#rest in pistachio Michael

[thearsonistofarland]

So I started Drakengard 3 recently

[oddarin]

It is one of the most meaningless thing I’ve done in time - all least-to-most ranks and just characters’ fact answers (those that with no pictures) from oficial Ask Arcana gathered in one place. Have no idea what that information could be used for and if it even useful but it kept me occupied and distracted from some life shit for a while, so let it be.

who is most to least likely to enjoy the movie Frozen? Lucio, Portia, Julian, Asra, Muriel, Nadia

Out of the cast, who is the most to least likely to be the jealous type? Portia, Lucio, Muriel & Nadia (tied), Julian, Asra

would you like to rank the characters from who cries most to least ugly? like from sniveling to shoujo manga tears? Muriel, Lucio, Julian, Portia, Asra, Nadia

who is the most to least superstitious Portia, Julian, Nadia, Lucio, Asra, Muriel

most to least excited to be at a WWE event Portia, Lucio, Asra, Julian, Nadia, Muriel

From worst to best at handling children Nadia, Lucio, Muriel, Asra, Portia, Julian

From worst to best for alcohol tolerance Muriel, Asra, Lucio, Julian, Portia, Nadia

Character ranking from best at keeping secrets to loose-liped gossip? Asra, Muriel, Nadia, Lucio, Portia, Julian

best to worst dancers? Asra, Portia, Julian, Nadia, Lucio, Muriel

Most to Least likely to slap you for stealing a mcnugget Nadia, Lucio, Asra, Portia, Julian, Muriel

Least to most likely to eat something weird (read: probably shouldn't be eaten) because of a dare? Nadia, Julian, Muriel, Lucio, Portia, Asra and not even on a dare

how old are each of the revealed characters? everyone is old, but in order of least old to most old: Asra, Portia, Muriel, Julian, Lucio, Nadia

Who's the best kisser? Who's the worst? Best kisser: Faust (good snake smooches) Worst kissers: Mercedes and Melchior (too much cronch)

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If the main 6 played MTG what color decks would they play? Asra: Blue Nadia: White Julian: Black (Portia made his for him) Portia: White/Green Muriel: Green Lucio: Red

How did cast look as babies? Nadia: The best baby, perfect in form and function Asra: A cute baby, always looking around Julian: Not the most handsome baby, a little gangly Portia: Round, squealing delightful baby Lucio: Red-faced screaming awful baby Muriel: Sturdy and well insulated for the long winter

Of the main six characters, which ones are capable of juggling and which ones would absolutely love doing needlepoint? capable of juggling: Portia, Asra, Muriel absolutely love doing needlepoint: Nadia, Julian incapable of juggling/ absolutely hate doing needlepoint: Lucio

what would the cast choose as their job in the mmo final Fantasy XIV? Julian: Dragoon Asra: Astrologian Lucio: Ninja, but he messes up the mudras Nadia: Machinist Portia: Summoner Muriel: Paladin

What would be the favorite attractions/rides of the cast at Disney? Julian: Pirates of the Caribbean Asra: Astro Orbiter Lucio: Tower of Terror (RIP) Muriel: Matterhorn Portia: California Screamin' Nadia: Carousel of Progress

What do the rest of the cast smell like? Nadia: Les Larmes Sacree Du Thebes by Baccarat Asra: Lord of Misrule Lush Shower Cream Julian: Leather seats in a rental car Portia: Cocoa butter and laundry soap Lucio: Fireball, Axe body spray & ass Muriel: myrrh

What board game would The Arcana gang be? Nadia: Clue Asra: Twister Julian: Sorry! Portia: Mouse Trap Lucio: Monopoly Muriel: Guess Who

Who do all the cast main in over watch? Nadia: Ana Asra: Sombra Julian: Reaper Portia: Zarya Muriel: Bastion Lucio: Genji

If everyone participated in a Winter Olympic sport, which one would they be in? Nadia: figure skate (singles) Asra: snowboarding Julian: alpine ski Portia: freestyle ski Muriel: luge Lucio: ice hockey

Main casts Starbucks orders? Julian: Black coffee and he flirts with the barista until it’s ready. Nadia: London Fog Latte. She comes in at exactly 8 every morning. Asra: Matcha latte unless there’s a new radioactive-looking Frappuccino flavor and then he gets that. Muriel: Waiting outside in the car, asks Asra to get him a water. Asra comes back with a hot chocolate and a cake pop. Muriel grumbles but accepts them every time. Lucio: Salted Caramel Mocha extra whip extra sprinkles nonfat no foam soy upside down actually coconut milk instead and then he yells at you if you get it wrong. Portia: Pink Drink and all the baristas get excited when she walks in because they love her and she always tips.

The cast as Kanye songs Nadia: Power Lucio: No Church in the Wild Asra: Love Lockdown Julian: Heartless Portia: Paranoid Muriel: Coldest Winter

Which characters would be in the fire, water, earth, and air nations? Slightly different from what you asked, but: Asra - waterbender Nadia - airbender Julian & Portia - non-benders Muriel - Earthbender Lucio - Firebender

What kind of parents are the cast at their child’s soccer game? Nadia: standing on the sidelines in sunglasses and heels biting her thumbnail and watching every move on the field because she doesnt trust the ref Asra: cheers whenever anything happens, takes as many kids as can fit in the car out for ice cream but doesn’t check with the parents Julian: chats up the other parents relentlessly and isn’t watching when his kid gets hit in the face with the ball Portia: “cmon cmon cmon cmon cmon cmon cmon AW WHAT WAS THAT” Muriel: watching from the parking lot inside the car Lucio: yelling on the phone the whole time, spills all 24 oz of his salted caramel mocha on the bench and doesn’t do anything about it

Which Disney movie is the favorite of each of the cast? Nadia: Fantasia 2000 Asra: The Emperor’s New Groove Julian: Muppet Treasure Island Portia: Muppet Treasure Island Muriel: The Fox and the Hound Lucio: Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True

what kind of youtube channel would each character have (letsplay, cooking, craft, etc)? Asra: very unstructured mostly-cooking channel that also features videos of him just eating weird things, and videos of Faust existing and being cute Nadia: beauty guru with very polished high-end editing Julian: doesn’t know how to use youtube but Portia made an account for him and uploads her shaky/blurry phone videos of his jazz performances Portia: likes and comments on all of Nadia’s videos while occasionally posting cute cat vids Muriel: does not have an internet connection Lucio: extremely loud letsplayer, mostly FPS

What would the cast be as animal crossing villagers? Muriel: Cranky Bear Julian: Smug Eagle Portia: Uchi Cat Nadia: Snooty Ostrich Asra: Lazy Wolf Lucio: Jock Goat

What Fire Emblem Fates' classes would each character be? Asra - Diviner Nadia - Priestess Julian - Adventurer Portia - Maid Muriel - Wolfskin Lucio - Berserker

if the arcana cast were naruto characters, which ones would they be Portia: Naruto Muriel: Gaara Lucio: Orochimaru Julian: Itachi Asra: Kakashi Nadia: Fancy Shikamaru

If the characters of arcana watched rupaul's drag race who would be their faves? Nadia: bebe, raja, peppermint Asra: yara, aja, adore Julian: nina bo’nina, sasha, raven Portia: chichi, bob, ginger Lucio: willam, kimora, mimi imfurst Muriel: Latrice Royale

WHAT ARE THE CHARAS PREFERRED FLAVOR OF ICE CREAM? Nadia: Lavender Lemon Asra: Rainbow Sorbet Julian: Pistachio Portia: Cookie Dough Muriel: Rocky Road Lucio: Red Velvet

Please please arcana cast as mcr songs Lucio: It’s Not a Fashion Statement, It’s a Deathwish Julian: Thank You For The Venom Asra: Welcome To The Black Parade Muriel: House of Wolves Nadia: You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison Portia: Give Em Hell Kid

What are the characters going to be for Halloween? Asra - glow-in-the-dark mermaid Nadia - [elegant ballgown interpretation of] a swan Julian - tortured vampire/werewolf hybrid Muriel - sheet ghost Portia - ninja turtle Lucio - slutty angel Faust - a very long hot dog

If you had to assign the characters from the Arcana to characters from Labyrinth who would they be? Nadia: Jareth Asra: Sara Julian: Sir Didymus Portia: Hoggle Muriel: Ludo Lucio: The Chilly Down birds

What's each character's favourite fruits? Nadia: Concord Grape Asra: Blue Raspberry Julian: Fig Portia: Banana Muriel: Lemon Lucio: Pomegranate

what's everyone's favorite season? Asra - spring Nadia - summer Julian - autumn Muriel - winter Portia - spring Lucio - summer

Who would the Arcana cast be in a cliche Noir Film? Nadia: boss with kinetic ball bearing desk ornament and brandy in the drawer Asra: first love turned old flame that you run into halfway around the world Julian: haggard scientist with an unbuttoned shirt scribbling on the walls Portia: wisecracking secretary who takes a bus a train and a ferry to work Muriel: ominous farmer that lets people use the phone after a car breaks down Lucio: raging starlet shattering a vase after being blacklisted by every studio

The Arcana cast as Michael Jackson songs? Nadia: Man in the Mirror Asra: You Are Not Alone Julian: Smooth Criminal Portia: Will You Be There Muriel: Ben Lucio: Bad

What would each character be in cats? This probably wasn’t supposed to be Cats the musical but if you think i’m gonna pass this up Nadia: None they’re all awful/ Munkustrap Asra: Mister Mistoffelees Julian: Macavity Portia: Jennyanydots Lucio: Rum Tum Tugger Muriel: Grizabella

what would their favorite emojis be? Asra: 🌚 Nadia: 🍷 Julian: 🎷 Portia: 👀 Muriel: 👁 Lucio: 💃💸😏👑

What panic at the disco songs describe each character best? Julian: Death of a Bachelor Asra: I Write Sins Not Tragedies Portia: She’s a Handsome Woman Nadia: Northern Downpour Lucio: Victorious Muriel: From a Mountain in the Middle of the Cabins

What stereotypes for a super cliché highschool do the characters fall into? Nadia: Valedictorian who has been doing independent study and hasn’t set foot in the building for the past two years Asra: Shows up late every class with loud ass Sunchips, does homework in glow in the dark gel pen Julian: Eats lunch with his teacher so they can keep talking about mitochondria Portia: Gets really hype about dances, always ends up fighting at dances Muriel: Puts away all the folding chairs that everyone left behind Lucio: Gets on the intercom to talk shit about the teacher who gave him a D+ on his plagiarized essay

What sports would the characters play? And would they be any good at those sports? Muriel: Any solitary sport. He likes track and shotput. Nadia: Swimming. She isn’t on a team, she just likes the water. Portia: Wrestling. She’s got a few championship belts. Julian: Grandma Devorak forced him to take One Sport in high school, and he chose long-distance running. Asra: Beach volleyball and snowboarding. He’s just there to have a good time. Lucio: Ice hockey, but he spends it mostly punching other players.

what dragons from books/movies/games match each character best, would you say? As for dragons, one of our writers plays Flight Rising obsessively so here’s every character as a Flight Rising breed. Asra: Fae Nadia: Imperial Lucio: Wildclaw Muriel: Guardian Julian: Skydancer Portia: Snapper

What is each character most likely to do with the mc when they're feeling 'unusually affectionate'? Nadia: feed them champagne grapes and engage them in conversation so she can watch them try to talk with their mouth full Asra: stare at them and stop acknowledging anyone or anything else Julian: preen and spoil them to the point of being a public embarrassment Portia: constant cuddly contact Muriel: follow them at a respectable distance Lucio: belt out an aria at the sight of them

What's everyone favorite manga if they read any in this world? Nadia: Rose of Versailles Asra: Yugioh Julian: Blackjack Portia: Ranma ½ Muriel: Hunter x Hunter Lucio: Berserk

how much does faust like all the characters? like, who does she like the most/least? does she like the main character at all? Faust adores the main character almost as much as she loves Asra. But if she had to choose from the rest: Most good smelling: Nadia Most fun to squeeze: Julian Most too big to eat: Muriel Most hard to hide from: Portia Most attackable: Lucio

what kind of drunk is everybody? Nadia: capable, professional drunk on the move. Never in the same room twice Asra: touchy-feely but won’t leave the couch, still somehow manages to catch on fire Julian: morphs into The Storyteller, everyone in earshot ends up caught in a dramatic reenactment of his life story waiting for him to take a breath but he never does Portia: makes 6 new friends in the bathroom line Muriel: moody, talks to no one, keeps taking everybody’s empty bottles out to the trash Lucio: the loudest, the drama, the legend, the first to dip out when the cops show up

Of the Characters: Who tells a dirty joke? Who doesn't understand it? Who is disgusted? Who laughs? Who hides a smile? Who gets annoyed? Lucio: tells a dirty joke Muriel: doesn’t understand it Julian: is disgusted Asra: laughs Portia: hides a smile Nadia: gets annoyed

What are the characters usual reactions when subbing their toes? Nadia: It Does Not Happen Asra: hops it off Julian: hissing, closes his eyes while he savors the pain Portia: (string of curses) “ok………. i’m fine” Muriel: doesn’t notice because his toes are too far away Lucio: shrieks, revenge kicks the wall, shrieks harder

what you think everyones deadly sin would be? the deadly cliches: Nadia - Pride Asra - Lust Julian - Wrath Portia - Envy Muriel - Sloth Lucio - Gluttony

On a scale of good to bad, who sings karaoke? Nadia has a silky voice with impeccable vibrato. But she only sings karaoke alone in the bath. Asra has an airy, intimate voice. He’s the worst at karaoke because he doesn’t even get up off the couch. Julian has very limited singing ability, but he will talk sing the whole way through if he has to. He’s great at duets, somehow. Portia has a throaty, powerful voice. She brings the house down with Heart and Bonnie Tyler ballads, even if she squeaks on the high notes. Muriel has a gravelly grumble that he is convinced is useless for singing and if you hand him the microphone he’ll drop it and go stand in the corner. Lucio has an overdone musical theater voice but he is tone deaf. He will shout out the high notes and power through the rest and if you try to skip his song there will be hell to pay

which social media platform which each character Prefer™ ? Asra - twitter (RTs a lot of memes and shitposts, posts incomprehensible dril-like tweets at 3am) Nadia - instagram (flawless makeup and aesthetic™) Julian - yahoo answers Portia - snapchat Muriel - what is social media Lucio - LinkedIn (you will NEVER stop getting email notifications from him)

what dnd classes would the cast be (like mage, assassin, cleric etc)? Nadia: Paladin Asra: Warlock Julian: Rogue Portia: Bard Muriel: Fighter Lucio: Barbarian

what would each characters spice girl name be Asra: Mystery Spice Nadia: Boss Spice Julian: Suffering Spice Portia: Sassy Spice Muriel: Surly Spice Lucio: Spicy Spice

how complicated is each character's personal hygiene routine? Nadia’s personal hygiene routine: an exact science and takes a practiced team of servants to execute. Julian’s personal hygiene routine: splashing his face 5-7 times and gargling with his famous mint vodka peroxide formula Asra’s personal hygiene routine: sticking his head underwater until he’s awake Portia’s personal hygiene routine: putting her hair in a bun and scrubbing herself with a cloth and bucket down by the frog pond Lucio’s personal hygiene routine: milk and caviar bath every 13 hours Muriel’s personal hygiene routine: standing in the pouring rain

