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matryosika · 3 years

Text

shoot me, chapter VI

pairing — changbin x reader

rating — 18+

genre of the overall series — smut, angst, fluff if you squint

prologue chapter I chapter II chapter III chapter IV chapter V chapter VI

word count for this chapter — 4.1 k

warnings — mentions of alcohol and emotional abuse

note — this chapter has no smut in it. still, the love-story gets completely developed here. next chapters will be filled with smut and angst so stay tuned! i haven't read this chapter because i wanted to upload it as soon as possible, so it may contain grammar mistakes. i will check it later since i have to go out with my family to have dinner! <3 hope you enjoy

taglist:@cozyblues @ahgasearmyfan @binnie-m00n @minaamhh @pinkishwen @spilledtee

[changbin's pov]

"so?" you asked him, modeling one of the dresses that you had previously selected from the expensive clothing shop "what do you think?"

she looks like a goddess.

"good" changbin limited to reply. "is that the last one?"

"c'mon you are not helping at all" you grunted, turning around slightly on the mirror to see the full silhouette of the dress "this might be the one, don't you think?"

i think so. i think you look perfect in all the things you have tried on, actually.

"it's alright" the dark-haired man reply "just take that one and let's get this over with"

"jesus, changbin" you whined "you are such a pain in the ass. if you were in a bad mood then you shouldn't have accepted to drive me here so i can buy a dress for the wedding"

you had been in korea for a month and 2 weeks now, your relationship with changbin growing unconciously intimate as you often engage in sexual encounters with him. you wouldn't say the both of you were close, but each day that passed by you could feel how you learned more about him just like he learned more about you too. you wouldn't consider him a good friend, since hostility made a presence every now and then between the both of you, but you had learned to spend time with him without feeling the need to put plugs into your ears and a blindfold to stop acknowledging his existence.

"if you needed help picking a dress" changbin interrupted, standing up from the seat he had been occupying for the last 45 minutes "you should've asked hyejin or ryujin to come and help you out, not me"

"hyejin is busy" you were quick to respond "ryujin had work today and you were the only other person i know that owns a car"

"cabs exist"

"yeah well" you made a pause, swallowing hard "i don't like cabs"

"you could've asked arthur to lend you his private driver" changbin tilted his head slightly.

"i get uncomfortable with strangers" you answered after a few seconds of being completely silent, changbin's gaze making you incredibly nervous.

"really?" he inquired, one of his hands traveling all the way to the pocket of his jacket as he pulled his wallet out. "why won't you just admit that you wanted to spend time with me?"

"fuck no" a grimace of disgust was quick to appear on your face "don't get confused. i would rather be dead than to spend more time with you than i already have to"

"yet you are still here" he teased "maybe i'm not as unbearable as your mind is trying to convince you i truly am"

with lazy steps he took the bunch of dresses that were piled up on the chair next to him, putting them all over his shoulder as he walked to the counter. "what are you doing?" you asked, still wearing the last dress you tried on.

"you are indecisive and i am starving" he said without even looking at you "i don't need to spend another 45 minutes here looking at how much you struggle to pick between 5 dresses, just have them all and pick one when you are alone"

you looked at him in desbelief "do you have any idea of how much just one of them cost? are you stupid?" you almost yelled in astonishment, looking at the figure of changbin slightly turning around to face you.

"i am not stupid" changbin reply "like i said, i am just hungry"

and currently thinking about how beautiful you are looking right now with that look of amazement on your pretty face. if i could, i would buy you the entire world just for you to destroy.

[y/n's pov]

"i will pay every single one of those dresses back before i leave" you mumbled, eating your food as if you had been starving for days "i had money, i didn't need you to come and rescue me as if i was some sort of damsel in distress"

"you were in distress though" he added, taking a sip of the drink he ordered "you took almost 30 minutes just to pick one dress to try on, you are really undecisive"

"yeah well, it's not like i had anywhere else to be" you replied.

"isn't arthur going to have a small gathering at his house today?" changbin inquired "like a pre-celebration of the wedding or something?"

you shrugged your shoulders "i don't know and i don't care. i am just here for the wedding and then i will be finally free"

you kept on eating your plate of food, confused as to why changbin's gaze stayed fix on you. "what, do i have something on my f-?"

"are you leaving right after the wedding?" he asked in a very hostile way, almost as if he had completely forgot that you were not going to stay forever.

"not right after but that's the main reason i came here, yeah" you replied, having a mixture of feelings inside your guts.

you couldn't deny the fact that you missed tsukuba, but living there meant to be trapped in the university dorms 24/7 just studying. but still, the lifestyle you have had for the past time was absolutely something you could get use to it: ryujin, hyejin, going out on the weekends, being free from school, changbin...

changbin?

"i still don't know the exact date though" you added "school doesn't start for me in another months so..."

"how is your life?" he asked, earning a weird look from you as you couldn't quite understand his question "in Japan, i mean"

you sighed. you had thought that living in japan was really good and you felt utterly comfortable living there until you arrived to korea and discovered a whole new life style that you had already learned to love. not only that, but leaving everything here was going to get you a bit nostalgic in the future. "it is great, better than people say it is honestly" you responded as he nodded "i live at the university dorms so life is pretty much everything but rushed. i spend my days at the library studying, i sometimes work as a shadow teacher for like 4 or 5 kids and on weekends i go and visit my mom and her partner"

"your mom got married after divorcing arthur?" changbin followed, just in time as he finished his dish of food.

"uh, it's complicated" you gave him a smile "she lives with someone and she is very happy"

"and are you?"

you were about to answer the question when you felt a pinch on your heart. a month ago you would have replied "yes" without a doubt. you thought you were happy living in japan, you thought you were happy when you visited thea, your mother, and reiko, her girlfriend. you thought you were happy when reiko made you her special coffee and you thought you were happy when they ocasionally visited you on winter nights at your dorm. you thought you were happy when you worked with children and spent time with them. you thought you were happy when you rode your bike from school to work and you thought you were happy when ryejin visited you and your mom on the holidays.

however, you had learned a new definition of happiness here.

"are you?" you fired back.

changbin slightly tilted his head as he laid completely back on his seat "i could be"

"what is exactly stopping you from being happy?" you asked him, intruiged.

"even if i explained it to you" he mumbled "i don't think you will be able to understand it"

"ah, there you are again" you scoffed, slightly rolling your eyes "your god complex has not show all day. i guess you missed it."

"c'mon" he grunted, raising his hand at one of the waiters at the restaurant "let's go somewhere else"

"where exactly?" you laughed "to your place? your car? a motel? jesus changbin, you can't really go a day without fucking, can you?"

"that's not actually what i had in mind" he replied, taking out his credit card as he saw the waiter approaching the table "but i mean if you want to fuck i won't say no"

"you had something in mind?" you asked, faking excitment "for me? you planned something for me?"

"if you want i can drop you at arthur's place right now so he can force you to have dinner with him and his bride. it's up to you"

you weren't really feeling like spending "quality time" with your father, and you also knew that hyejin was probably not going to attent the dinner, so there was no point of you being there. but at the same time, the thought of spending time with changbin doing non-sexual activities was something that it always made you nervous for an unknown reason, and you were feeling particularly nervous today.

"whatever"

the evening went on peacefully and that alone was unreal. he drove you to the center of seoul and suggested to take a walk around the most popular avenues because "the city looked better at night", something you have always believed too.

changbin was attractive and, even though your personalities crashed every damn time, you couldn't deny the fact that there were some sort of intimate bond going on between the both of you since that very first night at the bar. still, you wouldn't accept it. you wouldn't accept that the one person you disliked the most was starting to change your mind.

and you couldn't get yourself to trust him either. you couldn't trust any men, for that matter.

"have you thought about which dress you are going to wear tomorrow?" he asked so casually, his hands inside the pockets of his jacket as his gaze diverted from building to building.

"no" you replied, trying to get back at the trail of thoughts you had been threading since you left the restaurant with him. "have you?"

"have i thought about the dress i am going to wear tomorrow?" he laughed "i don't know, it will depend on which one you lend me"

"i got distracted" you admitted "but i will try on all the dresses tomorrow morning and i will give you the rest of them so you can return them to the store"

"i won't do that" he clicked his tongue "i bought them for you"

your heart skipped a beat after hearing those words and it was everything but pleasent.

"i don't want them"

"you can't reject a gift" he mumbled "that's the whole point of a gift"

"i will sell them on the internet" you threatened.

"do it, at the end of the day they are yours" he gave you a side look while smirking "but i wouldn't sell them if i were you. you look good in them"

"oh so you want to give opinions about the dresses now, huh?" you asked, mildly annoyed "you could've help me back at the store but you chose to be grumpy"

"at least i am helping you now"

"you are unbearable" you whispered.

a bright smile was quick to appear on his face. a genuine smile, as if he was enjoying the conversation. not only the conversation but the whole moment: you and him, walking around the city and talking about something so casual and trivial like which clothes you were going to wear tomorrow or which dress he liked best on you.

and for a moment it felt nice.

you felt safe.

"the red one was pretty" he added. you looked at him confused, once again lost in your trail of thoughts. "the red dress, the one that you tried on last"

"good" you responded "i'll make sure not to wear that one"

"you hate me that much?" he teased while a faint chuckle left his lips.

"oh changbin, you have no idea" deep down knowing it wasn't more than a vile lie.

you looked in the mirror one last time before you heard hyejin calling your name once again "y/n, how long will you take? i need to stop by the bakery to pick up the wedding cake"

"i'll be out in a minute" you replied, noticing how your hands got sweatier by the second.

you were quite nervous, but couldn't really understand why. maybe the sole thought of your father having his "happy ending" made you jealous because you knew that he did not deserve that at all; he didn't deserve the love he had.

the emotional abuse your mother and you suffered throughout your childhood and adolescence was not something that could be fixed in a month or two and you were certain about it. no matter how happy your father was, you couldn't help but to feel jealous about how he never had to suffer like you and your mother did.

and even though you got over your negative feelings towards him, the scars and aftermath of an abusive household still caught up on you: the mistrust, the negativity, the hostility and the lack of commitment were things you had to deal with on a daily basis.

of course he was the one to blame. but you were an adult now, and you were supposed to deal with all those issues by yourself. no one was going to fix them for you.

"jesus y/n, we are running late" hyejin busted the door open "are you ready now?"

"yes" you were quick to respond, grabbing the purse on your bed and trying to quickly divert from your sister's gaze.

"wait" she mumbled, gripping both of your shoulder as you intended to the leave the room "why are you tearing up?"

"i am not" you replied "i yawned"

she didn't look convinced, but still decided not to push any further "i'll meet you in the car, i just have to grab a few things"

you nodded and made your way through the hallway. because of how rushed she was, you didn't have a chance to tell hyejin how gorgeous she looked. she was wearing a golden shiny dress that embraced her body just fine and carrying a maching clutch with it. she was really pretty, maybe the prettiest woman you had ever seen, and not only that but she was also very smart. any guy would be head over heels for her, but she still decided not to engage in a "silly love story" as she called them because "it is a waste of her precious time, and time is money"

you wished you had the same mentality as she did, but you grew up getting educated on how love was portrayed in books, movies and television. it was ironic how you were the first person on earth to deny that love actually existed, but you were still a hopeless romantic after all.

[changbin's pov]

"changbin, are you too far from the church?" haeun, his mother, asked desperately as changbin picked up the phone.

"i'm right outside" he grunted "i told you i was not going to be late"

"we are sitting on the second bench at the left of the altar" the old woman added "hurry up"

changbin hung up the phone and cursed under his breath. the weather today was maybe too nice for his own liking and his clothes were a bit too uncomfortable to be wearing them under the sun.

as quickly as he could, he closed the door of his car and started walking towards the entrance, making sure that the ceremony hadn't started just yet so he wouldn't make a scene.

"did you bring the gift?" jang-yeop inquired as he sat down next to him and changbin nodded "did you also bring your mother the pair of shoes?"

"yes" he responded "how long is this going to take?"

"40-45 minutes?" his father replied "i have no idea, what time is it?"

"7:02 p.m." haeun was quick to answer "now, the both of you shut up"

right after she mumbled those words, music started to sound on the church. changbin, being in a rush to get to his seat before the ceremony started, didn't notice that arthur was already standing up next to the altar and waiting for his soon-to-be wife. changbin's gaze was fixed on arthur, then it diverted into the bride walking down the aisle and then returned to arthur once again. he never thought about marriage or building a family. hell, he never thought about having a romantic relationship that would last longer than a few months actually. but as he grew older, and as he experienced new stuff, he wasn't sure if he still had the same mentality he used to have last year.

to changbin, arthur seemed genuinely happy. his half-lidded eyes along with that bright smile he was wearing indicated that the man was living one of the happiest days of his life. and as changbin witnessed that romantic scene, the question that popped up in the conversation he had with you last night grabbed his attention once again.

what exactly is stopping me from being happy?

and before he could respond himself with words, his eyes had already found the answer: standing on the bench at the right of the altar and wearing that promising dark red dress that could drive any man insane, the woman he never dreamed of looking just as beautiful as the very first day he met her.

not being able to have her completely.

[y/n's pov]

after the ceremony, a big party was held at a very elegant event hall located in one of the tallest buildings of seoul. you were not particularly excited about having to see arthur's side of the family, but you still managed to keep yourself together the whole time.

"you are wearing the red dress" a sudden voice whispered into your ear as you were counting the tables that were still missing their dinner plates, an order given by hyejin. you slightly turned around to meet changbin's breath dancing on your neck and nape, goosebumps filling every single inch of your skin due to the proximity.

"congratulations" you sighed "your vision is crystal clear"

"i have been watching you since the ceremony" changbin added "i can't help but think about how pretty you are going to look when you are taking that dress off for me"

a spark of electricity traveled around your whole body and directly into your core. you immediatly looked around and notice a few people who worked for arthur's company sitting not that far away from the both of us "do you really want to do this here?" you asked "aren't you scared of being caught by any of arthur's friends?"

"are you concerned about that now?" he chuckled "that didn't seem to bother you at the company's elevator"

"c'mon" you whispered, your back slightly pressing against his chest "i have to help hyejin with some stuff"

changbin slightly gripped your hand and guided you to the dancefloor that was crowded with couples dancing around "i am sure that she can handle all of this by herself"

before you could protest, you took out your phone and sent her a message with the information she asked for. you had no idea what changbin was up to, but you still decided to follow him.

changbin positioned his hands on your waist as he gracefully dragged you across the dancefloor, looking for a spot in the middle of the crowd so it would be easier for the two of you to get lost.

"you are spending the night at my place" he mumbled over the slow songs that were now playing. it wasn't a question nor a petition, it was an order.

"yeah right" you chuckled "if you are too desperate to fuck we can do that, but i am not fond of sleepovers"

the thought of you spending the night with him was terrifying, but you would've been lying if you said that you hadn't think about what it would be like to wake up next to his him.

"i wasn't asking" he responded. "tell me when you are ready to leave".

with a swift movement, your whole body was pressed against his, his hands resting on your lowerback as you both swinged from side to side, following the rythm of the song. this was a whole new side of him that you didn't know it existed, and you couldn't deny that you were loving every second of it.

"who thaught you how to dance, huh?" you asked, your gaze fixed on his eyes that looked even brighter because of all the lights adorning the hall.

"there is so much about me that you don't know" he replied.

"oh i know everything there is to know about you, changbin" you scoffed "but let's see if you can keep surprising me"

it wasn't even midnight but people were already starting to get completely intoxicated with alcohol. arthur had spent the night dancing with ara and, after she was done being the unofficial wedding planner, hyejin ended up getting wasted with the small group of friends she invited to the wedding. you, on the other hand, spent the night dancing with changbin and eating your dinner with him.

it was not unusual to see the both of you together since you spent too much time at the company, but tonight it was sort of different. the looks he gave you, the way you two danced for hours on end, the way he was treating you... it felt different, a little bit more personal and intimate. his parents probably noticed this too, since they made a lof of comments about "how happy they were about us being really good friends". if only they knew.

"i think i am ready" you said to changbin after telling hyejin that you were going to spend the night somewhere else. she nodded her head and agreed to say, if asked, that "you were at ryujin's" even when she wasn't invited to the wedding in the first place. you just smiled at her and nodded, not leaving without telling one of her sober friends to look out for her.

"don't worry" the pretty pale girl mumbled "she will stay at my house tonight"

you glanced over to arthur and ara who were still having the greatest time of their lives on the dancefloor, and proceeded to walk away from the party with changbin. "you parents will stay here?"

"yeah, they will leave in an hour or so" changbin replied "i told them that you wanted to go home and that i was going to drive you"

"perks of living alone i guess" you joked.

the walk through the empty corridors of the building felt eerie as the loud sound of the music were still ringing in your ears. even though you were walking on your own, you could still feel changbin's ablazing touch on your body and that only provoked your heartbeat to go even faster.

as you waited for the elevator to open their doors, changbin's lips unexpectedly crashed against yours. it wasn't a passionate kiss, and it wasn't rushed either. it was just a kiss, an innocent kiss, a kiss you give to your significant other as a demostration of how much you love them. his soft lips dragged against yours as his teeth bite softly your bottom lip, earning a small whine from you. his hands, that were now located into your waist, guided you to the insides of the elevator once the doors were opened.

"you look so beautiful tonight" he whispered interrupting, his breathing getting faster each second that passed by "i can't get you out of my head"

his lips left yours to meet the sensitive spots on your neck, peppering soft kisses all over the surface. your gaze found the reflection of the scene in the mirror of the elevator, looking at how changbin was tasting every inch of your skin with his eyes closed, his rushed hands traveling all the way from your waist to your lower back trying to memorize every single trace of your body.

"i don't want to hurt you tonight" he continued "no roughness, no pain, no petnames. i want to make you completely mine, in the most pure way"

and for the night, you agreed to let your feelings out and let go.

no fear and no mistrust, you were ready to face the overwhelming feelings that had been building up inside you since the day you met him.

even if you could potentially regret it later...

#stray kids smut #skz smut #stray kids x reader #changbin x reader #stray kids imagines #skz imagines #skz oneshots #stray kids oneshots #seo changbin smut #kpop smut

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brelione · 4 years

Text

Feild Trip with a Rich Bitch (Rafe Cameron x Reader)

Part Two

Mentions of drugs,Rafe being a bitch,swearing and blow torches :)

Also,Goddess Part Three will be up by Friday afternoon.If you would like to be tagged please let me know :)

He had always hated Pogues.Then he met you.

You worked at a car repair shop in The Cut.He had come in on his bike,well,he had walked the broken piece of shit to the shop.You were the only one working that day.He couldnt help but think you looked adorable with your long sleeve yellow shirt under dark blue overalls,a backwards red hat and at least six silver chains draped across your neck.You had been extremely focused,sitting indian style as you smoothed a weird bump on a car with a nail file. “So are you gonna stare at me or are you gonna tell me what youre doing here,pretty boy?”You asked,not taking your attention off the task at hand.He blinked,surprised by your carefree yet assertive tone. “Uhh...somethings wrong with my bike.”He mumbled,attempting to smooth out his hair.You let out a small laugh as you dragged a paint brush along the smooth metal,fixing the messy spot. “No shit.What’d you do to it?”You asked,spreading more paint across the metal.His face turned red as he glanced around the shop.

There were paintings across the walls,multiple tool boxes and a wall of paint swatches.There were six other cars parked,some of them with large dents,holes or scratches. “I drove it into a tree.”He mumbled.You nodded. “Magnificent job,pretty boy.How are you gonna have a bike as expensive as that one then drive it into a tree?”You asked.He just shrugged,hands in his pockets.You put your paintbrush down into a cup of water,pulling out a blowtorch from seemingly nowhere.The flame hovered above the paint,drying and hardening it.Once you were satisfied with the paint job you stood up,brushing off your pants.You still had the blowtorch in your hand,the potential weapon swinging next to your thigh as you walked towards Rafe. “You gotta put the kickstand down,pretty boy.”You reminded him,gesturing to the bike.He nodded. “Right.”He nodded,putting the kickstand down and turning the handlebars so it would lean on the metal rod.One of the tires seemed blown out,a straight hole through the seat and multiple scratches across the metal.He watched as you looked over it.

You pulled at one of your chains. “So are you going to tell me what actually happened?”You asked,crossing your arms over your chest.That caused him to look down at your chest and the bleach stains across the front of your overalls.You snapped your fingers to get his attention back to your eyes.He cleared his throat,looking back up at you. “So how much for the repairs?”He asked.You smirked. “Well...i’d say $150 but you’re an asshole so thats an additional $15 and you’re also ruining my day so that would be another $15.”You twirled one of your chains,looking into his blue eyes.He bit his tongue,glancing between you and his bike. “And whats the fee for you not to tell anyone youre keeping my bike here?”He asked.You ran the tip of your tongue along your teeth with a devil like smile.God,this boy had never been in this kind of situation before.You werent even gonna tell anyone in the first place.You could probably charge him hundreds of dollars for all the things he’s done and he wouldnt be able to do anything about it.You were the best repair woman on the island and anyone else would go straight to his dad.It was 11 in the morning.You had pulled an all nighter for the third time that week and you hadnt eaten yet.Plus,if you sent Rafe to the store he could buy the expensive shit.

“Theres a store three blocks away.Youre gonna go there and buy everything on the list and youre not gonna question it.”You told him.His eyebrows furrowed as he watched you take a notepad out of your pocket along with a pen,jotting things down.You tore the paper off,folding it and handing it to him.He took it,frowning and confused. “Hurry up.”You told him.He nodded,no words or sounds escaping his lips as he left the garage and made his way down the street.He knew what store you were talking about,the one with the sleeping cat outside.It was awfully quiet as he walked.Most of the time all the exciting things happened at night,not 11 in the morning.Either that or all the pogues were hiding from him,his gelled hair and his ugly ass khakis.He unfolded the piece of paper,reading it.Three large lemons,two large monster energy drinks,a bag of doritos and a pack of gum.It was a strange request but he wasnt supposed to question it.He had kept his head down at the store,grabbing three of the largest lemons he saw,two random monster energy drinks,the doritos and three packs of gum.

He didnt know what kind of gum you liked but you probably had to like one of the three,right?When he got back you were using your blowtorch on a part of the bike you had painted. “Put the bag on the work table and touch nothing.”You spoke loudly,confidently.He found your confidence unbelievably attractive.He never let anyone boss him around like this but ther was just something about you.You held some sort of power over other pogues,he could tell that much by the few boneyard parties he’d gone too.The others were attracted to you,some of them held their breath as you walked by,others just kept their distance.He didnt know where such nice chains had come from.They looked like they had weight,indicating that they were real.He had carefully walked over to your work table,seeing multiple small jars of paint,brushes,metal sheets,files,nails,screws and your cell phone.It was a pretty old model.He set the bag down on an empty spot,watching as a notification came across your phone.Eighteen days sober!Log this milestone.He frowned.Sober from what?

He shook it off,walking back around to where you were with his bike. “I was worried that you’d set my bike on fire or something.”He spoke quietly,trying to make conversation.You glared up at him,eyebrows casting shadows over your irises. “What?Cause im a dirty pogue?”You asked.He shook his head frantically. “Thats not what I meant I-”He began to explain himself but you cut him off. “So because im fixing your bike im different?”You asked.He sighed. “I just meant because of the blowtorch-Im sorry.”He mumbled.You stood up,blowtorch in hand. “Know your place,rich bitch.Your bike will be done by three,save yourself the embarrassment and go home to your mansion.”Your voice was dripping in venom,eyes narrowing.He gulped. “I cant go back home without my bike,my dad will kill me.”He mumbled,looking down at you.You smirked. “Good.”You replied before kneeling down again by the bike,getting back to work. “God,could you stop staring at me?Go sit somewhere or sue a tree or some shit.”You huffed.He almost tripped over his own feet,finding a chair and sitting down.He tapped his food on the ground anxiously. “So um...how long have you been fixing cars?”He asked.

