#Pulp Fragrance

[darkness-bound-adventures]

Pulp Fragrance

And to All A Good Night - (Premium) Sugary and gently-spiced holiday cookies fresh from the oven and drizzled with caramel, creamy egg nog spiked with coffee liqueur and sprinkled with a dash of nutmeg and cardamom, & the smooth, pale, aged wood of a well-loved rolling pin. Autumn Morning: Warm mug of hot chocolate, bowl of slightly spiced oatmeal, bouquet of carnations, and a cozy blanket on your lap. Drunken Jack: Oak barrels, spiced whiskey, pumpkin, and vanilla sugar. Embrace: A kindly kitchen witch who invites you in from the cold, feeds you pumpkin shortbread with butter, apricot preserves, and brown sugar & then sends you safely on your way. The Phantom Room: Cherry tobacco, honeyed almonds, red currants, cocoa butter, & vanilla balsam. When What to My Wondering Eyes: Peppermint candy stick swirled into a rich dark chocolate mocha, jazzed up with a festive splash of Irish cream.

[gothiccharmschool]

Ms Jilli, I don't know if the scents will be to your taste, but there's a newish fragrance place called Pulp Fragrance with classic gothic romance covers as bottle art. They even have a scent called Women in Dresses Running From Houses. It seems tailor-made for you

WHAT?!?!?

Oh dear.

[krscblw]

ghoul perfume associations!

i am very into ghost. and i am also very into indie perfumes! so i decided to combine the two and make a list of my scent associations for each of the ghouls, as well as a few indie fragrances that fit them (in my opinion! if y'all have other thoughts i would LOVE to hear them /gen)

i also included all of the perfumes i found that had the same names as the ghouls, even if i didn't think the scent profile worked, and bonus atmospherics that i think are more naturally ghoul-ish and worked well for the various elements!

warning: this is an obscenely long post. i have too many thoughts.

another warning: because this post is so long, some of the text might get cut off on mobile. it should be okay on desktop if that happens (i don't know how to fix it, sorry)

Aeon

Notes: chocolate, linen, lavender. Aeon smells very gentle and pleasant, but not necessarily sweet. He smells like things that he himself finds comfort in.

Perfumes:

Chocolatine -- Fyrinnae

“Also known as Pain au Chocolat, these flaky croissant-like pastries are filled with pieces of dark or semi-sweet chocolate. This is not a very sweet fragrance.”

TELEGRAMA – Imaginary Authors  

talc, lavender absolute, black pepper, teak, amyris, vanilla powder, fresh linens

Bonus:

Phantom -- Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab 

Aether

Notes: bourbon, amber, vanilla. Aether smells sophisticated, but with a warm, golden edge. He smells like comfort, like unconditional love- but also a little bit like sex.

Perfumes:

Quintessence of Debauchery -- Alkemia Perfumes

“A distillation of raw, bawdy sexiness without regard for gender - Bourbon vanilla, tonka, dark florals, peach brandy, coriander, mock orange, spiced pumpkin, fresh ginger root, rock rose, long leaf tobacco, black opium infused amber, patchouli, oakmoss, and cruelty-free (vegan) castoreum.”

Morosexual -- Treading Water Perfume  

“Morosexual - The sexual attraction to stupid people. Treat yourself and read your partner at the same time with a scent that is as classy as it is stupid. The earthy combo of vanilla, fresh tobacco and star anise combine with spicy nutmeg to create a warm soft blanket to dull the mind.”

tobacco, vanilla, patchouli, jasmine, star anise, nutmeg

Alpha

Notes: leather, smoke, gunpowder. Alpha smells.. off-putting, to most people. He has an intense personality, and it's reflected in his scent.

Perfumes:

Industrial Sabotage -- Alkemia Perfumes

“A cataclysmic wreckage of burnt wires; twisted melted steel; shattered machinery, and gunpowder.”

Night Shift -- PULP Fragrance  

“Black frankincense, engine grease from a long late shift, smoke, ash, blackened wood, and a hint of leather.”

Cirrus

Notes: dark fruits, musk. Cirrus smells sophisticated in a dark, sensual way. She smells.. hypnotic, almost. She smells like you want her, but she doesn't even know you exist.

Perfumes:

Venus Black -- Possets 

“A grand and very very sensual scent. Black in the most sophisticated way. Considered one of the colors, its working name was Mars' Black but it is so wonderfully feminine that there is no way that it could be named after the god of war, it should be named after the goddess of love. The Blackest musk flirts with a float of black pepper, a shot of dark sweet pear, and the smallest amount of sage and non-stinky narcissus for tingle. One not to be missed. Dry, musky, spicy.”

(i have this one. it's VERY attractive (i had to stop wearing it because i was confusing myself lmao) and now that i associate it with cirrus. i might have a problem)

Salomé -- Alkemia Perfumes 

“An overture of not so innocent magnolia underscored with a sly caress of Queen of the Night, a fulsomeness of nubile black grapes and plums, skin musk bathed in spilled cognac, and ruthless twist of bitter orange, blended with an ancient Arabian love philtre of crushed vanilla and tonka bean, sandalwood, vetiver, cedar, and red oud.”

Bonus: 

Cirrus -- Osmofolia 

Cumulus

Notes: lilac, magnolia, jasmine, sugar. Cumulus smells sweet and cloying. You smell her once and the scent haunts you all day like the most enchanting ghost.

Perfumes:

Alabama -- Possets

“Floral perfume lovers rejoice! This one is the essence of a hot sticky Southern night at the height of passion with the one you love. What a treat! Alabama weaves pink fizzy mimosa, thick white magnolia, canebrake jasmine, Mexican tuberose, and Martinique gardenia. The effect is eternally woman, unabashedly sexy, and in command. These are all knit together with precious Sacred Frankincense to concoct a bombshell of a fragrance, deep white floral with deep incense leanings. A hypnotic fragrance. So very sweet, so very profound. Feminine, floral, devastating.”

Sweet Mother -- Little And Grim  

“‘Sweet mother, I cannot weave --/ slender Aphrodite has overcome me/ with longing for a girl.’ -Sappho. Notes of lush moss, blooming lilac, French lavender, rose, jasmine, mandarin and lemon zest, warm musk, and lily of the valley.”

Bonus:

Cumulus -- Osmofolia 

Skiing On Europa -- Fyrinnae 

“The atmosphere of a distant moon, not as habitable for mammals as Earth, the thin air reminiscent of high mountain elevations before snowfall. Cold, and ozonic like petrichor.”

Dewdrop

Notes: berries, smoke, wood. Dew smells like resinous woodsmoke, with an unexpected berry undertone. (Just like his personality: brash outside, sweet inside.)

Perfumes:

Ignis -- PULP Fragrance

“Raspberries, fresh ginger, smoky aloeswood, pale blond tobacco leaves & fiery red musk.”

A CITY ON FIRE – Imaginary Authors

“The refined smoke accord makes this an austere and luxurious scent for evenings on the town, whether with a special someone or alone and looking for trouble.”

cade oil, spikenard, cardamom, clearwood, dark berries, labdanum, burnt match

Bonus: 

The Center of the Universe -- Alkemia Perfumes   

“The center of our universe is raspberries and rum? In a vast dust cloud at the center of the Milky Way there is an abundance of ethyl formate, a simple aliphatic ester found in the smell of rum and raspberries. To these elements, we've added notes from astronauts' descriptions of the smell of their suits when they return from space walks - freshly welded metal, gun powder, seared steak in an iron pan, burnt almond cookies, charcoal, and ozone.”

Ifrit

Notes: black tea, incense. Ifrit smells heavy and dark in a way that makes you want more. Very mysterious, even though his personality doesn't really match.

Perfumes:

Black Tea -- Possets 

“The most dark and the most tannic of teas. Somehow that puckery quality becomes addictive. Just right for a seductive night deep in July or August where humidity makes itself into a sexy accessory. Not subtle but very alluring. Pure and beautiful, incense floats over it all and the effect is so much like the vapor lines of a mirage. Tea-like but not sweet.”

(this is one of my favorite fragrances EVER, i wear it like every day)

O, UNKNOWN! – Imaginary Authors 

“At the risk of sounding bleak, this night could be your last. Splash on O, Unknown! and plunge forth into prosperity and joy. Repeat as often as you are able.”

black tea, lapsang souchong tincture, orris butter, kyoto moss, musk balsam, sandalwood

Bonus:

The Ifrit -- Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab 

Mist

Notes: water, herbs. Mist smells aquatic and green, like spring rain or a pond full of plants. There's an icy, aloof edge to her scent.

Perfumes:

Taste of Rain -- Alkemia Perfumes 

“A primordially vernal chypre consecrated by silver rain, green ivy, holy basil, lilacs, moss, and wisteria.”

Diaphanous Dress -- Possets 

“If the lovely Primavera would wear a gown, she might be dressed in a garment made of snow crystals and flowers. Even into April, spring can get cold even while the flowers we all love press upward. Spring displays irony in her variability. Deepest and richest Mexican vanilla troupes bravely with the chill aquatic of snow falling in heavy doses and melting almost on contact. A tuft of chlorophyll is in the background and a hint of the flowers it all overtakes for just a while. This is an enchanting fragrance, a hypnotic springtime blend which is more about the atmosphere than the real flowers themselves.”

Bonus: 

Ammil -- Alkemia Perfumes 

“An olfactory journey that morphs like melting ice... starting cold and aloof with distinct elements of wet snow and ice then gradually unfolding to reveal an indescribably unique velvety skin warmth.”

Mountain

Notes: vetiver, greenery, earth, mushrooms. Mountain smells very green and earthy, almost like he was recently underground, or maybe like he spent all day tending to a fragrant garden (he did).

Perfumes:

Hedale Wood -- Little And Grim

“This fragrance is dark and a bit mysterious, while staying green enough to be worn without smelling too villainous.”

vetiver, cedar trees, bergamot, dense foliage, coriander, musk, sandalwood, frankincense, a touch of lavender, amber

Heirloom Tomato Leaf -- Fyrinnae

“Rows of tomato plants on a humid day, their unmistakable heavy green fragrance filling the air and clinging to your hands as you touch the leaves. This is not a solitary note perfume, but includes significant notes of damp soil and humid air.”

Bonus:

Beneath The Forest -- Fyrinnae  

“Beneath the trees, where scant sunlight ever reaches and few green plants grow, mushrooms (and decay) flourish in the ever-damp soil, surrounded by darkness. Step carefully, there could be traps.”

Nimbus*

Notes: peach, rose, wood. Nimbus smells sweet and slightly earthy, with an overwhelming ripe peach heart and a floral edge. Very pretty, very cheerful, but not childish.

Perfumes:

South Star -- PULP Fragrance 

“Sweet creamy peach, vanilla beans, liatrix, & a woody-ambrette accord, all topped off with a hint of cinnamon.”

Someone Tell Lady Luck -- Little And Grim 

lemongrass, bright fresh ginger, verbena, sweet peaches, bamboo, and clean rain on city streets

Bonus: 

Aurora -- Alkemia Perfumes 

Armenian Rose -- Fyrinnae 

“The fragrance of dark red rose petals and sweeter pink roses with the earthy scent of native lilies.”