What's everyone's favorite alcoholic drinks? Asra - St Germain, tequila, blue curaçao,  lime juice, hibiscus syrup (serve in a champagne flute or martini glass, garnished with a wildflower or tiny umbrella) Julian - whiskey, Kahlua, Grand Marnier, lemon juice (serve in a highball glass) Nadia - Chambord, white wine, seltzer (serve in a wine glass, chilled or on the rocks) Portia - beer & apple cider with a shot of rum (serve in a lowball glass) Muriel - Baileys, butterscotch schnapps, hot chocolate (serve warm, in your coziest mug) Lucio - Jägermeister & Goldschläger topped with overproof rum (serve as a flaming shot)

what would be each of the characters' favorite genre of music? Asra: Bossa Nova and EDM Nadia: Obscure Opera and Calming beach sounds Julian: 20 minute tracks of Quality Jazz Portia: Reggae and dad rock Muriel: New wave and white noise Lucio: Top 40 and Dark Funky Disco

who would the arcana characters be from mean girls?? Asra: the guy who asked what day it was Nadia: cady Julian: gretchen weiners Portia: janis Lucio: regina george Muriel: damian

Which Hogwarts house would each of the Main Cast belong in? Asra & Julian - Ravenclaw Nadia - Slytherin Portia & Muriel - Hufflepuff Lucio - Gryffindor

What would the characters modern!au job/career of choice be? Lucio owns and manages several nightclubs and has a trashy daytime talk show Asra does really low-budget magic shows at kids’ birthday parties by day, and DJs at one of Lucio’s clubs at night Nadia is the city mayor, an international chess champion, and concert pianist Portia works at Home Depot (used to be a waitress at Red Lobster but the tips were terrible), but she wants to be a zookeeper Julian is a doctor at an underfunded hospital with lots of drama Muriel lives off the grid in a broken-down van in the woods

Just due to mild curiosity what would be the casts favorite musicals? Asra - Legally Blonde: The Musical Nadia - Chicago Julian - Les Mis Muriel - Wicked Portia - Cats! Lucio - Phantom of the Opera / Kinky Boots (it’s a tie)

what cryptid is every character Asra = Chupacabra Julian = Mothman Nadia = Nessie Portia = Loveland Frog Muriel = Bigfoot Lucio = Jersey Devil

how would the game's characters celebrate the MC's birthday with them?? Asra would take them on a long journey without telling them where they were going (but would keep them entertained with riddles) to a scenic oasis, where he would pretend to drown so MC has to dive into the water and at the bottom is a magic flute that can summon a swarm of bees (their favorite!) Nadia would throw a tastefully brief festival in their honor. MC would be lavished with pampering (by professional pamperers) from dawn to dusk and when the clock struck midnight, they would be presented with seven bejeweled eagles (one for every day of the week) Julian would meet them for dinner in a shady tavern, bring them heaping plates of food and offer unsolicited advice for the coming year. About halfway through the meal he would have to scramble out the back door because law enforcement arrived on the scene but he’d put it an order in the kitchen to bring them something for dessert Lucio would declare the day a holiday and call it Day of the Beloved One of Lucio. They would have to sit uncomfortably still while a master artiste painted their portrait and a mile-long line of peasants laid gifts at their feet. Muriel doesn’t celebrate birthdays because time is a human construct Portia would throw a big loud party with a barbecue :D

Since it is soon, what would the characters do for Valentines day with us (the MC)? Nadia would take you on an elegant river cruise stocked with 130 varieties of tiny cake and a private crooner hired to serenade you but she would end up throwing them overboard for not hitting the high notes Asra would take you to the mall and splurge on all the stuff you both can’t afford but wait way too long to get lunch so you get into a fight and he proposes in the food court Julian would show up on the 15th after with all the candy he scored at 75% off, pretend it was on purpose that he got the day wrong, and wake you up at 3 am to come clean because the guilt was eating him alive Muriel would light some scented candles, cook up a sensual meal and throw a bearskin rug in front of the fireplace for you to enjoy alone while he escapes into the woods Portia would pack a picnic of chicken and tortilla chips, take you to the beach where you could splash around until the sun goes down and lull you to sleep on the sandy blanket with her acoustic guitar Lucio would have servants fill your room with floor to ceiling flowers while you sleep and wait impatiently for you to wake up like

Would you roommate with any of the characters? it’s hard to decide, so here are some pros and cons Asra - pro: never home / con: leaves dishes in the sink for weeks Nadia - pro: your home will be spotless / con: it’s spotless because she orders you to clean it for her Julian - pro: medical professional / con: half of your apartment is now this

rate the characters on how #extra they are Muriel: 4/10 Lucio: 13/10 Everyone else: 10/10

Which character could be best described as "tender"?? "Spicy"??? “tender”: Muriel “tender”/“Spicy”: Asra, Portia “Spicy”/”tender”: Julian, Nadia “Spicy”: Lucio

what the favorite Pokemon of all the characters were. Asra - Ekans, Delphox, Espeon Nadia - Noctowl, Gardevoir, Musharna Julian - Absol, Bisharp, Murkrow Portia - Chansey, Politoed, Hoothoot Muriel - Pangoro, Aggron, Wigglytuff Lucio - Houndoom, Pyroar, Skarmory

[radiorenjun]

I just rewatched crazy rich asians and a sudden scenario popped up in my head lol. Can you do a nct dream reaction to you coming from an insanely rich fam but you did not tell them after years of being together (like they thought you were poor) I really like your fics uwuu💗luv youuu🥺

God now this is making me want to watch Crazy Rich Asians. Anyways.

Mark Lee

You both have been dating since your first year in college. The day you told him you were the daughter of one of the most successful people in the country, his jaw dropped. I mean, considering how you live in a small apartment back when you two were in your early years of dating.

He remembers the day your mother decided to visit the two of you to meet Mark for the first time. Your mother was a very famous and inspiring talk show host and your father was the owner of a very well known hospital. You could barely hold back your laughter when you saw him practically try to scoop his jaw back up when he watched your mother walk out of a Tesla X car.

"You're (Y/M/N)'s daughter? One of the richest people in the industry?!" Mark exclaimed exasperatedly a few minutes after your mother left. Your mother had brought over fancy seafood with some rare caviar and 24k gold pieces sprinkled on top for dinner. 'I wanted to make a good first impression' she said with a casual shrug as you all sat at your dining table.

"Uh... I wouldn't consider myself rich, persay" you laughed. "Oh my god, you're the daughter of one of the most famous talk shows in the industry." Mark dramatically collapsed on the couch, his hand came up to cup his mouth dramatically as if he just found out you were secretly an alien disguised as Michael Jackson.

"Oh come on, it's not that of a big deal, Mark." you whined, sitting beside him and shaking his arm. "Chenle is probably richer than me," you added as you placed a peck on his cheek as he sighed. "I guess you're right."

"Can I ask you something, though?" he muttered, leaning his head against yours as you leaned against his shoulder. You hummed in response, moving your hand to play with his fingers. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked in a small voice, a pout evident on his lips.

You pondered for a moment before shrugging, "I don't know, I wanted to tell you at first when we started dating but then I forgot bout it. I rarely call my parents since they're so busy," you smiled sheepishly at him.

"That explains the Rolex watch you gave me for Christmas," he uttered. "Okay, for the record, those were from my own savings!" you shot back defensively with a laugh, smacking his arm gently. "Oh so now you're bragging bout being rich," he teased.

Huang Renjun

You were both planned on going to a an art gallery date Renjun found on the internet for your two year anniversary. What you didn't know was that the gallery he was talking bout was actually one of your grandfather's art gallery. It was safe to say that the poor boy was practically trying to scoop his jaw back up when he saw the owner of the gallery he saw online giving you a big hug.

You were surprised his jaw was still intact with his face when you told him that the owner was your grandfather. He then remembered the time when you told him your grandfather really like to paint alot, hence your magnificent talent that landed you in a scholarship with one of the biggest art colleges in the country.

“So, your grandfather owns like, what, ten galleries all over the country?” Renjun gaped as you walked side by side down the halls filled with paintings after you introduced him to your grandfather. You shrugged sheepishly, staring up at one of the paintings, swinging your intertwined hands as you walked.”Does this mean you’re like rich? Crazy rich?” Renjun added.

“You’re blowing this out of proportion.” You chuckled, watching Renjun give you a blank stare. “I’m not! I’m just in shock that my girlfriend’s family are aristocrats and could end my life in a heartbeat!” he exclaimed, causing you to let out a soft laugh.

“I’m not necessarily rich like that. But I will inherit all this when my grandfather retires.” You shrugged. “Damn, I never thought I’d be dating a billionaire. This seems like an unexpected climax of a really weird movie” he muttered, running his thumb over your knuckles as you giggled.

“We’re not billionaires, you drama queen. Why does it matter to you anyways if my family’s kinda wealthy?” you raised your brow with a teasing grin, making your boyfriend let out a scoff. “It makes me seem like a peasant standing next to you, your highness,” he rolled his eyes in a sardonic tone. You laughed, smacking him lightly on his arm as you gave him a soft peck on his cheek.

“At least you’ll be my peasant.”

“That sounds like you bought me off of an auction for slavery. I didn’t know you were this kinky, Y/N.”

“Don’t make me dump you on our second anniversary in front of my grandfather, Huang.”

Lee Jeno

He really didn’t see this coming. One year and seven months ago, you seem like the average college student joining sororities to not spend as much money, like he did. You seemed like the average broke college student, spending your days eating cheap ramen from the supermarket, making chocolate truffles with a coffee maker and trying out those Buzzfeed videos where they make three full course meals using house hold items.

Hell, even your friends didn’t know bout this. Well, maybe they did. But nothing would prepare Lee Jeno the absolute shock he was bout to feel when he found out that you and your older sibling owned a really fancy five star hotel that seems only celebrities went to. Hell, you even had your own personal presidential suite and an infinity pool!

“How did you even get money to pay for all this?” Jeno gaped as he entered the room, putting his bag on the chair beside the door that looks as if it costed more than his own life. It probably did, though.”Uh...” you bit your lip as you heard a loud booming voice yell out your name.

“Baby sis!”

Jeno’s eyes were wide and filled with surprise as he saw someone who could’ve been mistaken as the president’s child come up and give you a big hug and a pinch on the cheeks. “Is this the Jeno you’ve been talking bout to mom and dad? Quite the charmer, I’d say,” your sibling grinned, as Jeno stretched his hand out and introduced himself, masking his confusion with a light smile.

Jeno politely asked who this person who had their arm slung over your shoulder and pinching your cheeks red, causing your sibling to laugh. “You really went all out with the broke college act to the point you just don’t mention your own family anymore, huh?” they laughed. Jeno was beyond astonished to find out that your parents were extremely loaded that they bought a really expensive hotel for vacation purposes just for you and your relatives to use.

Turns out you had a whole broke college student act to discover a new lifestyle out of the rich and easy one. Plus, you really liked interacting with people, hence why you joined a sorority. Jeno would eventually get over it after you explained everything, still baffled that his girlfriend had the money to pay child support for his great great grandchildren.

“Am I in heaven?” Jeno jokes as he ran his hand over his wet hair, watching you get into the tub with him, holding a fancy cup filled with wine. “Don’t get used to it, Lee. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Tomorrow it’ll be back to making poached salmon in a coffee maker.” You laughed, taking a sip of your wine as you snuggled closer to his chest.

“Good to know, nothing has changed. Despite having a girlfriend that could cover my future descendants expenses.”

“You’re really not letting this go, are you?”

“You can’t blame a man for overthinking. Oh god, the day I’ll be meeting your parents would probably be equivalent to meeting the King and Queen of England.”

Lee Donghyuck

Precious boy would be shocked but not that shocked. You get me?

He’s gonna act all dramatic at first, putting a hand on his chest how you just told him this big thing bout yourself after a year of dating. He found out through a really unexpected meetup with your parents, jaw gaping once he found out that both of your parents are rich ceo’s of really big insurance companies. 

Apparently, your parents decided to pick you up for a small vacation to Paris. Being the extras that they are, they made an extravagant dramatic entrance in your multimillion limo, offering Hyuck a ride home in the process. Lowkey the whole car ride was him just being so speechless that you, yourself was surprised to see your usually goofy and loud boyfriend so silent and speechless.

Low key he felt kinda insecure now that he’s met your parents. What if they don’t like him because they thought he wasn’t good enough to be a part of their family? Or rich enough to even be your boyfriend. Though the light conversation your mother had sparked up eased him, feeling relieved that at least your mom liked him, despite your dad being to busy with work to even spare him a glance instead of looking up from his laptop.

The next time you meet up was on a cafe date three days afterward. “I can’t believe I just met your richass parents.” was the first thing he said to you that day. You cackled at his horrified expression as he stares at you as if he had committed arson, chewing his muffin softly as he spoke.

“Relax you big baby, they like you already. They thought you were nice and polite, and quiet.” that last part sounds so wrong you instantly gulped down your milkshake. “If only they knew how much sorcery you have to make me still date you despite how you act like a worm on a heatstroke.” you shuddered.

He let out a sarcastic laugh in response, shoving what’s left in his pistachio muffin into your mouth to shut you up. You giggled, humming at the taste as your boyfriend chuckled.There was a brief moment of silence as you chewed the rest of his muffin before Donghyuck spoke up.

“I never thought my life would come to the day where I have a girlfriend who has a possible chance of being my Sugar Mommy.”

“LEE DONGHYUCK!”

Na Jaemin

He wouldn't be that surprised, really. Finding out that you’re the daughter of a famous k-drama director was quite unexpected considering he was the casted as the main character of this k-drama meaning he had to work harder to make your dad like him. He was beyond astonished to find you visiting the studio with your mother to celebrate your parent’s anniversary in a really expensive Korean Barbeque restaurant that seems even Lee Sooman couldn’t afford to get in.

After finding out Jaemin was THE Na Jaemin you were dating, your parents invited him to join you and your family for dinner. He was a nervous wreck in front of your parents. Not only they were successful and could get him kicked out of the role in a heartbeat if he didn’t make a good first impression, they were rich too. If he plans to marry you, he’s gonna have to be praying to God that this dinner goes smoothly.

Lowkey the thought of you being rich didn’t faze him that much but he was worried your parents might not approve of him considering he wasn’t as successful as they were. Of course, with the constant habit of bringing him up during family dinners that you had developed, they were quite happy to see such a sweet caring boy had the possibility of being their son-in-law.

Believe me, it was their words, not mine.

“MOM! You can’t say things like that!” you whined, burying your head in your hands as he giggled, his hold on your other hand tightening under the table. “What? You two are already in a committed relationship for fourteen months already, and you’re still in that honeymoon phase, unlike your father here who acts as if I was the bane of his existence.” your mother jokes.

“That’s because you are.” you father teased. “Jaemin is a nice boy, having him as a son in law would be great addition to the family.” he added as your face flushed red even more when you felt Jaemin squeeze your hand. Jaemin had a wide smile displayed on his face, his own cheeks flushed red at your parent’s words.

“Maybe one day,” he smiled to himself as he stared at your whole embarrassed being sitting in front of your millionaire parents.

Zhong Chenle

I need more Chenle gifs. Anyways

Most definitely will plan to buy the whole SM Entertainment with you to prevent mistreatment for his foreign hyungs and dongsaengs. Honestly it’s just gonna be so funny for him to find out that you were from a wealthy family as well. No wonder you could afford the latest Dior bag the moment it got released, and bought him the limited edition of the latest Kingdom Hearts game.

At some point of his life, he thought you were secretly stealing money from the bank or something. He found out when he visited your hometown for the first time for a Summer Tour. He didn’t think he’d be staying at a private mansion-like villa. Of course, you invited the other Dream members to stay over so their manager wouldn’t have to struggle with finding a super expensive hotel with high level security.

From then on, every special event is like a gift-giving competition to see either who bought the most items or the most expensive one to make the other feel guilty.

“No. You didn’t.” you gasped, glaring at your boyfriend who just grinned mischievously, despite the fact that he had bought so much stuff that he doesn’t even remember which gift that was. “I did,” he grinned proudly as he watched you pull out those aesthetic acrylic photos with a spotify link on the top from tiktok. “Dammit, you beat me to it.” you pouted, pulling a shopping bag from your side of gifts to pull out an acrylic stand of the two of you on your first date with your shared playlist link on spotify on it.

“That’s so sweet, y/n. I love it, even thought you practically lost this one.” he grinned cheekily. “Lost?” you raised your brows, questioningly. "Honestly, this feels more of a competition than an endearing moment to remember," you mused.

