#SQUARE INTO THE ICEBURG

[mandachuart]

I

I CAN'T

I HAVE NO EXCUSE

ITS SO LATE RIGHT NOW GUYS

I AM POSSESSED

I HAD TO DRAW THE SCENE

CARMINE IS SO CUTE. DRAYTON IS ICONIC.

And this ... is only ONE OF THE SCENES I WANT TO DRAW.

You might be guessing right if you know which one I want to draw next....( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Don't know what I'm talking about???

READ THE LATEST AND GREATEST:

[opbackgrounds]

I can't believe Franky just left the Square Sisters outside when he went to talk with Iceburg

[toadstoolillustrations]

hmm iceberg and 💝 , 📓 , 🍫 ?

ehehehehe >:))) ty for the ask <3

💝 A headcanon about their love language:

-Despite the gag of "Yes he is the very important mayor of Water 7, yes he ignores all appointments and paperwork he thinks is boring <3", he's such a constantly active character n so devoted to his city that I think it'd probably be doing acts of service (working on the puffing tom + becoming mayor n building up water 7 + dreaming of turning it into a fucking boat + yk that little fan comic of him doing shopping for Kokoro n buying Franky cola...)? But then spending quality time n doing work together as receiving (<- guy who's every relationship revolves about building ships and who he can build ships together with and talk about ships with and design ships and)

📓 A headcanon about their hobbies:

- Fun fact this bitch likes ship building !!!!!!! But other than that the idea of all his spare time going to taking care of Tyrannosaurus is really cute :) He picked up sewing from Kokoro and makes him tiny mouse suits....

Also think he keeps a sketchbook and finds drawing relaxing. He's not very good godbless because he's only used to drawing blueprints and boats so his style is. A little boxy and his drawings are very square but he has fun <3

🍫 A headcanon about food:

- Any true fan knows mr. iceburg's favourite food is Kokro's handmade curry 🙄 but because I am soso funny (posessed by the spirit of 10 year old Franky making fun of him) I think he also eats a lot of iceburg lettuce and his favoure type of ice cream are icebergers :)

ask game here !

[redhatmeg]

The square-nosed guy: Iceburg is a mayor of Water 7. He's also a president of Galley-La.

Me: Oh, cool. A politian that is also a businessman.

Me: I remember him being kind of a hard-ass and unpleasant.

[steadfvsthearts]

hii i was thinking of getting into writing/rp on tumblr (i've only ever done it on ig), do you have any tips or info on how to start/doing rp on here?

i'm going to first link this guide to tumblr rping !! it's definitely very long ( and please don't be intimidated by it ), but the bonus of it is it is also super comprehensive, especially for someone starting out from square one.

your first choice when rping on tumblr is deciding if you want to be independent ( "indie" ) which means you look for and find all your own partners, or if you want to join a tumblr rp group — there is a set follow list, often a plot to follow, and overall more guidance. indie can be more intimidating in my experience, and you need a lot of self-motivation to make it work, but it can always be incredibly rewarding. as you're someone super new to tumblr rp, i lean towards recommending finding a group to join where members may be more willing to help you find your way. especially if you see an rp group with a premise you like.

discord servers are definitely kind of the future of looking for rp partners and groups. i'll plug one i admin, findrps, as well as roleplay helpers !! otherwise, searching in tumblr tags for the type or genre you're looking for is you best bet : ( new rp, appless rp, city rp, etc ) make sure you have them sorted from most recent.

as far as other general tips:

— my number one thing is to absolutely not be afraid to reach out to people to talk and plot. i know a lot of us in rpc have anxiety, but it really does help to take the step and break the ice even if it's a little outside your comfort zone !! — the other is to try to have a couple ideas on hand when you reach out to someone to plot with their muse. it's definitely a very personal pet peeve of mine when someone reaches out to me to plot and then has nothing to contribute to the plotting conversation making me feel i have to carry the bulk of the work for coming up with an idea for our muses. — last one i'll put here is to try to always comply with the "yes, and..." and "no, but..." rule in both plotting and replies. it's a nice courtesy to the person you're rping with and helps generate the most fruitful conversations and threads.