*i headcanon nimbus as a earth/air multi

Omega

Notes: wood, amber, tobacco. Omega smells warm, but not quite comforting. He smells like he knows more than you (he does) and like he's a little bit disappointed in you (he might be). He smells like he COULD be comforting, if you managed to earn his approval.

Perfumes:

Bibliotheca -- Alkemia Perfumes

“A vintage elegance of leatherbound books, plush club chairs, vintage vinyl records, polished mahogany tables, fountain pen ink, black tea, dark plum brandy, vetiver, rosewood, artemesia, white carnation, lavender water, citron, tweedy woolens, and oakmoss.”

(i have this one! it's surprisingly woody)

Bronze and Blaze -- Alkemia Perfumes

“Autumnal bronze amber aged with cognac barrel staves, red oak leaves, Perique pipe tobacco, raw wool, ripe pumpkin, opoponax (sweet myrrh), and soft suede gloves warmed by a creamy steamy cup of Bourbon vanilla coffee.”

Rain

Notes: seawater, ozone. Rain smells like the ocean, or more accurately, like a siren that wants to lure you out to sea and kill you. Wet, a little bit green, sweet and salty.

Perfumes:

Mermaids in the Basement -- Alkemia Perfumes

“A siren song of seawater soaked linen, aquatic incense, white ginger, pomelo, limoncello, dry moss, clary sage, cactus flower, prickly pear, loquat, fir resin, cedar needles, mesquite pods, Hinoki wood, Guaiac wood, and Elemi resin.”

EVERY STORM A SERENADE – Imaginary Authors 

danish spruce, eucalyptus, vetiver, calone, ambergris, baltic sea mist

Bonus:

Black Squall -- Fyrinnae 

“Open waters of the deepest blue, eerily calm before the looming arcus cloud in the distance bears down, revealing the wrath of the storm behind it. There was little left to do now but watch and wait. Cold and clean-smelling seawater, ozonic air, now and then a little olive oil from the lamps.”

Sunshine/Stratus**

Notes: strawberries, citrus, vanilla, spices. Sunny smells like summer. She smells like ripe fruit, sweet cold drinks, and sun, with a little bit of unexpected spice.

Perfumes:

Strawberry Lemonade -- PULP Fragrance 

“Fresh strawberries, lemonade, and a bowl of strawberry-vanilla ice cream.”

Lola -- Alkemia Perfumes 

“A dramatic splash of Coca-cola trailed by an adoration of blood orange, pink peppercorns, caviar lime, orange blossom, tonka, spicy nutmeg dancing sinuously across a base of warm Brazilian cherrywood.”

Bonus:

Stratus -- Osmofolia 

Prairie 66 -- Alkemia Perfumes 

“The smell of an old cement-paved road in the desert just before dawn when the cement is cold and almost, but not quite damp. Flowering desert sage, aldehydes, grapefruit, Linden blossoms, bergamot, saffron, gray amber, yucca, yuzu, and cool concrete. ”

**i headcanon sunny as a fire/air multi

Swiss***

Notes: smoke, musk, patchouli. Swiss smells dark but welcoming, unpredictable but attractive. He smells the way velvet feels: sweet, smoky, decadent.

Perfumes:

Smoke & Mirrors -- Alkemia Perfumes

“An elusive, smokey blend of burning wood, Madagascar Vanilla, and Tonka. We find this one to be elementally simple, but unusually mercurial and highly responsive to different skin chemistries… the vanilla and the smoke dance with each other almost continuously… sometimes the foreground is smoky, then sweet, then returns with sweetly smoky, then smoky.”

Allen Ginsberg - Howl -- Possets  

“Possets' interpretation of Howl is unabashedly sexy, driven mad by welling passions. Black, red and amber musks wrestle furiously with sandalwood and opium tar resin. There is nothing light or gentle about this scent. A burning incense backs it up, black patchouli stands in the forefront. Dark, musky, resinous. Tremendously savage, dark and sweet like molasses rather than sugar. ...and yet, there is something innocent about it all.”

(i have howl and it's SO good and so perfect for swiss)

***i headcanon swiss as a fire/water multi

Zephyr

Notes: dust, ozone. Zephyr smells like the air where something once was, or maybe where something is and has been too long. Dusty, faintly sweet, slightly melancholic.

Perfumes:

Dustsceawung -- Alkemia Perfumes

“The scent of forbidden explorations and an olfactory meditation on dust... attic air, the inside of old trunks, abandoned haylofts, library stacks, and abandoned buildings. Dustsceawung is the contemplation of dust, worldly desires, and the ephemerality of all things... raspings that were once a tree, ruins that were once cities, bones that were once lovers. Dust is always the ultimate destination on our journey.”

 Hauntology -- PULP Fragrance 

“Ozone, olibanum, the air in a closed up kitchen cupboard that might once have held raisins and dried apricots, ambergris, burled briarwood, & the lost futures of a home abandoned.”

Bonus:

Zephyr -- Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

if you made it to the end of this i admire your dedication. and i would love to hear what you think!

[cooliofango]

When You Hold Their Hand Unexpectedly

Linked Universe V. x Gn!Reader

—————

This is part 2!

PART 1 HERE!

PART 3 HERE!

This part includes Wind, Wild, and Twilight!

Slight trigger warning for Wind’s part! Mentions of neglect and death— but it doesn’t go into heavy detail.

Lil shout out to @hylias-gremlin for helping me out with Wind’s part! ;3

—————

Wild

Today was the day Time decided they all needed to restock on supplies. Camp was settled on the outskirts of town, where they could make a count of what they did have. Most went into town to buy things that was needed, though a few went out into the woods to scavenge for food. It would be less rupees to spend if they don’t need to.

Time and Sky went around town for information about the Hyrule they were currently in. They planned to start in a tavern, seeing as it’s usually the best place to investigate when you want to hear about any rumors or info about anything or anyone. It’s common knowledge for most at this point, especially for travelers like you all.

Wind and Hyrule went off to get their water supply refilled. While they can easily stop by lakes and rivers while they travel, carrying their own water supplies helps when there isn’t easily accessible water or if the water near by is salty or contaminated. It also helps for meals for the same reason— though they usually try to avoid meals that include water in the recipe if need be.

Four and Warrior were sent out to find supplies for weapon and armor repair and making. Maybe even a few fresh weapons for a certain someone who broke them more often than not. Some light weight, but durable metal, tools, cloth, and the like was what they looked for.

Twilight and Legend were tasked with finding any wild fruit, herbs, or mushrooms that were edible. This ranged from hylian shrooms, hyrule herbs, and apples. Vegetables were mainly an optional find since it wasn’t very likely to be found in the wild. If they couldn’t find many of any of those items, then they would go into town to buy what they could.

For you and Wild’s search for meat and poultry, it was going well. The both of you had a bit of each now, but it was agreed upon that you should get at least one more kill before heading back to camp. It didn’t matter much which kind of meat this last one had to be as long as it was fresh and edible.

Yes, that does imply that they’ve found rotten meat. This was because of the bears and wolves in the forest that left behind the remains of their prey. It wasn’t hard to tell with the rancid smell lingering in the area the corpse laid. They were, luckily, a good ways away from the rotten meat.

You held your bow tightly within your hands, Wild at your side with a bow of his own as you two crouched in the tall grass to remain hidden. There was bait set in the open area in front of you made of berries and grain mixed into a pulp. The fragrance was strong enough to be smelt from where the two of you hid. An animal was bound to smell it sooner or later. Or do you thought, anyways.

You had been waiting for quite a while. Your joints ached lightly from not moving, but you knew if you moved, it could ruin a chance to get that last piece of meat you and Wild wanted. The most you allowed yourself to do was wiggle your fingers to ease the soreness in them.

Wild remained perfectly still the entire time, of course. As the cook of the group, he is usually the one to make sure they have food made no matter when or how he had to obtain the ingredients. A lot of the time was spent hunting— both before and after you all met if you had to guess— so he had a knack for remaining still for long periods of time.

It was definitely a contrast from what you were used to, so seeing it for the first time was surprising. Seeing him not be so reckless and slightly playful in nature would probably be a bit of an odd sight for anyone in the group to see.

After that first time you hunted with him, it became a regular to take you with him when gathering food. You weren’t completely sure why, but you just assumed that he enjoyed the company and could use the help. It’s partially why you two were paired now. The other part was because Time intentionally put you two together during this group split up.

A loud rustle sounded to the right of you, causing you to break from your thoughts with a jump and a soft gasp. You grabbed onto whatever was closest with your free hand on instinct, but your eyes remained in the direction the sound came from. You didn’t realize the slight distraction you had caused to your companion.

The air was still.

There was more rustling…

…and a rabbit jumped from the bushes. It had light brown fur and low hanging ears. It’s wide eyes looked around, unsuspecting of anything or anyone around it.

You let out a silent sigh, watching as it hopped over to the bait mixture. The rodent bent down towards it. It’s pink nose wiggled as it sniffed the bait, deciding whether or not to eat it.

You felt the hand that didn’t hold the bow lift, causing you to look over confused. In front of you was your hand holding Wild’s from the top, his fingers lightly dangling out of your grip. Wild’s face held a soft pink hue and he allowed his gaze to meet yours. It was a silent ask to let go.

You felt your own face burn hot, swallowing thickly. You made sure to be quiet and careful when letting go of his hand as to not alert their final pray for the day. Wild gave a thankful look while you returned it with an apologetic one.

He sat up a little in place and drew the bow back with an arrow in hand. The bow’s wood creaked quietly, causing the rabbit to sit up with its ears perked. It was too late for it react, however. The whistling of the arrow has already cut through the air and pierced through its body with an almost unnerving thump, a second one following soon after as the rabbit fell to the ground as a corpse.

—————

Wind

The night grew on and almost everyone was silent as they all sat at one of the long tables within the the inn’s dinning hall. They had all came to rest for the night, as well as try to gain information on the land they were currently in. The most lights were snuffed out by now, only leaving a few on to keep it bright enough for the few people that did remain.

“I heard it’s haunted though,” The man at the next table over spoke, his head in one hand and half a glass of alcohol in the other, “because it was built over the ruins of a burnt down manor that stood there centuries ago.”

The group of travelers had their attention on this man for a while now as he spoke of a temple that laid in the forest southwest from the town. Most didn’t seem too fazed by the rumor, having dealt with ghosts on their own occasions. You, however, was not someone who fell into that category.

“How so?” Wind asked curiously on your left, his expression mostly calm, but a bit wary of dealing with apparitions. You knew he’s dealt with ghosts before from his tales of the ghost ship he had been on while at sea— but you could imagine that he didn’t really enjoy the thought of dealing with ghosts again.

“A maiden’s vengeful spirit lives there. She attacks anyone who dares to enter the temple, especially if it’s a man,” he takes a sip of the alcoholic beverage before setting the glass down, “According to rumors, it’s because her lover had left to fight in a war. It left her depressed and she neglected herself because of it. When her lover returned, he didn’t recognize her because of how thin she had gotten. The woman died not long after from the affects the neglect had on her and from grief.”