You slammed the blow torch down on the concrete. “Could you shut the fuck up?Please?”You asked.He bit his lip. “I dont like the silence.”He replied. “And I dont like loud noises.”You answered. “What are you sober from?”He asked.You sat there for a moment,eyes locked on the ground.You slowly stood up,walking towards him. “You went on my phone?”You asked.His mouth went dry and he was lost for words. “Rafe.”You snarled.He looked back up at you,beads of sweat collecting at his hairline. “I-the notification-I just saw it and I just-God,im sorry (Y/N).”He sighed,looking away from you.Your hand reached up,gripping his jaw and making him look at you. “Didnt I tell you to shut the fuck up?”You asked.He looked away from you,only looking back when your grip tightened. “Yeah.”He muttered. “And you’re gonna be good and shut that pretty mouth of yours,right?”You asked,squeezing harder on his flesh.He hummed.

“Good.”You mumbled,taking your hand away and getting back to work.You could feel him staring at you,the way your fingers moved as you grabbed your tools.He understood now.He understood the pogues’ fear and admiration of you.He felt like one of them,caught up in your beauty and the way you carried yourself while simultaneously being slightly afraid of you.You walked past him,grabbing one of the monsters.You grabbed a knife from the table.He watched as you cut open the bottom of the energy drink and shot gunned it,wiping your mouth when you were done.You grabbed a lemon from the bag,cutting an end of it off.You pulled a container of a white powder,opening it and coating the lemon slice in it. “Dont stare at me like that.Its salt,nothing you can snort.”You grumbled,taking the slice out and placing it in your mouth.Your eyes didnt squint and your eyebrows didnt furrow at the taste. “You...you eat lemons in salt?”He asked.You pulled the lemon slice from your teeth,biting the salt coated fruit as it left your mouth.

“I do.”You replied. “It helps with cravings.”You finished your thought,going to fix the bike seat.Rafe had sat on his phone until one in the afternoon when he heard someone come in. “You havent answered your phone,thought you were dead or something.”A deep voice said.Rafe heard you giggle. “Only on the inside,sunshine.I’m busy with work right now,tell the others ill be around by seven.”He heard the tone of your voice.Friendly,happy and almost excited. “Alright.Did you eat today?”The voice asked. “I had a lemon slice,ive got some doritos so dont worry too much.I’ll see you later.”You had told your friend. “Alright,sounds like a plan.”THe boys voice said before leaving.Rafe watched as you rolled a tire inside,replacing the one he had destroyed.Once you had replaced it you went back to the bag of goodies,cutting open the other monster.You chugged it,sighing as you stared up at the ceiling. “Why do you hate me so much?”Rafe asked suddenly.A smile tugged at your lips.

“You beat up two of my boys,you come around starting shit and blaming it on us,you think youre just so fucking amazing when youre really just a bitch,you ran over my fucking mailbox,you drink and drive,you gave another one of my boys a fucking concussion and a scar and you wonder why I hate you?”You ranted,fists clenching.He just sat there,hands gripping the arms of the chair. “You just fuck things up.”You sighed.He licked his lips. “You sound like my dad.”He mumbled.You laughed. “Oh dont get me started on your dad.That bitch ruined my life.”You sighed,grabbing another lemon slice.He raised his eyebrows. “What?How?”He asked.You just giggled to yourself. “You really have no idea what your father has done to my family?No idea at all?”You asked.He shook his head.You just laughed again,the sound filling the air.It wasnt like the way you had giggled with your friend.It was empty and sarcastic,hiding anger that was building up inside of you. “You wanna go for a field trip,Rafe Cameron?”You asked.

#rafe cameron #rafe obx #rafe x reader #rafe cameron imagine #outer banks #pope heyward #sarah cameron #jj maybank #john b #drew starkey #obx #kiara carrera #rafe cameron x you

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jessgartner · 4 years

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2020 Life Olympics

The real Olympics may have been canceled in 2020 but the Life Olympics persevered like the postal service of Olympics.

First, I’d like to apologize for my role in the chaos of 2020 because I think I had a slight miscommunication with the powers that be and I feel partly responsible. Here was my plan for 2020:

My theme for 2020 is Intention because I want to take the energy I feel right now and deploy it with more intentionality next year - bringing increased mindfulness to how I spend my time, money, physical and mental energy. And because I love wordplay, I also literally want to spend more time camping “in-tent” to enjoy more peace and quiet and beauty in nature.

The universe was like, “Oh, she wants to spend less money and more time outside? Well, shut it down. Shut the whole planet down.”

I mean, mission accomplished, I guess? I did spend less money and more time outside and had to be VERY intentional with my mental energy to survive the day-to-day morass of 2020. Next time, I will be more specific with my annual manifestations. Sorry to all.

2020 was brutal for pretty much everything and everyone. I don’t know anyone who isn’t in some state of grief right now, including myself. I debated doing a Life Olympics at all this year, feeling like-- what is the point? Hundreds of thousands of people died, our democracy is hanging on by a thread, and millions of people lost jobs, businesses, and homes.

Like many people, I’ve been struggling with anxiety and depression this year which intensified as it got darker and colder outside. At a low point, I talked with my therapist about the struggle of just not wanting to do any of the things that usually bring me joy-- and how periods of relief were so fleeting. “But you have to keep doing those things,” she said, “even if they’re not working right now, you have to keep doing those things and trust the process; the joy will return.”

So even though I don’t really feel like it and kind of feel like it’s dumb, I’m writing the 2020 Life Olympics. I’m trusting the process.

2020 Life Olympics Recap

Work - Participation Trophy

Starting a company is hard, operating a company is harder, but running a company during a global pandemic and economic crisis is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. 2020 was not a fun year to lead a business; it was hell. On March 15, the plan for the year pretty much went out the window and everything went into survival mode. I never take the company or my team for granted, but I’m particularly grateful to be able to usher this work into 2021.

Despite the craziness, we still had some big wins this year. We launched new product partnerships with PowerSchool and Amazon Business. We rebuilt our tool for equitably calculating district funding formulas. And I got to flex my creative muscles with EdFinToks! Throughout it all, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by a team of people who are as compassionate as they are talented.

I’m worried about public education more than ever after this year, but I’m going to keep fighting every day to make it work better for kids.

This is Work-Lite but I also spent a good chunk of time this year leading the modernization workgroup for Bill Henry’s transition committee after his spring primary election to become the new Baltimore City Comptroller, ousting a 25-year incumbent, Joan Pratt. This was an enlightening (and infuriating) experience for me that gave me a glimpse into the operations of a segment of the City government. This process also really helped crystallize how much I enjoy making public agencies function more efficiently; I’m excited to see what Bill does with the recommendations (some are already being put in action!)

Health - Gold

This is the second year in a row (and ever) that I’m giving myself a Gold medal for Health. This was easily a year that I could have regressed on all of my healthy habits and no one would have blamed me. Instead, I leaned into protecting and improving my physical and mental health in 2020. It’s not an exaggeration to say that walking probably saved my life this year. I spent a lot of time walking around my neighborhood and various state and city parks-- walking is maybe not the best word; I stomp and charge around like I have a score to settle with the ground beneath me. My walking increased 370% in 2020. This is a habit of 2020 that I’d like to keep. My brain and body are happier if I can spend a little time walking-- stomping-- around outside each day.

I also did a lot of biking this summer. My cycling increased 200% this year-- with much more time spent cycling outdoors. My crowning achievement this year was biking to and from Annapolis:

I spent a LOT more time outside this year which was critical for my mental health. On the downside, I only did 90% as much yoga and 60% as much strength training, so I want to try to be a little more balanced next year.

I also invested a lot in my mental health this year. I kept up with therapy every 2-4 weeks and in October I decided to pursue a formal diagnosis for ADHD which I definitely have! Needless to say, staying in one place this year has been a special kind of hell for me.

Home - Silver

Well, I definitely spent less money this year. And the way I did spend money made me (mostly) sad:

Travel down 70%

Auto & Transportation up 200% (boo cars)

Shopping down 60%

Personal Care down 35%

Gifts and donations up 200%

Food and Dining down 40%

Entertainment down 35% (I kept up my singing lessons virtually which accounts for a lot of this category)

2020 was quite the palate cleanser from my 2019 year of hedonism but maybe we can go for a happy medium in 2021? Just kidding-- I will resume my hedonist ways the minute the world opens.

I also redid my home office like every other work-from-homer on the planet and replaced my crumbling kitchen floor so the house got some TLC.

But nobody enjoyed having me home all year as much as Darwin:

Relationships - Bronze

What a weird year for relationships of all kinds. I’m giving this a Bronze because while I invested a lot into a few relationships this year, there are also a lot of people in my life to whom I haven’t been able to give my time and love.

One of the most important relationships in my life this year was with one of my former students. After bouncing around in the foster system for many years, we reconnected around the holidays in 2019 and he started crashing with me while we tried to figure out stable housing and employment. He was arrested in January and was incarcerated for the next several months awaiting trial. Finally, we were able to negotiate a plea agreement with the State’s Attorney and he came home around Independence Day. We spent the next several months getting him set up with a phone and various identification documents-- a nightmare in normal times and a total abyss during the pandemic. I got him registered to vote when we got his ID card and I took him to vote for the first time (a supreme treat for this former social studies teacher):

He’s now got a full-time job and stable living situation. Calling this THE success of 2020. Thank you to everyone who helped me with resources all year for housing, legal processes, and documents. It takes a village.

It was a bizarre year for family. We lost my grandmother in September, so not being able to spend the holidays together felt like an especially cruel loss. Other big losses this year include a trip to France to celebrate a milestone birthday for my mother and my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding (Mosby seemed pretty ok with the alternative plan, though):

But in many ways, my family has been more together than ever this year thanks to prolific group chats and photo-sharing. Mostly, I’m just glad everyone else is safe and healthy. As my father often reminds me, “Our problems are small.”

And dating? What to do with this weird Jane-Austen-esque dating scene-- as if modern dating weren’t fraught enough. Is this the universe punishing me for ending my 2019 dating hiatus early? I, for one, have given up. You win this one, pandemic. I’m just going to have my little Twitter crush and call it a year. Next year, though...

Horizons - Silver Gold

You know what? It’s hard to expand your horizons without people or places.

I did the best I could. I finally got back on track with my Goodreads challenge and actually had a really good year of reading, including finally embracing audiobooks through my Libro.fm subscriptions. I especially enjoyed Michelle Obama’s book Becoming and Mike Birbiglia’s The New One on audio-- both narrated by their authors.

I camped in Pocomoke (MD), Western MD, Lake Michigan, and Ohiopyle (PA):

I explored over 30 new hiking/biking trails-- some favorites including the Youghiegheny River trail in PA, the NCR trail, Catoctin Mountain, the C&O Canal Towpath, Annapolis Rock, and of course, Stoney Run in my backyard.

I left Facebook and started the Life Olympics newsletter. I’ll be honest, I don’t miss Facebook but I also don’t understand where that energy, time, and brain space went. I was spending cumulatively hours a day mindlessly scrolling Facebook and I quit cold turkey and barely noticed-- what black hole of our brains does social media occupy? I kind of thought that with all that extra time I would write the next great American novel or something. I’m probably spending a little more time on Twitter, which I could stand to cut back on. Other than that, I think I was just trying to process the shitstorm of this year. Maybe I’ll write the next great American novel post-pandemic.

For the first time in my life, I feel somewhat ‘caught up’ on pop-culture. I finally watched Parks and Recreation (twice); I watched The Mandalorian and finally actually watched Star Wars (episodes IV-IX); I watched the final seasons of The Good Place and Schitt’s Creek; I’m caught up on Insecure; I watched The Prom and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Jingle Jangle; I even started Bridgerton. I know what everyone is talking about and I’m catching so many more pop-culture references these days. (I guess instead of writing the next great American novel I watched Netflix?)

2020 Lessons

I’ve spent plenty of time mourning the missed opportunities of 2020 and will probably always wonder what this year could have been in an alternate universe with a functioning government. But we only have this reality for now, and we made the best of it.

I wanted to slow down in 2020, try to be more intentional, more mindful, and...

No thank you! I liked the pace of my life; it makes my brain and heart happy. I’m happiest when I wake up in a different city three days in a row. I like darting around every borough of Manhattan for nine meetings and three cocktails and then taking a red-eye to Europe. I want to run around to eight conferences for 18-hours a day for three weeks and then sleep for 22 hours. I miss overloading my brain so much that I need a deprivation chamber to sleep. This is who I am. This is how I like to live. And when I was locked down alone in the house for a year, slowing down, being mindful, I never once thought, “I should have... when I had the chance.” Because I always did. And I always will.

2021

We shake with joy, we shake with grief.

What a time they have, these two housed as they are in the same body.

Mary Oliver

We’ve had enough grief. 2021 is going to be all about joy.

Universe, let me be clear: this is not a euphemism or code or secret signal.

I want pure, unadulterated, abundant, joy. I want multi-course dinners in restaurants with lots of close friends and good wine. I want the virus so far gone that I can make-out with handsome strangers. I want a rollicking good time in France and/or Brazil and/or Prague and/or New Zealand and/or Bali. I want to spend the day after Christmas in NYC with my father. I want to be a glutton for theatre and art and music. I want celebrations and parties and sequins.

I want to shake with joy.

If you’d like to receive the (shorter) monthly Life Olympics, subscribe here.

#lifeolympics

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purplesurveys · 4 years

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941

ACH

Do you listen to anything by Bach? I’ve probably encountered some of his material since I like looking for classical musical playlists to listen to on Spotify, but I’m nowhere near being a devoted fan or anything like that.

ASH

Do you like ash trees? I’m not attached to any kind of tree, really – but I know I have nothing against this kind, haha.

Do you have the ashes of a family member or a pet? No. The only ashes I’ve gotten to encounter are my grandpa’s, but we’ve since placed them in our local ossuary so that he can rest in peace.

How often do you feel like you want to bash your head against a wall? Before September, quite seldom. But with this month being so turbulent, chaotic, and nothing like I expected it to be, seldom has turned into every day.

Has anyone ever thrown you a big birthday bash? Sure. I had a big party when I was 7 and I also had a nice slew of celebrations when I turned 18. But if you mean a surprise birthday bash then no, no one has thrown one for me.

Do you know anyone who is brash? I do, but fortunately I haven’t had to work with her for a while now. I certainly often felt annoyed when I used to have to.

Do you typically carry cash or a credit/debit card? OMG Y’ALL I finally opened my own bank account last Friday I’ve never felt so grown-up until now haha. My dad helped me set up my first card, which is a debit card. :)

Have you ever crashed someone else’s party before? No, that sounds so annoying omg. I’d never want to be known as a gatecrasher. I know I’d be pissed if someone showed up to any of my parties uninvited.

Have you ever been involved in a car crash? Yes but fortunately they’ve all been super mild ones. One of my biggest fears is getting involved in a car crash where things would be out of my control and becoming seriously injured, like if a drunk driver crashed into me or if a 12-wheeler loses its brakes and slams into my car or something. I think I’d live in resentment for the rest of my life if that sort of thing happened to me and still ended up alive.

Do you use Door Dash? I didn’t know what this is so I had to look it up, and even though we don’t have Door Dash we do have several apps that do exactly the same services.

How often do you use a dash in your writing? I like using them in more casual contexts like survey entries, personal essays, feature articles, etc. I avoid dashes in academic writing since dashes are not really the most formal of punctuation marks.

Last place you made a mad dash to? The car repair shop that my dad asked me to meet him at because his situation was a little urgent at the time.

Do you make it a habit to flash people? Oh wow, no I don’t. That’s one of the last things anyone can expect from me. I like wearing revealing or skin-tight articles of clothing, but that doesn’t mean I like giving absolutely everything away lol

Do you prefer flash or no flash on a camera? No flash, always. I hate the effect that flash does and I never go for it, unless I’m in an area where lighting is poor.

Is the Flash one of your favorite superheroes? No. I’m not very big on superheroes to begin with.

Do you use the phrase “I’ll be back in a flash”? Not really. I find myself using “I’ll be super quick” more, or using ‘jiffy’ instead of flash.

Have you ever had a gash in your head before? Anywhere else on your body? I sported a gash near my eyebrow once because of some cousin who tried to blind me by hurling a glass jar towards my left eye and just narrowly missing my actual eyeball. Now there’s a scar in its place. Currently, I have multiple gashes on my arms and legs because Cooper.

Do you like hash browns? They’re okay, but I can’t have them all the time because I find them way too greasy for my enjoyment.

Do you do hash? No.

How often do you use hash tags? Almost never, unless I’m fighting for a political cause like BLM or calling for free mass testing. Hashtags got real lame real quick when they started getting popular around 7-8 years ago.

Do you have long eyelashes? Yes, it’s my favorite feature of mine and I get compliments on them fairly often.

How often do you lash out at others? For what reasons? Not often, but when I do it’s almost always because I’m already buckling under immense pressure and probably have nowhere to release my stress onto. I don’t turn it into an automatic mechanism though, because I don’t want to make others feel like shit for things they didn’t do.

Do you like mashed potatoes? I enjoy them but they’re not really my favorite dish. I can do 4-5 spoonfuls of them before getting over them haha, like I can never seem to finish a serving of it.

Do you typically gnash your teeth together? No I HATEEEE the sensation and the sound that it makes. My sister grinds her teeth in her sleep and it drives me nuts whenever we’re on a family trip and we share a room.

Do you know someone who speaks balderdash? Sure.

What color is the backsplash of your kitchen? White.

Have you ever had any rashes before? What kinds? Yes. Back in high school I used to occasionally get a random itchy area on my leg and whenever I’d scratch it, it would turn into an ugly patch of rashes. I never figured what the condition was but I’m just glad it’s never happened again.

Do you typically make rash decisions? Sometimes. I really tend to impulsive. The last one I made was swapping a full-time job opportunity for an internship with much lesser pay. Even I was surprised by how quick I jumped into the latter, but I like the nature of the work of the internship SO MUCH MORE, and I dunno if I’ll be happy with what I would be doing in the full-time gig. Plus, internships here are never even paid ones, so the fact that they even offered to give me an allowance per day just goes to show how good the company I’m interning for is.

Have you ever worn a sash before? I probably have but I don’t remember what for anymore.

Do you often find that your personality clashes with others’ around you? Yes, but I’m also good at adjusting to all kinds of personalities so I’m not too bothered by the clashes.

Whose tires would you like to slash? Any racist’s tires, really.

Who would you like to smash with? No one at the moment.

What was the last thing you smashed out of anger? I don’t really tend to be violent when I’m angry. The last angry thing I did was to throw my head against a pillow, but that’s it.

Do you have a secret stash of something hidden anywhere? Nopes.

How often do you take out the trash? My parents prefer to do it so they don’t really ask us to.

Has anyone ever told you that you look like trash? Other than myself, no.

Do you like to splash in the pool, the bathtub, or in puddles? I wouldn’t call it my favorite thing to do; I hate the mess that it makes, ha.

Have you ever thrashed violently before? What was the cause? Yeah. I probably embarrassed my grandma for life when I did so, but it was when I had to be confined to the hospital and they needed to insert the IV thing on me. It sent me into the worst panic attack I’ve ever gotten and I ended up thrashing a lot and several people had to hold me down so that the nurse could stick the thing into my wrist.

Do you own and use an eyelash curler? No. Those make me cringe so bad...I hate how they get so close to the eyeball. Kate brought her makeup kit to school everyday and she always made me try to learn how to curl my own lashes, but it just made me feel so nauseated lol

Have you ever experienced backlash from others? A few times before.

Have you ever had whiplash before? Never.

ATH

Do you prefer a shower or a bath? Shower. Much more efficient. Baths are relaxing, but I don’t like how I end up bathing in what’s pretty much dirty water.

Have you ever given another person or an animal a bath before? I’ve only given Kimi a bath. I let my dad bathe Cooper since he’s too much of a handful for now, plus I think it’s fair if we bathe one dog each haha.

How good are you at math? I can answer advanced algebra, statistics, and geometry questions if you give me enough time to review and get reacquainted with the formulas, but I’m perfectly alright with no longer revisiting trigonometry and calculus for the rest of my life.

Do you feel like your life is on the right path? Career-wise it definitely is; I’m happy with the direction it’s going right now. Everything else seems so turbulent at the moment and I can’t say I’m happy.

Are there any bike paths or footpaths in your area? We have sidewalks, if they count.

Have you ever gone on the warpath before? Not really. I do get very angry with certain people if I think they’ve been behaving badly, but I rarely get confrontational.

Is there a birdbath in your yard? No, those aren’t common here at all. I’ve only seen those in cartoons, I think.

Have you ever had a footbath before? Nopes.

What’s the last thing you’ve had to deal with the aftermath of? I can think of one thing but it’s still pretty triggering so I don’t feel like bringing it up at the moment.

Have you ever witnessed a bloodbath? Thankfully I haven’t. I get so queasy when I see blood though; it’s so much better off this way because I wouldn’t be able to deal with one at all.

Are you a sociopath or a psychopath? Do you know anyone who might be? No lol. I don’t think I know of anyone who could possibly be either. I wouldn’t want to associate myself with one in the first place.

Who’s the last person that you faced the wrath of? Myself.

AMP

Do you have an instrument that you plug into an amp? Nope, I own 0 instruments.

When’s the last time you felt amped up? What was the reason? Thursday morning when I parked in front of the office I was gonna have my job interview in. I needed to hype myself up to feel confident so I spent a couple of minutes in the car pumping my chest and screaming and shit, lol

Have you ever gone to day camp or overnight sleepaway camp? No. My mom wouldn’t have allowed me as a kid.

When’s the last time you felt like a champ? It’s been a while. I haven’t exactly felt like I’ve been winning in anything.

Last time it was damp where you lived? This afternoon. It was really humid for a good few hours and then it ended up raining.

Weirdest place you’ve ever had a cramp? My index finger whenever I’d try to use chopsticks; and my toes when I hiked in Sagada. The toe cramps were so bizarre I was actually laughing-crying the whole time the tour guide was treating me; my dad was taking photos of me too loooooool

Do you refer to your grandfather as “Gramps”? No. I call both of them Lolo, which is our local version of Grandpa.

Have you ever worn a headlamp before? No, I’ve never really had to.

Do you have a ramp anywhere in your house? I don’t think so, no.

Has anyone ever called you “scamp” before? No.

How many lamps are in the room you’re in? How many are actually turned on? There is one lamp, and it is currently turned on.

Do you stamp your feet when you are angry? It doesn’t tend to be a behavior of mine, no.

Last time you used a postage stamp? Not sure...grade school, probably? I never used those a lot.

Are there streetlamps on your street? What time do they turn on? Yep. I don’t keep track of their schedule but a safe guess would be either 6 or 6:30 PM.

Last place/area that you wanted to revamp? My room.

Do you know anyone who is a tramp? No.

Have you seen Lady and the Tramp before? Not the full movie but I’ve seen a lot of excerpts from watching Magic English as a kid.

Do you know anyone with a “tramp stamp”? I don’t think so.

AWK/AULK/ALK

Is the squawk of certain birds annoying? Which ones? I’ve never found any of them annoying, but maybe that’s also because there aren’t a lot of different birds flying around where I live.

Do you prefer hawks or falcons? And…why? I don’t have a preference; I’ve never encountered either.

Has anyone ever watched you like a hawk before? That sounds a little creepy and I wouldn’t want to know if anyone has.

What was the last thing you used caulk on? I’m almost positive I’ve never handled that, haha.

