#best places to travel in february for couples

[ghostlyferrettarot]

🤖Pick a Picture: 👾👽The next person you're going to date👽👾

•Pile 1 •Pile 2 •Pile 3

❗️This is a collective reading, take what resonates and leave the rest❗️

✨️Paid Services ✨️ (Natal charts and tarot readings) Open!

👾If you like my work you can support me through Ko-fi. Thank you!👾

👽Masterlist👽

👽Pile 1: 9 of Wands, The Sun and King of Wands.

Hi pile 1! This person is someone new coming into your life. "I bring the spark" is what I heard, so expect some really fun adventures with this person. Their presence will help you feel more confident about yourself, bringing out your most fun and adventurous side. Traveling and acquiring new knowledge will be key aspects in this new stage that you will share with this person. They will open you up to new experiences and thoughts, expanding yourself in a unique way. Even though your relationship may be somewhat unconventional or "weird" in some peoples eyes, the connection between you two will be spectacular.

They are also a very charismatic and talkative person, I heard "the peoples princess", so very lovable too. A type of person who gets along with everyone.

👽Signs: Sagittarius and fire signs in general, Gemini, Blond hair, Tan skin, Summer time, Sealing, golden retriever, white shirts, Greece.

👽Pile 2: The Hanged Man, Queen of Cups and 7 of Wands.

Hi pile 2! This person is very sweet and calm. I feel like you are "friends to lovers", you can be friends first and then a couple. It can be someone who is already part of your life or someone you will soon meet.

Their presence in your life will bring stability and tranquility. They will be like "your safe place on earth", someone who will help you connect more with your emotions and with your most intuitive side. They are someone who will do their best to make the relationship beautiful and meaningful. Their sweetness and dedication are very important and I feel that it is one of the pillars that will make the relationship between you so good. This person will be an unconditional support, always willing to be by your side and make every moment together unique and special.

👽Signs: Water signs, White cats, Tall, Glasses, green eyes, Comics, superheroes, winter time, February, blue eyes.

👽Pile 3: 5 of Wands, The Moon and 2 of Pentacles.

Hi pile 3! This person is someone artistic; their vibes make me think of a talented painter, an inspiring writer or even a creative film director. Although they are a bit reserved, they are someone very observant.

It is not easy to gain their trust, i feel that they do not open up easily to all people, but you are the exception to that rule. The relationship you will have with this person will be very healthy and beautiful. Both of you will help each other grow and expand in life. This person will help you to discover a new way of seeing life, discovering your talents and helping you express them.

They will be your unconditional support at all time; they have great emotional intelligence and will give you comfort in difficult times.

👽Signs: Aquarius placements, Aliens, Whales, the sea, Night time, Norway, Snow, Dark hair, Tall height, Black cat energy, August.

👽👾Thanks for reading and tell me if it resonated 👾👽

[thoughtfulbearpanda]

February 2024 Pick a Card

Piles 1 -> 2 -> 3

Hi there! This is a timeless reading, so remember to take what resonates and leave what does not. Remember that you have free will and nothing is set in stone. Yes, this is intended for entertainment purposes but if any serious topics that come up in these readings that you find yourself resonating with, please seek aid or professional help if you are inclined to do so. Also, if anything in this reading is triggering for you don't feel the need to continue reading; please prioritize your mental and emotional health.

Take your time when choosing your pile. Ask yourself the question and choose the picture that you can’t stop looking at. Listen to your intuition.

PILE I

Okana Oracle: Reconcile, Grandma's Baby Lenormand: Whip & Heart, Tarot: 6 of cups rx, 2 of wands, 4 of cups, the Tower rx, 9 of cup rx

What I see you going through in the month of February pile 1 is you walking away from something. With the 6oc rx coupled with the 2ow there may be a decision you will have to make, and this decision could lead to you letting go of past connections, I’m getting ‘leaving the nest' for some of you. Some of you could be moving away, beginning your own chapter of life solo; some of you could be traveling overseas in the month of February, or just simply moving out of house and getting your own place. 

There is also this aspect of fear, not really knowing what you’re getting into, there is the sense of naivety. This could be towards a new job, maybe a change of career path or change in career studies for those who are still in school. This could be a small few of you but some of you may be weighing the decision to drop out of college or school. College/school/work may no longer be as exciting for as when you first started and you may be thinking about just calling it quits, but are delaying this decision because you may not have a backup plan and/or you don’t want to disappoint your loved ones. It’s like ‘I no longer enjoy this.’; ‘What if there is more for me out there?’; ‘What will my loved ones think?’; ‘What if I don’t have a back up plan and this ends being a mistake?’

Life is not full of easy choices. Every day we are proven that life is short. For those who resonate with the school/college message, I am not here to tell you what you should do BUT do what you believe is best for you. College is not for every one, but if dropping out is an option you are considering than have a back up plan ready for when you do. Figure out what you are going to do afterwards. Don’t just dive into this particular decision blindly.

I see you going through transformation pile 1. Some of you may have felt like you lost your spark, your joy, your purpose in life. I see you gaining that back in the month of February. You are going to start making decisions that make YOU happy, that bring YOU joy. February is the month where you consider how to get closer to your ultimate goal in life, and how you can rediscover your sense of purpose.

Shadow Message: Reconcile - “love yourself for only then can you love others” -> What is something that you find yourself struggling to let go of? What is this thing that is depleting you? Is it a job? Is is friends? Family? A partner, past or present? Do you find yourself pouring so much of yourself into this thing and/or person (people) that you barely have enough to pour into yourself? To whomever this resonates, it is time to take a look at your current attachments and come to terms with whether it is healthy or if you are simply a victim of codependency. Is this thing or person feeding off of you? If so, then it is time to cut the cord on that. Do some 'spring cleaning'. For some, it may not even a person or a job. Sometimes it just simply clearing out the old within your space, getting rid of old clothes, trinkets, furniture etc., to make room for the new. Find what is weighing you down emotionally, spiritually, mentally; find what is depleting your happiness and take the necessary steps to rid yourself of it.

Message(s) from the Ancestors: Whip & Heart - 'Sacrifice' & 'Love' -> Whip: "Everyone must pay. Nothing worthwhile or lasting was ever achieved by simply wanting it to be ours...sacrifice and work move things further than desire alone." Love: "There is an infinite supply of love for us to draw on, whether from platonic or romantic relationships, living or dead...but if we often lose ourselves in the need to nurture others, hiding in them to avoid being in ourselves...we must learn to love ourselves so deeply we find joy in solitude instead of heartbreak."

Final Messages:

"What is past is gone, what is hoped for is absent, for you is the hour for which you are."

"Wisdom outweighs strength."

"A snake that you can see does not bite."

"You cannot blindfold a man and expect him to ferry you across the river."

"Whoever stands in the need of honey should not be afraid of bees."

~additional messages: unexpected good fortune, generosity, possible travel, changes, postponement, disappointment and opposition

**PROVERBS 15:13 and DANIEL 10:6 for some of you**

PILE II

Okana Oracle: Grit & Confide, Grandma's Baby Lenormand: Rider rx & Clouds, Tarot; Page of swords, Queen of wands, 9 of cups, 7 of swords rx, & ace of wands Rx

The month of February is going to be very abundant for you pile 2. I see you socializing and being so vibrant and free, being the talk of the town. I'm getting 'social butterfly'. This month is going to be raining down blessings for you with the 9oc here. I see you filled with so much gratitude and happiness. Wishes will be coming true for you in the month of February; whatever you have been wishing for, praying for, hoping for, it will come true. I see you getting that dream job, dream car, dream house. Whatever you've been wishing for, you will be receiving it this month. Some of you could be starting a new project or job, and I see you being so excited about it. You have this eager, 'go getter' energy.

With the QoW here, a feminine figure could be significant for some you. This person could be mature, or just has a lot experience and wisdom under their belt. Who knows how to work a room, use their charm and charisma to achieve their goals. I see this person being some sort of a mentor figure to you this month. Someone that will help you harness this vibrant, off the walls energy that you may have. I see you shadowing this person, soaking up all the knowledge that she has to offer. *Be sure to take head from whatever advice this person gives you*

For some of you, there could be some snakes in your mists. In the month of February you may find yourself being on the receiving end of a lot of 'evil eye'. I see you being highly favored in the month of February, and with that comes with a lot of jealousy and attempts at sabotage. You may end up encountering a lot two-faced people; those who smile in your face but are quick to pray and revel in your downfall. Some of you may be up for promotion or have been promoted - BE CAREFUL. Be wary of those who are quick to befriend and try to get into your circle. It's like that saying 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer' - that is the mentality of these haters toward you. Just know that secrets don't stay buried and will eventually come to light. Karma never misses, so whatever these potential sabotagers have planned will back fire. You are protected by the Divine and your Ancestors.

The month of February, some of you may find yourself consumed with the drive to get something started. There may be an idea/project that you are trying to get off the ground to this point where you are obsessing over it. You are trying and trying and becoming more and more frustrated because it's not going the way you planned. With the ace of wands rx, you are being called to take a break. Step away from the idea/project and allow yourself to breathe. When we are so hyper focused on something, it can become easy for use to become consumed by to the point where we forget why we started said project/idea; and in some instances lose our passion fro what we do. That's why in moments of frustration we need to take a step back, put on pause on things. If this resonates, Spirit is prompting you to take a look out where you are, how far you've come, and remember why you started. Stop and smell the roses. Allow yourself to look at it from a different perspective.

For others, there could be a whole idea that you abandoned completely because it never got off the ground, someone may have told you that idea is not good, or maybe you felt like it could never be. Maybe it's time to revisit that project/idea from a new, fresher lens.

Shadow Message: Grit & Confide - Grit: "when a needle falls into a well many people will look into the well, but very few will go down after it" -> Take a look at yourself this month and ask yourself 'Am I biting off more than I can chew?', 'Am I involving myself in projects or places that do not pertain to me?', 'If I am doing all these things: why?' If you find yourself spiraling or just taking on so much, unnecessarily, maybe it's time to take a step back from it. It's good to have drive to have that grit/conviction but not to the point where it is at your own detriment. It can be easy, being caught up in 'the grind' and all but we also have to remember to take breaks; Confide: "all things are good to eat, but not all things are good to say" -> February is looking to be an abundant month for you, but remember to not get caught up in the high. You may be on the receiving end gossip, but try not to perpetuate the same behaviors as your haters. If find yourself engaging gossip with others ask yourself 'Is it true?', 'Is it kind?', 'Are these people doing the same thing to me behind my back?', 'Will they go back an twist my words to said person?', 'Why are they trying to get me involved gossip to begin with?'. Remember: Karma. Never. Misses.

Message(s) from the Ancestors: Rider rx & Clouds - 'Intention' & 'Denial' -> Rider rx: "Don't be hasty, Baby. Before taking action, we must be clear on our intention. And be certain our actions align with that intention." Clouds: "Clouds can be information that is hidden and outcomes that are uncertain...we must know truth before we know miracles, and what is before we know what can be."

Final Messages:

"Not to know is bad, to not wish to know is worse."

"Fire surrounded by elders cannot burn you."

"Luck at times will visit a fool, but it never sits down with him."

"Truth cannot be hidden forever beneath evil."

"He who wakes up early in the morning receives bundle of blessings."

