firepit that’s great for a date or hosting company or even just a quiet night in. You’d also have room for a small garden or something if you wanted to bring a little life in. I think the people who live below here have a nice little vegetable garden.”

“Yeah,” she sighs, walking past the living space to look through the kitchen. It’s modern, but it’s got these wood and copper accents that she really likes that make it feel a little more homey. Killian will love the counter space too. And the appliances. He’s got a thing about the appliances. He’s got a preference about a lot of things, but she doesn’t blame him. She does too. Just not about her appliances. “How many bedrooms is this one again?”

“It’s two technically, but there’s a spare sitting room that can easily be used as a guest or a nursery. I’ve seen that a lot lately.”

“Ems, I think Dorothy might be John Mulaney’s realtor,” Ruby whispers in her ear, and Emma has to stifle her laugh at the reference.

“She also said a guest room.”

“Well, if it’s going to be a guest room, I need to see it for when I come to visit.”

“You live twenty minutes from here.”

“Details.”

She continues to walk around the apartment, snapping a few pictures and sending them to Killian like she’s been doing all day so he can see things a little more clearly. She wishes that he were here, but work is work and no matter where they’re living, they’re always going to miss some things. It just won’t be everything. It’ll be better. Besides, he’ll be able to look on another day because this definitely isn’t a decision she should be making on her own when this is going to be their place.

Damn, that’s still a weird thing to think about after a month of knowing that this is real and that this is happening.

After their initial conversations and telling their families about everything, the excitement of the move and over moving in together wore down a bit so they could seriously think about the practicality of it all. There were a few times where she felt like her heart was actually in her throat while they were talking, but that never lasted long. She loves him, she wants to be with him, and she’s ready to make this step that should be a giant leap but kind of feels like she’s simply walking up to the Nolans’ house, like it’s natural.

That’s terrifying.

It’s also exhilarating.

They’re good, she and Killian. They fit. She knows that they do, and she’s not going to question the good things she has going.

Okay, she’s not going to question them anymore. She’s already done that, and she doesn’t need to continue to do that. She loves him, and this is going to work. They’re going to have a place that is theirs. There’s not going to be as much traveling or as many plane rides. She’s no longer going to need to worry about always having her neck pillow or about time changes when Killian’s at home and not working. She’s not going to get a ticket for speeding to the airport because she’s running late for a flight, and when she wakes up in the morning, there’s going to be the man she loves next to her.

And he’s not going to have to leave.

That’s the best part.

He gets to stay.

She’s so glad that he gets to stay.

Her phone rings in her hand, and she smiles to herself at the face that pops up. “Speak of the Devil,” she sighs as she answers the phone, holding it up to her ear and walking down the hallway to the master bedroom for some privacy.

“Now, Swan, I know I’m devilishly handsome and that you get to benefit from that, but I don’t think that makes me the Devil.”

She hums into the phone as she twists the knob and walks in. The furniture in here is very obviously staged, but she likes it, the bed sprawling out in the middle of the room with a fireplace in front of it and more large windows looking out into the harbor that have blinds attached. She’d bet those are blackout, and if they’re installed already, that means they come with the property. Elsa told her that. There’s some technical term for it, but she can’t remember.

“It just does, babe. Are you on your lunch break?”

“Yeah, I’m about to go grab a sandwich or something from the cafeteria.”

“You sound like a kid at school.”

“I promise you I’m not. It’s been a solid fifteen years since I was in school getting a sandwich from the cafeteria. What apartment are you looking at now?”

“The Seaport District one. Um, I think it’s on Pier Avenue or something. I can’t remember even though we literally got here twenty minutes ago.”

“Oh, I like that one,” he mumbles into the phone while a horn beeps behind him. Is he walking in front of a car? It’s probably a golf cart. There are a million golf carts at the studio. “There’s a view of the water no matter which room you’re in.”

“Yeah, I think you’d like this one even more in person. There’s a lot of room too, and it’s not too modern. I feel like the only options in this town is everything having not been updated for fifty years or it’s like it’s trying to be in the space age.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too. What about the master bathroom and the closet?”

“Um,” she hums, walking away from the window and heading to the door that she assumes is the bathroom, “let me check now. You want to switch the facetime so you can see?”

“That’d be some smart thinking there, Swan.”

“Yeah whatever,” she sighs as she rolls her eyes, hitting the button to facetime him and waiting to for Killian’s face to pop up. When it does, it’s a slightly blurry version of him until she can clearly see his eyes under the baseball cap. “Well hello there, KJ.”

“Hello, darling,” he smiles, waving at her until he drops his phone, the device nearly tumbling to the ground before he catches it. Or she thinks he catches it because they’re still connected instead of the phone shattering. How the hell is he so clumsy sometimes? “Bloody hell, I was almost run over by a golf cart and nearly destroyed my phone. It’s rough having to look at your face.”

“Asshole.”

“Indeed,” he admits, moving his brows across his covered forehead and winking at her. “Now show me this bathroom, love. I need to see if all of your toothbrush accessories will fit in there.”

She groans, throwing her head back even as her lips curl into a smile while she walks into the bathroom, the light blue cabinets adding in a little color to the white marble that covers the countertops and the walls. It’s got the copper accents from the kitchen over both of the sinks, and she makes sure to show it to Killian so that he can see that there is indeed space for her toothbrush and all of its replacement heads. And toothpaste. She can also have toothpaste.

Dental hygiene and all.

Maybe she can have an entire drawer for her floss.

No, that’d be ridiculous. She’ll just share with Killian.

“See, there’s plenty of room.”

“It’s smaller than my house here.”

“Well, it’s an apartment in a crowded city. It’s not going to be like your house. I’ve still got an actual house to look at later today, but it’s smaller too. I really like this place though. I haven’t been too much of a fan of everything else.”

“Yeah, I’d seen a couple of your texts. Is the shower a good size?”

“It is,” she tells him, opening up the door before closing it and walking to the other end of the room for the closet. “And this is the closet. Is it big enough for your clothes and your ego?”