[a-zebra-is-a-striped-horse]

#survey #surveys

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mama-m1na · 4 years

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Apocalypse: Chapter 4

~~~IV~~~

Two weeks passed as the newcomer to the world fell into his own routine of waking up, getting breakfast at Rhamina and Tijarah's suite, taking on some jobs with the ravenette sending him reminders at certain times to eat meals and take care of himself, then returning to the building at the end of the day.

Some nights he would find his neighbor on her balcony and he would listen to her rants and stories of ridiculousness that happened on a particular day.

It was on one of these nights that she requested for his presence at the next meeting amongst the Apocalypse leadership.

The eighteen-year-old had stressed the importance of this specific meeting, so he was really in no position to refuse.

By the time he entered the room, all of the leaders were already seated at the table and many of them greeted him with warm expressions.

"What's up, Cloud?" Sierra greeted as the blond walked past her seat, "I see you've been pretty busy, huh?"

"The jobs aren't that much different from what I did back in Sector 7," the male shrugged as he faced her.

"Yeah, I'm betting that's because you're sticking to jobs in and around the city," Justin commented, "You want to get some unique jobs, head up to the mountains or some shit, or even head over to L.A."

"True, but unfortunately, we're not here to talk about job opportunities or even our normal reports this week," Rhamina spoke, prompting the man to walk over and stand behind the lead four.

"No," she continued, cracking her knuckles, "We're talking about our friends down in the San Diego area today."

"For the past few weeks, Yukitara's group has been completely silent," Sam started with a serious expression, "Like they've gone completely underground."

"Their usual shipment of equipment hasn't showed up yet and as you know, we give them their trade of weapons about ten days before they're set to pay us back," Tiajarah spoke with a frown, "And I know that shit got to them at least, three weeks ago."

"We've tried contacting them multiple times, but nothing," Kerstin sighed as she raised her head from the table's cool surface.

"What the fuck?" G-lo asked with a scowl, "So they're just cutting us off? After all we've done for them?"

"That's one possibility," Rhamina said before anyone else could raise any offensive comments, "Or they could be in trouble and are just too stubborn to ask for help."

"I mean, think about it, they are run by a family of Asians," she continued with a small shrug, "You know how stubborn we are when it comes to aspects of pride and honor."

"Either way, it calls for a little trip down to San Diego to check on them," Sam added as the brunette looked down the table.

"Yeah, that and the fact they've been neglecting the generator in Coronado Bay," Tijarah scoffed as Rhamina double tapped on the table, allowing footage of drones flying around the outside of a white building to play.

"Normally, it's their job to make sure this plant is inactive, but as you can see, the drones and outer turrets are guarding it again," the ravenette explained, the video not needing much clarification.

"So who's going in this time?" the only Filipino male in the room asked.

"Me, Mina, Sierra, and Cloud," Kerstin spoke, leaning over the back of her chair to face the said blond, "This'll give you an opportunity to build more connections and explore more areas you could be going to for jobs."

"Alright, so when are we going?" the ex-SOLDIER asked, noticing the ravenette's straight expression.

"I knew I wasn't going to get a reply, but I went ahead and informed them that we would be heading over in two days," she spoke after checking her phone, "I didn't ask, they should know by now that it isn't a request."

The rest of the meeting was basically just running through who was taking over what while the three leaders would be gone for a few days.

Once the meeting was dismissed, Rhamina and Cloud waited for the room to clear out before they walked into an elevator together.

"I wouldn't take any jobs before this mission if I were you," Rhamina said as the doors closed in front of them, "If Yukitara's group does end up turning on us, then I don't want you, or anyone, to be worn out by the time we get there."

"Who is Yukitara, exactly?" the blond asked as the elevator began to descend.

"A gang leader from before the incidents with the generators happened, someone I know personally," she explained with a somber gaze kept on the doors, "I played with his daughter when we were younger and now we're allies in this dystopia."

"I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I'm actually kind of glad I was stupid as a child, in this case that is," she chuckled, "If I hadn't blindly trusted that man while my father was off gambling, then we wouldn't have made such a powered ally."

"And how powerful is he?" the male questioned as they exited the elevator on the tenth floor of the building.

"Well, considering that he had control over the entirety of San Diego, which is about more than ten times the size of what we control, I'd say pretty powerful," the teen chuckled once more, "Even in places like L.A. they had to split up control into separate districts within the city, but Yukitara is able to manage his territory as a whole.

"Numbers and territory alone doesn't mean that someone is powerful," Cloud replied as they just stood in front of their doors.

"In some cases, but it's more of how Yukitara is able to lead his gang and how he is able to keep it all in control," Rhamina clarified with a smile, "He is way more strict than we are here, but it's to be expected, I guess."

"Oh and one more thing," she said with her hand on her door handle, "Make sure you look at what monsters and mutants are in the San Diego-Coronado area, they're vastly different from what we have here."

When the day came for the four to make their way over to San Diego, they met on the second floor of the parking structure.

"We won't be actually talking with them until this afternoon, but it's best to get a feel of the place before we do," Rhamina said as everyone loaded their luggage into the back of a black van, "It has been a while since we've been over there."

"Yeah, I'm kind of excited," Sierra spoke with a smile, "getting out of the Abyss and away from all of the kids for a few days at least."

"This isn't a vacation," Cloud reminded as he stood next to his bike, "We still have a job we have to do."

"Yeah, but who says we can't have some fun while doing it?" Kerstin asked, "San Diego is full of fun places and a lot of great strip clubs."

Rhamina immediately covered the younger teen's mouth with a disappointed look on her face, but something told Cloud that this kind of thing happened a lot and he wouldn't be surprised from what he had seen in his living with Apocalypse.

"You can go ahead and do that on your own time, but please act normal and refrain from saying those kinds of things when we're with other people," the ravenette sighed as she narrowed her eyes at the darkette.

"Mina, you need to come with me!" the seventeen-year-old whines as she clung onto the ravenette's arm, causing the female to cough in surprise and her eyes to widen as she attempted to pry her off.

"Kerstin!" Rhamina exclaimed in a chiding but embarrassed tone as she tried to back away, earning a pout from the shorter female.

"Mina, you promised that you would come with me and Sam the next time we went!" the female argued, "And that we would go drinking too!"

"I'm down for drinking to an extent, but I am not setting foot in a fucking strip club," the ravenette huffed as she shoved the female into the passenger seat of the van, slamming the door behind her, "And Sam ain't even here, you dipshit!"

Rhamina let out a long sigh as Sierra chuckled behind her, patting her on the back as she said, "It's okay, Mina. She tried to get me to join her too."

"So, Cloud," Rhamina spoke, changing the subject as she turned to the male, "Just follow the can and you should be fine but just be careful as we get closer to San Diego. More gangs tend to bunch up around it's borders."

"I'll be fine," the blond assured, earning a nod from both females before they got in the van, ignoring the faces Kerstin was making at them through the window, with Sierra getting in the driver's seat while Rhamina got in the row of seats behind her.

The blue-eyed male got on his bike as the black vehicle started up and followed it out of the parking structure, eventually getting onto the freeway towards San Diego.

It took about an hour and a half before the group made it to the large city by the ocean and ended up parking in a lot near the water.

"So, since it's like eleven, why don't we just walk around Seaport Village for an hour before getting lunch?" Sierra suggested after everyone got out of or off of their vehicles.

"That sounds good to me," Rhamina yawned as she rubbed her eyes that were still adjusting to the change in light.

"Did you not get much sleep last night?" Cloud asked as he watched the female stretch out with a small, high pitched, sigh leaving her lips.

"I did, it's just that I just woke up from a nap in the van," she replied with her eyes half lidded.

"You know, you have really pretty eyes, Cloud," the female mused as she leaned in closer to his face, "I don't think I've told you that yet."

"Okay, you creepy fuck, let's start walking," Kerstin said, snickering as she noticed that her sister's words had flustered the male.

"Kay," she hummed in reply, walking to enter the old styled village filled with small shops and boutiques.

As the three teens walked on ahead, the blond took a moment to let out the breath he didn't know he was holding before going to catch up with them.

The small village was pretty quiet with only a handful of shops open with the small amount of normal people that were walking around.

While Cloud followed behind the girls, he kept getting glimpses of the ravenette's blissful expression as she took in the scenery and breathed the fresh, sea air.

It was about forty-five minute into the walk when the group was walking over a bridge that crossed over a small stream when two of the Filipinos stopped.

"Hey, Kerstin," the ravenette poke as she looked at the peaceful scenery before them, "you wanna grab a duck?"

"Hell yeah," the younger sibling spoke as her gaze locked onto a pair of mallard ducks with three ducklings.

Splash!

Sierra and Cloud, alerted by the sudden noise, looked back to see that the other two had jumped from the bridge in order to stalk the birds.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" the teen chuckled as she leaned over the railing to start recording with her phone.

Both girls were completely focused, each going around in opposite directions to corner the birds, slowing further when the ducks became aware of their presence.

The male scoffed at the sight, but couldn't help the small smile creeping onto his face as he watched the ravenette stalk forward like a cat about to pounce.

Suddenly the male reached up to clutch his head, trying to soothe the flash of pain as images flashed through his mind; a little girl with black hair was running through what looked to be a forest with a large smile on her face when a large shadow grew over her.

Cloud was brought back to reality by hearing Kerstin's loud string of curses, looking up to see that Rhamina had successfully captured the male duck while Kerstin knelt in the ankle deep water with the female duck sitting on a rock above her with its ducklings with it.

"What the fuck?!" the darkette screeched as the eighteen-year-old turned to face the two on the bridge with a proud smile on her face.

After releasing the duck, the pair met back up with the other members of their group on the other side of the stream.

"That's what you get for wearing canvas shoes," the ravenette lightly chided in response to Kerstin complaining about how her shoes were soaked.

"And that wasn't fair," the younger female huffed as Cloud let out a sigh, "That fucker just sat there and practically let you pick it up!"

"Or maybe you just aren't skilled enough to catch a duck," the blond retorted, earning a gasp from Sierra as Rhamina's eyes nervously flitted between the male and her sister.

"Excuse me, bitch?" Kerstin asked as she got right up in the male's face with an annoyed grin, "You wanna throw fucking hands?"

Before anything else could be said, the ravenette moved in between the two individuals, forcing them away from each other.

"It's about twelve already, so how about we get some lunch?" she asked with a smile, not directly looking at either of them.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Sierra added, watching carefully as the ravenette kept a hand out in front of each person, "the cafe should be open and if we go right now, we might be able to get a balcony table."

Kerstin backed up, but before she walked away said, "I get that you're probably used to working on your own, but you're a part of Apocalypse no. Learn to treat your teammates with respect."

Rhamina let out a sigh as the seventeen-year-old began to walk ahead, lowering the hand in front of Cloud before bringing the other up to scratch at her neck.

She still didn't look up at him, but he knew the teen was talking to him as she said, "I'm sorry about that, but let's not try to work each other up, okay?"

Things were a little more light hearted as the group started eating, but the ex-SOLDIER couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to the images he saw.

Who in the ever loving hell was that girl and why was he getting visions of her? And why now?

The man was quite sure that he had never met that girl in his life, so why now was he being-

"Cloud, honey, are you okay?" Rhamina asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder from the seat next to him. "You were zoning out for awhile there."

"I'm fine," he replied, gently shrugging the female's hand off of his shoulder as Kerstin was finishing up her meal.

"Are you sure?" the ravenette pressed with a tinge of worry visible in her brown eyes, to which the male did not reply.

"Alright then," she shrugged as the waitress walked by to pick up the check, "Just remember, I'll be here if you ever need to talk."

The male merely nodded as everyone got up from their seats to start heading back to their vehicles; however, it wasn't long before something caught the ravenette's attention.

About ten meters to their right, two men were harassing a woman who obviously didn't want to be anywhere near them.

Ignoring the calls of her group, Rhamina walked over to them with a bright smile and asked, "Is that anyway to treat a lady? Or any other human being for that matter?"

"It's obvious she doesn't want the company of either of you so why don't you just leave her alone?" she continued as they turned to her.

"This ain't any of your business, so unless you would like to join her, then I suggest you walk away," one threatened as the other grabbed the girl's wrist.

"Why is it that so many men do not understand the meaning of the word consent?" she asked as she stormed up to the male holding the girl and digging her thumb into a spot in his forearm that contained the nerves leading to his hand, the sudden pain causing him to let go.

"I would start getting out of her, dear," the ravenette mused as both of the men glared at her, causing the other female to dart off in the opposite direction.

"Listen here you little-" the man started as he began to close in on the shorter female, but was cut off as the edge of her opened fan was aimed at his throat.

"And what are you going to do with that?" the other one asked mockingly, "Blow us away?"

Cloud was tempted to move in with his buster sword when the two men began laughing, but he only watched as the teenager flicked her wrist to throw her fan to her left, the weapon slicing right through a tree before returning to her waiting hand.

She raised a brow as both men wordlessly locked their gazes to where the tree once stood before grumbling something the teen didn't care to listen for as they walked away.

The ravenette did not notice the pair of eyes on her form as she tucked her fan away and walked over to apologize to the tree she cut down, but Cloud sure did.

He saw a young Korean man sitting at a bench wearing a black shirt underneath a dark olive colored bomber jacket and a pair of jeans with black sneakers.

Th male was staring at the female while talking on his phone and Cloud did not like the energy he was putting out at all.

As they continued to walk back to where their vehicles were parked, the girls took the time to point out a building sticking out of the water near the island across the water.

"That's the Coronado plant," Sierra explained as the breeze came in, "One of the more powerful ones in California."

"The most unethical inventions of mankind," Kerstin scoffed before turning on her heel and walking away along with Sierra and Rhamina who looked just as disgusted.

Once they got back to the van and motorcycle, they drove south for about five minutes before pulling into the parking lot of a large building.

There were guards at the gate; however, they only gave the two vehicles a passing glance before letting them in, which caused the seed of suspicion to sprout within the blond male.

The group of teenagers was uncharacteristically silent as they walked from where they parked to the entrance of the building where they were greeted by an Asian man wearing a white dress shirt and black pants.

"Hello, Ms Miyu, Vera, and others," the man greeted, causing Sierra to narrow her eyes at the man, "I will be your escort for today."

"Thank you, Mister..." "Nakahara, please follow me," the man spoke before leading the four inside.

They silently followed the man into an elevator and anyone, even a blind person, could see the tension stemming from the obviously annoyed trio of females.

"You know, I don't remember this building being so empty," Sierra commented as the elevator continued to ascend, "Where is everyone?"

"They're all out on missions," Nakahara answered, facing away from the four and straight ahead at the elevator doors.

"Seriously?" Kerstin questioned with a raised brow before locking eyes with Sierra while Rhamina just kept her gaze on the man in front of them.

Her expression was completely void of any emotion as she gently fanned herself with her usual weapon of choice.

As Cloud observed the younger female, he noticed that her hair was lightly floating behind her and he now understood why everyone had been calling him lucky that they did not view him as a threat.

During his time with Apocalypse, some of the members had actually gone up to him and tried to talk to him, many of them being the younger members.

He had recalled that many of them said that when they first saw the ravenette, they were completely intimidated by her presence before they got to know her; and if this was the side of her that they first encountered, then the blond coulnd't blame them.

The way she held herself at the moment screamed authority and demanded full respect, and no matter how hard he tried the male couldn't see what she was thinking.

While reading people wasn't his forte in the first place, it unnerved him to find that the girl who more often than not, wore her emotions on her sleeve was completely unreadable.

All attention was brought back to the ravenette when she finally spoke, asking, "Are you a newer member, Nakahara?"

"No, Ma'am, why do you ask?" the male replied, not even looking over his shoulder to address her.

"Well," she started before snapped her fan shut, a frown appearing on her face while her eyes narrowed at him, "Usually, older members do not tend to reek of fear in the presence of allies."

"So, Nakahara, what reasons would you have to fear us?" she continued as the male visibly tensed.

"Unless,, you're hiding something from us," Kerstin added as they made it to the top floor of the building.

No one said anything else, because it was already obvious. Nothing else needed to be said and the man knew that if he did, he would just be endangering himself.

"The boss will be here shortly," the male said as the four were ushered into an empty but lavish office.

"This is fucking bullshit," Sierra huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest, "After all we've done for them, they start pulling this shit without even so much as a word."

"Yeah, I'm beginning to think that this shit is kind of stupid too," the darkette agreed while the ravenette stayed silent, "What do you think, Mina?"

"While I am annoyed at all the secrecy, I will withhold my judgement until we get an explanation," the ravenette sighed from her spot on the couch as Cloud stood beside her.

"You're awfully patient today," Kerstin commented as she plopped down on the couch next to her, "you would usually be talking shit."

"True, but I would actually like to work this out as peacefully as possible," Rhamina replied, "These people, well some of them, are friends after all. I would hate to lose them like this."

"Mina, that's really cute and all, but you know we might have to beat the shit out of them," the younger female spoke as she placed a hand on the ravenette's shoulder.

"And we will if it comes to that," she answered, but it was easy to see that she didn't complete her thoughts.

Before Cloud could press further, the door to the office opened to reveal a teenage girl who looked to be a human sized porcelain doll.

She had pale skin and medium length black hair styled into twin pigtails secured with white bows.

Her round, dark eyes were brought out by her powder pink blush and blood red lipstick.

The girl wore a gothic black dress with white cuffs and a white collar as well as other accessories that matched her aesthetic.

"Greetings, representatives of Apocalypse," she greeted formally before bowing a full ninety degrees at the hip.

"Hana," Sierra identified as the younger female straightened herself out completely, "Where is your father?"

"That would be the current situation," the girl replied in a flat tone, displaying no emotion as she did.

"What situation?" Kerstin questioned as she sat up straight.

"My father had gone missing, leaving me in charge," she explained, "My primary focus for the past few weeks was to recover him."

"So, let me get this straight," Rhamina said as she stood from her spot with her hands clasped together in front of her chest, "You divulged all of your resources into finding your father, leaving your territory practically unattended and basically ghosting us; instead of calling on your allies for help?"

"You. Absolute. Dunce," the ravenette seethed through gritted teeth before she took a deep breath, a guilty frown forming on the doll's face.

"Do you know what I saw in Seaport village today? Smaller gangs crawling in because there was no one regulating the borders," the eighteen-year-old spoke.

"Yeah, and I'm sure you noticed that someone has activated the plant in Coronado," Sierra added from her spot, standing behind the couch.

"Yes, I have," Hana spoke, looking to the ground before Rhamina placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hana, I know finding your father is at the top of your priority list, but you need to think about the whole picture," If things continue like this, then finding him will just get harder and what if you were allied with someone unreasonable? They would have just stormed your territory if you ghosted them."

"I... understand," the female spoke before bowing her head in shame.

With a nod, Rhamina retracted her hand before asking, "Do you know what mistakes you've made?"

"Yes."

"Do you know how to fix them?"

"Will you actually ask for help when you need it this time?"

"Yes."

"Alright then, now that's out of the way," Rhamina chirped, a bright smile returning to her face, "We'll take care of the generator situation starting tomorrow and if you father isn't found by the time we get done, then we'll help with that too!"

"You'll still help me?" the Japanese girl asked with confusion written all over her face, "Even after all the trouble I just put you through?"

"Yep, but we're not doing it for free, I'm not that nice," the female chuckled with a quick wink in the young girl's direction.

"Then what would you like in return?" Hana asked, holding her hands together, "i will have your equipment delivered as soon as possible, but what else?"

"You're paying for the dinner we're getting when this is all over," Rhamina spoke as she bounced on the balls of her feet.

"And it won't be cheap!" she continued upon seeing the surprised look on the doll's face, "I want the Korean barbecue down in the south side of the Asian district!"

"Yes, of course," Hana replied with a soft smile as the other girls began cheering about the free food before her eyes drifted over to the blond who just looked bored.

He gave off a strange aura, one that she had never seen before and she did not like it one bit.

"God dammit Hana, you had us all stressed out for nothing!" Kersting sighed before walking over to ruffle the girl's hair," Just tell us about this kind of shit and we'll help out."

"I apologize," the female spoke once more with a small bow before continuing, "As you are staying here, please allow me to accompany you to your hotel."

"Of course!" the ravenette chirped as she wrapped her arms around the smaller girl.

The entire walk out to the parking lot, Cloud stayed silent as he walked behind the girls, just watching their interactions but even as he did, he couldn't help but feel like there was a pair of eyes on him.

Once the girls were in the van, Hana got straight to the point in asking, "Who is that man?"

"He's a new recruit," Kerstin explained from her spot in the passenger's seat, "Came to us a few weeks ago."

"And you let him come here with you?" the noirette asked with a raised brow from next to Rhamina.

"He's quite capable, Hana. That sword isn't just for show," the ravenette assured, "Plus he's new to California, so the travel would be good for him."

"So where is he from then?" the doll asked as her eyes narrowed, only earning a shrug from each of the girls.

"We don't really know, but he's useful and kinda... nice, I guess," Sierra said, not taking her eyes off of the road.

"I know he may be outwardly cold and brutally blunt at times, but he's a good person," Rhamina spoke as she looked out the window with a small smile, "I trust him."

As the younger female looked up at the eighteen-year-old, she saw nothing but the pure truth.

Rhamina trusted him; however, the noirette knew that this could be a dangerous situation for the older female.

Whoever had the ravenette's full trust usually had her unyielding loyalty to accompany it, even if it went against her own safety.

The ride was over when they arrived at a luxurious hotel, much more extravagant than the one that Apocalypse used for housing, but it was to be expected.

It was silent for the most part as they rode up the elevator with all of their luggage, save for Rhamina who was humming the melody of an old pop song as she read a 'book' on her phone.

"This is where you'll be staying for the time being," Hana said as they stepped off the elevator and entered the penthouse, "I hope it is to your liking."

"Yeah, it's fine," Kerstin said as she immediately walked into the kitchen while throwing her bag onto one of the couches she passed, "Thanks, Hana."

"I'm going to go claim my room now," Rhamina said before disappearing down the hall with a small wave.

"Same," Sierra spoke before following the older female, leaving Cloud and Hana standing in the entryway.

"So," she started, looking up to the swordsman, "It is to my understanding that you are a new recruit to Apocalypse, yes?"

"Yeah, and I'm guessing you're Yukitara's daughter," the blond replied as he met the girl's dead gaze.

"You must be something else if Rhamina herself recruited you," she spoke before her eyes narrowed, a dark glint in her brown hues.

"If you break her trust, then you'll wish you'd never been born," she hissed before walking back into the elevator.

Already used to those kinds of threats, Cloud easily brushed off the statement before walking down the hall with his bag so he could take one of the five bedrooms.

After about half an hour of getting settled in, a knock came from the other side of the ravenette's door before a familiar voice asked, "Hey, Mina, do you have any pads?"

A look of horror crossed the eighteen-year-old's face as she dropped her pen and pulled out her phone to check her calendar.

"Fuck!" she exclaimed before she capped her pen, put her journal away, pulled on her boots, grabbed her purse, and opened the door.

"Did you forget, too?" Sierra asked after hearing the older female's rush from behind the wooden door.

"Yep, shark week for me starts in three days, so off to the pharmacy we go," Rhamina sang as she and Sierra walked out the penthouse, taking one of the key cards with them.

A few minutes later, Cloud was brought out of his thoughts by his phone buzzing, a text notification appearing on screen once he checked it.

It was a message from Rhamina, telling him where she and Sierra went and to make sure that Kerstin didn't set anything on fire.

'Knowing her,' he thought, standing up from his spot on the bed, 'She probably would.'

The male then fastened his buster sword to his back before walking over to the dining area where he saw the darkette with a bottle of whiskey and a glass filled with the liquid.

"Hey, Cloud," she greeted before taking a sip of the alcoholic beverage, "Want some?"

"Sure, but should you really be drinking that?" the blond asked, remaining on his feet as the female pulled out another glass from out of nowhere and began filling it, "How old are you?"

"Seventeen, but it's fine," she replied, handing him the glass," I've been drinking for years, I know my limits."

"Whatever you say," the male shrugged as he took a sip of the slightly bitter liquid.

"So, what were you before you ended up in this world?" Kerstin asked as she looked up at the male, "Your skills with that sword tell me that you weren't your normal, everyday son of a bitch."

"I was an ex-SOLDIER," the blond replied, knowing he basically gave his entire backstory to Rhamina the day after he met her.

"Military, huh?" the darkette asked before gulping down whatever was left in her cup, immediately filling it back up again, "Believe it or not; me, Sierra, and Mina all came from military families."

"Sierra's dad was in the Army and both of my parents were in the Navy, same with Mina's parents," she continued before her face morphed into a scowl, "Fucking bitches."

Cloud let out a hum of confusion as he slowly worked at his drink and the younger female was happy to explain.

"I loved auntie, but I fucking hated the way she treated Mina," she started, "Always getting on her ass for her grades which were pretty good. Mina was actually working her ass off to earn those grades, only to be constantly told that it was never good enough. Not to mention the fact that she kept blaming Mina for the stupidest shit."

"Their high expectations are why she gets so stressed out over things," the teen huffed, "Sure she's a little better now, but this kind of life is so full of stress. I'm just glad she hasn't had a breakdown recently."

"What about her father?" the ex-SOLDIER asked, his curiosity beginning to peak through his normal personality.

"She hasn't mentioned her father that much, but from what I know and what Mina told us, I can deduce that her father was an absolute scumbag!" Kerstin snapped before slamming her drink.

"The fucker was so unreasonable and manipulative and if things didn't go his way, he would get violent," she explained, before she locked eyes with the blond, "You know, he almost killed Mina multiple times. And that was all before she even turned ten!"

Cloud let out a small gasp at the revelation; while he was used to violence and near death, he could only imagine how mentally damaging it was to a child to have almost been killed by one of their parents and more than once at that!

"That isn't even the end of it either," the female grumbled before letting out a sigh.

"Listen, I don't think she wanted anyone to find this out, but I'm pretty sure that fucker murdered her mother," the darkette spoke in a low tone, "They were having constant arguments before she died and the way he disappeared so soon after she did, couldn't have been a coincidence."

Before Cloud even had a chance to ask further, the front door opened and a familiar voice sung, "We're back and we brought dinner for later!"

"Hey, Cloud, don't let her know about any of that, okay? The topic of her parents is really touchy."

"Alright," the male agreed with a frown as Rhamina entered the dining area with a bright smile on her face.

"What did I miss?"