You swallowed heavily, gripping onto the bench underneath you. “How violent does she get, exactly…?” The nervousness showed in your tone, brows furrowed as you looked at the man who told the story.

He rose a brow at you in question and sat up straight, “Well, from those who returned from the temple alive, it all depends on how deep into the temple you are. It could range from throwing stones at you to activating dangerous traps even if you’re careful to avoid them.”

“Lovely..” Legend quipped sarcastically, slumping his own head into his hand. Everyone had similar thoughts in that moment; they were going to have to prepare for every outcome should they encounter one of these traps first hand. Your grip tightened on your seat.

“Thank you for the information,” Time spoke authoritatively as he stood, handing the drunk man the agreed upon red rupee before turning to the rest of the group, “Tomorrow morning, we’ll meet down here to discuss preparations before we head out to the temple. Be down no later than sunrise.”

Most of the group stood, picking up their things and beginning to head upstairs to their rooms. Time did linger to ask a few more questions to the drunk man wish a hushed voice-- probably about the temple they would enter the next day. You couldn't really hear exactly what he was saying, though. You took in a deep breath as you sat there a moment longer, shoulders slumping.

"(Y-Y/N)?"

You finally notice the voice calling out to you from your side, looking over to it's owner. Wind still sits beside you, blue eyes nearly avoiding your gaze now that you looked over to him. His face and the tips of his ears held a reddened hue and he was hesitant to speak again.

"I mean-- I usually wouldn't mind it all too much," he started with an attempt to pick up his confidence, this being shown in his tone, "b-but it's getting late and we should really get going," as he spoke, your expression grew noticeably confused, in which he showed slight defeat. "Could you let go of my hand please...?" Wind laughed a bit nervously, watching as you looked down at your hand resting on top of his.

Your face now matched his in color.

—————

Twilight

The sounds of the night kept you awake, despite how desperately you tried to get some rest. Your back laid to the majority of the group with a few of the sleeping boys laid in their respective places in front of you. They were so used to sleeping out in the woods that they looked so sound while they snoozed. It made you a bit envious, in all honesty.

The majority of your life was spent in the city where you were always able to have a roof over your head and a mattress to sleep on. The forest’s ground was far from ideal. Your chest deflated in a silent sigh, closing your eyes once again. The best thing you could do, in your opinion, was to continue trying.

You turned over on your other side in an attempt to sleep in a more comfortable position. You gripped the grassy earth beneath you gently with a soft breath of content to leave your lips. Somehow, that was a bit better— if only a little. You relaxed your body against the ground and cleared your mind of any thoughts about the matter. The sooner the better, right?

By the time the sun was peaking through the branches above, you were the last one to wake up. A soft groan escaped your lips, tightening your grip on the grass. The ‘grass’ twitched a little at the movement. The feeling caused your brows to furrow, carefully blinking your tired eyes open. The first thing you saw was your hand gripping onto other, both of your hands lightly digging into the grass.

Your gaze followed the arm, moving past the fur pelt to see the slightly reddened face of Twilight looking back down at you. Catching your gaze with his own, he was quick to avert it. He cleared his throat, “M-Morning, (Y/N)…”

You.. only stared a moment longer as your brain tried to process the situation. With furrowed brows, you slowly sat up and looked back down at your hands. And then back up at him. O h…

With a red hue to grow along your own face, you were quick to move your hand off of his. You turned your head away and instead raised your hand to fix your messy bed head with a frown of embarrassment etched onto your features. “Sorry— sorry..” You coughed awkwardly.

There was a short paused of silence as Twilight contemplated how to respond for a moment before chuckling to himself at the situation before him. “No— don’t worry about it. I, uh… didn’t mind. It was nice to have that little bit of company throughout the night. Besides, it seemed to help you fall asleep.” He shrugged, though his response only made the embarrassment grow in your chest.

“I held your hand the whole night…?” You murmured. “And you knew I was awake?” You tilted your head.

Twilight looked back at you, finally, with a half smile tugging to his face. “Y-yeah,” he held a look of embarrassment as he answered your first question. “And yes— I planned to do something to help, but when you turned over, you seemed to figure out how to fall asleep without realizing.” He laughed a little now that he said that out loud. Even you thought it was a bit funny to hear.

“But uh..” He continued, the bashfulness returning to his expression, “If you have trouble sleeping again, then I’ll be here to help.” You but the inside of your cheek and hesitantly nodded.

“Stop flirting already and come on..!” Time teased lightheartedly, causing the both of you to jump up to your feet in a hurry and finish helping pack to continue your journey.

[gripefroot]

Would love to see Ace in Alabasta...

Being a man meant hunger.

Being a pirate meant stealing. 

He’d been both long enough to source vulnerable stalls as second nature: which shopkeeper was distracted by other customers, which marketplace guards were lured on duty by pretty women, which wide-eyed child left to tend the family stalls while mother or father walked away to carry out other business. He avoided those on principle. No food, no matter how hollow his stomach, was worth leaving a child vulnerable to a temper. 

Whistling, Ace made his way down the dusty street with his pack on his back and his head held high. Another strategy: everyone suspects the lurker in the shadows. No one suspects the smiling, good-natured fellow stopping for a chat. One that admires the produce but puts it back, and when you turn away another item has slipped into his pocket. 

The stalls offered only thin victuals. A difference in only a few weeks. When he’d first made it to Alabasta, food had been accessible, if not bountiful. Now mushy apples were confettied with flies and bread made a thump on the dusty sand when fumbled.

He paused. A child sat on a stool in the shade, gnawing on an orange rind. Darkened by the shade cast by a striped awning that had seen better days; holes casting bright sunlight on the pouches of spices arranged on a table. The spices had been spread out, likely to seem like there was enough to cover the entire table, but it made the empty spaces seem larger. 

The child stared at him, orange lowering from his mouth. Pulp stuck to his lips. Ace grinned, tipped his hat, and went on. 

Well, maybe if he waited until tomorrow…

Another hungry night was survivable. He’d eaten a stack of meat-filled bread the day before and left without paying. And been promptly run out of town, rather enjoying the exercising but he would have enjoyed it with fewer scimitars brandished at his back. 

The sun was hot. Too hot. His shoulders itched. Absently he scratched at them, making the burned flesh sting. Instead of food, shade. Fortune smiled on him: ahead, away from the market posh houses bore towering walls of turquoise and amber, rising from the sand. Ace whistled his way past the first few, nodding at the guards who eyed him as they eyed all strangers. At the end of the road, when the expanse of blue sky and yellow sand met on the horizon, he turned abruptly. 

Last house out of town was never the richest. Almost never guarded. With a heave he jumped up to grab the top of the stone, burning hot in the sun. He scrambled up, boots scraping off dusty plaster from the stone. On the ledge he stopped in crouch, casting his eyes over a withering garden and a crooked house with crooked shutters. 

Perfect. Ace dropped over. 

May as well have a funeral for these trees. No leaves meant no shade. He wasn’t desperate enough to cower beneath broken branches. His boots thumped on a worn stone path, which took him around a dried up fountain and empty garden beds. Ace frowned. Well, he hadn’t expected much. Absently he scratched his shoulder again, this time flaking away dead skin. 

No noise had come from the house, which meant he was safe. For now. Something itched his ears: he scratched those, too, but the itching remained. Not a feeling, a sound. He tilted his head before realizing it was a hive of bees, and it wasn’t far. 

Bees. Bees meant honey. 

So he’d get a snack after all. 

Humming now, for himself and no one else, Ace found the hives within seconds. Next to the bones of a pagoda, curtains moth-eaten and faded; two once white-washed crates with bees crawling over the top and sides. 

He grinned, lifting the first lid off. White waxy honeycomb oozed golden honey, the sweet fragrance all the more pungent in the heat of the afternoon. Ace swiped his pinky through the honey, bringing it to his mouth to suck it off. 

“Jackpot,” he muttered. 

His treasure was a foot-long frame positively dripping with the unctuous gold. He settled down with his back at the junction where the western wall met the walls of the house before sucking the honeycomb dry, swallow by swallow, leaving nothing sticky as bees flew lazily around his head as if offended by his pilfering but too hot to do anything about it. 

“Thank you for the fine meal,” he said, to the bees at large, when the frame was clean. His hands needed cleaned, but with no water…the honey had made his throat burn from sweetness. Ace upturned his canteen over his mouth, letting the tepid water make a futile stand against the burning. Better than nothing. 

The water disappeared from the sand and stone of the garden floor almost as soon as it fell. Soon no trace of his washing remained, sucked dry from his skin by the merciless heat. He capped the canteen, swinging it back to hang at his waist. 

Swiiiish. 

Swiiiish. 

He cocked his head. From the desert? The street?

Swiiiiiiiiish. 

No. Closer. The house. So it wasn’t abandoned, after all. 

Abandoned by the rain that had abandoned the country. Abandoned by any sign of gardeners. But not abandoned by…

Dust puffed in the air from the second floor terrace of the house, shimmering against the azure expanse before drifting down to settle on a bare tree. Swiiiish. Another puff. Swiiiish. Another puff. 

With the final cloud of dust he saw a pale-blue, tattered sleeve holding a broom. 

The sweeping came closer. Closer still. The figure, barely visible between peeling columns, didn’t look particularly tall, even from below. Maybe a servant, but he doubted it. If he had to guess, based on the Alabasta he’d encountered over the last few weeks, it would be a hungry child from a once-great family, the fading-away of old blood to the sand. 

The dust made it to his nostrils, making them tickle. Once more and it settled on his arms. Ace drew in a ragged breath, and gave a shriek. 

The responding scream put his to shame. By the time it tapered off he was already howling with laughter, hat tipped up to show his victim that he meant no harm, that it was only a joke. 

Something hard whacked his head. Ace yelped again, but for real, shielding himself from the battered attack as the broom smacked into him again and again. Sand and dust were everywhere, tickling his face and skin and sticking where he hadn’t cleaned the honey entirely. 

“Ouch!” 

“Serves you right! You menace!”

He grabbed at the broom, bristles cutting into the flesh of his palms. Good humor threatened, he glared up at his attacker, but only saw a pale, pinched face between the terracotta balusters. Not three feet above his head, but he could see when the eyes of his attacker widened. And the precise shade of them. 

The broom gave a yank. Ace held on. 

“I only want to know who to thank for my delicious meal,” he said. 

“What—” The face pushed out further between the balusters. Not a child, as he’d half-expected, but a woman, the same pale-blue fabric over her head but not quite containing all of her hair. “You ate my honey!” 

“So I have you to thank?” Ace grinned. 

Her brows drew together, another futile yank on the broom. “Thank the bees.” 

“I already did. And now I thank you.”

“If you really want to thank me—” She puffed, seizing her end of the broom with both hands for an enormous yank. It did nothing. Ace’s smile broadened. “—give me bread or butter or water or something.”

“I can do that,” Ace said. 

She stopped pulling on the broom. Mesmerized by the shifting emotion on her face (irritation to surprise) he didn’t notice the silence falling between them like a shroud. She stared at him. He looked back. 

“Do you live here alone?” he asked. 