“The clothes, yes. The ego, not so much.”

“Well, I think you’d have to buy the building for that.”

“That is not happening. I guess you’ll just have to stuff it in there.”

“That’s what she said.”

“Well okay Michael Scott,” Killian laughs, his face crinkling with his laugher as he continues to move, the light fading as he enters a building. God, she loves when he smiles like that, and she loves when he’s smiling like that because of her. It’s such a little thing, but she loves when he’s happy.

And being happy isn’t a little thing. It’s a really big thing actually.

She’s glad that she makes him happy. Hopefully indefinitely.

If eighteen-year-old Emma could hear twenty-eight-year old Emma’s thoughts, she would be entirely convinced that they aren’t the same person. But they are. There’s just been some development. Some really damn good development that she’s proud of.

“I saw an opportunity, and I took it.”

“Indeed you did. I like the place, Swan. I mean, we’ll have to look again when I come into town on Wednesday, okay? Just jot down your top three places, and we’ll arrange it with Dorothy to see them. I’ve got to go. I’m going to eat with some of the kids who came in to possibly play my child.”

“Those poor, poor children.”

“Goodbye, Emma,” he sighs, smiling at her. His smile should not be that bright through a screen It just shouldn’t. He’s turning her into a cheesy mess. Mac and cheese would probably be good for dinner. “I love you.”

“I love you, KJ. I’ll keep texting you updates.”

“Thanks, love. Talk to you later.”

“Ems,” Ruby yells, sliding into the closet and nearly tumbling into her, “guess who has a date tomorrow night.”

“You?” she smiles, sliding her phone into her back pocket and stepping back so that Ruby has some room to freak out.

“Yes me. Obviously me. Can we go shopping after this? I’ve looked at apartments with you all day, so this is literally the least you can do for me.”

“Well excuse me, but I’m pretty sure that the only reason you even have a date is because of me.”

“Eh, that’s debatable. We could have met another way. Like, while running or something.”

“How many people do you meet while running?”

“You would be surprised. I’ve got a fantastic ass. It brings all of the peeps to the yard.”

“You don’t have a yard.”

“It was a thinly veiled reference,” Ruby mumbles under her breath as her finger points to count a shelf that Emma thinks is for shoes. Or possibly folded pants and shirts. She’s not entirely sure. It could be for all of it. “When we go shopping, we have to buy you some shoes. Yours aren’t going to fill this shelf.”

“I’m not spending money I don’t have on shoes just so I can fill that shelf. That’s ridiculous. I’m supposed to be saving, especially because I’m still negotiating the raise at work. I think they’re going to agree to it, but I don’t know yet.”

“Ugh, so economical. Why deny shoes when you finally have a way to display them that’s not having them scattered on the floor?”

“Money. You can buy me shoes for my birthday, okay? I have this pair of boots that I have my eye on. Or you can buy me dishes or something. I probably need some of those.”

Ruby literally groans before she starts walking out of the closet, Emma close on her heels. “You are not allowed to turn boring like Marg and David just because you’re getting all homey.”

“If Mary Margaret and David heard you called them boring, they would be the first people to try to prove you wrong by going out, drinking one beer, and then asking if they could go home before nine.”

“In all fairness, sitting on your ass on the couch is a pretty great way to spend a night. This bathroom is fantastic,” Ruby suddenly states, the change in conversation almost causing whiplash. “The lighting is giving me clear skin.”

“I think that’s just because you have clear skin.”

“But I never knew that until right at this moment.”

She snorts, actually snorts, as she walks over to the window that’s at the opposite end of the bathroom. She’s not quite over the view of the ocean from up here, and she wonders how long she’ll have to live here to get used to it.

Oh.

Oh wow.

This is definitely the place. She’s thinking about seriously living here. She can see herself here. She can see them here. She can see a future here.

This is going to be her home.

This is going to be their home.

“So do you like this place, Ems?” Ruby asks as she checks her eyebrow for stray hairs under the vanity lights.

“Yeah,” she admits, looking back out over the ocean, “I love it.”

They look at the house in Back Bay after that, but honestly, Emma knows that the apartment is the one. It really is. She knows the Killian will love it too, and she tells Dorothy that when she sets up another viewing of it for Wednesday when Killian will be back. She really hopes that Ruby’s date goes well because if it doesn’t, that might be the slightest bit awkward. But she thinks it will, and it’s nice to see Ruby excited as they drive the short distance over to Copley so that they can find something for her to wear. It doesn’t take nearly as long as Emma expected, especially with how Ruby can be, and they’re out of there within an hour once Ruby finds a red dress that she most definitely won’t wear with a jacket even though it’ll be cold tomorrow night.

She really might be turning into Mary Margaret, but she doesn’t want Ruby to get frostbite. That probably won’t happen but still. She’ll try to at least get Ruby to wear a coat for a little bit of time.

It’s likely impossible.

After dropping Ruby off at her apartment, she drives home, pulling into her usual parking space and hurrying inside the building so that she can change into her pajamas and fix herself something to eat. She still kind of wants mac and cheese, but since she doesn’t have any, she makes herself a grilled cheese sandwich and some tomato soup (the classics are classics for a reason) to eat in front of the TV. It’s a Friday night sitting on her ass on the couch, and she’s glad for it. Her life has been so hectic lately, and it’s kind of nice for a bit of calm.

Her phone buzzes next to her, and she reaches over to pick it up at the same time that some cheese falls out of the sandwich and onto her chin. She really is so graceful all of the time.

Liam: Do you want me to mail these pictures to you? Or are you going to pick them up when you’re here?

Emma: Can you mail them? I want to get frames for them and have them as soon as possible.

Liam: I’ll put them in the mail on the way to work tomorrow.

Emma: Thank you! You’re my second favorite Jones brother!

Liam: I’m both flattered and offended.

Emma: As you should be. Give Elsa and Aiden all of my love!