this is definitely super broad and really only touches the tip of the iceburg on tumblr rp, but i hope this helps & good luck <3

[photobust-blog]

[evilhorses]

Single dad au

Cloudy, slow mornings were never kaku's thing, they weren't terrible just he preferred a nice sunny morning to get started with. It had rained the day before and it was threatening to rain again, it was rainy season after all. He could hear the faint sound of a child crying outside, someone else wasn't having a great morning either.

He brushed his teeth, his eyes didn't want to open quite all the way yet so he didn't really notice the stubble on his chin and lip, oh well. Man that kid is really crying... he went to the fridge to grab a water and maybe something to eat, why is the crying not stopping? Doesn't the parent care about they're kid?...is that 2 kids crying??

Kaku goes to his window and looks out his apartment on the second floor, the streets empty.....thats...concerning. He opens the window and leans out, doesn't see anyone down the street, the crying is coming from....below him? He looks down.

There's a basket at his apartments front door and the crying is very much coming from it.

"Oh shi..." he stumbles back into his apartment, quickly pulls on his pants and shoes, and runs out the door. He races down the stairs jumping a few of the steps and the last bit of railing. He opens the front door and stares at the basket just under the overhang, enough to be out of the rain. Oh no he hopes they weren't caught in the rain earlier! No he's sure someone would have heard them by then, they'd only just now started crying.

He tentatively opens the large basket and sees 2 little bundles in dark green and blue blankets. The bundles are wriggling and the shrill crying lulls for a moment as the light comes into the basket. Kakus breath catches in his throat as he looks at them. Perfect little light orange curls top their heads, freckled chubby faces, and.....square...short square noses.....Wh...what?

Kaku pauses as he tries to connect dots and make sense of what he's looking at, it takes him a minute and then the one on the left starts crying again making the other start up , he snaps out of it and his breath is yanked from his body again. Oh no, oh this isnt...how could...

He picks up the oversized basket and carries it to his room as fast as he can without jostling the children too much.

"Shit shit shit shit shit oh shit "a string of curses falls from his mouth, very uncharacteristic of him but he did just find a basket with TWIN babies that look JUST like him on his doorstep so he gives himself a pass on that one.

They continue to cry in his small apartment as he sets them on his tiny couch, he has no idea what to do and his heart starts racing, oh no.....actual panic is setting in. What am I even supposed to do with 2 random kids I just found?!? His mind starts jumping around for answers. Who left them? How long had they been there? Who should he call about this? He Doesn't have any baby stuff to take care of them! Why him?? Are they really his? OK that one is stupid yes of course they're his there's no denying that... WHO DID HE SLEEP WITH TO EVEN MAKE THIS HAPPEN?!?!

He tries to think back 9 months but he's too panicked to really think back that far, he starts feeling dizzy, he tries to calm his breathing but can't quite catch it, his heart feels like it's going to jump out of his throat it's beating so fast,, he's shaking, his vision starts to blur. oh no he's gonna...thump...pass out.

He wakes up a few minutes later and still hears the children crying, aw man ok so It wasn't a dream...he gets on his feet, a little wobbly, but he's gets his bareings. Who does he know that can help?? Lucci? No. Paulie? No. Jabra? Oh God no...iceburg? Khalifa? Tilestone? Lulu? The old lady down the street??? He starts to pace around his apartment looking for something...what he's looking for he doesn't actually know, all he knows is he needs answers and help. He stops himself, the babies are still crying, their faces are red as can be and tears pour from their small little eyes. "Oh Kaku you can't just let them cry like that they'll make themselves sick, ok first things first figure out what they need and then worry about the why stuff later!" He thinks to himself scooping one up in his arms gently a rocking them. The other child notices their sibiling suddenly leaving them and reaches out, not wanting to be separated and somehow starts crying louder. Oh lord how could they cry louder?? Kaku quickly lifts the other with his spare arm and to his surprise they do calm down a little. Thank goodness.