~additional messages: good luck coming to you, harmony, property, achievement, love, dark-haired woman who is strong, helpful and attractive, warning of loss of friendship

**EXODUS 24:15 for some of you**

PILE III

Okana Oracle: Harmony & Reconcile, Grandma Baby Lenormand: Fish & Mice, Tarot: 10 of swords, 2 of cups, Knight of wands, 5 of pentacles rx, ace of swords rx

Are some of you in a relationship, pile 3? Or is there someone on your mind? Cause with the 2oc here there is a potential for love to blossom for you in the month of February. You could have met this person or will meet this person and you guys hit right off the bat. The knight of wands indicates that you and this person will 'click' so fast, and so unexpectedly. This person could be a fire sign; they could be someone who is vibrant, and has a lot of energy and passion to them. They could be 'go-getter', someone who acts before they thinks, who likes to dive into things head-first. And it doesn't necessarily have to be a romance either. This could be someone who you will end up having a genuine bond and connection with. This person could be a bit of foil to you if you are more on the shy side, or this is someone who will match your energy.

Some of you may have dealt with betrayal in the past, like been backstabbed by a person/people that you've trusted. This has possibly resulted you in having trust issues, you questioning the motives of those who try to get close to you. This connection coming in is going to help you heal those wounds. This connection coming is someone you can trust and they are going to prove that to you. They will be patient with you. Maybe this person coming in has probably dealt with same thing, and this connection will be healing for both of you.

For others of you, you may have fallen on hard times in the past pile 3. Some of you may have dealt with a lot of spiritual warfare. What I mean by that, is that you may have been feeling empty spiritually. Doubting your religion, your ancestors, spirit guides, or even the concept of spirituality itself. *With everything that has been going on in the world, I can understand* Maybe you've hanging on to this concept of religion or spirituality in hopes it will make your life better because that's what you've been told, only to be met with disappointment after disappointment. Maybe recently you've had one too many disappointments and began to question yourself: 'Am I doing something wrong?' 'Why isn't working?' 'Am I just playing myself for a fool?'

I see you starting to come back to that pile 3, because you can't ignore the call forever. I see rekindling your relationship with the Divine, with God, your Ancestors, whomever you believe in. That tarot deck that you've put away? You're dusting off and getting back into the swing of things. That altar that you abandoned, walked away from? I see resetting it and familiarizing yourself with your guides, with your gifts. And honestly, sometimes walking away is needed pile 3. It's okay to take a break for a while, reconnect with yourself, ground yourself, and find your way back to it eventually.

Shadow Message: Harmony & Reconcile - Harmony: "where there is life, there is always hope" -> You could be dealing with bouts of loss or despair in February. Have you lost all hope of being happy? Content? Have you lost hope in ever being able to trust again? Have you become a glass half-empty, glass half-full kind of person? It's time to confront those doubts, pile 3. Time to challenge those negative beliefs you've become accustomed to. Make the effort of bringing harmony and positivity back into your life; Reconcile: "love yourself for only then can you love others" -> It is time to heal pile 3. Heal those wounds. Hanging onto that hurt is giving the person who hurt you more power over you. What is something you have trouble letting go of? Is it the betrayal? The backstabbing? Is it becomes you should have saw it coming? Are you ready to let it go? Are you ready to move on?

Message(s) from the Ancestors: Fish & Mice - 'Gifts' & 'Fear' -> Fish: "If we give birth to what is within us, what is within us will save us. If we do not give birth to what is within us, what is within us will destroy us." Mice: "If we feed fear, we will be eaten alive."

Final Messages:

"You can kill the identity of a man on earth, but you cannot kill his spirit."

"Respect begets respect."

"Even as the archer loves the arrow that flies, so too he loves the bow that remains in his hands."

"The path to wisdom is a lifelong commitment."

"It is the one who lives in the house that knows where the roof leaks."

~additional messages: friendship, success, business meetings, reliable friend, conflict, love, affair, worry and fear

**JONAH 1:17 for some of you**

That's all I have for you! Thanks for reading! Stay safe, stay blessed!

Asé

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Before He Cheats | Dagger Squad Imagine

Takes place after the events of TGM

TGM Masterlist

Characters & Pairings: female pilot!reader x Dagger squad (platonic), reader x ex!oc (past romance)

Content Warnings: angst, cheating, profanity, ends with sweet revenge | female!reader (she/her) | wc: 3.8k

Requested 📨 yes/no (rules for requests)

Premise: One thing about cheaters, they’re always gonna get caught. Whether right when it happens or years down the road the truth always comes out. And one thing they should realize is revenge is a dish best served cold.

Note: I finally finished my first year of grad school!!! Fucking finally people. Now I can relax and get to the drawing board. I already have visions and outlines for all current requests in my inbox and be sure to check out my April/May upcoming works and my pinned works in progress for what’s coming and posted! Thank you for your patience and to the anon who requested this I hope you liked it!

Also y’all….is there like some freaky shit going on with the universe and my works 💀 cause three days after I posted Lover inspired by Taylor swift she and her man of 8 years broke up and now I’m posting a cheater imagine (this request is from end of February) when there’s stuff going about Glen 👀 this is just freaky now

—————

Friday night at the Hard Deck consisted of a full house ready to kick off the weekend with beer and music. For a few years now Y/n had been working at the bar serving drinks and singing from 8pm to 9 as a way to make extra cash while her college sweetheart Ryan, who was a Lieutenant Junior Grade, was stationed at Miramar. Having not been married despite being a couple for so long, Y/n lived off base with some roommates while her boyfriend stayed in the dorms, however, he’d come to her place after work and stayed on weekends.

It was rare to see a military couple not be the stereotypically, “we got married right after I commissioned so my partner can be my dependent and travel with me when I get orders.” No, that wasn’t Y/n and Ryan. After Ryan’s commission Y/n stayed to finish up her Master’s at the University of Miami where they met while he was sent to Japan for two years. Then he was stationed in Virginia, followed by Lemoore, and now he was at Miramar. The longest base he’d been at. Y/n had been with him in Virginia, but didn’t move to Lemoore as she had a three-year contract with her job at the University of Virginia.

Toward the end of his two years at Lemoore, Y/n called Y/n to inform her he was being stationed at North Island and the contract was to be at least five years. Wanting to be close to him after being apart for so long and filled with hope they’d finally settle after Ryan hits ten years in the Navy, Y/n transferred to the University of California San Diego as the history of music professor. She also took on a part-time job as a bartender Friday and Saturday since she was only teaching two sections that occurred on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Plus Penny allowed her to sing Friday nights as an added bonus knowing she loved music.

Y/n settled rather quickly in North Island. With her two jobs she developed a friendly social circle consisting of the UCSD staff on campus and regulars at the Hard Deck. Several of the aviators took a liking to her. They knew Ryan and would often meet up every Friday after work to catch up on the week and watch her sing. Y/n always had their rounds ready the moment they walked in, “got ya seven cold ones.”

“Already?”

“The newbie over there didn’t read the sign. Round’s on him.”

They’d cheer Y/n on when she sang, literally the loudest bunch in the whole bar. “Sing it girl!”

“Ariana ain’t got nothing on you!

Phoenix sometimes sat at the bar when she needed to get away from the guys. “Are you working tomorrow?”

“Penny gave me the night off since I got papers to grade…but If I get done early I’ll be free.”

“Please, I am in need of a girls night. Hell I’ll even come help you grade if you tell me what to do.”

“Damn, Nat, were the guys too much this week?” She placed another beer in front of the pilot, removing the empty one to discard. “This one’s on me. You look like you need it.”

“You have no idea, Y/n. All week we’ve been training for an upcoming mission and they’ve been driving me nuts.”

Ryan had his own group of friends from the base who’d come toward the later hours of the night. They’d usually take up the space at the bar, Ryan greeting Y/n with a kiss and telling her how the day was. He’d nurse a couple beers before he and Y/n would retreat to her apartment when the place closed at eleven.

They’d been together for several years, coming up on their eighth anniversary when Y/n discovered his infidelity.

And it wasn’t just a one-and-done “I was drunk and stupid, she doesn’t mean anything,” type of deal. No, this was a long going affair lasting almost a year.

What was the kicker? The other woman was a married coworker of his.

Now Y/n may have had the reputation of being the sweet, down to earth, understanding person who would never hurt a fly. But as soon as her eyes landed on Ryan, her partner of eight years, shoving his throat down another woman’s throat while grabbing her ass like it would vanish from thin air…..she saw red. Kill Bill sirens blasting in her mind. Y/n wanted to ruin both of them seeing she wasn’t the only person betrayed. The woman’s husband was also being deceived.

And what was punishment for adultery and extramarital sexual conduct? Well, according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice those in the military who are married or have affairs with married personnel are dishonorably discharged, forfeited of all pay and confined for one whole year.

Was it harsh? Maybe some would see it that way. But cheaters need to be taught a lesson.

And Y/n was gonna make sure they got it.

For a whole week Y/n put on a brave face. Accumulating photographs and screenshots of text messages, emails, and bank statements to show proof of the affair and how long it had been going on. She secretly got in touch with the husband of the Lieutenant Ryan was sleeping with, presenting him with everything. Heartbroken and angry, he agreed to remain quiet until the meeting Y/n had set up on that following Friday with their partner's supervisor.

“I know this is a lot to ask,” she exhaled, tired from everything and having to act like she was fine. “But come Friday they’ll be faced with the consequences of their actions. I’m sorry you’re having to go through this as well.”

“It’s not your fault—you’re not the one who cheated on me. You’re the one who found out and had the decency to tell me. We both got screwed,” he rubbed his face with his hands, wedding ring flashing under the light. When it caught his eyes all he could do was glare at it. “The only thing making this somewhat bearable is the fact they’re gonna be hit with the ultimate blindside.”

Y/n nodded to his ring, “What are you gonna do?”

“I’m contacting a divorce lawyer once I leave here. Hopefully the papers will be drawn up quickly so I can bring them to the meeting. Make it a double whammy. You?”

Y/n threw back the rest of her gin & tonic, letting out another tired sign, “I booked a flight to Cabo. Spring break is next week so I’m gonna take a well needed week long vacation and then figure it out from there.” Sunny skies with margaritas and radio silence seemed to be the best therapy at the moment.

For the next three days Y/n maintained a strong façade. Whenever Ryan went to kiss her she’d kept it short or moved to where his lips hit her cheek. She continued to send screenshots to her phone and delete the conversations so he wouldn’t notice. When she surprised him at work for lunch the day before the meeting it really threw both the cheaters off.

“Y/n,” his eyes went wide, “what are you doing here?”

“Thought I’d surprise you for lunch,” she held up a bag of homemade stir fry, bidding a glance at the woman who also was white a sheet. “Hi, I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Y/n.”

“Becca.”

“Becca,” she repeated, a smile tight on her lips. While doing so she gave an obvious glance to Becca’s ring finger, finding the diamond. “Beautiful ring you’ve got there. Are you engaged?” Becca became flustered, but kept calm.

“Married.”

“Ah, your husband has a great eye for jewelry. You’re so lucky.”

Ryan was quick to cut the conversation short after the mention of Becca’s husband. Visibly uncomfortable with how Y/n was throwing their aldurty in their face despite not knowing she was aware of it.

The next day Y/n marched into their superiors office, dressed like a corporate CEO ready to fire the entire team for an unforgivable mistake, with two boxes on each arm. One filled with all the evidence of Ryan and Becca’s affair, the other containing all of Ryan’s belongings he had at Y/n’s apartment. Becca’s husband, Tim arrived a minute later with a folder of divorce papers in his hands.

They met with the supervisor first. Y/n introduced who she was and who Tim was, presenting the box of evidence and explained while the Captain shuffled through the papers. Visibly disgusted, the Captain thanked Y/n for bringing it to his attention and promised the adults he would handle the rest.

“Are you calling them in right now?” She asked.

“I was planning to this afternoon, why?”

“I’d like to be present if you don’t mind,” a hand came up to the other box she had, “These are his things and frankly, I want to see the look on his face.”

“Me too,” Tim piped up and waved the folder in his hands. “These need to be served to Becca.”