"Not my fault you spoiled me, it's only fair if I spoil you back." Chenle laughed. "What kind of girlfriend I would be if I didn't spoil my hard working boyfriend?" you grinned, letting out a small giggle afterwards as you pulled out another shopping bag from your side to give to your loving boyfriend.

"A rich one," Haechan muttered as he entered the room.

Park Jisung

The day he found out you were loaded was the day he finally got to sleepover at your house when he got a clear schedule. In your 8 months of dating, you two never got to hang out in your house as you both were too busy with your own things to even have a decent date without instant ramen and 6 other males involved.

He expected you to live in a normal minimalistic house. You've sent him hilarious pictures of yourself posing dramatically in your living room with the caption, 'paint me like one of your French girls' at the bottom. He knew you had some kind of minimalistic house with the beige couch and potted plants in the background.

But the picture on his phone was nothing compared to the reality of what your house actually looked like. He swore the entrance to your house was almost four times larger than his own size, and that's saying something. Poor boy was practically trying to scoop his jaw back up when he saw the gigantic chandelier hovering over the two of you in the living room.

"How are you not scared of being crushed by glorious diamonds every day?" was what he said when you dragged him to your room with his eyes lingering on the gigantic chandelier and your fingers wrapped around his wrist. You laughed, shrugging as you pulled him through the long hallway filled with gigantic frames of you and your family.

When he entered you bedroom, he practically dropped his dufflebag to the floor. "I brought my pillow for nothing then," Jisung gaped as he saw your king-sized bed that could fit three or possibly four people. "Are you sure you're not some aristocrat? You're basically living off of the We Boom era," Jisung chuckled incredulously as he watch you collapse on your bed.

"Excuse me, Mr. Idol At Thirteen. You're way more richer than I am," you giggled as Jisung walked over and slumped on the bed beside you, humming at the fluffiness of your freshly washed sheets. "That's clearly inaccurate, y/n. I feel offended you never told me that you're basically a billionaire," Jisung pouted jokingly.

You rolled your eyes, "shut up, Park. I live off of instant noodles and homemade omelettes, I'm no different from you." you booped Jisung's nose, causing him to scrunch up his face in an adorable manner. He looked up to see the paintings of baby angels on your ceiling, it was like some kind of museum.

"I bet you secretly have 60 credit cards in your wallet." he mumbled to himself, eyes still staring at you in disbelief as you gave him an incredulous expression. "Jisung. I'm not that rich, really." you deadpanned, "you saved me from going broke by refusing my offer to pay on dates." you joked.

Jisung laughed, "watch what you're saying, y/n. I don't think I'm ever paying for our dates ever again after this sleepover," he pointed a finger at you. You rolled your eyes, pushing his finger away from your face as you continued to bask in each others presence.

"Does this mean you're finally gonna let me pay though? I'm ordering pizza."

"Not happening, L/N."

A/n: IM SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG I PROCRASTINATE ALOT IM SORRY THIS WAS SO BAD I-

[readerbookclub]

Hello everyone! It's time for another book list. This list is composed of books where characters have special powers/abilities. Let's dive right in!

Our first novel is the book that inspired this list! It was suggested to me in a survey, and I loved it immediately (thanks to the person behind that suggestion!). This newly released novel is a superhero story about so much more than just super powers. It's about race and what it means to be a young black man:

The Cost of Knowing, by Brittney Morris:

Sixteen-year-old Alex Rufus is trying his best. He tries to be the best employee he can be at the local ice cream shop; the best boyfriend he can be to his amazing girlfriend, Talia; the best protector he can be over his little brother, Isaiah. But as much as Alex tries, he often comes up short. It’s hard to for him to be present when every time he touches an object or person, Alex sees into its future. When he touches a scoop, he has a vision of him using it to scoop ice cream. When he touches his car, he sees it years from now, totaled and underwater. When he touches Talia, he sees them at the precipice of breaking up, and that terrifies him. Alex feels these visions are a curse, distracting him, making him anxious and unable to live an ordinary life. And when Alex touches a photo that gives him a vision of his brother’s imminent death, everything changes. With Alex now in a race against time, death, and circumstances, he and Isaiah must grapple with their past, their future, and what it means to be a young Black man in America in the present.

Our next book approaches the classic super hero story from a different perspective--the villain’s. 

Soon I will Be Invincible, by Austin Grossman

Doctor Impossible—evil genius, diabolical scientist, wannabe world dominator—languishes in a federal detention facility. He's lost his freedom, his girlfriend, and his hidden island fortress. Over the years he's tried to take over the world in every way imaginable: doomsday devices of all varieties (nuclear, thermonuclear, nanotechnological) and mass mind control. He's traveled backwards in time to change history, forward in time to escape it. He's commanded robot armies, insect armies, and dinosaur armies. Fungus army. Army of fish. Of rodents. Alien invasions. All failures. But not this time. This time it's going to be different... Fatale is a rookie superhero on her first day with the Champions, the world's most famous superteam. She's a patchwork woman of skin and chrome, a gleaming technological marvel built to be the next generation of warfare. Filling the void left by a slain former member, Fatale joins a team struggling with a damaged past, trying to come together in the face of unthinkable evil.

For our next book, we take a step back from the world of superheroes. Instead we turn to those who create these much-loved stories:

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon:

Joe Kavalier, a young Jewish artist who has also been trained in the art of Houdini-esque escape, has just smuggled himself out of Nazi-invaded Prague and landed in New York City. His Brooklyn cousin Sammy Clay is looking for a partner to create heroes, stories, and art for the latest novelty to hit America - the comic book. Drawing on their own fears and dreams, Kavalier and Clay create the Escapist, the Monitor, and Luna Moth, inspired by the beautiful Rosa Saks, who will become linked by powerful ties to both men. With exhilarating style and grace, Michael Chabon tells an unforgettable story about American romance and possibility.

In our next book, the character is not a superhero. But she does possess a special ability, a connection to the dead. (To be honest, it’s really hard to find standalone superhero books, so we had to switch it up a bit!)

Elatsoe, by Darcie Little Badger

Imagine an America very similar to our own. It’s got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream. There are some differences. This America been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day. Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.

Being a super hero is cool and all, but most of us aren’t. Sometimes, you’re just a normal kid, living a normal life. That’s what our last book explores:

The Rest of Us Just Live Here, by Patrick Ness

What if you aren’t the Chosen One? The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death? What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again. Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life. Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions...

Please vote here!

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[stretchjournalemerson]

We Are, We Aren't

By Connor Gibson

02:51 PM

Dirty piles of slush litter the ground of the Public Garden. The ice on the pond is melting in the sun. Kids scoop up the last traces of snow, melted and hardened and melted into chunks of ice, to throw at each other. The Garden is full of people, tourists and natives alike taking advantage of the 42-degree weather— which, for a Boston February, is “warm”. I’m bundled in my wool coat and hat; others’ Patriots tees show under unzipped hoodies. The blindingly white neck of my Tatte shirt peeks out above my scarf. As always, I’m running early, but I speed-walk anyway.

Google tells me that Back Bay, the neighborhood home to the Tatte where I work, is one of the wealthiest places in the Boston area. It tells me that the bay on which the neighborhood sits was drained in the 1800s, uncovering foul-smelling fens and swamps. Developers poured cement on top of it and chopped it up into rectangles. There’s something there, some cute metaphor comparing designer stores atop a concrete-covered swamp to glossing over the issue of gentrification in favor of a new Sweetgreen.

I’ll write about that later, I think. I exit the Garden at Newbury and Arlington and cross the street. A high-cheekboned model, face blown up to the size of my entire body, peers down at me from the Burberry store window. Her eyelashes are lowered seductively under her huge sunglasses. Excuse me, I hear in my head. A posh British accent. Excuse me, why are you looking at me? I look away.

Letters barrage me as I turn onto Boylston. MK MK MK MK on clutches and purses. Chanel on a storefront. HOMELESS VETERAN PLEASE HELP GOD BLESS, scrawled on torn cardboard with a marker.

I walk into Tatte and take off my coat. VIBE CHECKER blares at me from the temperature gun, neon pink Sharpie on white.

Sarah, the mid manager, points the VIBE CHECKER at my forehead.

How’s my vibe? I ask.

She chuckles. Fine. Symptoms?

All of ‘em, at once.

Go grab an apron and we can talk about the new dinner menu. Her sweatshirt says BREAKFAST SANDWICH. I know that our BREAKFAST SANDWICH sweatshirts retail for $35. I wonder which Michael Kors clutch goes best with a BREAKFAST SANDWICH sweatshirt.

I step into Tatte Connor with his pristine white shirt and bandana and sickly sweet voice— a voice both Connor and not Connor, a voice that is mine and isn’t. Tatte Connor doesn’t create witty metaphors about systemic problems, he fires off meaningless platitudes: I like your outfit, cold out there, isn’t it? I know, I don’t know how I don’t eat them all. He grabs an apron, clocks in, and listens intently as Sarah explains chraimeh sauce.

03:14 PM

I’m at the register today, standing in one place for over five hours. It means hi, welcome in! to everyone who enters. It means my voice will stay in its customer service pitch for long after I leave, and when I walk around a person at Target while picking up yogurt that night, I will automatically announce BEHIND! and scare the shit out of them.

A woman walks in, several shopping bags swinging from her arms. Hi, welcome in! She nods acknowledgement. She wants a medium latte, almond milk and vanilla. We only have a small and a large. She asks to see the large. She’s fine with a large.

I take her phone number. All right! Will that be all for you? And would you like to leave a tip today?

She would not. She announces this so happily that I’m forced to match her tone. All right! I hope it sounds authentic. She takes her card.

I do NOT need a receipt, she proclaims, and walks out the door, bags bumping against the doorframe. The bags are massive, stiff, and glossy. They look expensive, down to the heavy serif font. My stained apron feels incredibly out of place. I wonder if it would be stupid to go get a new apron.

Caleb, the barista, waves his hand. He’s made my drink— it’s on the bar. I nod and ring up three more people before I get enough of a break to go grab it. He’s written my name on the cup and drawn little hearts for the O’s. My heart swells. I take half a sip, and then someone else walks in the door. Hi, welcome in!

03:32 PM

It’s a full-on late-lunch rush. The morning shift has just left, and the crowd hits us in the middle of a change. I’ve been moved off register and over to expo, where I’m doing three people’s jobs at once. Picking up? Todd? Would you mind waiting outside for a few minutes? Hi, Doordash? Do you need a menu? Take care! Thank you so much. Hi, welcome in!

A couple enters. They wear matching black puffy jackets with faux fur hoods and matching black sunglasses, similar in size and shape to the glasses on the Burberry model. They don’t remove their hoods or their sunglasses when they step inside. Picking up? Favio? I hand them their drinks. They are not happy.

You should be more thoughtful of your customers, I am told. It’s cold outside, and you shouldn’t keep people waiting. You need to be thinking about that.

I’m so sorry, sir.

I am reprimanded.

You need to move faster,

I’m sorry, sir. We’re doing our best.

I am told that maybe, that is not good enough, eh? And Favio and his girlfriend leave.

Have a good one! Take care! I imagine labels on their backs, as bold and shiny as the ones on their jackets and sunglasses: ASSHOLES.

03:42 PM

I am back on the register. The late-lunch rush has died down. In eighteen minutes, dinner will open up, and we’ll get slammed again— but for now I get to rest. I stack pistachio croissants in a delicate, buttery pyramid, coating my gloves with green dust and oil. Once I’m pretty sure they won’t fall, I head back to the register to count my tips.

Most people tip, but off-handedly, trying not to sound eager or generous. Sure, throw a dollar on there— “there” being a $12 sandwich. I wonder what kind of life they lead where dollars are something they throw. I notice that those thrown dollars never fall into the HOMELESS VETERAN’s plastic cup.

05:08 PM

An older woman enters and beelines for the Grab-and-Go case. She wears a brightly patterned scarf over her hair and carries an enormous H&M bag, full to bursting. She swings the bag onto one shoulder and holds up a small container of chicken salad. How much is it?, she asks. Maybe six or seven dollars, I reply.

She is surprised that I don’t know the exact price. She asks, don’t you work here? She asks, again, how much it is.

Give me one minute to check. It is seven dollars.

She complains that nobody here ever knows anything. She explains to me that it’s just one item, and you should know how much it costs. She tells me, I asked a girl a similar question, just the other day, and she didn’t know either.

I’m sorry about that. Will that be all?

She doesn’t want anything else, and pays with cash. She counts what I give back to her. She drops the chicken salad in her H&M bag, and then she leaves.

Have a great day! In my mind, I replace the H&M on her bag with BOOMER.

I remind myself that I am not an idiot, and that I deal with a lot, all day, and that I am good at my job. I remind myself that I am a human who makes mistakes. I remind myself to smile.

Another woman walks into the store. Hi, welcome in!

06:26 PM

I’m back from break, during which I inhaled a breakfast sandwich and submitted two

discussion posts on my phone. Apparently we have only made $96 so far from the dinner menu. The store is dark. Half of the patio is empty, and the people walking by, bundled up in winter coats, lean against the wind.

I’m sent over to the pass to bag food while my coworker Ayad takes his break. The dinner items come with a side salad and a little bag of pistachio cranberry cookies. Between orders, I stuff napkins into sandwich bags and draw hearts with a Sharpie on the cookie bags. I think of the people receiving them, in brownstones around Boston, living alone, living with girlfriends, living with husbands, living with tiny yappy dogs.

A woman comes in. I walk over to the register. Her hair is dark, curly, and pulled back in a tight ponytail. She carries a WHOLE FOODS canvas bag. She reminds me of my mother. She’s been thinking about getting a challah all day, but now she’s not so sure about the challah versus the pain de mie, and do I have a suggestion for her?

I bake challah at home, I say, but our challah is delicious.

She asks excitedly what recipe I use— I use Smitten Kitchen’s fig and sea salt challah, without the figs. I can’t find another good recipe for just one challah. She uses the New York Times recipe, makes two and freezes one. Smart, I say.

She decides on the pain de mie. She asks how long I’ve been making challah.

When I was at home, I made it every Friday since the start of the pandemic. I wanted to do that here, but I live alone and I can’t eat that much bread.

She’s sure my friends would be glad to eat it, and I agree. I ring up the pain de mie and an orange juice, and she tucks them into her WHOLE FOODS bag. Happy baking, she tells me, and leaves, pulling her hood up to block the wind.

08:32 PM

The close went quickly. Caleb, Ayad, and I walk out the door. Our manager stays behind, counting money, shutting everything down for the night. Lights flick off one by one. The wind bites my skin and whips my hair off my forehead. I button up my coat. Caleb and Ayad walk down the steps of the Arlington stop, waving goodbye, and I start the cold walk home.

Google tells me that the drought of the summer of 2016 brought many Back Bay buildings dangerously close to rotting and crumbling. Their foundations sit on man-made land, supported by wooden pilings. The drought brought the water table close to the pilings, putting them at risk for decay.

There’s something there, something about how the tiniest bit of stress can expose the problems lurking below a neighborhood so put-together and pristine on the surface. I’ll write about that later, I think.

It’s hard to put how I feel right now into words. I feel homesick. I feel happy. I feel tired. I want to collapse onto my sofa and pass out. I want to eat way too much cheesecake. I want to feel, just for a few minutes, like the people I welcome into Tatte.

I want to roll out dough on the dining room table, showing my mother how much it’s risen when she walks through the door with a WHOLE FOODS canvas bag full of groceries. I want to keep talking about bread. I want to work at a job where everyone who comes in asks me about recipes; where nobody plops their Chanel bags on the counter, knocking dinner menus left and right while digging in their MK MK MK clutch for their platinum VISA; where Favio and his girlfriend realize that the people bringing them their soy macchiatos are people; where older women understand that I have to remember three thousand things a day and sometimes none of those things are the price of chicken salad. I want to thank the New York Times Challah Lady for making my day a little less shit and reminding me why I even.

