#bit of a rushed and patchy job taking the pictures

[usamironpa]

Career

Day 2 of Arviana 2024 Week

“Arven! Your favourite champion’s back!” Julianna called out, weaving through the busy people through the kitchen, making sure she didn’t step on any Pokemon helping throughout the way. Her Quaquaval carried her bags of luggage, making noises of disapproval.

Julianna just came back from her trip to Sinnoh, as she went to meet Cynthia the Champion as an assistant for Geeta. The meetings were boring but gladly Nemona was also able to come, and she got to see Cynthia and Nemona fight over and over again. It had only been 6 months since their trip to Area Zero, yet Julianna and Florian climbed the ranks quickly.

After visiting BlueBerry Academy, Geeta asked the twins if they would want to be an Elite 4 duo, the first official Elite to have double battles. They of course accepted, letting Larry focus on his main job and let the man rest. They would work together with double battles as a Wild Card. Sometimes Larry would be there and sometimes Florian and Julianna would substitute for Larry, giving a surprise to approaching Champions.

Julianna made her way through the kitchen and got to the back, when a dirty blond teen was working beside the head chef Kofu. “Hey hey! Arven! Kofu!” She waved her arms, quickly running up to Arven and hugging him from the back. He yelped a bit, startled. The man beside him heartily chuckled, patting Arven’s shoulder. “Take a break, Arven. Be back in 50, okay?”

The old teen nodded as Julianna grabbed the intern’s hand and quickly dragged him to the exit. “Ah- Little buddy! Wait up!” He stumbled, quickly weaving through the moving staff. He untied his apron and hung it up on a hook before following the still short champion.

Arven just graduated at 17, 2 months ago, as he started attending Naranja Uva Academy when he was 12. After he graduated, just in a month, he went under Kofu’s wing as an internship, after learning Kofu was having trouble with his restaurant after beating his gym. During his internship he’s learning how to make different foods other than sandwiches, now being able to cook a variety of food when they all meet up bi-daily.

Arven easily weaved through the busy staff, as Quaquaval made nosies of dissatisfaction while they had to get back out the kitchen. As the kitchen door opened, a cold blast of air met them, as the busy restaurant kept hustling around.

Arven made his way to the exit where he saw Julianna quickly slip out, the Pokemon behind him, holding the bags above their head. Finally getting out the restaurant, fresh air flew through the building, gaining a sigh of relief from the old teen. Quaquaval shook in approval, fixing their feathers before making its way to their usual picnic area.

Gladly, the restaurant was near patchy grass instead of sand, so it was an easy walk to the cliff side where his friends were waiting. “Arven! Hurry up!” Julianna called out, rushing to the picnic table. Nemona was kneeling on the ground, playing with her and the other’s Pokemon as Penny took pictures, her Eevee bag beside her on the bench. Florian was ahead of the food game, trying to make his own sandwich, which of course looked very messy. The twins were notorious on being bad cookers.

The sight was peaceful, unlike the busy, sweaty kitchen he worked in day to night. It was nice.

“Wait for me Little Buddy!”

(IM POSTING THESE A DAY LATE 💀💀💀 IM TRYING TO KEEP UPPPPP)

[zhalfirin-binds]

WIP making a clamshell box

(more pictures and desctiption under the cut)

I noticed for a black clothbinding that an open shelf probably isn’t the best place to be. It might get light damage and bleach out, but at the very least it will look dusty all the time. (I noticed when I tried to take clean pictures of it -_-) So part of today went into making a simple clamshell box that will protect it from both as well as from shelfwear. For the box I need two 3 sided boxes one slightly larger than the book the other slightly larger than the first one (actually it should be only that much larger to allow for the boxes to fit inside one another when they are covered with whatever material is used). When gluing the sideparts against the bottom, fixing them with with some adhesive tape in place and checking for the angle with some small weights.

To preven the excess glue from leaving ugly ridges and taking up the space In want my paper in later on, I just take it off carefully with a bonefolder or a scrap piece of cardboard

I covered the sides in one go, measuring out the width needed to cover inside and outside as well as an overlap to the bottom on the inside and outside.

After moisturing the paper (I used Efalin) I started rolling it around the outside. Doing this in one go is a bit challenging because the glue is drying and you’ve got to work quick (hence only a couple of fotos here). The easier, though more time-consuming way is to make it in 3 parts. 

I fold in the bottom side first so I can put the box down and have that part safely dealt with. (No threat of messing up or getting glue all over the place from that side of the box anymore).

Next are the sides.I want the short sides in first because there’s more going on there. I have the fronts to cut to shape and tug in as well as the inner corner. Which I want to overlapp a little to reinfroce the connection of the corner there as well as cover the inside corner and keep the cardboard from showing through in the finished box. (Inside bottom corners are always a mess for me though. I need more practice for those again)

Least ist he backside which is merely a flap to fold in by that time. 

The front folds are a bit messed up. Usually I’d aim for a lesser angle so the fold in is not that obvious.

By the way, when working with sturdy papers like Efalin, Wibalin, elephanthide paper or Tsumugi (those are only the ones I know of) I always moisture them before adding any glue. It makes them going from this:

to this...

There are a couple of reasons though. - they curl up horribly when moisturized on one side and quite likely ruin the surface by getting glue there (if that’s the first moisture the paper is getting).  - they stretch. A LOT! Which can create air pockets where there were none only a moment before and rubbing the in will probably result in wrinkles. - it also gives you way more time to work with your glue. Depending on the watercontent of the glue it will dry more or less quickly. Wheat paste glue for example has a high watercontent and can be worked rather long compared to other glues. PVA mostly does not have that much water and thus dries rather quickly. By moisturing the paper means it doesn’t absorb the water from the PVA that quickly and thus results in a longer ‘open time’ to work with the glue. 

[flayote]

tips for choosing a small business/home tanner

during my 8 years in the taxidermy/vulture culture community, i have seen far too many instances of folks trusting their pelts with small business/home tanners, especially newly established ones, only to end up with a subpar or ruined product. everything from simply not getting the quality they hoped for, to foxes worth hundreds reduced to unsalvageable shreds due to inexperience, to precious pets getting lost or totally ruined from poor handling. a skilled small/home tanner is a great choice if you want your hides to be treated with individual care and attention to detail by a passionate tanner, rather than get lost in the shuffle and possibly have a rushed job or end up in a ‘bad batch’ from a large commercial tannery just trying to pump hides out. but just like anything else, there are also dishonest folks looking to make a quick buck, as well as those who just don't have high standards of quality for their work, and even well-meaning people who take client work before they have sufficient tanning experience and just get in over their heads. here are some tips for choosing a tanner you can feel confident sending your most precious animals to!

check their website/social media page for, or ask to see, clear photos fully showing leather on other hides they've done, ideally the same or related species that you're looking to send them. different species can have vastly different needs, so it's important to ensure your tanner has experience with a variety of animals. clean, white leather on a squirrel or deer won't tell you if the tanner can produce the same result on a raccoon or ranch fox.

when checking photos of the leather, you're looking for a white or light cream color, consistent and even across the whole hide. it should not be yellow, orange, brown, or splotchy/patchy. ideally the texture appears mostly smooth or like suede, but a 'webby' texture is perfectly fine too as long as the color is even and the leftover bits of membrane don't appear yellow or brown. there should not be what appear to be 'sheets' of membrane over the skin. this part is difficult to describe and you need to have an eye for it, but the surface of the skin should not appear 'translucent', that can indicate greasiness (think a spot of oil on a sheet of paper). if you're ever unsure if leather looks good or not, feel free to send the pictures to me and i'll give you my opinion.

if they have a social media page for their work, do they regularly post examples of pelts they’ve done that also show the leather? learning to tan is difficult and takes a TON of practice to master, so any tanner producing high quality leather will be proud of their work and want to show it off at least sometimes! if you're only ever seeing pictures of the fur side, that's a red flag. even if you can see the leather of the legs and they looks nice and white, that doesn't tell you if the body- where most of the fat and flesh would've been- is also clean and white. look for pictures with the pelt fully inside out. if a tanner never or very rarely posts pictures like that, there's probably a reason.

if you want your pelt to be mountable, ask to see examples of what the face prep looks like on the pelts they'd done. the face needs to be prepped a very specific way in order to be mountable. you're looking for the ears to be completely inside out (for example a fox ear is a triangle shape, so a fully turned fox ear would be a triangle as well and not stubby/blunt or round), eyelid skin sticking out around the rim of the eye, lips skin laying flat around the outside of the lip line, and nose inside out with the nostrils as two separate 'tubes', or with cartilage removed completely. you can find examples of what face prep should look like here.

if you're sending a beloved pet for tanning, PLEASE BE VERY PICKY! our domestic companions, especially cats and dogs, tend to have a much higher content of fat in their skin than wild animals because they are well-fed and healthy (generally speaking; sometimes health issues cause them to be underweight at the time they pass of course). it takes an experienced and skilled tanner to properly degrease and tan these types of hides. dogs in particular tend to have thick skin which sometimes requires specialized tools like a shaving machine to thin it in order to tan properly. ask for multiple examples of pets they've done, ideally the same species. or if they haven't done any yet, ask for examples of any very greasy animal they've tanned such as a raccoon or ranched animals like fox or mink.

you get what you pay for. be suspicious of very low prices before getting excited about them. i'm the first to admit i have undervalued my work (and probably still do lol), and it's normal for people to start with lower prices to build their business. but if the price seems TOO good to be true, it probably is. if someone is willing to flesh and tan a full coyote for $50, you're taking a gamble that they're either just willing to work for pennies, or they're not spending the time and effort on it to do it right.

if someone recommended a tanner to you, don't just take their word for it; still look into the tanner yourself using these tips. i've seen cases where people get excited that they've found a tanner, pass on a recommendation to someone else who passes it on, which echoes into a dozen recommendations for the tanner before anyone has gotten a pelt back from them and actually seen their work firsthand! or in other cases, folks have lower standards for a home/small business tanner, mistakenly believing that it's impossible to achieve a high quality tan outside of a large commercial tannery, so they say it's good quality when it's really not. of course folks who do everything by hand have some limitations compared to tanneries with heavy machinery, but you don't have to settle for greasy, poorly fleshed, or stiff leather from a small/home tanner. i do all my work from my home out of a tiny bathroom and a corner of the garage; it's all about how much effort you put in!

as a final note, i don't want to discourage folks from ever supporting newer tanners who don't yet have hundreds of pelts under their belt. everyone has to start somewhere with building their skill and reputation, and i'd never be where i am today without those that trusted me with their animals when i only had a dozen examples of decent quality work, and provided me opportunities to work on species i didn't have experience with yet. if you're ok with possibly getting an imperfect pelt and want to help support a novice tanner, please do, we need folks like that! but if you want a certain level of quality just be aware that it's always a risk to send hides to a novice, which might not be worth taking on your most special hides or ones you have a project in mind for, like mounting it. don't be afraid to ask questions, ask for clear photos, and definitely don't be afraid to let them know if you're not 100% satisfied with the quality of the tan you receive. it'll give the tanner valuable feedback to improve their work, and if they're not receptive to that, it can be helpful to others to post a public review as well so folks know what to expect from that tanner.