Wait...they're probably hungry! Yeah that's it!.....Kaku jogs to the fridge and carefully opens it.....how does he not have milk??? Oh well he supposes he did need to go grocery shopping today...ok so to the market it is!

He sets one of them on the couch, instantly making them cry like they've just been wounded. He goes to grab his wallet and keys  scoops the crying bundles up, and rushes out apartment.

Kaku rushes through the streets, opting not to go his usual route of jumping around the rooftops, he figures that would be too dangerous while carrying 2 infants. They continue to wail in his arms, he's starting to get looks. Why is one of the Galley La foremen carrying 2 babies? Why are they crying so loudly?  Why does he look so panicked? Are they his? Poor things are gonna cry their little lungs out. How could he let them continue to cry like that.

Kakus mind starts racing again. He must look like a terrible person right now. Running around with 2 screaming children, not doing anything to even try and comfort them, but what can he do really? He doesn't have any supplies for them and they probably haven't eaten an awhile, he needs to get them some food at least before he can start to even think clearly. He's so very much not prepared for this, he cant care for a child let alone 2 all by himself, he feels his eyes start to threaten tears. He tries to hold them back but it's just too much, nows not the time to be crying you can do that later idiot! The tears roll down his reddened, freckled cheeks.

"Kaku! Where the hell have you been?! We have inspections today and you're late! What could be so important that you........" Kaku hears Paulie's shouts to his right, he stops to look at him, did he say something about an inspection? Wha...his mind is to scrambled to think straight. As he focuses a little more he sees not just Paulie but Iceburg, Khalifa, lucci, tilestone, and lulu....all staring at him in shock and confusion. Oh no he must look awful ridiculous right now.

"Kaku what the hell are you holding?!?" Paulie breaks the silence between them. Kaku just stands for a minute not saying anything, trying to process what's happening, then breaks out into a sob along with the children in his arms and collapses to his knees.

————————————————————————

I read over it a couple time and feel it's good enough to post for now. I've never really written a fanfic so it's new territory for me! Excuse any names that aren't capitalized or weird grammar I'm on mobile and I'm Lazy 🤘

[victorie552onepiecespeedrun]

Reading One Piece pt 139: Rescue Gone Wrong

Chapter 374

Thoughts:

- Fpos/cs: “Let’s disguise ourselves for now” Miss Valentine and Miss Goldenweek look nice but pray for Mr.5. What made the man think coat + shorts is a good idea. Scarf’s a nice touch tho

- On Rocket Man, Luffy just noticed the frog from beginning of the arc. Flashback told us frog was Tom’s pet but don’t ask me for a name, I don’t remember

- Ah, the frog wants to be hit by a train. Did The Frog saw Franky trying to do the same 8 years ago? I guess everyone copes with trauma differently, Kokoro started drinking, The Frog started jumping under a train. Good thing it’s a manga

- (I’m starting to wonder how did Iceburg manage to be so well adjusted)

- Meanwhile, our boys got Robin and run away!

- “That was too easy…” Don’t say that! Don’t ever say that!

- Jinxed it

- And they’re back to square one

- “Don’t kill the Straw Hat pirates. We made a promise.” And you will honor it? Now I’m surprised

- They’re trying very hard to make Kaku look scary. It mostly works but they make him very stiff and looming and tall, so sometimes he just looks like a stick

- Sanji is fighting and Freddy is unimpressed. Some facial expression would be nice man

- Powerful kick is powerful!

- ROBIN NO

- Yeah, Robin doesn’t want to be rescued

- “Stay out of my business!” Robin…

- Oof Sanji went flying cause he was distracted

- Franky?

- Is he trying to do sacrifice play for Straw Hats now?