She’d called Liam last week and asked if he had any old family photos of he and Killian together or of the two of them with their mom. It’s a really small thing, but she wanted to give Killian a little piece of home in his new one. He’s really insistent that most everything at his house stay the same so that they always have that option for when he’s working there or for when they’re visiting his family and friends, so she imagines that he won’t be packing up many of the picture frames that are scattered throughout his house. The least she can do is ask Liam to go through the few albums of pictures she knows that he has to see if there are any pictures that she can get for Killian.

If they’re going to be living together, it’s going to be a home for the both of them. That’s how it works. She doesn’t have a lot of childhood photos, but Killian does – and they should most definitely be displayed. Liam sent her some pictures (of the pictures, which is obviously the simplest form of inception) of the ones he’s sending her, and there’s this one where Killian is apparently six and has his shirt off with a blue popsicle melted down his chest and his lips tinted the same blue. He’s got this toothy grin on his face, and his mom is sitting behind him in the grass of whatever park they’re in. She’s beautiful, and even through the blurry picture, Emma can see just how happy she is to be spending the day with her sons.

She looks a lot like Killian. They have the same eyes, and like always, her heart breaks for him to have lost someone who was so damn important to him. She wishes that she could have met his mom, but as she knows, it’s not possible. She can honor her memory though, even if it’s the smallest of things.

For the briefest of moments she thinks of her parents. She thinks of the stories she made up of them over the years. She used to want to meet them, to know if her thoughts about whether or not one of them had blonde hair like hers or if they had her eyes. She used to want to know where she got her height from or maybe if her dad had a sweet tooth like her. She wanted to know everything about them. Mostly, though, she wanted to know why they gave her up, why she wasn’t good enough for them.

She’s old enough now, been through enough, to know that it wasn’t about her. They were probably young and irresponsible and couldn’t provide for her. Or maybe they weren’t. Maybe they didn’t want kids. Maybe they weren’t young, maybe they weren’t irresponsible, and maybe life simply hadn’t worked out for them to keep her.

Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

She doesn’t know. She’ll never know. All she knows is that they didn’t keep her. They didn’t keep her, and it’s not her fault. She still struggles with that sometimes, with the fact that she knows that it isn’t her fault. Because she does know, but that doesn’t keep there from being nights where she doesn’t still feel abandoned and lost. That’ll likely always stay with her, but she’s learned to live with it.

She thinks she’s learned to overcome it.

She’s got this life that she’s built with family that she’s found along the way, and she’s proud of herself and the light that she lets herself live with. Sometimes she uses humor as a defense mechanism, but most of the time, she likes to laugh. She likes to have that light in her life that she missed for so long.

She likes to have a metaphorical blue popsicle melting on her because she was having too much of a good time to eat it all before it melted.

She loves that on the nights where the light fades away, the darkness encompassing her more than usual, she has someone right beside her who understands her in a way that no one else does.

And she loves that she gets to do the same for him, letting him tell stories of love and loss no matter how late into the night it takes.

It doesn’t matter. She’s got the time.

[annakie]

So this past weekend I went to GenCon for the second time.

GenCon is the largest gaming convention in the world with about 70k individual attendees every year, held in Indianapolis, Indiana.  The first time I went was in 2009, with a friend from the internet, and it was a blast.  This time I went with a bunch of my everyday friends, some of my favoritest people in the world, and it was even more fun.

Part one of my long recap, including lots of pictures, below.

SOME PRE-GENCON NOTES

Our group does love boardgames, but we do RPGs (like D&D) together even more.  D&D actually doesn't have a very big presence at GenCon.  There was some D&D going on, but it isn't a main focus of the con and my friends aren't super into 5e anyway.  (We're actually doing a 4e game right now since it's one friend's favorite system.)  

So when we signed up for events, we were trying hard to get into a bunch of Pathfinder stuff, especially Pathfinder 2, which was releasing the first day of GenCon.  We got into two events, but ended up filling more slots with Starfinder.  None of us were particularly interested in Starfinder, which is a Sci-Fi setting also put out by Paizio... it was always like "Eh, we might check Starfinder out sometime maybe." but we weren't that excited about it.  But since we had gotten into two games to fill up some timeslots, we decided to go ahead and at least learn the system ahead of time for those of us who'd be playing in the SF games.

That would be Marcus, who is our DM most of the time when we play RPGs, Jeremy, and Brian, who is Marcus' oldest daughter's fiancee.  We created characters the week before GenCon and got together twice to knock out some beginning level adventures.

What we didn't expect, at all, was to fall head over heels into Starfinder.  Three of us ended up picking the same race (Lashunta, who are basically Mantis from GotG) and decided our characters were siblings, then decided so was Brian's character, even though he was a Vesk... a lizard-man race.  Jeremy's Operative (Space Rogue/Pilot/smuggler)Zafo is the oldest, my Envoy (space bard/doctor/xenobiologist/archeologist) Vikiri, and Marcus' Technomancer (Space Wizard/Computer whiz/K-pop rockstar) Alissia are twin sisters, and Brian's Soldier Kronk (Space Meatshield/Master Chef) is our baby brother.

We fucking LOVE these characters and the whole world of Starfinder, and also our dear Father and Mother, who we always strive to make proud of us.  Starfinder is really so much fun and we're running official modules as we're a part of the Organized Play Starfinder Society and they're... so good?   Anyway, here we are, playing Starfinder for like six hours the Thursday night before Gencon because that's the only day we could physically be in the same room. (the other time we played via Discord.)

WEDNESDAY

So anyway, then we actually went to Gencon!  Jeremy and I got flights together and rooms (separate) at the same hotel to make travel more convenient.  Everyone else, which was Marcus, wife Laura, daughters Gwen and  Kirstyn and Kirstyn friend Ally, and Gwen's fiancee Brian, drove.  14 hours from Dallas to Indy... Jeremy and I have talked about it for next year, we'll see.

I took Wednesday off to finish packing and relax, and then just before Jeremy came to pick me up, our flight got delayed two hours.  We decided we'd then have time for a leisurely lunch instead of fast food, and so we went to one of my favorite places to eat, a Canadian cafe.  The service was slower than expected, but we were still tracking to be at the airport about an hour before our original takeoff time, three before our “new” takeoff time.