The supervisor simply shrugged and said, “if that’s what you want, fine by me.” He hit a button on his phone, “Wilkins, please inform Lieutenants Stevens and Leeds they need to report to my office immediately.”

“Yes, sir.” Though her heart was racing, Y/n remained poised and took a seat against the wall of the room. Tim sat beside her, both setting their gaze on the door to await their soon to be exes.

Roughly ten minutes later, a knock on the door sounded and the Captain gruffly said, “enter.” The door opened to reveal Ryan, whose eyes went straight to his superior before scanning the room ultimately resulting in him to freeze where he stood. Turning white as a sheet, Y/n could only imagine what was running through her ex boyfriend’s mind. There was great satisfaction seeing his eyes flicker from her to Tim to the Captain.

“Have a seat, Lieutenant,” the older gentleman's finger pointed to the seat in front of his desk. It seemed to snap Ryan from his daydream, the man stumbling into the room and unable to form words.

When he sat the first thing he tried to say was her name to which the Captain voiced, “I didn’t say you could speak, Lieutenant. Keep quiet, we’re waiting on one more before we get started.”

Becca’s reaction was pretty much the same when she arrived two minutes later. “T-tim,” she stuttered, red as a tomato and fear etched on her face.

“Rebecca,” his tone was blank, matching his expression. Just the full name combined with the parties in the room indicated to Becca she was about to have the worst day of her life.

But hey, maybe she shouldn’t have cheated then.

And Ryan? Mans was shitting bricks where he sat. Couldn’t even bring himself to look at Becca when she sat in the chair beside him. He kept trying to plead to Y/n with his eyes but she wasn’t having it.

The Captain got right to it. He laid out all the evidence on the desk for the two to see, Becca immediately breaking into tears while Ryan tried to explain. What could he explain though? How could he defend a year long affair with a married coworker in front of her husband, longtime girlfriend and superior.

When it came time for the Captain to discuss where to go from there, Y/n excused herself by dropping the box of Ryan’s things into his lap, “Here’s all your shit,” it nearly spilled onto the floor when the action surprised him. “Don’t call, text, show up at my place or at the bar tonight otherwise I’ll call the cops. I’m done with you, Ryan. Thanks for wasting eight fucking years of my life.”

“Wait, Y/n, please—,” she cut him off when he went to stand.

“You’ve not been dismissed yet,” that got him to freeze, noticing the Captain smirking in the corner of her eye. She turned to Tim, “Thanks for your help. Good luck with everything and I hope it works in your favor.” Becca gasped, realizing what the folder in Tim’s hand represented. It spurred on another wave of tears.

“Thanks,” he gave a tired smile, “And good luck to you.” With that Y/n was out the door and Ryan was out of her life. First thing she did was go home, change, and drive to the Hard Deck. Penny immediately poured a glass for her, “long day?” Y/n accepted the beer with a nod.

“Glad it's almost over.”

“What happened?”

Y/n felt the tears welling in her eyes. The emotions she had been holding the past two weeks had finally broken free. Concern formed on Penny’s face. “Ryan was cheating on me for the past year.”

“No,” the woman gasped. Never had she thought Ryan, who always came to the bar to keep Y/n company and watch her sing and her partner of almost a decade would betray her like that. “Did you just find out today?”

“Last Monday. I went to bring him his dry cleaning he left at my place and found him making out with his married coworker.” Another gasp left Penny. “I’ve been playing actor the past two weeks to make him think everything was okay while I gathered proof. Told the woman’s husband a couple days ago and we both met with their superior today. Gave him his stuff while I was at it.”

“I’m so sorry honey,” Penny reached over to pat her hand, “he’s an asshole and you’re worth so much more than him.” Y/n softly smiled at that, mumbling a thanks. Penny served her another glass, “Take the night off okay, I can call Elise to take your shift.”

If Y/n was being honest the offer sounded like a dream. She wanted to go home and cry herself into a bucket of ice cream while watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine until she passed out. But part of her also wanted to sing her pent up feelings out. “Thanks, Penny. I’d still like to sing though if you don’t mind. I could use the release.”

“Of course,” Penny waved a hand, “Whenever you feel like it I’ll have Jose set up the mic. Your guitar’s in the back where I keep the stock.”

For the next couple hours Y/n caught up on grading some papers at a booth while she waited for 8 to roll around. By 6 most of their regulars from the base arrived, signaling the end of the work day. Nat was the first to spot Y/n, strolling over and immediately noticed by the professor's body language that something was off.

“What happened?” She sat across from her.

“What makes you think something happened?”

Nat gave a look, “first, you’re not working the bar.” Y/n shrugged, trying to be nonchalant.

“Penny gave me the night off. I’m still singing though so I thought I’d hang out for the time being—catch up grading before spring break next week.”

“The tone in your voice is off.”

Y/n scoffed even though the pilot was right, “It’s not off.”

“What’s not off?” Rooster comes up, pushing Nat aside so he could slide into the booth.

“Y/n’s acting off and won’t say why.”

“I’ve been grading papers for the last two hours,” Y/n rolled her eyes, “sixty to be exact and all are six pages each. If I sound off it’s probably because I’m tired.” Again, Nat doesn’t appear convinced.

“But you’re still gonna sing even though you probably would rather be home sleeping the day away?”

“Friday nights are what I look forward to during the week,” Y/n scribbled a grade at the top of the paper in front of her, placing it on the stack, “I get to see you guys and sing whatever I want. I wouldn’t miss this.”

“Is Ryan coming?” It was an innocent question and one to expect from her friends given they had no idea of the events that’d taken place. However it didn’t stop the sharp intake of breath Y/n did.

“No, he’s not,” she quickly added before they could ask why, “he got held up at work. His supervisor needed to discuss some things with him.”

“Uh oh,” Rooster made a face, unaware of the boiling anger surfacing in Y/n. “That can’t be good.”

“Yeah,” Y/n clicked her pen, finishing up the last paper. Nat decided not to press further on what was bothering her friend. If Y/n wanted to say then that was up to her.

So to brighten her mood Nat bought her a round and challenged Y/n to a game of pool. Y/n packed up her things, placed them behind the bar and then greeted the other daggers.

“There’s our favorite singer,” Jake announced with a smile. “We were wondering where you were.” Y/n took the cue Rooster handed her.

“Just trying to get through the semester, Hangman.”

The two women played best out of three with Y/n winning the first and final game. By the time they finished it was pushing 7:50 so Y/n informed Penny she was getting her guitar. Once retrieving the instrument she returned to the floor to see Jose had set up the mic and stool for her.

Grabbing a glass of water, Y/n took the stage and set the glass beside the stool before clearing her throat, “Hey everyone.” There were a few hoots and whistles from her friends and regulars at the bar. “How’s your night going? Good?” There were some ‘yeahs’ from the crowd, people moving to get drinks and settle close to the stage. “That’s great to hear. Just sit back, relax, and feel the music.”

Y/n played several songs, all acoustic, starting with Taylor Swift’s ‘Getaway Car’ followed by ‘Back to Black’ by Amy Winehouse. She changed the tune by playing Bill Withers ‘Ain’t No Sunshine,’ but changed ‘she’ to ‘he’ that not many caught. She played ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell,’ by Lana Del Rey and ‘Somebody That I Used To Know,’ from Gotye.

Coming up to the final five minutes of the hour, Y/n gulped the remaining bit of her water and put on a brave face. “This last song,” she paused to close her eyes, “fits the theme you’ve been hearing all night, but is a little more close to the heart. It’s dedicated to someone who’s not present in the crowd which really is a good thing because he knew what was best for him,” very quickly Y/n saw the confusion appear on her friends, some whispering to each other to ask if they knew what she was talking about. “If you can relate to this song because you’ve been on the receiving end of betrayal then my heart goes out to you for I feel your pain. If you can relate because you’ve been that one to betray someone, well, I’ve got nothing to say to you.”

Letting her fingers drum against the strings, the beginning chords of ‘Before He Cheats’ by Carrie Underwood echoed through the bar.

“Right now, he’s probably slow dancin’,” her voice carried into the mic, raw with emotion. “With a bleached-blond tramp and she’s probably gettin’ frisky. Right now, he’s probably buyin’ her some fruity little drink. ‘Cause she can’t shoot whisky.”

Out in the crowd Nat cursed under her breath, anger rising at the realization, “That sly bastard.”

“What?” Mickey whispered, the guys leaning in.

“Right now, he’s probably up behind her with a pool stick. Showin’ her how to shoot a como. And he doesn’t know….”

“Don’t you see?” She gestured with a hand to Y/n, “Ryan cheated on her! That’s why he’s not here. That’s why his supervisor needed to see him. It’s why she’s dedicated this song, a song about a cheater, to him!”

All the sirens ring in their heads as Y/n belts the chorus.

“I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive. Carved my name into his leather seats. I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights, I slashed a hole in all four tires. Maybe next time he’ll think before he cheats.”

“Oh,” the word left Jake’s lips, fury in his green eyes. Y/n was his friend, and nobody hurts his friends. “Oh he’s gonna regret that.”

“You guys thinking what I’m thinking?” Rooster crossed his arms over his chest. All of them shared a look. Nat took one look at Y/n and saw how she was holding back tears.

Kill Bill sirens flooded her brain.

“Yeah, I think we are.”

Come Monday Ryan was emptying out his desk while he awaited his discharge hearing, dark circles under his eyes and in dire need of sleep. As he carried the box out to his car, it fell from his hands with horror coating his face.

Parked in the same spot his beloved red Mustang Charger was not the way he left it. The windows were shattered, tires slashed, the leather of his seats torn. His license plates were missing and the word cheater spray painted in white along the sides.

Hiding behind the building, the guys were biting back their laughter at his reaction. Bob holding the spray paint can, Mickey with the Louisville slugger and Bradley and Jake with pocket knives. Reuben had the plates behind his back and Javy kept checking the phone where he had hacked into the building's security cameras to make sure they were disconnected.

Right on time, Nat came running around the corner in her PT gear, slowing her run when she approached a visibly distraught and furious Ryan. Removing her headphones the pilot whistled, “Damn. That’s gonna be a field day to fix.”

Ryan snapped his head to her, “Do you know who did this?” His tone was accusatory and Nat couldn’t blame him. He knew she was friends with Y/n and frequented the bar every week. He wouldn’t put it past Nat being involved. “Was it you and her? Huh? Y/n had to get one last final laugh—as if she hasn’t done enough!” Nat only scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“I wouldn’t throw accusations so loosely, Ryan. I’ve had PT all morning and Y/n left for Cabo yesterday.” There was no lie in her statement. Y/n was currently sitting at the poolside of her resort with a margarita in her hand. She’d posted on her instagram stories and let Nat know when she landed. Plus the pilot did have PT and was finishing up her run before heading to the flight line.

But she was the mastermind while the boys did the dirty work.

The truth only angered Ryan more, his face turning even more red. “Then who did this?!”

“How should I know?” Nat smirked, putting her headphones in as she started to move past him. “But maybe next time you’ll think before you cheat.”

………..

TGM tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan @caitsymichelle13 @poppyalice2001 @cutelittlepotatofry @luckyladycreator2 @americaarse @elenavampire21 @back-tooo-black @wildellaa @artemissunn @pinkpantheris

[freshbakedbreadstick]

No. 1 Party Anthem - Mikey Berzatto x F!Reader - Prologue

Past!Mikey Berzatto x F!Reader

Carmy Berzatto x F!Platonic!Reader

Richie Herimovich x F!Platonic!Reader

Summary: After running for so long, it was time to come home

Warnings: All my fics are 18+ regardless of the content. Heavy spoilers and angst. Mentions of death, mental health issues, and toxic relationships. It’s not graphic or detailed in this one but I just want to warn you now that this series will deal with extremely heavy topics as it goes on (similar to the show).