She shook her head, fingernails picking at the fraying handle of the broom. “I live here with my grandma. My parents died, but I—” Another shift. Stunned, horrified: the woman stood abruptly, dropping the broom to clatter on the stones of the garden. “Who are you! Get out!” 

At least she didn’t have the broom to start hitting him again. Ace stood, stretching his arms overhead with a yawn. He scratched his belly, ridding it of dust. The shadow of the garden wall stretched its fingers, heralding the lengthening day. The market would be open a while yet. He might be luckier on a second pass. 

Ace bent over to scoop up the broom. He proffered it to the woman, half-hidden behind a column and regarding him with wary eyes. “Here,” he said. 

Like the shadows, the moment stretched. He smiled, taking a step closer. The broom brushed against her skirt on the tile floor. She sucked in a breath, bent at the knees to pull the broom out of his hand, and within two blinks she was gone. Not even a flash of blue fabric remained. 

Ace watched the darkened terrace a while longer, anyway. Still smiling. 

He whistled as he jumped over the garden wall, craning his neck at the shuttered windows on the face of the house. Not a single one moved, not even when he whistled low like the call of a bird. Too bad. 

When the sky was struck with an indigo brush, cooling the relentless desert like an unfurled petal, Ace left a stack of steaming bread on the front step of the house. He pounded a fist on the door, stepping back. Already behind him he could hear shouts; it hadn’t been his best thievery, all in all. But if the woman didn’t take the bread now…and it was found on her doorstep…

A shutter above his head clattered. 

Ace cupped his hands around his mouth. “Come and get it!” he hissed. “Quick! Before they find it!” 

He’d have to leave town. A disappointment, really, but risks were risks. They rarely paid back in fair hands. Behind the door he heard an iron bolt pulled aside, the squeak of long-neglected hinges. He took another step back, hands open and free to show no danger. 

“Go!” The woman appeared, blue fabric clenched in her hands to cover her hair. But it didn’t cover her face, or her smile. “They’ll cut off your hand if they catch you.”

Sharp little thing, wasn’t she? Ace laughed, a firework in the night. The bread was bundled up in the woman’s skirt before she pushed the door closed again, the slip of her smile his last sight of her. 

Risks were risks. 

And a smile was worth being run out of town.

[crosseyedcricketart]

here’s what i tested this month - march 2024

if you wouldn’t like to see posts like this, block the tag “🤍 lifestyle tag” 🖤

🕯 little disclaimer: these are all my own opinions; nothing incentivized or gifted; all bought on my own; products will always work differently for different people, so these may work differently for you

BYOMA Cleansing Oil ($12.99)

5/5 - I picked this up from my local target - I have been really enjoying this cleanser. When I have on makeup, I use this then the Milky Jelly Cleanser, but a lot of days I use this as my only cleanser. It’s really gentle on the skin and cleanses it without overly stripping it. This is probably one of the best oil cleansers I’ve ever tried. And it’s at Target. I use two pumps for my face. It removes eye makeup very gently and thoroughly without tugging on the skin or lashes. I was able to remove glitter with this too. I’ve personally used olive oil before when my mascara just wouldn’t come off and this cleanser works better than that. For reference.

PACIFICA Vegan Collagen Recovery Night Cream ($26.00)

2/5 - I bought this at target for $22.00 USD and since then there has been a price increase. I really wanted to like this night cream. Now, this is a collagen night cream, which contrary to popular clickbait skincare, does not increase collagen production. It contains collagen, which does not penetrate the deep layers of the skin (where your own collagen is produced), but what it does do is condition the skin a lot. Topical collagen is very good for that. That’s what I bought this with intentions of, since I tend to have normal to dry skin with topical dehydration, plus skin sensitivity. Now, this cream made my skin flush and it really didn’t moisturize as much as I expected it to as a night cream. This has some fragrance in it and I think that’s the ingredient that my skin did not like. It was not a good sensation. Way too expensive for what it is.

Saltair Serum Body Wash ($12.00)

5/5 - I got this at my local target, in scents “Exotic Pulp” and “Lush Greens”. I love both of the scents. As previously mentioned, I have sensitive skin. All my skin is sensitive. I’ve been really struggling to find a good body wash that isn’t very expensive and works for my skin. It’s probably been 4 years of looking for something that worked. This works. This body wash is very gentle without leaving the skin feeling “grubby” or oily. I can use this on my chest, where I have issues with body ache and breakouts, and I believe the niacinamide in this formula actually helped with that. “Exotic Pulp” is a tropical, citrus scent, like mangos, passionfruit, and oranges .”Lush Greens” is a very green smell, like a kale drink, but with a little bit of fruit, very fresh. I love both of these. A lot. I haven’t had dry patches, irritated areas, or hives, which I have had before from other body washes. And it’s $12.

Necessaire Body Wash ($25)

4/5 - I ordered this directly from Necessiare’s website. This is a really good body wash. I don’t really like the “Eucalyptus” scent, but it does smell like diluted eucalyptus, so it does smell like that. This doesn’t irritate my skin, I’m just not a massive smell of the scents. They do have an unscented version available. My biggest issue with it is the price. I don’t want to pay $25 for a body wash. It’s really good though. I just wish it was a little cheaper for how much you get. My favorite scent is “Bergamot” in this line, which is very bergamot and almost mossy. It’s good.

Necessaire Body Lotion ($28)

4/5 - I ordered this directly from Necessaire’s website. This is one of the only body lotions I’ve used that works for my skin. No breakouts, no greasy film, my skin actually absorbs it, and no irritation. My skin does not like coconut oil and this product has none. This one has no fragrance added so that’s not a factor I need to worry about. I hate the price. I don’t wanna pay $28 for something I go through rather quickly. But this lotion saved me this winter. So. I’ll probably still buy it but begrudgingly.

Frenshe Body Wash ($10.99)

3/5 - I got this at my local target. This is a pretty good body wash. I’m personally not crazy about any of the scents, but they are certainly not bad at all. My biggest qualm about this is that it dried out my skin a bit. It left it feeling tight. However, if you can tolerate body wash better than me, you’ll probably like it. I think the scents are generally very gender-neutral.

The Ordinary Glycolic Acid Toner ($13.00)

4/5 - I got this at my local Target since it has an Ulta Beauty inside. I did not buy this for my face initially, I have some areas on my body where I like to exfoliate and my skin reacts to AHA’s very well. This works great on my body, I’ve had no irritation and I‘ve seen improvement in texture/breakouts. I did try this on my face and I did not like it. It has an oily consistency and it just sat on my face really weird. It didn’t really sink into my face well at all. So I really only use this on my body now and honestly, it’s fine because that’s why I bought it in the first place.

[jovoy]

havent posted le collection in a while here it is :3 im actually i think the most happy with it in its current incarnation than ive ever been….ideally i would like a full bottle of eau jardin a cythere and en passant and a sandalwood probably like tam dao or piano santal or maybe both and also definitely a jasmine. theres always things 2 discover and fall in and out of love with and add and subtract idk thats the beauty of fragrance isnt it. my most complimented is 100% le labo the matcha which is sooooooooooooooooo weird because i dont personally find it my most appealing fragrance at ALL like i love it but i think its a bit masculine and i find myself mostly keeping it around because other people seem to adore it on me so much..anyways. this has been my collection post. the only thing ive gotten rid of recently is kerosene unknown pleasures which is just a bit too sweet for me now i think. my personal favs are always my lutens babies as well as pulp 4 ever<33333 and the jovoy gourmand twins…

[written-but-not-lost]

Safe with Me

Warning:

PTSD, Domestic Abuse, inferred age gap, sexually explicit acts

4,300ish Word Count

Premise:

Y/N wakes up from a flashback of an abusive ex, but Joel is there to comfort Y/N just like he has since he saved you from him.

A/N:

This story walks you through the progression of Joel x Y/N's relationship via multiple flashbacks that Y/N has. There is a lot of fluff filler, but as you progress in their relationship the more steamy it gets.

This is the first time that I am writing in years and the first time ever righting anything explicit.

If you want to get fucked up take a shot every time I write "You," Actually don't. You would probably die of alcohol poisoning.

If you would have been asked a year ago, you would have said that this kind of relief and full body relaxation that is rooted in feeling safe was unachievable, something made up in stories.

But the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest and his woodsy fragrance from working as a carpenter, and the warm breaths that leave his nose and onto your head as he lets a slight snore escape- tells you that you were very wrong and ignorant back then. 

——

You were screaming, but you weren’t getting beaten. Not anymore at least..  Gentle hands made you open your eyes as they caressed your upper arm through an embrace. “I got you baby doll,” he shushed you. “I gotcha.”

You looked up at him. His soft brown eyes full of nothing but compassion. 

He was gentle and good. 

This wasn’t the monster you had been dreaming about nor was it your reality anymore, this was Joel- the man who had saved you from it all. 

He was the one to debilitate your ex and was the one to tend to your wounds the best he could as you waited for the first responders.

He was the man who, despite not knowing you, came to visit you almost every day while you were in the hospital, and the one who let you stay in in his house so you didn’t have to return to that nightmare house.

You stared at the house, unable to take your eyes off it. To anybody else it would just be a house. However, you knew better, that is where your ex-boyfriend Lucas had almost beat you to a life-less bloody pulp. The sound of his fists hitting your limp body echoed in your head, you were unable to move from where you sat. 

“You know - uh,” Joel started bringing you back to reality.“ I have an extra bedroom if you’d like to crash over at mine.” 

Would be staying with a complete stranger be wise? No. But… It beat having to relive what happened in this house everyday. 

You tried to picture entering the house again. How long would it take for you to move your feet and will yourself to open the front door? Would there still be blood in the kitchen where your last memory at this house was? Would you ever be free from the tightness in your chest that made you feel faint? Would you be able to face your neighbors with the shame, that only other survivors of DV can understand?

“Y/N?” Joel said resting a gentle hand on your own hand, you turned up to look at his eyes and gave him a nod.

——

Joel started as a stranger when you first moved in. You were very grateful for his hospitality and kindness, but you had reservations.  You were a shell of the woman you were when you first got in the relationship with Lucas, after six years you couldn’t just bounce back. It would take time and you knew that, your therapist made sure you understood that before she would let you leave the first session. But you couldn't help but wish for normalicy.

Flicking through the TV channels, you ended up landing on a romance movie from the 80's, Sixteen Candles. You let yourself get sucked into the movie, forgetting about the real world, even if it was for only a moment. You got to be Samantha as she came out of the church meeting Jake's gaze from across the street. After all this time wishing for his attention, you had it. You sat cross-legged in front of Jake on the window seat. He brought you a cake for the birthday everyone forgot about. Jake told you to make a wish and then leaned in for a kiss.

Then the credits began to roll, jolting you back to the real world. You couldn’t feel anything other than sadness.. You frowned craving a relationship as sweet as theirs. Before too long, hours had passed and you watched the most popular romance movies. You felt hollow, longing to be as happy as those women. Having what they had.

You let out a sigh.

"You okay?" Joel asked looking at you. You hadn't even noticed that Joel had joined you. He sat cross-legged on the other side of the couch with a blanket around his shoulders. How long had he been sitting there? How long had he been looking at you?

