#top travel destinations photos

[wanderlustphotosblog]

A Look Back at My 20 Top Travel Photos of 2023

With my first trip to Asia, this was one of my best years of travel photography ever. I want to share my Top Travel Photos of 2023 with you in hopes that it inspires your next big travel adventure!

Each year I say that I could not be more blessed with the opportunities that I have had to travel the world. Not to mention, the ability to photograph the spectacular places I visit. And each year I am reminded that I have just started to scratch the surface of all the incredible things that are waiting to be explored in the world. I am beyond grateful for having the opportunity to travel to…

[tilbageidanmark]

Miami from above.

[riannosaurus]

📍Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California

[tan1shere]

Bite It Lick it Spit It

Billie Eilish x female reader

A/n: I don't think I need to say anything here lovelies, enjoy !!

Summary: Billie is excited to show you this new song shes featured in, reciting her lyrics to you. Until she's recreating them on you.

Warnings: smut, mdni ! Spit ?? Eating out, strap usage, orgasm denial, squirting !! Think that's it <3

Masterlist ... extra ;)

"Babyyy."

You hear your girlfriend say, coming into the bedroom you both shared. She had her phone in hand, obviously about to show you something.

"Everything alright?" You ask setting your book down. It was currently 7 pm, she had been in the small studio downstairs. Working away on something. "More than alright. I want to show you what I have so far on this remix I'm doing." You smile at her as she sits beside you on the bed, excited to hear this. You always loved listening to the songs she'd make or was in. And you were so incredibly proud that this was going to be with another big star.

'Don’t have to guess the color of your underwear

Already know what you’ve got goin’ on down there'

She chants and you smile just enjoying listening to the lyrics.

'It’s that lacy black pair with the little bows'

That reminds you of a pair you own.

Wait...

'The ones I picked out for you in Tokyo'

Now she has your full attention. Sure you were listening to the lyrics beforehand, but now you're really listening. Her eyes were still on her phone, reading off the lyrics. Until her eyes met yours.

'I saw them when you sat down, they were peekin’ out'

Did she really write this about you? You had a pair of underwear exactly like the one she's talking about, you wore them alot actually. They were your favorite. Especially when she mentioned Tokyo. That was incredibly specific as that's where the pair was from. She had bought them for you as a gift when you traveled there for your birthday last year. Both yours and Billies eyes lock onto one another's. But she didn't stop there, keeping that eye contact alive.

'I'm gonna tell you right now, they're all I'm thinkin' about'

"True." She then whispers. Your brows furrow, feeling nervous at the insanity of this moment. Her eyes bore into your own, making you shift a little bit. Your eyes avert her lustful ones.

'I wanna try it, bite it, lick it, spit it. Pull it to the side and get all up in it'

You hadn't even realized she sat her phone down on her bedside table, and was inching closer to your body. "You wanna guess who that song is about." She speaks softly into your ear. You gulp, her voice delicate. Holding such filth at the same time. You don't answer for a second, trying to gain your composure. "Me....?" You question. She only smirks and let's out a small hum. Her body moves to hover over your own, instantly leaning down to kiss you. "I saw a photo of you on my phone from a year ago today. And that's what inspired me." She mumbles against the skin of your neck, as her kisses move all over the place. "Your crossed legs, in that skirt." You swallow thickly. Remembering that photo. You had your arms up in the air, sitting on a random beautiful fountain.

"That's why I mentioned how the straps were peaking out.. those baby pink bows." She bites down on your neck, making a gasp escape your lips. Your eyes shut in instinct as she continues on. "'Kiss it, bite it, can I fit it?'" The only thing you manage to get out was. "Fuck me."

She glady took that offer. Making her way down your body, getting to her destination. She pulls the pair to the side. "Wish it was the black ones." She trails off, slowly revealing your wet, sticky folds to her. Her eyes becoming drowsy, full of desire for you. She bit her lips slightly, grabbing the underwear by the top. And pulling them down, off your body, discarding them somewhere. Her favorite thing, on display for her. She had to admire for a little bit. But that just made you grow impatient. "Billie-" "shhh." She says, as her finger comes close to your puffy heat. She then quickly licks a small stripe up the middle, before she pulls back contemplating.

She spits directly onto your cunt, letting it slide down slightly. The big bit of saliva staying there for a second, before her face is directly infront of it. Her tongue sticks out and straight into your weeping, aching hole. Pushing the spit inside you. She pulls back to look at the mixture of wetness. And she did both. She managed to get you that wet. It was her spit now deep inside you. God she was proud at the thought. However she wasn't even done with penetrating your pussy. Her face is back in its original spot. Her lips make contact with your own, sending your head back into the pillows. Your hands eventually move to her silky hair, gripping as she speeds up her pace, her tongue entering you also.

It all felt amazing, when she does something unexpected. Her teeth sink into the lip of your pussy, biting and sucking all at once. It felt incredible. Why hadn't she done that sooner. "Bil.." You breathe, moaning on and off. "Feels so, good." You blab, still having your eyes shut. Feeling her lips move into her famous smirk, knowing that boosted her ego entirely. Your high was approaching and fast.

"Nooo." You then huff. Feeling her tongue move from you. Looking down at your fucked out body. Her smirk is ofcourse still visible at your little frustrated pout. "You're so annoying." You breathe, sinking into the sheets again.

"You won't be saying that in a second." Your head shot up again to look at her, but as soon as you do that a loud moan is being ripped out of you. How the hell did this woman put her strap on so quickly. She really wasn't kidding when she said 'in a second.' Impressive. A little hot in a way. Your mind turns into mush though, almost her whole length inside of you. "Had to get you worked open babe, yet you're still so tight." Another moan was to be heard, letting your eyes flutter close again, back instantly arching. Only thing visible in your brain are the lyrics to that song, and how she's recreating them all. "Guess I can fit it huh?" She then says, coming close to your face. "Speak." She orders you like a dog, when you don't respond.

"Y-yes.. feel so full." Her smirk returns to her face, picking up the speed. "Good. Just how it should." You let out another gasp again, feeling her thumb playing with your clit. This makes her chuckle, maliciously. She continues to fuck you relentlessly, beginning to let her hands roam over your skin, she pushes the baggy t-shirt you were wearing up, exposing your tits. They move in time with her thrusts. Her mind overflows with every disgusting but amazing fantasy. Your breath hitches as you feel cool metal on your breasts, looking to see her hands kneading them. How well they fit in her hands as she squished.

As her fingers move while doing so, you feel that same cold metal on your nipple making a shakey, content sigh leave you. It eventually turning into a moan as she squeezes again. She comes down to your face, your eyes were closed. "Look at me." She speaks, grabbing your jaw. You immediately open your eyes looking at her dark ones, which was always such a shock as they are so bright. Her face inches down towards your ear, she gives it a soft kiss before she's whispering. "Wanna make you squirt." Your eyes widen tremendously. If you weren't flustered before you really are now.

As you go to respond it was cut short, her thumb resumed on your clit, her thrusts are deeper, her ring covered fingers gripping your jaw. Her lips on your neck only adding to that, as she used the fuck out of you. You feel it coming, that tight knot. But you didn't have to say a word. She knew. She could feel it. It getting slightly harder for her at the way you're tightening, but that was a challenge she wanted to conquer. Obviously succeeding, she hits that gummy spot inside you, sending your mouth to fly open. "B-bil-" Yet another gasp was being pulled from you, it being loud in her ear as she continues to fuck the shit out of you.

Her pace never falters. Her thumb even speeding up as she sucks and bites your neck. You wanted to tell her you were close, as if she didn't already know. Your hands make their way to her arms, gripping as it's coming faster. "Fuck!" You screech out, you couldn't hold it any longer releasing within an instant, feeling her smirk into your neck. "And boom." She says into your ear, her voice husky. You hadn't even noticed it, but she actually did make you squirt. Your fucked out expression gives billie all she needs to know.

"Guess I'm just, that. good."

[m0chisenpai]

Far From Home

Spiderman Across the Spiderverse

Obsessive!Prowler!Miles Morales x Spidergirl!Reader

Warning(s): slight violence, nothing too crazy

The adrenaline pumped through your veins sending a dull thump in your ears. As you and Miles traveled through the multiverse, your hands intertwined, somewhere along the line, a rift shook the two of you apart.

And once separated you screamed for Miles to him, arms reaching no helplessly as he was dumped into god knows where!

“Bug! Bug! Miles!” you yelped being thrown into the room. Miles’ room. But he wasn’t here! He must have been sent to the wrong dimension!

Your panting breaths filled the silent room as you looked around. What could you do? Your hands trembled as you tapped the watch, whispering your thanks to Hobie as you located where you were exactly.

“Earth…42…” your eyes widened. Miles was home….but where were you. Your arms settled as you took in the state of this room.

From the cracked door you could hear the front door open and see the flicker of light. Ms.Morales’ voice mumbled spanish into the empty apartment and her footsteps grew close to the door.

Quickly you latched onto the ceiling, pressing yourself as close as possible. Thankfully she neglected to cut the lights on as she entered the room, a laundry basket settled on her hip, still dressed in her work clothes.

“Ay, this boy…” she huffed, shaking her head grabbing the unclean clothes scattered across the floor and dumping them into the basket.

With every turn she made around the room you did your best to remain behind. She continued to move oblivious to your presence ce too she stopped for a moment. Your breath stopped thinking you let out a creak or dropped something to raise suspicion.

But instead she reaches for a picture on his mess of a desk. In the dark you watched a tear fall down as she gazes at this photo.

“Ahh, I wish you were here sometimes…he’s closed off since you’ve gone,” she shook her head letting the picture go back into its spot and turn on her heel.

She adjusted the basket on her hip to use her free arm to rub at her eyes, once she was gone you quickly shot a web at the door, pulling the door closed as quietly as possible. 

Slowly you settled back down on the ground and walked to the desk, and with shaking hands you held a picture of…you? But it wasn’t.