~~~Fin. Chapter 4~~~

Masterlist

#Apocalypse #Chapter 4 #Fanfic #Fanfiction #Final Fantasy #Final Fantasy VII #FFVII #ffvii remake #Cloud Strife x OC

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padfootagain · 6 years

Text

The Books Lovers (IV)

Part 4: Something Better

This is the end! It's so rare that I write down a whole series so fast, damn! I'm done with @marvelcapsicle's challenge :D

Lots of fluff, and a tiny bit of angst ;)

The beautiful aesthetic was made by our wonderful Beth!

Word Count: 3243

You were nervous.

Like a teenage girl all over again.

You watched yourself in the mirror before you, straightening your bowtie. You had told Steve that suits were in order, and you meant it. Besides, you meant to turn the party into hell for the mayor, you reckoned that a suit and black bowtie suited the devil well. You knew that there was something pushing you to give up on the dress for the smoking. You didn't want to fit in their world. You didn't doubt that the people gathered to celebrate the creation of this parking lot didn't care for Steve's library. You were about to jump into an ocean filled with sharks, and you intended to survive the night with honours. No need for bent heads and apologetic smiles. You were not going for the polite status quo, you aimed for the violent clash. You wanted them all to look at you like you were not part of their world, because to you, their world only echoed with what made you so sad. Steve was fighting, and you wouldn't let him down.

You heard your doorbell ringing, and your heart sped up in your chest. You knew that it was Steve, he had offered to give you a ride to the party.

You opened the door for him, but no matter how many times you had imagined what Steve looked like in a tuxedo for the last 24 hours, you were not prepared for the sight before you.

He still hadn't shaved and you were thankful for the short beard that had spread across his strong jaw. He was wearing a black tie and dark suit, the white of his shirt almost shining in contrast with the rest of his dark clothes. You both remained silent for a few seconds, staring at each other, and when you met his eyes, they had a slightly darker shade than usual.

"Hey," you breathed in a smile.

"'Evening," he answered in a voice he tried to control, but ended up deeper than usual nonetheless.

And his voice elicited goosebumps up your arms.

"So… are you ready to go?" he asked, his cheeks reddening and his shyer side emerging again.

You could feel electricity running across your body, and the tension that had been there between you and Steve the previous night was undoubtedly back.

Neither of you could find a way to look away…

"Sure, I'm ready."

"Good…"

"Good."

You caught him glimpsing down at your lips, but the buzzing noise of his phone made you both jump, and you finally broke eye-contact.

"Sam's already there, we should go," he told you after checking his texts.

"Lead the way!"

He let you lock your door before handing you his helmet again, and you merely smiled at the gesture, accepting the protection.

You guessed that seeing a pair of idiots riding an old bike in tuxedos must have been funny to the strangers you encountered and passed by during your trip to the party. But you didn't mind. Your arms were wrapped around Steve all over again, just like the previous night when he had taken you home, and that other night when you had planned your devilish scheme to save the library.

The air was chilly, and your speed made it cut your cheeks. The early lampposts drew strange patterns as they illuminated the darkening streets. You let Steve guide you through the traffic, and for once, you weren't afraid on a bike. You guessed that you really trusted Steve that much after all…

You arrived at the party to be met by a disdainful look. You recognized many of the people who owned shops in the shopping centre, and you wondered why they looked at Steve and you that way. You could only guess that they didn't own much respect for librarians. Or perhaps they were richer than you, judging by their dresses and suits, that wouldn't have surprised you. Money had a talent to ridiculously amplify an ego…

You looked for Sam across the crowd, who had chosen to come with Mrs. Harrelson. Sge seemed extremely pleased at the idea of wearing the long dress she had bought for her son's marriage.

"Do you have the letter?" Sam asked Steve.

He nodded, handing you a glass of champagne.

"Should we give him right away?" you asked, accepting the glass and taking a sip.

"Let's wait for a bit," Mrs. Harrelson replied. "Let's crush that party!"

"You have such a violent side, Mrs. Harrelson!" Sam laughed.

"I used to live in one of the houses they destroyed up, did you know that?"

You all shook your heads, a sadder atmosphere encircling the four of you for a moment.

"It was my first flat, after my husband and I got married. It was little, and I hated living in it… But it was our first home. We were too poor at the time to get anything more than a mattress and a few pans. But despite the fact that I wished for us to have more, we were happy there. And I used to go to this library when I was little, before you all were even born… It's always sad when things are forgotten, don't you think?"

"Yes, I think it's very sad," Steve nodded. "But as long as people remember these places, they won't really be gone."

"I'm an old woman… And when people like me are gone, then memories will be gone too."

"Not our library," Sam reassured her, covering the hand she was resting on his arm with his own.

She gave him a touched smile and answered with tears in her eyes.

"Not our library."

A soft song started to play, and many guests started to dance softly with the tune.

"Would you grant me this dance?" Sam offered Mrs. Harrelson his open hand.

"Oh, it would be my pleasure," she smiled, letting him guide her towards the rest of the dancers.

You waited for a moment, but Steve didn't seem willing to ask you for a dance. Until his gaze met Sam's reprobating stare. His friend then nodded towards you, and Steve nervously bit the inside of his cheek.

But when he turned to you and he could find nothing but kindness in your smile, he stopped hesitating, and offered you his open hand.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked in a breath that you could barely hear above the music, his voice a bit shaky despite his efforts to keep it steady.

"Can you dance?" you asked back with humour.

"Not… really," he admitted. "I will try not to walk on your feet though."

You laughed.

"As long as you don't crush my toes, all is fine."

You slipped your hand in his large one and you walked to join the rest of the crowd. You started to slowly sway to the music, both your breath and his caught up in your throats. And the more the song played, the closest he held you.

A second soft song followed and Steve didn't ask if you wanted to stop. He only tightened his hold on you even more, until he could rest his cheek against your hair. You rested your forehead against his shoulder, your hand on his chest.

And yes, the muscles you had guessed under his white shirt were real.

Very real…

The thought made your head spin, or perhaps it was his spicy sent, or perhaps the hand he had rested on your back that traced circles across your spine…

"Thank you."

His voice brushed your ear in a warm whisper.

"You don't have to thank me for the library again…"

"No, thank you… thank you for being here. Just… Thank you."

You bit down on your lip, but a smile grazed your features nonetheless.

"I'm glad you asked me to come," you admitted.

"You look beautiful."

You let out a shy laugh, and his cheeks blossomed in crimson shades.

"You don't look that bad yourself," you breathed back.

The song eventually faded, and as the beat of the next tune was not so soft anymore, Steve slowly broke your embrace.

"Would you like to take a breath of air?" he asked softly. "It's… crowded here."

You nodded with a smile, and followed him out, back in the street.

There was no one around, the party, still young, had not scared anyone away for now. You were grateful for the quiet street, and the occasion to spend some time alone with Steve.

"Are you having fun so far?" Steve asked. "At least if you try to forget about all the people inside…"

You both let out a chuckle.

"I'm having a pretty good time," you nodded. "Did you want to talk to me about anything?"

He gave you a crooked smile and slowly held your hand.

"Not really," he admitted.

As he stared into your eyes under the yellowish light of the lamppost, you could feel the pull towards him again, that invisible string bonding you to him.

His eyes drifted towards your lips again, and you hoped that this time his phone would not break the moment.

He looked at your eyes again though, silently asking for permission, but your smile finished to convince him, and he finally leaned down to bring his lips to yours.

You melted against him without any way to resist.

When you eventually broke away, you both had grins on your faces.

"Did you ask to get out of there just to kiss me in peace?" you asked with a mischievous glint in your eyes.

"Would that be terrible if I answered yes?"

"Actually… not at all."

"I… I've wanted to do this for a while."

"Me too."

This time you were the one to lean up to crush your lips against his.

You broke away when you heard the music stop inside though.

"The mayor must be about to make his speech," you breathed, reluctantly breaking your embrace.

Steve nodded without a word, and you exchanged an encouraging smile.

It was time to get the letter to the mayor, and hope that it would be enough.

Indeed, when you walked back inside, the mayor, all dressed like a penguin and standing very straight, was speaking in a microphone.

"I am very pleased to welcome you all here tonight to celebrate the construction of a new parking lot in our neighbourhood. This parking lot is a chance to extend our shopping centre and bring more people in this part of town. I have no doubt that the benefits from this new parking will be beyond our expectations."

He seemed to finally notice you, Steve, Sam and Mrs. Harrelson in the crowd, and you saw his jaw clenching.

"There might be a few who doubt the good resting in such change. Yes, old buildings had to be taken down, but time, I am sure, will prove them wrong. And we must not let a minority slow down the development of our town."

"It's not just a minority."

Steve's voice rang across the hall, and all turned to him, leaving most of guests with round eyes at the nerves needed to interrupt the mayor during his speech.

But Steve didn't seem to care at all about all this attention drawn to him, and he carried on.

"I have here a letter that was signed by most of the neighbourhood, against the destruction of the library."

"Mr. Rogers, please, it is hardly the time for such…"

"I think it is exactly the time, on the contrary. You say that it's just a few people, but we are many doubting that it's better to have a large parking lot than a library."

Steve gave the letter to the mayor, who quickly read it. He forced an apologetic smile to his lips, but it was poisoned, you could see it right away.

"I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do. It's already settled, it has been decided, voted, signed. The library has to be destroyed."

"How can you take away a library?" Mrs. Harrelson joined the fray.

"Barely anyone goes there on a daily basis," the mayor argued. "And anyway, I am sorry, but it was decided, and it cannot be undone now."

"It's never too late to repair a mistake."

"But I don't think that it was a mistake. I'm terribly sorry."

"It's not fair," Steve and Sam protested.

"You can't destroy the library like that. Not when people have proved, by signing this letter, that they don't agree!" Steve went on, his voice as hard and cold as steel.

"People have elected me. I represent them, and I am in charge to take the best decision for this community," the mayor went on. "And that is exactly what I did when I agreed to destroy the library in favour of this parking lot. Now, I think that you all should get out."

And as voices became louder and louder, three security guards walked inside the room to accompany Steve, Sam, Mrs. Harrelson and you outside.

You did resist when they grabbed your arm, but followed them when you saw that the others were leaving. And as you left the room, you saw the mayor tearing apart the letter and all the signatures you had gathered.

You were all furious, obviously. Sam and Mrs. Harrelson kept on pestering, but Steve was silent.

He offered you a ride home, and you were grateful to leave.

When he stopped before your home, you merely stared at each other for a moment, until the silence was too much for you to take.

"That was a weird evening."

"Without a doubt…"

"So… what are we going to do now?"

He intensely stared at you.

"About… the fact that we kissed?" he asked you to clarify. "Or about the library?"

"Both, actually…"

"I… I'd love to ask you on another date," he smiled. "This one didn't go as well as planned, in the end…"

"I'd love to go on another date," you nodded.

"About the library… I guess we'll have to stop them."

"Protests?"

"I don't see anything else that we could do…"

------------------------------------------------------------------

On the first day, most of the neighbourhood came before the library, making signs to protest against the demolition.

On the fourth day, half of them were gone.

After a week only 15 people came.

After two weeks, there was no one but you, Sam, Steve and Mrs. Harrelson. You couldn't think of anything more to do. Life was back to normal for everyone around you.

Steve closed the last box. The books would be sent to different libraries the next morning.

He stared at the closed box, his hand lingering on the cardboard. His expression was neutral. His jaw was a bit more clenched than usual though.

You were used to it by now, the way he hid his emotions and buried them deep in his chest. So you silently covered his hand with yours, and he let you intertwine your fingers with his.

"Are you okay?" you asked, but felt stupid for asking that question.

You knew he obviously wasn't fine.

"I will be," he nodded.

"Is there anything I can do?"

He gave you a grateful smile.

"Stay?"

You nodded, answering to his smile with one of your own.

"Pizza?" you offered.

"I would love a pizza."

"Pepperoni?"

"Pepperoni."

"I'm going to pick up my things, okay?"

Steve gave you another smile and let you leave the room. He waited for you in the hall, but jumped when he heard a strange noise upstairs. He walked up the stairs in a hurry, calling for you.

He found you trying to pull the trunk containing the newspapers across the room. You gave him an innocent grin.

"I thought you could keep these."

"I'm not sure that I have the right to do that…"

"You made that collection yourself. For most of it," you argued. "And it means a lot to you. You should keep the newspapers."

He gave you a sad smile, before helping you carry the trunk downstairs.

You opted for a delivery, and half an hour later, you were eating a pepperoni pizza together, the trunk open before you. You were sitting in the hall, surrounded by boxes full of books. Outside the sun had sunk beyond the rooftops, and the old building let the heat fly through the walls at night. Steve had covered your shoulders with his leather jacket to protect you from the chilly air in the building.

"So… what are you going to do now?" you asked him softly, before biting on your pizza.

"Look for a job," he answered with a sad smile. "But for now, I am about to enjoy a very good pizza with my girlfriend."

You raised an eyebrow at his words.

"You had never called me like that," you pointed out.

"After several nights spent together, I think I can call you like that."

You exchanged a shy smile, and ate the pizza for a while, chatting casually.

After the pizza was eaten, and the night already turning into morning, you lied down with Steve on the ground, his jacket still wrapped around you.

Steve's eyes were fixed upon the wooden pillars that surrounded the hall. So many memories linked to this place…

So many afternoons spent with the old librarian and Bucky. After every treatment, an afternoon at the old library was a treat. As he grew up, he had started to feel better, the symptoms of his diseases fading, but the library was still a peaceful place.

How many times had they run away from a fight to find refuge there… Steve had lost count long ago. The broken noses, the bleeding knuckles… Steve had never considered his poor health as a child and a teenager an excuse to avoid fighting for what he believed in. And Bucky had dragged him in a number of fights too.

When his parents died when he was still young, Bucky was the only family he had left, and the library was a sanctuary. Lost in books, mainly about history, he could forget reality then.

His eyes drifted from the pillars to you, silently lying next to him, a tired smile on your face, your eyes barely open. He lifted his hand to brush his fingertips against your cheek, making your smile widen and your eyes close.

He had found you in this library as well… And you were probably the best thing that had happened to him.

You opened your eyes again as you felt his fingers stop their movements.

"Are you okay?" you asked softly, recognizing in his eyes that he was lost in thought.

"I will be," he nodded.

"I'm sorry that there's nothing more we can do."

"You know… I love this place. It's important to me but… No one can live in the past forever. We all have to move on."

"You're speaking wisely, but I'm pretty sure you're not going to follow any of your own advices and just bury everything in this very muscular chest of yours…"

You both laughed, but he didn't deny the truth. He rested his forehead against yours instead. And when he spoke again, his voice was just a whisper.

"But you know… I think I've found something better than a library lately. So… it's fine."

"Something better? What could that be?"

He gave you a tender smile.

"You, Y/N."

******************************

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etherealrj · 7 years

Note

can you do a fic like 5 times richie and eddie get caught? i am a sucker for those.

all the small things

A/N im sorry it took me so long by long I mean ive had it for almost two months in think, my depression has once again defeated my weak ass but here is this. I’m sorry if this isn’t what you had in mind nonnie !

literally no dialogue and pretty much unedited

masterlist

The first time they got caught didn’t come at all a surprise to Eddie. He knew making out in the Denbrough bathroom when all their friends were ‘asleep’ just one room over was never going to end well. But to his surprise it was but the youngest member of the household who had caught them in the act.

Eddie and Richie were the only two losers who had survived the movie night. Richie more so than Eddie who was only really awake because of the annoying six foot being who stood in front of him, wouldn’t shut up . Eddie had gotten up to brush his teeth, and Richie being Richie decided to follow the small boy into the pristine bathroom of the Denbrough residence.

Eddie glared at Richie’s reflection in the mirror, toothbrush in hand, eyebrow raised. Turning around to meet the face of the older boy, toothbrush now set aside, Eddie noticed a mischievous glint shining in the eye of the boy who never seems to slow down.

With his back against the edge of the white sink, Richie placed his hands upon Eddie's hips. He stared into the hazelnut coloured eyes of the taller boy, his own hands laid upon the collar of Richie’s dark shirt. Standing on the tips of his toes he brought his lips toward Richie’s own, waiting for the other boy to meet him halfway.

Richie’s palm lightly rested against Eddie’s jaw as he brought his own lips to meet his. Chapped lips collide with soft ones in a slow, tantalizing battle for dominance. Nothing was rushed, there was no tongue and no hideous amounts of saliva being swapped, just the tight reassuring press of Richie’s lips upon his own. Eddie had relaxed into Richie’s light hold and melted underneath the boy, with lips upon lips Eddie was floating within a dream.

That was until the two boys heard a quiet panicked shriek, making them break apart. Eddie felt his face flush as Richie glanced over his own shoulder toward the door, while Eddie hide his own face within Richie’s shirt.

Eddie felt Richie’s chest rumble, and heard the soft sounds of his quietened laughter before opening his big mouth and say,

“Hey Georgie, Bud. How about keeping a little secret for me, yeah?”

Richie and Eddie had a free period just before all the other Loser's had lunch, so as you could imagine, the secret couple were sat side by side, their backs against the wall and their legs underneath the picnic table, books splayed out in front of where Eddie sat. Their table was located on the outer side of the cafeteria, which meant they were pretty safe from any prying eyes other than the rest of the Loser's themselves.

Richie had one hand above the table, tapping his fingers against the metal of the bench top while Eddie had the opposite hand rested on the edge of his book. Surprisingly no words were passed between the two, and Eddie couldn't find it in his heart to tell Richie to stop tapping, he appreciated the effort the boy was putting in, as he knew he was trying his damn hardest to be quiet as possible so Eddie could finish the chapter in his history book without any interruption.

Every now and then Eddie would rub his thumb in circular motions against the back of Richie's hand. It always seemed to calm the boy because Eddie would take notice that the tapping had succeed, the air was quiet for a few moments before Richie couldn't contain it any longer, and the sound echoed Eddie's ears once again. Eddie didn't mind.

He liked the small moments they had while alone in public. They almost made him feel like they were an actual couple who weren't hiding their relationship from the world. Even if it was only just as small things such as holding hand underneath the lunch table.

Eddie turned to the last page in his textbook, as he heard the approaching noises of the rest of his friends. He bookmarked the page, knowing once they had arrived their was no hope in him actually finishing the page. Richie gave Eddie's hand a reassuring squeeze, making the smaller boy glance up to his face. Richie sent him a small smile as Eddie retracted his hand from the book and placed it on top of their already laced fingers. He felt Richie's gaze linger on him for a bit longer than necessary, not even the loud echo of Bev smacking her books down upon the metal table made him flinch away.

Eddie had directed his gaze to Bev now, her eyes were squinted in accusation, eyeing the unknown location if both Eddie and Richie's hands. Eddie noticed the appearance of Ben and Mike, who seemed to have trailed behind the fiery red haired girl. Eddie squeezed Richie's hand one last time before, unlacing his from Richie's low digits and placing them on top of the table top.

Bev would be lying if she said she didn't see the defeated look that flashed through Eddie's eyes, as his hands came back into her vision.

III

Ben had been waiting for Mike to show up at the Aladdin. It was a Friday night and he and Mike had made plans to see, 'Shakespeare In Love.’ None of the other Loser's would be making an appearance claiming the movie was all too 'lame and boring.' Allowing Ben to have had rolled his eyes at their accusations, but Mike being the nice guy he is, said he'd loved to watch it with him, claiming that he too had been interested (which Ben knew was a lie, but he took it anyway.)

So here he was, leaning against the edge of the building arms crossed over his chest, subconsciously hiding behind the side of the wall on the look out for his friend. He held the tickets tightly in his hand, as he carefully watched his surroundings afraid that Bower's and his gang was to show up at any second and beat the living shit out of him.

He saw Mike in the distance and let out a breath his didn't know he was holding in. As the taller boy approached, they greeted each other as Mike set his bike down beside Ben's own, after chaining them together they headed inside the cinema complex. Following the instructions of the valet, they headed down to the furthest cinema door, the room was black as they entered.

Movie had yet to begin, but they followed the seat numbers along and found their chairs, as they sat and made themselves comfortable, they spoke small talk amongst one another, speaking about Ben's newest art project, nothing too serious as they wouldn't want to get interrupted when the movie begins. But as Ben, had opened his mouth to tell Mike about his project and how he was nervous to ask Bev to be his subject, he felt a slap on his shoulder.

He glanced over to Mike who was staring past the boy with widened eyes, he followed his gaze over the aisle and two rows down and snorted. He through his head back in amusement and sunk down into his chair before whispering to Mike,

"Is that?" He questioned, gaze never leaving the two dark figures. He saw Mike nod from his peripheral vision before continuing, "And he has?" Mike nodded again before speaking,

"Yeah, that's uh- Yeah, That's definitely them." One aisle over and two rows down two polar opposite boys were sat.

Richie and Eddie seated, in the chairs closest to the wall, Richie's arm thrown around the back of Eddie's chair, his hand threaded through Eddie's short hair. The smaller boy sat with no usual complaints, head rested upon Richie's board shoulder, a half eaten popcorn sat in the middle of the two.