Word Count: 1.6k

A/N: Hey bestiesssssssssss!!! This is my first ever series and actually first ever written work that I'm posting lol and I'm so excited for it!!! I'm starting off with a series because i had this really good and angsty idea while reading ANOTHER fantastic piece of work and was like “fine…….. I'll do it myself” so i'm here now writing it lmao anyways i'm starting off posting my fanfics with Mikey and Carmy because i've been a little too focused on The Bear lately n love them so much. Chapter one of this series should be coming up this time next week so dw abt waiting so long for an update!! Anyways i hope you all enjoyyyy <3

MASTERLIST

The cool Chicago night air nips at you as it blows by, rolling along the exposed skin of your arms. It was 3 in the morning and the street where The Original Beef of Chicagoland stood was empty and silent.

The building stood before you, quiet and lifeless. It was odd seeing it so silent and it almost seemed… peaceful. But one glance at the rusting sign that seemed to be barely hanging onto the building made the façade of tranquility fall.

The knot in your stomach grew as your eyes traced over the rusted sign and then onto the walls that showed cracks and age. The sidewalk wasn’t any better with uneven cement and haphazard patching. Just then, a piece of trash rolled by the curb, coming from the alley right next to The Beef. 

It was just like how you remembered it. 

The wear and tear was what originally made you appreciate it. It showed use and love, the same way that laugh lines around a person’s mouth showed you that they lived a life full of smiles and laughter. The walls were in use as hundreds filed in and out of the building for their favorites, every week. The floor was worn away underneath the soles of families, drunk friends, older couples, working folk, and more. The ungentrified building made the whole thing feel nostalgic, despite not being a building you were around as a child. It had felt… familiar in a both comforting and melancholic way. 

But now, seeing the building, especially with its marks of age, made your blood run like ice through your veins. It made you shiver, despite it being September in Chicago. 

What once was a warm and inviting place felt cold and even scary. 

It had been months since you spoke to the Berzattos. Actually, it had been months since you were in Chicago at all. About 8 months, that is. You left in February after… everything and never looked back. The east felt too familiar at that point, so you traveled west.

You chased the highs and avoided the lows, moving from one place to another until you settled in a quiet town where you felt loved. But that love didn’t come without its challenges and when it got hard, you did what you knew best and that was leaving. 

So you left with no clue as to where you were going, too proud but mainly too afraid to reach out to the family you had in Chicago. You drove with a car full of junk you couldn't even stand looking at anymore for all the memories of the past couple of months attached to them made your stomach churn. With no place to go, you found yourself, 5 days after leaving and living in your car, sitting on the hood of your 2002 Chevy Impala, stopped and watched the sunset of the west for the last time at a rest stop in the middle of nowhere with your head hurting and eyes puffy. It was then when your phone buzzed. 

The cracked screen blinked brightly as you glanced over at it.

‘Please come home, we miss you - Nat’

Your mouth dried as you read the message. Your heart pounded in your ears as your eyes raced over the words over and over and over.

‘Please come home, we miss you’

‘Please come home, we miss you’

‘Please come home, we miss you’

‘Please come home, we miss you’

‘Please come home, we miss you’

‘Please come home, we miss-

Another message popped up then, interrupting your reading and making you jump. 

‘I promise it’s okay’

Your hands trembled. How Sugar got your number after you changed it twice to avoid your ex from the west was a mystery but it almost felt like divine intervention as you read it under the glow of the cotton candy clouds in the sky. 

‘Come home’

So you made the decision to go back. 

To go home. 

But this decision didn’t mean that you were leaving right away; for two months you practically lived in motel rooms and in your car, pacing back and forth for hours in parking lots, empty hallways, and tiny motel rooms at the thought of facing everyone again. Would they be upset? Angry? Sad? Would they hate you? Welcome you with open arms? Especially after abandoning them the way you did? 

Some nights were spent breathing deeply and slowly, desperately trying to get your heart to beat at a reasonable pace and other nights were spent with tears streaming down your cheeks. You almost even decided to just not come home at all; it felt like moving out of the country and assuming a new identity would be easier to deal with than going home.

But you got yourself together and after pawning everything you didn’t mind parting with for cash, you drove with a lighter trunk and a lighter heart across the country and eastward toward Illinois. 

Before you knew it, the giant ‘WELCOME TO ILLINOIS, THE LAND OF LINCOLN’ sign had appeared in your vision. It greeted you like an old friend, making your eyes sting and your chest tighten as your car zoomed by it. 

Two hours away from Chicago, your stomach would not stop growling so you decided to stop and grab a bite to eat. After settling your car at a nearby park next to an empty bench, you got off and focused a bit too much on grabbing your belongings to notice what your surroundings looked like. 

It wasn’t until you had sat down and ripped the bag of food open, when the smell of a salami and mozzarella sub wafted in the air, perking you up and prompting you to smile softly, that you glanced up. Over the dark green shrubs and still water of Peoria Lake were cotton candy clouds, nearly identical to the ones that you had seen while sitting on the hood of your car, terrified and hoping for a sign, any sign, that what you were doing was the right thing. 

Five minutes later, your car was back on the highway and speeding towards Chicago.

You stayed over at your parents’ house that night. They were overjoyed to see their child. Your mother cried, holding onto you as your father rubbed your back, comfortingly. Part of you wanted to, so badly, melt into their arms, but another part of you reminded you of the last time you were here. Despite the furniture being different and the decorations being rearranged, your body twitched as it remembered the exact emotions and position you were in when you got the news. 

The news that your boyfriend, Michael Berzatto, was found dead.

You couldn’t sleep that night, nor the next, or even the one after that. You got a combined total of about 15 hours of sleep in the past 72 hours, making you look and feel exhausted. But your mind was the only thing that wasn’t exhausted from replaying the memory over and over and over. 

About 5 days after you arrived, you got another message from Sugar. This time, a pit formed in your stomach as you read it.

‘Hey, it’s me again! Can you swing by The Beef tomorrow? I'm working there now and would love to see you. I’m sorry this is on such short notice but I've been crazy busy and I heard you were in town. I really want to see you and if you can’t do tomorrow, let me know so we can plan another day.

We really do miss you.’

You rock your jaw and put your phone down on the edge of the twin mattress you sat on, in your childhood bedroom. Right then, your mom gently knocks on your bedroom door before pushing it open.

“Have you talked to Natalie at all yet?” she said softly, clasping her hands together and leaning against the door frame.

You huffed and smiled weakly, of course your mom would mention something to her, that’s how she knew you were here. While your mom respected you doing things on your own time, she also knew that you needed a little push to make that connection. 

“Uhm… yea she just texted me. I uh, i might see her tomorrow at The Beef,” you murmured with a shaky breath. 

Thank god Sugar ended up being the one to text you instead of you texting her. 

Your mom smiled sweetly, “I think you should go, sweetheart. I know it seems scary but… I think it’s time you saw them…” 

Nodding, you turn and crawl up to the pillows of your bed. With a sigh, you lay down and close your eyes, exhausted. 

From your door frame, your mom quietly watched you and sighs softly. She slowly grabs your door and closes it behind her as she leaves. The hallway light goes off, leaving you and your thoughts alone in the pitch black dark.  

And here you were, a couple hours after you read her message, standing across The Beef on a cool Chicago night with the air nipping at your exposed skin as it blows by. You left in such a rush that you forgot to bring a hoodie and didn’t even bother to change from your thin pajama pants and loose old t-shirt. All you did was throw on your shoes and climb out your window, car keys clutched in your sweaty palm, like you used to do in high school to sneak off with Mikey. 

But those days seemed so far away now the same way that The Beef seemed so far away. It felt as if the trek across the street actually spanned thousands of miles and not a minute walk. 

So you sighed and turned around, walking down the sidewalk and back to your car. Who knew what time it was anymore, but you knew that you really needed to get rest tonight… you had a big day tomorrow. 

[xxlady-lunaxx]

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!! ❤ //2024 | {DouKaza}

Theme: FLUFF. 

Note: posting this now bc i forgot to on valentines day HELP

Modern AU

×××

He didn't know when he'd last seen Akaza face to face. It had been a while now, probably nearly a year. Douma had been living in Michikatsu and Muzan's house for the time, having to work in the opposite side of Japan in order to get the income he needed. 

But he'd finally found a job much closer to the city Akaza lived in and... needless to say, he was excited. Much more, it was early february and there were only a couple days till Valentines. So he, with the help of Michikatsu and Muzan, arranged to travel back to where Akaza was and surprise him on Valentines day. 

So he packed quickly now, excitement running through his body as he did so. He'd only been calling Akaza up until now, and their calls had gotten shorter recently since Douma's time off had gotten less as he'd wanted to work enough to be able to get enough to find an apartment near Akaza's place and pay off Muzan and Michikatsu for letting him live with them for so long.

They'd've visited, probably, if their schedules weren't so tightly sewn together, practically prohibiting any chance to visit. But now, Douma would be able to stay near Akaza, be with him again.

He closed the suitcase, finally, and flopped back onto the bed exhausted, having been packing for over an hour now. He'd not unpacked a lot of things from the past when he'd moved in here, considering he'd been planning to move back to his home town in the first place.

The door to his room opened and Douma sat up, smiling at Michikatsu as he walked in.

"Done packing?" Michikatsu asked, eyeing the haphazardly closed suitcase.

"Mhm!!" Douma stood, lifting the suitcase from the bed and dropping it to the floor. "Is Muzan home?"

"Yeah, he got home a couple minutes ago. I'll make dinner now," Michikatsu offered.

"Right, thanks!" the blond said cheerfully. "I'm going to bring these downstairs."

"Alright, I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." 

"'Kay!"

×××

The day flew by and then it was near to midnight and Muzan was driving Douma to the airport (Douma wasn't allowed to drive without supervision, rules made by Muzan and Michikatsu who didn't trust him to not crash the car and die. And Douma couldn't drive it back.)

"Mm, when you get there tell Akaza we said hi," Muzan said, his eyes on the road.

"Alright! I can't wait to see him," Douma said, giggling randomly.

"Yeah, I know. You've told me and Michi' about one hundred million times today," Muzan deadpanned.

"I'm just so exciteedddd," Douma whined, pouting.

"I know."

The rest of the drive lapsed into silence and when they arrived, Douma thanked Muzan profusely who ignored him as he helped take out his things.

And then Douma was sat on the airplane, staring out at the sky around him as they flew above Japan to the opposite side of it. He felt almost lightheaded from exhilaration and he smiled brightly as they soared through the sky. (this sounds stupid)

×××

Douma had settled into his new apartment, placing his things around the rooms until he was satisfied. He'd called Michikatsu and Muzan, telling them he'd arrived safely and was going to go meet Akaza soon.

It was in the middle of the week so it was... not exactly the best time for Valentine's day to come, but he found himself not caring. He would meet Akaza at night, knowing that Akaza had a day shift.

He was a bit apprehensive about what would happen, but at this point he couldn't care because he was excited as hell to see Akaza and he could barely sleep that night.

Sometime in the middle of the night, he woke up. There wasn't any particular reason except he really wanted to see Akaza again. He was unable to fall back asleep so he went on his phone, scrolling through his texts with Akaza. 

Eventually, around 3am, he decided to text Akaza where he'd be later at night, bored.

Akaza answered almost right away—which concerned Douma given the lateness.

My love<3: The hell are you texting me so early for? And I'm not doing anything, just going to be at home

Douma: why are you even awake 3: 

My love<3: Bc I got your text

Douma: I woke you up?