[borathae]

↳ Index [#12 Silent Night]

Pairing: OT7 x Reader 

Genre: Fluff 

Wordcount: 7.2k 

a/n: Wow it really did come to an end now. I never thought that Christmas would come so fast. Honestly this was one of the best Christmas times I have ever had in a long time! Thank you guys for reading it and sending me so many sweet messages! I love you! Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! 🎄❤ 

You wake up earlier than you had in the last few days. You roll onto your side, gently touching Hoseoks sleeping face making him smile in his sleep. You sit up, stretching your arms over your head and yawning silently. You let your feet fall out of your bed, soon feeling the soft rug between your toes. You smile, today is going to be a great day! You get up and tiptoe to the variety of bags which hold your many presents to carry them out of the room and into the library.

The house is silent when you open the bedroom door, everyone must still be asleep. You tiptoe to the library, holding your breath the whole time. Once you are finally in the safety of the room you take a deep breath.

“That was some next level agent shit right now”, you whisper to yourself, feeling much cooler than what was necessary in this situation. You sit down on the floor to pull out each of your presents and lay them onto the floor right in front of you. You reach behind you to grab for the wrapping paper before remembering that you had left it in the living you. You groan rubbing your temples.

“Now I can go down”, you sigh, rising to your feet to start your mission. You slowly open the door, glancing around the second floor first before you decide that it is safe for you to leave. You rush down the hallway and the stairs and only stop when you reach the bags filled with wrapping paper. You grab the prettiest-looking paper before sprinting up the stairs and back into the library again.

You fall down on the floor, sighing contently now that you can finally start with wrapping your presents. You normally hate wrapping presents you always manage to make the edges look patchy. But today luck was with you and you manage to wrap your present just how one would find them in a storybook. You grin down at your finished presents feeling proud, your heart beating excitedly in your chest.

“Oh shit, hey Y/N”, Taehyungs voice makes your head snap into the direction of the door. He is standing in the aisle with three big paper bags hidden behind his back and a roll of wrapping paper in his hand. “I didn’t think that someone would already be awake”, he stutters, his cheeks turning red from being caught.

“I can leave if you want. I’m already finished with wrapping my presents”, you tell him, stuffing the finished presents back into your bags before jumping to your feet.

“Thank you sweetheart”, he smiles walking to you trying his hardest not to flash the bags he was holding. “Can you by the way not look back when you leave? It would ruin the surprise”, he asks to which you nod.

“Of course handsome don’t worry. Have fun, if you want you can join me in the kitchen later”, you say before kissing him goodbye and storming out of the library.

The living room is still empty when you reach it, but you notice that two rolls of wrapping paper were missing. So someone else must already be awake. You lay the presents underneath the tree, smiling happily at the finished picture in front of you. Now Christmas is actually here!

Your stomach suddenly rumbles, reminding you that you in fact still needed to eat something. You decide to get breakfast ready, the guys will probably wake up very soon and you want to surprise them. Why not, it’s Christmas after all. You decide to go with some scrambled eggs and toast, just something you know that everyone would like and wouldn’t be too stressful to make. You get the eggs from the fridge before looking around the kitchen for the glass bowl which you saw Seokjin use a few days ago. You are able to find it in the cupboard underneath the oven and then you are good to go. You throw six eggs into the bowl before seasoning it with some salt and a dash of milk, a tip that Yoongis mum once told would make the eggs especially tasty. You heat the oil in a pan, swinging your hips to the sudden music in the living room. Wait! Music? You turn around, Jungkook is grinning at you with his Bluetooth speaker in his hands, which was playing some upbeat Christmas song at the moment.

“Good morning pumpkin”, he smiles, putting the speaker down on the coffee table before walking to you. He presses a kiss to your cheek ending it with a loud smack of his lips. “Did you sleep well?” he asks wrapping his arms around your waist.

“I did and you?” you giggle running your fingertips over the skin of his arms.

“I did eventhough I couldn’t fall asleep until 4, I was so excited because of today”, he tells you whilst peppering your cheek with kisses. You giggle, his breath is tickling you ever so lightly and soon your eyes fall closed, your whole body melting into his touch.

“Guys I think something is burning”, Taehyung says. He had come into the kitchen to put the finished presents underneath the tree and help you cooking when he saw the pan in front of you steam.

“Oh no the oil” you yell, ribbing yourself out of Jungkooks grasp to remove the hot oil from the stove. “Great, now I need to let it cool down a bit. Thanks Tae for warning me”, you say sending Taehyung a sweet smile.

“Don’t mention it sweetheart”, he grins, pouring water into the water cooker to make some tea.

“How can we help you pumpkin?” Jungkook asks already getting some cutlery and plates for the table.

“Someone could make some toast and coffee also someone needs to set the table”, you tell them and they instantly spring into action.

“I’ll go make the food and coffee”, Taehyung says already getting the toast from the cupboard.

“Then I will set the table”, Jungkook announces before storming to the dining table with staked plates in his hands.

Soon the others join one by one, all of them packed to the brim with the freshly wrapped presents ready to be put under the Christmas tree. You decide to meet up in the living room once you have eaten and washed yourself to finally decorate the tree and get the food ready for tonight. So after an hour you are back in the living room, all of you wearing your most beautiful clothes. You had decided to go for the black dress and had paired it with some red stockings, which you had once bought for one of your many role plays. You had put on some red lipstick on your lips and kept the other make-up very simple. Your boyfriend had chosen to go with some jeans and colorful sweaters, safe for Taehyung who went for suit pants and a red dress shirt.

“Just for your information I will not be cooking today unless you want it to taste like shit”, Taehyung says already walking to the tree with Namjoon following close by.

“I totally agree with you Tae”, Seokjin chuckles.

“Then I want to help Taehyung too”, you say, grabbing the closest hand to you and dragging the person to the tree with you.

“I assume that I am helping too”, Yoongi chuckles intertwining his fingers with yours the moment you had touched him.

“Fine then I want to help hyung”, Jimin says to which both Hoseok and Jungkook agree with a nod of their heads.

“Wooow sweetheart the decoration is beautiful”, Taehyung gasps pulling out some ball ornaments from one of the many bags scattered all over the floor. He musters it for a second before turning to tree and hanging it onto one of the branches.

“Did we do a good job at choosing the ornaments?” you ask, taking three ball ornaments into your hands and distributing them all over the tree.

“You really did princess, but I didn’t expect anything different from you. You have amazing taste after all I mean look at your boyfriends”, Yoongi says sending you a wink.

“Jeeeeeez never say that again”, you groan rolling your eyes.

“I’m proud of you Yoongi!” Seokjin calls from the kitchen, finger gunning at the younger man.

“You both are a disgrace to this family”, Namjoon groans dramatically, cracking all of you up.

Soon you turn silent all of you immersed in your work. The tree turns out even more beautiful than you had expected it to. The ornaments go perfectly with each other, the colorful snowmen or Santas added color to the otherwise red ornaments. You even managed to not break one single ornament, all of you feeling rather proud about it. But soon another problem appears. Hanging the fairy lights and star on top of the tree!

“I don’t think we have a latter here”, Taehyung says after having returned from the cellar to look for one.

“And how are we supposed to get the star and the fairy lights on top of the tree then?” you ask feeling sad already. Now the tree will never look perfect.

“I have an idea!” Namjoon suddenly yells. He had watched you struggle for a few moments before he had finally thought of the perfect solution. You watch him run to you before kneeling down in front of you.

“What are you doing?” you ask confused.

“Get on my shoulders” he explains looking up at you.

“You are a genius Joonie” you grin before sitting comfortably on his shoulders. He raises to his feet, not once complaining about you being too heavy before taking the few steps to the tree.

“Here princess”, Yoongi says handing you the beginning of the fairy lights. You thank him before starting to wrap them around the top of the tree until Yoongi is finally able to grab them and continue your work.

“Are you still okay Namjoon?” you ask, patting the crown of his head.

“Of course”, he says eventhough his voice starts to sound a bit strained. “Just tell me where to go next”, he adds before jumping a bit so you would sit better on his shoulders again after having slipped down a bit.

“To the front of the tree again and Taehyung can you hand me the star right in front of you?” you tell him pointing at the golden star on the coffee table. Taehyung rushes to the table and hands you the star as quick as possible. You thank him before stretching out your arms as far as possible

“Just few more millimeters Joonie”, you grunt trying your hardest to reach the upper most branch.

“I’m already literally standing inside of the tree”, he tells you with closed eyes so the branches wouldn’t stick into his eyes.