- HE IS! RESPECT

- “…Why are you helping these guys?” HE’LL BE JOINING THEM IN FEW CHAPTERS! CAUSE HE’S AWESOME LIKE THAT!

- “I can’t take this! Standing by while she keeps doing this… And her comrades won’t leave without her!” It is a little ridiculous when you think about it

- Robin and Sanji are yelling, nothing new here

- Freddy attacks with the power of Door!

- You stop that

- He… he realy has a power of Door

- He can teleport with it? Broke and OP

- I CALL HACKS

- Goddammit, Robin is leaving

- Oh, Usopp has something to say?

- “When it comes to pirates… You can’t leave a crew without the captain’s permission!!”

- So you… Should have faith in Luffy” Oh? I think he hit the mark. Well, he is a sniper

- Freddy with passion doesn’t care

- Oh, he says something about Buster Call! Robin saw it once!

- …oh

- So that’s what happened in Ohara

- “The horrific event occurred…” *rolls eyes* it was government fault, don’t say it as it was unavoidable

- CP9 is evil, just so you know, using Robin’s trauma like that

- And they’re gone

- Oh goddammit again. They wanted Franky and Robin, they got Franky and Robin

- Enies Lobby

They got there at least. *sign*  

rOP 138  rOP 140

[jazminetoad]

It Takes One To Know One

(Just a scene of Kaku and Jazmine I made out of impulse)

"Your ship certainly got you, youngsters quite down," Kaku spoke up behind Jazmine, climbing over to sit next to the cloaked female gazing at the horizon from the top of Water 7.

"You could say..." Jazmine mumbled out, her voice sounding distant due to her presence floating in the memories she made with the straw hats. "It's just... strange how they're all acting like me..."

"I don't quite follow." Kaku turned to her, his face showing the puzzle he wasn't able to figure out.

"The crew, they're always so lively and carefree, they're filled with joy, adventure in their eyes, but after they got the news the Merry couldn't sail anymore..." Jazmine trailed off, leaving out the part of what happened with Usopp and how they couldn't find Robin.

"I'm sure anyone would be a little ruffled when parting with something they grew fond of."

"It's not that, it's the silence... how they stare off in their thoughts and their cracked hearts consuming their expressions. It's haunting how they display it, a reminder of how I've been so long."

"I see..." Kaku's gaze went back to the view of the massive city. "I'm guessing being up here makes you feel better?" He received a simple hum in response. The square-nose man grew a small smile. "The view from up here is certainly beautiful, in my opinion, no other city comes close to Water 7. The great air, the people, and Galley-la..."

"You feel at home here, don't you?" Jazmine asked, shifting the subject over to him in hopes of a lighter topic.

"Yes ma'am, I feel this place is where I truly belong." The shipwright smiled brightly. "When I was a kid my dream was to become a shipwright. I loved everything there was about the vessels, they fascinated me and I wanted to make one of my own. So when I came here and met Mr. Iceburg, and he hired me as one of his shipwrights, my younger self's dream finally came true, it made me happy..."

Jazmine took quick notice of the shift in Kaku's smile out of the corner of her exposed eye, reading in between the lines she could tell a sad reality has begun to catch up to him. It was a face she had grown all too familiar with in her life. Not wanting Kaku to lose himself in his thoughts, Jazmine turned to him for the first time since he arrived.

"Hey, do you mind if stay here for a while? I like your company."

"What kind of man would I be if I left a beautiful little miss like yourself all alone?"

So there, they stayed, watching the sun disappear and the night washing in. Slowly, the time passed and Kaku found himself asleep, his head resting in Jazmine's lap without his knowledge. Jazmine carefully watched the square-nose male snooze, knowing full well he only fell asleep and let his guard down because his instincts told him she was no threat to him. Normally, that would never happen for Kaku, but due to Jazmine's powers, it was. The cloak brunette had no intention of harming him, not someone with so much heart still left in him, not someone who was about to lose everything.