I could work at Starbucks, or Caffe Nero, or JAHO Coffee Roaster & Wine Bar. Sometimes, when people take their masks off inside to snap pictures of them biting into donuts for their Instagrams, I think about working at Target.

Then I bring home a whole cake, or I get handed a free iced latte with my name written on the top and little hearts drawn around it, or I talk about Boston winters with a customer excited to learn I’ve also moved from the Bay Area. I strike up a conversation with a man waiting for the restroom— he wants to know about the history of Tatte in Boston, and I tell him what I can.

I pet a very small dog. I hand the last almond croissant to a woman who tells me she is overjoyed that we have one left. She tells me that she stops by after work every day to try and buy an almond croissant. More often than not, we’re sold out.

I’m happy I could get you one today, I say, and I mean it.

I want to think that Back Bay is this woman— Almond Croissant Woman— or the New York Times Challah Lady. At times I think Back Bay is Favio and his girlfriend, MK MK MK clutches, $7 chicken salads, the Burberry model’s poster-sized glare. I want to think these things, but I know that Back Bay is none of them.

I know that Tatte Back Bay is just a coffee shop. I want to call it a microcosm of humanity, a shiny white petri dish for me to peer into. I want to claim that I know these people, that Favio and his girlfriend are selfish assholes, that the boomer really does value chicken salad over basic kindness and gratitude. I want to slap labels on them, thick-serif RICH KID, glossy embossed DADDY’S MONEY, CHALLAH LADY (GOOD PERSON?) in cursive scrawl. The truth is that I don’t know them, and I will never know them. Maybe Favio and his girlfriend were fighting that day. Maybe the boomer’s husband had just died. Maybe Challah Lady ran over a cat with her Subaru on the way home. Maybe maybe maybe.

Google tells me that Back Bay has a population of 16,427. The median age of those people is 35.3 years. Over nine thousand of them are white-collar workers. Their average household income is over $127k. Most of them are women. Most of them walk to work.

Google doesn’t tell me what challah recipe they use. It doesn’t tell me whether they feed the cookies that come with their cod in chraimeh sauce to their small, yappy dogs. It doesn’t tell me whether they notice the hearts I drew on their bags, or whether they smile before throwing those bags away.

We are what we say to customer service workers, and we aren’t. We are our jobs, our genders, our hobbies, our incomes, and we aren’t. We are the hi, welcome in and the thanks, take care and all the other facades we present to people, and we aren’t.

I walk up the steps of my apartment building, unlock and open the door, then close it behind me. Tatte Connor— the Connor I am and am not— stays out in the cold, perched on a wooden patio chair, shivering in his perfectly white work shirt: ready for me to step into him tomorrow.

Acknowledgements:

My inspiration for this essay came from working at Tatte and getting to know, through the lens of customer service, the people of Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. As anybody who has ever worked in customer service will know, working with people is the best and worst part of the job. I’ve had some truly frustrating interactions, and I’ve also met some people that brightened up the rest of my day. When I’ve been on my feet for five hours, maintaining a customer service persona, and dealing with everything else that customer service entails, it’s easy to assign labels to people and make snap judgements about them based on a one-minute interaction.

My goal for this essay was to go deeper than that. The assignment that prompted this essay was to compose a profile, creating— in the words of my WR 121 E47 professor Stephen Shane— a “dominant impression that captures the complexity of your subject”. While I wanted to profile the people of Back Bay, I’m aware that I will never be able to understand their complexity through these tiny snapshots, and I tried to convey that struggle in this essay. I’d like to thank Prof. Shane for assigning this essay, and I’d like to thank the customers of Tatte Back Bay for their inspiration.

[wildflowerhigh]

Second Time Around (c.h.) | Part 4

Read part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8

Summary: Sure, Harper is just a friend to Calum, right?

Word Count: 1.7K

A/N: Sorry I posted late! I finished writing this ages ago, I just forgot that yesterday was Friday and forgot to post. I’m just extremely stupid lol hope y’all like this one!

---

“Do any of you wanna come with me to the café?” Ashton asked, looking around the room. Calum’s hand shot up from his position on the couch, and he pulled himself up, after setting his acoustic guitar down. He had been stuck in the studio the whole night finishing up a song, and he really needed to get out.

Ashton and him walked into the café, just like they had five months ago when they had run into Harper; Calum mused about how much had happened since then. He certainly wasn’t expecting to see Harper once again, sitting at the exact same table, in an almost deja-vu like moment. She waved at them with a smile on her face, her phone in her other hand.

Calum stopped dead in his tracks, while Ashton waved back at her. “What is she doing here?”

“Oh, we meet here almost everyday. She’s normally here at the same time to eat breakfast,” Ashton replied.

Calum stood there, taken aback. Michael’s berating had left him with a lot to think about, but as of now she was just a friend. He finally waved at her, after way too long a pause, and walked over to join her.

“Good morning!” she said cheerfully, and Calum greeted her as well, taking the seat opposite her. Ashton was placing the coffee order at the counter. “How’s the album coming along?”

“Pretty good actually,” he said, voice rough from lack of sleep. She seemed to notice, and frowned slightly, but before she could ask, Ashton joined them, steering the conversation in a different direction.

The three friends sat there for quite a while, chatting away about their previous day, Calum occasionally leaning over to eat out of Harper’s breakfast, before she informed them that she had to get to work, and left. He and Ashton went back to the studio, a smile stretched across his face.

The next day, Calum jumped to his feet as soon as Ashton entered the studio. “Are you going to the café?”

“Yeah, I am.” Ashton set down his phone and started to remove his jacket. He waved at the producer sitting at the controls. “Just as soon as I finish recording a bit.” Calum looked down anxiously at his watch- it was close to the same time as yesterday, when they had gone to the café.

“Let’s go now,” he said, moving to stop Ashton as he walked to the recording booth. Ashton looked at him, puzzled.

“Why are you so desperate to go? You normally never come.”

Calum paused, his mind running a mile a minute. “I just… really want some coffee right now.”

Ashton’s eyes narrowed suspiciously at his friend, but agreed. They told the producer, who had watched the whole interaction with amusement, that they would be back in some time, and left for the café.

The minute they entered the small roadside café, Calum’s eyes scanned for Harper, and spotted her at the same table, digging into a plate of pancakes in front of her.

“Get me a vanilla latte, will you?” he muttered to Ashton, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. Harper looked up from her breakfast and waved at the two boys, and Calum grinned and went to join her, leaving Ashton to place the order.

“Could have at least paid for it,” Ashton grumbled, noticing how the two old friends talked, mesmerized with each other.

And just like that, going to the café became a daily routine. Calum said that he needed his ‘daily dose of coffee’, but most of the days never bought anything, unless Ashton got something for him.

On one of those days, when they were walking towards the café, both their phones pinged simultaneously- Harper had messaged them, informing them she couldn’t make it that day because of a meeting. Calum just stood there, scratching his head, confused about what to do next.

“We could still go get coffee, I mean, that’s what you came for everyday, right?” Ashton mocked.

Calum noticed his tone, and pushed past him, rolling his eyes. “Asshole,” he muttered, making Ashton laugh. They walked the rest of the distance to the café, and ordered their respective drinks. Calum looked back wistfully at the table where Harper might have been sitting if she had come that day.

He definitely wasn’t gonna admit to Ashton (or to himself) that the real reason he came to the café everyday was for Harper. But the intense disappointment that came over him told him that he couldn’t live in denial for much longer.

---

Calum fixed his blonde hair and pulled on his leather jacket, just as he heard the doorbell ring. He opened the door to a grinning Harper, Ashton and Kaykay.

“We’re going bowling!” Harper declared, and Ashton hooted. She sang the same phrase repeatedly, with continuous whoops from the redhead, and the two danced around each other.

“They’ve been doing this the whole time,” Kaykay said, and Calum chuckled. He grabbed his phone and keys, and stepped out and locked the door. Harper and Ashton’s little singsong and dance finally came to an end.

“Where are the others?” Calum asked.

“They’re coming there directly,” Ashton replied. They all walked down to Ashton’s car, and made their way to the mall.

The bowling plan had been made after Sierra had randomly mentioned to Luke that she had never actually been bowling before, and everyone came to the same conclusion that she had to be introduced to the game once and for all. They also figured that it would be nice to all go out together after so long, and so planned an outing to the mall.

“How good is your bowling?” Calum asked Harper, as they stood next to each other, putting on their bowling shoes.

“Best of the best, baby,” she said, smirking, and Calum’s heart beat a little faster.

“There’s no way you’re better than me,” he challenged, and her smirk grew bigger.

“You’re on, Hood.”

The group occupied two alleys due to their size, and Harper and Calum dominated their respective alleys, having the highest scores.

“This is so much fun, guys, I’m so glad we came today,” Sierra commented, and the group murmured in agreement. But Calum was only focused on Harper- well, on beating Harper. Sports always brought out his competitive side, a characteristic leftover from his footballing days.

“Let’s up the stakes, Calum,” Harper said, apparently also not responding to Sierra’s statement.

“Ooohhh,” Luke said. “Wait, what’s happening?”

“I think they’re having a face-off,” Michael stated.

“Damn right we are!” Calum exclaimed, slamming the bench dramatically and coming to his feet. When he was at the peak of his game, he fed off the attention. “What do you suggest?”

“Ten frames each. Highest score wins. Loser buys everyone ice cream.”

“That’s not exactly high stakes, is it?” Ashton remarked.

“I’m not bringing money into this, Ash,” Harper replied, glaring at him.

“Well, technically-”

“ICE CREAM!” She shook her hand threateningly at Ashton, and he raised his hand in surrender, stifling a laugh. She turned her attention back to Calum, who was tapping his fingers against the bowling ball he had picked up. Why he had an adrenaline rush from a simple game like bowling, he couldn’t understand. Could it be because he was playing against Harper? “Take it or leave it, Calum,” she continued.

“Taking it. Let’s do this.” He smirked, and grabbed a bowling ball.

The next half hour was intense. The others saw by and watched as the two competitors played, both of them getting strikes in a row. “Not bad, Romano,” he commented, when she was gearing up to play her ninth frame, and she flipped him off, making everyone laugh. Seeing the look of concentration on her face, with her eyes squinting at the pins, biting subtly into her lip, Calum could barely resist the smile that threatened to break onto his face; she looked adorable.

She expertly bowled another strike, turning around and bowing as the pins clattered behind her. Everyone cheered, and Calum stood up for his turn. Passing her as he moved to take her position, she wiggled her eyebrows at him, and smiled the smile that made his insides get all jumbled up. He felt like he was floating on air when he stepped up to bowl- and consequently, knocked down only three pins.

His friends gasped at his play, including Harper, who looked at him in shock. Still fazed by his mistake, Calum played again, still managing to knock down only four pins. He sat down, still confused by what had happened. He never got distracted like this. Harper glanced at him warily, but scored another strike, getting her the highest possible score.

By the time his last turn came around, Calum had cleared his head, and bowled a strike; but it was too late, because he was already behind on points. Harper had won.

---

Calum paid for the ice cream, and thanked the server, before grabbing his cup off the counter. Surprisingly but thankfully, they hadn’t run into any fans at the bowling alley or the ice cream shop, so the whole group ate their ice cream, loud and content. Harper slid up behind him and tapped on his shoulder, and he turned around to face her.

“Good game, that was,” she said, and he nodded. He opened his mouth to speak, but she continued speaking. “I know you let me win.”

“What?”

“You were playing so well, then you fuck up in the last round and lose? No way. Don’t know what weird male ego thing this is, but-” She pulled out a 20 dollar bill and handed it to him. “Here. For the ice cream.”

“Well, first of all, have a little more faith in your skills,” he said, taking a lick of his pistachio ice cream. “Second of all, I got distracted, that’s why I lost.” He pushed away her hand holding the bill. “You won fair and square.”

She scanned his face dubiously, before pocketing the money. “What did you get distracted by?” she questioned.

“Just… something.” He shook his head, and spooned out a little of her chocolate ice cream. “Yours tastes so much better, ugh.”

She laughed, her eyes shining bright at him, and Calum got the same feeling at the pit of his stomach as he had at the alley. Nothing to get distracted from this time, though.

---

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[twistednuns]

December 2019

Maxim calling out of the blue, inviting me to the Mine concert later that month.

Stumbling upon great inspiration for plant-based buddha bowls.

@shitgothssay memes.

Zotter salted caramel chocolate.

Finding out about the fact that you can just add the letter A to some words to transform them into adjectives. Like aglitter or aglow and aglisten.

Ayurvedic Kapha tea with some black tea, honey and milk. Sonnentor Gute Laune tea. Green tea with toasted coconut.

Isana shower oil. Works wonders for dry skin. Such a smooth and creamy texture. Great for shaving, too.

Winning the pub quiz - again! I played with Maggie, Dennis, Daniel and Steffen (Team name: Three geese in a trenchcoat) and we won 178€. However, the best thing about this was when I finally solved the anagram after thinking about it for 10 minutes. It was Greta Thunberg! Winning is lovely, of course, but solving the anagram is already a personal win for me each time.

Tuesdays. Coming home early, sleeping it off.

Being super rested after a nap, cooking a huge pot of veggie stew and my ratatouille signature recipe, even preparing a batch of butter bean hummus and salad dressing. Listening to folk music, singing along, even dancing at some point. Standing there, peeling the potatos… Happy moment.

Signature manicure. Always. This time: bluish iridescent lilac with the obligatory black dot.

A personal realisation. I’ve been massively out of touch with myself. I’ve stopped journaling, stopped doing things for myself because they’re beneficial and not because they’re convenient and numb everything. And why is that a good thing? Well, only being at this point and realising what’s wrong with me makes it possible to do something against it. To come up a self-care plan. To make myself feel better.

Semi-deleting Facebook.

Spending time with Manu for the first time in three months. Watching a documentary about black holes and a cheesy Christmas movie. Ordering south Indian food, cuddling up in bed. Sometimes I don’t know why I keep isolation myself. Being around people can be really lovely and soothing if you can be yourself around them. It’s just that I often feel the presence of other living beings drains my energy.

The best massage I ever had. From now on I’ll always request Yaya as my massage therapist. She is SICK. Strong, merciless, forces me into weird poses and makes my back crack.

Also: the chocolate-filled mint hard candy they hand out at the massage studio. I used to hate mint-infused chocolate but somehow I think these are delicious. Perfect after-torture-treat.

Persimmons. Obsessed.

My eye colour in artificial light. A dark moss green with caramel-coloured speckles and a dark rim.

The National playing a 2-hour-long concert and including some of my favourite songs from the High Violet album. Fangirling with Anika.

The smell of cold. You know, that whiff of cool air you get when you’re sniffing a jacket that’s been hanging on the balcony for a few hours to air out.

Learning more about Claire Saffitz from this article - she likes arts and crafts, is a homebody and has degrees in history and literature! She basically enrolled in culinary school because she was bored after graduation. She’s an enigma of a quirky kind. Not brilliant and scattered, but determined and aimless. Not brave and rebellious, but anxious and creative. She hates change yet pursues it, wants order but trades in chaos. She’s loved because she hates stuff; performs well because she can’t perform. And above all, she’s aggressively regular—and something about this makes the crowd go wild.

Fresh laundry smell on my blankets and pillows. And my new gravity blanket. It weighs 11kg which feels crazy heavy when you carry it but the weight evenly distributes over the body when you’re lying down. Apparently the pressure triggers the release of stress hormones. So far I’m sleeping like a baby and I don’t seem to wake up or move much at night.

Stephanie Madewell. I love everything she writes, her blog is such a godsend of beautiful, important, eclectic ideas. One thing I especially like are her imaginary outfits.

Princess Margaret’s limerick contest with President Lyndon B. Johnson in The Crown. Pure comedy. “There was a young lady from Dallas / who used a dynamite stick as a phallus / they found her vagina in North Carolina / and her asshole in Buckingham Palace.”