You must’ve been in freshman year, that was the year your mother suggested you get braces. Cause in this picture they’re bright with your toothy smile. You wore a bright pink strawberry patterned cardigan with a cami white dress. And you were wrapped up in the arms of Miles. Two large smiles were on both of your faces.  

“Aaron! You shouldn’t have…”

“No..” you pressed your body to the door slowly cracking the door open and looked through. Your eyes widened and you could feel your heart pick up at the sight of his uncle. He was alive? But if he was alive, that meant the prowler was rampant in Brooklyn. 

You quickly ran to the window. And shook your head as you stepped out onto the fire escape. The streets were darker, more empty. And any one who was out looked like someone you would have put away in your universe.

“No…no..no!” you shot a web to the top of the building pulling yourself up to pace on the buildings ledge. “Miles, where are you! Come on, think!...”

That spider was meant for you and earth 42’s Miles. You were destined to be Spider-girl….He was a mistake. Now there’s an earth without a spiderman and a spider-girl. 

You pushed your hood back slowly, shaking your head. There was no hero here. No spider man OR spider girl. Why would the universe kill you then if you were needed?

Slowly your head turned and your eyes widened beneath the mask. Your unmasked face plastered on a brick wall, next to, “Mr.Morales….” your breathing picked up, the eye of your mask widening as well.

Your head turned like a swivel till it landed on a spray painted billboard. Your mask and colors spray painted stood out high amongst the chaos. Like a SOS to the universe. Like you….were dead. You were killed in this universe. 

“I need to find Miles! Where ... .where would he be…The academy right?” you paced back and forth pulling your hood up to shield yourself from the rain that begins to come down. Yet just when you were about to send yourself into the night sky a voice stopped you. A familiar voice that sets off your senses.

“Mi vida?” Your eyes widened and slowly you turned. You were faced with the prowler and on instinct you crouched low. 

“What have you done! You killed him didn’t you!” Even if he wasn’t your Mr.Morlaes, even if you were still living. This Prowler was enough to make your blood boil. 

“Amor no ... .listen” you quickly throw one of your orbs down, setting off a large explosion of  thick bright pink smoke and shooting a web into his chest pulling him to you to knock him onto his knees and fight his gauntlets off of him. Only, he didn’t fight back as hard. He only deflected every punch and twist that you sent him. 

Every punch and kick filled with an unexplainable rage as you knocked him around the building.

“Where is Miles! What have you done to his father!!!” your webs secured his arms and legs as you held him to your masked eyes. 

“Amor….” you shook your head and pressed the side of his mask. And when it dissipated to reveals…him. Your bug, your,

“Miles…” 

A sharp pain shot your head and you swayed, your hands released him. Your body dropped to the side.

It was dark and quiet now, Aaron, oh…why is he looking at you like that? What’s he saying to…Miles, but he’s not your Miles.

But your eyes are heavy, and the pain is so much. Too much. So you let your eyes rest shut, succumbing to the dull thud and dining in your ear.

It’s quiet when you wake up. Your body was wrapped in something soft and warm, the pitter of rain and echoes of thunder would have lulled you back to sleep.

But when your body pixelated and glitched throwing your body out of your comfort onto the floor you were wide awake grasping at the discarded blanket as you clench your eyes till your body settles.

You coughed into the silence.Your vision cleared as you took in where you were. Aaron’s old apartment. Only it was like some comic book villain lair. With plans and papers scattered and pinned to the wall and across a table.

The punching bag dangled in front of you from the couch you were laid on. You pressed your back to the couch, closing your eyes.

‘Let’s regroup, Miles was the prowler, you're dead here along with Miles’ dad and Uncle Aaron was alive.’ You held your wrists out cursing, no web shooters and they took the watch. That’s why you're glitching.

“How’s your head?” You flinched as the shadow in the kitchen shifted to Aaron who slowly walked to you, a glass of water in his hands as he eyes your crumpled form. 

“I ain’t mean to go so hard. If I knew it was you.” he leaned forward holding the water for you. You hold it, but you keep Aaron’s gaze. He holds a hand out for you to grasp and let him pick you up to settle you back into the couch.

For a moment it felt like when you first met Miles’ uncle. How he psyched you out before smirking and questioning if you were the girl that got his nephews heads in the clouds. 

And he does, he smirks like Aaron once did. “Nothing in it. I wouldn’t do anything to my niece.”

“I’m not though” your voice is hoarse. 

“You aren’t” his smile slowly drops as he leaned back, “and at the same time you are just like her.”

 “I'm not her. She’s dead. And you…” you shook your head looking down into the water.

“He’s what? Mi vida.” He steps from the inky blackness of the shadows while his uncle disappears.

All thats left is the silence as he stares down at you, and you take in how different Miles is here. It all makes sense.

Uncle Aaron and Mr.Morales were like Miles’ yin and yang. And Miles was that shred of goodness, of hope for Uncle Aaron. But without his father the balance tipped. Kingpin was surely alive and roped in this Miles. He was the Prowler. 

“Miles…” and his eyes soften. You must have been gone a while in this universe. “ I have to…I need to get back. I’m not her. I don-”

“Back to him?” His brow raises and that cold look settles back in his eyes. You’d never seen such distaste in them before it struck a nerve. It sent ice into your veins as he stepped forward.

Your skin prickled in unease as he used the knuckle of his pointer to gentle cradle your chin and drink in your eyes.

“The one who took it all from me. He’s got it good, don’t he?” And your eyes lower. Because you can’t deny the hurt you feel for him.

This Miles should be the one keeping things safe on this earth. Should have a father. Should have a spider-girl by his side, to help, to love. But you need to explain it. How the Spot is the one to blame, not your Miles.

“Miles it isn’t his fault I promise. It was someone else. I can help you, we both can. But you have to let me go back home” you plead, trying to keep your voice steady as his gentle caresses halt. His head tilts.

A beat passes before he’s pinching your cheeks right and leaning forward just a breath away. His eyes pierce your soul and your heart begins to pound against your ribs.

The glass cup slips out your hand shattering into a million pieces just like your resolve.

And his fury is quiet, but you hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes. “He stole my father, my life. He stole you from me. I don’t give a damn bout that fraud. Long as I got you back in my life, he’s safe.”

The threat lingers in the air and your heart drops to your stomach. Miles was smart. A genius. And for all you know he’d begun picking at the watch. If he could find a way to get to your Miles, he would have.

And something tells you that if he does, you wouldn’t be seeing him again. So you swallow what feels like cotton down your throat and try to stand firm.

But a tear is dripping down your cheek that he catches. He’s gentle again in cradling your cheek as his thumb catches the stream of tears.

“Things will be different. Better. I’ll be better for you mi corazon. I’ll keep you safe this time.”

[taeiun]

this love is small.

synopsis: some of the little things that they do in your relationship

who: zb1 x gn!reader (not including yujin)

categories: fluff, some crack, headcanon styled scenarios

warnings: mentions of food in jiwoong + taerae's parts, light swearing

word count: 1.1k

✧ JIWOONG !

✧ jiwoong gains a newly formed sixth sense when it comes to your needs; he knows your favourite snacks by heart and also picks up if you guys are low on them without even looking at the cabinet.  you don’t even need to ask him to grab a snack for you because he’ll just know. probably knows when those foods are on sale before you even open your mouth to tell him. like, he’s probably already picked up three bags of those chips you really enjoyed last time and they’re waiting on the counter for you.

✧ will send you a notes app shopping list so that you don’t get jumped scared by the random appearance of shrimp chips and sour candies constantly and wonder how they got there half the time when you both haven’t even talked about being out of them.

✧ ZHANG HAO !

✧ hao keeps a collection of short, vlog-like recordings of the two of you in a private, for his eyes only folder on his phone. he watches these whenever he misses you or feels down and needs a pick me up. these videos will range from past dates, his commentary as he records you sleeping, to not even a two second moment of you laughing. you might find the angles unflattering, but he treasures each and everyone, watching them with a goofy ahah smile on his face.

✧ the others have 100% definitely, not even up for question, walked in on him in the middle of a watching session. he’ll just be sitting curled up in bed, blanket draped around him, with the lights turned off and earbuds plugged into his phone. this ends two ways. 1) the member leaves before he can notice and all is well or 2) they tease him only to end up with a pillow to the face

✧ HANBIN !

✧ whenever he’s on tour or can’t see you for long periods of time, hanbin will keep a list of things that happen throughout the days he’s gone to share with you. he never wants you to feel left out of his life and wants full communication with things. he can send you all the pictures you want of his travels, but nothing beats the actual stories.

✧ he mainly keeps tabs of things he did but will include the members’ shenanigans if he thinks they’ll make you laugh. starts a new list every time he has to leave and each one is dated, the activities labeled for what day and the time gone written at the top.

✧ MATTHEW !

✧ a big chatterbox when it comes to you, especially when it comes to his family. phone calls, messages, will even in emails to relatives, the conversation will drift to you no matter the topic. the only criteria needed for this to happen is for someone to simply breath in his direction.

✧ matthew pivots the conversation so fast that it gives his family whiplash. they aren’t complaining though; it’s nice to see him so happy and they can tell just how much he cares about your relationship. he wants them to love you as much as he does and by telling them these fond memories, he’s sure they will.

✧ TAERAE !

✧ the silly man he is, taerae will send you selfie updates throughout the day of where he is. you could probably make and sell your own bootleg, limited edition, taerae of zb1 pcs with how many you get from him. from walks to the company building to convenience store runs, he’s always sending you a picture of when he leaves to when he arrives at the destination as a way of assurance he’s safe.

✧ stores all of these in a folder labeled “for yn and yn only” and refuses to post them publicly, no matter how good you tell him some of them are. the background settings of his photos are always interesting. sometimes the members will be there, sometimes it’s while he’s in a storage closet. it’s funny until you wake up to find selfies of him at mcdonalds at 4 am with a handful of chicken nuggets shoved in his mouth.

✧ RICKY !