Mike and Ben, silently vowed they would never tell anyone about what they'd seen as they watch their two friends, stand hands loosely rested within one another, and they continued to watch as their hands separated when walking toward the exit of the cinema.

And it made Ben just a little sad.

Eddie had been staying the night at Richie's place over the weekend, his Mother had left town to visit his sick aunt and the poor boy hadn't wanted to be left alone in his own house and because he knew Richie's parents were never coherent enough to see what was going on he knew this was the perfect time to stay at Richie's.Without the overly large presence of his Mother within the walls of his family home, Eddie felt a whole lot more exposed than he ever had.

It was early Sunday morning and both boys were lying fast asleep, wrapped within Richie's covers. The sun shined through the partially opened curtains and beamed a small light across the floor of Richie's room and finishing at the small bag Eddie had brought over, containing his belongings. The smaller boys shoes laid neatly beside his backpack which was leant against the forever unused desk in Richie's room.

They had plans to meet up with the Loser's at the quarry at eight am sharp like every other weekend.

The Loser’s thought nothing of it when the time had become ten past eight, because knowing that Richie was always late, he had probably dragged Eddie down to get ice cream (a thing they still did that none of the other Loser's could quite understand) but as another twenty minutes had passed, Bill had begin to worry so he and the rest of the Loser's had split up in search of their unreliable friends.

Bev, Ben and Mike had headed toward town with the task of checking the ice cream shop, along with both the arcade and the chemist while Stan had made his way toward the Kaspbrak residence and Bill to the Tozier place. All with their own selected walkie talkies, as to be sure to keep in contact with one another.

As Bill walked along the driveway of the Tozier residence he had received a response from both Stan and Mike. Neither boys were at Eddie's place or the arcade. So he proceeded to make his way through the front door, (knowing that Richie's parents never locked the thing) he made his way up the stairs and toward the door at the end of the hall. The house was quiet, he heard no noises in sign that anyone other than himself was in habiting the dull house at this current moment. His hand landed on the doorknob and twisted, pushing open the door to Richie's disaster he calls a room.

Bill felt his breath hitch and a small smile spread across his lips at the scene in front of him. His two friends laid with limbs entangled within one another, Richie's arm rested around Eddie's shoulders, Eddie had thrown his arm across Richie's bare chest holding on for dear life at Richie’s spare hand. The blanket pulled up and rested just under Eddie's shoulder, leaving Richie bare chest on display, Bill couldn't even pretend to be disgusted as he knew the oversized shirt Eddie was wearing was very much so not his own. It only made Bill smile at the couple even more.

The two boys looked peaceful, lying in each other's embrace. Bill not wanting to disturb them he slowly backed out of the bedroom, quietly shutting the door in the process before speaking into his walkie talkie as he walked back down the stairs.

He told his friends that he had found the two boys while reassuring them that they were fine. He informed the Loser's that they wouldn't be seeing neither Eddie or Richie for the rest of the day, because something important had come up. It was a small white lie but it was one he was willing to tell.

Richie stood leant up against the locker beside Stan's own, he watched as the Jewish boy pulled his books from the open compartment. Droning on about something Stan wasn't paying all too much attention to, occasionally rolling his eyes in response to something he’d heard. When all of a sudden Richie was off, Stan heard him a yell out a brief "i'll see you in math' but as he turned around to ask him where he was going, he saw the last glimpse of the boy racing around the corner and then the hallway felt all too empty, the halls full of students seemingly oblivious to the Trashmouth’s disappearance. It was as if he was never even there.

Stan was slightly more concerned than he let on, hoping the boy he had been best friends with was okay. Slamming his lockers shut, books in hand, he pushed through the crowd following what he assumed was Richie’s path. There was nothing much down this corridor of the school, three classrooms and lockers lining the walls in between, and a staff bathroom right at the end.

Stan glanced in through the windows of each classroom, noting each and every one was void of any human inhabitants. He couldn’t clutching his books to his chest as he approached the last door on the right.

He had hoped, Richie at this moment was not getting his head flushed down the toilet by Henry and Stan was casually strolling in to join the party. He stood face to face with the ugly blue door, glancing down the empty hallway before reaching his hand and pulling down the door handle. He pushed open the door a smidge and glanced in the tiled room, two toilet cubicles lined the back wall, hand drys on the one across from Stan and too his left a large mirror spread across the wall, sinks sat beneath them.

Leaning forward into the sanitary room just a little more, preparing himself to check the suspiciously quiet cubicles for his curly headed friend. A muffled laugh had halted his progress, narrowing his eyes he glanced to his left. Stan rested his hand over his mouth, hopefully muffling the unexpected gasped he had let out as he stared directly at the back of Richie Tozier’s head.

The taller boy was leaning over, pressing his own Trashmouth lips into the ones of an unknown figure. All Stan was able to see was the small legs wrapped around Richie's waist as the taller boy leant over the figure who was sat on the bench. Stan glanced at the long white socks wrapped around Richie's black shirt, narrowing his eyes sensing a familiar sensation at the sight of the socks.

Stan flinched as Richie leant down to kiss along the jaw of the figure. If he were in any other place Stan would have slapped himself for being dumb, because of course it’s Eddie. Who the hell else would want to purposely kiss Richie Tozier. He glanced back at the couple Eddie’s head thrown back slightly, eyes shut with his hands laced within Richie’s hair. Stan heard laughter from Richie muffled into Eddie’s neck. Richie slowly stepped back, covering Eddie’s figure once again from Stan’s view. He watched as the taller boy lean his head forward, Stan figured he was resting his forehead against Eddie’s own.

Stan stepped backwards to make his way back into the hall, he slowly shuts the door in hopes to not create any obnoxious noise for the rusty screws. One step before entering the hall, he heard soft words echo off the walls of the small space he was leaving behind.

I love you Eddie.

I love you too.

Stan clenched his eyes shut feeling as if his own heart was going to melt. For the rest of the day Stan had to force away the small smile from his face whenever he saw the pair together.

+ VI

Eddie's 18th birthday just so happened to be the night of prom. None of the Loser's had dates, and we're all going stag or as far as they were aware. It had come time for the Loser's to enter the building but they were still missing two members. Nothing had changed the past five years, Richie still showed up late to everything and Eddie was always the poor soul who got dragged along.

Bev was leant against the tree, cigarette in hand, taking long drags from the cancer stick, her other hand rested on her hip, which was covered by the material of pale pink homemade prom dress which finished just below her knee. Mike and Bill stood to the side passing a football between themselves, while Stan and Ben rested against the bike racks, small conversation passing between the two.

The night was young, students were still piling their way into the school gym through the front doors of the school. The parking lot was full of shitty cars all alike, and students all seemingly come together for one of the most important night of their young lives.

The loud noise of an engine entered the ears of the present Loser’s, the stereo from said truck was blaring The Summer of 69’ by Bryan Adams as the vehicle rounded the corner. Bev dropped her cigarette to the grass, standing on it with the twist of her foot as she walked to stand adjacent to the bike racks. Not long after Mike and BIll followed and the car came to a stop, in the only available parking spot across from where the Loser’s were stood.

Within the car, Richie held Eddie’s hand across the console of the car, hand over the gear stick as he put the vehicle in park. Richie glanced over at Eddie nodding in question as the own smaller boy took a deep breathe before returning the nod. He smiled and bit his lip as Richie let go of his hand. The taller boy, jump down from the driver's seat and jogged around the back of his truck, throwing a short, quick wave in the Loser’s direction. Rounding the passage side, standing before the door, hand on the handle, he exhaled a deep breath pulling down the handle and step out of the way for the door.

Richie was wearing a long bright pink button up shirt, tucked into some black slacks (which Eddie made him wear) suit jacket in hand and black worn out converse on his feet. He extended his hand for Eddie take, as the smaller boy jumped down from the seat. Richie watched the smaller boy, stepped down on the concrete. Cladded form head to toe, in formal attire. Black slacks, paired with a black blazer and bright pink corsage pinned onto the blazers right pocket.

Richie held onto Eddie’s right hand with his left hand, Eddie shutting the door with his other. Eddie squeezed Richie's hand as the begun to walk toward the location of the Loser’s.

Stan snorted as he spotted the pair, shaking his head, a smile spread across his face. Bev let out a low whistle, Bill, Ben and Mike clapped their hands and let out a cheer at the sight. The couple approached their friends, Richie hand squeezed Eddie’s own as they came to a stop before them. He ducked his head down and pressed a chaste kiss upon Eddie’s forehead. The smaller boy had been staring at his own feet, he felt his face flush a the contact of Richie’s lips and shyly glanced up to meet the eyes of his friends.

Eddie felt his nerves dissipates when he saw the smiles on every single one of their friends faces, a warm feeling entered his chest when he watched Bev open her mouth and say,

“Come on Loser’s, lets go fuck up prom.”

A/N 10 points to Gryffindor if u can spot where tf I gave up

IMPORTANT-ish // I fucked up my tag list so now like the loving someone taglist and the normal one have merged so if ur in it and don't want to be tagged in everything I posted just tell me and ill delete youuu x

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#reddie #richie tozier #reddie imagine #eddie kaspbrak #eddie kaspbrak/richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak x richie tozier #finn wolfhard #jack dylan grazer #reddie oneshot #reddie au #richie tozier imagine #eddie kaspbrak imagine #the losers club #it movie #it movie 2017

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pinkeevee · 7 years

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before we ease away

For Armie, that summer in Italy exists in his memory as a series of significant moments. Here are those moments. (part 1/2)

READ ON AO3

When the Meeting happens, it does so in such a blur that Armie can only remember flashes, feelings, almost like a flipbook that’s missing pages. It goes like this:

A wooden door with chipped white paint, easier to open than it looks. Muffled sounds from behind it— piano keys and voices. And then there he was.

“Hey! Timmy, right? I’m Armie!”

Pale skin, sunburnt on the high points of his cheeks. He smiles, small, but his eyes are bright. His handshake is warm. Armie thinks he might have held on a little too long.

“It’s so nice to meet you. I’m sorry— I’d love to show you around later, but the piano…”

Hands clasped behind his back.

“Of course.”

Luca, waiting for him outside. His eyebrows raised. “Brillante, he is.”

Armie nods.

Brillante.

II.

Later that day, Armie is sitting in his room just after talking to Elizabeth on the phone when there is a knock at his door.

“Yeah?”

The door opens a crack, pauses, then opens fully, and Timmy peeks around the corner.

“Hey,” Armie says, chuckling, and Timmy lets himself in fully.

“Hi,” he says, scratching the back of his neck. “Sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to kick you out. I just was having a pretty intense practice. Finally feel like I’m getting somewhere.”

“Don’t worry about it, man,” Armie says. “That’s what you’re here for!”

Timmy smiles at him, then, the same timid smile from before. “There’s an extra bike,” he says.

Armie must look confused, because Timmy jumps in quickly again. “I’ve been biking,” he explains. “It’s kind of the best way to get around here.” He looks at Armie, his face unsure. “I was thinking I could give you, like, a little tour. If you have time.”

“Yeah, of course! That would be great,”

* * *

There is a pleasant, warm breeze as they ride into town. The seat on the extra bike was too short for Armie, and he had to fiddle with it to get it to move. He could see Timmy watching him out of the corner of his eye, shifting on his feet.

“I love it here,” Timmy says as they round a bend and begin to pedal parallel to the river.

“I can see why,” Armie says, taking his hands off the handlebars and leaning back a little, testing himself and the bike, breathing in air thick with the scent of grass and muddy water.

Laughter breaks Armie from his trance. He turns to Timmy, who is grinning at him. “I always thought it looked stupid when people ride their bikes with no hands.”

“What, am I the exception?” Armie teases, waving his arms around a little.

“Nope,” Timmy says, then leans forward and pedals faster, speeding away from Armie.

“Hey!” Armie calls after him, standing up to gain momentum. “Traitor!”

* * *

Later, they stop at a gelato shop in Crema. Armie offers to pay for both and Timmy eventually gives in. They go to sit at a table outside. Armie digs right into his, but Timmy seems to be deep in thought, his eyes fixed somewhere in the piazza, his spoon sticking out of his untouched cup.

“You better eat that before it melts,” Armie says, fighting a smile as Timmy blinks out of his haze. “I payed good money for that.”

Timmy cracks a smile then, putting on his sunglasses before leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms. “If I have to make out with someone in front of a camera every day for two months,” he says, “I’m glad it’s you, and not some stuck up asshole.”

Armie laughs. “Likewise.”

III

A few days into filming, they were out late one night with Esther, Victoire, and some of the other guys. Armie had gotten a little too drunk, he knew that, but it had been so long since he’d allowed himself to let go for a night. His memories are hazy, but Timmy is in every one, and Armie’s hands are always all over him. A hand on his waist, both hands on his shoulders, dancing, Timmy laughing. His eyes were so bright.

Timmy knocks on Armie’s door the next morning at 10 am sharp, and Armie’s not sure if he’s ever felt pain worse than the pounding in his head right now.

“Is he dead?” Timmy says after Armie has stumbled to the door, his tone teasing yet gentle.

“He wishes he was,” he replies, but finds himself unable to hold back a smile as Timmy comes into focus. He holds out his hand, and it takes Armie a minute to realize that he is offering him a glass of water. “Oh,” Armie says, blinking, a warm feeling curling in his stomach, and takes a sip. He holds Timmy’s gaze for a moment, almost unwillingly. Timmy’s hair is flopping over his eyes a little, and there is a look in his eyes that Armie can’t read. “Thanks,” he says.

Timmy gives him a small smile. “‘Course.”

There is a pause, then, just one beat of quietness, before Timmy brushes past Armie and into his room. He seems to give the room a once-over— Armie’s drunken mess, his clothing from last night strewn across the floor, a spilled bag of chips by the bed— before spinning on his heel to face Armie again. “Coffee?”

* * *

There is a tiny coffee shop nestled in the heart of Crema that Timmy pointed out to Armie on his first day in Italy. Best coffee I’ve ever had, hands down, he’d said. I’ll take you there. Armie hadn’t missed the way the tips of his ears turned pink after that.

The coffee shop in question is, of course, where they head this morning. Armie has on his biggest, most ridiculous pair of sunglasses, determined to get the best of his hangover, even though, as Timmy kindly points out when Armie expresses this, he’s done a shit job at that so far.

The coffee shop is surprisingly busy, and it takes them ten minutes to get to the front of the line. Timmy shows Armie a picture of his sister that she sent him the night before.

“She looks gone,” Timmy giggles, then nudges Armie in the shoulder. “Almost as bad as you were.”

“Oh, shut up,” Armie says.

“Hey,” Timmy says, his voice mock-serious, reaching to place a hand on Armie’s arm. “You know I’ll never judge you.” Timmy’s hand stays where it is until they hear a quiet Sir? and realize that they are at the front of the line.

Timmy steps forward. “Can I have two large lattes, one with an extra shot, please?” He goes to reach for his wallet but Armie is faster, practically shoving his card over Timmy’s shoulder and into the cashier’s hands.

They step aside to wait for their drinks, and when Timmy turns to Armie, Armie says, “You know my order?” He’s going for sly, but there is something in his voice that he can’t control, some tiny tremor of vulnerability that he would rather not expose.

Timmy smiles at him. “Don’t be silly.”

IV.

About a week later, Armie wakes up in the middle of the night to an insistent knocking at his door. He knows, immediately, who it is, because who else would it be? He opens the door and Timmy practically stumbles into Armie, as if he had been leaning against the other side.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Armie says, steadying Timmy with a hand on each shoulder. “What’s up? Are you okay?”

“Hi,” is all Timmy says in response, quietly, swaying a little under Armie’s touch. Armie has to lean down to catch Timmy’s gaze. His eyes are half closed, but there is a little bit of wildness there, and Armie squints at him.

“Are you… are you drunk?”

Timmy groans, covering his face with his hands, and lets out a soft hiccup of a sob, then sways forward, losing his balance as his head hits Armie’s shoulder. “Hey, hey, hey,” Armie says. He lets himself fall into the embrace, holding Timmy’s weight. Timmy sobs again, his shoulders shaking. “It’s okay, Tim,” Armie says. “You’re okay.”

He pulls back from Timmy and starts to guide him over to his bed, but then Timmy pauses, placing one hand over his stomach and the other over his mouth.

“Shit,” says Armie. They barely make it to the bathroom. Timmy falls to his knees and immediately begins to retch. Armie kneels down beside him and places a hand on his back.

When he’s finally finished, Timmy sets his elbows on the toilet bowl, resting his face in his hands. “Fuck,” he breathes, hiccuping. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

Armie reaches up to the sink and fills a glass with water. He shakes Timmy’s shoulder, gently. “Hey. Tim.” When Timmy doesn’t respond, he reaches for one of Timmy’s hands, carefully prying it away from his face. When Armie goes to pull his hand away, Timmy twists his grip, interlocking their fingers.

“Don’t,” Timmy mumbles.

“Okay,” says Armie. “But you have to drink this.”

Timmy takes the cup with his free hand, and takes a few slow sips.

“We should get you to bed, Timmy,” Armie says. Timmy tightens his grip on Armie’s hand.

“No,” he says. “Wanna stay here.”

“Okay,” Armie says, “no problem. I can take the couch, but you need to get into a bed—,”

“No,” Timmy groans and pats the tile with a hand. “Here.”

“Timmy—,” At this, Timmy begins to cry again.

“I’m sorry,” he slurs. “I’m so sorry, I’m so fucking confused, I’m so fucking sorry,”

“How much did you drink, Tim?” Armie asks. He reaches out to smooth Timmy’s curls away from his damp forehead.

“How much…” Timmy repeats. “I don’t know…”

“Okay, that’s fine. Don’t worry.” Armie keeps his hand on Timmy’s face, letting his fingers trail down his temple and cheek. He knows he needs to be careful, to keep himself in check. “Can you talk to me, though? Why did you drink?”

“I don’t… I’m so fucking confused,” Timmy repeats, his eyes fixed on the wall over Armie’s shoulders.

“What are you confused about?” Armie presses, gently.

Timmy meets his eyes then, for one moment of intensity. Armie wonders if he’s the only one who feels it. Then, Timmy’s gaze slides away. “Me…” He wiggles their joined hands back and forth a little. “This.” He’s staring at their hands, his brows furrowed.

Armie feels a lump form in his throat. “What?” he says, then wants to slam his head against the wall, because he’s not being fair. Timmy is drunk out of his mind, and Armie is not being fair.

“I…” Timmy says, and Armie sees a flash of panic in his eyes. “I don’t…”

“Hey. You don’t have to say anything more, okay? It’s all good.”

Timmy nods, and his head lolls back against the wall. “Feel bad.”

“I know.” Armie squeezes his hand. He knows Timmy won’t remember any of this in the morning. “I know.”

Armie has been dreading this day since he read the screenplay for the first time. Oliver changes his way of dancing to a more self-obsessed style, it says. A perfect new-wave style.

He’d been fidgeting all day, and the fact that Timmy wouldn’t stop laughing at his nervousness was no help.

“Oh, gimme a break,” he’d said at the coffee shop that morning, when Timmy had given a pointed look to his fingers thrumming on the table. Timmy just shrugged innocently and took a sip of his drink.

“And what is a ‘new-wave style,’ anyway?” Armie asked. “How the hell am I supposed to pull that off?”

Timmy patted him on the arm. “I’m afraid this is your battle to fight, my friend.”

* * *

What Armie hadn’t even considered was that there would be no actual music playing while the scene was being filmed. All he got was a beat before the shot started, and then he was left to his own devices, counting in his head, trying not to trip over his own feet.

It was awful, absolutely, truly, awful. Even though everyone was dancing around him, all the extras and everything, he still felt as if every single person was watching him. In fact, there was only one person, besides the crew, watching him. But he was the only person that mattered.

Armie catches Timmy’s eye almost right away on the first take. Timmy is watching him with a small smile on his face. There’s nothing mocking about it, just warmth, but the look buzzes through Armie’s veins in a rush so intense that he decides to keep his eyes closed for the rest of the time.

It drags on for hours, Armie getting more and more frustrated each time. He catches glances of Timmy dancing on the side and fights the urge to smile and roll his eyes each time.

When it’s Timmy’s turn for his dance solo, Armie moves back on the dance floor as he’s been instructed, and allows himself to watch Timmy when he knows he’s not on camera. Timmy sees him, once, and for a split second eyes darken and he holds Armie’s gaze as he dances, before Esther comes bouncing up to him. Armie feels dizzy.

They finally wrap at some point in the late hours of the night or the early hours of the morning, and Armie can’t stifle his sigh of relief.

“See?” Timmy says when Armie approaches him, a smirk clear on his face “not bad at all.”

“Shut up,” Armie says, but he feels pleasantly warm and exhausted and can’t keep himself from giving Timmy a pat on the shoulder, his hand lingering there for a moment.

“Seriously, though.” Timmy says, his face earnest. “You are a lot better than you think. You looked good out there.”

Armie can only respond to that with a small smile and a nudge to Timmy’s side.

* * *

In the bustle of cleaning up and leaving, someone suggests that they go out. It’s 4 am; no bars will be open, but Luca offers to host. Armie is glad for the opportunity to loosen up after the shoot.

Luca’s place is large and he has a good speaker system. He puts on his 80s playlist, an obnoxious but energetic mix of 80s hits from Italy and America. Timmy and Armie both go straight for the drinks, and Armie can barely keep himself from chugging the first glass of wine.

“Armie.” Armie turns to Timmy, who is holding two shot glasses full to the brim, waggling his eyebrows. He holds one out to Armie. Armie shrugs, downs the rest of his wine, then throws back a shot, fighting the urge to wince at the strong alcohol. Timmy takes it gracefully, and Armie gets lost for a moment, distracted by Timmy’s throat, adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows. When comes back to himself, he finds Timmy’s eyes on his face, looking at him with an expression Armie can’t read. There’s a pause, then: “More?” Timmy asks, but doesn’t wait for an answer as he pours the next two shots of vodka.

Armie knows that if he gets too drunk, he’s not going to be able to hold himself back. It’s been weeks now, too many weeks, of friendly (yet lingering) touches and meaningful eye contact and almost-hints. Still, he can’t stop himself from downing two more shots. Timmy, small as he is, stops after that when Esther takes a full shot away from his as he brings it to his mouth.

“Vous êtes vacillant,” She tells him. You are wobbling. She turns to Armie. “Keep an eye on him.”

Armie feels the familiar rush of alcohol in his blood, and decides it would be a good idea to go socialize. Socialize, in this case, means dancing, so he goes to the living room where people are talking and moving around to the loud music. He finds Luca, first, and bounces around him for a few minutes, rattling off something about how relieved he is that the dancing shoot is over.

Luca listens to him with an amused look on his face, and when Armie finishes, he places a hand on his shoulder. “You are drunk,” Luca says. “Where’s your boy?”

Armie laughs loudly at that. “My boy,” he says, bobbing his head to the music. “Not true.”

Luca simply raises his eyebrows, gesturing behind Armie. “If you say so.”

Armie turns to see Timmy walking towards them, that huge goofy grin on his face. He does a little spin just before he reaches Armie, and Armie suddenly senses empty space at his side where Luca had been.

“Dance with me,” Timmy says, just as he and Armie come face to face. He’s all movement, youthful and confident yet controlled. Armie stays still. He can’t do this, not here, in this state, with all of these people. “Dance with me,” Timmy repeats, moving closer, taking Armie’s hands in his. “Please.” Armie can smell the vodka on his breath.

“I can’t,” he says, and moves away from Timmy, who looks stricken for a moment before slowly turning on his heel and wiggling over near someone else. Armie sighs and scrubs a hand over his face, suddenly feeling all too sober.