Little pieces of string in the corners of a duvet cover. It’s the first time I’ve seen those. So practical for big blankets!

Mental health days. I needed this. So much. Mornings in bed, reading for hours. Drinking a whole pot of tea.

Partner yoga. Chanting the closing mantra together.

Making vegan energy balls for my brother. I adapted the recipe and made my own versions so I ended up with a batch of pistachio/cherry and mango/sesame.

Freaking out whenever I see a cute cat. Damn, I really need to spend more time with animals. My highlight: breakfast in bed, watching a video of an adorable cat giving birth. I cried. Yup.

Going swimming for the first time in, man, I don’t even know. Forever. I didn’t swim for a long time, maybe half an hour, but muscle memory kicked in immediately. Water is totally my element. And, as if it had been destiny: I chose the day they cut the hanging plants in the main hall and the guy gave me a variety of five different cuttings to take home!! He made me a very happy girl.

The ink blue sky right after sunset. / The morning after the full moon in Gemini (the moon still bright and huge, visible in the bluish-grey Western sky). / When the sun suddenly comes out after a very dark and gloomy morning.

Buying a new phone. The old one was broken beyond repair. I even got a nice cork protective case. How could I ever live without an uncracked screen? The battery now actually lasts for more than a day. Nice.

Odd bits of knowledge: A galanthophile is an enthusiastic collector and identifier of snowdrop (Galanthus) species and cultivars. (Wikipedia) // Scientists theorize the Universe might have cracks in it: long thin boundaries that formed as space cooled after the Big Bang. 95 billion lightyears long and a few femtometers thin, these wrinkles in space-time would hold enough energy to bend light and destroy entire planets. (PHD comics) // the word to bloviate (German meaning: schwafeln, langatmig vortragen) // In Japan we have three rituals: HANAMI, TSUKIMI, and YUKIMI. HANAMI is watching the flowers. TSUKIMI is watching the moon, YUKIMI is watching the snow. It’s a beautiful tradition when you invite people to watch with you. I remember them all. (Yoko Ono) // In linguistics, prosody is concerned with those elements of speech that are not individual phonetic segments (vowels and consonants) but are properties of syllables and larger units of speech, including linguistic functions such as intonation, tone, stress, and rhythm. Such elements are known as suprasegmentals. Prosody may reflect various features of the speaker or the utterance: the emotional state of the speaker; the form of the utterance (statement, question, or command); the presence of irony or sarcasm; emphasis, contrast, and focus. It may otherwise reflect other elements of language that may not be encoded by grammar or by choice of vocabulary. (Wikipedia) //

I know I mention this a lot but the first olfactory whiff of a freshly cut open passion fruit is one of the best smells I know.

When my breakfast tastes like a candy bar. Which it immediately does whenever I add almond butter and cocoa nibs to porridge.

Yoga at home on a sunny Saturday afternoon. I’m often too lazy to get out my yoga mat but whenever I do afterwards I’m always so glad I practiced. Also: going to yoga class despite being extremely stressed out. It actually helped me silence some of these tormenting thoughts in my head.

Cutting my own hair. It’s kinda ridiculous and layered but I love the new bounce.

Michael Nyman - Musique à grande vitesse x // feels like it makes my pulse quicker, it’s urging and forceful.

My adventures in psychedelia - an article about the therapeutic effect of psychoactive drugs. I’m going to get Michael Pollan’s book about the topic from the library next week. So interesting.

People who are still writing letters.

My pupils. I realised that some of them have become very fine people. Open, compassionate, motivated, interested, bright, polite. Like the students who attended our first school magazine meeting in their spare time - on the last school day before the Christmas holidays - and had all these amazing ideas. Victor, being able to hold a conversation like an adult. Marks cuddling that dog in front of the supermarket. My tenth-graders being really reasonable, managable, easy to talk to.

Liza Weil’s role as Shy Baldwin’s bass player in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It took me three episodes to recognize her.

A little embroidery set. I love keeping my hands busy when I’m watching movies.

Making vegan walnut lebkuchen and a very good batch of crisp bread in one go.

Roast apples with candied almonds and marzipan for Christmas dinner. Some buckwheat chocolate cookies. Actually helping out my mum in the kitchen.

Sitting at the piano with my brother, singing tunes from our childhood series, Disney songs, pop songs… We both had sore throats afterwards.

Visiting Sash’s parents over Christmas. Her mum cooked a pretty great lunch and we played board games.

Learning how to make a monkey fist knot.

Finding a new spot I like in my apartment. The chair right next to the window at the kitchen table. It’s nice and warm because you can sit beside the heater and while you have breakfast or browse through a cookbook you can see what’s going on outside.

Seeing the incredible gobelins at Kunsthalle / Fäden der Moderne exhibition. I loved the Le Corbusier ones.

Visiting Manu at his parents' place. Playing board games together, his mum feeding me with parsley potatoes and a weird _bird's milk_ dessert. Lying on the sofa, watching old movies. It's weirdly nice to be part of a normal family dynamic once in a while.

Andre saving my New Year’s Eve at the very last minute. Out of the blue he suggested a trip to Czech Republic right after midnight the day before. I was like… okay, let’s do this! So I met up with him and three people I had never met before in Regensburg and we drove to Český Krumlov, checked into our fancy hotel and walked down to the city centre. Czech food for dinner, a band playing at the city square. We climbed up to the castle for the turn of the year. This must have been the first year that started out with a proper New Year’s kiss. Afterwards we went to a weird music bar and - apparently - one of the best clubs in the country. I had a lot of fun. Even though getting Andre home was quite a challenge.

[vipclifford]

Don’t Let The Colours Fade To Grey

Warnings: mentions of death

Red was the colour of your dress the night he met you. The party had been going on for hours, hours spent downing shots in hopes that the next one would give Luke the confidence to approach you. Dancing amidst the flashing lights seemed to be your element, hypnotising the tipsy guitarist with ease. Rosy were the colour of his cheeks when he asked you to dance. You happily complied, wrapping your arms around his neck while his shaky hands found your hips. The ruby heels on your feet guided him to the rhythm of the music that blasted through the room. Luke blamed his borderline drunkenness for struggling to keep up with your moves, the scarlet colour in his cheeks spreading to his neck and ears in embarrassment. Your wine coloured lips pressed against his in an eager kiss, trying to distract the man from his inability to dance. Kisses at every carmine stoplight you encountered on the drive to his home kept the fiery heat pulsing through your veins, blood full of lust and excitement. Burgundy lipstick stains scattered his neck, matching his velvet shirt. The same shirt you delicately unbuttoned while straddling his lap. Red was the colour of your dress that laid discarded on Luke’s bedroom floor.

Orange was the colour of the sky the evening he asked you to be his. You had spent the day walking around Los Angeles, neither wanting the date to end. The golden sun was setting, casting over you a soft amber glow that made you look so ethereal Luke just couldn’t help but ask. “Only if you buy me another ice lolly,” you joked, gingerly pressing a kiss to his lips. Happy fingers laced with yours, dragging you to the closest ice cream stand to buy the requested tangerine popsicle while you chuckled behind him. That sound was enough to get Luke’s heart racing. You kissed the stupid boy with the silly smile who dropped to one knee before you, popsicle in his hand. The same silly smile that stayed on your face for weeks. Being teased by the boys for his actions that day were worth it whenever he held you against his chest, How I Met Your Mother softly playing in the background. Pumpkin nails traced his jaw softly, loving the feeling of Luke’s stubble against your skin. He asked you to paint his nails too. You spent the next ten minutes carefully coating them persimmon “so we’d match,” Luke excitedly pointed out. Orange was the colour of the blanket he wrapped you up in when you fell asleep against his body.

Yellow was the colour of the flowers you tucked into each other’s hair. Unwanted buttercups and dandelions from his garden. A sudden “I love you” left his lips as you held a buttercup underneath his chin, pretending to see whether or not he liked butter. You looked up at the blonde in surprise but smiled softly, telling Luke the three words he longed to hear from you. His smile radiated sunshine. Large hands grabbed your cheeks before he kissed your lips passionately. A glass of lemonade was thrown at you both, Michael snickering from his seat as he yelled to “get a room!” This prompted the blonde to chase the guitarist, his backyard erupting into laughter the second Michael got pushed into the pool. His hand tugged at your wrist to spin you into Luke’s chest, romantic lyrics spilling from his lips as he serenaded you in the sunlight. You giggled as he tried to guide you in a dance, wrapping your arms around his canary shirt. “I love you,” you told the golden boy once more. He ducked his head to capture your lips, loving the taste of sweet lemonade. Loving you.

Green was the colour of the jungles and rainforests Luke had flown you out to see in Thailand. You marvelled at the tall trees from the pool, letting the sunlight kiss your skin. A lime cocktail was handed your way and you smiled gratefully at your boyfriend. He held onto your chartreuse air bed so neither of you would float away from each other, your hand resting on top of his. This was the perfect two year anniversary trip. You talked for hours about everything and anything, Green Day playing in the background. Luke loved watching you when you weren’t looking, finding beauty even when you simply sipped on green tea. He loved when you wore his seaweed shirt barely buttoned up. Luke especially loved when you both found yourselves in the forest attempting to climb up a moss-covered tree. That’s when you couldn’t stop laughing at how silly you two were being, and he knew then and there that he would do anything to keep you that happy forever. Sunrises at the beach after a night of drinking, wrapped up in a pistachio towel, became his favourite way to spend time with you.

Blue was the colour of the two lines shown on the stick. You stared down at it with shaky hands, not expecting a positive result. Luke’s cerulean irises clouded with confusion at your anxious frame when you stepped into the living room. The pregnancy test was pushed across the ultramarine sofa and into his hands, carefully analysing his reaction. His smile was so bright as he engulfed you in his arms, loving and excited words settling down your nerves. Soft fingers found their way beneath your navy hoodie, which was once Luke’s, excited for the next stage of your lives. You’d never seen Luke look happier than when you cut a slice of the cake together, revealing a sapphire interior. Names were pondered on for hours as you painted the spare room together like the sky. Your baby’s room. Feeling the baby kick against his palm for the first time filled his heart with intense joy. He really was going to become a father. The navy box in his pocket grew heavier as the months ticked by, but he never asked to secure your love for him. Your love was blue like the ocean, deep and powerful. The azure dress you wore darkened as your water suddenly broke in the streets. Luke drove you to the hospital, excitement and fear pulsing through his turquoise veins. It was finally happening.

Violet was the colour of the blanket Lily was wrapped up in. Luke looked down at his surprise of a daughter who slept peacefully against his chest. Everyone was shocked when the baby you delivered wasn’t in fact a boy, but a sweet little girl. Luke’s heart managed to swell as he held Lily in his arms for the first time, his bundle of joy loving the softness of his grape jumper. You pressed a tired kiss to his cheek, leaving a mauve lipstick stain on his skin. Lily grew so quickly in a year that Luke’s head was unable to catch up with his little princess. She wobbled over to her father, dropping heathers she’d ripped from the bushes on his lap before jumping into his outstretched arms. Luke hugged the girl in the lilac fairy costume she refused to ever take off, glittery wings and all. You loved watching your little family interact as you munched on raspberry jam sandwiches. The moonlight gave the silver diamond ring an amethyst glow the night Luke finally decided to propose. “Marry me, Baby. Let me make you the happiest woman alive.” You cried tears of joy as you hugged the man close, your lavender perfume consuming his senses. Violet was the theme of your wedding.

Black was the colour of the casket that stood elegantly in the front of the room Luke struggled to walk into. The darkest of clouds fell over the city, dropping the worst storm he’d ever seen. Pathetic fallacy, he thought. His black suit brought tears to his eyes, remembering how breathtaking you looked in your ivory dress the last time Luke dressed up. He cried when he saw his two-year-old wearing a black dress. The short eulogy he wrote was cut short by broken sobs as he fell against the marble tiles on the ground. He stayed there for minutes that felt like hours, much like when he heard the news of your death in the hospital ward. He watched how the colours faded to grey within a second as he held his baby close, inconsolable cries coming from the empty man. Lily tried to cheer her dad up with hugs and saying the few words she knew, knowing that this always brought a smile to her father’s face. “Mama,” she said eventually, making Luke cry harder. He was grateful for the hands that took the toddler away from him arms. Black was the colour of the darkness he was left in now that you were gone.

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[bananashemmo]

#297: You’re Admitted To The Hospital

A/N: 

So hey, it’s been a while! I’ve been in and out from the hospital for the last months after a surgery I had in my foot. As a few of you know, I fractured my foot four different places last year and I couldn’t get it operated until now which means I’m currently on crutches and not allowed to walk. It’s been a hell of a ride for me visiting it so often and the Ashton one is very important to me. It’s literally the goodbye between my boyfriend and I as he had to leave at night when I was admitted. 

Read When We Collide here //  Find my Masterlist here  

Luke:

“What do I do if I can’t walk? Should I just stay in a wheelchair for a whole day? Not to mention going to the toilet? Do I need assistance for that?” The questions flied from your lips within seconds. Your mind almost couldn’t keep along but it was just as confused as the rest of you. Things had been going so fast you could barely keep along with it. Everything from the second you fell down the stairs over Luke’s old sports bag packed for a trip to the gym and to the point where the ambulance had picked you up. You tried to convince him at first, it wasn’t something huge. But as time progressed and your knee had turned into the size of a grapefruit you started to question it. Luke, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate at all but kept to his previous statement. There was no need of staying home when you were in a condition like this. You looked at him with his crossed arms over his chest and a smirk smeared on his lips. “You don’t have to worry about anything. They said that things are okay, your knee is feeling better and all you need is to make sure it gets plenty of rest and not much of the walking.” “So what you’re saying is my destiny is to be in a wheelchair?” You asked with wide eyes, looking up at Luke as he had tried to explain himself. Luke looked down at his feet a little confused, his mind trying to come up with something that didn’t argument against his previous sentence. “I’m sure you will get some crutches to use but for now as long as we wait for the last results we just have to use the wheelchair okay? I promise you I will drive safety and nothing is going to happen.” Luke made sure to add pressure on the last bit of the sentence, wanting you to feet as secure as possible. It was a bit of a thing to put your life into someone else. Or maybe that was a bit overdramatic. “Just promise me you won’t drive into something that hits my knee.” You mumbled and he nodded his head in agreement. “Of course.” He sat next to you on the hospital with a smile. You nodded your head and leaned back into the pillow that didn’t even have a case on it. You looked at him as he moved hair away from your face and caressed your cheek. "How come you be so calm?" You leaned your head to the side. "Because even though I'm shitting inside I'm not the one who's actually suffering. So if you don't feel like the brave one I will instead." You looked at him as if it was the sweetest thing he could possibly say. Leaning your head against his chest you sighed heavily, feeling the urge to hug the life out of him because that was how you knew you would recover the best.  

Calum:

“I can’t walk out like this.” Your statement made Calum stop in track from pulling socks over the handles of the wheelchair. His hair had fallen in front of his eyes during the process and he looked up at you a bit confused. “What do you mean?” He leaned his head to the side and stopped from what he was doing. You looked down in your lap with a shy expression and shrugged your shoulder. You didn’t know what to properly say, you didn’t feel there was an excuse for it. You had been stuck to the bed since the second you had been rolled into your private hospital room. The pains had been covered by the pills and you could stand up almost without problems. But it was like no matter what complications came in the way. Not that it had something to do with your surgery or anything, it was just you who messed up everything in your mind. At first you had been bawling your eyes out explaining to Cal that you regretted everything. But as he had mentioned you would have died of appendicitis if the doctors didn’t do anything. And if it wasn’t because of the pains from the surgery it was because of the large scar that was left on your stomach. Everything just seemed like a big blur and now also the fact that he had suggested you needed a walk even if it had to be in a wheelchair. At first it sounded like a great idea but as he had wrapped it up in a blanket from home and a pillow you couldn’t help but feel sad instead. “I-, I just feel like an old lady at a nursing home who can't take care of herself... I feel like it's humiliating." Calum looked carefully as you explained and took your hands to lead you over to the wheelchair. "Listen..." He carefully whispered and caressed your fingers. "This is a hospital... Nobody will look down at you for not being able to handle yourself right now. It's how it is and I promise you the second you are able to do normal stuff again we will." You blinked twice trying to get the tears away and leaned into his hand when it came up to touch your cheek. "But we also need to look at the bright side. And since we have this Y/N mobilo we should use it and go for a walk." You had to give him, he was truly the best convincer ever. You nodded your head carefully and sat down onto the blanket that he had decorated and looked up at him. "Good. I love you and don't ever think just because you're disable for a day I will leave you." He opened the door to the hospital room and started to roll you out. At least trying his best to avoid knocking you into the door frame. "Now let's go invade this hotel like we're at a shopping mall."