✧ spoils you so much. he knows that love doesn’t mean the amount of money you spend on someone but he can’t help but buy trinkets that remind him of you. the thought process is basically just: “oh. this kind of looks like yn.” and proceeds to checkout with a ditto keychain. ricky pays close attention to what type of accessories you tend to wear and prefer for this very reason. if your ears are pierced, you’ll find a new pair waiting for you on your desk that look eerily similar to his… like what? nooooo he totally didn’t go and buy subtle matching stuff pfttt nah- ok yes. please wear it; coordinate matching outfits with him.

✧ also, don’t bother asking for the prices of these things. he’ll never tell you because he knows that you’ll pay him back and he doesn’t want that. he doesn’t expect anything back and wants to make sure that you understand that he wants to do these things. you also probably won’t want to know because oof scary.

✧ GYUVIN !

✧ omfg he will abuse voice memo privileges to hell and back in order to let you in on dumb jokes and random thoughts. gyuvin constantly has his phone close within his reach just because of this so that he never misses the chance to blow your mind with… whatever falls from his mouth. even when in bed. the voice memos range from “i love you so much i don’t know what i’d do without you” to “did you know you are always within three meters of a spider?”. you never know if you’ll be swooning or sleeping with one eye open with these.

✧ the worst ones come at night for sure; he’ll wake up suddenly, blindly search for his phone, string together a weird ass sentence that only he’d be able to decipher, send it, then knock himself out again and sleep without remorse for his actions. he should be paying for your icloud with how much storage he clogs with those messages.

✧ GUNWOOK !

✧ he’s classically cheesy in a way and sends you screenshotted song lyrics that describe his feelings or remind him of you. “#LiterallyUs” and it’s paper rings by taylor swift. can be unserious about it though. one time, you couldn’t hang out with him because of exams and he responded with “tell me why / ain’t nothin but a heartache”.

✧ there are times where gunwook will not only send the lyrics, but also a clip of him singing that certain part of the song. he mainly sends these versions at night from the bathroom, and you wonder how none of the others have stormed into the room and told him to shut up.

^ . _ . ^ !? told myself to take it easy and not post again this week but um... this is a heavily edited fic from my old blog @/luvjiun that ive been meaning to repost. hehe ok junjun out >_&lt;

© taeiun 2023. all rights reserved. do not copy, repost, translate, modify, or claim any of my writing as yours.

[itaipava]

— champagne problems.

ft: oscar piastri x reader

wc: 892

genre: angst

tw: none

oscar looked at his watch in the silence of the train, 10:47 pm, it said. he wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting there, but he knew it wasn’t where he belonged. it wasn’t the place he had planned to spend this day that should have been so important: he should be celebrating with the most special person in his life tonight. sighing and his eyes threatening to let out all the emotions he’s been holding back, he looks out the window, trying his best to ignore the sharp pangs he’s feeling in his chest as a new melancholy song starts playing in his headphones.

he didn’t know what he wanted at that moment, whether it was to be alone to understand everything that happened and finally let his heart finish breaking completely or surrounded by his closest friends to try to feel more alive and try to ignore this pain that only increased.

looking at the other passengers on the train, he sees some people looking at the window, a couple holding hands, another couple where the woman is lying with her head on her partner’s shoulder while he holds her hand, and some noisy teenagers on the other who apparently just left a party. each one with their life, their story, their thoughts and feelings… he would give anything to feel like them now.

he thought something was wrong when you showed up that night. his suspicions proved true when you dropped his hand in the middle of dancing to your favorite song, your song; that song the two of you would listen to when you were driving your car and sing at the top of your lungs, him laughing at you as he hummed the song and lightly tapped his fingers on your thigh, that song he played on your first date, that song that seems to have was written to tell your love, that song.

when you walked out the door, you left a heartbroken oscar behind; eyes fixed on the door you left through, shaking hands seeking some support before his legs gave out. in that moment you completely changed your lives, where everything was sunshine and soft smiles, gentle caresses being exchanged at sunset, became an acid rain that burns your hearts, a wound that will never be cured.

he was going to ask you to spend the rest of your life with him that night; he should be surrounded by all his friends and family, but instead he is completely alone, traveling to an unknown destination. oscar opens his wallet and looks at a photo of the two of you that you took on your first date; he runs his fingers lightly over the photo, as if he’s caressing your happy face, and he feels a pang of pain when he thinks about how happy you two were back then. suddenly, the train conductor’s voice echoes, signaling that they are approaching the next station, and oscar is brought back to reality with a heavy sigh.

he feels so stupid thinking about how differently he planned that night. his entire family saw his face fall when you let go of his hand and your smile disappeared, giving way to a look of doubt and melancholy. but he didn’t care about that part now. his heart hurts too much to worry about the humiliation of it all.

he didn’t want to believe everyone when they warned him about you; he loved you too much to let other people’s opinions get in the way of his happy relationship with you, well he thought he had been happy anyway. maybe he should have listened, maybe it would have spared him so much pain and humiliation, he thinks as the train slows to a stop.

he was so nervous writing his speech that night that it had to be perfect. after all, you would remember that moment for the rest of your lives. turns out he was right, but the night will be remembered for very different reasons than he expected. the worst of it was that you couldn’t give him a single reason for your decision, and he couldn’t give you a word in response.

but you contacted oscar soon after that night, asking to see him again. coincidentally, the place you chose was the same coffee shop where you shared your first date. taking a deep breath, he steps through the door, looking around the crowded room for your familiar face. as soon as he sees you, his heart races and he feels like all the air has been stolen from his lungs. as he approaches you, you realize how much his appearance has changed in just a few weeks; his eyes are sunken and lifeless, and his sweet smile can’t be found on his beautiful face. you explain to him why you decided to end things and that you simply weren’t ready for that level of relationship, but you still love him and will always remember the incredible moments you had together. and that the person who marries him will be the luckiest in the world. so you leave him for the last time with a kiss on the cheek - which he still feels a slight tingle when he remembers it every night - and with a champagne problem.

[finelinevogue]

smile

summary - harry can’t go a show without calling you beforehand

warnings: fluff?! swearing, it’s based off that photo abov

word count: -1k

L.A. traffic had its reputation for being the worst traffic on the planet.

You’d drive 50 metres and it will have taken you 50 minutes. There was no traffic like it - other than maybe the M25 outside London.

Most people would avoid this traffic, trying to get to their destinations with as little car congestion as possible. However, Harry had other plans. Harry would happily sit for 50 minutes to travel 50 metres, because he happened to love car journeys.

They were his only trips alone. They were a few minutes, or a few hours, of solitary peace and he depended on them to keep him sane. The only other person he would be okay enough to share this time with was his fiancé; you.

Normally you’d be travelling sat next to him, his hand on your thigh whilst you both hum along to the shared playlist you’d both created. However, on this particular journey Harry found himself alone with you staring at him through the phone on Face Time.

You were away with work for a few days and out of town, meaning you couldn’t be there for some of Harry’s shows. However, that didn’t stop you both from talking to each other 24/7. Any spare moment you both had you’d be on FaceTime. If Harry went shopping he’d call you. If you went to the loo you’d call him. If you were reading in bed he’d want you to call so he could read with you.

FaceTime kept your relationship in the honeymoon phase - even 3 years after the honeymoon phase is supposedly over.

As Harry drove himself to the Forum he couldn’t help but be ecstatic when you answered first try on FaceTime.

“Heyyy, love.” He smiled at you, whilst stopping at a red light.

You were busy putting on your makeup for the day, so your phone was propped up on a vanity so Harry could see your head down to your waist. Your makeup was splayed out in front of you and you picked up some concealer to carry on with your routine.

“Hello, my favourite human.” You replied, cheerily grinning over your reply.

“Favourite human? Quite like the sound of that. Might even top fiancé.” Harry said, reaching to turn the radio off so he could only hear you. It would be rude of him to have anything drowning out the sound of your voice.

“Really?”

“Maybe not. Fiancé does just have a night ring to it, doesn’t it?” With one hand on the steering wheel, his other hand went to rub his fingers over the top of his lips where his moustache was growing in. As he did so, his engagement ring sat pretty and made you internally squeal at how you were the person attached to that ring.

“I think i’ll like husband better.” You answered honestly.

“It’s weird we’re both each others fiancés now, but when we get married you’ll be my wife and I’ll be your husband - like we’ll have different names for each other then.” Harry drove on green.

“You can still be my wife if you want. My little housewife.” You giggled at the thought.

“You’d like that wouldn’t you? Me, in an apron, making dinner and doing the laundry.” He teased, unfortunately not catching your reaction since he was concentrating on the road.

“You do that already, H.” You laughed. “Are you off to the venue?”

“Hm? Uh, yeah, yeah.” Harry was momentarily distracted as he had to turn onto a busy junction. His UK driving was a lot easier than LA, because of how short and simple the roads were in London. New York driving wasn’t even worth thinking about.

“And how was therapy?” You moved on to fixing your eyebrows, being prepared to stop and listen carefully to Harry if needed be.

“Yeah, it was good. She helped me through some of that tour stuff I was worried about.”

“About being away from family for so long?” You double checked.

“Yeah, yeah. She was trying to explain that if I’m happy doing what i’m doing then that’s all my family should want for me. Just happiness.”

“She’s right H. Your mum will be perfectly fine, as long as she knows that you’re happy - and that you’ll call often.”

“I try.” He said honestly.

“I know you do. I mean, when you’re not calling me that is.” You laughed, trying to lighten the situation with a bit of silly humour.

Harry got stuck in another traffic jam, meaning he would be late for rehearsals but he didn’t care because it meant more time on the phone with you. His favourite moments were spent with you, so he’d take ever extra second he could just to make new and happy memories.

“Have you had breakfast already?” Harry asked, in awe of watching you put on your makeup.

Harry was lucky to find someone that cared more about other people and the world than colouring in their skin and buying fake boobs. So your makeup routine didn’t in fact take too long to run through.

“Not yet, no.”