Armie goes to get another drink, stopping to talk to one of the extras he met earlier for a while. He is a friend of Esther’s, and just came from Paris the day before.

“Your dancing was very good,” he says to Armie, with a knowing wink.

“Thanks man,” Armie laughs. He knew it was clear to everyone just how uncomfortable he’d been.

When Armie returns to the living room, the first thing he sees is Timmy and a girl from set that day. They are dancing close to each other, though they aren’t touching. The song is upbeat but has a sensual groove to it. The girl is obviously a dancer, but Timmy is holding his own. Armie stays in the doorway, frozen, as he watches the way Timmy moves, how he rolls and twists his body so perfectly in time with the music, heat in his eyes. Then he catches Armie’s gaze, and Armie looks away almost immediately. This is too much, is all he can think. This is too intense.

He and Timmy seem to almost dance around each other for the next two hours. Armie isn’t sure if it’s intentional on Timmy’s part, but they barely see each other, one turning away the second the other is near.

It’s killing Armie. It really is. His entire body feels wound up tight, and there is a pit in his stomach. But there is also heat and excitement. The push and pull of it all threatens to overtake him.

This is how it is, how it will always be: Give and take, fear and desire, all at once safe and completely in danger. It is an all-consuming, ruining type of feeling. Armie does not know if he can bear it a moment longer, but the thought of losing it is enough to bring him to his knees.

And it’s now, when Armie is so lost in thought that he can’t even see what is in front of him, that Timmy appears. He walks right up to Armie, and with a hand on his chest, pushes him backwards out of the living room doorway.

“Timmy, what the—,” Armie loses his breath as his back hits the wall behind him, just to the right of the doorway he’d been standing in moments before.

Timmy presses him into the wall with his body, one hand on the wall to Armie’s left. He looks wrecked, sweaty from dancing, breathing hard from his mouth. “I didn’t know,” he says. His free hand grabs a fistful of Armie’s sleeve.

It takes everything Armie has to not lean into him, to not pull him into his body and kiss him until they are both dizzy. “You what?”

Timmy leans forward, dropping his head for a moment before looking back up. This close, Armie can see so much— the flush high on his cheeks, the slight sheen of sweat on his forehead from dancing. Timmy is still breathless, and his body feels warm and buzzing.

“I saw you looking at me,” he breathes. “Today. On set. Here.”

“We shouldn’t—,”

“I didn’t know you wanted me.”

This ache, the one that Armie has felt since the first week in Crema, all at once becomes excruciating, searing, and Armie has no choice but to give in, to finally curl around Timmy and sigh into his ear.

“Don’t be silly.”

* * *

Soon after, Armie leads Timmy back through the house and into the street, where the sky is slowly showing traces of dawn. They walk the short distance to Armie’s building in slow silence, and it’s only then, when they arrive at Armie’s door and enter his apartment and it’s just them at last, it’s only then that Armie finally allows their lips to meet.

@lookingforatardis

#charmie #charmie fic #armie x timmy #laterpeaches #cmbyn fic #timothée chalamet #armie hammer #cmbyn #my fic

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letsimportanttreecollection-blog · 6 years

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i have a 2001 Toyota Rav 4 and my parents tell me to give them $100 a month for car insurance, does that sound right? how much does car insurance usually cost?""

Tee Motorcycle insurance?

I'm 17, I live in Arlington TX, I have A's and B's with a few C's (my parents told me they look at grades. True?) I'm Looking at buying either an older honda shadow, probably around 750 cc or an older Kawasaki Vuclan (same). THe bikes will be pre-2000, and I will be getting bare minmum insurance. Can anyone guess at the rate?""

How can i get my car out of the police pound when i havn't had a chance to get insurance?

just got the car and the log book was sent off and put in my name which took a few days but now having trouble getting insurance on an impounded car please help the police are saying it needs different insurance from releasing it from the pound

Will I be covered under my moms car insurance?

Alright I am 18 and I live with my mom. My car recently stalled out and there is something wrong with the engine. So my mom has AAA auto insurance, and I am covered by state farm which is my dads insurance. We are in California, and I wanted to know if I would be covered if I were to drive my moms car until mine is fixed. I know that if you live in the same household that you wouldnt be covered, but my insurance has my dads address under it. So do you think I would be covered?""

Affordable healthcare?

What's the best way to provide affordable healthcare to all our citizens?

What motorcycle insurance should I get?

I recently got KLR650 and was wondering what kind of insurance should I get? What is the most common coverage? Also what insurance company are you using and are you happy with them when it comes to price and service? Thanks for all the answers

HELP! Im 14 and looking for cheap car insurance!?!?

my Said That I Would Have To Pay For My Insurance Every month HELP ME With The Cheapest

Is international health insurance worth it?

I'm from the US and will be travelling to SE Asia and wondering if I should buy international health insurance and what company is best. I have no current health insurance and am in great health. Thailand has very affordable medical care which might be affordable paying out of pocket even if something major happened there, but if I had to be flown back to the US for something medical related, I'd surely go bankrupt. Does anyone have any recommendations for international coverage or not?""

Is $300 a month for six months too much to pay for auto liability insurance for an 18 y/o with no experience?

I just got my license. A quote for a '88 Honda Accord from Geico came up to about $300 a month for 6 months. Is this normal? If no, where can I get cheaper insurance. I live in ...show more""

How does car insurance really work for new drivers?

I passed my road test with flying colors last Friday, but my parents refuse to either get me a car, or allow me to drive theirs by myself. They quote insurance as the main problem - new drivers who are male and under 25 typically get insurance rates that are like 200% plus the normal rate. Now if that were the way it really worked for everyone, I wouldn't say anything, considering that I know it's not my car I'd be driving. However, I have plenty of friends who use their parents insurance, but don't pay a penny extra. I'm wondering how exactly that is done, because if my parents had their way, I'd be driving with them sitting in the side seat until the age of 25 - not happening.""

How can I get a fair replacement cost by the auto insurance company when my car is totoaled?

my car is being paid off by the other person's insurance company, not mine.""

How much would taxi insurance cost?

How much would it cost to insure a car essentially as a taxi? Also how much would it cost for a person to be insured in a customers car (any car they drive)?

Where can I find cheap car insurance for Manhattan?

I recently moved to Manhattan and had to bring my car. I had plan on selling it, but with no luck. So now I have to keep it and now I have no insurance. The car is in storage right now. Can anyone suggest a cheap insurance company to me. I have gotten quotes from Geico, Progressive, All State, State Farm, Nationwide, who all either denied me for a lapse I have had or they cost twice as much as my car payment. I know that I am reaching for the stars.""

""What insurance company is the best to work for,as an agent?""

Which insurance company is the best to work for as an agent?..Allstate,American Family,Statefarm,Nationwide...etc""

Cheapest for motorcycle insurance?

Got a 2000 zx6r ninja today and need insurance what company seems to be the cheapest. I dont need full coverage bought bike cash.

Does the title of a car have to be in the insurance owners name?

I currently have insurance on mine and my ex boyfriends car. I dont just want to drop his insurance, so im giving him the opportunity to get his own insurance. He is saying that he needs the title of the car in order to get alternate insurance....is he being honest?""

Where can i find cheap car insurance for a 17 year old male?

Its really starting to get on my nervse that i can not find any cheap insurance anywhere! Why do insurance companies in the UK want to make life so hard for young drivers? Yeah stasticaly the majority of us crash our cars. But why should the small majority of young drivers like my self have to pay the price and live with this stereotype by paying RIDICULOUS amounts of money?

""Had one car accident ,went to the e.r.Primary health insurance wont pay visit.wants car insurance to pay.?

Pirimary health ins.wants me to file claim with car ins.I did not have medical ins on car policy.They just took care of vehicle totaled.Now what?

What is the cheapest car insurance?

Looking for cheap insurance because I have had to tickets for speeding.

How much is insurance for a jeep wrangler?

ok, im 14 and im planning on buying a jeep wrangler in two years for my first car because i really like jeeps. but my dad says that insurance rates are high enough for jeeps already, but being a 16 year old guy would only make it worse. So i just want to know about how much it would cost a month to insure a jeep wrangler (not a newer model) with geico?""

Insurance claim and deductible questions?

I scratched somebody's car while they were parked, so it was my fault. Damages were minor. Since my car is old and I've dropped coverage on my own car (I have coverage for the other car), I have no plan to fix mine. And the other party offered to settle on our own and not go to the insurance company. So, the questions are: 1. If I claim to my insurance company, how much out-of-pocket do I have to pay? His deductible? Or $0 (since I am not fixing mine)? 2. Would my insurance rate will go up even though I have a clean, no at-fault, claim for at least 10 years? 3. Is this settle on our own legal? And anything to watch out for? 4. What would you do if you were me? Thanks much!""

Best health insurance for single young adult?

I am looking for a decent health insurance plan that will not cost me and arm and a leg but will still give me good coverage. I am self employed (a cosmetologist) so obviously my company does not supply it. I want it to cover health and dental. Any suggestions?

How Do I get a reasonable car insurance price for a seventeen year old boy in the UK?

I'm sixteen at the moment, but I'm looking at insurance prices and they're ridiculous! (I got a quote of 5000 at one point :l) Have you got any tips for how to get a lower premium. Thanks. A really comprehensive list would be great because I have no idea! I have tried looking at insurance group one cars, but the prices are still really high.""

I have allstate full coverage insurance plan?

Would it cover the auto repair on my car? I curb checked bad and broke the plastic cover on the bottom that keeps water out and i bent something else under my car. Will this cover it,?""

Is a paternity test needed to get insurance from the state in michigan?

Do they make you do paternity tests to get government insurance

Why should someone who is say 40 get cheaper car insurance than a 17 year old?

If for instance they passed on the same day, why should a 17 year be categorised as less responsible than a 40 year old in terms of driving ability? Particularly when chances are due to the insurance gaps and most probably the earnings of these two hypothetical people the 40 year old would be able to afford a more powerful car...""

How much is insurance for an 18 year old?

i just turned 18 and am getting off my parents plan and getting my own insurance, i have 2 points on my license at the moment for an improper passing ticket. Thats the only ticket ive gotten. My car is a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta SEL I know i can get insurance quotes, just looking for a ballpark estimate right now....thanks!""

International students and health insurances?

hey guys. i'm an international student in US. I want to get a health insurance and i was just wondering if i can get a basic health insurance from anywhere when i'm in F-1 ? if I cannot is there any good and reliable health insurance I can consider ? any suggestions ? thank you.

How does purchasing a car that was subject to an insurance claim affect the new buyer?

I'm looking to buy a car on autotrader and to be honest I really do not know as much as I would like to about cars. Someone is selling a car for quite a bit cheaper than its worth but the reason they've given for this is that the car has been subject to an insurance claim. In what way will this affect me?

How much does car insurance cost for 18 year olds?

I am a male, i got my license around 4 monthes ago. I am 18 years old live in NY. I am planning on buying a car and i would like to know what is average price of insurance. Because my parents telling me i will be paying like 600 a months or something like that. I am planing on getting 2007 infiniti G35. I never owned a car and never was insured. So i dont have any idea about it, except friends and articles online. So if somebody can, please tell me what would e the insurance. Thanks""

How is 18yr old meant to get car insurance?

I live in London and passed my test in February. I own Renault Clio 1.2 And the cheapest quote i got so far is 305 pounds per month, which is way too much for me. What companies are cheap? What can i do to start driving legally, searching for insurance is frustrating Dont say price comparison websites they suck cheapest quote there was 8k per year""

Car Insurance without a license?

I know this is a dumb question, but I thought I would ask anyway. My 25 year old son, recently had his license suspended, due to non payment of a ticket. His car registration is coming up this month. Is there any way he can get insurance, so the registration on his car, will remain current. At least until he pays off his ticket.""

How much do you pay for your home owner's insurance?

I am doing a survey and this would really be helpful for me. Please let me know how much you pay for your home owner's insurance. If you pay monthly or yearly. The location of your home. The value of your home. How big your home is. If you have flood insurance. And what you have as your deductable.

Dallas cheapest auto insurances?

I just moved to Dallas and looking for a good auto insurance. Thanks

What does liability insurance give you?

I recently crashed my car and it is as of now being determined to be my fault. My dad pays for the insurance so I am not sure what we get under liability. We are with Farmers Insurance and I was just wondering what usually happens here. Do they give me anything if they determine I'm at fault? Does anyone have this insurance coverage with farmers? If so, can you please tell me what you get under it?""

""How much tax does the American person, family pay per week with income and sales tax?""

Feel Free to add in Cell Phone, Cable, Utility,Insurance Car and Health tax""

Motorcycle insurance Please Help?

So I'm looking into insurance for a bike I'll be getting soon and I did a estimated online check on Geico for my insurance and it says: Here is your quote for 12 months of coverage: Payments as low as $172.63 Your 12-Month policy is only $2012.00 Does that mean I pay $172.63 per month and $2012.00 a year? Sorry I'm new to this, never had to pay and figure out my own insurance! Just paid my father and he did the rest.""

How do i get insurance for a party?

having a party and venue request a certificate of insurance..i have no other insurance other than auto..how can i get a coi cheap and fast

Affordable health insurance in florida?

im 17, will be 18 in november, and i need to find health insurance. i need it to cover dental (orthodontics), prescriptions, and mental health services (depression, bipolar disorder). i am a non smoker, and i have no kids. please help!!!""

How much should I expect for car insurance in New York City?

I'm 20 a full time student and I was looking to buy a used car. I was looking for a Honda Prelude 1996-99 and I just got my license this month. Around how much would I be likely to pay for it per month? I tried getting a quote online but they haven't been able to make one for me. I'll probably get a car around September and was just wondering how much I would be paying for the insurance. Thanks!

What ia a good affordable health insurance for children?

Do men drive better then women or women better then men or even steven?

What is a good car for a 17 year old. and what is the cheapest insurance?

What's the best type of life insurance to buy?

Is term better than cash value? or vice versa?

""Obamcare, how is it enforced?""

So, the single mothers of 3 children. The one who's flipping burgers for 12,000 a year income, She's going to pay $100 a month for insurance, or she will be in violation of the law, right? When she doesn't pay the $100 a month, she's a criminal, right? We're going to fine her $2,000? If she doesn't pay the fine, we'll throw her in jail? Really? This is the plan? Does anybody else see how ridiculous this whole thing is???""

""Was in a fender bender, not my fault but I have no auto insurance...advice?""

I live in LA, California. I was hit at a gas station -- a car backed into my front left door... My car was the only one with noticeable damage. However, I have no auto insurance. I also don't have a lot of money to get either cars fixed. I don't really care to get my car fixed since it's a 92 nissan stanza about to die out on me. I just don't want to get in trouble for not having insurance...Their auto insurance has already called and sent a letter to have my insurance rep contact them to work out a deal to fix my car. They are already claiming it to be their fault.... Should I call their insurance rep and let them know that I do not want to put down a claim? Or call the guy who hit me personally and let him know I don't want to put down a claim? Could they find out that I have no insurance and figure out a way to get me in trouble? I only gave them my name, address, phone number and driver's licence number. Side note: The car is registered under my sister. Her registration and license have been suspended due to a DUI. Will they find out about this and find a way to get me/us in trouble?""

18 year old full cover insurance?

I'm 18 and I have full cover insurance on a saab 97x but I pay 200$ I wanna see what I can do to pay less

Is the renault twizy cheap for teenagers?

Is the insurance cheap Im looking around below 2000 a year

Can my health insurance company do this?

im asking this question for my mom well shes 38 and she has a stroke at 35 the stroke affected the right side of her body and now shes incapable of doing most of what she could do before she had the stroke before the stroke she worked 7 days a weekatleast 8 hours a day and my dad was also working since the stroke my dad has been the only one working and he works as many hours as he can get but he also has health issues so its hard for him now our insurance company sends us cheques but their only like 400 a month that's not even enough to buy groceries for a month and well now they are trying to cancel that cheque to can they do this? the stroke isnt her only medical problem she has been sick for 19years inlcuding kidneyfailure stroke heart failure respitoryfailure and many operations doctors have talked to the insurance company telling them my mother is in no state tohave a job but they say no she can work

How much is car insurance for a teenager under 18 years old?

If you share the car with someone, is the car insurance higher for two people instead of one? If so how much more?""

Is a paternity test needed to get insurance from the state in michigan?

Do they make you do paternity tests to get government insurance

Can you give me an estimate of how much car insurance would be.......?

lets say a guy under 30 in california with a 2002 BMW 325i sedan how much would insurance be?

Car insurance so expensive in the uk?

i am 19, i have a K reg 1.6 litre fiat tipo the car is only worth about 120. i have never had any accidents or had any tickets so why does my insurance cost 2600.""

What is a cheap auto insurance company?

Please be specific.

What health insurance can i apply for?

i'm a stay at home mom and my husband is self employed. so we can't get insurance through work. blue cross keeps denying me. what other affordable health insurance can i apply for?

What can you do if an insurance company breaks the policy terms?

My dad's insurance company has changed his policy and made a new one after he's already made 2 payments on the old one.no terms were violated by my father and he did not add anything new. they raised his price by $126.88. i looked over at the statement current and old one. they're making no sense. what can we do? and also last question can they add interest rates to payments that aren't even due yet to each month? i thought interest payments were only a requirement if the bill wasn't paid on time??

17 years old and my car insurance is way too high...?

I'm 17 years old and I live in the state of New York. A few months ago I had a little accident with my moms cars. My father said he'll buy me a car if I pay for insurance... but my insurance would be 3600 dollars per year which I won't be able to afford making minimum wage. Is there anyways I could lower the price for insurance? I really need some help thank you!

Car insurance quotes?

im just snooping around through car insurance websites figuring out which 1 is the cheapest for my ride...so imade a quote or did a quote at a car insurance website which it said how much ima pay each month but ididnt want car insurance yet..so my question is when imade that quote do ihave to each month which the website said NOW? or is it just telling when isign up for that company thats how much ima pay?...(iwant car insurance but looking for the cheapest so imade that quote in accident)

""Rear ended someone in a rental vehicle, will my premiums rise?""

I was in a rental vehicle when I tapped the car in front of me. I drove a '11 Toyota Corolla and he an old Chevy Monte Carlo. I came to a complete stop before absentmindedly loosening my foot on the brake, thus I tapped him at perhaps 2-3mph, and left a light imprint of the license plate on his red bumper. I offered to negotiate a cash payment on the spot, I was thinking of a couple hundred, but he insisted costs to be over 1,500. I did pay for damage insurance on the rental, but not liability. I'm insured with Safeco in Southern California, will this affect my rates at all? I talked to a body shop and showed them pictures of the imprint, and they figured that repairs would be around 150-300, depending. I heard that premiums won't necessarily rise unless damages are over 750? Is that true, and if so what are some tips to keep them from rising at this point? (this would be the first accident where I am held liable)""

Cheapest place to insure a peugeot 106 1.1 or a peugeot 106 quiksilver?

Im getting pissed off with the prices of inurance for my car the cheapest i can get it is 3200 fully comp (third party is more money for some reason?!?) and ive tryed all these compare websites and they are utter bollocks i might aswell not have passed my bastard driving test with these prices, i may have to wait another year for my insurance to go down. Btw im 19 year old and have been passed 4 month, can anyone help me im sick of ******* looking at insurance websites, thanks""

How much is car insurance on a 2002 mustang convertable?

Homeowners insurance in California????

I am thinking of purchasing my first home, and I was wondering about how much homeowners insurance would cost me. The home costs 200,000. Does anyone have any idea about how much that would be? I don't want to get into something I can't afford.....""

Can I drive my friends car (with his permission) on my fully comprehensive insurance?

The car is registered in my friends name but his insurance has expired and he has not renewed it as he is away on holiday and not due back for a couple of months. Will I still be covered for Third Party as I insurance on my own car?

How much will my insurance go up?

I am 16 and I just got my first speeding ticket. I have state farm and it is my first violation. I was just looking for a ballpark estimate.

How can I get my car insured?

I am the only driver within my household and am 16 i need my car insured in order to drive it and keep my job...insurance companies want to charge me 1400 A MONTH for my car due to age...is it possible to put it in someone elses name that does not live on resisdence??....any help would be great!!

I'm 18 and need auto insurance.?

I'm 18 and am about to buy a new car. I'm still under my mother's insurance, but am planning to get off of her insurance. I'll probably end up buying a clunker car that doesn't cost much. Here's my question: Do auto insurance companies allow drivers to get off their parent's insurance plans and get one of their own? My mother isn't very cooperative about paying for car insurance. I need to buy my own insurance. She WILL NOT cooperate. Will this be expensive? How would I go about changing the plan?""

How much is it for car insurance for average teenager?

""Full Time College Student, my first time shopping for health insurance?""

I will be 20 in a month. I go to school full time as well as work around 30 hrs a week. My family has been on government health care for a while, but since my father won his social security case they are canceling our coverage by the end of the month. (With no real notice) I need health insurance but I have never shopped for it before and I would like to keep my same doctor as well as I mostly just need the insurance for birth control. I don't make much money and my fiance and I are struggling to find a place to live as well as needing to buy a car and fix my car. I just really need some good advice on how to choose a good heath care provider. and I also know it will probably be rare to find any insurance that will help pay for my birth control.""

Temporary Car insurance??

Need temporary car insurance for about 3-4 weeks, our own policy runs out the middle of next month, but we have just ordered a mobility car, and it wont be here until 1st week in June. We call our current insurance company and was basically told they would charge us for 6 months and then a cancellation fee. What company offers the lowest price insurance for that short amount of time??""

Obama waives auto insurance?

""Of the different types of Life Insurance, Which is the best & why?""

Of the different types of Life Insurance, Which is the best & why?""

What's the cheapest insurance company or booker they've come across?

The cheapest iv encountered is onlyyoungdrivers.com the next being RAC insurance a few hours quid more, followed by 4youngdrivers.co.uk that is myself being under 25. Also has anyone found it cheaper to ring the direct in attempt to get cheaper quote, iv stayed away from this as of yet because of the cost of calling.""

When does insurance rates go down?

I been in an accident in 2006 and I was looking for insurance quote for less and I wanted to know if it will lower in 3-5 years. start with a clean slate. Thanks

Will my insurance go up if i get a speeding ticket?

i was going 95 im 18 ive been in two accidents its not my car and im on my parents insurance but i do not want my parents to find out i just wanna pay it and be done with it and do you know about around how much it would be?

Can I purchase two insurance policies for one vehicle?

Just wondered if anyone knew if it was possible to have 2 car insurance policies on one car? The situation is this: I share an insurance policy with my mom and its under her name. We have recently renewed our policy for a year and are getting a good rate. However, last week I have gotten a DUI and most likely will have my license suspended. In order to reinstate it I will have to file an SR22 form with an insurance company. I heard that one way to keep your current policy (if the current preferred company does not find out about your DUI violation- which they wouldnt for another year), is to buy minimum liability with one of our companies with an SR22 filing. This way DMV is satisfied because you have made your filing - and since your current company has not found out about your drunk driving offense - you are able to keep your current policy. I need to know asap if this is possible so would really appreciate any replies! Thanks""

First time car insurance?

I'm a 25yr old female looking to buy my very first car, which are any good insurancers? What should I be looking for with an insurance company? I'm based in london""

Is a paternity test needed to get insurance from the state in michigan?

Do they make you do paternity tests to get government insurance

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-car-just-stolen-insurance-cover-george-clark/"

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arplis · 5 years

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Arplis - News: 19 Artists & Makers Creating Unique Outdoorsy Gifts & Art Inspired by a Passion for the Outdoors

Im really excited to share todays post with you, because being an entrepreneur myself, I have a soft spot in my heart for other entrepreneurs who are out there doing what they love and sharing their gifts with the world. I want to provide some alternative outdoorsy gift ideas for you as you begin to do shopping for the holidays. In leu of some of the more traditional hiking and backpacking gifts out there, these outdoorsy gifts are handcrafted from artists and makers all over North America.