"Kaku, I know you can't hear me but, I know. I know your real job isn't a shipwright, I know you're an assassin. I can tell, I see it in your eyes, the look of someone who has killed. I can sense your hesitation and attempt to stay distant, by your actions I know you're on a mission and this lifestyle is nothing but a cover, one that will be over soon. You know it will, which means your life here will be over soon as well, and you're sad. You wish to stay but you can't. I don't know what cage you're trap in or who's keeping you in chains, but you're only temporarily free from them to live your dream and to feel truly happy. You finally got to smile for real and find a home where you belong. I know all this because I know what you feel... I've been there... so even if my gut tells me something is going to go wrong, I won't hold a grudge against you. Not to someone who reminds me of myself, not to someone who doesn't want it to be the way things are going to happen, not to someone who can't fight their fate. I forgive you, Kaku... I forgive you..."

[everyfranky]

[start id. a one piece manga panel. franky poses behind a transparent sheet, holding his arms over his head in a square shape. he says, “don’t be shy, just sit and back listen! to my name!” while the crowd shouts, “we don’t wanna hear! just disappear!” end id.]

he’s so dramatic 

(the emphasis he puts on his name is interesting given his issues surrounding his given name. he really embraces the same that iceburg gave him and that’s kinda sweet)

also, shout out to my first reaction to this: 

[start id: a screenshot of a png file of the panel described above, named, “wow i love him now.png”. end id]

[pingo1387]

20COP, 1930s part 1

First few sections of the AU I’ve written. So far I’ve only completed parts to do with Franky and Brook, since I was trying to write the AU in chronological order and they’re the oldest. 

February, 1931

The Bronx, New York

The boy’s father—a tall man with an aura of kindness—held his son’s hand tightly as they approached the door of a nondescript apartment building. He absentmindedly hummed Binks’ Brew to himself as they walked.

“Where we goin’, Pop?” the child asked, shivering. His clothes had never quite been adequate for the colder times of the year, and hung loosely from his thin, copper frame, color so like his father’s. Of course, he was far shorter than his giant of a father, but if he had inherited any of his father’s genes, he would grow to be just as tall as him one day.

The man scooped up his tiny son and held him close, trying to keep him warm. “We’re going to see Mr. Crocus.”

“Mr. Crocus?”

“He’s my friend,” his father said with the patient air one adopts when talking to a toddler. “Be nice and remember your manners, Brook . . .” He hesitated before smiling. “Guess I don’t gotta tell you that, huh?”

He went up the stoop, pushed open the squeaky door, and entered. Another door and a flight of stairs greeted him. He went straight up the creaking stairs. When they got to the landing, he opened the door and headed down the hall.

When he reached apartment 2C, he stopped, hesitated, and knocked once, twice, three times.

The door opened a moment later. A man, somewhat younger than Brook’s father, stood on the other side looking at them through the gap about as wide as him. He was of stocky build, with an oddly large lower lip above his square jaw and goatee, and dark hair which fanned out behind him like a flower and stood out against his pale skin.

“Well, now,” the man said, opening the door a bit wider and leaning against the door jamb. “T’what do I owe this s’rprise, Sam?”

Brook’s father—Sam—bit his lip. “Crocus, I need to ask a favor.”

Crocus stepped aside. “C’mon in.”

Sam entered and Crocus shut the door. They went past the open door to the tiny kitchen on the left and headed directly into the living room, which seemed to take up most of the cheap apartment. A cushy armchair and sofa sat perpendicular to each other, and a window on the far wall displayed bleak weather.

Sam, still holding Brook, sat on the armchair while Crocus sat on the perpendicular couch. An oak coffee table was between the two, displaying an open newspaper, a wooden tabletop radio (turned off), and a still-smoldering cigar in an ashtray.

“This mus’ be Brook,” Crocus said, his face softening slightly as he looked down. “Hello, Brook. Haven’t seen y’ for a while.”