My love<3: Not really, just couldn't sleep

Douma: Awh.. wanna call?? :33 

My love<3: Ok

Douma: :3

He called Akaza quickly, the face of his lover filling his screen.

"Akaza-dono!! Hii!!" Douma said cheerfully, waving. He used the tag 'dono' as a pet-name for Akaza often.

Akaza nodded, looking tired but content. "That doesn't look like where you usually sleep, did they kick you out?" he teased, laughing.

"Hm? Oh, uhm, we changed the sheets," Douma said quickly. "Anyways, how are you?"

"...Okay. I'm tired. Also, isn't tomorrow Valentines Day?" Akaza asked quietly. 

"Yep!" Douma said, smiling.

Akaza sighed, resting his head down. He placed the phone somewhere, propping it up so he wouldn't have to hold it as he spoke to Douma. "I wish you could be here, it's going to be so awkward seeing everyone else being... couples? And I can't even speak to you face-to-face."

Douma fought to hide him smile, nodding solemnly. "Hmm, I'm sure we'll find a time to meet one day..."

"Don't you need a job here, though?" Akaza asked, yawning.

"Mhm, Akaza, you should sleep, you look tired," Douma said, a crease of worry between his eyebrows.

"Fine... Love you, bye," Akaza mumbled, reaching for his phone.

"Love you too!!" Douma said as the screen flashed off. He sighed, turning off his phone and placing it under his pillow, too lazy to put it on the desk. Only a couple more hours and he'd finally see Akaza again.

×××

It was evening, now, and Douma waited impatiently by Akaza's door. Akaza was being let off late at his work, or something, because he hadn't answered the door when Douma had knocked.

So now he was waiting outside in the cold—not having brought a jacket—with flowers in his hands, looking stupid.

He didn't know how much longer he'd waited for, but finally—finally—a car pulled up to the house and Akaza stepped out, seemingly not noticing Douma yet.

Akaza walked towards the door, searching through his bag, his eyes cast down. 

He pulled out his key and looked up, doing a double take as his gaze landed on Douma. He dropped his keys back into his bag, letting go of his bag in the process and threw his arms around Douma.

"Douma?!? What are you doing here??" Akaza asked breathlessly as he pulled back, staring at Douma, eyes wide.

The blond smiled, handing Akaza the flowers. "Happy Valentines Day, Akaza-dono." 

Akaza took the flowers, his gaze still on his lover. "But... how?"

"I arrived back here yesterday or so. Remember you said you thought I was in a different place? Well, it was because I found an apartment here. And a job. So I can live a lot closer to you, now," Douma said, resting his forehead against Akaza's.

"Oh... Why didn't you tell me?!" Akaza whined, tugging on Douma's shirt.

"Because I wanted it to be a surprise!! We should go inside now, though, I'm cold," Douma whined.

Akaza laughed, tip-toeing to place a gentle kiss on Douma's lips. "Alright, fine. I'm glad you're back, though."

"Me too," Douma said, his hand wavering over his mouth. God, he had missed Akaza so much...

×××

« Word count: 1339 »

[aprismaticodyssey]

Hello; please read this, if you don't mind.

This isn't any sort of update. This isn't an announcement. I know I haven't been posting and I haven't been active, so I'm sure to a lot of you, I'm all but gone. For all my talk of "I'm writing this!" and "That's being edited!" I haven't shown you guys anything. I will get to that later. This post is to tell you about my dog and his situation.

That's right! I have a dog! A yorkie. I should have spammed you all with pictures of him. We had gotten him (my mother's idea) to help me through depression. He absolutely loves people, adores meeting new dogs (even if the bigger breeds scare him), and especially kids. He's a people person. He'd sooner lick you to death than ever cause anyone genuine harm. My dog's name is Monty. Monty the Monster. And he's certainly grown into his name when he would play!

Unfortunately, at eleven years old, I guess his time is... running out. You see, last month, we took him to be groomed at a pet store we frequent. When we came home, a couple days later, he would eat less. He wasn't quite as playful, but he was still more or less himself. After stressing about his lack of interest in food, we went to the vet. There, we were told he has a heart murmur, a 3 out of 6 on the scale, I believe. We were recommended to take Monty to a cardiologist and our vet personally recommended one that she had gone to.

The problem is... everything was booked up. Some places we simply couldn't trust with something so delicate. Others were full until next February or March. Last night, my mother had me call one more place and after the call, we were told to come in on emergency. Not ideal but everything was full and we had to get him looked at. His breathing is hard and fast, uncomfortable. Wheezing. A few coughs. Distress in his eyes.

So we left. The place was nice. The people were nice. The problem was what they found: metastatic cancer in the lungs. I appreciated that we were told matter-of-factly. Very straightforward. But I still cried nonetheless. And when we were left alone, I broke down. Our options were this: we give him a few days of medication and see if it helps him. If it improves his quality of living adequately, we could get more medicine. Or... after those few days... we come back and have him euthanized. My mother has looked into other avenues already. Further treatments. Tests.

But I've already made up my mind. It isn't fair for me to put him through all of that just to delay the inevitable. I feel like a horrible owner for thinking that. For saying it. Like I should be moving mountains to give him another week. A month. A year. But I can't. I just can't. I couldn't handle seeing my dog knowing that all I've done is bought him time, time his health has decided he doesn't necessarily have. I struggled going to sleep last night even after crying. I told him over and over that I loved him. That he's my best friend and how much he helped me. These eleven years are too short. Too soon.

So... the reason I'm posting this, the reason I'm saying all of this, is just because I would like you, any of you, to say a prayer or two for Monty. To wish him smooth passage into the afterlife and that he's able to eat all the things he never could. Like chocolate! God, he'd love it if he could have it now.

If there's anything I want left behind, it's this post. I love you, Monty. More than I'll ever love myself or anyone on this earth. You helped me more than medicine or therapy ever could. I love you. I love you. I love you. I hope you get to travel the stars. I hope you make friends. I hope you find grandpa somewhere out there and join him on his adventures.

And to those of you who read this... Thank you. I'm sorry for my silence. I'm sorry for not posting more. I'm sorry for not being here. I'll be here more and more soon. Eventually. Just... not yet.

[merrock]

WELCOME TO NEW ORLEANS!

To everyone who chose to join us on this mini getaway… welcome! We're so glad that you've made the trip. The Benefactor has been kind enough to provide everyone with a stipend for travel and lodging, which means you are free to stay wherever you would like, and with whoever you would like. Whether that means you are choosing to stay in an AirBNB, to pick out a luxury hotel, or just want to take it easy in something cheap and affordable, take your pick!

While the majority of the time spent in New Orleans can be done doing… well, whatever you want to do, there are some fun things we recommend getting involved in, happening with your very own Merrockites:

February 11 -- SUPER BOWL PARTY : will be held at Manning's, and everyone is invited to come out and cheer on your favorite team! Free drinks and food for the night on the Benefactor.

February 13 -- MARDI GRAS : gather with your fellow Merrockites to enjoy and celebrate Mardi Gras like a true New Orleans baby, down on the square!

February 14 -- VALENTINE'S DAY : a romantic dinner has been set up at Cafe Degas for all couples, and a private VIP lounge rented out at Masquerade Night Club for singles to party!

February 17 -- RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY : on our last day in New Orleans, everyone is encouraged to go out and do one kind thing for someone else, whether it's holding a door or complimenting an outfit.

Under the cut, you will find some information about restaurants, lodging, things to do in and around New Orleans, and some important OOC informations, so read on!

TRIP ATTENDANCE.

As we stated on the invite, attendance is not mandatory during the trip, if you don't feel it is something your character would be interested in, or you have other plans. We tried to announce plenty early (almost a full month!), to give you a little bit of leeway to start plotting, or move things around. If you are attending the trip, great! Thank you so much. You are welcome to stay wherever you want to stay, and do whatever you want to do, and get involved in whatever you want to get involved with! We do ask that everyone please stay in New Orleans, though! That's the whole point.

Kids are absolutely welcome to come along -- while we are going primarily to celebrate Mardi Gras, your character doesn't have to get involved in heavy drinking and bead throwing at all -- they are very welcome to just hang out, doing family-friendly things (of which there are a lot -- even at Mardi Gras!). We do ask that pets not make the trip, however. Just to make life easy!

Should you choose not to have character(s) attend, please know that you are still expected to be active during the time period! It's okay to keep older threads going, or maybe plot with anyone else who decided to stay behind. I am also very sure that people who are not attending the trip would still be willing to write threads with you that take place after.

IMPORTANT LINKS.

restaurants in new orleans.

cafes in new orleans.

bars in new orleans.

clubs in new orleans.

family-friendly things to do.

25 kid-friendly things to do.

museums in new orleans.

13 must-see museums.

parks and parkways in new orleans.

nature & parks in new orleans.

outdoor activities in new orleans.

adventurous outdoor activities.

shopping in new orleans.

visiting new orleans in february.

23 best things to do in new orleans.

If you need advice on where your character can stay, first see if anyone is looking for a roommate/housemate! But if you want to pick your own place, try googling things like "new orleans hotel" or "new orleans rental home."

EVENTS ON THE TRIP.

All of the events listed above can be written anytime during the trip, that means if you want to start a thread of your character doing something kind on the 12th, feel free! We wanted to give everyone lots of freedom to write what they wanted, when they wanted. None of the events are mandatory: they are simply things that would have been little one-day mini events in town, and now take place elsewhere! If you choose to do an open starter during them, please just specify that they take place on that date!

PLOTTING & FUN.

Rather than doing a roulette for this event, we have done a simple plot call post! (A roulette would be kinda tricky with so many things going on at once.) If you are open for threads, just simply comment on that post, and let people come chat with you about ideas. However, please don't just comment and expect others to come to you -- we want everyone to be as involved as possible, and to be as inclusive as possible, as well!

OOC & IC DURATION.

The plane will be landing midday in New Orleans on Sunday, February 11th; which means plenty of time for you to get to your lodging and get settled before the Super Bowl, should you choose to attend. Characters have from the 11th until the evening of the 17th to enjoy New Orleans. The plane will be departing late in the evening on the 17th, returning early in the morning on the 18th of February.

However, the 'ooc duration' of the event is February 9th through February 19th, giving everyone a couple of extra days to start and enjoy threads! During this time, you can post open threads or closed threads, social media posts, outfits for various events, whatever you would like. Threads do not need to be dropped after the 19th! You can continue anything that was previously started, and carry it on as long as you would like.

HAVE A BLAST.

It's been a while since we've done a trip in town, and while this one is scaled back a bit from the ones we have done in the past, we think that giving you the freedom to have fun your own way, while taking some major stress off of our backs, is the right way to go. Participation and activity will determine if we try this again later in the year, so if you have fun, let us know! And thanks for getting involved. xx

[cagenewman]

WHO: Cage & @cordeliaeli

WHERE: Kennebunkport, Maine

WHEN: Friday, February 23, 2024

Maybe years and years from now, looking back, Cage would find it to be a rash decision; something a little too spur of the moment, something that they hadn't put a lot of thought into. Maybe some night, in the middle of a heated fight, someone would say that this had been a mistake. Maybe when they told their grandkids about it, one of them would gape at their grandparents, wonder if that was how things were back then. Or maybe it would be the best decision that they had ever made.

It was easy to make excuses; to tell his family that he had to head out of town for some work, that he was taking Cordelia with him as a little get away after a rough patch. When you worked construction and home restoration, people understood that it involved travel, when you said 'I'm going to pick up some brass fixtures down the coast,' they said, 'oh, right,' and nodded their head. And so getting the kids settled, closing up the shop for a long weekend, packing a couple of bags that could easily be tossed in the storage of the back of his old truck had been easy. The drive was nice, her head on his shoulder, his free hand resting on her knee, thumb rubbing small circles as he alternated between watching the road and looking at her the way that he had since he was sixteen years old, maybe even younger. When Cage Newman first realized what love was; when he used to drive her around town in that same old pick-up truck, holding her hand promising to love her forever. And now, he could make good on that promise. Finally.