“Wait guys I can help!” Jungkook suddenly says. Soon you feel yourself getting lifted up even higher making you squeal. The grip around your legs tightens and you look down to see what is going on. Jungkook had wrapped his arms around Namjoons waist before hoisting both him and you up. His tongue was sticking out of his mouth, his face contorted in concentration.

“Holy shit”, you pant feeling scared for your life all of a sudden. You look up before reaching out to grab the branch. “Oh my god I got!” you announce your finger finally touching the tree. You stick the star onto the branch before telling Jungkook that he can let you down again.

“Thank god”, he groans letting Namjoon fall back onto his feet again, “You guys are heavy”, he whines massaging his aching arms.

“It wasn’t my idea Kook”, Namjoon scoffs, slowly kneeling down so you can crawl off his shoulders.

“I really appreciate it babyboy thank you” you smile, before pressing a kiss Jungkooks cheek. He grins, feeling proud now that you had praised him.

“Wooooow guuuys the tree is beautiful”, Hoseok says marveling the finished tree with a big smile.

“Let’s turn the lights on now”, Jimin says, stopping his work for a moment to go into the living room.

“Wait for me I want to see it too”, Seokjin says whilst limping next to you.

Yoongi kneels down next to the socket with the plug in his hands. He looks at you, “Are you ready?” he asks making all of you nod. He plugs it into the socket and the tree instantly lights up.

“Wooooooow”, all of you gasp looking at the tree with happy eyes.

“That’s more beautiful than I had imagined it to be”, Taehyung smiles clapping his hands excitedly.

“It really is”, you agree smiling fondly.

“Can we leave it plugged in the whole time now? It looks so beautiful”, Yoongi asks the rest of you, starring at the tree in awe.

“Of course we will keep it plugged in. We would be stupid if we didn’t”, Seokjin says already walking back to the kitchen to finish his cooking, “by the way guys now that you are finished, you can finally help us cook”, he adds already kneading through the filling for the turkey again.

“Sure tell us what to do”, Namjoon says pulling up the sleeves of his dark blue sweater.

“Someone can set the table for later and I think that Hoseok needs some help with the potatoes”, he tells you.

“I’ll go set the table, because yeah well, you already know why I won’t be cooking today”, Taehyung says rummaging through the cutlery drawer.

“Then I will help Tae”, Namjoon says before getting the plates from the cupboard.

“Hobi, how can I help you?” you ask now that having to cook stuck to you.

“Can you peel them?” he asks pointing at the big pile of unpeeled potatoes. You nod before finally getting to work.

“Then I will make the eggnog”, Yoongi announces already looking for a recipe on his phone. Once he has found the perfect one he gets to work, whisking the eggs and pouring the brandy in a big pot to make it boil.

“I am already soo hungry”, Hoseok whines once the turkey starts to smell delicious in the oven. He rubs his rumbling stomach pouting hard.

“Me too bro”, Namjoon groans letting his head fall back onto the headrest of the couch.

“We just need to wait fifteen more minutes and then we can finally eat”, Seokjin says, watching the turkey roast in the oven.

“How about we bypass the time by drinking some eggnog?” you suggest, not waiting for an answer and already pouring each of them a glass. You place them on a big tray before carrying it into the living room. They each grab one glass, humming contently whilst taking the first sip.

“That tastes amazing hyung”, Jungkook gasps with big eyes.

“Thanks”, Yoongi mumbles, smiling shyly.

“By the way I nearly forgot!” Jimin suddenly screams up, he jumps to his feet running to the last unopened bag in the living room. He pulls out the matching sweaters and headbands, distributing them between you, “We got matching sweaters so we will look cute on pictures”, he grins, undressing himself before pulling the new sweater over his head and putting the reindeer antlers on his head.

“Do we really?” Yoongi groans eyeing the Santa hat which had been placed into his lap.

“Yes we do hyung, now go on and change”, Jimin insists sending him a warning glare.

“Fine”, Yoongi groans before changing into the sweater, “okay fair enough we actually look cute”, he confesses once all of you are wearing your sweaters and headbands.

“See I told you”, Jimins grins pulling out his phone, “sooooo now that we are at it, can we take the picture for my Instagram now?” he asks with a cute voice.

“Of course”, Taehyung tells him whilst pulling Jungkook and Seokjin closer to him.

“Great! Okay now everybody look here and smile”, Jimin orders you holding the camera up so everyone would be on the picture. After the twelfth picture he is finally happy with the result now smiling into his phone whilst putting some filter on the picture

“It’s going to look so cute on my page”, he grins already writing the caption, “Is that a good caption Being able to spend Christmas with you is a present in itself and then I would add three hearts and a tree” he asks looking at you for approval.

“Sure sounds cute”, Hoseok says shrugging his shoulders.

“Okay then I will post it now”, Jimin says grinning excitedly before pressing post. “Someone already liked it!” he announces, his smile growing, “It’s Hayley, damn she is fast okay wait now she posted a comment The cutest bunch I have ever seen. Miss you guys xx. Awww she is cute”, Jimin mumbles refreshing his page over and over again to see who liked the picture next.

“Are you finished with talking to yourself now Jimin or do you want to continue? Because we would really like to start eating now”, Jungkook asks making Jimin look up from his phone.

“Sorry guys I’m coming”, Jimin apologizes, throwing his phone onto the sofa before joining the rest of you at the dining table.

The food tastes delicious, the turkey was perfectly cooked and Seokjin did a great job at making the stuffing. The potatoes which you and Hoseok made, had the perfect consistency, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and the sauce Jimin had made really was the cherry on top. You had stopped counting at the third plate and soon all of you feel too full to move.

“This was the most delicious meal I have ever had”, you say happily whilst rubbing your stuffed stomach.

“It really was, eventhough I feel stuffed I think I need to go for a quick after-dinner walk. Anyone wants to join?”, Namjoon says looking at you.

“Bro the only after-dinner walk I will go on is the walk from here to there”, Seokjin says pointing at the couch.

“I have a better idea. I have this tradition with my parents where we write our wishes on a piece of paper and then read them aloud before throwing them into a fire. Do you maybe want to do that? The fresh air surely will help us digest a bit” you suggest.

“That sounds cute. I really want to do that”, Hoseok says already feeling excited to which everyone agrees.

“Sure fresh air never hurt nobody”, Yoongi agrees nodding slowly.

“Yaay I’m so excited!” you squeal before running off the grab some pen and paper and your coat.

Soon everyone has written down their wishes and once you had gone outside and Seokjin had managed to get a fire going your little tradition can begin.

“So who is going to start?“ you ask playing nervously with the paper in your hands.

“I want to start first", Jungkook says, waving his piece of paper in his hands grinning widely. He looks at you waiting for your complaints, but they never came. He nods contently, clearing his throat. “I wish that we can all stay healthy and happy and that we can achieve everything that we couldn't achieve in 2018”, he reads with his eyes fixated on the paper. Suddenly his eyes snap up, “and I wish for us to stay together”, he adds smiling at the rest of you. He crumples his paper before throwing it into the fire.

“Me next please!” Jimin says waving his hand excitedly making the rest of you laugh.

“Go ahead Jiminie no one's stopping you", Hoseok snorts making Jimin smile happily.

“Okay so I wish for us to stay healthy. Then I wish to finally get my divers license and buy that car I always wanted. And that I am able to release some of my own songs, I would really love that", he says, smiling sadly once he is finished, “I hope that people will like them”, he adds so quietly that you wouldn't have been able to hear him if it wasn't for the silence of the night.

“Hey don't worry Jiminie. People will love your music and your voice. You are so talented don't worry", Yoongi assures him patting his thigh. Jimin smiles finally crumpling his paper and throwing it into the fire.

“Thank you hyung", he grins, pulling his scarf over his blushing cheeks.

“I want go next!” Seokjin says once the last piece of Jimins paper has burned. You nod, allowing him to speak. “Alright, I wish that we stay healthy, that we can go on this holiday to Y/Ns hometown we have been speaking of since 2017 and that we can keep this happiness I had felt the last few days", he says before throwing his paper into the fire.

“I really would like to see my parents again", you mumble, realizing how much you miss them. A big hand comes resting on your thigh pressing it gently.

“You will see them very soon again. I promise", Seokjin assures you smiling sweetly at you. You smile back at him, intertwining your fingers with his.

“Thanks Jinnie", you smile, your heart feeling lighter again.

“Can I go next? Before we all become sad now", Hoseok says trying his hardest to cheer you up. You look at him; he was looking at you with worry in his eyes.

“Sure sunshine go ahead", you tell him, nodding.

“Okay, sooo. Just like everyone I wish for us to stay healthy and happy. I wish for BTS to find a path where we can still have some time for ourselves whilst staying successful. And I wish for us to have time for Y/N again. I don't want us to go back to how we where before our holiday", he says, playing with his paper once he is finished. “I'm finished someone can go next", he sighs throwing the paper into the flames.

“I wish that too hyung", Namjoon says looking at you with a sad smile on his face. “I wish for us to stay together for forever, even when BTS is long nothing more than a memory from our youth. I want us to stick together, that we can laugh together and still live under one roof”, he says taking a deep breath. He folds his paper, giving it a kiss before throwing it into the fire.

“Jeez why are all your wishes so sad?” Yoongi says, making the rest of your chuckle. He really knows how to lighten up the mood. “You want to go first Taehyung and Y/N? I know you both probably went full sad mode, it would fit into the mood perfectly. Because then I'll go last, my wishes aren't that depressing”, he says making you laugh even louder.

“Fine then I want to go next”, you say unrolling the paper in your hands. You clear your throat, taking a deep breath before opening your mouth to speak. “I wish for us to stay healthy, yeah I know everyone said that already but it doesn't hurt when I’ll repeat it again. I wish for you guys to achieve everything that you dream of. I wish for Hayley to finally find her true love. And I wish for us to stay as happy as we are right now even when the everyday life starts again", you say looking at each of your boyfriends. You crumple your paper throwing it into the flames.