“Well, please have something before you leave, alright?” Harry asked, always concerned for you and your health whenever he wasn’t around to take care of you. He liked being the one to make you breakfasts in the morning, so often when you were apart from each other he’d believe you weren’t eating anything as good as what he makes - which is true, but you do also eat still.

“Okay, yes. I promise.” You rolled your eyes at him but gave him a smile, knowing he only meant well. “Have you eaten?”

“I actually am on my way to have lunch with Jeff now. He wants to run through Grammy stuff.” Harry explained.

“How are you feeling about that? The Grammy noms, I mean. Tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, tomorrow, yeah. Um, I’m feeling alright y’know? Like, I thought I’d feel a lot more dependent on them, but I think after last year I’m still feeling that high. Any nom would be great, but if I don’t get any then I also know that it is a great album and there was only one person I wanted to impress with it anyways.”

“Oh yeah? Who?” You asked, knowing the reply already.

“You.”

You smiled and shook your head. He was too cheesy sometimes, but it was no lie, or secret, that Harry’s House had been solely made for you. It was a love letter from Harry to you and a declaration to the world that Harry Styles was the happiest he’s ever been.

[shinnith]

Best Sims 4 Script Mods✨

wanted a masterlist on this site of my "cannot live without" mods, so buckle up and get ready for your game to finally become even better!

Note: Playing on basic hardware and think your game can't run this high of scripts? My specs are a laptop with barely 4 GB of usable RAM and the most basic cpu+gpu out there. Go ham.

⭐List is under the cut and includes scripts like "All Worlds/Secret Worlds Residential", "Travel to Hidden World Easily", top notch map/loading screen replacements, ongoing projects like "sims 4 multiplayer" and more⭐

Gameplay Tweaks:

✨Darkmode ★ By: Dskecht

As of making this, both Arnie's Darkmode/Plumfruit are broken and will probably stay that way due to their retirement. Dskecht is currently hard at work with updating theirs though, which you can find at the link above, and their main updates about patch fixes here.

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✨All Worlds Are Residential ★ By: Zerbu

With this, destination type worlds (granite falls, selvadorada/ect) and hidden worlds (sylvan glade/forgotten grotto/ect) become residential or whatever lot type you want them to be. You'll need the creator's Venue Changes mod along with it. Cannot explain how important this mod is.

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✨Travel To Venue/Hidden World ★ By: TwelfthDoctor

Quickly travel to places like Forgotten Grotto and more- all from your cell phone!

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✨OMSP Shelf ★ By: AmoeBae

This "shelf" is basically a placeholder and has many slots, which doesn't conflict on placement and you can then turn invisible. If that sounds confusing, basically: wow shelf/table full of decorations instead of like two weirdly placed objects.

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✨More Traits ★ By: MapleBell

A lot of good traits, that I feel go well with a "maxis match" or "basegame" playthrough.

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✨Photographic Memory ★ By: RSVN

Take better photos with a custom camera and frame them in different frames, polaroids, canvases, calendars, ect. Beautiful work.

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✨Sacrificial's Mods

The creator of "Extreme Violence" brings you a ton of other elements. Armageddon, Zombies, Life tragedies, possessed or murderous children & so much more. Go wild.

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✨TurboDriver's Mods

Wouldn't be a complete list without the creator of "whickedwhims". Kudos, TurboDriver.

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✨Basemental's Mods

Mods which are full o' vices, if you catch my drift. All of their work is amazing and goes super well with sacrificial & turbodriver's work.

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More Scripts:

✨Dershayan & 20thCenturyPlumbob Maps/Loading Screen Replacements

I can't choose a favorite set- both creators have made beautiful work, though Dershayan only offers map replacements.

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✨More Columns in CAS ★ By: weerbesu

CAS UI is incredibly irritating and this helps by giving more columns. You have different choices for how many you want.

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✨Better BuildBuy ★ By: TwistedMexi

Will change your life and TwistedMexi will become like family. Oh, and did I mention it has live camera (tab key) in build mode?

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✨ColorPicker ★ By: Carl's Guides

Hate the game's colors with objects? Carl is here to help.

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✨T.O.O.L ★ By: TwistedMexi

Total manipulation over otherwise locked assets in game (ex. non-editable player items/buildings/terrain like those freaking apartment windows you can't delete or change). This creator is currently working on a huge project for this entire community, and is also another concrete presence.

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✨Big Ongoing Projects✨

🏆Sims 4 Multiplayer

Creator Simsmultiplayer brings you something we've all talked over for years. It's released, but I haven't tested it myself.

🏆Sims 4 Create-A-World

TwistedMexi comes through once again, but this time with the most complex sims mod were seeing being developed. It has years of work already and is currently still in development. Updates at link above.

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Kudos to all mod + creators- big and small💞 This game has been tweaked, redesigned and literally fixed by modders time and time again and our community gets even more vibrant each day with their talents. After almost ten years in this community, I have seen such amazing work and tireless effort to creations of assets & mechanics, fixes to game bugs of all types and providing of technical support. We love you guys💖

[shoku-and-awe]

Some old travel photos I could never bring myself to delete from my phone: the moat of gorgeous Matsue Castle and a little flotilla castle replica in the style of Shimanekko, the tourism mascot of Shimane Prefecture. I gasped with joy pretty much every time I encountered Shimanekko, which was a lot. He is everywhere!

Even some train seats feature a Shimanekko statue as a permanent fixture. Being a veteran of the harrowing Tokyo commute, I cannot begin to fathom such flagrantly irresponsible use of extraordinarily valuable seat real estate, but also at the same time, I was always delighted to see it. (Also, overcrowding does not seem to be a pressing issue in Matsue.)

Also, the text on the wreath he is holding reads ご縁 [goen], which refers to fate, chance, or (destined) relationships or human connections. I love how the 幺 radical (top left in 縁) is stylized to look like an infinity symbol (unless I'm making that up).

[valtionrautatiet-official]

An introduction to VR multiple units, part 1: Sm2

The robust milf of our fleet, probably familiar to everyone who has ever traveled with out commuter trains: the Sm2 electric multiple unit.

A pair of Sm2 units in different liveries on the A train service from Helsinki to Leppävaara. My photo from 2015.

The Sm2 class units are an updated version of the older Sm1 class. Externally the two were almost identical, but the Sm2 was easy to tell apart as the slightly sleeker of the two classes – the Sm1 had horizontal stiffenings on the sides, while the Sm2 with their bodies of aluminium (instead of steel) have flush sides. The aluminium body also meant a notable reduction of weight, which resulted in a corresponding reduction of electricity consumption. All this while retaining the sexy chunky exterior looks.

An Sm2 in the hot original livery at Kannelmäki station on the M train service to Vantaankoski. Today, the letter M is used to designate our commuter train service around Tampere. My photo.

A total of 50 Sm2 units were delivered by Valmet between 1975-81. One unit consist of an Sm2 power car and an Eioc control cab car at the other end. They were used in the Helsinki commuter train network alongside the Sm1:s, which which they could be coupled together to form ten-carriage trains if needed. As they are fairly reliable, the Sm2 units have occasionally been used on long-distance trains and at least on one occasion even an Intercity, but their relatively low top speed of just 120 km/h has made them less than ideal on long-distance services.

Original interior of the Sm2. Photo Skorpion87, Wikimedia commons.

All Sm2 units were modernised between 2002 and 2010, with the interiors rebuilt and a new red-white livery applies to the exterior. Overall, the refit followed the pattern set by refits carried previously on the Sm1:s, the two classes remaining near-identical (and fuckable) inside and out.

An Sm2 after the first rebuild, photographed at the Helsinki main station in 2009. My photo.

The star of the Sm2 started to decline with the acquisition of the new Sm5 units (Stadler Flirt) for HSL's (Helsinki Regional Traffic Authority) commuter network starting 2008 (These are owned by Pääkaupunkiseudun junakalusto oy, not us). A total of 81 Sm5's were delivered by 2017, which meant that the Sm1, Sm2 and Sm4 units were retired from the HSL routes.

Sm2 interior after the first rebuilt. Photo Edvardbeijar, Wikimedia Commons.

However, the Sm2's can still be occasionally spotted in Helsinki on longer-distance commuter services we operate to destinations outside the HSL area. Primarily they were moved to the local services around Tampere and the lines linking Riihimäki, Lahti, Kouvola and Kotka to each other. 36 Sm2 units remain in use for these services, and most of them have been given a light refurbishment, including repainting in our current white-green colours, as seen in the first photo.

The 14 retired units have been stripped for spare parts to use in the remaining units; in 2022, we entered a tentative agreement to sell them to our startup competitor Suomen Lähijunat Oy, who plan to heavily modernise them and use them on commuter train services in and around cities we currently don't offer local train services in, for example Turku. Suomen Lähijunat had some trouble securing funding, but the deal was eventually finalized at the end of November 2023.

Suomen Lähijunat's vision of a rebuilt Sm2. Photo Suomen Lähijunat/Idis Design

Meanwhile, we have signed a contract for 20 new Stadler Flirt units of our own (the Sm7 class) to be delivered starting 2026. (We also have an option for 50 additional units). With the delivery of these, our remaining Sm2's will be phased out. So if you want to experience traveling inside our hot milfs from the 1970s, you still have a few years!

[i-am-baechu]

Summary: Everything was perfect until it wasn’t. Y/N and Jungkook love each other but when familiar and new faces come into their lives, things get complicated. On top of that, a surprise that truly shakes their plans for the future. Will their relationship push forward or will Jungkook lose his fangirl once and for all?