——

Overtime, the two of you became friends and began spending more time together. You would spend some afternoons with him as he worked. 

It was late fall and was beginning to get chillier out, but all the same Joel was on a client’s roof to overlay it. You were not ready to stay in Joel’s place alone yet. You knew it was safe, however your mind got the best of you with ever little creak and thud of the pipes as the house settled. 

You had been at this client’s house for roughly two hours so far today and his muscles flexed and glistened with sweat as he ripped off the old shingles. He had insisted that he didn't need a jacket while working despite the weather. Joel looked up from his work and caught you looking at him. Your eyes stayed locked for a moment before his phone began to ring. 

Joel skipped over any niceties and hissed into the phone, “Tommy, Where the hell are ya?” 

He listened for a minute before sighing and hanging up.

“Is everything okay?” You couldn’t help but ask.

“Tommy can’t make it again today so I have to pick up his slack,” Joel said frustratedly as he pushed his hair back.

“I’ll help.”

Joel couldn’t help but let a smirk cross his face, “Do you know anything about tools, baby doll?” 

“Of course,” you lied. You honestly didn’t, but you didn’t want Joel to know that. You were staying with him, the least you could do was to (attempt) to help him when he needed it.

He sat you up with some tools and went back to his section of the roof. You watched him lay shingles down and nail them in with ease. How hard could this be?

You tried to copy his movements, but when it came down to it you couldn't match it. The hammer was heavier than you expected and you nearly got your thumb while holding the nail in place.

Joel could tell you had never handled tools before, but he let you try for a few minutes before intervening. He told himself it was to avoid hurting your pride, but really he was entertained watching you struggle. Not in a sadistic way, of course, but he thought it was cute. The way that you stuck your tongue out the side of your mouth as you focused on trying to hit the nail.

"Ya' want some help there, darlin?" Joel asked teasingly after you struggled hitting the nail the last three swings. Instead, you'd do circles around the perimeter of the nail, hitting the roof.

"No," you said defiantly. "I got it."

"Okay," Joel said looking around the roof. "Let's call it a day once you hit that nail in. We can finish tomorrow."

"How does picking up tacos sound?" Joel asks as you both shut the truck doors after loading up the tools.

You smile, it's like he knew they were your favorite.

He smiles in return, "I know a place."

——

"No, but what makes these street tacos so special?" You ask curious. You didn't consider yourself a mexican-food-connoisseur, but you ate it enough.

"Just try the damn taco already," Joel growled at you. You had spent the whole car ride home trying to discredit his favorite tex-mex truck since it was a little sketchy.

You comply and take a bite, "Oh my god," you scream/moan after.

"Yeah?" Joel says a smile growing on his face.

You both burst into laughter.

"I am going to marry this taco."

"Get in line." Joel picks up his very own taco pinching the top with one hand and the other cups underneath catching any fallout. He brings it to his lips and opens. He slowly closes his lips around it as he takes a bite. You can't help but imagine his lips on yours. You notice that, his already large lips, come out a little more when he chews like he is pouting and receds to his normal position only to cycle back.

"Ya gonna stare at me the whole time or going to eat your fiance?" Joel teases seeing you watching him.

"Fiance?" you choke on the saliva you hadn't notice pooling in your mouth and feel your cheeks heating up.

"Your tacos?"

"O-oh yeah," you stutter and turn back to your plate. "My tacos.."

"I figured that's why I caught you drooling, right Baby doll?" Joel chuckles winking at you.

"Just watch the movie Miller," you mumble.

——

"Do you want some popcorn?" You ask Joel standing up from the couch. He nods in response not turning away from the movie that was playing. You'd never watched it before, but apparently it was a horror flick that just had a very slow start. You grabbed the plates as you make your way to the kitchen, making sure to wash them as the microwave did its magic.

It beeped and you were careful to not burn the shit out of your hands from the steam when opening the bag. Once it was poured into a large bowl, you made your way back to the living room.

"What did I miss?" you asked sitting next to Joel, listening to his explanation.. Wait. Was it just you or did the couch seem smaller now? There wasn't as much space between you two now. Within a few minutes, you wouldn't complain because not only was it getting chillier in the house now that it was well into the night, but you had to admit that this movie was scarier than you could handle. Had scary movies always had such realistic killings? The special effects made you feel like blood was splattering on you. Your stomach turned and you hated to think of what was going to happen to the friend's dog that was left in the backyard. No. NO!! It was so gruesome that you curled into Joel's chest, trying to shield your eyes from the horrors on screen. Though that wouldn't protect you from the sounds. Why did Joel have to have surround sound? You thought to yourself cringing at the sounds of the killer's blade finding yet another victim.

Joel felt bad that he had picked this movie, but you had agreed to it at first. He went to turn it off, but you stopped him not moving from hiding in his chest. You guided his hand onto your ear closest to the TV, "Make it stop."

He stared at you for a minute, unsure of what was happening but then he noticed your shuddering.

"Y/N?"

"Make it stop," you croaked out between tears. "Please"

He took his hand back and slowly moved it beneath your chin, raising it with his pointer finger so that you could look at one and other. He gave you a small closed mouth smile trying to reassure you, wiping your tears away.

"You're safe with me."

You gave him a smile.

Today was the first time that you had ever really noticed how attracted to Joel you were. He appeared at first glance to be rugged and standoffish. People who didn't know him would say he has RBF (Resting Bitch Face), but when you did... You knew how great his smile could be. You noted that his eyes lit up every time he smiled. His brown eyes reminded you of chocolate kisses. Kisses.. Your eyes wandered down to his lips. They were plump and moist. "Hmm", you wondered allowed. Was he the type to use chapstick regularly? You licked your lips subconsciously. You hadn't used chapstick all day.

You realized you were still staring at Joel's lips while thinking so you averted your eyes only to catch him still looking at you.

You stayed staring at one-and-other. Neither of you looking away.

How long had he been looking at you? Did he ever look away from earlier? If not, what was he staring at. But you swear his eyes were more dilated than just a few seconds ago. That might be because of the fading light outside. His eyes were simply adjusting to the light. yeah...

Movement caught your eye, Joel swallowed and his Adam's apple bobbed. Was he nervous about something? Could he really have been looking at you like you were him? You couldn't talk your way out of this..You had to know.

You closed your eyes and leaned in towards him and to your surprise, he met you halfway. He was gentle and sweet, something you had never had. You draped your arms around the back of his neck deepening the kiss. He in turn he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you closer to him.

Friends who kiss..

You thought that you had been keeping your nightmares a secret from Joel. Little did you know that after the first few sleep terrors, where you would wake up screaming, reliving the abuse you had endured while being with Lucas; Joel stayed up. He felt guilty for not knocking on your door and checking on you, but he wanted to give you space. He knew that if you wanted to talk about it you would come out of your room. Hell! If you ever needed him, all you had to do was call out and he would be there.

It became a nightly ritual for him to set a glass of water on the island in the kitchen for you, just incase you came out for water in the middle of the night after a night terror. It was a small act and at first you thought that it was an accident. Maybe Joel had just forgotten his glass? But after a week straight of a glass sitting on the island each night, you understood that the man who was normally great at cleaning up his dishes- was intentionally leaving that there for you.

——

"Joel!" You screamed one night from your room. You knew that it was just a night terror, but the scenario continued playing out in front of you when you woke up.

He came rushing into the room worriedly turning on the light, "Baby girl?"

You groaned as you felt a pain in your back and the burning that followed. Reliving the sensation of your last encounter with Lucas.

Joel could see your eyes were glossed over and tears were running down your face. He quickly went to the kitchen and returned with an icepack and the glass of water.

Joel sat next to you on the bed, "Here, place this under your armpit. I know it's strange, but ya' gotta trust me."

He helped position it and the cold snapped you back. You squealed dropping the icepack from your underarm. "Joel!"

He smirked, "there's my girl."

He handed you the glass of water and kissed your forehead.

Then, the friends who kiss turned into more. Y/N didn't have to beg too hard to get Joel to agree to share a bed with her. He knew that it would help with the night terrors and possibly stop them all together if they were lucky. At the very least he wanted to be there incase you needed him. He wouldn't admit it out loud but he loved you whole heartedly. There were nights when he couldn't sleep, so instead of counting sheep he would watch you. It kept him from feeling like the insomniac that he was. He noted that Y/N's night terrors went down dramatically in frequency now that you shared a room.

You had fallen asleep cuddling face-to-face with Joel, but after a few hours you rolled away from him. He didn't mind because you looked so peaceful. He wondered what you were dreaming about? Could he be in the dream?

You moaned in your sleep, "Mmm Joel." Joel's eyes widened shocked at first, but then it peaked his interest. So many different scenarios.

His head ran wild with possibilities.

Perhaps, your dream was about him finding you making him breakfast. He pulls you away from dishing the plates, lifting you onto the cold counter top. Grabbing your ponytail like it was a handle tugging down so you would be looking up at him as he crashed his lips upon yours.

His tongue would lick your lip asking demanding entrance into your mouth. His hands pawing at your breasts over your pajama top. You would try to flicker your tongue around but once he got your tongue in his mouth he would gently begin sucking on it causing you to moan. His hands would wonder down to your thighs and he would roughly spread them, he had so much pent up sexual energy.

He had wanted you since that first night that you stayed at his place when you came out of the bathroom in just a towel.. The towel barely fit around your body, your cleavage was prominent. Hair dripping wet and smelled like berries in the spring time. It was delectable. He tried to be polite and not stare, but even after a second of seeing that it was etched into his memory. His cock was throbbing at just the thought, but he wouldn't just ram into you.. No, no. Joel would show you just how much he wanted that sweet little pussy. He would make sure you knew how a real man acts.

He would slowly kiss up your thighs, passing over your panty covered cunt and kiss where your clit was.. lingering. Then work his way up the other thigh. Making you frustrated at the pace, he wanted your panties to be soaked.

When he was satisfied, he would grab a kitchen knife and cut away your panties. They were just in the way anyway and he could buy you new ones. After discarding them, he would scoot you closer to the edge of the counter and kneel before you. Taking in the view of your glistening pussy, his thumb would over your folds before finding your clit and rubbing small circles. He would watch as your back would arch in response to his touch. Your moans would be his currency and his goal was to be a fucking billionare.

His hand would then go to cup the inside of your thighs. His breath just centimeters away from your crotch, when his tongue would slowly begin to lap at your folds. You would know this wasn't his first rodeo. The house would be echoing with your pleads for more.

Or perhaps you were dreaming up another scenario.. One in which you started to rub your sweet lil' ass up against his cock as you cuddled in bed. He had a feeling you could be a brat by the way that you smiled at his from time to time.

He would let you have your fun, letting you feel his member enlarge against your ass. Then he would pull you up and onto his lap. "We have a problem, baby doll," he would growl at you.

He's sure that you would bat your eyelashes innocently, playing coy, "What's wrong?"

"You know what's wrong. You created it, now handle the situation."

"Is that we are calling it now," he could imagine your voice say teasingly. He couldn't but help pulling down his boxers as he could envision you stroking his cock. Slow and full length strokes making sure he was enjoying himself. Only to stop.