“Hyung you can go first, mine is rather long", Taehyung says unfolding his paper and showing you his paper. Your eyes grow big in surprise.

“Damn Tae you really did the most", Jimin chuckles.

“Yeah I got carried away", Taehyung mumbles looking at his snow covered shoes.

“Fine then I'll go next”, Yoongi says, clearing his throat and holding his paper in front of his face, “I wish for good health and happiness. I wish for success, maybe even a Grammy. I wish for Holly to live long. And I wish for our relationship to keep growing and blossoming", Yoongi says, nodding his head once he is finished. He rolls his paper before throwing it into the bright flames.

“So now for the grand final Taehyung and his list of thousand wishes", Seokjin announces making you snort.

“Don't make it sound funny hyung", Taehyung pouts looking insecure all of a sudden.

“No I’m sorry, I didn't mean it like that, go ahead”, Seokjin says, sounding slightly panicky.

“Fine. Okay so I know it got kind of long but I hope you still like it”, he clears his throat before continuing, “I wish for Yeontan to start living with us, I really miss him. I wish for BTS to stay successful. I wish for Jin-hyung to keep coming up with jokes and stay just as youthful as he is right now. I wish for Yoongi-hyung to be able to stay inspired and to finally realise that taking breaks is actually good for him. I wish for Hoseok-hyung to finally be able to find the courage to open up to us and that he knows that we will love him even if he is sad. I wish for Namjoon-hyung to always find time for his walks and that his worries will fade. I wish for Jiminie to keep laughing and that his insecurities about his talents stop. I wish Jungkookie to realise that sometimes taking a rest and letting your body heal is a good thing and that he can finally achieve his dream of his own mixtape. I wish for Y/N to keep laughing everyday and that she stays just as perfect as she us right now. And for me, well I just wish to never be alone”, he says, looking up at you once he has finished his words.

“Wow Tae you really wrote down a wish for everyone?” Hoseok says clutching his heart.

“Yeah, I’m sorry for getting emotional like that", Taehyung says sinking his head to hide the tears threatening to spill.

“Don't apologize that was beautiful”, you assure him, cupping his cold cheek. He looks at you smiling softly.

“Thank you", he mumbles. He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes to gain his composure again before throwing his paper into the fire.

“Thank you guys, for saying yes to my idea. It really means a lot to me. Normally I would have always done this with my parents so doing it with you means a lot to me. After all you are my family now", you say making each of them smile fondly at you.

“You are our family too baby", Jimin smiles, blushing hard.

“Now that we are already talking about traditions, why don't we go inside and give each other our presents?” Seokjin suggests pointing at the brightly light living room.

“Sounds like a fun tradition to me", Namjoon grins, getting to his feet.

“Yeah, I’ve been dying to see all your presents ever since we went shopping", Jungkook says, jumping up and clapping excitedly.

“Then let’s go inside”, Yoongi says reaching out his hand for you to take. You grab it, letting yourself get pulled to your feet.

“Come on hyung you can wrap your arm around my shoulder”, Taehyung says, dragging Seokjin to his feet and wrapping an arm around his waist. Seokjin lays his arm around Taehyungs neck, smiling thankfully at the younger man.

“I want to go first”, Hoseok announces before storming off and holding the glass door open for the rest of you.

“Fine with me, but I want to go last”, you say peeling the thick coat off your shoulders and throwing it onto the sofa.

“As you wish princess”, Yoongi chuckles, sitting down at the big fur rug with his legs crossed.

Soon the rest of you follow, sitting down one by one. You decide to stand up and get the presents one by one.

Hoseok had managed to find accessories perfectly fitted for everyone. He had gotten Namjoon a silver whistle, making him jump up excitedly once he sees it glistening in the light. For Yoongi and Jimin he had bought something from Chanel, both of then thanking him with a bright smile. For Taehyung he had bought a pair of glasses. He had said that Seokjin was the hardest to get presents for, but still he managed to buy a scarf which perfectly fitted to his personality. For Jungkook he had gotten a belt, saying that he needed to invest in some more expensive belts to accentuate his style. And for you he had bought a watch, making your eyes nearly fall out of your eyes once you had read the brand name.

The next one is Namjoon who gets up to get his presents. He had decided to go for books this year, having carried them in his suitcase the whole time. They fitted each of your personalities perfectly, making all of you excited to read them. 

After Namjoon, Seokjin is the one standing up and getting his presents. He had gotten all out on the wrapping paper, wrapping each of the presents at least three times. Despite your initial anger at his waste of paper, your anger soon fades once you all get to see your presents. He had gotten Jimin some new glasses, telling him that he just knew that these were the ones. For Jungkook he had apparently gone into the same store as you, buying him a new lens. For Taehyung he had found some cute clothes for Yeontan making him squeal in excitement. He had gotten Namjoon three books, all of them in English, explaining that it was really hard to find books in a language he would be able to understand. For Yoongi he had bought a ring, saying that it would fit perfectly to his earrings. For Hoseok he had gotten a pair of shoes, which made Hoseok scream out in excitement. “Thank you hyung they are so cool!” and for you he had gotten an album full of photographs. You had thrown it closed as soon as you had opened it, Seokjins naked crotch greeting you.

“Jesus fucking Christ what is that?” you screech looking at him in utter shock.

“You own personal album whenever you miss me", he explains sending you a wink.

“You are unbelievable”, you whine, too proud to admit that you actually quite enjoy his present.

Once Jimin had realised that all the whining wouldn't let him see the photo album he gets up for his presents.

“I know Jin-hyung already got you the same thing I'm sorry", he apologizes once he hands you his presents. Turns out that he had made each of you a photo album filled with polaroids from your adventures together. It was beautiful, with handwritten notes between the pictures and cute little drawings.

“It's beautiful baby thank you so much", you tell him making him smile sweetly at you.

Taehyung is the next to get up and carry his presents to you. He had been able to find a designer clothing shop in town and had bought each of you a piece if their newest collection. Despite your initial whining that he had spent far too much money, you accepted it with a grateful smile on your faces.

The next one was Jungkook. He had been feeling nervous the whole time, mostly because he didn't spend as much money as the others and now he was feeling guilty. You tell him that, no matter how small the present is, it’s the thought that matters the most. In the end they turn out to be perfect presents from rings for Jimin to a sweater for Namjoon and a beret for Taehyung over to a new beanie for Yoongi, a gamer mouse for Seokjin and an oversized t-shirt for Hoseok. He had handed you a USB flash drive, smiling shyly at you.

“Wow omg Kookie I always wanted a new USB flash drive, I lost my old one thank you", you exclaim, smiling happily.

“The thing that's on there is your present, but you can keep  the flash drive too", Jungkook tells you, making you curious all of a sudden.

“What is it?” you ask turning the flash drive in front of your face in hopes to get some hints.

“It's a surprise. You need to look at later", he tells you making you pout.

“Fine”, you whine, putting the flash drive down next to your other presents.

Soon Yoongi gets up to go to the big tree. He crouches down, pulling out his presents before walking back to the rug. He kneels down, handing each of you a thin packet.

“I hope you like it", he mumbles starring at each of your faces for a reaction. Your faces light up once you see the content of his present. He had made each of you, your own personal mixtapes with songs he had written for you and some of your favorite songs thrown in between. He had finished it off with a picture of him holding a big paper heart in front of his chest as the cover. You thank him, smiling brightly at the perfectly arranged mixtape.

“Now it's my turn", you say excitedly once you realise that everyone except you had gotten up already.  “Don't expect great things though, you know I'm broke”, you say running to the Christmas tree. You carry them to the rug kneeling down slowly in an attempt not to drop everything.

“Baby don't worry, we will love everything you get us", Jimin assures you, helping you hand out the beautifully wrapped presents.

“So okay I don't have a specific order, you guys can decide who goes first", you tell them scratching the back of your neck.

“I'm the oldest I want to go first”, Seokjin says already opening the bow. He rips the paper from the present gasping once he sees the game lying in his hands. “Wow oh my god little one you got me Mario Party? I can finally play it thank you so much!” he yells, grinning so much his cheeks turn all puffy.

“It's my turn now", Hoseok announces now that he had seen the present which you had gotten for Seokjin. He pulls the wrapping paper off in one go. “Angel how did you know that I ran out of it?” he asks, looking at you in pure disbelieve.

“You weren't smelling like yourself lately”, you giggle watching him unpack the perfume and spray it onto his wrists and neck. He inhales the scent, smiling fondly.

“You really smell good now hyung. I'll go next", Jungkook says already taking his own present into his hands. “No you didn’t”, he gasps once he sees the tripod, he looks at you with big eyed utterly shocked about your present, “how did you know that I’ve been dreaming of this?” he asks, carefully opening the packet.

“You have been talking about it nonstop”, you tell him, smiling proudly once you see his happy face.

“Can I go next please?” Yoongi asks turning his present around to gently open the wrapping paper. He turns the now opened present around, squealing loudly once he sees the noise cancelling headphones.

“You always complaint about not being able to properly listen to music because of all the noise around you", you say watching his smile grow wider and wider.

“Thank you princess this is the best present ever", he laughs, already pulling the headphones out of their packaging.

“You can go next Jiminie, you've been eyeing your present ever since the beginning", Taehyung says, concealing his own need to open his present as good as possible.

Jimin rips his present open after that, letting his jaw drop once he sees the camera in front of him. “It's-", he begins before having to swallow his tears down. “Thank you so much! This is my dream camera thank you baby!” he screams throwing his arms around your neck to pull you into a tight hug. You giggle wrapping your own arms around his figure enjoying his loving touch.

“You are welcome baby", you laugh. He presses a kiss to your cheek, smiling sweetly at you.