“Hello, Mr. Crocus,” Brook said, staring at him shyly. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Crocus smiled. “P’lite one here, Sam.”

Sam smiled in turn. “Takes after his mother.”

“Aye,” Crocus murmured. “Poor thing . . . so young.” He leaned forward. “So, what’s this fav’r?”

“Please let us stay with you,” Sam blurted out.

“’Scuse me?” Crocus said.

“I’ve got no job,” Sam explained, bowing his head, “and I can’t raise Brook on my own. Please, will you let us stay with you for a while? It’s just until I can get work.”

Crocus leaned back and took another cigar out of his pocket, lighting it up. A moment passed as he inhaled and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

“Ah, alright,” he grumbled, scratching his head. “I’ve only got th’ one bed, so you’re sleepin’ on the couch, y’hear?”

Sam smiled. “God bless you, Crocus. Thank you, thank you so much.”

“Don’ mention it,” Crocus muttered.

“Brook,” Sam said, holding him on his knee, “we’re going to live with Mr. Crocus for a while.” 

January, 1932

The Bronx, New York

Brook lay in bed, shivering and slipping in and out of consciousness while hand after hand felt his forehead and brushed hair from his face. An awful taste rose from his throat and he nearly choked on his own empty vomit as he trembled, too weak to rise or even lift a finger. Someone made him sit up and pressed a glass of water to his lips, but his throat was so sore he couldn’t even swallow without bursting into tears. The nightmare lasted forever, before it ended. 

May, 1938

A certain part of Oahu, Hawaii

“I see!”

The rotund man laughed as the boy before him scowled. The man had salt-and-pepper hair around his ears, wore an open T-shirt and shorts, and donned sandals on his feet. The Hawaiian boy’s hair was spiky and dark, and he wore goggles on his forehead, a Speedo, and an open aloha shirt. His feet were bare and his chin, oddly enough, was double-cleft.

“I see,” the man repeated, still laughing. “Your parents kicked you out for being too rowdy, huh?”

“It ain’t funny!” the boy snapped, kicking up some hot sand at the man.

The man’s laughter died down as he walked over to the shoddy rowboat. “You built this yourself, kid?”

“Yeah!” The boy puffed out his chest. “It’s the Super Franky Boat 5!”

“So this is the fifth one?”

“You know it!” the boy said proudly.

“It’s a pile of junk!” the man exclaimed, throwing back his head with booming laughter.

“What was that?!”

“And yet, you sailed here all the way from Molokai on this heap?”

“What about it?”

The man eyed the boy thoughtfully with a big grin. “Kid, how about living with me?”

“Huh?”

“You’ve got real talent,” the man said, ruffling his hair. The boy made a face. “You need practice—a helluva lotta practice—but you’ve got talent. I’m a shipwright for the Navy, see, I live with a nice lady and another kid, about as old as you. You come live with me, kid, and you can learn the basics with Iceburg. How’s about it?”

The boy brightened. “That sounds like fun! I mean, I got nowhere else to go, anyway.”

“Good, good,” the man said. “Come on, let’s go to my place. What’s your name, son?”

“I’m Franky!”

“I’m Tom,” Tom said with a grin. “Let’s go meet the gang.”

He turned and set off down the beach towards a street. Franky watched him for a moment before running after him.

[opbackgrounds]

1) I honestly think this might be the only panel we see Iceburg’s tattoos since they’re definitely not present during the long montage sequence

2) I love that Oda included characters like the Square Sisters in this moment of triumph. It adds a tangible weight to the positive impact Tom had on Water 7

3) The bottom panel of the sea train crossing the sea for the first time is powerful to me in a way that I have a hard time expressing. I already love the whimsy of the sea train concept, but seeing it at a distance here, crossing the waves as it sails into the distant horizon of a hopeful future, is just so good. It’s almost enough to make you forget you’re in a One Piece flashback and something terrible’s about to happen

[hundredsunny]

if Kaku doesn't get a heartfelt reunion with Galley-La where Paulie doesn't want to let him back in but then Iceburg is like "nah dude its k, that's in his past" and then they slowly all become friends again and my square son is happy in Water Seven again... I'm going to have many choice words for Oda

I didn’t know how much I needed that scenario until now thank u so much I swear I will fight if this doesn't happen

What’s even better is that I could picture it so well too oh my heck

Paulie would be so against letting Kaku back into the fam cause Paulie is the kind of guy who holds onto things longer. It would probably INFURIATE him to see everyone else start to ease back into being pals with Kaku.