Michael:

“You should avoid hot liquids for the next couple of days. I suggest you eat cool simple things such like ice cream. Not something major and don’t expect to not throw up because your neck is going through changes and need more cells to fix your wounds.” You nodded your head repeatedly, trying to keep up with everything the nurse was telling you even though it was going through a fast pace. She had a whole list of rules that she needed to go through with you, not that she expected much because your head was still feeling light from waking up. The surgery had gone pretty well, you had even gotten the chance to see what your tonsils looked like out of your throat. Calum was standing next to you with a question sign on his face. As Michael had left to do some business he was your only watcher and tried to keep up with the things just like you. “Weight loss is very common as well but don’t panic. Once your throat isn’t sore anymore and your hunger comes back you will gain the lost weight eventually.” You nodded your head again, sincerely hoping that Calum was the one taking mental notes. “I think that is it. You will be able to walk home later today when you’re feeling 100% better. I will check on you within the next hour.” The nurse walked out of the room and suddenly gave you both peace. You looked up at Calum with wide eyes, having the exact same expression as him. “Well, that was certainly a lot to remember.” He mumbled and looked at his phone to see Michael had texted. “You don’t say,” You leaned your head. “Is it Mike? Is he coming back?” “Yeah.” Calum responded with a puzzled look on his face. You wanted to ask what the reason for his sudden expression was but it was pretty explained once the door to the hospital room opened. Inside came Michael, with a large smile on his face and also a huge bag filled with ice cream. "What is this?" You asked confused and watched him as he kissed your forehead as hello. "The nurse I spoke to in the hallway said lots of ice cream," He explained and showed you, "So I literally bought everything you can possibly get. "hazelnut, pistachio, chocolate, strawberry, and I also found this one with peanuts but I guess that will just be me and Cal eating this." You couldn't help but smile wide by his words and that was the first time throughout the pain. "Thank you so much Michael... You didn't have to do this." He shrugged his shoulder and smiled down at you lovingly. He would fly all the way to Italy just to make sure you would get the best ice cream he could find. Giving out the spoons you already dug yours into the hazelnut one, letting Cal and Michael share the peanut one.

Ashton: 

You looked up at the clock with tears cornering in your eyes and a devastated expression on your face. You had kept your head high. Since 9 AM this morning you had made sure to show nothing else but excess, not wanting to show that there was a sad side to getting a surgery. You had been doing so well since getting your foot operated. By the help of crutches you had even been at the toilet twice during the day. Ashton had been sitting by your side determined not to go anywhere. It was like he was glued to the chair, but not with the happy expression he usually wore. It was filled with many emotions at once, mostly mixing between trying not to cry and not to break. He wanted to be the bigger one, he knew you were indeed the one who was suffering but deep down he couldn’t keep it in. You had been staring at the clock for god knows how many times, praising inside of your head that it wasn’t 9 PM yet and visitor time was over. You had been going through anesthesia, antibiotics in venflon and countless of morphine and painkillers but nothing could compare to this exact moment. “I cant-, I can’t get myself to do it.” Ashton’s voice was shaky, just like his breathing. He was standing with his jacket over his arm, torn between keeping up with the rules and just wanting to sit right back in the horrible chair he had been glued to all day. “You know you have to.” You had been crying heavily the last two hours. You just couldn’t stop. As the night was passing on you didn’t think any of this was funny anymore. But you had to stay here for the night, you needed the extra oxygen and antibiotics to make sure the wounds would heal probably with no infections. "How can somebody do this? How can somebody just leave their loved ones alone at the hospital?" "Everything else needs sleep. We can't just wake up the rest of the hospital." You knew it wasn't the right reason and to be honest you didn't even want to sound at your own words. You looked at each other knowing that it had to be done so you held your breath carefully. "I love you." He whispered and kissed you softly on your lips. "I love you too, Ashton." You ran a hand through his hair. He bit down on his lip as he moved away, both wanting to look at you but also wanting to look at the floor. You watched as he walked towards the door that was hidden behind a wall and once just the sight of him was gone you broke down. It was a loud sob that filled the quiet room and Ashton had barely gotten out of the door before he stormed right back to you. "I can't do this." He sat down on the bed again and held you close as you cried. "I can't and will not leave you like this."

[artemistsukiko]

Sun 4/24/22

Bacon egg & cheese from Starbucks, ¾ green tea lemonade with raspberry

Some popcorn and Dr. Pepper

2-3 tteokbokki, some tonkatsu & cabbage slaw, 3-4 rice balls, bite of spicy ramen, 3.5 shots soju (peach & grape), 2 pieces cantaloupe, 2 cherry tomatoes, 3-4 fries, 1 grape

Starbucks, saw third Fantastic Beasts movie, got Korean food, karaoke

—

Mon 4/25/22

Some honey butter chips, leftover Starbucks tea with 11.5oz Arizona

Leftovers from Cheesecake Factory with some Chick-fil-A sauce

5 Dots candy

Black sugar milk tea Choco Pie

Sargento cheese & cracker snacks

Mac n cheese with peas & mashed up meatballs

Meds & supplements - adaptogenic mushrooms, digestive enzymes, magnesium, moody bird, multivitamin, rhodiola, sertraline, shatavari, veggie omega

16.9oz Coke

Stretched a little, finished Beastars S2, looked for travel toiletries, picked out clothes for trip, mostly packed, put away some clothes

—

Tues 4/26/22

4 rainbow cookies, some pea snacks

Small Dove dark chocolate, 11.5oz Arizona

Sip watermelon Mountain Dew, large tater tots, ⅓ philly cheesesteak, ¾ small oreo shake, ¼ large Coke with cranberry flavour

Meds & supplements - digestive enzymes, moody bird, multivitamin, sertraline

Beastars fanfic, newest episode of Spy x Family, watched old episodes of Face Off, saw Daniel after he passed his exam 🥳🥳🥳, went to Target to buy him shorts & Sonic

—

Wed 4/27/22

Small bite of pistachio muffin, a few honey butter chips, the rest of my cran Coke from yesterday, chocolate chip Little Bites

A little rice & beans with chicken & carrots

Meds & supplements - adaptogenic mushrooms, digestive enzymes, magnesium, moody bird, multivitamin, rhodiola, sertraline, shatavari, veggie omega

3 handfuls Reese's pieces, 11.5oz Arizona

Repacked and packed more stuff, helped make chicken, talked to Yoel & Tom, got super anxious in the shower, cried a lot

—

Thurs 4/28/22

4 Milano cookies, 11.5oz Arizona

Half package miso ramen with half a soft boiled egg, quarter of a turkey/tomato/pickle sandwich

16.9oz Coke, sip of water, ~1 handful Reese's pieces

Hot dog with mustard, ketchup, and wheat bread

Meds & supplements - adaptogenic mushrooms, digestive enzymes, magnesium, moody bird, multivitamin, rhodiola, sertraline, shatavari, veggie omega

2 slices American cheese, some Doritos, mini peanut Hershey and mini dark Hershey, ~5oz Fiji water

Didn't go to VT, visited Yoel

—

Fri 4/29/22

Cup of coffee with almond milk creamer

5 taquitos with ranch & honey mustard, ~5oz Fiji water, rest of the honey chips

Bagel with butter

11.5oz Arizona

Some fries with ketchup, ~8oz Coke

Meds & supplements - digestive enzymes, moody bird, multivitamin, sertraline

First 2 episodes of Dance Dance Danseur, had a bad headache, watched a bunch of Bob's Burgers, talked to Yoel, washed the bathroom, vacuumed, refreshed my hair dye and deep conditioned

—

Sat 4/30/22

Half peanut butter & jelly sandwich

~8oz Coke, 2 sips black coffee 😖

Three steamed pork buns, scallion pancake, some bok choy, passion fruit ice tea, half glass water

~Half 11.5oz Arizona, 1 Taiwanese pork bun

Meds & supplements - digestive enzymes, moody bird, multivitamin, sertraline

Went to Michael's, Daniel got tiny bottles to bring to Hawaii, got dim sum with him/Yoel/Chelsea, watched one episode of Science Fell in Love, put Say I Love You on in the background, 👀

[tsgaustintexas]

Friendsgiving with The Austin Artisan & S’more Volume 7 Members

Last weekend we kicked off the holiday season right with The Austin Artisan by hosting a Friendsgiving dinner party that we’ll remember for years to come. We tapped our amazing local businesses featured in Volume 7 and the results speak for themselves - the evening was effortless and beyond beautiful, if we do say so ourselves!

Photography by Shelby Bella

Chef + Owner of The Austin Artisan, Michael Wards & TSG Austin Editor + Owner, Leigh Ann Kalman

The Main Event

The night would not have happened without The Austin Artisan. From his initial planning to the flawless execution of a four-course meal, Chef Michael Wards made planning and prepping for our large group seamless. Prior to our event, The Austin Artisan team came out to my house to discuss the menu and to conduct a kitchen walk-thru to ensure a smooth night. Hours before guests were to arrive, he & his team swooped in and turned my kitchen into a true chef’s kitchen. They brought all of their own pots & pans, knives & supplies and at the end of the night, they left it cleaner than they found it. The sweetest servers - Brittany and Seti - helped put the finishing touches on our tablescape, from folding napkins to placing menus, silverware + more. 

To say my guests were shocked to see me sipping champagne (with dried and styled hair, no less) would be an understatement. Without the help of The Austin Artisan, I’m usually tornado-ing around the house, lighting candles, prepping cocktails and trying to finish my makeup. It’s not a pretty sight... 

The perfect backyard setting

Our backyard has been a 4-year process that we’ve done in phases and the project has finally been completed and we are over the moon about it. We’ve had some amazing people help us turn it into the ideal hosting destination, but by far - the biggest transformation was installing LawnPop Artifical Turf. We are obsessed. Like, yell it from the mountaintops obsessed. Owner, Tanner Shepard, and his team are truly the best in the business and every single person that steps foot in our backyard asks A) do we love it (duh!) and B) if it’s a good idea for dogs (100%!). We’ll be sharing more on that transformation soon - but in the meantime, reach out and get a quote. You will not be disappointed.

photographic evidence that I was ready to go *before* my guests arrived!

The tabletop collaboration of my dreams

Premiere Events’ rentals anchored the decor with a really fun black & white gingham tablecloth, which I paired with black chivari chairs & some super luxe velvet napkins. I added in some gold flatware & smoke-colored glassware, but kept the rest of the details clean and simple with these plates, bowls and wine glasses.

Paper Place did the most amazing job with the menus. Wherever Suzy Ranney (Owner of Paper Place) leads us, I follow. They are always so spot on and this project was no exception. I originally thought I wanted separate place cards, but they suggested incorporating the name card into the menu - genius! It looked so sweet and it was the perfect detail to make my guests feel special. Oh, and the raw edge detail on the menus was such an elegant look. As a special little treat, we included a recipe from Chef Wards on the backside of the menu (for his most delicious turnip gratin). Everyone was beyond impressed!

Photo by TSG Austin

Gracious Garlands’ 10’ft spregeri thread did an amazing job of tying the table together and making the design feel fuller. When it was just the black, white & orange, I was starting to second guess my vision. The greenery added some depth and all of the Halloween vibes instantly disappeared. We also had two matching wreaths hanging on our patio doors to tie it all together. The garlands arrived on Thursday, packaged perfectly and with a little fluffing - they were ready to go! Per Owner, Elle Worsham’s advice, we added in loads of candles and it was instant ambiance!

House of Margot Blair made the most fabulous ‘voluptuous minis’ - the biggest of her Margot Mini arrangements. Owner & Creative Director, Carly Blair, created the most beautiful fall floral arrangement that perfectly tied our festive table together. Pro Tip: She told me to place the arrangements facing opposite directions to show off all the different angles! It’s been almost a week and those beauties are still thriving and they make me smile every time I walk past them. She has some fun holiday happenings up her sleeve - including a workshop on the horizon (tomorrow!) and a special sale planned for Black Friday (subscribers only). Be sure to sign-up for her newsletter to stay in the know.

A menu fit for foodies 

There were three savory courses and it just got better and better. Everyone was blown away by the presentation, flavors and service. I truly can’t say enough good things about Chef Wards and his team! 

Hors d’oeurves

Red Snapper Crudo. Puffed Red Quinoa. Fresno Chile. Chile Oil. Tiger Milk. Citrus. 

Short Rib Tostada. Black Garlic Aioli. KimChi Slaw. Petite Celery. 

Brown Butter. Sourdough Crouton. Aged Cheddar. House-Made Fig Preserves. Pistachio Crumble. 

Course One

Cauliflower Bisque. Sunchoke Chips.

Garlic & Rosemary Oil. Cracker. Olive Varietals & Petite Herbs

Course Two

Carbonara with Fresh Linguine. Guanciale Lardons. 68° Egg.

Parmigiano Reggiano & Black Pepper

Course Three

Seared Petite Filet. Radish. Turnip Gratin. Field Greens. Cabernet Demi-Glace

 Course Four

Gourmet s’mores from Fluff Meringues & More around the campfire

Speaking of course four, Fluff Meringues & More ended the meal with a bang! Owner, Kristin Collins, has created the most indulgent and gourmet s’mores. If you’re dining in, you can roast your mallows over a small flame at your table. Or if you’re taking them to go, you can grab these over-the-top cute s’mores kits. We had a platter of homemade graham crackers and an assortment of dark + milk chocolate - which fun fact: they are melted down to size to guarantee the perfect ratios for each and every bite. The ‘mallows were the real star of the show - vanilla, chocolate and mint. I can assure you everyone indulged and had the signature s’more-sticky hands to prove it.

A few more fun details…

When you book your holiday dinner party with The Austin Artisan, be sure to use the promo code ‘LetsParty’ when you book & they’ll bring some of their signature bubbles to kick off your dinner party with a champagne toast! This offer is only good for events in December and just a few spots remain, so jump on it! It was such a special treat & the perfect way to greet everyone that walked through the door! Plus, it was the best excuse to use these beautiful crystal coups that my grandmother-in-law sent over from the UK.

We are fully obsessed with Fluff Meringues’ newest holiday candles. There are two scents, and as a self-proclaimed candle connoisseur, both are perfection. I went with ‘Jackson,’ a smokey birchwood + pine-scented candle because it gives me all the holiday feels. I also love that these candles are made in partnership with another amazing local business, Benjamin Soap Company.

If you think Cholula was left out of this soiree, think again! It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with my dog & I had to make sure she matched the decor with a black & white gingham bandana. She was such a good girl all night until she ate an entire s’mores kit the next day!! Don’t worry, she’s fine and very pleased with herself. Judging by this picture of her and my sister-in-law, I should have seen it coming…

Now that we’re back in 80-degree temps, it’s hard to believe that we were dining in 50-degree weather last weekend. Because of the chill, we called in the help of gas heaters to keep our guests toasty. As someone who can’t pass up a theme, I created a cheeky “Warming Station,” classed up with Leontine Linens’ cocktail napkins (thanks for the intro, The Scout Guide New Orleans!). My friends + family found it absolutely hilarious (and essential). Not one of the throw blankets I had inside for my guests were used - mission accomplished.