Weve reached out to them to not only share their craft and their art with you, but also to share a little bit about their story and how the outdoors has inspired their work. Plus there will be details on where you can connect with them and support their work!

I really hope you love this post as much as I do, and without further ado the creators, the makers, and the artists:

19 Outdoorsy Gift Ideas Hand Crafted by Outdoor Artists & Makers

1) Hook Yarn Carabiner

What do you create and how did you get started?

Hello! I am Ellie and I am passionate about inspiring others to find their creative niche. I design crochet patterns geared toward for exploration and adventure - this includes warm hats, scarves, leg warmers, blankets, and chalk bags! I want everyone to have fun, both creating their makes and then taking them outside! I am a self-taught crocheter and am always eager to learn more. I decided to start a blog last year to share my designs and join this creative community of fiber artists. My silly and bright rock climbing chalk bag patterns are some of my favorite designs.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

When I am not crocheting, I am mountain biking, rock climbing, mountaineering, hiking, backpacking, paddling, and generally spending time outdoors in my local community. I am working to bring an outdoorsy vibe to the crochet world and love creating designs that either reflect the natural world or are for using in the outdoors. I come up with most of my designs while exploring the outdoors; I am always jotting down ideas while rock climbing or backpacking and especially enjoy taking my crochet outside with me. I always bring it along on backpacking trips and anytime I am traveling. I love that playing with yarn does not have to only take place on my couch at home, and that rest days and downtime in the mountains can be filled more creativity and inspiration. Crocheting on trips keeps me centered. It keeps my hands busy during unforeseen inclement weather and calms me when I push myself outside of my comfort zone. My designs are inspired by what I see, feel, and hear in nature, and I love to share them with others and encourage them to also take their crafts outside.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

I post my crochet patterns on my blog, https://hookyarncarabiner.com/, and also sell my patterns and, occasionally, finished products on Etsy and Ravelry, https://www.etsy.com/shop/Hookyarncarabiner. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook @hoookyarncarabiner to see photos of me crocheting on outdoor adventures!

2) Kula Cloth

What do you create and how did you get started?

I started volunteering as a Backpacking Instructor with Washington Outdoor Women almost a decade ago. As a passionate backpacker in my spare time, I was frustrated by the amount of toilet paper that I saw discarded in fragile alpine environments. I read an article about using a bandana as a 'pee cloth', and I went out and bought a small square of microfiber fabric, which was completely LIFE CHANGING for me. I was no longer drip-drying and feeling nasty or hauling in/out tons of toilet paper on my wilderness trips. On the Wind River High Route in 2016, I was taking a photo of my pee cloth in a stunning alpine setting as a joke to send to a friend. Suddenly, I was struck by an idea... "Why isn't that a real piece of gear?" At the time, I was a Railroad Police Officer and I had never sewn anything in my life, nor did I have any experienced in the textile industry. It took a few years to figure out the ins and outs of the product, but in 2018, I launched Kula Cloth as the very first of its kind - a legit pee cloth for all the places you 'go'.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

For me, spending time outside IS the work. I am a better person and I am more connected to myself and my 'why' when I'm spending time in the backcountry. When I'm in the mountains or spending time in the wilderness, I'm not bombarding myself with fear or doubts - I'm tapped into who I truly am and I can naturally allow the ideas and inspiration for Kula to come to me in an organic and fun way. Every single decision or organization that we support or thought behind our product or our events was born on a trail in its infancy. The wilderness is a reflection of the beauty that lives inside all of us - if we can remember that, we can accomplish anything in life.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can find Kula at our website, which is www.kulacloth.com or on our instagram page, which is @kulacloth. We also hosted our very first major event this past October, and you can learn more about our events at this page: www.kulapalooza.events

3) At Wild Woman

What do you create and how did you get started?

I am a creator of all kinds. Over the years Ive labeled myself illustrator or painter or graphic designer, but it always changes because there are so many seasons and cycles to creativity. Right now I am in a poetry phase, but recently Ive also been painting abstract oil landscapes.

I got my start five years ago when I began working as a graphic designer. Being self-taught (I went to school for journalism) I learned and developed my visual voice on the job. Shortly into the job, I realized I wanted more artistic freedom, so I quit and started a freelance design business as well as The Year of Making, where I experimented with all kinds of visual mediums every day for a year.

And Ive never looked back!

How does the outdoors Inspire your work?

Nature is everywhere. You dont need to drive to the desert or mountains to experience it. Its right outside your door. It can even be inside your home. And even more, I believe it is a part of us, and we are a part of it. Nature isnt just out doors, it is also inside. All we have to do is listen to tap into its vast wisdom and beauty.

Because of this, I feel a connection that informs every part of my art making. There is an unspoken communication that happens every time I calm my wildly human mind. Even if I can just manage to do it for a second whether through meditation, a walk in the woods, or a whole weekend in the alpine. I often wonder why I dont do it more!

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can find my work at https://atwildwoman.com/ and https://amandasandlin.com/, or follow me on Instagram at @atwildwoman.

4) Lindsay Jones

What do you create and how did you get started?

Art was just about the only subject in school that I ever got excited about...that, and gym class. Those were my two favorite subjects then, and if I was still in school, they would still be my favorite subjects now! I ended up studying art in college and went on to graduate school for fine arts where I focused on printmaking, painting, and sculpture.

I've always loved working with my hands. After school, I had to figure out how to actually earn a living doing creative work, and I figured out quickly that fine art was not gonna pay the bills. That's when I started to refocus my fine art skills into illustration, design, and animation. I had to quickly teach myself how to use programs like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and After Effects, so that I could get the work that I wanted. My first freelance work was creating surface patterns for a women's shoe company, and that led into doing more illustrations, animations, and patterns for lots of different types of apparel, and other fun projects.

For the past year or so, I've been working on an illustration series of all of Colorado's 14er mountains which I completed this fall (right on time for the holidays). I've always wanted to work on a series of some sort, and it came to me last year when I was actually working on a different project for one of my freelance clients where I had to illustrate some mountain peaks for a map. I loved how they turned out for the project, so I decided to start working on the 14ers.

How do the outdoors inspire your work?

The outdoors is a really big part of my life. I am a mountain biker/cyclist and I love spending time exploring, regardless if I'm in the middle of the woods or in a big city. For the past 10 years, I've lived in locations that are surrounded by mountains and forests, so it's pretty natural for these things to sneak their way into my artwork. Being outside is what helps me stay sane with the fact that as an illustrator and animator, I am in front of a computer waaaay more than I really want to be.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

Well first of all, thank you so much for supporting independent artists, and small businesses! My 14er illustrations are for sale in the shop on my website www.lindsayannajones.com (Like Indiana Jones!), and you can follow my work and projects on instagram @lindsayannajones.

5) Jitterbug Art

What do you create and how did you get started?

I am an illustrator! I work mainly with watercolor and ink and I have been an artist my entire life. I have always been passionate about painting and creative visual problem solving so I've worked really hard to make it into the career I have today. That included always making art and not letting other peoples doubts hold me back from following my dreams.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

Nature is incredibly vast and beautiful. It is our number one source of inspiration as a society. As an artist that is working mainly within the outdoor realm, I pull as much inspiration as I can from my travels. Things like textures, compositions, color palettes, and interesting shapes all come from mother nature. I love taking road trips because that is when I have my most clear thoughts. I pull over to a rest stop and sketch for a few and then go back to daydreaming. I feel lucky to have been able to align my work with my passion for nature and being outdoors.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

I share a lot of my process and studio practices on my instagram @jitterbug_art . But you will find a lot more of a curated experience of all my creative projects on my website, www.jitterbugart.com. I am a freelancer so the best way to support my practice is to purchase from the shop on my website or share my work with folks that may want to commission me or purchase my work. Thanks again for taking the time to read a little about me.

6) Sarah Uhl

What do you create and how did you get started? (i.e. the "why" behind your art and your business)

I create artwork that carries the themes of cause based stories like my love of the Earth and how we can protect her! Im primarily a watercolor painter but Ive been trying my hand at sewing lately to develop my GREEN LINE- a set of zero waste products. Ive always thought of myself as an artist but Ive only been making art professionally for the past 4 years. Im self taught and think that taking an experimental approach to everything is a great way to go!

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

Mountains have always been my muse. Being outside is what makes me feel most alive and feeling really alive is what inspires me to make artwork! I feel passionately about protecting the places we love and advocating on behalf of the land so most of my artwork is created with that in mind.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

www.sarahuhl.com or on IG @sarahvirginiauhl or on my new blog about going semi-plastic-free waste less :: love more, And for holiday gifts, here is my online shop!! www.sarahuhl.com/shop

7) My Outdoor Art

What do you create and how did you get started?

I paint about women in the outdoors, with a focus on mental health. I created Myoutdoorart (my art business) to inspire more women to conquer their fears and climb the tallest mountains.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

I studied Wilderness Therapy in college, and I am currently pursuing my master's in Outdoor Education. These two fields are rooted in metaphors. I think my work illustrates those metaphors.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can learn more about my artwork and the meaning behind it by visiting myoutdoorart.com and on Instagram @myoutdoorart.

8) Lizzy Dalton Art

What do you create and how did you get started?

I make mixed-media work on paper, using a combination of fineliner pens and different kinds of inks and paints. I've been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember, and in college I majored in studio art with a concentration in painting. I started developing my current style around 2014, when I decided to combine my love for art with my other greatest passion, rock climbing. I started to apply my existing love of detail, pattern, and texture to the rocky and mountainous landscapes I wanted to climb.

I started building a business out of my art in 2015. I began sharing my art with the world through Instagram, and soon after began making prints of my art to sell on Etsy. I find that others who love nature and the outdoors identify with my work, and I hope that by sharing my art, I can continue to allow viewers to feel the beauty and magic that exists in the natural world.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

I love outdoor activities that take me to beautiful places in nature rock climbing in particular but also mountaineering, hiking, and backpacking and those activities often inform my art. My favorite landscapes to paint are the rocky, dramatic mountainscapes and prominent peaks that inspire the climber in me. I like to focus on iconic climbing destinations places like Yosemite or Patagonia and I try to depict them through the lens of a climber, capturing the way these places draw us in and ignite our desire to explore and discover.

I find time spent in the outdoors to be meditative and rejuvenating, and in my art I want to convey some of that emotional experience. I love it when customers tell me stories of the trips and memories that my pieces commemorate for them, and I hope that my art can continue to inspire viewers to seek out adventure in the outdoors.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can learn more about me and purchase art at lizzydaltonart.com. You can also follow me on Instagram at @lizzydaltonart.

9) Bewildher

What do you create and how did you get started?

When I first founded my brand, my vision was to inspire women to have more fun while pursuing health and wellness. I believed activewear had the power to be wearable inspiration; who wouldn't want to workout more wearing fun and beautiful prints?

I quickly discovered that while I was empowering my female customers, I was inadvertently encouraging the suppression of the female garment employees making my product. 80% of garment workers are women, most earning below the poverty line - YES, even in cities like Vancouver, BC, Canada where we wrongly assume minimum wage means "ethical."

My first solution was to quit, only to realize this served no one, and I began to research how I might inspire change in the activewear industry. I change my business model to align with the values of slow-fashion, with the purpose of empowering all women, including the makers and our mother earth.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

Often, as I trail run through the woods, I think "how devastating would it be to live in a world with no trees?" and I remind myself "how lucky am I to be able to run freely through the forest." This awareness of my local environment, living in Squamish and in close proximity to the oceans, mountains and rainforest, inspires me to do as much as I can give back and help those less fortunate. I use my brand as a platform to help plant trees and educate consumers on where their activewear comes from, often asking them to consider the quality of life of the women who make their clothes.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

Readers can read my story and slow-fashion pages at www.bewildher.com and follow @bewildher in Instagram.

10) Alive Among Mountains

What do you create and how did you get started?

Before I started embroidering, my life was spent either training for climbing or working as a substitute teacher. Since I lived off the grid, I wanted something that I could do when I didnt have access to electricity or wifi. I saw somewhere that there were these kits that would teach you to embroider a design and at the end, you had this nice little complete hoop. After doing that one kit, I was hooked. I started buying more thread, more hoops and fabric, and soon I had my own little art corner in the trailer. I started creating designs and learning more stitches. It didnt take long before I had a ton of hoops made, so I decided to try to sell them on Etsy.

Now I make mostly custom hoops for people for their friends and family. I find that a lot of people get them for birthdays and Christmas, since its a pretty unique gift that, personalized, can mean a lot for someone. Its been almost two years now since I first started, so Im definitely still learning but getting better with every project.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

When I look at most of the hoops Ive made, I find that the colors I use are mostly Earth tones. Theyre the colors I see when I look out my window at the Sierras, or the colors I see out in the Buttermilks. I like the look of the more muted tones in my embroideries. Ive also done a few pieces that were inspired directly from the scenes outside of my trailer. I find that I cant help but try to replicate views that Im constantly in awe of. Since I spend a lot of time outdoors, those tend to be views of the mountains, plants, and random landscapes of climbing areas around the world.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

I have an Etsy where I sell my past work and where people can order custom work. The link is https://www.etsy.com/shop/aliveamongmountains. I also have quite a few customers who just reach out to me on my Instagram, @aliveamongmountains, for custom work.

11) Katherine Homes

What do you create and how did you get started?

I create art that puts a spotlight on threatened species and wildlands. Currently, most of this art is in watercolor and wood format, I paint on a sustainability sourced wood, but also have other means, music being one of them.

Ive been creating art and music since I was very young. My mom has these hysterical recordings of me making up songs when I was about 3 years old. Ive been drawing since I could hold a crayon. I think I just came into this world with a creative mission to protect the natural world.

Ive always had a very strong and intimate connection to the natural world and the desire to protect those who don't have a voice or means to stand up for themselves. My grandmother says its in my blood. My Dads side of the family is partially Cherokee. I was horribly shy when I was young and I was happiest playing outside in the woods with my squirrel, bird and deer friends and these early experiences defined me and the work I do.

Using music as a platform to talk about difficult and complex problems I came out with my first solo album, Speak, in late 2016. I launched it on Kickstarter and needed a way to give back to supporters. So, I put some designs on hats and tote bags and as my album came out my brand slowly started to launch. In a way it was inevitable because it was a dream of mine to use my art as a way to bring attention towards threatened species and using what I think is affordable and functional art lets me do that.

My goal is to use art as a way to draw people in, educate them on these very complex issues and inspire them into positive action without being aggressive or shaming them by saying your actions are killing off the Sea Turtle, and instead saying, this is whats happening to the Sea Turtle, and this is what we can do to help them. The idea has always been to reach the masses, and I think of my products as an easy way to connect to those who maybe arent as aware of these issues, then hopefully being that first step into making positive changes in their lives.

Purchasing a product from KH ensures you have the visual material you need to spark conversation in your communities while also helping our partner organizations continue their work. We are a 1% for the Planet Member and are committed to giving at least 1% of our annual sales to organizations focusing on conservation, bringing compassion into schools, and ensuring we all have access to the wild so we can explore, connect and protect it.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

Everything I paint is inspired by the natural world, from the flowers, trees, and wildlands to the threatened species and farm animals. Im always looking for patterns in plants and watching for subtle changes in color that inspire my color schemes. With what is going on in our world today, I consider most things to be threatened by climate change, overfishing, unsustainable agriculture, so my paintings typically bring in an endangered species, or a species / wildland that is threatened or soon to be threatened.

The other way it inspires my work as the outdoors reminds me to slow down and connect with the wisdom found in the natural world. There are so many important lessons that we often miss because we dont take the time to stop and absorb these often subtle lessons. These are good reminders because my paintings take forever to create, its a slow and mindful process, that I love. The natural world reminds me to surrender and stay present.

I do believe that if we took the time to connect and respect ourselves and one another, wed be able to connect and respect the natural world. I dont think we can do one without the other.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

The website is always a great spot to learn more and support: www.katherinehomes.com. You can also find me on Spotify, Katherine Homes, Album, Speak. We also just got into REI through a test run and would LOVE support there: https://www.rei.com/search?q=katherine+homes. We are selling nationwide, but if you dont see our products in a store you think wed be a great fit in wed love for you to tell us! [email protected] ; You can also follow me at Instagram, @k.homes

12) Tra Kaia

What do you create and how did you get started?

My name is Bridget Kilgallon, and Im the founder of a brand called Tra Kaia. We got started out of a frustration with how normal bras fit. As a climber, Ive got pretty big lats, and normal bras and sports bras just didnt fit at all. Plus, theyd fall apart with pretty much any rigorous outdoor activity.

At the time I had two other friends who shared similar issues with ill-fitting bras and so we set out to make something different: basewear. Basewear is a swim-friendly sports bra that was designed for outdoor adventure. In the design process, we realized that one size really doesnt fit all so we developed two styles of our best selling TOURA Basewear Top. We started with the Low Cut: a minimal, form-fitting style for lower cup sizes and muscular body types and later developed the High Cut: the same form fitting style with more coverage and support for larger cup sizes.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

The outdoors inspires us in three ways: function, form, and our brand message.

In terms of the function of our garments, its completely designed based on how it will perform in outdoor environments. The top is versatile enough to be worn on land as a sports bra, or in the water as a swim top. It dries quickly so you can jump in a lake, and get back to hiking. Our fabric is hydrophobic and anti-microbial so you can wear it camping and it wont get gross. The most important part is that it feels like you have nothing on, and never digs into your muscles so you can get outdoors and focus on what youre doing without feeling uncomfortable.

Aesthetically, our brand is inspired by nature. We use color palettes that are inspired by nature, so as to create a look that never overshadows the wearer. We say that if the basewear is the art, the wearer is the frame.

Our brand encourages you to get outdoors and be your outside self. Were all about bringing out what makes a person unique: their natural features, and helping people get more in tune with the natural world around them.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

Follow Tra Kaia on Instagram @terakaia and tag us on your adventures. We love to see where our customers take their #basewear! You can try one for yourself at our website www.terakaia.com

13) Powers Provisions

What do you create and how did you get started?

While I'm a full-time photographer and filmmaker, I call myself a part-time grandma and fill the shelves of my online mercantile, Powers Provisions, with handknit goods and beaded jewelry as well as handcrafted goods from my talented artisan friends. I love making beautiful things with my hands and sharing them with the people I love and the people they love. My art embraces a life of adventure and I hope it inspires others to explore and enjoy the outdoors. Alongside these goods, Kaleigh shares her favorite recipes of her classic south meets the last frontier cuisine, cooking tips, and regaling you with tales of their Alaskan adventures on the blog.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

I often say I love to paint with yarn the colors I've seen in the wild and am inspired by the steely blues and bright whites from Alaskan Glaciers, rusts and golds from the desert of Utah, and autumnal earthy shades from mountains in Maine. All of my goods are crafted for a life of adventure in the outdoors as well, and I encourage folks to wear them well, let the wool felt, and live your best life wherever that may take you!

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

www.powersprovisions.com and @powersprovisions on Instagram

14) Peter W. Gilroy

What do you create and how did you get started?

Born and raised in Taos, New Mexico, I was lucky to have grown up with the mountains in my backyard. I grew up creating, working the summers for my uncle, master goldsmith Phil Poirier. In college, I studied photography, and after graduation I started building custom furniture. I got sucked into the endless work, struggling to find balance between my love for climbing and the outdoors on the one hand, and my creative work on the other. In time, I found my way back to metal, and I experimented with making my own jewelry while working for a tool company, Bonny Doon Hydraulic Presses.

In 2014, I had a pivotal change of thinking. Instead of seeing my two passions as separate, I asked myself: What if I combine my passion for making art with my passion for climbing and the mountains? What if I delve into adventure in all aspects of my life? Since that day, I have been on a journey to bring these aspects together. It is easy to be calm and at peace in the mountains, but how do we share that with the rest of the world? I'm a dirtbag for my art, and proud of it.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

The outdoors is everything to me.

Growing up, I was an overweight, nerdy kid, and through climbing was able to get in touch with my body and learn what I was capable of. Adventures in the outdoors have provided a barometer in all aspects of my life, and helped me through issues of mental health and more.

My work now just feels like a way for me to relive those adventures in the outdoors and dream about new ones, dream about long days traversing alpine ridgelines and climbing granite walls. It is a way for me to celebrate the natural landscape when I am not able to be out there.

Whether it is the subtle details of the texture of granite, the effortless flow that only a hard climb can force us to find, or the amazing views from the top, the inspiration offered by the mountains, and the rock we climb on, is endless. I want to capture the experiences we have outdoors and then bring them forward as mementos, to be savored in all the other moments of our lives.

Everything is made by me, in my small studio, in Taos, NM. I work with American-made machinery and tools. All materials, like stones and metal, are from the best, local if possible, eco-friendly sources.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can find me online, instagram @peterwgilroy, and I actually have two websites now, peterwgilroy.com which features my custom and one-of-a-kind creations, and splitter-designs.com which is a new collection of hats, gear, and small jewelry pieces.

15) Static Climbing

What do you create and how did you get started?

STATIC was born in 2014 from an idea to give a new spin to chalk bags by using different textiles and making them larger so you can chalk up easier.

Sewing has always been something I wanted to learn how to do, so for my 24th birthday, my grandparents bought me my first sewing machine. I taught myself the ins and outs of being a seamstress and created my first chalk bag pattern. Three and a half days later I made my very first chalk bag (which is still in my office today).

My local climbing gym, VITAL, put the first chalk bags in their gym and shortly after that I started an Etsy shop. The entire bedroom and kitchen was my sewing shop, and one chalk bag after another I improved the design and learned how to create a company from the ground up.

My boyfriend Duncan saw how passionate I was and created the STATIC logo that is still used today. He quickly became the other half of STATIC helping with the design aspects of the company. After outgrowing an in-house office, we moved into the back room of a climbing gym a few years later and in 2018 we moved into our very own little shop. REI found STATIC on Etsy (a dream come true!), and over the last few years we have been able to make chalk bags for every REI in the country. Our team is still really small, which keeps our environmental impact small by keeping everything in house. All of our fabrics are sourced from family owned companies.

One of the reasons STATIC is successful is because of Duncan, he is the other backbone of this brand. We make up a pretty amazing team together, and I'm really lucky to have not only an amazing partner in life, but one of the most talented designers. It has been the most incredible 5 years growing with STATIC, I can't wait to see what the next 5 years brings!

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

The outdoors has been one of the biggest inspirations for my work. The Artist Series Collection supports local artists and really captures their inspiration of the outdoors through their artwork. The Traveler Series reminds me of always using my falsa blankets while I'm traveling and camping. The outdoors is really the reason why I have a company in the first place.

When Duncan and I aren't working we are always out adventuring with our dog Dakota! Creating a company that has a small environmental impact is really important, so we have worked to source materials that are made in the US and support family-owned companies like our own.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can always email me directly if you have any questions, [email protected] or check out our instagram @staticclimbing. If you want to support STATIC you can check outwww.staticclimbing.com and use the code DREAMSOFALPINE for 20% off.

16) Le Fox Studio

What do you create and how did you get started?

In 2016, I set out to hike The Pacific Crest Trail. Over the course of a five month hiking artist residency, I created over 30 paintings, 40 handmade postcards, and 27 mile markers along the 2650 miles from Mexico to Canada. This adventure has evolved into a more extended studio based project which continues to inform my current body of work. My outdoor adventures among the mountains and valleys of the Pacific Northwest continue to inspire my work and fill the pages of my sketchbooks.