Checking into the bed and breakfast was a quick, easy job, unable to help the wide grin that split his face when he told the kind woman behind the desk that as soon as they put their bags upstairs in their room, once they got changed and freshened up in the bathroom, "we're going to get married." She had nearly squealed with delight, clasping their hands and promising to make their stay extra special before ushering them off. And although Cage had been tempted to pull her into bed with him -- more than once -- he managed to get changed, having decided on black jeans, his nicer pair of boots (the ones that didn't track mud all over the place), a freshly pressed white dress shirt, the top few buttons undone, spending a little extra time in the bathroom while she was showering to fix his hair, to moisturize, tidy up his facial hair, before he sat on the edge of the bed, rolling the sleeves for a more casual, laidback appearance, only glancing up when he heard the door open and saw his Cordelia step out, feeling a smile stretch across his face, eyes shining as he took in the sight of her. His fiancée. Soon enough, his wife. One quick kiss, careful not to mess up her lipstick, and then his hand was around hers, tugging her out the door, down the stairs, and back to the truck.

They were almost to the courthouse when he saw it; a little flower stand tucked off to the side, an elderly couple selling what they likely grew in a greenhouse out back of their home, he imagined. They had the time; Cage had his folder on the seat next to him, knowing that there were some papers they needed, having done all of the research, working hard at making sure that they got it right, had what they needed. It would only take a few minutes to get through everything when they got there, and he did want her to have her dreams come true. Pulling over, Cage put the truck in park, stretching his arm across the back of the seat and offered her a small smile. "Go pick out your flowers," he tilted his head towards the stand, calling after her, "and get me something little for my pocket, too."

[adamwatchesmovies]

Shotgun Wedding (2022)

Shotgun Wedding will feel familiar to most viewers. While I can't recall any other movies where a bride and groom must save their wedding party from pirates, much of what we see feels like bits and pieces collected from other films. Not necessarily better films, but other films. This is perfectly serviceable for something you’d watch at home “for free” (that’s to say, the price of a monthly subscription that also gives you other perks). If you had to travel outside of the house to see this rom-com, that'd be a different story.

On the day of their destination wedding on a private island in the Philippines, Tom (Josh Duhamel) and Darcy (Jennifer Lopez) get into an argument and step away from the wedding party. Just in time, too, as a group of pirates arrive and take everyone hostage.

Shotgun Wedding has a great cast and knows it, which is why the film ends with footage of everyone having a good time, shot as if it were a home video. Jennifer Coolidge plays Carol, Tom’s mom (despite only being 11 years older than he is), Lenny Kravitz plays Sean, Darcy’s rich and successful ex-fiancé, Cheech Marin plays Darcy’s father, Robert and Sônia Braga is his ex-wife, Renata. My favorite is Callie Hernandez as Darcy’s sister, Jamie. The members of the wedding party all have some good moments, particularly when they try and humanize themselves so the pirates build sympathy and don’t shoot them.

I called this a romantic comedy earlier, but this is more of an action romantic comedy, with much more emphasis on Tom and Darcy dealing with the pirates than scenes that will make your heart swoon. Maybe it’s the wibbly-wobbly chemistry between Lopez and Duhamel that prevents you from feeling the love. They’re ok together but they don’t feel like they're excited to get married. They're more like a couple who have been together for so long that they “might as well make it official”. Part of that may be intentional, as the argument that takes them away from the wedding party is about Darcy feeling uncertain about the whole thing… but tangible sparks between the leads would have elevated this film a lot.

Directed by Jason Moore, Shotgun Wedding has a decent amount of laughs. I just wish they were bigger, or that the movie felt more distinct. The action scenes, the twists, even some of the best jokes and most tender moments never make you think "I'm glad I saw this movie because I would've missed out on this joke/twist/action scene if I hadn't". The wedding is taking place in the Philippines but was shot in the Dominican Republic and the actors portraying the resort’s owners sound like they’re from… well, not the Philippines. The film is often unexpectedly violent and gruesome so I’m not even sure those who want to see lovers getting together will be 100% on board. What this movie needed to do was get way more extreme. More romance, more action or more comedy. This attempt at an even mix of all three makes for a digestible, but bland end result.

Shotgun Wedding is missing something. For the price I paid, I'm satisfied and had a decent time. It’s just that down the line, I won’t remember it. (February 14, 2023)

[folliesofmiceandmen]

if you’re hearing NORMAL PROBLEMS BY HONEYCHURCH playing, you have to know QUINTON BURKE (HE/HIM, CISMALE) is near by! the 31 year old BARTENDER AT LUCKY PENNY (FORMER BROADWAY ACTOR) has been in town for, like, SIX MONTHS. they’re known to be quite COLD, but being WISE seems to balance that out. or maybe it’s the fact that they resemble CHARLES MELTON. personally, i’d love to know more about them seeing as how they’ve got those HOLDING A GRUDGE LIKE ITS A CAREER, MESH TANK TOPS IN DECEMBER, WORKING OUT WHILE LISTENING TO SHOWTUNES, SPICY FOOD IS THE ONLY FOOD vibes. and maybe i’ll get my chance if i hang out around BRIGHTSIDE long enough!

(TW for car accident; drug and alcohol use under the cut)

name: quinton 'quin' burke age: 31 d.o.b. & sign: february 14th, aquarius occupation: bartender at lucky penny and former broadway actor hometown: france gender identity & sexuality: cismale & homosexual relationship status: single

+3 likes: whiskey, old vinyl records, his niece +3: dislikes: a certain person who shall remain nameless, polo shirts, cats

Quin never had the strongest relationship with his mother growing up. She was in and out of his life like a postcard, moving away from France and from him when he was just a baby to go back to her family in Korea. He would visit once every couple of years as a child, and only on her terms. His relationship with his father was far more deep, far stronger. Oscar was always there, too, an extra person to help, to guide him, to make sure he understood the world a little bit better than he had before.

He wasn't a particularly gifted schoolboy, passing classes in the way that made it clear he wasn't a studious young man. He had grades that his mother considered terrible, passing not good enough, and though it wasn't for lack of trying, the boy simply couldn't pick up on the material in a way that felt right and made sense in his mind. He gravitated to the arts, loving music, adoring being on stage, even enjoying painting as a casual medium.

He was a teenager when he gave up on traditional schooling and convinced his father to let him enroll in a fine arts school, putting him on stage and in plays and musicals a lot more often. This school was where he met his first talent agent, booked his first show on a professional stage, managed to get all the way to the west end.

He had just finished a run in a show when he travelled across the pond to watch his sister graduate, and while the family had plans to spend the summer together in France, while Quin filmed and sent in a million self tapes, he decided to take a quick week trip to visit his mother and maternal grandparents before he met up with them. It was on the third night of that trip he got the call that changed his life forever.

Everything felt dark and hollow for a while after he got home. Anger and sadness were a constant war in his body and mind, and he tried his best to drown it out, but between losing his real father, and the man who was practically a second father to him shutting it all off, Quin grew angrier and angrier, and eventually, that anger directed itself all toward Oscar. It had to be his fault that all of this had happened, had to be him that ruined their lives. He packed up his things and moved to New York without much fanfare, finding a new agent there and working as a bartender and waiter to keep himself afloat while he auditioned for work. He tried to cut contact with everyone while the New York life took him over. He drank every night, he found recreation in drugs and meaningless sex, he spiraled into self destruction for nearly five years.

It all changed when Rowen called him to tell him the news. She was having a baby. Quin wasn't quite sure what to do with that information. He was in the middle of a run on a broadway show, eight shows a week, busy and doing well for himself, and his sister wanted to move to some place that looked like it should be on the paramount lot, because their dad's former lover had moved there. He said no at first. Rowan wore him down, and eventually he agreed, feeling a stab in his chest as he resigned from the show he was in, packing up and moving yet again.

[batmanschmatman]

Hello!! 1, 4, 10, 18, and 22 for the End of the Year ask game please 😊

ONE Song of the Year: My Spotify Wrapped claims for me it was the Placebo cover of Running Up That Hill, which is admittedly on almost every single one of my playlists, but I think it was actually Meet Me in the Woods by Lord Huron, because I listened to it a billion times while writing my NaNo project.

FOUR Movie of the Year: The Boy and the Heron, both because it was great and also it was the only good theater experience I had all year that wasn't a rerelease like Titanic and The Lion King lol, people at our home theater are very poorly behaved. ;;

TEN Something that Made You Cry This Year: LOL WELL I lost my job a couple weeks ago and that has been some VERY MIXED EMOTIONS including a lot of hysterical crying. It was an extremely toxic work place I was trying to get out of anyway (museum board full of old white men who hated me, boss is/was an alcoholic mean girl - no exaggeration, has driven home drunk from work lunches with her kid in the car and been blackout throwing up in her office after work events - who had a toady work bff who also hated me, no health insurance, making $26/hr despite having an MA and living somewhere where rents start at $2,000 a month) but my boss basically reamed me out right before Thanksgiving telling me I was the worst person ever, had a bunch of provably false claims about how bad an employee I was (never meeting deadlines, making other people do my work for me, never attending events or suggesting ideas for programs, all bullshit I had ample evidence to refute) and told me I could either quit now and be paid through February or be on like mega probation indefinitely, so I came back from the holiday like alright I quit, they're like cool actually this is a budgetary thing and not at all personal, we're SO SORRY this didn't work out also we can only afford to pay you through mid January, so now I'm unemployed applying to a million jobs and scared about money but also I'm free??? So there's been a lot of on and off weeping/grieving and it's kinda ruined the holidays for me lol. But also hopefully it'll pivot to a much better paying and stable job somewhere closer to home, so fingers crossed.

Don't get into the museum field, folks, it sucks here.

EIGHTEEN A Memorable Meal This Year: For Valentine's Day, @heystovepipeboys and I made a bunch of recipes from Last Dinner on the Titanic, which was SUPER FUN. I love historic cooking/baking and have had the cookbook forever, but had never made anything from it before and everything was INCREDIBLE. We made cream of barley soup, chicken Lyonnaise, chateau potatoes and asparagus, and then got eclairs from a bakery near us and the Harney & Sons Titanic tea blend, which is supposed to be similar to the special blend they served on the ship. We listened to period music the whole time we cooked and then we went to see Titanic in theaters for its anniversary rerelease.

TWENTY TWO Favorite Place You Visited This Year: hmmm very tough call. My parents very generously took the fam on a Disney cruise to Alaska this summer which was a childhood dream of mine, and wifey and I had an awesome trip to Old Sturbridge Village in MA for their Halloween event, which was probably the best Halloween themed thing I've ever done. They set up the museum with a bunch of themed performances by a bunch of traveling circus performers who are Definitely Not Vampires and everything was really spooky and fun. Would super recommend if anyone is looking for fun Halloween things to do in New England next year.

Thank you for the ask!! Hope you are enjoying a relaxing end to this weird year.

[forabeatofadrum]

Just Some Guy (9/9) - COMPLETE

AO3

–

Epilogue

MATT

My mum is loaded, so I can afford to take a gap year to travel. I’m going to America with John and Leslie for a cross-country road trip for a couple of weeks. I will visit the Cordero family, of course. John bemoans that the city of Samwell doesn’t exist in this universe, or something, so we’re making a stop at Providence since that’s ‘the next best thing’ or whatever. Leslie really wants to see Ohio for some reason. Apart from that, we have no concrete plans.