And then... while we were driving to the airport... our flight got UN-DELAYED.  What.  The.  Fuck.  

Our leisurely afternoon turned hectic as we got to the airport as fast as possible then, I checked in our bags while Jeremy parked the car, got in line in Security, and oh nooo the line was long.  I started to get nervous about making the flight.  Apparently, we weren't the only people who had done the same thing.

We hoofed it through the airport, though and made it to the gate with like 5 minutes to spare until boarding, just enough time to take a bathroom break and get a bottle of water.  We got on the flight though!  And sat there.  And sat there. And... sat there.  And then got kicked off the plane for an electrical issue.  Then sat in the gate for an hour or so until another airplane arrived.  Turns out, our flight ended up being delayed... about two hours.

ANYWAY.  We made it, de-planed at Indy, collected our bags, taxied to the hotel.  We were staying at a Red Roof Inn outside of the airport area, we were trying to do this cheap and with each of us paying for a hotel room, staying near downtown wasn't an option.  $65/night for a hotel is a lot better than $200+/night for being closer, especially when you can split Lyft fares.  (Could have rented a car but we did the math... especially factoring in parking at $20-30 a day plus the hotel charging for parking... much cheaper to Lyft everywhere.)

After settling into the hotel we had to go to the convention center and get our tickets.  I had my badge mailed to me, but all events require tickets and Marcus had ordered all our tickets... and you have to pick up your tickets yourself.  The Will Call line at 10pm on Wednesday night was... an hour and fifteen minutes long.  So we waited in that.  Nothing particularly cool or terrible happened, but it's just one of those GenCon experiences.  This year apparently 15% of the events had electronic tickets.  Next year that's supposed to go up to 75%.  Let's hope so.  The GenCon provided Wifi was actually pretty good.

We headed back to the hotel afterwards and were both hungry again at this point, so we ate at the only available option... Waffle House... at like 12:30 at night.  Seemed like a good way to end our first night, as long as we didn't get food poisoning.

...which we did not. :p

THURSDAY

So another fun thing about GenCon this year that we found out a day or two earlier is that the entire freeway from the Airport to downtown was going to be closed all weekend.  Adding lots of time to our commute (and thus $ to our Lyft fares, but we still saved money.)  So we got up extra early, discovered how terrible our hotel's free breakfast was (very... most days I had a cold bagel with a scraping of cream cheese and if I was lucky, a banana) and got a Lyft into town.  Except it took 30 minutes to get a Lyft.  From then on, we scheduled them ahead of time.  

But HEY!  Eventually, we were there!  We found the room for our first game and met Brian and eventually Marcus outside.  Our first scheduled game was Star Wars, the Fantasy Flight Games system (which is now known as Genesys).  This is a system that Marcus ran Jeremy and I and other friends a 2+ year campaign in, so the three of us were very familiar with the rules.   Kirstyn and Ally also joined us, and Kirstyn had played it once before.

So I've mentioned before that Jeremy, Marcus and I go to a local con called GamerNation Con every year.  Two years ago the guest of honor was a guy named Sterling Hershey who is a well-known loremaster for Star Wars and helped write the SWFFG system.  We played in a game he ran that year.  Hilariously, Sterling was our GM for this game, as well.  It was a good way to kick off the weekend.

Jeremy played a Jedi and I was his Padawan, Ally and Brian played Clone soldiers ( the game took place in the Clone Wars era) Kirstyn played a shark-race diplomat and Marcus was her "get it done" operative type.  

Ally, Marcus and Brian.

The Table setup

Brian, Jeremy and Kirstyn

And of course, our DM.

Our next game was a 13th Age, with Marcus, Jeremy, Brian and I, plus two "new friends" and a DM who was very good at and familiar with the system.  We've been doing a 13th Age game as our "Main Game" for about a year, since our SWFFG game ended and like Starfinder, it's a system that we were all very skeptical about at first and have found ourselves LOVING.  

I really enjoyed this DM.  He did a lot to challenge us to roleplay, I think the only time we spend game time making up backgrounds for our characters and making any character creation choices.  (They were basically premades but he had us choose names and do some history stuff which only makes sense if you know 13th Age.)

 He did some really cool mechanics as well, like one that made travel interesting... one person would say something bad that happened in our journey and the next would say "But it was all okay, because..." and use that as a way to bring depth to the adventure.  Like one person said "It was bad when the owlbears attacked us..." and then I answered, "But it was all okay, because our supplies had been running low, and now we had plenty of meat to eat on the journey!"  Then I said "It was bad when we came across a village that had been wiped out by disease." and the next person said "But it was okay, because we learned a vital clue, and kept the disease from spreading!" and the DM gave us a clue about what was coming up.

I played a Bard in this game.... okay the thing is, I love playing bards.  Support classes in general, but I always have to pull myself away from the urge to play a bard.  But there were only a couple of character sheets left when they came around and Marcus wanted to play a wizard so I did bard.  Apparently, Bard is one of most complex classes in the game, and the DM said I did great.  We were 5th level (out of 10) so they were already pretty in-depth characters.  We're only level 3 in our campaign at home, so it was fun to see how powerful we'd become.

Also what I love about 13th Age is that the world is just... weird.  You think that Anything Can Happen in D&D but honestly, the world of 13th Age is just so much broader and weirder and it was fun to see this DM's interpretation of it.  One of my favorite games of the con.

Our fighter, Jeremy the Monk and Brian the Barbarian.

Marcus, our rogue, and the DM.

So that night, we had had a 3-hour break scheduled then were supposed to go to Lucas Oil to play the Call of Cthulu board game that night.  But then Jeremy and I had been talking the night before and were thinking... maybe we could play more Starfinder.

We'd been planning on going to the Nerd Night (which is a thing where you go and play games plus support a charity with donations) to fill in those hours, so we asked Marcus if he'd mind skipping the board game so we could spend those hours doing Starfinder at NN instead.  He gave in.