“It's my turn now", Taehyung announces once he isn't able to wait any longer. He is slow, unpacking his present with so much care that the rest of you soon tell him to hurry up. “Wooooow sweetheart, this is so beautiful", he gasps holding the leather camera bag in his hands.

“I got it from an antiques shops, the owner told me that this bag once belonged to a very famous photographer, who had to sell it to afford his train ticket to go visit his family", you tell him seeing his eyes light up at the story.

“That's so sad and cool at the same time, thank you sweetheart I can finally carry my camera around”, he smiles pressing it against his chest.

“Now for the last present of tonight", Namjoon says taking his present into his hands and quickly unwrapping it. His eyes cloud over with happiness once he sees the book and beautiful looking pen. He opens it, reading the small message you have written on the first page “For when you need to empty your mind so your ideas can flow again.”

“Wow thank you my love. I always wanted to get a diary, this is so beautiful”, he smiles, stroking over the empty pages.

“I'm glad that you liked my presents”, you say smiling shyly at your folded hands.

“They are amazing, all of your presents are", Hoseok says, taking the hands of Seokjin and Yoongi into his.

“Do you guys want some eggnog now? Just so we could celebrate finishing our tradition”, you ask, already getting to your feet to walk into the kitchen.

“Actually princess there is still one more present”, Yoongi says making you stop in your way and turning around.

“Did I forget to hand you one of my presents?” you ask feeling nervous all of a sudden. You let your eyes wander over their laps to see if someone didn’t get their present.

“No we have got something for you”, Jungkook says, grinning from ear to ear.

“For me?” you ask, suddenly curious and you plonk down on the fur rug again now looking at them with big eyes.

“Yeah wait let me get it real quick”, Taehyung says before jumping to his feet and running to the tree. He kneels down, stretching his arm underneath the lowest branches of the tree to fish something from its hiding spot. “Got it”, he exclaims before pulling out something bright red. He returns to you hiding the small thing in his big hands. He already reaches out to hand it to you before Hoseoks strong arm stops him.

“Can I say something before you hand it to her?” he asks looking between the other guys. They nod signaling him to talk with a wave of their hands.

“Okay so, Y/N I just want to thank you for agreeing on going on the holiday with us. You didn’t have to and you still did and I’m just so grateful for this given opportunity to make everything between us good again. I’m so happy that we actually managed to stop on our paths to run back to each other. I just love you so much”, he says making your cheek turn crimson red.

“I love you too Hoseok”, you say smiling sweetly at him.

“Wait now I want to say something too”, Namjoon announces waving his arms above his head.

“Sure go ahead hyung”, Taehyung encourages him, whilst hiding your present behind his back.

“My dear Y/N thank you for opening my eyes again, I was blind for the last few months. I didn’t want to see love or happiness, all I wanted to see was success. And I will probably never forgive myself for that. But you managed to show me how beautiful love is and how happiness actually looks like and I’m actually happy again. I can’t stop smiling the whole day and just really, really love you. All of you”, he says, smiling with so much love in his heart he is sure he will explode one day.

“I love you too Joonie and you make me happy too. I’m sorry I know I repeat myself all over again but I just don’t know what to say right now you are too much for me to comprehend right now”, you say making the others laugh.

“Don’t apologize little one, this is about you right now you don’t need to say anything”, Seokjin reassures you with a fond smile on his face.

“Can I give her the present now?” Taehyung asks playing with it behind his back. 

“Sure go ahead Tae”, Jungkook says already pulling out his camera to film to whole scene. You look at the young man for a second you heartbeat quickening even more in your chest.

“This is our promise to you Y/N, that we will forever be by your side no matter what happens”, Taehyung says before finally handing you your present. You stare at it for a moment, taking in the bright red satin box. You trail your fingers over the soft material, feeling too nervous to actually open it.

“Go on open it”, Yoongi urges you on, watching you with nervous eyes.

You take a deep breath before finally opening the little box. Your eyes grow big and you are sure that your heart had stopped beating for a good second. A beautiful rose gold ring was lying in the box, the big diamond in the middle of the ring shimmering in the lights.

“Is that?” you begin before you have to stop to swallow the sudden lump in your throat.  

“We know that it’s legally not really possible as of now, but we thought that maybe we can still ask you and just keep it between us until one day it can be possible for us to make it official”, Jimin says nervously biting his lip.

You look at them, feeling lost for words, your lips quivering from the sobs threatening to spill.

“We got a ring too, so everybody knows that we belong together”, Seokjin says showing you the ring on his finger, “So what do you say?” he asks.

“I just-“, you start before sobs take over your voice and you can do nothing more than to nod your head vigorously. “Yes, yes, yes”, you sob throwing yourself onto the closest person.

“We love you so much”, Jimin says before breaking out into sobs as well hugging you close to his body.

“We will always love you Y/N”, Jungkook smiles with tears in his eyes joining the hug and soon the others follow too, holding each other and crying from happiness.

Soon the crying stops, turning into laughter and kisses filled with love. The presents are long forgotten, all there was left was the unbreakable love for each other.

“Let’s take a picture together so we will never forget this moment!” Taehyung says holding up his camera with pure happiness glowing all around him. He puts it onto the coffee table, clicking a few buttons before telling you were to sit. He presses a button and a red light begins blinking. He rushes back to you, kneeling next to Jungkook.

“Now everybody say cheeeeeese”, you tell them, grinning from ear to ear.

[cgmayra]

The Shoe-Shop Exercise

The first draft of a writing exercise I did for class.

The Squeaky Shoe Store has seen better days. Its blemished window displays held discarded cardboard boxes, feral cats walked gleefully out of its adjoined alleyway, and the sign was smeared with dirt from old country storms.

 But Old Fella Creed wouldn’t give up on his shop. Old Fella Creed was a slender man, bulbous nose, and squinting eyes. Not many colors could he see now, besides the brown of shoe shiner and rusted gold shelves. He would carefully set the small foot stepper down and reach up to pick up shoes long forgotten. He blew on them with a loving father’s distant kiss, and use his elbow grease still found upon his graying white sleeve to freshen them up for sale.

 As he descended down, carrying the box of classic dancing shoes down, the old bell shimmied with aged spirit.

 His winkled gaze widened to see more of the person through the hazy blur of his eyes.

 The light was too strong, better just get into position.

 He moved himself as hurriedly as his little shuffling feet could go to the cashier desk, and politely took off his small hat to solute the customer.

 Finally, the woman came into view. A stout woman, with blazing white hair that looked muddled with blonde due to Old Fella Creed’s impaired vision. She wore pink with fuzzy fur entangled around her non-existent neck like a scarf. She politely nodded to him, and pointed down to her shoes.

 Old Fella Creed took a moment before leaning over the desk to peer down towards the floor at the young lady’s shoes.

 They were pigeon-sized, a heel cracked but not broken off but that didn’t stop her from quickly tapping her feet to regain stability again.

 When he glanced back at her, she let out a small, lady-like giggle and presented him with a shiny card.

 Money!

 Excitedly, the Old Fella Creed’s eyes remembered that sort of timely glow and could faintly see the green still shining. He held up a polite finger to have the good ma’dam wait as he hurried with his scraping soles against the wooden floor.

 His breathing carried down the isles as he flung back a tarp to make his way into the back storage room, and as though a child digging through new autumn leaves, he searched for the tiniest shoe box.

A thousand times had he tried to memorize each location of every available shoe-size his shop owned, but alas, he couldn’t seem to find the right stack. “Dah…oh.” He let a defeated expression of confusion and exhaustion break his usual optimism.

 He bounced a little as his arms animatedly showed his gentle disappointment at having not been able to find the smaller shoe sizes.

 Then, at the corner of his eye, he saw something sparkle a faint pink.

 Cloudy eyes then scanned as hands reached out to waddle through the upturned and tossed boxes to find that on one shelf, the numbers matched up.

 Eagerly, he let out minor huffs of excitement, pulling the box down and opening it wide.

 But it wasn’t shoes he found in this supposedly perfect box.

 He suddenly let out a forlorn sigh.

 It was full of leather and pieces of shoes, soles, and lace that had once been used to help repair charity shoes.

 He closed his watery eyes, lowering the box as he rubbed them. All the while, memories of his daughter helping him make shoes and repair them filled the room around him. In the back, the boxes disappeared to replace a young woman hammering some nails down on a shoe, holding the sole in place as she lifted it up to admire it, then show it off to him.

 He nodded and patted her back, kissing her forehead before the memory raced to children by his daughter’s feet. She was now rushing the patchy shoe job while Old Fella Creed seemed to be cautioning her about the quality of the shoe being ruined. Frustrated by her children’s playing and his worried comments, she gripped her head and shook it. As she stormed out, Old Fella Creed tried to follow her, pleading her to not take offense, but soon the children were gone, the business turned old and forgotten…

 The vision faded as the man looked up from the vision disappearing behind him and he moved back over to the now littered table with boxes.

 He lightly moved the boxes away, letting them fall to the ground and spill out a bit as he sat down and fell back into the chair, sighing.

 He then looked at a box that had the shoes fall out.

 He raised his bushy eyebrow, leaning down with some strain. He found he couldn’t reach, so he gripped the edge of the table and tried again.

 With some difficulty, he finally was able to swipe the air enough to lower himself close to the shoe and grab one of them. With again, great exertion, he placed one elbow on the table and willed himself back upright.

 “Whooo… Ah.” He relaxed from his undertaking and studied the shoe he had recovered, then pulled out the scraps from the box, looking away as an idea formed and his hands lightly pounded the objects in the air a moment.

 “Ah!” An idea sprung in his head. He moved out of the chair and reached for the drawer where his daughter’s tools were.

 He hesitated a moment, pulling away from them.

 His fingers recoiled before forcing themselves to latch onto the knob and tug.