“Are you all BLIND are you not aware of what he did??”

Alas, they’d shrug off Paulie’s complaints. That definitely made Paulie a bitter bitch.

However, Kaku would be the one who’d try to heal the severed bond between he and rope boy. At first, Paulie would straight up ignore Square Giraffe Son #1 or tell him to buzz off, but the more Kaku would come and apologize and ask for forgiveness, the more Paulie would begin to realize how much he missed this dude. EVENTUALLY Paulie would come to accept Kaku’s return and BOOM it’s happy Galley-La once again. Paulie would freakin EMBRACE THE SHIT out of Kaku and it would take the Toys R Us employee of the year by surprise, BUT THEN HED SMILE AND LAUGH AND LOWKEY TEAR UP BC HE IS HAPPY TO BE WITH THE BROS AGAIN and iceberg is would be standing from afar, watching this emotional scene unfold. He’d then smile to himself and pet his damn pocket hamster. The end

bring Kaku back he doesn’t need to be an ominous government agent he needs to be a smiley square roof-hopper once again

[eurotraveltales-blog]

Day 9: Lyon

The second day is every city is always the best one, and Lyon was no exception. The city actually reminded us of Portland in some ways, so it was great to have a little taste of home. It’s a relatively small city with a waterfront, a heavy art and culture scene, cute little shops and restaurants, and nice people. It certainly isn’t as flat as Portland though - we climbed a lot of hills, and went back down them. And Apriet whined and complained about her legs and how much she hated hills the whole time. (I wasn’t going to say it, but she told me to).

We woke up at 9, both took showers since we didn’t get to last night, and then played with Neva for a while. Everything is a game to her, and she always wants to play. She does this thing where she’ll run into an open room, grab some small garment of clothing that’s on the floor (usually socks or underwear) and then run off. When you try and chase her, she runs way, waits for you to get close, then runs away again. She gets a real kick out of it.

Virginie offered us a breakfast of bread and jam and tea. The bread was delicious - a buttery, soft loaf of brioche. I had a slice plain and a slice with fig jam - also delicious. I was able to choose from chai tea and green tea, both of which I love. I decided to go with chai this morning, and I’ll try to green tea tomorrow morning. The second I smelled the tea, I knew I needed to try the chai. I had never smelled such an appealing chai tea before. And tasting it put me over the moon. Unfortunately, I don’t think this particular brand of chai tea can be found in the states. At least, I’ve never seen it.

After breakfast, we sat at the dining table to plan our day. Virginie gave us some very helpful recommendations for things to see and routes to take. She wrote down the points of interest for us, and then we were out the door! First stop was a fresco down the street from the apartment. It had a very interesting history. In the 1800s, the side of the building was a derelict eyesore to everyone, so the city hired some fresco artists to paint a mural on it. The artists asked if they could use up the ENTIRE side of the building, and they were given permission, so they did. And every century or so, the mural gets updated to reflect the changing of the times. The people in the mural get aged, and the architecture gets modernized as the city becomes more sustainable.

Not long after seeing that, we came to a corner with a big beta fish mural painted on it, which was also very cool to see. We then came to a square with a statue of two lovers in the middle. We kept seeing cool art on the walls while walking around this city. One wall had fake human legs sticking out of it, as if a person had dived through the wall. There was another very purple mural with a character that looked like he could have been a great Disney villain. We came to an area with a pretty sweet lookout, and a building with ivy climbing all up the side, which we both thought looked really awesome. After taking some pictures of the city from the top, we descended Hill #1 and saw an old Roman theater through a gate. It was constructed in 1980 and it used to be a garden that was used by gardeners and artists to perfect their skills for the silk trade.