What will I do afterwards? I don’t know. I can go to university, like Luis, Scott and Sam. I can try to find a place where I can enrol in February. Or I could look for a job, like Ryan and Arnold.

We’ve graduated. Our entire life is in front of us.

John tells me not to worry, since my story will be over anyway. That’s so weird, because I feel like I am only just at the beginning.

I tell him that.

“No, really, man, this fic will be over in a couple of paragraphs,” he says back, “Around 300 words left!”

As usual, I don’t know what he means. The two of us are walking up a flight of stairs. We’re visiting my mum. She moved to a new flat in Camberwell and there’s an extra room. I will move in here after I come back from my road trip, because I like the idea of living in London and I miss my mum.

We leave the stairwell and go through the door that leads to my mum’s floor when I see someone in front of one of the flat’s doors.

This guy is on his phone, leaning against the wall. He’s wearing a floral top and jeans. A large bag is slung over his shoulder and he’s holding a huge water bottle in his other hand.

I didn’t recognise him for a second, with his hair loose like that and with a casual look, but it’s Baz Pitch.

What the fuck? What is Baz Pitch doing in my mum’s hallway?

He hasn’t noticed us yet, too engrossed in whatever’s on his phone. We pass him without a word and quickly enter my mum’s flat before he can notice us.

“Mum?” I yell out.

My mum emerges from the kitchen. Her hands are covered in flour.

“Yes, dear?” she asks.

“Why is- I mean, there’s a guy loitering around at number 61!” I say. Does my mum even know that’s Baz Pitch, the Pitch Heir? Even I had troubles recognising him and I just spent 8 years in the same class as him.

“Oh, that handsome young man?” my mum laughs, “The neighbours joke that he haunts that door day and night! They should just give him a key already.”

“… They?” I ask, but I can already feel the dread building up.

“His boyfriend lives there,” my mum says lightly, “I haven’t actually seen him yet, since I am often at work, but I know that he lives there with a friend.”

Baz Pitch’s boyfriend.

That means…

Simon Snow.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

--

End notes:

Hey yo it's John Johnson here. The author told me I have the privilege to write the last author's note but also who are we kidding? We all know it's still the author putting the words in my metaphorical mouth. ANYWAY supes thanks for reading. Watching Matty grow up from a strapping young lad to a full-blown adult has been a real treat and I hope you liked seeing his story unfold as much as I did. Or maybe not. I mean, brah, I was part of it lol. (Can I make Matty meet Jack and Bitty? How does this work? I mean, I also already met Kurt Hummel in another fic of the author, so everything is possible.) But yeah thanks a lot for reading. I can tell you the author absolutely loved writing it and sharing it with you.

It's so funny, cause chapter 8 was the last one, but then Annie letraspal made some gorgeous fanart (which is linked in this chapter) and the author realised it'd be really fucking funny if Matt hadn't entirely gotten rid of Simon and Baz yet.

MCD's story is definitely over. I told him so myself. Yet, there are some small snippet of his future you might like to know. Like, don't spoil this for Matt yet, but he and Leslie won't last. Boo. Or fun fact, did you know I actually spoke to Baz regularly? LOL. Lmao even. Matt never knew, so neither did y'all, since it wasn't relevant to the plot. I did mention in a blog post on the author's blog that I think he's fit, but bet y'all didn't see coming I was friendly with him. And yeah, Simon and Matt (and Penny) are neighbours now, but no worries, Matt will continue his uneventful life in ignorance. The dude won't know Simon's moved out to Hackney Wick till idk a year after??? I might tell him sooner, but as I mentioned before, gaslighting my bestie for the narrative is a treat.

All this to say that the world of Carry On.... carries on, even without Matty giving you a glimpse into it. Apart from what I mentioned above, I have no fucking clue what's next for him and therefore neither does the author. Or is it the other way around??? Do I only not know because she doesn't know??? I should ask her. But even so, feel free to keep Matty Chris D. (thanks Dre for the name, I was gonna do a shout-out to you in the fic itself but it never fit oop) in your hearts. I definitely will. Stay 'swasome everyone and have a good day. - J.J.

[mariacallous]

“I can only sit still for about six to eight weeks at a time,” said writer and literary critic Caroline Eden. An avid adventurer with a taste for local cuisine, Caroline is best known for her books Samarkand, Black Sea,and Red Sands, which blend travel writing and recipes from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and beyond.

I happened to catch her at home, fresh off a trip through Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine that provided ample material for her recently launched newsletter, Journeys Beyond Borders. In Ukraine, she traveled south to Odesa to revisit the people and places she encountered in 2016–2017 when researching Black Sea. An updated edition of the book came out last November, which includes a new introduction reflecting on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a fascinating essay about eating lunch on the Bosphorus with Turkish ship spotter Yörük Işık, and, of course, an extra recipe.

Upon returning to Odesa in February, Caroline found that two years of all-out war had transformed the city deeply, though not beyond recognition. Retracing her steps, she visited the famous Pryvoz Market, where she met food vendors struggling to keep their businesses afloat in wartime. A couple of the restaurants Caroline had written about in her book had closed. And the locals she spoke to seemed worried about global attention shifting away from Ukraine. “I immediately noticed that there weren’t very many young people around because either they’ve left or they’re fighting, and the people who were there just looked exhausted,” she said. 

Caroline said the mood in Odesa lifted around Valentine’s Day, though only briefly. “Every other person on the street was carrying a bouquet of flowers,” she recalled. “The hotel I always stay in went full-on for Valentine’s and had petals and hearts scattered [everywhere], confetti on the floor, and a full booking for the night. But the following morning, at 4:00 a.m., we were in the bomb shelter because the air raid sirens were going off.” (Russia’s missile and drone strikes on Odesa would only intensify in the weeks that followed.)

Once home from her travels, Caroline set about recording the audiobook for her forthcoming memoir, Cold Kitchen: A Year of Culinary Journeys, which will be released in the United Kingdom on May 9 (the U.S. edition hits stores in January 2025). Over the course of 12 chapters, each with a recipe at the end, Caroline takes readers inside her subterranean Edinburgh kitchen as she prepares dishes that evoke memories of different places that have influenced her thinking, work, and life. “It’s quite a meandering book,” she told me. “But the idea is that you can travel very well in the kitchen, with some imagination.” 

The following story was written by Caroline Eden for Meduza’s weekly email newsletter The Beet. The accompanying recipe is from her book, Red Sands.

A trip to the Dordoi Bazaar

Kyrgyzstan might be landlocked, but Bishkek, the country’s capital, has a market forged entirely from shipping containers. Dordoi Bazaar is made up of thousands of these steel boxes covering the equivalent of 160 rugby fields. Flipped on their sides and doubled up, they make efficient shops, rigged with lights and padlocked securely at night. Distinct in spirit and commerce, Kyrgyzstan’s biggest bazaar offers particular insights into local trade wars, hospitality, food, and the new Silk Road. Among locals, it is sometimes called the Dordoi Republic.

Thornton Cohen / Alamy / Vida Press

Dordoi employs 70,000 or so workers, officially and unofficially: drivers, unpackers, cooks, shopkeepers, tea boys, toilet attendants, security guards, waitresses, exchange tellers, and tailors. Pushers and pullers, handlers and dealers. All busy importing, exporting, and re-exporting. What may look anarchic at first is actually a very well-oiled operation. Money dictates order, and the bazaar is far too profitable to be chaotic. Dordoi has its own football (soccer) team and a mosque that is well-attended on Fridays.

Gold-painted statues of a man and two women flank the main entrance, a life-size monument to Central Asia’s “shuttle traders,” entrepreneurs who commute between different countries, buying goods in one location and then selling them elsewhere for profit. Memorialized, too, in gold, are piles of bulging suitcase-sized bags that each statue leans against. These familiar-looking squares of checkered woven plastic with handles are an instantly recognizable universal symbol of people on the move, of the entrepreneur and the newly arrived. 

Food also plays a vital role. Inside, on an average day, you’ll see tea ladies weaving and waltzing through the alleys, their trolleys set up with tea, coffee, and condensed milk, pushing deeper into the twisting, gurgling intestines of the bazaar’s ever-hungry belly. Prams operate as moveable cafés, too, with Thermoses filled with tea and blankets swaddling freshly baked samsa and bread. Trolleys of kumys, fermented mare’s milk, go whizzing by, white and splashing. Sometimes a cart, displaying all the ingredients for ashlan-fu (a noodle dish) or a giant mound of plov, topped with quail eggs, is pushed along. 

Caroline Eden

But one of the best places to eat is tucked between the China and Europe zones, where, if you search, you’ll spot a vendor tending to a tiny oven filled with rows of flaky samsa slowly turning ever more golden. Square rather than triangular, and filled with chicken rather than the more typical pumpkin, lamb, or mutton, the cook arranges his samsa in lines so their corners point upwards like a mountain range. Hot and moreish, the baker prepares 200 or so of these over the course of a lunchtime — and it is impossible to pass by without making a purchase. 

The recipe below, from Red Sands: Reportage and Recipes Through Central Asia, from Hinterland to Heartland, is a nod to those delicious samsa served at the Dordoi Bazaar.

Grand Asia Express Samsa

Essentially triangular Central Asian turnovers, samsa are eaten everywhere and are typically filled with lamb, potato, or pumpkin. They make for a perfect snack, eaten hot on the spot. Here’s a quick recipe named after the legions of trucks and truckers that arrive and depart from Dordoi Bazaar, picking up a samsa or two for their long border-crossing journeys. The onion seeds make a nice addition, but they are optional.

(Twelve is a great number for a party or gathering but a lot for a small household. You can simply divide all the ingredients in half to make six.)

MAKES 12 LARGE SAMSA

400g/14oz chicken breasts

1 tsp olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 medium-size potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 x 500g/1lb 2oz packet of puff pastry 

1 egg, beaten, for an egg wash

1 tbsp onion seeds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and prepare a small roasting tin by lining it with tin foil.

Put the chicken breasts in the tin, rub them with olive oil, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast them in the oven for 25 minutes or until cooked through. Set aside to cool, then roughly chop.

Ola O. Smit

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook the potatoes for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside to cool.

Pulse the onion in a food processor until very fine, then add the cooled potatoes, and pulse again. Add the chicken, cumin, a good pinch of salt and pepper, and pulse again to bring the mixture together — you may need to scrape the sides of the bowl down as you go.

On a lightly floured surface, cut the pastry into quarters, then cut each quarter into thirds. Roll out each piece of pastry so that you have 12 rectangles, roughly 17 x 10cm (7 x 4in). Drop 40g/2 tbsp of the mixture onto one end of each rectangle, leaving a border around the edge. Brush the edges of the pastry with a little of the egg, then fold the other half over the top, pressing the edges together to seal well. Repeat with the remaining pastry. Brush the top of each samsa with egg and scatter over the onion seeds, if using. Place the samsas on the tray and bake for around 25–30 minutes until cooked through and completely golden.

[melanielocke]

So, I really need some book recommendations.

I usually read fantasy but I also like dystopian, sci-fi and stuff. As long as it's fictional. I also like rewrites (if that makes sense).

Since the request wasn't super specific, for this one I just picked a couple of very different fantasy books that I read recently and have not yet discussed. I don't have a lot of recent dystopian (publishing currently believed dystopian is dead, I think). For sci-fi, check out this post

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen is a retelling of the Goose Girl. That's a relatively unknown Grimm fairytale where a wicked maid steals the identity of a princess. This book tells the story of the maid, Vanja Schmidt, who is the adopted daughter of Fortune and Death. She used to be Princess Gisele's maid, until she stole Gisele's enchanted pearl necklace that changes her appearance and takes her place. Now, Vanja leads a double life as princess and jewel thief, seeking to make enough money to escape before she has to marry her creepy fiance, and so she can escape her mothers. But when she crosses the wrong god, she is cursed to slowly turn into a statue of jewels as punishment for her greed, unless she finds a way to make up for what she stole. I'd recommend this book if you like unlikeable main characters.