 He tried to shift through the pictures of his daughter and him, her and her family, and cards that he could briefly still see in their flittering flutters as he swatted them away for the tools. ‘Sorry, Dad. I’m Busy.’, ‘Maybe Christmas break, me and the kids could…’, ‘I can’t do it anymore, John says…’.

 He froze to look at one card, a card so old the drool marks were barely visible anymore. ‘To Daddy, I love my new shoes! Love Jane.’. A toddler had drawn it and his eyes suddenly cleared to see the colors of the scribbled crayon in it.

 His lips pursed and he took it with him back to the table.

 He sat heavily down on the seat and let the little chair take the fullness of his weight.

 He then looked at the compiled items in his hand.

 Placing them down, he shakily took the picture and propped it upright. It fell a few times but he straightened it out.

 He pulled away to check it stability, and once he was assured it would stay upright, he began to hammer and shine the old pink leather and other shoe into an odd creation.

 It was the size she needed, but it certainly looked like a Frankenstein hybrid. Mix-matched with sparkles a child would normally wear and cowhide pattern, sowed white and thick stitching that created a rather ‘pop’ look, it wasn’t something the posh old lady would probably like.

 He moved to the tarp, practicing his presenting of the curious shoes to her, trying to bring his charisma back into his sell pitch.

 He finally took the courage to walk out, but slowed as he saw her looking around at the shop and seeming distracted by things outside.

 He lowered himself in humiliation, not having any alternative footwear for the woman but needing her money to stay afloat.

 If he could just sell it as a custom blend of a new era, a real dime-a-dozen!

 He put the box down and gestured for her to view it.

 She happily opened the box…

 Her expression was unreadable. She politely looked up to him and he rose his hat and began his pitch.

 He didn’t understand why she paid for them. Perhaps she was just being kind. Still, he gave a decent price, labor included, but worry filled him that night.

 The next morning, he opened shop as usual and tacked his daughter’s childhood drawing up by his customer desk.

 Proudly, he put his hands on his hips and admired it before jumping at the old bell tolling once more.

 He saw the woman was back, opening the door as the glare blurred her silhouette.

 He felt his whole being shrink below the desk, his nose sticking out at its edge to still see her.

 She was going to return them. He would truly lose his business. It was his only hope to find a shoe that fit her, and now…

 Then a faint shadow strode up behind the woman, just tall enough to reach her hip. Old Fella Creed rose himself up in surprise, watching the good ma’dam and the little misses point down.

 As before, he peered down from his desk, and smiled.

 The little one wore the fashioned shoes, and they looked stunning on her small little feet.

 As he looked up, his eyes cleared to see their smiling faces as well, as the woman then held up two fingers.

 Two more!?

 Old Fella Creed bounced behind the desk, his arms jumping just as much in their usual animated excitement.

 He held up a finger, saluted with his hat, and raced to the back.

 The woman held her granddaughter’s hand and squeezed it with eager enthusiasm, as the little girl excitedly danced at her side and pointed to look at the other shoes. The good ma’dam nodded and the little misses raced out of view through the isles of The Squeaky Shoes.

 The Squeaky Shoe Store has never seen better days. Time hurried along with the speed of productivity raised from the invention of the Frankenstein Shoe Line. Soon, the store could afford window-washing, then the line of displays that highlighted the unique style of the many patched together shoes. The alley cats had plenty of visitors that would willingly feed or take them home, so the area was now covered in flowers and more flower and patched quilt-style shoes. The sign was being lowered down when Jane and her family walked up to Old Fella Creed, raising his arms to tell the gentlemen to move it just a little more higher than before.

 When his now sparkling eyes saw the colors on his grandchildren’s school clothes and the beautiful face of his daughter, he placed his hands on his heart and opened his arms to them. He shuffled to them, immediately being embraced by his daughter embraced in a sweet, lasting hug.

 Her bag dipped slightly from her shoulder and her grip on his apron and graying white shirt tightened on his back.

 They all walked in together, as the sign now read, “The Squeaky Shoes Company”.

[deepdarkwaters]

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Got back from the Kingsman double bill a bit ago and am trying to put my brain into words even though I'm very tired and a bit numb and I smuggled five hours' worth of gin into the cinema in an Evian bottle so I'm as drunk as Harry at breakfast time.

OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW

Watching them back to back like this was interesting because it highlighted so clearly how much better the first one is than this fumbly ridiculous sequel. Not saying it's not good or not worth watching or whatever because it absolutely is worth watching for several reasons I will babble after another teacup of gin, but holy god is this really the best they could come up with? REALLY? A 100% true fact that I believe with my entire heart: YOU reading this, you are a better writer than people being paid obscene money to write films. I could easily name thirty fic writers off the top of my head right now who have an infinitely better grasp on pacing and plot and characterisation and dialogue than the people responsible for this stuff. I've not read any press or fan reviews but I imagine there's going to be a hell of a lot of backlash over so much in this from every angle because it's just so incredibly lazy and sometimes ugly and absolutely cannot stand up to its own hype.

Really good things:

* SPECTACULAR, EH!

* Eggsy/Harry and Eggsy/Merlin shippers, goddamn we have a lot of new stuff to work with. Chemistry through the roof, especially Eggsy/Harry (including possibly the best clingy desperate hug I have ever seen on film in my entire life WE HAVE WAITED SO LONG AND IT'S HERE AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL). That was the heart and backbone of the first film, I'm so relieved that it's not only survived but evolved into something fiercer and often messier. So so good to watch. Pretty sure I've got Harry/Merlin written down the inside of my heart like the words in a stick of rock, and though it's not romantic you get much more of a sense of their friendship here and it's all just a bit shattering and gorgeous.

* Pretty much everything to do with Harry's memory loss and Eggsy and Merlin trying to shock him into remembering was great, Y E S  P L E A S E. And Harry's matter of fact comments about his loneliness, fuckkk. Angst writers, go forth with all this new information and break my heart some more! Fluff writers, fix him!

* Lots of beautiful intricate fight choreography which is literally all I need in my action films, so even if I did think the rest was complete balls (which I don't entirely) then I'd still be happy. Nothing comes near the vivid glorious gutpunch of the church scene as a standalone set piece, BUT there's so much Harry & Eggsy teamwork and please just inject this directly into my veins, it's amazing. Prepare for several years of me writing many more elaborate fight scenes than I already do.

* Part B to the above: Whiskey is a lot of fun and his fighting style is full on hardcore pornography to me.

* Merlin in a flawless Kingsman suit, RIP me.

* One of my Bespoke WIPs is about Merlin and Eggsy getting into the habit of going to the pub together sometimes and rolling home completely drunk with a kebab in each hand then trying to get in the house really quietly because Harry's asleep but they end up waking him because they think it'll be really nice to cook him breakfast in bed and Harry comes stomping downstairs in his dressing gown like "it's four o'fucking clock, put those frying pans away and drink some water!" while Merlin and Eggsy side eye each other and try not to giggle. So maudlin singing drunk Merlin was very nice to see :P

* Eggsy and Roxy bromance. There’s such lovely chemistry between them as well, it feels so natural and real, and it’s so good (and miserably rare) to see platonic friendships that aren’t shoehorned into some shitty boring love triangle.

* Eggsy and Tilde were seriously adorable. It ended up not at all satisfying as a romance plot arc because it was like CUTE - fight - marriage, it needed so much more screen time. Like all the important stuff was there, but it was just so abrupt. Include a satisfying romance or don't include one at all, fuck your lazy bullet points. But it started so well and I hope there's a ton of fic that treats them better than the script did. I appreciate the anti-Bond-ness of it all, that Eggsy's genuinely in love and wants to settle and is figuring out how that and his job can possibly fit together, especially with the complications of marrying into royalty. Interested to see where they take that if there's another film. Until then, soo much scope for fic.

* I'm shipping Harry/Elton like burning.

* Poppy was terrifying in a vaguely Umbridge-ish way. That sort of characterisation is always freaky, Julianne was great. So glossy and cheerful but absolutely dead in the eyes. And I'm ambivalent on Charlie, but I ABSOLUTELY want lots of brutal older woman villain/pathetic younger male minion smut. Please provide asap.

* T H E   M Y T H I C A L  B R E A K F A S T   S C E N E   I S   R E A L

Really bad things: well where the merry fuck do I start haha.

* I will never ever understand why they thought it was a good idea to wipe out all the locations and almost all the existing characters at the very beginning. It's lazy shitty writing. If you feel like you need to shake up your fictional world you don't just knock it all down and start over. It's cheap and very shallow angst.

* I only have two middle fingers but I need about seventeen million to even begin to profess my disgust at them killing Roxy. I knew it was going to happen, it was the only spoiler I asked someone for ahead of time and it was not at all a surprise to find out for sure. Still utterly infuriating. The way people responded so positively to her in the first one is a real indication of how ridiculously low the bar is for female characters in action films ("good at something" and "not the hero's love interest" are literally the only two requirements), and JG/MV didn't even think enough of her to follow through on the absolute base level achievement they made before. Fuck everyarse involved in this decision.

* Absolutely revolting honeypot mission scene. Not really the fact that it exists, just the entire way it was handled and shot - so predictably male-gazey and laddishly "waheyyy!" that it kind of turned my stomach. Horrible and completely unnecessary.

* A million new characters and not enough time spent on any of them to care. Tequila was barely more than a cameo. Champ and Ginger hardly had anything to do. All the Statesmen (except Whiskey) were completely two dimensional and it's such a jarring contrast to the obvious care taken over Eggsy, Merlin, and Harry. It's not even because we already know them, I don't think? It's weird to try and explain. The Statesman characters just feel so rushed and shallow, there's no substance to any of them. Kill off Roxy and replace her with paper cut-outs, ok that makes loads of sense!!! Whiskey’s a level up from the others because he gets loads more screen time and some beautiful fight scenes, but his ~emotional plot twist fell completely flat. I don’t know what it was, the pacing or a boring cliche backstory or what. It was just dull as fuck. WE HAVE HEARD THIS EXACT STORY FIVE MILLION TIMES.