So we stopped and got some dinner at a food truck (had a pretty good burger and fries, we were starving since we'd just had whatever snacks we had brought with us for lunch) and then it took a little bit of time but we found Nerd Night, which was held in a hotel that had turned an old train station into a ballroom.  It was very cool.  After eating, resting, drinking lots of water, and doing some Starfinder Society paperwork, we got to work on Starfinder, finding a quiet table in the corner away from everyone to play at.  And the module was SO FUN, our characters were on a reality-competition game show in order to bring glory to the Starfinder Society (and our family).  And then a loud group of people decided to pick the table RIGHT NEXT TO US in an empty side- room to play their loud game at (seriously... wtf?  THERE WERE AT LEAST A DOZEN OTHER TAbLES NOT NEXT TO US TO PICK!) so we packed up and moved to another corner, that was actually quieter and not as cold.

Then they kicked us out of Nerd Night at around 12:30, after it had closed.  So we walked back to the ICC (Indiana Convention Center) and found a near-empty food court, pushed some tables together... and kept gaming.  Until like, after 2AM.  

We didn't officially finish the module yet but we were kicking so much ass that we had basically won it already anyway.

So yeah... back to the hotel... asleep by um... three?

The actual quiet corner table.

The Empty Food Court setup

FRIDAY, PART ONE

So the next morning everyone but me did True Dungeon, meeting at 10am.  I bowed out because my back was too fucked up to stand for that long.  It was a hard decision, but the right one for me.  Instead, I spent a little bit of time shopping in the dealer hall, taking sit-down breaks against the wall when needed, and decided on what I'd want to buy later.  Mostly I just went to three booths and peeked at a few more.

After a short hangout break, I went to a lecture I'd had my eye on anyway, all about Eberron (one of the "official" D&D worlds) by the actual creator of Eberron, Keith Baker.  This was definitely my hidden gem of the weekend. He took a bunch of questions BEFORE the panel started that he jotted down and answered in his talk, which I thought was a great way of doing it, and still had time for more questions at the end.  All the questions were also great, I thought, in contrast to a lot of con panels.  I really enjoyed what he had to say, not only about Eberron, which is probably my favorite of all the official D&D worlds, but about worldbuilding in general.  It was only an hour, but it was an hour well spent.  There were only about 100 people there but I hope he enjoyed the panel as much as I enjoyed attending.

Afterwards, it was time to meet back up with the guys for my first of four games in the Paizo room.  First up: STARFINDER!  

We'd tried valiantly, but had only barely made it to level two with our SFS characters, so we each picked a premade "iconic" character who was the same class as our own, and re-skinned them to just say they were our characters.  The module was pretty cool, dealing with a world that was a simulation that the inhabitants believed was real.  I was a little frustrated with the DM at one point but otherwise had a very fun game.

This is the only pic I took of that game, damnit. And this was because my mom texted and said to tell the guys hi, so I sent this back to her.

And after that game... I parted ways with my friends once again.  Because I had tickets... to Critical Role.

Okay this post is already really long, I'll finish up in a second post! Which I've already gotten a good chunk of written, so look for that later tonight or tomorrow night!

[tamboradventure]

17 Things to See and Do in Taiwan

Posted: 9/3/2019 | September 3rd, 2019

I used to live in Taiwan for a few months as an English teacher. I loved the time there and have always felt the country was really under appreciated. So, in this is a guest post by Carrie Kellenberger from My Several Worlds and an expat living in Taiwan for ten years, she lists out all the amazing things you should see and do there.

Every country in Asia is beautiful, but Taiwan is special for many reasons. The people are warm and hospitable. In March 2019, Taiwan was listed as the happiest place in East Asia.

While it might be a small island, you would be amazed at the never-ending variety of sights and fun things to do here. With over a hundred mountain peaks above 3,000 meters, over a hundred hot springs scattered around the island, both golden and black-sand beaches, nine national parks, world-class museums, glittering skyscrapers, stunning temples, and a huge number of night markets that are second to none, Taiwan has something that everyone can enjoy.

To this day, nearly 14 years after I moved here, I still think Taiwan is one of Asia’s best-kept travel destination.

Here are some of the best ways to spend your time in Taiwan:

1. Eat, Eat Eat!

The national pastime in Taiwan is eating. Taiwanese, both adults and children, are very work and study oriented, so their lifestyles demand healthy food that is available on the go. Moreover, there is always an abundance of fruits and vegetables, so visiting a local market can be a delight when you find out how cheap it is to eat fresh food.

As a result, Taiwan has become an epicurean’s playground. The food scene is an international smorgasbord of culinary delights, for every budget and almost every diet.

Night Markets While there are five-star international restaurants of every variety throughout the country, the night markets are where the real gastronomes go. They promise to keep your belly full while your wallet remains relatively unscathed.

There are over 30 night markets in Taipei, New Taipei, and Keelung (and over 70 night markets across Taiwan). If you’re not sure which one to choose, visit this list of night markets in Taiwan and take your pick. My personal favorites are Shilin, Keelung, and Roahe Street in Taipei.

Here are a few things you should try:

Xiao long bao, also known as soup dumplings, a favorite staple food here. They are made out of a thin pastry folded into a type of bag that is then stuffed full with a meat-and-vegetable mixture and a tiny amount of soup, then garnished with raw ginger and soy sauce. Biting into one of these is a flavor explosion in your mouth. Plenty of street vendors at night markets offer fresh xiao long bao for around $2 USD for a basket of 10-12. There is really no reason not to try them. I’ve yet to meet a visitor to Taiwan who hasn’t loved their xiao long bao experience. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Oyster vermicelli

Oyster omelets

Beef noodle soup

Deep-fried chicken

Tian bu la (a type of fish cake fried with coriander with a dash of pepper and spice)

Sweet Taiwanese sausage or BBQ on a stick

Stinky tofu

“Coffin bread” (a tasty bread bowl shaped like a coffin)

Pig’s blood cake (It’s made from pig’s blood, sticky rice and soy broth and tastes much better than it sounds, I promise!)