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Chapter twenty-one: In & Out

→ Genre: Idol au, established relationships, girl group stan au, social media au, K-pop fan page au, romance, angst, comedy, and smut

→ Main pairing: Idol! Jungkook x Fan girl! Reader 

→ Side ships: Yoongi x OC & Jin x OC

→ Warnings: Explicit language, smut, mature themes, alcohol usage, anxiety disorder, stalking, and obsessive behavior

→ Warnings for the chapter: Talks of depression and dark thoughts (If this is triggering please don’t read it) 

→ Authors Note: If you are struggling in life please call 1-800-273-8255 or visit https://psychcentral.com/health/online-help-for-depression#list that has other resources to help you. You are never alone even if this world makes it seem like. Where there is love there is no darkness 💜

⇜ Masterlist ⇝

“There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.” – John Green

One of the worst things that can happen to someone is having their thoughts travel with no destination. It’s so dangerous but you don’t realize it until you have already left the train station. No matter what the weather is, nothing can change the feeling in your heart. The sun can shine through the window but there is no light in the compartment. Just darkness. The only way to escape is to pay the master gratitude and maybe then the sun could shine.

Y/N sat on the bed listening to the water hit the window. Pitter-patter. It was another rainy day in Korea and she couldn’t be bothered with the rain drops. They just keep reappearing. Rain is nice for others, it brings peace but for Y/N it's different. Each droplet contained a fragment of her life which is why she couldn’t look at the glass. It would make her remember or worse think. In moments like this, she was glad she had Jungkook in her life but today she didn’t want the comfort. She wanted the loneliness and she wanted to feel the nothingness at least then, nothing could hurt her.

Jungkook sat in the living room with the movie at a low volume. It’s been two weeks since Y/N left the guest room. He would come in and try to talk to her but she would just look at him with a blank expression. It was something he wasn’t used to from her and in all honesty it scared him. He felt his phone buzz and he picked it up, “Hyung...”

“Is she still in the room?”

Jungkook glanced up the stairs and sighed, “Yoongi, I don’t know what to do...I’m scared.”

“It’s been almost a month and she hasn’t talked to any of us. Maybe you should try again but this time be a little more firm.” 

“Firm? Is that the right action, especially how she is now?” 

“Okay, not firm...I guess just tell her your concerns and talk about more therapy.”

Jungkook nodded his head and rubbed Bam’s head with a small smile, “I’ll try...I’ll talk to you later.” 

“Good luck.”

Jungkook sighed and stood up from the couch. He glanced at a photo of Y/N and him at the beach. It was cloudy that day but that didn’t stop them from going. She wore his sweater and they looked out towards the water. That day, he saw a small look of Y/N’s mind. She talked about how she wasn’t sure how she felt and everything was confusing. The one thing that would never change no matter what, Jungkook wouldn’t be with her. One day at a time, he told her. 

He tossed his phone on the couch and smiled at Bam, “Stay.”

The big dog nodded his head and laid on the couch watching his master go up the stairs. With each step, Jungkook glanced at the photos that were placed on the wall. Each photo told their story, the moments that made his heart flutter no matter what. Like the moment when Y/N surprised him for his birthday in the dance studio or when Jungkook surprised her with roses on her birthday. Moments that made him know that this was worth it. 

He gently knocked on the door and slowly opened it to see Y/N staring at the wall. Something he grew accustomed to seeing. He closed the door quietly and sat on the bed. He gently rubbed her leg which was covered with the black blanket, “Babe...can we talk?”

“Mmmm...” 

He glanced down at the carpet and started playing with his fingers, “I think you should go to therapy more...”

“What’s the point?” 

His eyes widened when he heard this and glanced at her. This was the first time she answered him with words, “What do you mean what’s the point?” 

She slowly got up and stared down at the blanket, “It won’t help me at this point...I think I’m too far gone.” 

“Babe, what do you mean?” 

She glanced up at him and then back at the blanket, “There was a night at the hospital....Jeongguk I almost died.”

His eyes drifted to the blanket but he shook his head. He scouted closer to Y/N and placed his hand on top of hers, “Baby-”

“Jeongguk, have you ever experienced a near-death experience?” 

“Well...once at this concert but that doesn’t matter right now.”

She sighed and glanced at the window, “I met him, death...in my subconscious. I was in this beautiful house as he spoke to me like I was an old friend...well, I am one to him. I could’ve grabbed his hand and let everything be over. There was a part of me that wished I did because I’m just...I’m so tired Jeongguk...so tired.” 

Jungkook gripped her hand tighter and rubbed her knuckles softly, “Y-Y/N...I know things-”

“Jeongguk, someone tried killing me because I love you. Before that I was already going through things...the thought of being a mother scared me and just me wanting...”

“Wanting what?”

She looked at his face and a tear fell down, “I wanted to die Jeongguk...Everything was too much and I just couldn’t handle it. I hate that I felt like that because I had so much support from my friends but I-I...I just couldn’t.” 

Jungkook bit his lip and held back his tears because right now wasn’t the right time to cry. She needed him to be strong, “Baby, I can get you help-”

“Jeongguk, I love you so much...I don’t think I can be here anymore.”

His eyes widened at this and he stared at her, “What do you mean?” 

“I want to go back to my mom...I need to leave Korea for a while.”

He nodded his head at this and glanced down at the carpet, “Do you want to...do you want to break up?” 

She glanced at him and shook her head, “No...I don’t want to break up. I think it would be best if I stayed with my mom for a while...like a month.” 

He nodded his head and leaned forward placing a kiss on her forehead, “If you want that then I’ll support you. I’ll always be here for you.”

She leaned forward, having her head on his chest, “I love Jeon Jeongguk.”

“I love you L/N Y/N.” 

1:35 ───ㅇ───── 3:47

Jungkook sat in the dance room with his head between his legs. The night before was weighing on him heavily. That night, he slept with Y/N in the guest room. She cried into his chest as he rubbed her back hiding his own tears. Hearing the person you love wants to end their life was something he wished on no one.

“I knew you were going to be in here.” 

He looked up to see Namjoon with a bottle of water and a soft smile, “Hey...”

Namjoon sat next to him and set the water next to him. He let out a small sigh and leaned back on the glass, “I heard you talked to Y/N last night.”

Jungkook nodded his head at this and looked at Namjoon with a blank expression, “Y/N is going back to her mom's for a month.”

“That sounds good for her...what happened with the conversation?” 

“She told me something...”

Namjoon nodded his head and took a sip of his water, “You can tell me anything Jungkook.”

“When she was in the hospital...she almost died. She told me that she saw death and they talked...she also said she wanted to die but she chose differently.” 

Namjoon's eyes widened at this and put his water next to him to give him his full attention, “What?” 

“Y/N said she wanted to die and I think she basically had a mental breakdown because of what happened.” 

“That makes sense, Jungkook...someone tried killing her. She is also dealing with it at work, it's a lot for one person.” 

Jungkook looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes, “I know...I hate myself that I didn’t notice it.”

“Jungkook, you can’t put this pressure on yourself. I think you always knew she was having a hard time.” 

“I did but I-I just didn’t notice how bad it was...if I noticed it maybe I could’ve helped her sooner.”

Namjoon placed his hand on his shoulder and brought him in a hug, “It’s not your fault...it's the people out there that are doing this to you guys.” 

Jungkook finally let his emotions break through and he started crying in his chest, “I-I just want to be happy with her. I want to spend my life with her and experience everything with her. Why can’t the world let me be happy?” 

“Shh...it’s okay Jungkook. It’s okay.” 

“Wh-When I find the person that did this to her, it’s going to be war.” 

Namjoon nodded his head as he rubbed his back, “We’ll be by your side. No one messes with us.” 

That night when Jungkook came home, he saw Y/N in the kitchen drinking some tea. She looked so tired and it broke his heart to see her like this. He placed his things on the table and walked towards her. She glanced up and gave him a small smile, “Hey, you.” 

“Hey, baby. How are you doing?”

She glanced down at her mug and then back at him, “I made tea. My mom told me to make it, she said it would make me feel better.” 

“That's good, baby. When do you want to leave?” 

She walked towards him and leaned her body against his, “I was thinking Friday...”

“Friday? That’s in three days.”

“I thought the faster I go, the faster I come back.” 

He nodded his head and kissed the top of her head, “If that’s what you want...I’ll be here waiting for you. I’ll give you space.” 

“I don’t want that much space, Kook.” 

“We’ll get through this.”

“We will.” 

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Tag List:

@agustdpeach @mdavt @aloverga @drissteele @xngelsau

[c-e-d-dreamer]

I told myself I was going to work on my chaptered WIPs after dinner today, but instead, I saw this TikTok on my FYP and was instantly like I need to write this. So I did write this. Enjoy maybe? I don't even know

“We're sorry ladies and gentlemen, but due to the bad weather at our destination, we will be delayed again. We will now begin boarding at 8:40. Thank you.”

Nesta barely swallows down her sigh, and a number of groans and grumbles echo around her, clearly mirroring her annoyance and souring mood. Three hours. They're delayed another three hours. It's just the cherry on top of an already stressful travel day.

She digs her phone out of her bag and quickly sends a text in the groupchat with her sisters, giving them an update on her flight status. With that done, she spends some time scrolling aimlessly through social media, already mentally chastising herself for not packing a backup book into her carry-on. She should've known. She should've known everything that could go wrong, would, and she'd be stuck sitting at her gate for hours with her book already finished from the first hour delay.

Rather than stare at the walls for the next three hours, Nesta thumbs through her apps until she finds Tinder, knowing that will at least provide some entertainment while she waits. As soon as the app loads, she starts judging and swiping. Shirtless photo with the face cut off? Swipe. Group photos of generic looking white dudes where you can't even tell who the profile is even for? Swipe. Photo with an obvious ex? Swipe. Photo from the gym? Swipe.

“Wow,” a voice says from behind Nesta, making her jump. “You didn’t even want to think about it a bit more before swiping? Looked like a great guy to me.”

Nesta twists in her seat, and to her horror, comes face to face with the exact man she just swiped left on. He has his hair scraped back into a bun rather than down the way he had in his picture, and this close, Nesta realizes his eyes are a bright hazel, the gold of them seeming to flicker in amusement under the harsh airport lighting. But despite the slight differences, there’s no denying it’s most definitely him.