A bad thing that's somehow not really a bad thing even though I'm fucking numb and want a hug:

* I've been raving for ages to people about Roxy being killed off and trying to figure out a way to satisfactorily explain how I feel about a character dying for a reason and a character dying because a writer is a lazy bastard who wants some quick angst. Merlin's death was an A+ wonderful death along the lines of my dear fictional boyfrends Quincey Morris and Lee Scoresby and a million others. Maybe it comes from all the swashbuckly historical adventure stories I grew up loving, but I'm a desperate sucker for a good noble death. Characters brave and self-aware enough to look at the bigger picture of an impossible situation and realise that their death means a better outcome for the people they love? This is ABSOLUTE CATNIP to me. Characters who go down fighting to the very end. If a character I love with my entire soul has to die, this is how I want it to happen. Give them some agency and a proper goodbye.

I mean I fully expect him to be magically resurrected with fancy prosthetic legs if there's another film because we saw those wedding set photos of him in the nice neon green cgi stockings, so really I should be saying "death". I totally reject this one. (I reject Roxy and JB's deaths as well, but the big difference is I really can't see the filmmakers bringing them back. Eyeroll.) Maybe that's what's making it easier to deal with? A not-real noble courageous self-sacrificing death. That's about as good as it gets. All three of them get Oscars for this whole sequence.

Anyway the tl;dr of it is:

This film is a very beautiful, very patchy mess. The good stuff is absolutely gloriously perfectly incredibly wonderful. Most of said good stuff is the interaction between Eggsy, Merlin, and Harry, which is written and performed with real care and heart. Nearly everything else is relatively lacklustre filler, misogyny, and shitty nonsensical decisions. These people cannot write women.

I liked it? I will definitely see it 900 more times, mainly for wet terrified Harry and gorgeous fight scenes. But ffs, how can it possibly be this difficult to pinpoint the reasons why people loved your extremely successful creation and consider including them in future plans?

I'm feeling fairly zen about everything. I kind of trained myself ages ago to think of sequels as just another bit of fanfic, so it's going to make absolutely no difference to the cheerful fluff porn and fight scenes I like to write. What I'm annoyed about isn't so much to do with ~new canon~ limiting what we're allowed to create for ourselves now, because that's just silly. It's more about being pissed off at the shoddy state of action films, particularly women in action films, when it seems like it should be SO EASY to take these astronomical budgets and create something groundbreaking. I'm so tired of this unimaginative lazy narrow-minded bullshit.

[galivantingg]

Behind Those Eyes

Chapter 14 - End

Adjusting after that fiasco was tough. I went back to the orphanage, Cole helping me find the way. After whatever that was with Kev, I collapsed. I woke up however later it was, blind, but not alone. I love my powers. Both of them. Kev lost his mind reading powers, but he still had his family powers. Nobody else died. And, we captured all the villains.

Huzzah!

The mood was muted. I was quick to make jokes about my blindness, making everyone less awkward around me. I missed it. Seeing the sky, watching leaves dance in the wind, admiring my friend's smiles. I can still picture them.

I was shaken out of my thoughts by approaching feet. "Wait, don't tell me," I said, and smile forming on my mouth. "I want to guess." I listened hard, hearing soft breathing and light footsteps. "Phoenix?" I guessed.

Silence.

I'll take that as a no.

I groaned. "Alright I give up."

I felt light wind brush across the top of my patchy head, ruffling the bunches of hair that could grow. I need a wig.

"Martha," I said steadily.

"Cam," she said. "You're talking to me now."

I shrugged, not really knowing what to say. She took that as an invitation to continue. "I needed to tell you something." I motioned for her to continue. "When I woke up, last year, I was in that same room you were. The Director, he was there. He explained everything to me, and I was angry, so angry at first. I was a captive, I had no choice. Then Peculiar, she got inside my head. I don't think she really wanted me to go insane, because I could still function on my own."

She sighed, and I heard something that sounded like her sitting down. "All I really remember from that time is flashes. I didn't have any solid memories. So I'm sorry, that I didn't reach out before."

She stopped talking then, apparently not knowing what to say. "I forgive you," I said quietly. I imagined she was looking at me questioningly, wondering why.

"You, so full of hate and anger, forgive me, just like that?" She asked.

Way to hit the nail on the head. Ouch.

"I've had enough anger inside of me, I think I'm done being angry." I heard her hair ruffle, and I imagined she was nodding her head. She could have been shaking it, though.

"How very mature of you," she complimented. Or insulted. "There was something else I wanted to tell you," she said. "Waya and I were talking, and we want to retire. Take things slow, I know Houdini and Legion want to take a break too. Honestly, I think that last fight might've pulled a lot out of everyone."

I nodded, agreeing with her. "I think the only ones staying are Aerglo, Mo, Phoenix, Mazus, Mayhem, Nova and Rellik. I think Mo is also thinking of ditching her mask, along with Mayhem."

It was quiet again, and the only think keeping me thinking Martha has left was her steady breathing.

"That'll be good for the public, knowing who's protecting them. They'll do a fine job." She said.

I nodded, not knowing what more to say.

"Tom and I were also talking about something else, something that concerns you. We want you to be the new director."

Well there's a surprise.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you are the best candidate. You know these people, you know the cave, you know the system, plus, you and I both know you won't be able to stay away from the fight too long." She has a point.

"I don't know what to say."

"Say yes," she urged.

"Okay," I said, plunging into the unknown.

. . .

We were sitting in silence, just enjoying each other's company. I felt her hand brush against mine, and I opened my palm so she can lace our fingers together. She rubbed her thumb along the side of my hand, repeating the comforting movement. It set off butterflies in my stomach.

"Aella and Waya want me to be the new director." I broke the silence.

She hummed. "I think you'd be great at it."

I imagined her face, the one from school. Cute cheeks, full lips, dark eyes filled with love. Why did it take me so long to realise that she loved me, and I her.

"I want you by my side," I murmured.

She lifted my hand, pressing a kiss to it. I smiled. "Always,"

"Always and forever."

. . .

Cole stared at her, taking in the sight of her girlfriend. Her girlfriend. That was weird to say, it finally happened. It was all a rush of spilling feelings and then suddenly she was being hugged, arms wrapping tightly across her back, Hestia's face buried in her shoulder. She smiled at the memory. She revelled in the quiet. She knew as soon as this moment was over, Hestia was going to go back to pretending like she wasn't affected by Cole.

"Ew," came a voice. Cole looked over to see Jay in the doorway. "Keep the PDA to a minimum." They both grinned, and Hestia huffed and let go of Cole's hand. Cole tried not to show her disappointment at the loss of contact.

"What do you want," Hestia asked. Cole tuned them out, choosing to stare at the amazing woman in front of her.

Her hair sprung out in dark curly patches, sparse across her head. She had mentioned getting a wig, just for the public, but Cole thought she looked beautiful. She had burns running up and down her arms and legs, and probably more covering her torso. Her eyes, that's what Cole missed the most. Her beautiful blue eyes were covered by a thick white curtain, only the faintest of the once brilliant blue shining through.

Her skin was still just as soft, and her right hand was mostly unscathed. She loved Hestia's hands. Her fingers were long, and the knuckles a little bit big. They were perfectly imperfect.

"Cole?"

"Huh?" Cole was brought out of her thoughts to see Jay looking at her and Hestia looking over her shoulder. Close enough.

"We were wondering what you were going to do." Jay clarified.

"Um, I wasn't listening."

Hestia rolled her eyes. "No duh,"

Jay snickered. "Are you going to be on the team or in charge of the team?"

"I'll go wherever Nessa goes." Yeah, Cole is cheesy. Despite her not having to lie anymore, Hestia still went by Nessa. Cole called her Hestia in private, but Nessa with all the others. The others still called her Cammie, though.

"Well I won't be much use on the team being blind," Hestia quipped. Jay and Cola laughed, and Hestia grinned. "Come on babe," she said to Cole. "It's time to go visit the slime bag.

Interrogation time!

He was locked up in the cave's prison, Hestia didn't trust regular prisons. Besides, we had a power dampener just for him. They walked down the steps slowly, thinking. They came to the door he was behind, and slowly opened it up.

"Hey there, Killer." Hestia said coldly. Cole itched to take her hand, but she understood that now was not the time.

"Chameleon?" He didn't recognise her.

"Ding ding ding! You got it in one. So, I have some questions for you. If you answer them, I leave you alone, and you get regular meals. If you don't, I'll haunt you in your nightmares and you'll starve. Got it?"

He nodded, then said yes when he realised she couldn't see.

"Great. So the first lie you told me was that the experiment that gave me my powers was an accident, and that it wasn't supposed to hurt anyone. You and I know that's not true. I know who you are. You're a racist misogynistic white man, who can't accept that there are other people in this city, this country, who deserve to be treated like equals."

Cole was confused. She did not think this was how it was going to go. Maybe something along the lines of yelling about murder and lies and all that, but definitely not this way.

He chuckled. "You've done your research. Your kind should have assimilated when we got here."

"First of all, racism. Blatant racism. But you don't care about that. You mean to tell me that your plan the whole time, was to only recruit people who fit you ideal version of a person, and also kill people who you didn't consider human?"

He tapped his nose. "Swallow was a mistake, and I never authorised your team to be recruited. I didn't even authorise her." He gestured towards Cole.

"How long have you been planning this?" Hestia but out, trying not to show her anger. Too bad the Director wasn't the one who was blind. He was smirking.

"For as long as Rhea and Zephyr Whitehead have been on the run."

A pregnant pause. "You knew my family." It wasn't a question.

. . .

My blood was boiling, and it took everything in me to not launch myself at him. I'd probably end up smacking my head into the wall or something. He knew my parents.