Shaved ice

Zhen zhu nai cha (Taiwanese bubble tea)

Taiwan Beer (it’s the most popular local beer)

No matter what you decide on, you’re sure to have a great meal at a low cost while experiencing Taiwanese culture at its very best. You’ll be amazed at what you can buy for dinner for just $5 USD! You’ll definitely find some things that you hate, but you’ll also find things that you’ll love. It’s all part of the experience, right?

2. Visit a Taiwanese Teahouse

Tea culture in Taiwan is wonderful, and there are many options for tea lovers.

Maokong Gondola – This gondola will whisk you four kilometers to a mountain peak in a glass-bottomed cable car, from which you can view the tea plantations built into the side of the mountain as you zoom up. You can catch it at the Taipei Zoo MRT station; a ride costs 120 NT ($4 USD) each way. Once you’re at the top, there are several winding paths for a pleasant mountaintop stroll and a great selection of teahouses to choose from when you’re ready to enjoy a cup of fresh mountain tea.

Jiufen – If you’re heading out of Taipei, Jiufen is one of Taiwan’s most popular tourist destinations, owing to its appearance in the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away. This seaside mountain village offers some terrific shopping opportunities, as well as all the different kinds of foods you see in the movie. It’s one of my favorite places, because it is also home to some beautiful teahouses in the most glorious setting. Imagine sitting at the top of a mountain, looking out over the ocean in the comfort of a traditional tea house. It is truly a magical experience, especially if you can get there for sunset. Go on a weekday to avoid the large weekend crowds.

Jwu Jiu Teahouse – If you make it as far south as Chiayi, be sure to find Jwu Jiu Teahouse, a hidden gem that is like taking a step back into the past. Jwu Jiu is a traditional wooden teahouse set above enormous stone ponds filled with hundreds of giant, brightly colored koi. Feed the fish while sipping on your tea, and enjoy some traditional dim sum in the loveliest setting you’ve ever seen. The grounds belong to a local family, and the teahouse uses a well that is over a century old, in which the water still runs deep and pure. The owner has kept most of the original structures and bricks, plus a hundred-year-old Osmanthus tree, which is associated with many traditions in China and Taiwan. If you’re a history buff, you’ll enjoy the teahouse’s long history, displayed with pride and obvious care.

3. Check out the Northern Coastline

Head to the coast for some incredible lunar-like landscapes at Yehliu Geopark. There are some unique, otherworldly rock formations, including one that looks like Queen Elizabeth (though it took over 4,000 years to form) that are a popular tourist attraction. Try to get there early to beat the crowds.

4. Hit the Beaches

The beaches of Kenting on the southern tip of the island offer fun in the sun. White Sand Bay is the most popular and a great place to soak up the sun, swim, snorkel, or even go diving (just keep an eye out for jellyfish!). Other great beaches are South Bay and Little Bali Bay.

5. Soak in the Hot Springs

Taipei has its very own active volcano in its backyard, and because of the volcanic activity in the area, Beitou Hot Springs enjoys a steady stream of visitors and locals who love to bathe in its healthy waters. Prices start around 40 NT ($1.30 USD) per person for a soak in the hot springs, making it a very affordable choice for anyone looking for some R&R.

6. Go Island Hopping

The beautiful islands of Penghu just off Taiwan’s western coastline will delight your sense of wanderlust and are especially well known for their golden beaches. This island archipelago has islands that are all distinct.

Boats will drop you off at one island for a few hours and then take you to the next one, so you can literally go from snorkeling to observing sea turtles to wandering through traditional aboriginal villages made out of coral in a single day.

7. See Old Taiwan

Two groups of islands that make up the Kinmen Archipelago off the west coast of Taiwan, just a couple miles from mainland China — and they are old Taiwan at its best. Here you’ll be able to see some traditional architecture, and there are also insightful museums that highlight the ongoing tensions between the People’s Republic and Taiwan.

8. Get Off the Beaten Track on Orchid Island and Green Island

Located just off the southeastern coast, these lush islands are a treat to visit. Here you’ll find hiking, swimming, diving, and amazing hot springs. You can also get further off the beaten path and have an adventure by renting a scooter to traveling around the islands yourself!

9. Explore the Green Mountains

Grab a scooter and head up into the green mountains, which extend over five ranges the length of the island. If you want to stretch your legs, climb to the summit of beautiful Jade Mountain and watch the sunrise; this beautiful peak is almost 4,000 meters above sea level, making Taiwan the world’s fourth-highest island.

10. Visit Wuling Peak on Hehuan Mountain

If you’re still craving some climbing and hiking, head to Wuling Peak on Hehuan Mountain, around 3,275 meters above sea level, making it another good hike for anyone looking to spend more time outdoors. But what really makes this place special is that the peak is so high, you can look down into a sea of clouds below!

11. Go Hiking in Taroko National Park

Ready for another city break? This national park offers visitors a chance to hike through mountainous terrain and gorges, and you can even stop to dip your feet in swiftly flowing mountain rivers. Covering just under 100,000 hectares, it’s one of only nine national parks in Taiwan. Admission is free.

12. Head East

To really enjoy Taiwan’s majestic beauty, don’t forget Taiwan’s eastern coastline. The east coast highway has some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in the world, from plunging sea cliffs and splashing surf to beaches, nature reserves, and rural towns a world away from the big city.

13. Witness Some Chaos

Check out the feeding frenzy of the markets in Taipei, or enjoy a stroll around cool Ximending, the gay district and Taipei’s answer to Tokyo’s Shibuya. Ximending boasts a massive outdoor plaza behind the Red House (a well-known cultural landmark) and a pedestrian shopping zone filled with the latest fashion trends, coffee shops, restaurants, and local artisans.

Give yourself bonus points for checking out all the super cool graffiti; you won’t find it on the main thoroughfares, but if you venture onto some of the smaller side streets, you’ll soon find yourself in world of brightly decorated alleys and lanes.