Nesta is sure her face must be the picture perfect of embarrassment, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. She can feel the tell-tale signs of a blush creeping up her neck and threatening to spill across her cheeks, but she quickly schools her features into a scowl instead. From the smirk that tugs up the left corner of the man’s lips, he’s clearly clocked it anyways.

“Gym rat isn’t really my type,” Nesta tells him primly.

“Is that so?” the man laughs, the sound warm and seeming to rumble deep from within his chest. “You didn’t even swipe through all the photos either. The third one is a nice photo with a dog. Doesn’t that show I’m a caring guy?”

“I think it shows that you try too hard on your dating profile.”

“You know, just for that, I’m going to remove my like,” the man shoots back, tossing Nesta a wink when he takes in her surprise. “That’s right, sweetheart. If you had swiped right, it would have been a match.”

“Oh, no. Whatever will I do now?” Nesta remarks dryly with a roll of her eyes.

The man laughs again, stretching out his hand over the backs of their seats toward her. “Cassian by the way, since it looked like you swiped too fast to even read my name.”

Nesta scoffs, but she slides her hand into Cassian’s. His hands are much larger than hers, practically swallowing hers whole as his fingers curl around her hand. The calluses of them slide against her palm, but his hand is warm and steady, and for a moment, she swears her blood heats from the contact, that some flame deep within rises to meet him, to greet him as though her very soul seems to recognize him.

“So what has you flying to Velaris?” Cassian asks when he pulls his hand back.

“Family,” Nesta explains, shifting in her seat to face him properly. “My sister lives there, so I’m flying out for her engagement party.”

“Same for me. Both my brothers live in Velaris, so I’m flying home for them. Well, Rhys in particular, but…” Cassian says with an easy shrug before reaching his hand up and rubbing it almost nervously along the back of his neck. “Anyways, you know with the delay, they technically have to give us food and drink vouchers now. Want to go check out one of the bars?”

Nesta can’t stop the surprise laugh that tears past her lips, refusing to acknowledge the warm feeling that blooms in her gut when Cassian’s face lights up at the sound. “Are you asking me on a date? In an airport?”

“Absolutely,” Cassian agrees, his grin wide. “Do you have anything better to do for the next three hours?”

Nesta blinks once, twice, but she can’t say he’s wrong. Not to mention, that after spending so long dealing with the lines and the delays at the airport, she could definitely go for a big glass of wine.

“Alright, fine. I'm in,” Nesta agrees, standing up and gathering her things.

Cassian's grin widens even more somehow, the greens and golds of his hazel eyes seeming to alight as he stands up as well, shouldering his backpack. They retrieve their vouchers from the worker behind the counter, and then Cassian offers his arm toward Nesta like they're in the countryside of some period movie and not the middle of the crowded, dingy airport in the twenty-first century. Nesta raises an eyebrow at the gesture, but she settles her hand in the crook of his elbow nonetheless, letting Cassian lead them away from their gate and toward one of the airport bars.

Nesta hates to admit it, but she ends up having a good time with Cassian. Despite Nesta's correct assessment of him being a gym rat, he tells her about the gym he owns and operates, the classes that he teaches there. She tells him about her own job, about the law firm she's working at and some of her past cases, and he actually seems interested, asks her questions and listens. But more than anything, for every dry remark, every quip, she throws his direction, he doesn't balk or get offended. Instead, he rises to the challenge, laughing and smirking and throwing his own suggestive comments right back at her. For as much as he has her rolling her eyes in fond annoyance, he has her laughing too. It’s easy in a way it probably shouldn’t be, but Nesta doesn’t mind.

Almost too quickly, the three hours pass, and Nesta and Cassian make it back to their gate. Thankfully, their plane is actually boarding now. Cassian has a higher boarding number than Nesta on his ticket, so she expects that to be the end of their chance encounter today, but when she steps onto the plane, Cassian waves her down.

“Saved you a seat,” Cassian explains, gesturing to the open seat beside him.

Nesta glances at the seats further down the plane, at the line of people waiting behind her expectantly. She steels her nerves and slides her bag into the overhead compartment, settling into the seat beside Cassian after all. Thankfully, it doesn’t take long after she’s seated for the plane to finish boarding and takeoff. Nesta prepares to settle in for the flight, but to her surprise, Cassian takes two sets of headphones from the flight attend when she offers them.

“So what movie do you want to watch?” Cassian asks, touching through to the entertainment options on the screen in front of him.

“You know you can’t plug two sets of headphones in, right?”

“True, but I can hit play on both our screens at the exact same time.”

Nesta snorts quietly at that, but she doesn’t say anything more as Cassian pulls up a movie on both their screens, lets him plug in both sets of headphones and takes the ones plugged into her screen. She has to bite her lip around a laugh while Cassian hovers a finger over both screens, ensuring he presses play at the exact same time on both.

Nesta relaxes back to watch the movie, but it’s not long before the stress of the day catches up with her, exhaustion digging deep into her bones and pulling her under. She tries to focus on the actors on the screen, on the dialogue and the story, but her eyes feel heavier and heavier with each passing minute. She decides to close her eyes, just for a few minutes.

When Nesta opens her eyes again, the screen in front of her is black, and a quick glance toward Cassian’s screen shows a new movie playing. Her head is nestled against his shoulder, his arm wrapped snuggly around her shoulders and fingers drawing senseless patterns against her bicep. Nesta knows that she should move, that she should sit up, but she’s so comfortable, so warm. With each relaxed inhale in and exhale out, it doesn’t take much coaxing for Nesta to fall back asleep again.

Nesta wakes again when a gentle hand on her shoulder rouses her. She blinks her eyes a few times before Cassian’s face comes into focus, and he offers her a small, soft smile.

“We made it to Velaris,” Cassian explains quietly. “Just landed.”

Nesta nods her head and sits up, rubbing at her eyes and the remnants of sleep still clinging there. The plane starts to deboard, and they both clamber out of their seats, Cassian getting Nesta’s bag down for her. They follow the signs to baggage claim, waiting until bags start to drop down onto the carousel. Nesta spots her bag first. She goes to grab it, but Cassian pulls it off the carousel for her. It doesn’t take his own bag long to appear, and he grabs that too.

With both their bags now in hand, Nesta turns toward him, realizing that this is it. This is the end of their unexpected traveling together. That now they’ll go their separate ways in Velaris. That now she’ll probably never again see Cassian and his hazel eyes and his easy grins, never hear his suggestive barbs and his warm laughter.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye then,” Nesta tells him, surprising even herself with the way she feels… disappointed, the way her heart prickles and squeezes between her ribs.

“I guess it is,” Cassian agrees, leaning down and pressing a kiss against Nesta’s cheek. “Enjoy Velaris, Nes.”

Cassian turns and heads for the airport doors, leaving Nesta standing there and blinking in shock after him. She reaches a hand up, pressing her fingers against the spot he had kissed her, only the ding of her phone finally pulling her back to reality. She digs it out of her bag, finding a text message from a new contact blinking up at her.

—

Airport Hottie

Maybe next time, you’ll swipe right ;)

Updated Taglist (let me know if you’d like to be added): @moodymelanist​ @nesquik-arccheron @sv0430​ @talkfantasytome @bookstantrash @eirini-thaleia @ubigaia @fromthelibraryofemilyj @luivagr-blog @superspiritfestival @hiimheresworld @marigold-morelli @sweet-pea1 @pyxxie @dustjacketmusings @hallway5 @dongjunma @glowing-stick-generation @melonsfantasyworld @isterofimias @goddess-aelin @melphss @theladystardust @a-trifling-matter @blueunoias @kookskoocie @cassiansbigwingspan

[e-dubbc11]

Welcome Home

Photos are not mine. They are courtesy of Pinterest/Google.

Pairing: Billy Russo x F! Reader

Warnings: Pure fluff! All rainbows and unicorns. Alludes to smexy time

Word Count: 1.4K-ish

Summary: You’ve had a long day of traveling and Billy surprises you at the airport

A/N: So I just got home from a little vacation, both my travel days were shit and I would have loved to have Billy pick me up at the airport after a crappy travel day.

As always, thank you for reading!  I appreciate it so much and comments, reblogs are welcome and encouraged. Don’t be shy to tell me your favorite part. 💕💕 💕

Standing at the bottom of the escalator, Billy waited alone, away from the strangers anticipating the arrival of their loved ones and friends. His hand wrapped around the bouquet of red roses he picked out for you before he left for the airport.

The plastic wrap made crinkling noises under his nervous fingers as he paced back and forth, glancing up at the top of the moving staircase every few minutes, impatiently waiting for you to get to baggage claim.

With his other hand, he pulled his phone out of the pocket of his black leather jacket to check the time…1900. He kept checking during his drive that your plane was still scheduled to land at 1845 because he didn’t want to be late.

He made sure he left in plenty of time, in order to be ON time, Billy was always very punctual and was never late…ever. He needed to be there, to see the surprised look on your face when his gaze met yours.

He read and responded to all of your texts that day which started bright and early. The first one said they changed the time of your flight and your layover destination which you didn’t find out about until you arrived at the airport so now you were stuck there for four hours before your plane took off instead of two. He told you to “relax and go have a drink” but he wasn’t expecting your response and it warmed his heart.

“I just want to get outta here so I can come home to you. I miss you, handsome.”

He missed you too, more than he’d ever show to anyone…his sweet girl.

Billy told you he had meetings all day that day so he wouldn’t be able to pick you up at the airport which was mostly true but he decided a few days ago that he would make Frank go to the last meeting in his place so he could surprise you.

He thought about you all day, constantly checking the time, checking to see if you had messaged him. During his meetings, Billy would see your messages…”boarding now, text you during my layover, love you.” Followed by three heart emoji’s.

Quickly, he would text you back. “Love you too, sweet girl. Be safe.”

No one’s texts had ever brought a smile to his face before. Hell, just seeing your name flash across his screen along with your photo without even knowing what the message said, made him smile. What had he done to deserve someone like you? He wasn’t sure.