He knew my parents and he lied to my face.

He's known who I am this whole time. No I understood why he hates me so much. Because he's a racist misogynistic old man who can't get with the times. I'm done here. He can rot for all I care. I turned around, forgetting I was blind, again, but Cole got the idea. She lightly placed a hand on my shoulder and steered me towards the door. When we got outside she led us back to the lounge, and I sat heavily on the couch.

"Want to talk about it?" Came the soft question.

I shook my head, perplexed. "If he knew who I am this whole time, why. Why bother letting me live. Was it just ton cause me so much pain and misery? Why not just kill me?"

I felt a hand in mine. "I think," Cole said slowly, you should focus on who's alive, and who really matters. Have you even been back to the orphanage yet?"

"You're right," I murmured. "Take me there, please?"

I could practically hear her grin.

. . .

Cole was saying we were standing outside of the tall building, but I couldn't see so I'd just have to take her word for it. My hand was on her shoulder, and I was tugged along until we reached the steps. No, I did not trip. I need to get one of those canes too. I heard knocking, and steeled myself for the questions about to come.

"Hello?" I heard Helen say. "How can I help you?"

"Hi," Cole responded. "I know you don't recognise her, but this is Nessa."

Silence.

I missed my vision.

"I don't think so, Nessa is just inside." Helen remarked. Clever, lying, but you see, it really is me.

"Nessa Carter, your oldest orphan at 17, birthday April 23, has been here since she was six, and when you first met her, you gave her a stuffed parasaurolophus that she named Perry, because she couldn't pronounce the name." I smiled. "That stuffed dinosaur is in my room, on the second shelf over my bed."

"Ness?" I almost rolled my eyes. This was like a scene from a movie. Boo, too cheesy.

"Yep, hey Helen. I was captured for three months by the villains and then I was on TV and then I was recovering and now I can't see." I said all in one breath, using sarcasm to cover my emotions.

"Well," I heard. "That's certainly a good enough reason for Mason." I grinned, and I knew everything was going to be alright.

. . .

Months later, I was still getting used to being blind and in charge.

Cole was my saving grace. She really is wonderful, she did so much for me. I pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, after a few seconds of trying to find her cheek and holding her head still so I wouldn't miss. I'm great at this whole blind thing. I felt her cheek curve upwards, and smiled too.

"What do we have," I asked her, listening intently. I had noticed my hearing had gotten better since losing my vision, but I still walked into people by accident.

"Uh, a cat," she said. "Stuck in a tree." I snorted.

"Sounds like a job for our esteemed team." I leaned forward and pressed a button, speaking into the comms. "Hey losers, you're up."

[manchattanskyline]

Empire State of Mind. And Cake.

Today we will get up-close and personal with the shining tower that greets, in the mornings, from midtown and fill ourselves with tea (coffee) and cake , at The Plaza.

But first, we must tackle that famously confusing and intimidating beast that is THE NEW YORK SUBWAY. This was made much easier by actually talking to a human being, at the Canal St subway station. I’ve travelled on the NY Subway before , but only a couple of times so I was excited to really try and get to grips with it. As we decended the steps from the busy street, the warm, oil and dirt smell that wafts up from the vents suddenly becomes a lot stronger and wee were thrust into the underworld of the Manhattan Transport Authority.  The lady in the kiosk confirmed that as we’d be taking less than eleven trips during the next seven days, we’d be better off buying and topping-up a Metrocard as we go, rather than buying a seven day pass, for $30. We handed over the cash and I took huge pride in swiping my Metrocard, at just the right speed, to allow me entry through the barriers and into the mild bewildering mini-concourse. I’d looked at the tiny subway map in the back of my trusty mini-map so I knew we needed to catch the N or Q train, going uptown to 34th St. iO was prepared for for this being easier said than done but to my surprise, it was really easy. I’d deduced that an open circle on the subway map meant it was it was a Express stop and filled in smaller circle was a local stop. With this in mind, I also knew that we could get an Express train, which from memory I knew would dramatically reduce our journey time.

Where we started

Express Train

Pristine train carriage

The Express Q train pulled in, we boarded, took a seat, and got off just eight minutes and two stops later, at 34th St. Now which exit of 34th St I have idea as depending which line you come in on, and depending which exit you get pushed towards by the stream of fellow passengers , you could easily come out a good four blocks north, south, east or west of where you think you will. The most important thing then is to orientate yourself, usually by asking someone which way is uptown or downtown, and then going from there. I can see how this would be frustrating, at first, but no rigid time-scale and happy to wander about a bit, this was rarely a problem for us. If you did the trip most days, you would of course learn which exit was best for your destination and avoid needless human contact. Nowadays the subway is clean, safe, and even has WiFi (patchy but  works OK stations). Gone are the graffiti-ed carriages and people shooting up in corners. that’s not to say we didn’t see the odd crazy person or homeless person, or person asking for any job leads, but its a long way from the dirty and dangerous subway of the 70’s and 80’s.

A short stop-off in Starbucks for a coffee and a maple cream-cheese Bantam Bagel , before we headed into the Empire State Building, around the corner. Bantam bagels were a new discovery for us. They come from Bantam Bagels, on Bleecker Street, and we’d walk past there, a few days later. They’re served in pairs ( in Starbucks, anyway) and are small dough balls with various fillings. In this case, maple flavour cream cheese. Who knew that such thing existed?! They were absolutely delicious and I could easily have eaten nine of them.

We’ve all seen photos of and from the Empire State Building but, as with all of New York, it doesn’t really sink in that that is now what you’re really looking at. That this is where you really are. The lobby is so beautiful and every inch of it is pure deco design. It’s as shiny as it would have been on opening day, in May 1931. Unbelievably, excavation of the site only started in January 1930, with construction beginning on St Patrick’s Day (March 17th) the same year. Taking only sixteen months from breaking ground to grand opening, it may only be the 29th tallest sky-scraper in the world now but for me, it will always be the greatest for it’s innovative design and construction, in an era that that was to put it’s stamp on so much of New Yorks architecture.

Downtown

Plucky pigeon

The Chrysler and Queensborough Bridge

The views from the main observation deck on the 86th floor are, obviously, astounding. Now that we had a better idea of the geography of Manhattan, we could search out places and landmarks and trace out where we’d been and where we were yet to go. A word of warning, the top of the Empire State Building, in January, gets quite cold. Bitterly freezing, in fact,and there’s only so long you can stand in full force of the Arctic Winter blast. We headed back inside to take the lift the further sixteen floors to the 102nd floor. We’d paid a extra to go further up and it was well worth it. You’re inside on the 102nd floor, for obvious reasons, but it gives you that bit further of a view, and a chance to warm up, whilst not missing the view. The lift back down to street level is ear-poppingly quick and we were soon back on terra firma, looking back up at where we’d just been.

Entrance

Decor

Tiny cakes

We headed back up Fifth Avenue, for twenty-five blocks, until be reached The Plaza Hotel. We had a booking for afternoon tea at 3pm and although we were a little early, we headed up the plush carpeted steps and through the giant gold  doors, into the light and airy lobby of the Hotel. Opened in 1907, the hotel is everything you would expect,a nd more. Attentive staff, beautiful decor and money, everywhere. It has it’s fair share of gawping tourists (us, amongst them) but there’a also old money here. Old New York Money. Having said that, the building’s design and the The Palm Court especially,(where afternoon tea is served), is incredibly European. The Palm Court is almost Monegasque in it’s structure and decoration and the many palm trees and central display could have you thinking you were in Monte Carlo. Needless to say that the neat little sandwiches, the tiny tiny cakes and the still-warm scones were the best I’ve ever eaten and, much to my relief , I was not chucked out for asking for coffee instead of tea The flavours were distinct but harmonious and the presentation could not be faulted. The delicate details (monogrammed saucers) and reassuringly expensive touches (one cake fork was almost heavier than my entire cutlery set at home!) made for a truly unique afternoon. We’d decided to splurge and got a glass of Champagne each, too. This was practically frugal compared to the whole bottle and three afternoon teas (at $75 each) that the woman next to us copped the bill for. She didn’t batter an eyelash as she signed the check, huge solitaire diamond flashing at us from her left hand. Not long before we left a group of young girls, still in school uniform, rocked up and settled down to afternoon tea, for eight. School children. Having afternoon tea. Without any adult supervision. They seemed so confident, so at home, and not at all phased. Only in New York! We were satisfyingly full afterwards and after I made an obligatory trip to the ladies loos, we had little wander around the ground floor of the hotel. Mosaic floors, chandeliers, brass covered walls and private entrances to private residencies had us reeling and we headed back out into the waining day-light, having tasted, for a short while at least, how the other half lives.

Having blown two days budget in the last two hours, we were now headed to ‘free entry night’ at MoMa (Museum of modern Art). We sued to for the cued for the compulsory coat and bag check and then immersed ourselves in some of the worlds most breathtaking and famous pieces of Art. Every room we entered was filled with images you’ve seen a hundred times, in books, on Tv and in films but these are the real deal. Not versions of, not copies of, not homages to but the real pieces. Warhol after Pollock, after Rothko, Monet, Klimt, Mondrian, Picasso, Matisse, Van Gough, Khalo… Below is just a small sample of what we saw, through amazed and awe-inspired eyes.

At around 20:30, and back in the warmth and crowds of 34th St Subway station, we stood to watch a really cool band, but eh name of Lawrence Rush, play an equally cool cover of Stairway to Heaven, before travelling back downtown, to Canal St, and back to hotel.  The rest of the evening was spent uploading photos, digesting food and marvelling and what we’d just seen.

WORDS AND PICTURES: An English Girl in New York – Day 4 Empire State of Mind. And Cake. Today we will get up-close and personal with the shining tower that greets, in the mornings, from midtown and fill ourselves with tea (coffee) and cake , at The Plaza.