Vanja is very selfish, but she if she doesn't put herself first, no one else will, so it is definitely understandable. She has a tendency to push everyone away, but deep down she's very lonely. She's a gremlin, and I love her.

There are also some very charming side characters, including the daughter of the god who cursed Vanja, a shape shifter who does not quite understand human behavior, and a prefect (a magic detective of sorts) chasing the jewel thief.

This book also makes some great social commentary on class and wealth. Vanja might have done a bad thing stealing Gisele's life, but Gisele wasn't entitled to all that wealth and prestige in the first place, and this book heavily criticizes nobility.

The Forever Sea and the Endless Song are part of a series and I have only read book 1 so far (book 2 just came in yesterday). This is an adult fantasy series and as such it is heavier on the world building and more complicated than most YA fantasy, so if you've only ever read YA fantasy I don't think this is the best book to transition into adult, but if you're used to reading adult this is a good series to try.

The Forever Sea is one of the most unique fantasies I've read, and this mainly lies in the world building. The premise of this world is an ocean made out of very high grassland. Ships can sail on this grass with the help of a magic hearthfire, and if this fire would go out you would very slowly sink beneath the grass. Sailors go out onto the sea mainly to harvest all sorts of plants used for food and medicine.

Kindred was raised by her grandmother, the Marchess, a legendary captain and hearthfire keeper. When her grandmother disappears beneath the sea, everyone assumes it was a suicide. But Kindred finds a note from her grandmother implying that it was not suicide, but that she was searching for what is down at the bottom of the sea, and might still be alive there. So Kindred sets out to find her, traveling across the Sea and through a legendary pirate city to see if her grandmother could still be out there, and what is at the bottom of the sea.

This book is very plot driven with a huge emphasis on the environment and descriptions on it, but also lots of world building on how this works exactly. There isn't a lot of emphasis on it, but there is also a sapphic relationship in here between the main character and another sailor. As I said, I haven't read book 2 yet but will start it soon. It's also not out in the US yet (coming 14th February, but the UK edition was released already) From the reviews I gathered there's going to be a third (last? idk) book.

In the Ravenous Dark is a dark fantasy that is marketed as YA, but I think it's very upper YA, maybe more NA but publishing doesn't think that is a thing, so YA it is.

This is set in a world inspired by ancient Greece, but only vaguely (clothes, buildings etc, much of the world building is completely made up), and Rovan, the main character, is a blood mage. Since her father's death, she's kept her blood magic hidden, but when her magic is revealed she is taken to the palace and bound to Ivrilos, a dead spirit who can control here, which is something that is done to all blood mages.

Rovan falls in love with two people she can't trust, the spirit Ivrilos, and princess Lydea, another blood mage, and together they uncover a plot of what is going on in the world of the dead and living, and why blood mages must be bound to spirits.

I think the magic system in this book was very well done, including the way spirits work and the realm of the dead. The book was at times a little messy, and I think it might have worked better as a duology since there was so much going on, but I don't bother me much while reading it.

There's a poly relationship between Rovan, Ivrilos and Lydea, which I really liked, and there's Japha, a really cool non binary side character who's essentially the fourth part of the found family.

Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman is a YA fae fantasy set in a second world focusing on an autistic main character

Seelie is a changeling. Though she looks exactly like her twin Isolde, she's actually a fae creature trying to control her unpredictable magic. She and her sister had to flee their home due to prejudice against changelings, and end up stealing to survive. When they get caught up in a heist gone wrong, they team up with unexpected allies to go on a quest and unravel a mystery to do with fae and human history.

The plot of this book is what you'd expect from a YA fantasy, fast paced, not super unpredictable or anything. The strenght of this book is the main character. Seelie is autistic and written by an autistic author, and while it is set in a world where the term autism does not exist, it is portrayed really well and I found Seelie very relatable as an autistic person. In this world, changelings are typically autistic (because real world changeling myths often derive from disabled children, including autistic children). The sister relationship is also intersting, because Seelie and Isolde are so different, and have very different ideas of what their life should be like once they're finished with this quest.

It is the first in a duology and I have no clue when book 2 is coming out

The last book on this list is the Dream Runners by Shveta Thakrar which is a contemporary fantasy inspired by Indian mythology, specifically, the naga. Naga in this world can't dream on their own, so they have children taken from the human world who become dream runners. They travel to the human world to collect dreams from humans for the naga.

Tanvi is such a dream runner, she's been in Nagalok for the past 7 years. Dream runners don't dream themselves and are devoid of emotion, but for Tanvi this is slowly returning and she's desperate to make it stop.

Venkat is a dreamsmith, the only human in Nagalok who is not a dream runner. Instead, he shapes dreams collected by the dream runners into dream stones used by the naga.

They team up to figure out what is going on with Tanvi, and uncover a plot that could destroy the naga world.

I loved the creative world building in this book, with how the dream runner system works. Tanvi was a little difficult to relate to at first, because she was very obsessed with earning a charm bracelet in exchange for her dreams and I found this confusing, but this will make sense later on, and this book had some twists I really liked.

I hope this helps!

[hardmouth]

he/him.     trans   man.      ›      spotted   at   the   met   steps   ,   kazuharu   miya   ,   most   likely   listening   to   in   cold   blood   by   alt-j   with   their   airpods   pro   .   the   twenty   nine   year   old   gained   quite   a   reputation   ,   known   to   be   -abrasive   yet   +loyal   to   anyone   who   knows   them   .   you'll   easily   spot   them   when   you   hear   about   bandage   wrapped   knuckles   ,   the   dial   tone   after   being   hung   up   on   ,   a   whispered   promise   in   the   dead   of   night,   followed   by   yves   saint   laurent   l'homme.   latest   nepoupdates   article   talks   about   haru   cutting   ties   with   his   parents   after   they   were   revealed   to   be   in   incredible   debt ,   but   i   guess   any   reputation   is   good   reputation   .

001. STATISTICS …

GENERAL DETAILS.

FULL NAME:  kazuharu miya.   NICKNAME(S):   haru.   AGE:   twenty9.   DATE OF BIRTH:  february 9th, 1995.   PLACE OF BIRTH: osaka, japan.   CURRENT LOCATION:  nyc.   GENDER:  trans man.   PRONOUNS:  he/him.   ORIENTATION:  bisexual.   OCCUPATION:   bodyguard.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, ETC.

HEIGHT:  5'10.   TATTOOS:  full sleeve on left arm.   PIERCINGS:  both earlobes.   CLOTHING STYLE:  generally 'professional' but he hates it.

HEALTH.

ALLERGIES:  pollen.   SLEEPING HABITS:  normal, gets seven hours.   EATING HABITS:  prefers salty & spicy foods.   SOCIABILITY:  3/10. hates talking to people without reason.   DRINKING / SMOKING / DRUGS:  socially / yes / no.

PERSONALITY.

POSITIVE TRAITS:  confident, independent, loyal, protective.   NEGATIVE TRAITS:  abrasive, callous, reactionary, impatient.   LIKES: classical music, winter, cooking.   DISLIKES:  verbal arguments, traveling long distances, his family.   FEARS:  loud noises.   HABITS:  cracking knuckles, rolling eyes, bouncing leg.   HOBBIES: boxing, running, painting.

FAMILY, RELATIONSHIPS, ETC.

MOTHER:  no contact.   FATHER:  no contact.   SIGNIFICANT OTHER: none.   BEST FRIEND:  tba.   EXES: tba.   SIBLING(S):  no / low contact. CHILDREN:  none.   PET(S):  none.

002. BACKGROUND …

real quick and dirty because i'm running on steam... third born of five children to a couple running a perfectly normal advertising buisness. shortly after haru's youngest sibling was born, the business expanded and the family moved to new york city

while his siblings flaunted the family's money, haru had no interest in doing so, and had less interest in being 'famous'. he much preferred (and still does) to live privately and not end up on the front page of gossip sites for stupid things. 

behind the scenes, the miya family was taking out loan after loan to cover the fact that their business was quickly sinking & to make sure they were able to continue the quality of life they had become used to. 

recently, miya corp announced bankruptcy and privately, haru's parents revealed that they were in severe debt and asked their children that if they had any money to spare... they'd appreciate it (mind you, it was less asked and more outright told them to loan them money.)

at that point, haru had been low contact with them anyway, and decided to ultimately cut them out entirely. he's no contact with his parents now, and on low contact with most of his siblings because he can tolerate at least two of them. 

he was an EMT for a few years after highschool. had absolutely 0 interest in higher education or in having his name known for acting / singing / being a socialite / etc. figured out that he has the qualifications to be a bodyguard so fuck it, you know? 

003. CONNECTIONS …

one (1) very close friend that he trusts with his life. definitely a ride or die scenario, at least from his end.

man i won't say no to someone bringing any of his siblings.......... i left it pretty open and i don't mind changing things around.

any enemies of mona are enemies of him. pemdas, or whatever.

exes? probably ended on very bad terms. his fault. 

idk . brain juice low let's figure something out Together.

[airasora]

So, I have some shitty news. And I'll keep it brief, but the point of me telling this is to say I'm pushing my livestream of the new horror game Bramble - The Mountain King to Friday next week.

If you want to know why, click the keep reading button.

I was fired. From the best goddamn place I have ever been.

Well, not fired. "Let go". Along with every single person on my team, including my team manager, my "boss".

Long story short, I work for an outsourcing company who were hired by a major travel company to find travel agents to work from home in all of Scandinavia. I, along with 10 others, were hired last year in July. We became part of a small team with just 5 people already present. Then came a couple of new "waves" of people and our team suddenly had 30 people.

By December, this big travel company had already asked our outsourcing company to let go of two of the new travel agents. Then in February, we were told another 10 would have to be let go. And now, last working day of April, we were told all of us were gonna be let go.

The reason? Redundancy. Which is bullshit because we've always had plenty of work to do. The real reason is money. My country ensures a VERY good salary for the work we do and, in return, our work was brilliant. In fact, our team often cleaned up other teams' mistakes and so forth.

But, despite our team bringing in the most money and getting the best KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) we were also the most expensive one of all their teams, so they let us go.

The one good thing out of all of this is that the outsourcing company itself is doing its best to find alternative jobs for all of us. If we want them at least.

Doesn't change the fact that the first job in my life that I have ever loved and continued to love is now gone. I'm 28 years old, and been in a total of 6 different work fields.

I've been in two toxic work environments, one of which where I cried almost every single day for 7 months

I've been let go from one place due to my chronic headaches.

I've been let go on the last day of the 3 months trial period, which I later learned was their plan all along because it gave them three months of free labor from me since my education covered those first three months.

Three of my educations were delayed by a year by the school itself, was suddenly under investigation by the governement and the third one was rendered completely useless.

I'm not saying this to get sympathy. I'm saying this because I am so fucking tired of having to start over again and again and again. This job was the first time I was happy, that I kept loving it, that I loved my coworkers and that I felt good at what I do.

I've struggled with believing in my own abilities for years due to all the shit I've been through. My confidence and self-esteem grew every day at this job, and I was finally reaching a place where I could actually believe that I was good at something worthwhile.

The thought of not being able to achieve that feeling again is terrifying. This was the first time I ever felt like I belonged in a work field. And it's been ripped away and I'm back at zero.

Again.

And it's that "again" that really kills me.

Ok, enough woe is me. I will play Bramble next week, hope to see you guys there :)