14. See Tianhou Temple

While you’re in Ximending, it’s worth stopping by one of the oldest temples in the city, Tianhou (also known as the Ximending Mazu Temple, after the in-house deity Mazu, goddess of the sea). Around since 1746, it’s one of three major temples in Taiwan from the Qing period. It’s located on a main thoroughfare — but it’s very easy to miss the entrance.

Stepping through the entrance to this beautiful Taoist temple filled with mythological creatures, smoky incense, lucky goldfish, and people paying respect to the gods is truly a surreal experience. You’d never know this quiet oasis is in one of the busiest areas of Taipei!

15. Explore Fo Guang Shan Monastery

If you have your own ride in Kaohsiung, I strongly encourage you to stop by Fo Guang Shan Monastery and pay homage to the monks that live there. An ultra-Zen monastery open to the public, the complex is massive and stunning, leading to the Great Path of Buddhahood, a broad pathway flanked by eight identical pagodas.

You can explore each as you walk your way up to the Big Buddha, the highest seated bronze Buddha in the world. I’ve been to many temples and monasteries in my lifetime, but this one takes the cake.

16. Visit a Taiwanese Aboriginal Village

There are many knowledgeable local guides that can introduce you to the aboriginal way of life in Taiwan. The Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village near Sun Moon Lake is the most popular destination to learn more, but it’s certainly not the only one — there are lots of villages to choose from.

17. Take Part in the Pingxi Lantern Festival

One of the coolest events in Taiwan, the Pingxi Lantern Festival involves releasing hundreds of paper lanterns into the sky. (Many newlyweds also include this meaningful tradition as a part of their wedding celebration.) If you don’t want to brave the crowds, you can easily purchase a lantern and light one on any of Taiwan’s beaches.

Taiwan is very environmentally friendly, so make sure you go with the eco-friendly paper lantern options that disintegrate, leaving no residue, and don’t cause fires. The company My Taiwan Tour also currently offers biodegradable paper lantern tours in Shifen.

***

There are many things about Taiwan that make it an incredible place to live; it’s easy to take some of those things for granted once you’ve been here for a while. I frequently hear that people think Taiwan is very Westernized, and while I agree that it is to some extent, there are still plenty of authentic Taiwanese experiences to be had!

Taiwan is and continues to be an unexpected travel destination that continues to delight visitors to this day. There is no place like it!

Canadian expat Carrie Kellenberger has been living in Asia since 2003. She moved to Taiwan in 2006 and became a permanent resident in 2012. She loves entertaining guests and travelers to Taiwan. You can read about her adventures and life there at her blog, My Several Worlds.

Book Your Trip to Taiwan: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. My favorite places to stay in Taipei are:

Formosa 101 – This hostel is located right near the Taipei Tower and the Tonghua Night Market. They offer free breakfast and have a laid back lounge for relaxing.

Meander Taipei – The staff here is really helpful and the beds are comfy. They have free breakfast as well as other daily activities available.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

Photo credits: 9 – David Hsu, 15 – Yi Chen, 16 – Huicheng1967

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[emospritelet]

You can’t do a naked calendar plot line without some kind of Full Monty reference. Whether Dr Gold has a sarcastic line about being in a strip group to pay for med school or Belle having a fantasy about a guilty pleasure movie or the photographer playing “You Can Leave Your Hat On” during the shoot I needs a FM reference.

So remember when I suggested Gold might be persuaded to take part in a naked calendar as a fundraiser for the hospital?  I asked you people to stop me and no one did.

Anyway, I tweaked the above prompt a little…

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9] [Part 10] [Part 11] [Part 12] [Part 13] [Part 14] [Part 15] [Part 16]

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Belle stayed in bed for the next three days.  Her father was in no way as attentive as Gold, but at least she knew not to expect much from him.  He brought her tea each morning, with the air of someone who felt that they were performing a task that was beneath them.  Dinner was takeout fried chicken, which she pulled a face at, and received a lecture on her lack of gratitude in return. It didn’t make her recovery any more rapid, but she felt too sick and weak to care all that much.

It was a relief when she felt she could get out of bed, not least because she could make her father breakfast and stop his complaining, however briefly. She really needed her own place, and to that end she spent the rest of the morning making a notice to hang in the break room at work. Wanted! it shouted in large red letters, followed by a description of what she was looking for: apartment or shared house with access to a garden, plus the approximate rent she was looking to pay. She had left tear-off strips at the bottom with her name and number, and she prayed that someone in Storybrooke would have what she wanted. Someone who was quiet and tidy and liked cooking dinner with a glass of wine and a little music.  Someone who enjoyed lazy Sundays with coffee and croissants and a good book. Someone like—

Belle squeezed her eyes shut, scrunching the paper a little in her fingers and shaking her head.  No. He had made it very clear that he didn’t see her as anything more than a friend, and to share a house with him would be exquisitely painful.  Not to mention the fact that the poor man had probably breathed a huge sigh of relief when he returned home and found her gone. Maybe he had danced around the place.  Naked.

Belle rolled her eyes, shoving the image away, the memory of seeing every inch of him.  The thought made her grin, and she shook her head in resignation. Barely over the flu, and her libido was already at full power. She tamped it down, concentrating on smoothing out the crinkles in her notice. Someone in Storybrooke would have a place to rent. She just hoped it would be someone she could stand.

x

Gold had never before found his house to be too quiet.

When he had first moved to Storybrooke, he had breathed a sigh of relief at leaving the city behind, at his pace of life changing so dramatically, his journey to and from work undisturbed by the honking of horns or the screaming of sirens, the only sounds in the evening the ticking of clocks or the music he played.  He had revelled in peace and quiet, in silence. And now it seemed oppressive, almost ominous, as though a heavy cloud had stretched across the sun and his world was left in shadow.

The first night after Belle left was torture; he could smell her scent on the pillows, and his sleep was restless, filled with vague dreams of her being there with him.  He stripped the bed the next morning, changing the linen for fresh and shoving the sheets into the laundry hamper to wash. The dreams faded, but it was a partial victory only.  The house was still too quiet.