Sometimes he thought it was all a dream, that you weren’t real but when he would come home after a long day at work to your beautiful, smiling face he knew how real it all was. Billy was reassured every day that you were his and he was yours but he still wasn’t sure he deserved it.

You knew all the things he had done, his stories from overseas that he kept locked up inside for years because he didn’t want to talk about them finally broke free from his lips because he felt he could trust you. There was never any pressure coming from you, forcing him to talk about things that he wasn’t ready for.

And then one day, it just happened. He felt…free and comfortable, like a weight was lifted off of him, to not only talk about his time as a marine but also his childhood trauma. Billy wasn’t afraid anymore, he could breathe again because he had you…his sweet girl, his everything.

1600, another text from you came through while he was at home changing his clothes.

“Landed in DC, taking off again around 1715. I know you’re busy today baby, but I hope you’re having a good day and I’ll see you tonight.” This one was followed by a heart emoji and the kissing face emoji. He smiled again and texted back.

“Can’t wait, my love. See you soon.” Sooner than you think, he thought to himself.

1850, Billy’s phone had vibrated in his jacket pocket.

“Touchdown! Just a little while longer!” Your text read.

At 1905, he started to notice people descending on the escalator from up above him. Family and friends with their smiling faces waited patiently for their loved ones to see them. Cries of happiness and tears of joy showed Billy how excited everyone was to be home, happy to be on vacation, or meeting friends for the first time in a long time.

He gave them a half smile as his eyes darted back to the top of the escalator which is when he saw you. Your hair was pulled back, haphazardly gathered at the top of your head in a messy bun, a green floral bomber jacket tied around your waist, wearing black leggings and a white tank top, and white sneakers on your feet.

As you came closer and into focus, he could see how tired your eyes looked but you still put on a little smile for the baby waving to you from its mothers arms. He still thought you were the most beautiful woman in the world even though he could tell you were exhausted.

Halfway down the escalator is when your eyes shifted from the baby to the handsome man in the black leather jacket, holding a dozen red roses, and flashing you his perfect, familiar smile. He couldn’t hear it but he saw you mouth his name…”Billy.”

Covering your mouth with your free hand, you don’t know why but you could feel the tears start to sting the back of your eyes. Even though your trip wasn’t very long, you were still so excited and surprised to see him and suddenly the escalator wasn’t moving fast enough.

After one final wave to the baby in front of you, the escalator touched down at the bottom and you took off running towards him. The makeup case in your hand and small backpack on your back felt heavier than they did a few minutes ago, almost as if you were running in slow motion.

His eyes, like two pieces of shiny onyx, watched your every movement, the smile never leaving his face as you dropped the makeup case and the backpack at his feet, and stopping just short of tackling him to the ground. Instead, you just buried your face into his chest as he snaked his arms around you and kissed the top of your head.

“Welcome home, beautiful.” He said with that silvery, velvet tone you had missed so much.

Your eyes moved from his chest up to his beautiful, deep brown eyes and before you could say anything else, he cupped your cheeks and pressed his lips to yours, parting them with his tongue and tangling it with yours. He really missed you.

“I really missed you.” He said, resting his forehead against yours.

Wiping the tears from your cheeks, you replied. “I really missed you too, handsome. I thought you had to stay late for meetings today?”

He leaned in close to gently kiss you again and caught a fresh tear that escaped your eye.

“I’m exactly where I need to be, my love.” He whispered.

That was probably the sweetest sentence anyone has ever said to you. All you could manage to get out was “Oh Billy…”

He didn’t mean to make you cry even more and he knew they were happy tears but he felt he had to make you laugh to lighten the mood a little, so he placed the roses in your arms.

“I found these…thought you might like them.” He smiled and winked at you.

You let out a little laugh. “You found them, huh? The card is written in your handwriting AND has my name on it!” You said sarcastically.

Still joking around, he asked “It does?! What else does it say?”

You cleared your throat and read the card out loud.

Y/N, Love of my life,

I brought all of your Amazon packages inside and there’s ice cream in the freezer.

Welcome home, baby.

-Billy

Another laugh naturally flowed from your lips.

“Oh Mr. Russo, you always know exactly what to say to a girl to make her weak in the knees, don’t you.” You joked with a wide smile.

A sly smile stretched across his face as he whispered in your ear.

“I can’t wait to show you just how much I missed you. Let’s go home, baby.”

Tag List: @mindidjarin @saintmurd0ck @wheresthesunshinesblog @rafaelakelley @idaoftheburningmind @snowkestrel @xdervyxccgh @mattmurdocksscars @fakehappy27 @music-indie-tv @fictional-hooman @kayhi808 @munsonownsmyass @gijos @celestialams @idek-what-to-put @anastasianeedstoread @on-ya @k-marzolf @nutmeg17

Others that might enjoy: @itwasthereaminuteago @fluffyprettykitty @jvanilly

If you’d like to be added to (or removed from) my tag list for the ever so handsome Billy Russo, just let me know and thank you again for reading! 💕💕💕 If I tagged you but didn’t want to be, just let me know and I’ll never do it again

[roseofdarknessblog]

At Our Own Pace (Levi Ackerman x Reader)

Word count: 1 790

Disclaimer: english is not my first language, I apologize in advance for any mistakes

TW: mentions of anxiety

A/N: I wrote this one a few days back on the train when I needed to distract myself from similar thoughts. I'm super glad I got to enjoy my trip in the end, but let me tell you... anxiety is one hell of a curse, which tries to destroy literally everything. 

Summary: Traveling with Levi always seemed like a dream. Or rather until the moment your anxiety set in and wanted to ruin the trip before it even started.

At Our Own Pace

„Is there a problem?“ Levi asked in a quiet voice, his grey eyes carefully watching the expression on your face. His hand came to rest on top of yours on the little table which separated your seats. „You seem pretty anxious.“

You bit your lower lip without an answer, welcoming the warm feeling of his hand on top of yours. Something that small and ordinary could help you feel at least a bit better most of the time and almost instantly. Somehow he always knew, what exactly you needed, even before you knew it yourself.

„You know you can tell me.“

„Yeah, I know,“ you mumbled, turning your head to look out the window once again.

Long train rides were never your favorite thing. Although you loved marveling at the different kinds of views you got to see, while making your way to your destination, long train rides also gave you too much time to simply think... or better said, to overthink. Mainly, if you were headed somewhere, where you've never been before.

Like in this case. It was the beginning of the summer, and with it started your European holiday with Levi. Both of you were excited to see new and exciting places. If you had to say, Levi was probably even more excited than you. He pretty much planned the whole trip, making sure you get to see all the greatest places along the way.

„So? What's the matter?“ he tried asking you again while squeezing your hand a little tighter. The last thing he wanted was for you to feel somehow uncomfortable.

„I think I got a little lost in my thoughts, sorry,“ you finally got out, still not looking at him, and rather admiring another small town alongside the train tracks.  

„There's no need to feel anxious or overthink, you know that, right?“

You gave a small nod, turning your hand palm up so you could hold hands with him. That one gesture was enough for Levi to be sure, that you probably felt even more on the edge than he could guess from your expression or overall behavior. Because Levi noticed everything about you. Every tiny little detail. The two of you were in a relationship for almost a decade, so that gave him more than enough time to get to know your every movement and its true meaning.

„I took care of everything. You'll like our hotel I'm sure. It's in one of those historical buildings you like so much.“

„Those always look so much more appealing than some modern construction from glass. And they're way more photogenic as well.“

Levi gave you a subtle smile. „Yeah, that's true. I guess you can live out your dark academia aesthetic dream to the fullest these next two weeks. Europe is full of beautiful historical places.“

„I'll be taking a lot of photos for sure. Because if I don't do it, we'll have exactly zero memories to look back on from this entire trip,“ you teased him, squeezing his hand lovingly. Levi was never the type to take a bunch of photos. Or even any photos at all. So making these kinds of memories was always your obligation – on every single trip or vacation, the two of you took over the years.

„I prefer to live in the moment, not through a phone or a camera.“

You rolled your eyes at him, resting your back a little more comfortably. There were still almost three hours left from your journey, which already lasted another good three hours. And while Levi tried to occupy himself with one of the books he brought along, all you could do was look out the window and overthink. After a short, while it became pretty uncomfortable to sit – you didn't know how to relax, where to put your legs, or what to do with your hands. All of a sudden, you felt so out of place, that it was agonizing to stay seated and pretend, that everything is okay.

„I guess...“ you started, taking a deep breath before continuing. „I guess I feel like this because I don't know what to expect from that place. I'm afraid I won't be able to enjoy it there because everything will seem too overwhelming. And you know how I get when we have to shuffle through large crowds, noisy places and so.“

Levi nodded, his other hand gently resting on your forearm. As if he wanted to physically ground you at that moment and stop you from floating away with all of the thoughts that kept racing through your mind.

You fidgeted uncomfortably in your seat. „Don't get me wrong, I'm excited. But...“

„I understand,“ he said, seeing you struggle with finding the right words. „I want both of us to have a good time, not to worry, and just suffer through each day. So I'll try to always make sure you feel comfortable and safe. If you don't want to go somewhere because of a large crowd or anything similar, you simply tell me and we'll do something other instead. Just like always. You know I never get mad for something like this.“

„But you put so much effort into planning everything out. I just... I don't want to be the reason why we miss something interesting or something you really wanted to see or do.“

When his grip on your forearm tightened, you knew he could truly feel your rising discomfort. At that moment, you wished you had seats next to each other and not opposite, so you could just lean against him and rest your head on his shoulder for a second.

You always worried a pretty big deal about ruining every single trip. Not so much for yourself, but for Levi or your family, when you were younger. You never wanted to be the reason somebody didn't enjoy themselves or didn't get to do everything they wanted. But worrying just made everything so much worse. It made you so exhausted and on the edge, that even trying to relax and truly enjoy the experience of traveling and discovering new places became more like... more like a burden than a pleasure.

„Y/N,“ Levi addressed you firmly, bringing you back to reality once more.