After that, we stopped at a pastry shop called La Croissanterie, because obviously we had to have croissants in France. I am the cheese on Darrell’s croissant, after all. Apriet ended up getting a croissant and a mini chocolate beignet, and I got a croissant and a water. These croissants taste so much better than American croissants. They’re flaky and crispy on the outside, and soft and buttery on the inside, without being too buttery, as American croissants are wont to be. After our little snack, we came to another square, this one with Bartholdi Fountain - a statue of a woman riding a chariot pulled by four horses. It was sculpted in 1889 by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, and the horses had steam coming out of their nostrils! It was pretty rad.

We crossed a bridge overlooking the waterfront, then ascended Hill #2 to come to Catedrale Saint Jean Baptiste. It was free to go in, so we sat in the pews for a bit, soaking it all in. We read in the information pamphlet that the church has an astronomical clock with figures that move at 14:00, 16:00, and 18:00. It was 13:05 so we decided to hang around and wait to see this super old clock move. Unfortunately, it did not. But either way, it was a good break because for some reason we were both super sleepy. After leaving the cathedral, we ascended Hill #3, passing by a second set of Roman ruins, to which we would later return. For now, we climbed to the top of the hill and took a leisurely stroll through Le Jardin du Rosaire. About halfway through the garden path, we went up some stairs to another overlook of the city that was right behind Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourviere. We took some pictures at the viewpoint, went to the bathroom, then went around to the front of the cathedral. This cathedral was magnificent. As you’ll see in the picture, every inch of the walls and ceiling were covered in detail and color. There was so much to look at that you almost didn’t know what to focus on. But no choice was the wrong choice, because everything was beautiful. We also explored the crypts underneath the cathedral, and watched a short video about the history behind the place.

After leaving the Basilica, we returned to the ruins. These ruins weren’t gated off like the last ones, and there was so much to explore, including a small stone tunnel, a private stone room with only a small opening to come in and out, and a stone amphitheater. They built a modern concert stage in front of the stadium so that people could actually utilize the theater. It could probably seat close to 20,000, and there were people setting up for some kind of performance when we went down, so we sat and watched for about 10 minutes. To be sitting on such a historical piece of culture was pretty astounding. Also, I got yelled at for climbing a stone wall, but what else is new? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ At this point, we were getting pretty hungry because it was about 16:00 and neither of us had had much to eat since breakfast at the airbnb, so we descended Hill #4 in search of dinner.

Sadly, most restaurants don’t open until 19:30, so we just randomly picked one that was open called L’epicerie, and it wasn’t super great. At least, my meal wasn’t. All the wait staff spoke English though, so communication wasn’t really a problem. Apriet got tomato, mozzarella, and pesto on bread. I got a burger because I was famished, it was one of the only things I could read on the menu, and I felt like my diet had been lacking in protein lately. The meat was extremely charred on the outside, and more rare on the inside than I prefer, though I wasn’t given the option to choose the level of doneness. It also came with a salad that was all just iceburg lettuce with a weird horseradish dressing. The chips were fine. And at least Apriet’s meal looked pretty good.

After dinner, we started walking back to the airbnb, deciding to stop by a dessert shop on the way, if we came across one. We did come across one about 30 seconds after leaving the restaurant, but it was too soon after eating, and we thought we’d certainly come across another. What do you know, we didn’t. But we did stop in a supermarket and pick up some snacks. Apriet got chocolate cookies and I got these mini strawberry tartelettes.

We climbed Hill #5 to get back to the airbnb, and then we played with Neva a little bit more. Now we’re just chilling in our room, and we’re probably going to watch a movie or something tonight.

A good day.

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