He told himself it was for the best; he liked his own company, after all.  He enjoyed solitude, had sought it out and embraced it. Having Belle in his house didn’t change who he was on the most basic level.  So why did the house feel empty without her? Why did he feel empty?

His brain wasn’t coming up with any satisfactory answers to that question, certainly none that made any sense, and so he chose to deal with his inner turmoil in the best way he knew, which was to bury himself in work until he forgot about it.  Fortunately, the hospital was as busy as ever, and Dr Whale had almost cried when Gold told him he could take the rest of the week off. For a terrifying moment he had thought Whale was going to hug him, but thankfully he had restrained himself and had simply run off to the locker room.  Nurse South had immediately approached, a clipboard in her hands and a determined look in her eyes, and Gold had gotten an update from her and thrown himself into dealing with the latest casualties of the harsh Maine winter.

Jefferson appeared for the evening shift, just as Gold was starting to realise how tired he was.  A friendly clap on his shoulder made him stagger, and Jefferson grabbed his arm to keep him upright.

“Take it easy, would you?” he said.  “Go on, get on home. I can cover your last hour.”

“I’m alright,” lied Gold, rubbing an eye, and Jefferson grinned at him.

“So, I hear Belle finally went home,” he said.  “I’m guessing you’ve been enjoying a little alone-time since she left, am I right?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” snapped Gold, and Jefferson blinked.

“It - means that I know you like your own company?” he said.  “What the hell did you think I was talking about?”

“Nothing,” sighed Gold, giving himself a mental kicking.  “Sorry. I’m just - sorry.”

“No big deal.”  Jefferson looked him over.  “How is she, anyway?”

“How should I know?”

“Wow, are you in a crappy mood today,” remarked Jefferson.

“Sorry,” said Gold again.  “She’s - I don’t know how she is.  Not back at work, anyway.”

“Maybe she’s actually getting the rest she needs,” said Jefferson.  “Unlike some people.”

“Stop nagging me.”

“Somebody ought to.”

“Why is that somebody always you?”

“You know my constant dragging comes from a place of love, right?”

Gold shook his head, secretly amused, and Jefferson grinned.

“Grace is better, by the way,” he said.  “She’s back in school. She says I’m to invite you to a tea party this weekend.”

“I’d be delighted.”

“Good, because I already told her you were coming.”

Gold nodded absently, setting down the chart and moving on, and Jefferson eyed him, lips pursed as though he had a secret and was wondering whether to tell him.  Gold grumbled under his breath.

“Whatever it is you have to say, why don’t you just say it?”

“Okay,” said Jefferson.  “The Board agreed to buy that new CT scanner you wanted—”

“But?”

“—but they’re insisting that we do a fundraising drive to show willing.”

Gold groaned, letting his head roll back.

“Let me guess,” he said dryly.  “Bake sales and a charity dinner.”

“Is that so terrible?”

Gold snatched up the chart from the next patient’s bed, grumbling to himself.

“I’ll bake something,” he said.  “Several things. I’ll even attend the dinner.  Just don’t leave me alone with the bloody donors.”

“You’re safe, I promise,” said Jefferson, and hesitated.  “Anyway, that wasn’t what I was gonna tell you. I - kind of had an idea for fundraising.”

“Oh yes?”

Gold checked over the figures on the chart, nodding to himself when he saw the slowly improving picture.  He turned his attention to the man in the bed. Alfred Prentice was pale and thin, his white beard stretching down over the blankets.

“Good to see you getting a little better, Mr Prentice,” said Gold.  “I hope you’ll be able to go home soon.”

The old man lifted a hand briefly, closing his eyes, and Gold turned back to Jefferson, who was looking surprisingly shifty.

“Go on,” said Gold suspiciously.

“Okay, so I thought we might all contribute to a calendar,” said Jefferson, in a rush.  “A picture, maybe a short bio, maybe a fun statement.”

“Who the hell would want to buy that?”

“Oh, we’d all be naked,” said Jefferson, in a matter-of-fact way, and Gold’s eyes narrowed.

“What?”

“Well - naked calendars of regular people sell, you know?” said Jefferson, giving what he no doubt thought was his most charming smile.  Gold turned away.

“No.”

“Oh, come on!”

“No.”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t done things you didn’t want to further your career in medicine,” said Jefferson.

“Yes, I waited tables every night at university,” said Gold impatiently.  "I certainly didn’t take my clothes off for cash.“

“Pity, you could have saved yourself time and money,” said Jefferson, with a grin.  "Get me drunk enough and I’ll tell you about my time at Blue Star. Stripping’s a lot more lucrative than carrying plates of food.“

Gold stared at him for a moment, unsure whether he was joking, and Jefferson’s grin widened.

“Get me even drunker and I’ll probably show you my routine to You Can Leave Your Hat On,” he added, and Gold shook his head.

“God, please don’t.”

“You’re no fun.”

“I keep telling you that, but you don’t take any notice.”

Jefferson sighed in exasperation.

“So?” he said.  "You in?“

“No one wants to see me naked even accidentally, I assure you,” said Gold, in a very dry tone.  “Let alone pay money for it.”

“You wouldn’t be totally naked,” persisted Jefferson.  “I was thinking about a strategically-placed clipboard or something.”

“No.”

“Whale’s doing it.”

“Whale would get his tackle out for a croissant.”

Gold moved on to the next bed, and Jefferson scampered after him.

“Okay, that’s true,” he allowed.  “But think of the hospital! Isn’t getting state of the art equipment worth a little humiliation?”

“You’re not selling this too well.”

“The photo shoot will be private,” added Jefferson.  “Just you, the photographer… And me, if you want some support.  Moral or otherwise.”

Gold sighed, and Jefferson grinned at him.

“Everyone else has said yes.”

Gold reached for the patient’s chart, and looked up at him.

“Fine,” he said resignedly.  “But next year I’m sticking to the bake sale.”