"Y/N," he'd warn, but you smirked and shimmied down maintaining eye contact the whole time as you began to kiss his cock. You could start at the tip, placing a gentle kiss and then go to the base of his shaft, that's where you would sloppily kiss up his member. Once you got back to the tip, suddenly you would take his cock into your mouth. Your tongue exploring the veins of his peter.

He had quickened his pace. Hand feverishly stroking his cock, he was so close. He so badly wanted to wake you up to reenact his fantasies or grab at your ass. But he didn't want to act upon these desires until he knew for sure that you were ready. He didn't want to cause you any more emotional turmoil or ruin the relationship that has been blossoming. So until you either told him yourself or initiated, he would get off solo.

——

You let your the tears fall and you collapsed into his chest, letting your walls come crashing down. You had tried so hard the last twelve months to sweep what had happened on Laney Dr out of your mind, but it kept creeping back in every now and again, especially since the anniversary was right around the corner. 

"Shhh, Baby," Joel said rubbing your back. "You're safe with me. I won't let nobody get ya'."

Hearing that you relaxed a bit, you knew he was telling you the truth. But tears still escaped and ran down your cheeks.

"C'mere," Joel said softly.

You looked up at him sniffling. His hand gently wiped the tears away and he kissed where they had been, your forehead, and finally your lips.

You didn't mind a distraction. Not that you ever needed a reason to kiss Joel.

Tonight though, you wanted to get lost with him. Run away from your thoughts. You needed him.

You pushed him back against the headrest of the bed and straddled him, not daring to break the kiss.

Joel placed his hands on your hips pulling you closer to him wanting more, but you broke your lips apart from one-and-other. Instead, beginning to leave a trial of kisses hickies down Joel's neck until you landed on his Adam's apple. You could feel his cock grow beneath you.

"Y/N," Joel whispered causing you to return to his eyes.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Baby Doll?"

If you weren't set on having sex with Joel tonight, him using his pet name for you sold the deal. Something about the way he said those two words strung together was addictive and you need more.

Instead of using your words, you replied with actions. Your shirt was thrown to the floor half haphazardly. Momentarily leaving your spot on Joel's lap to take off your pj shorts. Leaving your panties for Joel to remove since he didn't get the pleasure of taking off your bra (you sleep without one).

Joel's jaw is slack. He is in awe staring at you, taking you in completely.

"This is the part you are supposed to undress," you tease in a hushed tone. Joel didn't need to be told twice, but in order to undress he needed you off him. He bucked his hips up and flipped the two of you so now the roles were reversed.

Joel was already shirtless, but his sweatpants had to go. The normally baggy sweats were tight with his rock hard cock present. As soon as he tugged them down, his gigantic cock was unleashed.

You noted that Joel sleeps commando, making sure to keep that in mind for later.

"What do you want mama?" Joel asked as he returned to the bed kissing on your neck.

Before you could respond, Joel was leaving a trail of wet kisses down your body, making you go braindead. He knew exactly what you needed.

He stopped at your breasts taking one nipple in his mouth sucking softly and gently biting. The other he held in his hand softly massaging it and rubbing the nipple.

After a minute he returned to kissing, he gently opened your legs. Kissing outside-in your thighs before going to your core. He gently kissed your clit before his tongue started performing an exorcism on you. His hands held your hips steady against his face. Your moans only encouraged him more and it was so hot that he was moaning into you sending vibrations up your core. Shivers went down your spine and you knew you were close, but wanted to hold out for Joel.

"Imma cum," you stutter out.

"Cum for me, Baby Doll," Joel growls in a voice octave lower than normal into you.

Hearing his voice primal, you couldn't help yourself. The white hot flames engulf you. Eyes rolling to the back of your head. Toes curl and your body is convulsing with pleasure.

Joel laps up your juices happily.

"I love you," you say breathlessly before even having time to think about what you just said. You mean it, but was it too early in your new relationship to admit it?

"I love you too, baby."

No, Joel felt the same way. You both probably had felt this way for a while, but with healing still being a major part of your life right now, you can understand why it took so long to get here.

That night you were able to cuddle up to Joel and as you were drifting off to sleep you realized..

If you would have been asked a year ago, you would have said that this kind of relief and full body relaxation that is rooted in feeling safe was unachievable, something made up in stories.

But the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest and his woodsy fragrance from working as a carpenter, and the warm breaths that leave his nose and onto your head as he lets a slight snore escape- tells you that you were very wrong and ignorant back then.

This post was because I had a very talented and supportive friend say I should get back into writing, @elvinaa. Thank you so much, I love ya.

Please feel free to message me about any feedback or requests. :)

[showmemakeup]

S A L T A I R

This is a brand I am very excited about! It’s a body & personal care brand that is sustainable, cruelty-free, vegan and gluten-free! Although still in its infancy, Saltair is making huge waves within the skincare industry and has been taken on at Target. You can also shop their full range on the Saltair website.

I was introduced to Saltair by Iskra Lawrence, the founder, via her Instagram account. Fun fact: I worked with Iskra over a decade ago for a magazine shoot. The brief was creative makeup for a creative knit wear brand, you can find the images in my archive.

The affordable Bodycare selection ranges from body wash, lotions and treatments to natural deodorant that is available as a refill. You can expect to pay between $12 + $10 per product, they also offer travel size at $5.

Saltair has recently expanded into haircare and I am obsessed!!! I washed my hair on Monday and by Thursday (wash day) I could still smell the scent of the haircare duo. For me, that’s impressive.

There are 8 collections available within the body care range:

Santal Bloom (my personal favourite)

Island Orchid

Exotic Pulp

Pink Beach

Seascape

Black Tide

Lagoona

Lush Greens

Fragrance Free

Although Iskra is from the UK, she resides in the US with her partner and son, and therefore the brand is currently only available there - I am hoping this will change and their offerings will expand to the UK. I have been fortunate enough to receive nearly all of the range via the PR team and can tell you that I am well and truly in love with all that I’ve sampled.

If you are new to the brand I would HIGHLY recommend you give them a try! I am sure you won’t be disappointed.

Shonagh x

[scooplery]

byredo pulp smells sooooo good fresh out of the dropper, like a boozy fresh peach and tomato leaf salad. really good sweet and salty combo that i really like in a fragrance sometimes. yum

[coyoteincense]

i am currently unwell about twin peaks so i'd love fragrances for dale cooper and Audrey horne please! <3 also i love the idea for this blog and it's tempting me sooo badly to get into fragrances

ohhh i haven't finished twin peaks but i really like it! with my ankle broken, i have lots of time to binge shows, so maybe i should get on that.......also i'm so glad you like the concept of this blog!!!

for audrey horne:

cherry punk by room 1015!

a pretty classic cherry leather scent! starts off a bit strong and spicy before settling into a sort of boozy leather yet sweet aroma :)

for dale cooper:

damn fine by poesie!

a nice coffee smell, pretty warm and slightly nutty which goes well with the coffee! for his love of coffee :)

cape heartache by imaginary authors!

more inspired by fir trees. really woody and fits perfectly with the general theme of twin peaks and dale cooper in general

i also recommend checking out PULP fragrance's twin peaks fragrance called ghostwood forest!

PULP fragrance makes some really good fragrances, they're extremely strong in my experience, but if you want to smell like the general vibe of twin peaks, this is a good choice. its notes are black coffee, cherry pie, douglas fir, forest air, and cozy sweaters

[rottenthing]

Can I get a perfume assigned......🪲

yesss you get boreal by pulp fragrance!!

this is a super affordable brand :3 everything under 10mL is under $40!!

[krscblw]

ghoul perfume associations pt. 3!

more ghoul perfume associations bc ghost and perfume are my two main hobbies! all of these are indie/niche perfumes because those are the types of perfume i'm mainly into. these lists are really fun for me and i would love to hear what people think!!

also, jsyk: because this post is so long, some of the text might get cut off on mobile. it should be okay on desktop if that happens (i don't know how to fix it, sorry :/)

Aeon

Notes: non-sweet chocolate, linen, lavender

Perfumes:

Autumn Morning - Pulp Fragrance

hot chocolate, slightly spiced oatmeal, carnations, a cozy blanket

Twice To Tea - Poesie 

strong earl grey tea, lavender absolute, vanilla syrup, a splash of milk

Aether

Notes: bourbon, amber, vanilla  

Perfumes:

Not A Deer - Little & Grim 

cedarwood, chestnuts, sandalwood, maple, oak, tonka, suede, clove, spiced vanilla, amber, tobacco 

Loggia - Solstice Scents 

“High above the village, a castle sits shrouded in a heavy gray mist.  Muted moonlight illuminates its upper terraces. Thick with incense smoke, the loggia swells with invited guests, each heavily cloaked and masked. Laughter, violas and a harpsichord fill the night. Wine flows from never-ending mahogany vats. Exotic spices drape the air in fragrant bouquets. A bell rings from the archway, and all in attendance fall silent as the master of the night creatures crosses the paving stones...”

mahogany, sweet amber, musk, dark incense, deep vanilla bean, sandalwood, cardamom, black pepper, cognac and allspice

(i have this one and it's great, perfect for aether imo)

Alpha

Notes: leather, smoke, gunpowder

Perfumes:

Spiritus Fumosus - Alkemia

volcanic basalt, smelted metal ores, amberwood, smokey birch tar, old leather, galbanum, white oud, gray amber, petrichor, wet sand, bergamot, sichuan peppercorn, gingergrass, white patchouli

Deus ex Machina - Alkemia 

“An olfactory portrait of industrial decay and the fallen gods of age of disruption, innovation, and technological revolution.”

fire-hardened steel, rusted iron, motor oil, wet cement, burnt copper wires, gray amber

Cirrus

Notes: dark fruits, musk, heavy florals, honey

Perfumes:

Virgo - Deconstructing Eden   

dark amber, bulgarian rose absolute, lavender maillette, orris root, benzoin, dark fruits, bourbon vanilla

Eglantine House - Deconstructing Eden 

honeyed roses, mahogany, plums, amber accord, champaca flowers, eglantine roses, white musk

Cumulus

Notes: lilac, magnolia, jasmine, sugar, cold air

Perfumes:

Midnight Garden - Alkemia 

night-flowering white flowers – tuberose, lily, honeysuckle, gardenia, moonflower

Calliope - Alkemia 

clementine, orange blossoms, white orchid, sugared currants, tonka, and vanilla musk, cotton candy, saltwater taffy

Dewdrop

Notes: berries, smoke, spices, metal

Perfumes:

Unrequited - Deconstructing Eden

black sandalwood, raspberries, bitter orange, black pepper, smooth silky musk, dark amber, smoky patchouli 

Lightning Storm - Nui Cobalt Designs 

Petrichor, ozone, electrified metal, cold musk, bergamot, lime zest, cracked pink peppercorn, copal smoke, myrrh, teakwood

(this one represents dew as a water ghoul – citrus, spices, ozone, and metal. sweet, cold, and a little bitter)

Ifrit

Notes: black tea, incense, spices 

Perfumes:

Tasseomancy - Nui Cobalt Designs 

black tea spritzed with orange, incense smoke clinging to heavy velvet curtains, fireplace embers, cinnamon, clove