Cheers! Until next time... 

[newshirtonlines-blog]

Freddy Krueger Leatherface Michael Myers Jason Voorhees Slashers shirt

Freddy Krueger Leatherface Michael Myers Jason Voorhees Slashers shirt

  Carry-on luggage has Freddy Krueger Leatherface Michael Myers Jason Voorhees Slashers shirt . against all odds, become the ultimate status symbol. Just take those ultra-trendy Rimowa four-wheelers. Bella stepped out on her way to the airport in New York City last month with the Off-White x Rimowa collaboration trailing behind her, making the literal case for luggage as luxury item.Now, though, Lil Uzi Vert is (also!) making the case for a very different, yet just as covetable carry-on. While the Rimowa is an ultra-slick take on the conventional hard-case, Uzi’s bag of choice is much more unusual: a candy-striped, square Versace purse from the colorful and geometric Spring 2019 collection. In classic Uzi fashion Freddy Krueger Leatherface Michael Myers Jason Voorhees Slashers shirt, hoodie, sweater, longsleeve and ladies t-shirt

Freddy Krueger Leatherface Michael Myers Jason Voorhees Slashers Classic Ladies

Freddy Krueger Leatherface Michael Myers Jason Voorhees Slashers Hoodie

Freddy Krueger Leatherface Michael Myers Jason Voorhees Slashers LongSleeve

Freddy Krueger Leatherface Michael Myers Jason Voorhees Slashers Sweatshirt

Freddy Krueger Leatherface Michael Myers Jason Voorhees Slashers Unisex He proved himself a brand loyalist, wearing Versace all-over Freddy Krueger Leatherface Michael Myers Jason Voorhees Slashers Tshirt . He kept the rest of his outfit comparatively simple, though, choosing a gold-embroidered white sweatsuit to really let the pistachio green and pale yellow box shine. And while the 3-dimensional Medusa head case that enveloped his phone threatened to outshine the rest, it really is that carry-on that will have all fashion die-hards drooling.Retail is dead; long live retail! Parsing the headlines on the current state of shopping is a confusing game. One day you hear millennials are only shopping online; the next, they want experiential IRL pop-ups. On the runway the sneaker hype is over; on the street it’s still very much alive. How do you know what to believe? The varying perspectives and opposing statistics have led retailers large and small to rethink their strategies with varying degrees of success.The takeaway is that there isn’t a straightforward formula for “winning retail” in 2019; what works for one store (or website) won’t necessarily translate for another. It all comes down to the brand, the customer, the city, and about a dozen other factors. In New York in particular, the brick-and-mortar landscape is pretty extreme: You have your global luxury brands and high-street chains occupying massive spaces on Broadway and Fifth Avenue, then the small, transient pop-ups by small or digital-first brands that can’t abide the overhead of a “real” store. There are exceptions to the rule, of course, most notably Aimé Leon Dore, the five-year-old New York menswear label that just opened a spacious shop-slash-cafe on Mulberry Street. Despite being something of a cult brand for menswear editors and in-the-know guys around the world, ALD was a mystery to this frequent Nolita shopper—and to most of my Vogue colleagues, too. You Can See More Product: https://newshirtonline.com/product-category/trending/ Read the full article

[40countriesbefore40-blog]

Vegas Quickie

48 hours in Las Vegas were filled with work and fun. We managed to eat at Rick Moonen’s RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay and the chef himself stopped by our table to say hello towards the end of our meal. I drank the Devil Went Down to Manhattan (and then couldn’t stop singing the Devil Went Down to Georgia), and ate a half dozen oysters (the sampler) and a golden beet and goat cheese salad with a delicious pistachio cream.

After dinner, we saw Michael Jackson ONE which was absolutely fantastic. I went in with no expectations because the Beatles LOVE was my top choice but our wonderful hotel hooked us up with Cirque tickets and that’s what we were given. I would pay to see it again. The acts, choreography, performance were simply amazing. I’ve never smiled, clapped, and danced my way through a show like I have that one. Go see it! Highly recommended.

Bright and early the next morning, I woke up and worked from 6:30-12. There was a 90 minute break in there to dash out to the Tmobile store for a new phone since I’d broken mine that morning by dropping it - it smashed into the hotel bed frame. Then once we were cut loose for the afternoon, my original plan was to work out and nap before our banquet that evening. Instead, I was convinced to join my other three coworkers at the pool for lunch and sunshine. I had not brought a swimsuit, so I wore a dress out there and my friends ordered me lunch and a rum runner to start (love them). Then after I ate, I decided to don a sports bra and borrow a pair of my jean shorts and join them for the rest of the afternoon. We had so much fun and I’m glad I changed my plans. 

I left enough time for a quick workout, a relaxing bath and facemask before getting ready for that evening’s banquet (photos with the showgirls above and our “ugly” faces) and made my way downstairs. The banquet was business as usual but afterwards, my coworkers/friends and I celebrated in the casino. I watched as they gambled - I don’t like to lose money and this was not my first time in Vegas. I called it a night and went back to my room at the Red Rock Casino, Resort, and Spa and at 12:30 since I had a 10 am flight. 

The Red Rock is not on the strip, but the hotel itself is quite nice, is extremely large and the rooms are spacious. The property is nice and has a large pool, a spa, fitness center, large casino, everything you’d expect from a Las Vegas hotel but not on the strip. 

[xertasadventures]

Orlando Weekend Trip

I know I haven’t posted in a while. It’s been very busy for me as of late and I haven’t had a chance to finish the blogs for my Cebu trip. I will hopefully get back to that vacation soon, but while I have this moment at the Orlando Airport I figured I’d take the time to write out my trip here since it’s probably one of the best, yet short, vacations I’ve ever taken.

Before I detail out what happened, let me first explain how this trip came about. Initially, I wasn’t supposed to go to Orlando at all at this time. Having done a trip in the Philippines for two and a half weeks and also wanting to save up for other “planned” trips throughout the year I figured I’d wait until I’d have a “major” trip (major implying it would cost me more than the usual). Jaymie on the other hand was planning to come down to Orlando with her family with their primary purpose for coming at this time was for the Star Wars Celebration, which is concluding as I write this post. Her brother and parents were going to spend the Saturday (aka yesterday) at the convention while she was going to go spend the day by herself at a theme park.

Not wanting her to go around a theme park by herself (#paranoidboyfriend) and also getting a decent bonus this year, I figured I would go fly down to Orlando to spend that day with her, especially since some of our previous plans had to be pushed back due to her pursuing her master’s degree.

So here I am... or rather, here I was flying down to Orlando. I used some of my IHG rewards points to help keep the costs of the room down at the Holiday Inn in Disney Springs, ten minutes away walking distance from the Disney Springs area. I booked a flight with delta since I have skymiles with them and to also help earn miles for any future trips (especially trips to the Philippines since they are partnered with Korean Air). Initially I was just going to use uber and take mass transit while here in Orlando, but at the last minute my Dad convinced me to rent a car, especially since I turned 25 so rates for me shouldn’t be that bad. I booked a car with Alamo and was ready for my trip to Orlando.

On Friday I woke up a little late seeing as the night before was a raid night (which, sidenote, was a piece of crap because I didn’t get squat from the two bosses I really needed items from > . >). But i managed to get ready and get all that I needed for my trip. I didn’t want to check in any bags considering that I’d have to pay for any checked bags (don’t have the credit card to bypass that, yet...) so I had to keep it to mostly clothes - I figured I could buy the travel sized toiletries at a Walgreens here anyway.

Once I was ready to go, I met my Dad downstairs and drove him and myself to the airport. Since I wasn’t going to drive Xerah (yes, that’s the name of my civic, don’t judge me = 3 =) this weekend I figured I’d take her to the airport and just have my Dad drive her back home. Traffic to JFK wasn’t terrible. It was actually better than I anticipated, so I got there at a reasonable time. After saying goodbye to my Dad I headed to the kiosk to reprint my boarding pass just in case and then headed through security with no issues. Once I found my gate I pretty much just chilled there until my flight was ready to board, catching up on 13 Reasons Why (a good series, would highly recommend btw).

The flight itself was full. I was kinda worried I’d be forced to volunteer my seat but lo and behold, this wasn’t United, so I was pretty safe. Weather was spectacular at both NYC and Orlando so no delays due to weather either. I had an aisle seat and sat next to a woman who kept to herself. While on the airplane, I continued watching 13 Reasons Why and before I knew it, I landed in Orlando!

Pretty sure this is the first time I’ve been in the Orlando airport. If I have been here earlier, I was probably a wee little chlid because I don’t remember being here at all. The airport looks and feels a little smaller than JFK and also looks a little less... modern I guess? Still, at least they had the AC going. After leaving the secure area I made my way to the rental car area and waited on line before getting my car. Initially they told me I was going to drive a Chevy Cruze, which would be cool since that was one of the other cars I was considering instead of the civic. But I ended up renting out a Ford Focus, which was still cool because that car was also another one I was considering XD. It was a hatchback model (eh) but it was still pretty cool, though up til I left it here I still don’t know what half of the buttons on that car did LOL.

After getting my car I used Google maps on my phone to drive to the Holiday Inn in Disney Springs. There was a lot of traffic on the way so it took me about 45 minutes to reach my hotel, but once I arrived, check in was a breeze - they even offered to “upgrade” my room since I was early, giving me the same setup but with a -view of the fireworks... which would’ve been cool if I wasn’t going to be out during the fireworks XD Still, it was nice of them to do this for me, and the room itself wasn’t bad. Pretty spacious non-smoking king bed room with a couch and a nice bathroom. The locking latch was a little weird but other than that no complaints.

Not wanting to waste time just staying in the room and anxious to explore, I changed out of my jeans and into some shorts and walked to Disney Springs. It really was only a ten minute walk and once I got there I wanted to see if I could find a place that sold a lobster roll or a crab roll. The sandwich, not the sushi = 3 = It was Good Friday after all, so no meat. However, after walking the length of Disney Springs and not finding anything like that, I ended up just eating a pizza at Wolfgang Puck’s Express. Yes, I am/was carb backloading, but it was also a vacation - LET ME LIVE = 3 =.

After eating my late lunch (ate around 3pm) I decided to look around to see if there was anything else I wanted. I found a gelato shop and got a scoop of pistachio gelato and a scoop of cookie gelato and finished that up while walking around Disney Springs. It was in that moment that I realized that I really liked Orlando and already started making retirement plans in my heard for this place, but we’ll see how that turns out lol

However, my time at Disney Springs would be cut short as I really had to use the bathroom. So I rushed back to my hotel room and after relieving myself I chilled in my room waiting for Jaymie and her family to arrive. I also had to go to get my toiletries so I took the car to a nearby walgreens to get said toiletries and also ended up getting three cases of purified water for Jaymie’s family, since they said it was cheaper to get that and they would just pay me back later. They then offered to let me go to their resort and eat a “pre-dinner” with them, so I drove to Disney’s Pop Century Resort and chilled with Jaymie and her family in the resort’s cafeteria. It’s a pretty cool place because they had a lot of selections and you could buy this cup that’s free refills for the duration of your stay.

After having a pre-dinner, we brought up the water bottles to their room and then I drove us to Disney Springs where we would eat dinner at Paddlefish. It was pretty packed and since Jaymie’s brother, Michael, has an allergy to fish and shellfish, we had to eat outside so that he wouldn’t be choking on the smells. I ordered scallops, which is kinda funny because it came with brussel sprouts and I actually enjoyed eating the brussel sprouts more than the scallops because the scallops were so freaking salty! But it was a good dinner regardless and after we ate we walked around Disney Springs before I drove them back to their resort to drop them off then headed back to my hotel to rest up for the following day.

Oh boy. Saturday. Saturday was busy AF but at least it didn’t start as early/bad as it did for Jaymie’s family. I woke up, got ready, then went to meet Jaymie at her resort to eat breakfast. After eating breakfast, she and I headed to epcot and because she was staying in a resort she had free parking so I parked in the Epcot lot which was awesome - no relying on shitty bus schedules or shady uber drivers :D We then headed to Epcot but we were running late for our first activity - the Test Track. So we fast walked to that and once we got to the gate in time we took our sweet-ass time walking down the line.

Test Track is probably one of my favorite attractions in all of Disney World. The idea is that you design a car and then you ride a “simulation” of it. No, it’s not a vr thing, though that would be cool. It’s a pre determined track with a bunch of pre-determined events before getting to the main part, which is the power test. For this part, the ride goes as fast as it cans on a pseudo track, reaching a speed above 60 miles per hour (I have a theory that the speed is the average of all the cars created by the people in the actual car). I ended up designing the fastest car so when the scores were tallied up, I had the highest power of all the cars :D

After the Test Track, we decided to go to get some pictures with Baymax. When we got to the Baymax photo spot, we also saw they had one for Joy and Sadness from Inside Out, which we would go to later. After waiting for about thirty minutes and then getting our pics with Baymax, we went to Spaceship Earth since that was our next fast pass. For the uninformed, it’s a slow ride that takes you through a brief history of humanity on Earth. The theme of Epcot is human innovation so that was also a part of this ride.

We still had some time before our lunch reservation at the Coral Reef Restaurant so we figured we’d wait in line to take pictures with Joy and Sadness. They were more interactive than Baymax, but all three of them reacted to the shirt Jaymie was wearing - it was a Teeturtle shirt that showed Batman, Ironman, and Thor jealous of Baymax because Baymax was a bigger hero than the three of them XD. It was cool that they were pointing out Jaymie’s shirt, and it made me wish I wore something more exciting than a plain old blue Uniqlo shirt = 3 =.

After the photo op we headed to the Coral Reef Restaurant where we had lunch. It’s situated next to Epcot’s big aquarium, and I remember Jaymie telling me that she reserved this place because of it. It was pretty cool, I just wish There were dolphins or mamals in general in the aquarium, but I’m not gonna complain lol I ended up having some lobster bisque and a NY strip steak which was pretty good - and pretty filling.

After lunch, we decided to walk around the world showcase area of Epcot. It’s basically a big circle where each segment of the circle is supposed to represent a country. I have no clue how they chose the countries that they had, but it was pretty cool and each country had a restaurant and a few shops with stuff from their respective culture.We decided to go through the countries in clockwise order. I’m not going to outline every single place we went to but I will mention a few highlights. Norway had a new ride based on Frozen, but there weren’t any fast passes available and we didn’t want to wait for 105 minutes to ride it, so we passed by (next time we’ll go hopefully). In China we ended up resting because we were both so tired considering our busy schedules and all the walking and standing on line that we already did. It was cool because they had a few previews of the Disneyland theme park in Shanghai, which is one of the places we wanted to visit at a later time. I was a little disappointed with Italy because they didn’t have a gelato shop. They did have a small stand selling spumoni gelato but I passed since I had that the last time I was in Epcot. When we got to Japan, I had a rainbow shaved ice which was perfect since I was craving something cold and sweet but not creamy. It was strawberry, tangerine, and watermelon flavored and it was really good. Just thinking about it makes me want to eat some shaved ice in Parkchester when I get back home. In France, Jaymie got a chocolate gelato macaroon and a chocolate eclair while I got a “Croosiant Jambon Fromage” or in lay man’s terms, a ham and cheese croissant sandwich = 3 =. Was I overeating? Yes, and I’ll explain that later on, but at the time it was soo good x.x

When we were done with the showcase, I went to a shop to grab a gift for my cousin’s twins since their birthday was last week. I got the boy, my Godson Alex a Mickey Tsumtsum while I got his sister, Isa, a Minnie Tsumtsum. At this point, we pretty much did all that we wanted to do at Epcot, so we headed back to the car, taking a picture at the front of Epcot first, then drove to Magic Kingdom.