I create work that celebrates and contributes to the protection of the wild places I love to explore through donations of artwork or percentage contributions to conservancies and trail stewards. Using pattern, I create paintings that balance between abstract and landscape to capture the awe of wild places. Much of my work is initiated through bringing a sketchbook on my hikes, which allows a more direct recording of these moments, patterns, and landscapes. These sketches are then brought into the studio where they inform my larger works. Working from drawings and sketches, rather than photographs, allows a more direct transfer of impressions, ideas, and energy of the land into my work.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

The landscape, patterns within the landscape, color, and the community around trails inspires all of my work. Being in nature, the act of exploring somewhere new, or revisiting a place multiple times are all ideas she explores in her work. Being somewhere new with a sketchbook is always hard for me because its a kid in a candy store situation. As I have developed this process more I have accepted that I wont be able to draw everything in one visit, but that I can always return. This is one of the many reasons I choose to support the conservation of the places I visit. The land will always be there for me, but much of it is under threat which challenges that comfort for all of us.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can find my shop at Lefoxstudio.com/shop and my Instagram @lefoxstudio

December 8th

11am-4pm NW Marine Art Works Open Studios & Holiday Market / Portland Oregon

Schedule a studio visit in Portland OR

17) Drawn to High Places

What do you create and how did you get started? (i.e. the why behind your art and your business)

I make watercolor and ink paintings inspired by my time spent hiking, climbing and mountaineering in the Pacific Northwest. I got started because I was so overwhelmed with the magic of the mountains, I wanted a way to capture it. I began taking a sketchbook with me on adventures, and before I knew it, I was painting all the time!

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

I try to capture the movement, energy and life of the backcountry, the feeling of what makes these wild places so special.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation? + A photo of you with your work (or a photo of your work)

My art is available on my website at www.drawntohighplaces.com or follow my adventures on instagram at @drawntohighplaces.

18) Dynamite Starfish

What do you create and how did you get started?

I create art inspired by rock climbing and all the beauty I see in life. I print that art by hand on tees, tanks and other apparel. I also offer stickers, art prints, and other gifts. Dynamite Starfish began because I wanted to share my passion for outdoor climbing and create art that talked about the subtleties of climbing and highlighted our shared experiences that connect us as climbers all around the world.

How do the outdoors Inspire your work?

The outdoors is the whole reason this work exists! After my first few outdoor climbing experiences, I knew this was something I was quickly falling in love with. At first, my art & apparel were all about specific places, and a portion of the profits donated to hyperlocal organizations that helped conserve those areas. Now, we donate a percentage of all profits to the Access Fund, because we believe they do great work across a number of areas and do advocacy work as well as conservation.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can visit my online shop and website:www.DynamiteStarfish.com. Im also pretty available and responsive on Instagram @dynamitestarfish. If you want to learn more about the company history and my philosophy, this podcast is a great intro!https://www.wildermindpodcast.com/home/lesliekim

19) Riveted Oak Designs

What do you create and how did you get started? (i.e. the "why" behind your art and your business)

I actually didnt get started making outdoor gear. Im a union stagehand, and some stagehands carry chalk bags for tools and hardware. Typical chalk bags arent designed to hold more than chalk, so they dont last very long. I started thinking that maybe I could design and sew a version just for stagehands, so thats exactly what I did! I bought a used industrial machine and started sewing and selling bags to my coworkers. This worked great until I couldnt keep up with orders, so I created a Kickstarter campaign to fund a production run of these bags. That was the start of Riveted Oak Designs.

I started making outdoor gear because I love to hike and backpack, and I was seeing all of these cottage makers pop up. I figured Why cant I do that too? I started making simple, lightweight accessories and gear and field testing everything myself (or having my husband or friends try out products). Nothing I make is crazy expensive, so folks can have ultralight gear without breaking the bank. I like to think that if I can provide solutions for common issues, such as backpack organization, that more folks will be inclined to go outside and explore.

I also make stainless steel jewelry. Im the kind of person that puts on a necklace or earrings and wont take them off for a month or more. Im definitely a minimalist - I dont like big flashy jewelry. Stainless steel is great because yet can take a beating and its super low maintenance.

I love having my own business because I have control over it. I work for myself and my customers - thats it. I can make what I want to make, and help support the adventures of others by making products that help them accomplish their goals. I have customers that are hiking with my products in multiple countries and carrying them on thru-hikes in the USA. How cool is that?

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

I love everything about being outside in nature, and my husband and daughter are the same way. I work for a huge entertainment company and theme park in Southern California, so being outside in the backcountry is pretty much as opposite as you can get from that! I think we get so caught up in our daily lives that we forget how to slow down, live in the moment, and take in our surroundings. Being outside allows us to do that, and has so many mental and physical health benefits as well. When I work with my hands, its a very similar experience for me as being outside, almost like meditation in many ways. I slow down and focus on whats in front of me, instead of worrying about the future or the past.

When I make my products, I want them to have one of two goals: to help people get outside and experience the outdoors, or to be able to express their love of the outdoors to others. If I cant be outside camping or backpacking, making products that help folks do these things is just as satisfying.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can head over to www.rivetedoakdesigns.com, or look for my Etsy shop under the same name. Ive also got a Facebook page and Instagram account @riveted_oak_designs. Im not super active on social media, because I prefer to spend my time outside or making things, but you can definitely get a hold of me through any of these options!

I really hope you all enjoyed this post, and Ive got to give a big shout out to Kate Sedrowski who is part of my team who helped me collaborate and coordinate with a lot of these great artists and makers for this amazing post. She is a creator in her own right. You should check out the series on her blog called, Beacons of Badassery, an interview series shining light on strong women.

A Big thank you to all the artists and makers who contributed their story and love for the outdoors to this blog post. I am so grateful for this and thank you for sharing your work with the world.

If youre a maker/artist with a passion for shining a light on the outdoors in your work, Id love to add you to this list. Please dont hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected]

Looking for more Outdoorsy Gift Ideas? Check Out these Articles:

Best Gifts for Hikers

Best Gifts for Backpackers

Best Gifts for Rock Climbers

Campervan Gifts That Every Van Owner Would Love to Get

Cheers,

Allison - She Dreams of Alpine

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Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/19-artists-makers-creating-unique-outdoorsy-gifts-art-inspired-by-a-passion-for-the-outdoors

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pbandjesse · 7 years

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I just got out of a bath. Because I am addicted to bathes?? Love them. It was very warm out today and I really needed it to cool down. Today was good though. I’m still a bit full of nervous energy but I filled today with activity. Even if I mostly ran out of things to do by noon. I slept okay. I woke up at 8 and got dressed. Felt real cute. Highlighter looked great. Had a very good peach for breakfast. And biked to the dermatologists office. I made a wrong turn somehow but I had given myself extra time so it didn’t matter. I got called back and we went over all concerns. I had made a list but it was on my other phone and I didnt move that over apparently. So that sucks. Thankfully I didn’t really use that note pad much. But we went over everything. She said she would help me with my prescriptions until I find a new person. And then I requested that she cut my mole off. Its been bothering me all summer and ive just been really unhappy about it. She said that was no problem and she could shave it down. I was hoping she would like cut it all the way off into my chin but that’s not how they do it. So she numbed my face and cut it off and cauterized it. Scary! She told me they will test it too but she doesn’t think it’s anything. Just in case. I left there with a bandaid on my face. Which I didn’t like but whatever. I’m going to do my best to take care of it So it heals nice. I biked over to mcad. I was going to bother Don but he wasn’t there. Or at least wasn’t in the shop. I ran into Icy, who had let me store my thesis work in her studio all summer and I let her know I would be out of there soon. She’s being so gracious about it. I picked up a few of the empty boxes I had put back there and then went home. It was difficult to figure out how to carry 3 but boxes on my bike but eventually I figured that out. I got home and made lunch. As I was scheduling my internet over to my new place I realized my dad’s birthday is tomorrow. Not in October which my brain had told me. I texted him and he called me and we talked for a bit. I will take him on a day trip somewhere after I move to make it up to him. After I finished setting up the internet stuff, which I was able to get them to knock off $10 a month, I emailed Don. We are going to go to the sculpture park tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it. I sort of laid around. Watched Sweetp play with the boxes. I eventually fell asleep. I woke up at 2 and was very confused. I thought it was morning and had missed the staff meeting at artrageous and was very distressed. But it was still early afternoon and everything was okay. Amanda had texted me and asked my favorite color and book and candy. She wanted to make nice for me tonight and I really appreciated it. I started pulling down my decorations and I took down all the small ones and started working on the fridge stuff as well. Its sad in here now. There’s still a bit of stuff but still it looks weird without the stuff. I packed some kitchen stuff and I’m glad I still have boxes because it’s going to take more then I anticipated for the kitchen. Annoying. I felt a lot of nervous energy and I wanted to leave. I was texting with Jess and she let me j is she was approved for her new apartment and I’m so excited for her. She’s going to send me the measurments so I can draw her up a floor plan like I did for mine. And that helped waste some time but I still left before 6. I got to the Kenwood area where artrageous is way to early. So I sat on the lake. I actually ran into jay, mcads president. Which was funny because he saw me not the other way around. We said hi but I had to get over to the studio. It was a nice night. Amanda had snacks all nicely set up for us. We played ice breaker games and just some general stuff stuff. We drew pictures of who we were and stuff we liked. Then put them in a bucket and tried to guess who was who. It was just a whole lot of fun. I’m sad to be leaving them. They have a lot of cool stuff coming up. Including a camping trip! Very jealous. Amanda had tried really hard to find me my favorite candy but I said zours and they are really hard to find. Apparently she went to 3 stores. She got me sour mike and ikes. Which are the same thing and so I was happy and she was happy. She also had the kids make me a card and got me a gift card for the good bookstore. I’m very happy. I’m so glad I got to work there this summer and I’m glad I could be a big help. We got done there by 8. And I biked home. Its been a while since I needed to bike in the dark. I need to reposition my front light because it’s sort of pointing up and so I can’t see the ground and I’m afraid I’m going to hit a pot hole. But I got home in one piece. I had my bath and now I’m just listening to the adventure zone. I’m past the halfway point of the backlog of episodes. So that’s neat. Haven’t really listened to anything else in a while. So much to listen to, so little time. I have some stuff I need to do in the morning. Errunds. And then I’m going to the sculpture park with Don! I hope he doesn’t have to cancel. But he can be so busy so well see. If he can’t go I will keep packing the kitchen. Now though I’m going to go to bed. I hope you all sleep well tonight. And dad happy birthday because I’m pretty sure you’ll read this in the morning. Good night everyone

#ootd #selfie #babe #gift #good day #lake #dermatology #tuesday

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heshermachine · 7 years

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Sunday

We bought some really cute stuff for the bathrooms, which we are slowly redoing and im so excited because i love it. The red was old and felt blah, this new stuff feels fresh, and thats the kind of feeling you want in a bathroom. We will slowly start getting the decor we want for the house that way we have it for when we move. Which im sure there will be more after that. lol Im so excited to move, although it probably wont be until summer of next year, but still something to look forward to.

The wedding is 90 days from today!! How scary and nerve racking but awesome. I feel as if I have nothing planned, although I have a lot, it just doesnt feel like it. Im going dress shopping in a few weeks and I couldnt be more thrilled. I have a style in mind and hopefully I find it. I really want to find it. Weddings are fun and they should be really everything you want and hope for. I should probably get a head start on these vows though..lol I have so much I want to say but no idea how to word and dont want to go on forever.

Im so relieved that school is finally over. I cant believe it almost. I feel like i should be doing homework or getting ready all the time for school. I hope I pass the state test the first time. They say that people fail 50% of the test...cool.... But after I pass ill officially be a nurse...wow..that makes me happy. I had an interview the other day and hopefully i get it because this place will surely make me use all my skills, which is what i want. I was offered a Nursing Director position..which is shocking because one i haven’t even worked as a nurse yet...or in a position like that. I denied it though. That would of been wrong of me to accept it. But it did feel good for someone to think I could work in a position like that.

Ive been pretty active since school has been out. I got a bike and i ride it all the time, ive been seeing family more, and spending time on this wedding shhhttufff. which reminds me I need to start on these flowers. I need to get my hair under control too..i have this weird fried spot in the back and its like crunchy..so gross. But i also want to dye it more blonde..probably not going to help that spot so much. I also hope to get a little Tan while at the pool when dress shopping in a couple weeks.

Ive been really working on trying to be more positive. Not trying to have any negative feelings towards anyone or anything thing. And when someone is negative I try to make them think positive. Not that im a negative person now or unhappy or anything but sometimes i do catch myself.

anyways..im actually working a full week this week..weird lol. first full week since ive been out of school....im like a working woman or something lol.

tooodaaalooo

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crashpaddiaries · 8 years

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Dear Crashpad Diary #26

Yooooooooo freackin beasts!! Wassssssuuuuuup??

So great to hear good news from Ireland!! Ro and Stephen are already training with Rob Hunter… the master!! ahaha Now I am the one worrying about it… they’ll become beasts and it´ll be so hard to catch up with them later on hehehe All the best vibes beasts and keep strong… it´ll hurt and youll get exhausted but itll also pay off!! =)

So… going back in time a bit and I´ll tell yas about: our adventure overnite going to Koh Tao, rainstorms, the incredible case of a Russian newbie alcoholic-wise, fruits for free, getting close to sea urchins, things for the first time ever, Brazilians messing around, another interview, boat to Krabi, what a great start for the surfing trip, the cursed room, paid beaches and fixing the room for the AC…

coolio…. last time we were heading Koh Tao or Kho Tao or Kho Thao or Ko That…. dunno… they defo have some trouble defining what is the correct way to write down their shit heheheheh

So… the boat from Surat Thani… or Suratani or Surat Tani… hahaha same same… was pretty cool… we got there not putting much faith on it but we were surprised by the quality and the size of the boat… it was like a hostel… dunno… maybe 200 beds or so… double beds and all… we got there a bit early and left the bags to get some food outside… as it was weekend there was a huge… gigantic open air market.. with food, clothes, animals, electronics and so on… as usual… real local street food does not suit vegetarian so we walked a little to find some for me… Luh is always freakin patient with that… haha thanks Luh!! Luv ya!! =)

I got some Papaya Salad and he ate his addiction… fried rice with chicken hehe and than we went back to our floating and surprisingly not-shaky-at-all hostel… sweet dreams and few hours later we arrived to one of the most beautiful islands I’ve ever been to… Koh Tao!

I had the idea that Id get some climbing there too but turned out that the climbing is quite inexistent and all the info I gathered in 27crags was quite shit… we walked one day loads to get to a boulder and there was any hahahah instead, we ended up in an open field hahahahah maybe with a local it’d be better but even that I couldn’t find hehe so we went for snorkelling all the days we were there… such a bad option, right?? hehehe

Ive always being a mountain guy… I would go for jungle/forest/mountain rather then ocean anytime but the reefs and the beaches here got me… the underwater world is amazing and we are enjoying in a way that I could never imagine!! We walked pretty much everywhere there and got one day the boat to go to Koh Nang Yuan… three islands connected between them… one of the few ones in the world…. what a gem!!

All the other beaches though, are incredible too… there is no need of boat to have a blast here!!

You´ll need only some goggles and hold your breath to get a breathtaking experience!! hehe

The top 3 beaches we visited there: Nang Yuan… Said Nuam…. Ao Lek… 2 of them you can go on your own and they are stunning!! =)

The trip to the Nang Yuan islands was great… the scenery is something else there!! But I dunno…. it seems that crazy people go everywhere… we got another mad guy… drunk just for a change… falling off from one of the platforms going to the viewpoint…. Viewpoints are normally on top of hills… so you can see better right?! Well… if you´re going up… kinda scrambling up…. would you drink and mess up with your ability of ensure that youre standing up?? I dont think so right?? hahaha

Well… the same way we got over Christmas, in Hampi, some dumb guy falling, hitting his head and almost dying, while walking and jumping from boulder to boulder drunk, we got another not-too-smart one… but this time was a bit funnier… kmon… its hard to find a Russian that goes down on whisky heheheh Yep… the weak Russian didn’t hold up well on whisky… decided go for a walk but chose the tricky path throughs the platforms that go over the ocean and rocks till the point you get to the jungle and reach the viewpoint… unfortunately, for his head and back…. he got a short cut to another view point… the viewpoint of the reef down there hehe he got some good scratches and the people on the beach had to come and help otherwise we would have one less person in this world and a little bit more alcohol haha

The best part was when a lady-boy came and said: “Don’t worry guys… Ill take care of him!”… and sailed away as a storm with his/her boat and the dizzy Russian!! hahahah

Talking about storms and rain… we´ve been enjoying hugely the rain here… every afternoon we get few storms… something peculiar for those who live in Ireland… First of all because we dont have storms like that… when it seems the world is ending on water… and second of all… its impossible to go out and enjoy the rain… feeling the mild water hitting your skin… and the refreshment that it provides….. if you try that in Ireland you´ll get some pneumonia with not doubt heheheheh

After few days having fun in Koh Tao we decided to leave and head to Koh Phangan… or Koh Phan Gnan… or…. hahahahah you know right!! hahaha

All the big islands are quite close and you can reach them with a short trip on a boat… so we did that… over 1 hours on a jumpy boat and we got to Koh Phangan… the second biggest island… we could see the other side Ko Samui… the largest one… but we decided for Phangan cuz Luh would meet Dai and we could also check some rad places we´ve been told!

The first days we stayed in the south… but there is no much… the accommodations are cheaper but the only attractions are parties and kite surfing… not our style tho…. fortunately we found a freaking good restaurant there… Harbour House… cheap and scrumptious… worth defo a visit if your there!! =)

Once we realised that the beautiful beaches and awesome waterfalls were up north we grabbed our backpacks and snorkelling gear and off we went!! WOW… if you like nature… go straight to the north of that island!! Astonishing!! =)

Thailand is great… seriously… its nature… people… food… you can easily fall in love with the country… the only thing I couldn’t understand was why everyone was telling me before the trip that I would love the fruits here and that would be cheap and all… but so far was so hard to even find it!! Well… Phangan surprised us in that sense… and confirmed our friends theory… we were walking one of the first days there when we found a fruit stand and simply asked how much was the banana… the girl didn’t speak any english but made sure that a wave of free fruits came towards us.. hahaha FINALLY… FRUITS FOR FREE!! HAHAHAHAHA No need to say that we got fruits for dinner that day!! and the other!! and the following one too!! hahahaha What a sweeeeet life!! =)

Days of new things are common when you´re travelling and for me it wasn’t different… as we were 3 people we had to rent two motorbikes… so Luh would go with Dai and I had to get one on my own… you know… I love adrenaline and that´s why I never got a bike… because if you accelerate it will speed up and I´ve already some trouble cycling… crashing into a wall with a motorbike is not on my life bucket so I´ve always avoided… up to now though… when you have no option … well… the choice is already made! hehehe

So there we were… handled our passports (yep… no passport no bike… no bike… no trip around… so….)… and got two bike… Luh is already used to it… but me…. you should’ve seen the guy´s face from the rental shop when I left the place driving the bike and showing all my newbieness hahahahahah Hoooooooray… the first 200 metres done and I´m in one piece!! Self high five!!! =) hahahah

In fact, in the end of that day I was myself and somethings else…. we went to another fantastic beach where you can see coral reefs and enjoy a sweet beach… Ko Ma… and chatting… not paying attention… I stepped on a sea urchin… haha got some nice spikes inside my left foot… few of them are still with me hahahahah part of the family hehehehe But even some needles can´t change your perception of great life, awesome vibes and gratitude when you are in a place like Ko Ma.

The tourism is the locomotive of the island… there are … loads of them… tourists from all over the world coming and going constantly… therefore, loads of people renting bikes… and falling off in small accidents… that´s one of the other reasons I didn´t want to rent the bike… additionally the island is full of up and downhills, the roads are good but some are covered in sand due to the constructions and all…. Plus, the amount of people wth sort of bandages or dressings covering the wounds was bigger than Hampi… and in there the bikes were shit like you turn to right and it goes to the left!! haha

I got the bike anyways cuz I had no option hehe but kind not sure of what would be the output.. some new scratches? On me or on the bike?? Will I get the passport back?? hahaha

In the end, I enjoyed the rides, learnt ok-ish and after the bad first impression I gave to the rental guy… I got along with the idea pretty well!! We met two Brazilian girls that can’t say the same though… visiting Ko Ma we have to go through a quite big uphill… as we were going we saw on the left side a group of people in an area that is not common… well… on the side of the road… full of dirty and roasting under the sun… don´t think its a pleasurable place to be hehehe as we approach the group we realised that it was an accident… the bike went off-road with two girls and the other couple was trying to help´em… we stopped right after and started helping too… pushing here and lifting there… speaking in english with them and when we had to lift the bike back to the road I spoke in Portuguese with my bro to sync the moves… so the girls said: Oh you´re Brazilian too?? hahahahaha and after that PT took the chat… the couple left as they had done loads already and couldn’t´t understand a fuckin word haha

With the rescue finished they told us what happened… it was a sum of mistakes… even funny tho hehehehe

1st and main mistake - they didn´t know how to drive… haha 2nd - they were going up through the wrong lane… as over here they use the British way… on the left lane… 3rd and the best one - the driver saw an elephant and got way to excited… tried to point it out to the passenger and forgot that autopilot is an utopia yet ahahahaha

They ended up with few some good scars, with less money and with only one good pic of the elephant hahahahah

That made remember one time I was enjoying a beautiful trekking in the middle of the desert in San Pedro de Atacama… the guy who brought us there told us that he couldn’t go further because it was dangerous and more likely to get stuck on the sand… cool… we were maybe 5 mins already walking, when we see a car stuck in the sand… actually with sand almost covering the tires… and everyone started chatting and commenting… the group was heterogeneous, peeps from different nationalities and we were all betting with nationality that guys were… hahaha just to mess around… some said Argentinian, some sad north American, some bet they were locals… and as we got closer and closer we could hear the indistinctly Portuguese… clear and loud… mainly when one of them yelled to the driver: “I told you so!! The rental company said that we shouldn’t go any close to the dunes!” hahahaha

Yep… it seems the Brazilians are around to provide fun and good stories!! hahahahahaha We are messers and that no one can change!! hahahahah

What happened to that car??? Dunno… there are some stories… you know… urban legends… in that case desert legends… that says the car has been swollen by the sand!! The group registered a stealing case in the police station, the rental company got the money back from the insurance and the group rent only 4X4 cars nowadays!! hahaha

Our last day in Phangan brought another great surprise… fortunately, good vibes and sweet happenings are recurrent!! …. we met a girl that left everything behind, got a one way ticket to Thailand and started a YouTube channel… to tell her story!! It´s incredibly fantastic how people like her are inspirational and full of life… we chatted loads about the adventure… life… how the uncertainty makes us scary and happy simultaneously… how the world is great and provides the most extraordinary experiences for those that go after it…

In fact, in contrary of many people think…. not much courage is needed… one only a bit of curiosity… a small portion of will to change things in your life… capacity to accept what comes… and some steps towards the unknown… a leap of faith… that will present you with surreality, happiness and stories that you had never dreamt of!!

She interviewed me for one of the videos that come out soon… and if you´d like to enjoy her stories and her epic adventure… send good vibes or get inspired to do the same… I mean… same same but different…. check her channel: Voecomjulia…. you type that one YT and you´ll have a blast!! =)

See you soon Julia and talk to yous soon beasts!!

I got a bit excited on this post… sorry for the exaggerated text… I´ll take it easy next time… or not!! hahahahaha too many stories!!

All the best vibes and sweet smiles…. =) =) =) =) =) =) =)

Cheers,

Evan

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