„Sorry, I... sorry...“ you said a little ashamed and looked away from his face once more.

„Look at me.“ He waited until you did so, his eyes looking at you with concern. „I'm here and I'm not leaving you. We'll be together all the time, so there is no need to worry. I'll be there to hold your hand and keep you calm when you'll need it.“

„Great, so you'll be always watching me and not enjoying the trip you were so excited about,“ you mumbled and were about to look away once more when Levi let go of your arm and gently grabbed your chin to prevent you from doing so. „I hate doing this, I really do. But...“

„I know.“

„No, you don't because...“

„I know,“ he said once more, not letting you finish what you wanted to say. He already knew, that it wasn't anything logical. Just your anxiety trying to make everything even worse. „We’ve gone together to many places over the years. And I never once had a bad experience because of you. Quite the opposite. I was finally able to enjoy myself and relax because you were with me. Because I got the chance to share all those amazing moments with you.“ His thumb gently caressed your chin, while he was still making sure you stay looking at him. „I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.“

Levi never complained about anything, that regarded your needs. He let you explain what you were feeling and what you needed. And then he just tried his best. Levi always put your safety and comfort above his own. Even if he wasn’t feeling his best, he made sure you were as okay as possible.

„We’ll be fine, I’m sure. You love traveling, exploring, and making memories,“ Levi reminded you in a gentle tone and slowly let go of your chin. The tiny smile, which settled on his lips, was enough for you to not want to avert your gaze. He knew, that when he wanted to keep your attention on him, all he had to do, was smile. Even just a little bit.

„I’m really thankful you did all the planning and everything. After all, you always do a great job with choosing the hotels or the best way to get there, with managing our daily activities and such.“

He squeezed your hand a little tighter, before drawing little circles into your palm, to keep you focused only on his presence. „I would go crazy if I wasn’t in control of everything you named.“ His smirk let you know, that he meant it well. This was simply how Levi was.

It took Levi many similar attempts until he truly managed to calm you down. He didn’t get the chance to read his book, but that didn’t bother him at all. What mattered the most, was your seemingly calmer mood, when the train finally came to its final stop and both of you stepped onto the platform. While Levi took care of your luggage, you felt more relaxed and at peace.

All you had to do, was keep reminding yourself, that everything was okay. This was the time for relaxing and enjoying life. Not for worrying.

The saddest part about every vacation was, that anxiety always accompanied you. It never stayed home, rather followed you around the world and kept peeking over your shoulder. Kept ruining some of the most beautiful moments Levi planned for the both of you. And that always hurt the most, because he tried his best and put so much energy into every single detail.

„Let’s ignore everyone, hm? And pretend, that this city is only ours,“ Levi said from behind your back before his hand found yours for a little while. He knew you liked to wait, until other people left the platform, so you can avoid the crowd. And after all, there was nowhere to hurry. You had plenty of time for absolutely everything. „I’ll only have eyes for you and all the stunning places we’re going to see, and you do the same. We’ll enjoy this place at our own pace. Just like always.“ When his hand squeezed yours a little tighter, you smiled and squeezed his hand back.

He was right.

There was no need for you to focus on other people or the things your anxiety wanted you to believe and overthink. Your only job was to stay with Levi, hold his hand, and let him lead the way. And even if that wasn’t easy at all, you knew that until Levi will be by your side, you can do absolutely everything. Even the scariest things, like battling your own mind over severe and little meaningless problems as well.

„Thank you for doing this, Levi. For planning the whole trip and everything,“ you said in a much calmer voice, which he immediately noticed.

With a tiny smirk, he leaned closer and kissed your forehead. Even if he wasn’t the biggest fan of showing affection in public, there were moments like this one. When he knew you would really appreciate and benefit from a little something like a kiss or a hug.

„I can’t wait to kiss you on every single location I want to show you,“ he whispered in a loving tone, making you smile wholeheartedly.

You doubted there ever would be enough words to describe just how much you loved and appreciated Levi Ackerman being a part of your life – a man you got the chance to love and with who you wanted to spend all eternity.

[schweizercomics]

As of this week, I'm back from the Welsh mountains of Snowdonia, where my family and I went three weeks ago for a harp festival in which my daughter was participating. We spent most of our time in the castle city of Caernarfon, where the festival took place, and stayed across the street from a really big, really lovely old church at the base of Twthill, “Wales’s smallest mountain,” site of a Yorkist victory during the War of the Roses.

One of the days that we were there, I took a bus to nearby Bedgellert, ostensibly named for a noble but unjustly murdered 13th century dog, and set out to reach the top of Dinas Emrys, which lay outside the town and near a defunct Victorian copper mine (which I also crawled around in).

(outside the mines, before I started walking)

I wandered through a lot of countryside, woods, and sheep farms. The standard Welsh joke is "Don't like the weather? Wait five minutes," and that was the case - ten minutes heavy wind and rain, ten minutes sunshine, off and on for about four hours.

In the next pic, you can see the hillock of Dinas Emrys from before it crests upwards...

...and here it is from the top. The tree sits just outside the tower ruins (the pit to its immediate left).

I've never had such a beautiful walk to such a satisfying end. Not only was the peak gorgeous, but it also had the bonus of being a historical/mythical destination right up my alley.

The top of Dinas Emrys is where the oldest English/British histories (the 9th century Historia Brittonum and Geoffrey of Monmouth's famous History of British Kings* place the tower of Vortigern (and subsequently Ambrosius, in many versions the older brother and predecessor of Uther Pendragon), which in the legends had to be rebuilt numerous times because of the red and white Dragons that fought at the pool below it and which were taken by a (then young) Merlin as an omen for Welsh/Briton victory over eastern invaders.

*My pal Benito Cereno is currently translating Geoffrey's book from Latin, with some commentary, on his Patreon, and you can read his translation of the story here.

The sun was finally (consistently) shining by the time I got to the top, so I took off my shoes and socks to dry them, lit my pipe, set up my easel, and did some sketches of both the tower ruins and, once I climbed down to it, the hidden pool below.

I was quite happy with the travel easel I'd built and carried for the last eight or nine miles, until the heavy wind took it off the side of the mountain and broke it. It's fixable, but not without tools that I didn't have in the mountains, so that was that.

I haven't finished most of the Dinas Emrys sketches - like a lot of my travel stuff, I pencil (and sometimes ink), throw a couple of spots of color, and take photos to use as reference, so that I can do more pieces on a limited traveling schedule. But I'm looking forward to finishing the drawings of the pool especially - it felt like I was in a fairy tale down there, and I hope I can convey it (although the leafless, windswept [I think] hawthorn trees, reaching toward the pool like hands, aren't like any trees I've ever tried to draw before this trip, and trying to get them right is part of the reason I ain't yet done).

The trip back down was less idyllic, partially because going down over wet rocks is, while less strenuous than going up, more demanding of care and attention, so I had to watch my feet more than the surroundings, especially having taken a fall up by the ruins. But I'd count the trek as one of the genuine high points of my life. I was elated and in awe for hours at a stretch, and absolutely overcome with the beauty of it. And, while the rain might've been unpleasant and chilly at times, it meant that the sun fought through water and clouds to create the most incredible vistas, and the rain meant that the colors of the mosses and grasses were at their most vivid.

I'll have castle drawings down the line, too, and some others from around the harbor town, and I can't stress how much we enjoyed our time in Wales.

I did take a few days to go up to Leeds, do a signing at Traveling Man, and visit the  Royal Armouries a few times to do drawings. One of the folks who came to the signing, Dr. Tzouriadis, is a currator at the armouries and was kind enough to give me a tour on my last day in Leeds, including getting to see the research library, which I now know to make an appointment for visiting the next time I'm there (I likewise learned about the British Library reading rooms and research collection, and got a card for it for the next time I'm in London).

Dr. Tzouriadis was incredibly generous with his expertise, and I learned or clarified a lot of really neat things that'll influence how I draw swords and armor in the future. And I've had some practice this trip thanks to the incredible collections with which I had a chance to spend some time.

Each day over the month of May, I'll be posting one drawing of a sword (or other edged weapon) from either the Royal Armouries, the Tower armory, or the British Museum. It's jumping the gun a bit, but here's a sneak preview of the first one:

They're toned with a single color (indigo) so that I can collect them into a book in black and white and make both its manufacture and selling cost a bit less than I could were I to do color - it also cuts down on the time spent making them. I'll likely put them up for sale each day as I post them, likely for the same price (50 plus shipping?), as a means by which to recoup some of the (substantial) cost of the trip.

While in Leeds I also got to meet cartoonist James Lawrence, have dinner with cartoonist John Allison, and briefly stop by OK COMICS in the arcade, which was an incredible store with an amazing selection of books.

After Wales we went to London (Penny's first time), and Penny was unfortunately ill for a couple of days, so I spent time at the museum doing sketches, and visiting the library treasures gallery. We saw a couple of musicals that Penny was keen on seeing, went to Charles Dickens's house, visited the Tower, ate some cheap meat pie with jellied eels in Greenwich, toured Westminster and St Pauls (I went to a Eucharist service at the latter, as well as one in Wales in a lovely little church built into the castle wall more than seven hundred years ago), and a handful of other things, including seeing the Tempest at the Globe Theater - my first time seeing a play at the Globe, and my first time seeing the Tempest performed.

I also got to visit a whole store devoted to Tove Jansson's MOOMIN, where I got a mug and a biography of Jansson, and it was next door to the Benjamin Pollock's Paper Theater shop. I went to London disappointed that the Pollock paper theater museum had closed only months before after decades of operation, and didn't know that there was an (unaffiliated since the 80s) shop, so stumbling upon it was a real treat (stumbling is how I like to do cities - I walked crisscrossed the town between the Euston and the river and found some great shops, including a lot of bookstores).

Now that I'm home, I'm very keen to get back to work. I'll be doing Patreon commissions, coloring a book for my friend and frequent collaborator Kyle Starks, and just settling back into being able to work, which I missed an awful lot despite the wonderful trip.