I’m pretty sure the last time I went to Magic Kingdom was with my Dad in my trip after I graduated from college. Getting to Magic Kingdom was coomplex AF since we wanted to park in the parking complex in Disney Springs to spare our car from the heat. We ended up walking from Disney Springs to a nearby resort where we took a ferry to another resort to a bus that would take us to the park. This time around? Still a little complex, but instead of parking at Disney Springs, we parked at Magic Kingdom’s parking lot... This time we took a tram to take a ferry that would take us to Magic Kingdom = 3 =

Originally, we were just going to spend the whole day at Epcot, but Jaymie found out about this event they were testing out where you could take a picture with a Tangled theme lantern. So Jaymie ended up buying the parkhopper for us just so we could take part in that event. When we got to Magic Kingdom, I wanted to see if I could get some of the pistachio creme brulee from Tony Roma’s but they don’t do take out so I was a little sad. We then scouted out the place where the tangled event happened, but it was too early so we decided to get some snacks at the Starlight cafe. We got fries and I ended up getting a strawberry lemonade slushy because they had a BB-8 souvenir cup that I wanted to get = 3 =

After chilling at the cafe for a bit, we went to the tangled area again, and waited until it got dark. Then we saw that they were setting up and realized we weren’t on the line so we got on the line, waited about an hour, then got our pictures of the tangled lantern, which turned out pretty great. Mission accomplished! :D

Achieving our goal at Magic Kingdom, we headed back to the car, this time taking the monorail instead of the ferry to get to the parking lot and drove back to Disney Springs where we met up with Jaymie’s family for dinner at Morimoto, an Asian cuisine place. Michael and their parents and family friend told stories of their adventures at the Star Wars celebration while Jaymie and I told them about our trip to Epcot and Magic Kingdom. After dinner, we were all so tired so I took them back to their resort, said my good byes since I was leaving the following day, and went back to my hotel, where I passed out, woke up in the middle of the night to throw up, then went back to sleep = 3 =.

Today, I really didn’t do much. I just went to church at Mary Queen of the Universe to celebrate Easter, then chilled with my cousin Rachel and her twins for a bit, giving them their belated birthday gifts. After that I went to eat lunch at Wendy’s then headed to the airport so I would not be late in bringing the rental car back, made it past security and sitting where I am write now writing this blog post.

Overall, this was probably one of the best trips I’ve ever done recently. One of the things I really liked about it was the amount of independence and responsibility I had for this trip. In the past, I didn’t really pay for anything. Not the plane trip, not the rental car, not the hotel room, not even gas or food! But this time around was different. And though my wallet is crying a little, it does feel a little cool to be able to get these things on my own.

But the best thing about this trip was the time I spent with Jaymie. Just being in disney world together was enough for me to be happy and I can’t wait for our future trips not only to here in Orlando but all throughout the world. Jaymie, if you’re reading this, thank you so much for making this trip so memorable ^_^

I don’t really have much else planned today, just plan on eating dinner with my folks when I get back home, then maybe catch up on WoW since I didn’t even log on since Thursday night. You know a trip is good if it gets you to stop playing WoW, let me just say that haha. I’m probably going to catch up on 13 Reasons Why now so there’s that too.

Until next time!

[ericfruits]

Peanut Gallery

The Miami Herald reported a recent bar discipline hearing

A Miami lawyer should be permanently disbarred over a series of frivolous lawsuits he filed on behalf of the Miccosukee Tribe, a Florida Bar lawyer urged a judge on Friday.

The recommendation of discipline came against attorney Bernardo Roman, who spearheaded the tribe’s years-long legal fights against its formers lawyers, Guy Lewis and Michael Tein.

“The tribe with its lawyers destroyed our law practice,” Tein, a former federal prosecutor, testified on Friday. “Destroyed our reputations that we spent a lifetime building.”

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dava Tunis, who is serving as the referee on the Florida Bar’s case against the attorney, will make the decision on recommending discipline in the coming weeks. Ultimately, the Florida Supreme Court will decide whether Roman can remain an attorney.

Last month, Tunis found Roman guilty of a slew of legal misconduct charges, including that he falsely claimed that a rival attorney attacked his nut-allergic law clerk by sprinkling pistachios and peanuts in her food.

 Roman, speaking at the hearing on Friday, said he had no prior disciplinary record and advocated that he should only be suspended, not permanently banned from the legal profession.

Emotional on the stand, Tein bristled at Roman’s years of conduct, suggesting he acted criminally and was “unrepentant” for pushing lawsuits that garnered years of negative headlines.

“The tribe built the bonfire and Mr. Roman ... poured kerosine on it on a daily basis,” Tein said.

Last year, the Florida Bar filed a formal complaint against Roman on an array of allegations of dishonesty and false claims involving his representation of the Miccosukee Tribe. Many of the tribe’s 600-odd members live in the Everglades, west of the Miccosukee Resort, a casino-gambling operation with bingo-style slot machines at the corner of Tamiami Trail and Krome Avenue.

The complaint followed a long and bitter legal battle between the tribe and its former law firm. It started in 2012, when the tribe sued Lewis and Tein, alleging that they engaged in a series of fraudulent activities with then-Miccosukee Chairman Billy Cypress. In the federal suit, the tribe alleged Lewis and Tein conspired with Billie to get kickbacks, while keeping the rest of the tribe in the dark about Cypress’ spending.

But a federal judge later flatly dismissed the tribe’s claims, ordering the Miccosukees and Roman sanctioned for filing a lawsuit that featured “no evidence or only patently frivolous evidence.” And in May 2016, the tribe agreed to pay $4 million to Lewis and Tein over that case and several other failed lawsuits. A few months later, Lewis and Tein sued the tribe, a lawsuit that is still pending.

Some of Roman’s lawsuits also targeted another former tribal lawyer, Dexter Lehtinen, who testified that years of handling litigation for the tribe took a heavy toll on his life and career. For years, he represented the tribe on everything from water management issues in the Everglades to income tax issues stemming from the tribe’s casino.

He was accompanied Friday by his wife, retiring Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Miami Republican.

“Virtually unlimited Indian gaming money, buying frivolous litigation and an unethical lawyer, was the sword; and false claims of exaggerated Indian sovereign immunity was the shield,” Lehtinen, a former Miami U.S. attorney, said afterward.

(Mike Frisch)

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[biofunmy]

36 Hours in Hobart (and Environs)

Tasmanians have heard all the tired jokes from mainland Australians. The country’s isolated southern island state has been so overlooked in the past, it’s even been left off maps of Australia. In recent years, however, Australians have changed their tune. Tasmania is experiencing a surge of weekenders and property buyers, driven by a newfound interest in its pristine nature, unhurried way of life and an increasingly diverse food and art scene that really started to take off with the arrival, in a Hobart suburb, of the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in 2011. The biggest transformation has taken place in the once-sleepy capital of Hobart, which now boasts a plethora of creative new restaurants and an edgy spirit, particularly during the winter Dark Mofo festival. (A highlight: the nude solstice swim in the chilly River Derwent.) Tasmania’s profile is rising overseas, as well. International visitors jumped by 21 percent from mid-2017 to mid-2018 — the biggest rise by far of any Australian state. Tasmanians have always known how good the life is here. The rest of the world is only now starting to find out.

Friday

1) 3:30 p.m. Gallery hopping

While MONA has put Tasmania on the international art map in recent years, Hobart’s gallery scene has actually been showcasing the best of Tasmanian art for decades. Both Despard and Handmark galleries — set in renovated 19th-century Georgian sandstone warehouses on the waterfront — exhibit works by well-known local artists like the landscape painter Geoff Dyer and the animal portraitist Michael McWilliams, as well as dozens of emerging artists. And Bett Gallery, which recently relocated to a 1950s modernist office building with beautifully restored parquet floors and coffered ceiling, has rotating exhibitions of contemporary artists from Tasmania, mainland Australia and abroad. Entry is free at all galleries.

2) 8 p.m. Foraged foods

David Moyle was among the first chefs to champion the farm-to-table concept in Tasmania when he opened Franklin in 2014. Moyle has since moved on, but the new head chef, Analiese Gregory, a rising star in Australia’s culinary world, and the rest of her team still regularly dive for sea urchin and wakame seaweed, and forage for mushrooms, saltbush and succulents to use in the kitchen. What ingredients they can’t source themselves, they procure from local suppliers, such as wallaby from a game hunter on Bruny Island, south of Hobart. This past winter (summer in the United States), the restaurant served it raw with beetroot, pepperberry and horseradish for 22 Australian dollars, or about $15. Reserve seats at the bar for a view of the focal point of the kitchen — a 10-ton, wood-fired Scotch oven, also made locally.

3) 10 p.m. Tipple and tales

With its sandstone streetscapes, penal-colony history and moody, damp weather, Hobart feels like a town with plenty of secrets to divulge. Little surprise, then, that The Story Bar, in the newly opened MACq 01 hotel, trades in Tasmanian lore. Sip one of the 27 Tasmanian gins on the menu (Hartshorn Sheep Whey, 14 Australian dollars, and Poltergeist Unfiltered, 15 Australian dollars, are highly recommended) and take in the Hobart history around you. Broadsheet banners from the local newspaper archives tell the tales of tragic shipwrecks and fires, while grainy video footage on the wall highlights the sporting heroics of cricketers. Nothing tops the views of the colorful sailboats bobbing in the River Derwent, however, from a perch on the waterfront deck outside.

Saturday

4) 8 a.m. Neighborhood eats

The local go-to spot for breakfast in the historic Battery Point neighborhood is Jackman & McRoss, set in an airy, rambling building that has been home to various bakeries and butchers over the past 150 years. This latest incarnation, founded by a baker-chef team 20 years ago, is as popular as ever for its hearty breakfasts: clay-pot poached eggs with chorizo polenta in a black bean ragout (15 Australian dollars), a delectable selection of baked goods, such as strawberry and pistachio tarts (7 Australian dollars), and prune-and-walnut sourdough bread (6.90 Australian dollars). Afterward, drop into On Hampden Creative across the street to peruse the homewares, handprinted textiles and vintage women’s hats and scarves made by 60 local artisans and designers.

5) 9 a.m. Market day

Salamanca Place has been a focal point of Hobart life since the early 1800s, when warehouses lined the harbor to store whale oil, wool, apples and other goods for export. Today, at the lively Salamanca Market, there are slightly more contemporary, artisanal goods on offer: wallaby and scallop pies; Tasmanian-made gin, saffron, truffle mustard and pepperberry salt; and all manner of handicrafts, antiques and echidna- (spiny anteater) printed tourist kitsch. Arrive early to beat the crowds — thousands descend here on most pleasant Saturdays — and have enough time to saunter through the 300-plus stalls and take in a busker or two.

6) 11 a.m. Handmade hub

Not shopped out yet? Just behind the market is the wonderful Salamanca Arts Centre, a series of early-19th-century warehouses that were restored in the 1970s and transformed into an arts, theater and design hub. There are numerous galleries and studios here (including Handmark), as well as plenty of creative shops. Stop at The Maker for Japanese handicrafts and women’s fashions made with Japanese-sourced linens and wools; Bruny Island Cheese Co. for pinot-washed raw milk cheeses and small-batch beers made with Tasmanian grains and hops; and the Hammer & Hand Metal and Jewellery Collective for handmade earrings, necklaces, sculptures and stainless steel utensils, forged by local artisans.

7) 12 p.m. History lesson

To put Tasmania’s recent rebirth in the proper perspective, it’s necessary to understand its dark history. From 1803 until 1853, some 75,000 convicts were transported to Tasmania (then called Van Diemen’s Land) from Britain and other British colonies, and many passed through the Hobart Convict Penitentiary, part of which still stands today. A tour of this bleak yet fascinating relic provides a glimpse of convict life over the years: pitch-black solitary confinement cells, subterranean tunnels leading to a courtroom, the gallows where 300 prisoners were hanged. Little has changed in 185 years, which only adds to the spooky feel of the place. (For those who want an extra fright, ghost tours are offered at night, too.) Admission is 25 Australian dollars.

8) 4 p.m. Pint with a view

Cascade beer is to Tasmania what Budweiser is to America. Not only is Cascade the quintessential lager for most Tasmanians, the beer maker is also the oldest continually operating brewery in all Australia. The building alone is worth the 15-minute drive out of Hobart — the sandstone facade of the brewery, originally built by convicts in the early 1800s, looks magnificent set against imposing Mount Wellington, particularly when the peak is snow-capped in winter. Brewery tours (30 Australian dollars) end with a tasting of the beers, but the expansive garden also makes a nice setting for a leisurely pint of Cascade Pale Ale (9.50 Australian dollars) and a cat nap.

9) 8 p.m. Shared plates

The vibe at cozy, 22-seat Templo, tucked away on a quiet Hobart backstreet, perfectly encapsulates the youthful food movement transforming Tasmania at the moment. The setting is fun and casual, with attractive, chatty servers and a large communal table that promotes easy conversation with fellow diners. (A few glasses from the extensive wine list surely help; try one of the bottles of minimal intervention wine made exclusively for the restaurant.) The Italian-inspired menu changes daily; on a recent visit, standout dishes included the homemade gnocchetti with broccolini, chile, anchovy and pangrattato (24 Australian dollars) and the housemade mustardela (blood sausage) with dragoncello sauce (18 Australian dollars).

Sunday

10) 10 a.m. Walsh’s world

The Museum of Old and New Art (entry 30 Australian Dollars), founded by David Walsh, an art collector who built a fortune from gambling, has become much more than an art institution. It’s spawned two popular (and more than a little subversive) art and music festivals — MOFO and Dark MOFO — in addition to art-filled luxury pavilion accommodations (from 750 Australian dollars a night) and, coming soon, a 172-room hotel (as yet unnamed after several controversial choices). The museum itself is a lot to take in, so arrive early and plan to get lost in the cavernous space showcasing Mr. Walsh’s outlandish collection. Be sure to check out the four fantastically disorienting James Turrell light installations commissioned for the new Pharos wing (separate tickets and advance booking, 10 to 25 Australian dollars), as well as the newly opened underground network of tunnels and chambers filled with works by Ai Weiwei and Alfredo Jaar. On a pleasant day, take a break on the lawn with a glass of Moorilla sparkling Riesling (10 Australian dollars) or a Moo Brew Pilsner (9 Australian dollars) — Mr. Walsh owns the winery and brewery, too. A fast ferry offers 25-minute connections to the museum from downtown Hobart (from 22 Australian dollars roundtrip).

11) 2 p.m. Farm to former asylum

Long before Tasmania became a foodie destination, Rodney Dunn and Severine Demanet ditched city life to set up a farm and cooking school in the Tasmanian countryside. Nearly a decade later, the couple completed the farm-to-table circle with the opening of The Agrarian Kitchen Eatery in a rather unlikely location: a sprawling asylum in the town of New Norfolk (about 20 miles from Hobart), which operated for over 170 years before closing in 2000. A tour of the grounds reveals glimpses of the institution’s notorious history, but inside, the focus is on the seasonal menu, which highlights ingredients from the farm and other local producers: sugarloaf cabbage with lovage seed mayonnaise and preserved fish (23 Australian dollars) and slow-roasted Derwent Valley lamb (a sharing dish for 140 Australian dollars). It’s a glimpse of the present-day potential of the island, risen from a painful past.

Lodging

Hobart is an extremely walkable city if you base yourself centrally near the wharf on the River Derwent. Check out the Battery Point neighborhood, which is accessible to Salamanca Place via the 19th-century Kelly’s Steps; apartments here on Airbnb rent for 200 to 250 Australian dollars per night.

From the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman (the first European to land on Tasmania) to the cricket hero Ricky Ponting, each of the 114 rooms at the new MACq 01 Hotel is devoted to a different character in Tasmanian history, with illustrations on the door and their full stories and other artifacts featured prominently inside. Doubles from 240 Australian dollars.

The nearly 150-year-old Lenna of Hobart was once the mansion of a wealthy Tasmanian whaling merchant, Alexander McGregor, who oversaw the largest individually owned fleet of ships in the Southern Hemisphere. Doubles from 208 Australian dollars.

Sahred From Source link Travel

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