Tasseomancy - LVNEA 

bergamot, black tea, lapsang souchong, honey, spices, milk

(yes they are both called the same thing. he's a guy with a brand i don't know what to tell you)

Mist

Notes: water, herbs, ice

Perfumes:

Eisheth - Deconstructing Eden 

seawater, herbs - rosemary, mint, clary sage, bergamot, hyssop, lemongrass, and verbena, white tea

Blackwater Lake - Osmofolia  

“Short-needle pine branches hang over mossy lake rocks, radiant white water lilies soak in the sun, the surface of the dark lake water ripples above submerged northern watermilfoil, and a chill in the air warns of impending autumn.”

pine needles, cold wind, northern watermilfoil, white water lilies, moss, stone, lake water

Mountain

Notes: vetiver, plants, earth, mushrooms

Perfumes:

Poor Farm - Little & Grim 

“Overgrown grass, tangled undergrowth, wildflowers, the memory of fresh linens, and distant, greener pastures.”

moss, sage, ferns, sweet grasses, green wood, and chamomile

Mycelium - Treading Water Perfume 

“Rounding the corner it came into view, the being that had terrorized the village for decades. It sat terrifyingly still on top of natural rock formation that resembled some strange amalgamation of an altar. An altar not made by human hands but as if created by the forest itself to honor this being. The being was here long before the village and it will continue to be here long after we are gone.”

soil, mushrooms, patchouli, black currants, hinoki wood

Nimbus/Aurora*

Notes: peach, rose, earth

Perfumes:

The Lover Tells Of The Rose - Alkemia 

wild roses, lemon verbena, white pearl tea leaves, delicate white patchouli, new greens, wet moss

Apothecary Rose - LVNEA 

rose gallica, rose de mai, damask rose, tarragon, violet leaf, apricot, labdanum, myrrh

*i headcanon nimbus as a earth/air multi

Omega

Notes: wood, amber, tobacco

Perfumes:

Danse Macabre - Fyrinnae

sandalwood, amber, labdanum, vanilla, woodsmoke, smoldering logs

Leo - Deconstructing Eden 

frankincense, myrrh, benzoin, amber, liatrix, blood cedar, blond tobacco absolute, sweet spices, honey

(i have this one and i love it, it's very warm and resinous)

Rain

Notes: seawater, ozone, vanilla

Perfumes:

Ambre Gris - Alkemia 

“A rare blend of proprietary perfumery ingredients carefully oxidized by sunlight, sand, air, sea salt, water, and ocean minerals. The result is as changeable and morphing as the ocean... earthy, sweet, musky, saline.”

gray ambergris, ocean minerals, sea salt

Cerulea - OSMOFOLIA 

“A synesthesia perfume inspired by a color. Sapphire ocean blue with flashes of turquoise and glistening white.”

osmanthus, ambergris, sea salt, ocean water, tuberose, cucumber

Sunshine/Stratus**

Notes: strawberries, citrus, vanilla, spices

Perfumes:

In Love with Everything - Imaginary Authors

“This extremely versatile (and genderless!) fragrance is great for any time of day and any time of year but the blast of energy it possesses is ideal for whenever you’re feeling low or looking for a little boost of bliss to keep your body moving and your lungs laughing long into the night.”

raspberry, citrus pulp, coconut palm sugar, madame isaac pereire, sandalwood, tropical punch, stardust

(i have this one! it's very fruity, you definitely get the fruit punch, but it still has a good amount of depth)

Eos - Fantôme 

“Eos is named for the goddess of dawn—who beckons the daybreak with her rosy fingers. This perfume smells like the color of the sunrise; pink and gold light breathing life into the morning dew.”

tart lemonade, raspberries, candied rose petals, wild berries, a hint of ginger

**i headcanon sunny as a fire/air multi

Swiss***

Notes: smoke, musk, patchouli, incense

Perfumes:

Black Heart - Spirit & Venom   

dark patchouli, clove, caramel pipe tobacco

Scorpio - Deconstructing Eden

“The fixed water sign of the zodiac, Scorpios are sensitive and intense, complicated and multi-layered. This blend is deep, still water, with notes of humid air and just the barest touch of mud.”

white and pink lotus absolute, orris root, myrrh, patchouli, gray musk, still water

***i headcanon swiss as a fire/water multi

Zephyr

Notes: dust, ozone, faint sweet musk, mint, cool air

Perfumes:

Walking with a Ghost - Spirit & Venom 

“Light & ethereal musk, fresh harvest pear, a whiff of perfume from a loved one long passed.”

Aquarius - Deconstructing Eden 

air, an undercurrent of water, sparkling aldehydes

if you made it this far, thank you for reading! and i would love to hear your thoughts!! (/gen - do you have any recommendations? do you agree/disagree? i love talking abt this) (also thank you sm to @midnight-moth for recommending lvnea!!)

[rexaleph]

Fruit pt 1 lmao

Back when I was first getting into perfume my assumptions around what was gonna work for me were in the vein of traditional men's fragrances from like when I was a kid and vague ideas around freshness and perhaps coniferous woods. However I'd come across a discussion of Byredo's Pulp and the way people spoke of it as this super strange, polarising, borderline unwearable art piece got me interested, so I tossed a sample of that into my cart, intrigued but expecting not to get it. Ofc I fell in love instantly. It was in fact the only fragrance I ended up liking out of everything I picked going by vibes and word associations, probably bc all of the others smelled of air freshener for the car. So i was like ok, it's fruit for me now, I am a fruit perfume person, and have looked p widely into that fragrance family since. Fig was always a note i was interested in bc it is allegedly central to Pulp, and its plant-like, soft-green juiciness is attractive to me in concept. However! As i started looking towards shifting my lifestyle away from a million samples and decants into a small number of truly beloved bottles, I came to the realization that the only even fruit adjacent thing I was immediately interested in having in a large volume is the fucking grapefruit cologne from Zara. And they don't even usually count citruses as a fruit! So fruit ended up not being my thing in practice, but the thought of it still haunts me. I feel like there should be a fruit for me out there. So i want to spend some time thinking abt the fruity scents that I've tried and maybe figure out where to go from here. I am about to get deeply weird once again.

So to start at the beginning - Pulp by Byredo.

Byredo is a brand with a deeply unappealing aesthetic. When I picture their bottles it is on a glass and gold tray in an influencer's white interior and that is not something I want to associate myself with. But given that the first perfume I fell in love with was one of theirs, I still pay attention to their line.

So Pulp is a very intense, tart, barely sweet fruit. The haters have often said that the fruit smell is fermented and rotten, but I perceive it to be on the other end of the sour fruit spectrum - green and underripe. It suggests maybe an inedibly hard pear. Another major feature - I keep saying "fruit" without specifying, because I struggle to discern anything particular. People will say apple, blackcurrant, citrus, fig. I do perceive the intense opening blackcurrant and maybe apple. Besides the that I get cedarwood, and i guess that woody-green-sweet effect could be a fig note. Pulp does not feel like it evolves much as it wears, but what it does is first fill the space around itself and then settle within minutes, which I think is a quality created by like carrier molecules. (I know of iso e super, which allegedly improves longevity but that would be the opposite effect i think, though i feel like it's in here as well. What i experience w Pulp feels like theres sth that increases volatility, momentarily dragging scent molecules into the air w it. Or theres just a lot of the cassis top note ingredient and much of it evaporates off quickly.)

This room-filling effect is what brings me to the haters' 2nd point that sticks in my mind: Pulp is less like a perfume for a person to wear and more of a large scale air freshener, not even for your home, but for hotel lobbies and shopping malls. And I think this is how I ended up feeling about Pulp - beautiful scent, but I don't want to wear it. There are other perfumes in this post I consider unperfumelike and don't want to wear for their industrial chemical quality, but those actually smell bad to me. I'm not generally concerned w wearability (outside of like not wearing strong or irritating things where people will be forced close to me), I don't think of perfume in terms of daytime vs evening or seasonality, but there is something about Pulp, however much I like it in theory, that makes it unwearable to me. Like whatever I'm looking to wear, be it sweet, fresh, complex, natural-produce-like, loud - Pulp is never the answer. I think what drew me in at first was it's brightnness and intensity, and how different it was from any perfume i had experienced before. I'm wearing it now and it is still impressive, mostly a powerful, mouthwatering blackcurrant; leaves, berries and wood sap. There's another strong natutalistic plant perfume I love - Vetiver Extraordinaire by Frederic Malle. I tried to articulate the vibe i get from it as "you can't fuck me, I'm a tree". Which, I love that for a cold deciduous tree trunk you can't get your arms around. To me right now Pulp also has a strong you can't fuck me aura, though I used to think of it as insanely attractive (the mouth-watering aspect, confusing different kinds of intense sensuality). But i guess being high-pitched, juicy and ultimately friendly and food-like, this is not the unfathomable remote unfuckability of nature; "you can't fuck me i'm covered in berries" is not sth i want to embody. I used to really love the idea of scent-as-art in a vacuum, but now I probably am more concerned with what a perfume can do to create me as i present myself to the world. That mostly excludes unpolishedly naturalistic plants at this point. (Btw a 20 y o coworker who is just starting to get into perfume told me that someone introduced him to Pulp and he loved it so much! It is a good entry point to unisex niche perfume - beautiful, approachable but characterful, different from most designer scents, especially as marketed to men. I'd probably still it like very much on someone else.)

Having spent 4 notes app pages on Pulp I'll be brief on the fruit shampoo types: Kirke by Tiziana Terenzi, Antigua by Phaedon, Eau de Rhubarbe by Hermes, Sirio by Mendittorosa, I wanna say Cedrat Boise by Mancera. The widely recommended fruity one by Mancera anyway. So turns out banana flavored candy isn't weird bc it's based on an extinct breed, it just uses a single flavor compound out of the bouquet found in real bananas, so the flavor comes off distorted. This is I think what people mean when they use "synthetic" as a criticism in perfume. I assume that for shampoo they mix individually made molecules, which is what causes unnatural-seeming compositions, even if the ingredients themselves aren't in any way worse by being synthetic. All the above fragrances have that screechy, fruit-scented toiletries/household chemicals vibe to me, plus Kirke and Antigua at least have some kinda sickly musk note that I don't get along with. I've also encountered it in a number of of woody-fresh cologne type scents. So these fragrances are all widely beloved (except maybe the Mendittorosa on account of being less well known), I think because of what I outlined with Pulp - they're bright and friendly but still fairly unusual. Common notes i believe are lychee or rhubarb - tart, juicy and sweet, which I guess is what most people look for in this type of fragrance. I'm just particularly sensitive to their type of dissonance. Eau de Rhubarbe i think is the most successful one of these - only inelegant, but for the most part I find them fully unpleasant.

Speaking of unpleasant, let me briefly return to Byredo. Mixed Emotions vs Amouage Jubilation XXV

So after my first unsuccessful run at Amouage with the florals I held off on trying their big iconic scent for years. The way people spoke of Jubilation it's this amazing layered masterpiece of resins, woods and fruit, meant for like distinguished gentlemen. Obviously I never felt like I could pull it off, but earlier this year I decided to have another go at Amouage as well as figure out fruit, so I finally tried it out. And yeah it's alright. I think what I'm realizing is that these niche fragrances massively popular among men are always gonna be on the safe side, but spoken of as hugely transgressive bc they smell a little bit outside of menthol shaving foam. Jubilation is soft, deep, smooth and resinous, with like an overtone of sweet-spicy toothpaste freshness I'd put down to blackberry, orange zest and tarragon. Very attractive, would not feel incongruous on any age or gender, for sure not a mature man kinda scent. I went on two week-long trips within a month in August/September and wore it throughout for like professional and leasure occasions and it never felt out of place, I never wanted for anything else. Dudes online are big mad abt alleged weak reformulations, idk abt that, however I will say it is kinda subtle and I wouldnt pay Amouage money for it.

So given that 15 years ago Amouage came out with this hugely popular cult hit, why would Byredo in 2021 make basically the same thing but worse? Black currant for blackberry and birch smoke and mate for all the woods and resins, Mixed Emotions to me is just a loud, unbalanced version of Jubilation, though idk that i've seen anyone else make the comparison. It's very northern forest, tree sap and berries, which is kind of an obvious combination and doesn't make it feel less heavy-handed. Junk by Lush feels adjacent, which is not a compliment. A recurring review phrase is cough syrup. The fruit is scratchy and cloying, overconcentrated. I kept trying to get myself to like Mixed Emotions, but given that it feels like basically a worse version of something that's just pretty nice but not worth the money, it's probably time to give up on her.

So do I hate a scratchy, cloying preserve-like fruit? Not necessarily.

Mendittorosa Rituale

I am a mark for Mendittorosa. I feel like i can still tell when they really don't work for me, but I probably exaggerate how special the ones i do like are. Anyway.

The vibe is nectar: flowers, blackcurrant, pomegranate, raspberry, honey, beeswax. Its heavy and sweet while having a rough scratchy quality (down to beeswax, patchouli and hyrax I'd guess) that can give gourmands a real kitchen-y feel. Mugler AMen has that imo, as well as El Born by Carner Barcelona, both of which suggest rustic dessert to me. Rituale is not really like them them with its big heady floral and fruit elements but that effect is the same. It's like when you have a very sweet pastry with black coffe. Rituale puts me in mind of traditional desserts that use preserves, honey and rose water in a way that doesnt get along with my modern milk chocolate sour gummy palette, so it is a little bit challenging. Going off the notes alone, I was very excited but also apprehensive about this one, I expected it to be either breathtakingly beautiful or just fully disgusting. Especially lavender can really fuck things up for me when it goes nauseating soapy-sweet potpourri. And some of that is there: i notice the lavender and the whole composition teeters on the edge of sickly, but never quite goes there. The actual flowers throughout its middle stage (rose, jasmine, narcissus, what do daffodils even smell like?) give me this high-summer orchard honey bee fantasy. Raspberry is i think the most prominent opening impression, maybe pomegranate, quickly overtaken by floral honey. That's probably the way to discuss the florals in here - not flowers but the way e.g. linden honey can smell of flowers & pollen. Beeswax is also discernible from the very beginning. As it sits and the fruit recedes it goes from nectar fantasy to complex rosewater dessert while always maintaining that little bit of low-pitched roughness you usually get with honey fragrances, just enough to keep things interesting. It's all a whole lot. The very end is a rounder mellower sweetness, feels like vanilla to my nose, but might be some combination of the woods, resins and beeswax. I wish I perceived more of the hyrax, some people complain about it being crazy animalic and i just don’t get that at all unfortunately. I love dirty animal shit :( On the other hand it already has borderline too much going on.

If Mendittorosa made small beautiful bottles Rituale would be a no-brainer to get. It is a very special combination of rich and opulent while also consisting of what to me reads as basically all food-like botanical notes. Real nectar and ambrosia vibes. Very different from those fresh effervescent unisex fruits, a very cool take on the genre imo. And like, yeah, if I'm so bored of fruits, maybe my one fruit perfume to have should be the one that's unlike any of the others. But even with this one, I'm not sure that I want to smell like this! There is again an air of botanical unfuckability about this one that makes it a little emotionally confusing. Not sure what mood I'd want it for, especially if we're talking about getting a bit expensive bottle. I think I wore it for my 29th or 30th birthday, she's festive and attention-grabbing but doesn't necessarily make me feel attractive. One idea I'm holding out for is that if I tried it from an atomizer instead of the shitty dabbing wand sample and got a more accurate idea of how it wears from the bottle, there would be more hyrax and that'd swing it into something more obviously my style. As is it may or may not be my one fruit but for sure points to some directions to continue thinking in.

Putting here so I don't forget my other fruits to discuss: Un Jardin sur le Nil, Pomegranate Noir, Wilde, Bitter Peach, Peau de Peche. And then the figs.

[wnterslder]

"Can you peel this orange for me, please?" May 🥹

“ let's see. “ he inspects the fruit between both his hands , thumb running over the ridges of the orange. there is a distinct fragrance of a fresh fruit that had ripened well on its tree , well loved by its caretakers , packaged and shared to families and friends and strangers alike. bucky takes great joy and care while peeling it to keep the entire peel in one piece , making sure not to bruise any of its pulp. triumphant in his mission , he breaks the citrus in half , vibrant orange sections branching open for his partner , and he finishes by removing the little bits of the pith. the soldier takes the peel now , into his hands to reshape it back into its original form as if a puzzle piece , and sets it aside. together , imperfectly , but well-cherished.

[strelles-universe]

The Flora of Strelles

All of the plants, fruits and herbs native to the world of strelles that I made specifically for these creatures. Some of them are also purely or primarily for flavoring meats and stews - onions and everything in their family (garlic, chives etc) are poisonous to cats and dogs and ergo, without me creating a few creatures; there would never be anything nearly as flavorful.

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Ashweed | A small, delicate stemmed flower with rosy red petals that grows in the ashes of fire and possesses a faint but fragrant scent, they’re very commonly found in the sky kingdoms but only bloom in the wake of forest fires elsewhere

Type: Herb Mixes: Pelt Rubs Usage: Typically mashed and crushed into a juice with a few other plants that is then rubbed into a creature's pelt. Ashweed is the underlying scent in all of the kingdoms' coats. These pelt-rubs are used for pest repellent (keeping away fleas, tics and mosquitos) but also as a general fragrance. Other Names: -Sun Poppies -Hearthflowers

Honeypetal | A small six petaled yellow plant with strong, deep green stem and small, oval glossy leaves. The petals are lightly curled and the inner base is more golden orange than yellow.

Type: Herb Mixes: Throat Salves Usage: Typically brewed into teas to ensure that kits and pups actually take them but it's not uncommon for them to be mashed into a pulp and mixed with honey. Their sugary sweet flavor is often mixed into broths to ensure that those with particularly weak stomachs can eat and be full but also soothe scratchy throats. It's a powerful irritant soother frequently used in the Sky Kingdoms on young kits whose throats and lungs are still a bit sensitive to the smoke of the Great Hearths.

Hotberry | Small red berries that grow from the flowers scattered across the low-lying bushes they come from. They have pale green eyes and thick, thorned stems and branches.

Type: Herb & Treat Mixes: Spice Paste Usage: Mostly used to add flavor to prey by means of stuffing them and allowing them to soak in the spicy taste. Originally it was a form of prey preservation - when drying larger selections of meat, they help to dry out the meat faster and the enhancement of flavor is merely a bonus. They're also occasionally eaten on their own by brave creatures that enjoy the heat.

Nightfold | A relatively short plant with round, green slightly glossy leaves. The stems leading from the main plant through the leaves are a striking red pairing well with a pale violet wide, semi-rounded petaled flower with a darker purple, nearly black ring around the edge of the plant. The leaves, blossoms and stem of this plant are all deadly toxic - the sap however is known to be a mild hallucinogenic.

Type: Poison Mixes: N/A Usage: Toxic as they are, nightfolds are very beautiful plants and are often grown around the edges of gardens to discourage the herbivores from nibbling on them. It's also believed around the kingdoms and skulks that the sap can allow you to access visions and messages from the Sky Kindlers or see into the past or present. Other Names: N/A

Peakberry | Pale gray berries that grow on the small, deep green bushes that grow sporadically in mountain forests in clusters that dangle gently from the branches.

Type: Treat Mixes: N/A Usage: A delightful bittersweet berry often used to stuff prey. Helps with preserving prey sometimes but mostly they just stuff the gullets and mouths of the prey with it before lightly cooking them; particularly by grilling or roasting.

Sharpweed | A tall, delicate grass-like plant with an intense smell that gives it away when broken. It has a small white bulb at the base of it. Be careful not to mistake sharpweed for onion - look for the tell-tale orange flowers that sprout from immature sharpweeds.

Type: Herb & Treat Mixes: Various Broths Usage: Sharpweed is mostly for preventing and chasing off fleas and preventing infections in cuts and wounds. It's considered safer than wild onion and garlic on kits as their reflex to lick the scent from themselves often can cause them to poison themselves. When used for soups; they're sliced or stripped up - the bulb or the green stems - and placed in the warm water to brew for flavor.

Shining Birch | A pale barked deciduous tree known for its flaky white or gray bark that grows near exclusively in the northern parts of the world, Shining Birch is shorter than other types of tree and is most famous for its bioluminescent berries. Pollinated and cared for by a specific kind of bird known as a Shining Sunjay - a breed of bird that is drawn to the bioluminescent lights. The Sky Kingdoms use the glowberries picked from the Shining Birch for paints and as fun treats - they're most commonly grown for Moonlight Festival celebration.

Type: Treat Mixes: Usage: Glowberries are crushed and mashed into paints to be applied to a creature's fur or written across a wall. They have no specific medical use but they are considered part of religious tradition in the Dancing Stars kingdom as it's traditional to paint newborn heirs in the berries and expose them to moonlight to bring them under the eyes of the Skies. Other Names: -Tanaŕa Hassku (Sky Kingdoms) -Glow Birch (General)

Silvermint | A short growing plant that heavily resembles clovers with three leaves and delicate stems. They're silvery or white in color with an alluring but sharp scent and a taste that many describe as "cold."

Type: Herb Mixes: Chest Relaxants Usage: An alternative to catmint for greencough and a key ingredient in pulps and teas meant to treat various chest infections. Typically mashed up into pulps to be consumed or left to boil in teas - to treat coughs and sometimes wheezing. When thoroughly mashed and made almost liquidy, it can be applied to the chest externally to relieve congestion.

Sweetberry | A small dainty yellow or white plant with four little petals and delicate, fragile stems. The berries are formed from the blossoms; growing into clusters of two or three.

Type: Herb & Intensifier Mixes: Jams, Pregnancy Prevention Usage: The primary use of sweetberry is to prevent pregnancies and to soothe the ache and burn of a creature's sweet-season. Eating a small pawful of berries - mashed or otherwise - can help but they must be taken every day throughout the moon. Commonly mixed with other herbs to strengthen their purpose. The stems are used in many soups and stews to encourage.

New Herb | Description

Type: Mixes: Usage: Other Names: