#tuesday is my test bake day (:

[boyfeminism]

guy whose work is letting hir experiment with the challah recipe <3

[noneedtoamputate]

Band of Brothers Olympics AU - Chapter One

I don't have a great title for this yet. I was thinking about The Vault in Our Stars, a pun on another Shakespeare quote to go along with Band of Brothers. If you have any ideas, please let me know.

This came out of my Olympic obesession, and I've tried to include a lot of details that came out of the Paris games in the fic.

I can't thank @mercurygray enough for helping me flesh out this story and providing some much-needed details. She deserves co-author credit on this chapter, but any mistakes or sections that don't work are on me. And thanks to @shoshiwrites for beta-reading and telling me it was a fun read. That's exactly what I am going for with this fic.

Hope you all enjoy!

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Five days before Opening Ceremony

Four of the five members of the United States men’s gymnastics team lounged in the larger of the two bedrooms in their Olympic Village suite after their designated practice time. Harry Welsh texted his girlfriend, Kitty Grogan, a member of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team and America’s current sweetheart. High bar specialist George Luz balanced a plate of French baked goods on his lap. Team himbo Floyd Talbert read the newest issue of Field and Stream. Carwood Lipton, the youngest member of the squad, sat on the floor doing a v-stretch. 

“My mattress here is worse than the one in my dorm room,” Carwood lamented, grabbing his foot and reaching his head to his knee.

“Yes, but it’s environmentally friendly,” Harry pointed out without looking up from typing. “You can save the world or save your back, but not both.”

“Fuck, this pain au chocolat is good,” George said, his mouth full and his pronunciation terrible.

“You don’t say the last letter of the word,” Tab explained, hardly looking up from his magazine. 

“Whatever.” George considered the pastry again. “I think I’m going to record a review and put it on TikTok.”

“You know French?” Carwood asked Tab. It wasn’t impossible, but Carwood didn’t take Tab as the … cultured type. He knew Dick and Harry pretty well - he was a few years behing them at Penn State, after all - but he was still getting to know George and Tab. Both men liked to joke, although their senses of humor worked in different ways - in strong contrast to Dick, who didn’t really go for jokes when it came to his team and his sport. 

“Kinda. I’ve been doing twenty minutes of Duolingo a day for the past two months. I’m up to Level Six,” Tab explained proudly.

Harry laughed and shook his head. “And here I was thinking the only French Tab knew was mènage à trois.”

“I resent that you think that low of me, Harry - and that’s an important phrase,” Talbert defended, finally looking up from his reading. “Speaking of, any chance Kitty introduces us to her teammates?”

Harry put his phone down. “Kitty’s already told them all about you. And if that didn’t scare them off, she threatened  that if they so much as shook your hand, she’d send their names to the doping agency and they’d have to take extra urine tests.” 

“Shit, I wouldn’t cross Kitty. She scares the hell out of me.” George admitted, brushing crumbs off his chin. 

“If only the American public knew about the real Kitty Grogan,” Carwood agreed. Harry’s girlfriend had worked hard for the America’s Sweetheart nickname, but George was right. Her tiny frame and blond curls hid a ruthless sense of humor, a deceptively strong arm, and a very, very strong protective urge for the other women on her team. (Necessary equipment, she would have said.)

“Well, there’s lots of other women in the Olympic Village,” Tab said, unbothered and unashamed. “And I’ll need some more condoms, too, since someone -” he glared at George - “wouldn’t share.”

“Christ, will you let it go? Harry asked for mine first. And everyone got five to start with. If you need more than that, walk your lazy ass downstairs to the clinic. They have more there for the taking.”

The suite door opened, and team captain Dick Winters walked into the room.

“Hey, have you had any of these, Dick?” George asked, gesturing to the remnant of croissant on the table. “They’re really good.”

Dick looked at the pastry like George had just suggested he eat something toxic, and gave a brief shake of his head.“I just got through talking with Coach Taylor, and he was really happy with the way practice went this morning.”

“Well, that’s why I came to France. To make Coach Taylor happy.” Harry rolled his eyes. He wasn’t on the best of terms with the national team coach, and he wasn’t afraid of letting everyone know it. 

“Hey, Tab, you should ask Dick!” George suggested. 

“Ask me what?” Dick looked over Tab’s way.

“Can I have the condoms that came in your welcome pack? George already gave his to Harry.” Tab still sounded put out.

Dick looked even more offended about this than he had about the chocolate croissant. “No!” 

“Why? Did you use them already?” Tab sat up and looked at Dick, interested in his answer.

“No!” Dick shouted again, even louder this time. “And nobody is no going to need the condoms, because nobody on this team is going to have sex until we’re done with the competition.”

“What?” Tab asked incredulously. “There are 5,000 women here. And 5,000 men, if that’s your thing. Ten thousand people, all of us at the peak of our physical well being. And you want us to refrain from doing anything that requires a condom for a week?”

Dick sighed, more than a little agitated he had to explain this to his teammates. “We have a chance to do something really special here. I know it's a long shot, but we could medal. It would be huge for men’s gymnastics back home. We owe it to ourselves and our sport to do our best, and that means focusing. Abstaining for a week isn’t going to kill anybody.”

Harry shook his head. “Look Dick, I understand what you’re saying, but you know how superstitious I am, and I always sleep with Kitty before a big meet. She does this thing where … ”

“STOP!” interrupted Dick, eyes closed in pain. “Nobody is interested in what you were about to say.”

“I am,” Tab answered honestly, and George laughed.

“Look, I didn’t come up here to talk about condoms,” Dick said, desperately wanting to change the subject. “I’ve been thinking we should skip the opening ceremonies.”

The rest of the team stared at him.

Dick sighed before starting again. “I know we’ve all been looking forward to it, but it’s only two days before our qualification round, and we’ll be on our feet and it will throw off our sleep schedule.”

“C’mon, Dick. It’s one night,” George said.

“I know it’s not a big deal for you, being in just one event,” Dick said, sounding judgmental. 

George sat up straighter. “Yeah, I only won the silver medal at last year’s world championships for the high bar. I have no idea how I even got picked for the Olympic team, because that’s not a big deal.”

The three other teammates turned their heads back and forth, following the heated exchange.

Dick grimaced. “That didn’t come out the right way, George. I’m sorry. But you have to see my point. You get it, don’t you, Carwood?”

Everyone looked at Carwood. 

Carwood looked up to Dick, both as a gymnast and a person, so he was slow to voice his dissent. Truthfully, he’d been looking forward to the ceremony quite a bit, and the idea of not going for something like a sleep schedule sounded … well, lame.  “I want to do well, too, Dick, but there are so many things about the games that we don’t want to miss out on. The opening ceremonies, meeting new people …”

“Mènage à trois,” Harry added with a huge grin, and Tab threw the magazine his way. 

“You know what, forget it,” Dick said, clearly agitated. “Let’s just treat this like one big frat party and forget about representing our country and bringing home a medal.” He walked out of the room.

“Aw, Dick, come on!” he heard Harry call out to him, but he didn’t respond. He’d shared his feelings with his team, and they’d shared theirs. 

How was a captain supposed to lead when his team didn’t want to be led?

-

Dick decided to take his frustration out in the weight room, and then he got a massage. Back in the locker room, he checked his phone and saw Harry had messaged him.

Harry: Hey, you okay? We’re going to grab dinner, but I understand if you need to cool off.

Harry: I don’t think that conversation went the way anyone wanted it to.

Harry: They’re all good guys and they care a lot, but we all need a little fun, too.

Harry: You don’t have to be perfect, Dick. You’re already a good leader.

Harry: You know I love you, man. Kitty says she loves you, too (but not like she loves me).

Dick smiled briefly at the words on the screen. Harry was more than just a long time teammate. He’d been his freshman year roommate, one of the first friends he’d made at Penn State, and the guy on the team who understood him the best. They had shared wins and losses and ups and downs. Dick was even there the first time Harry laid eyes on Kitty, and she quickly became one of Dick’s people, too.

Thanks. Dick texted back. Grabbing dinner with Lew. Appreciate the invite, though. I’ll catch you before lights out.

He would need to apologize to them all later - he could see that now. Sometimes he forgot that other people saw the world a little differently than he did. But that was part of being a leader, too. 

It’s good to have people who care about you, he thought.

-

An hour later, Dick took the Metro and walked a few blocks to meet team sponsor Lew Nixon at a bistro. A second-generation tech titan, Lew and his sister, Blanche, needed a way for their father’s software company to save face after Stan’s headline-making fourth divorce. Blanche suggested adopting two Olympic teams that needed financial support and didn’t mind the backing of NixWorks, despite the reputation of its founder. 

So Lew met with men’s gymnastics, promising free housing for its national team members, as well as covering travel expenses and extensive social media coverage. Blanche did the same with the women’s rugby team, and both teams were happy to accept. 

Nix hated athletics - his idea of weight training was 12 ounce curls - and Dick had nothing in common with the San Francisco tech bro. But in spite of their differences - or maybe because of them - the two had become close friends during the past year. Dick appreciated having someone he could talk to outside of the gymnastics bubble he placed himself in leading up to the games. 

Dick spotted Lew sitting at a table for two on the outdoor patio, looking at his phone, a glass of red wine already in front him. 

“Dick!” Lew said, greeting him a little too loudly. Dick thought the glass of wine may not have been Lew’s first of the evening. 

“Have you seen the new dating app we created for the Olympians?” Lew turned his phone around so Dick could see it.

“Yeah. Light My Fire. Great name,” Dick said.

“I know, right?” Lew missed the sarcasm from Dick. “You know, because the torch and everything.”

“I get it,” said Dick.

“And my dad is a huge Jim Morrison fan. Once I told him the idea and the name, he had the programmers start working on it right away.” The waiter came over to go over the specials and take Dick’s drink order. Lew translated and answered back in perfect French.

“Dick, it wouldn’t kill you to try some new things while you’re here,” Lew said, considering his friend over the candle in the middle of the table.

“I don’t like sparkling water. I just want tap. And what’s wrong with ranch dressing?”

Lew tried to hold in his smile.“They call it still water here, Dick. And nothing is wrong with ranch dressing ... if you’re in State College, Pennsylvania. But you happen to be in the culinary capital of the world, and I’m going to let you in on a little secret,” Lew said conspiratorially, leaning a bit closer to Dick across the table. “Champagne vinaigrette won’t get you drunk.”

Dick rolled his eyes. 

Over the meal - Lew had steak frites, rare, and another glass of what Dick learned was Bordeaux, while Dick stuck to water, still, and a grilled chicken salad - Dick shared what had conspired earlier in the day. Dick would have never guessed it when they first met, but Lew was a good listener, always taking in facts and asking pertinent questions. 

Lew took a long sip of wine before sharing his conclusion.

“Listen, I know you don’t have beaches in Pennsylvania, but I’m sure you’ve held sand too tightly before,” Lew said. “I don’t think I need to tell you it usually doesn’t work.”

Dick couldn’t help but laugh. Lew was right.

“I’ve seen all five of you work hard, make sacrifices. You’re all ready for this. Give them a little space, a little freedom. This thing only happens every four years - enjoy it a little!” 

Dick nodded.

When he got back to the room, the team was half-watching an action movie dubbed in English on the television while Kitty was recording George eating another one of those chocolate pastries. Several sets of eyes swung to him and the door as he came in, just as quickly going back to the movie.

He looked down at his feet for a moment. “I owe you all an apology. I came on a little strong earlier, and I’m sorry. I’ve … got a lot on my mind at the moment.” The group continued to watch the movie, but George’s frown had softened a little.

“Here’s the deal,” Dick said in such a way that everyone turned around and stared at him intently. “We’re going to work like hell for the next two days. Then we’ll go to the opening ceremonies. And then we’ll kick some ass.”

His teammates look stunned. They never heard him swear once before, let alone twice in one speech. 

“Fuck yeah,” George answered back, smiling.

“Fuck yeah,” Harry and Tab said at the same time.

Carwood took his time. He didn’t swear much, either. “Fuck yeah,” he finally said, and Harry patted him on the back.

As Kitty recorded the moment on George’s phone for posterity, she knew this group was something special. 

[devils-dares]

frank castle x reader with like a bakery au or where he always comes in just to see her

wordcount: 1004

i apologize for any editing errors, my brain is not working currently.

-----

“Black with room and a slice of toast?” You ask, cleaning out an espresso puck when you see Pete at the counter.

“You know it, sugar.”

“For here or to go?” You wipe your hands on your apron, punching in the items in the register.

“For here, favorite spot’s open.” He nods his head towards the small chair and table in the corner of the cafe, basked in golden morning sun.

“Alright, have a seat,” you smile at him, “I’ll bring it over.”

Readying his coffee and filling a cup with cream, you deliver everything to him. He looks up at you with wide soft eyes, muttering a “thanks, sugar.” before indulging himself.

It wasn’t a busy day, a Tuesday at 10am meant the morning rush had left and it was only retirees and people like Pete. You’d kept the counters clean and baked more treats, but there wasn’t much to do. You boxed a few to-go orders, only leaving the counter when someone wanted to have their coffee topped up.

Sooner or later, you find yourself and Pete alone in the cafe, life bustling outside the cafe doors. You hum along to the background music playing, and Pete scratches away at his journal. He stares out the window a few times, watching families with an almost heartbroken look in his eyes. You watch him for a while, and although he can feel your eyes on him, he lets you.

After he sits in the cafe for about two hours, he gets up with a sigh, wrapping up the leather-bound journal and tucking it into his pocket.

“I’ve gotta be on my way, sweetheart,” he calls out to you, “see you soon.”

“Wait!” You call out after him, “can you- can you take this? Just as a taste test, it’s a new recipe I’m working on and I need someone other than myself to tell me how it is.” He glances at you wearily but still takes the pastry bag. You watch him leave, sighing when he leaves. He was genuinely one of your favorite customers, he didn’t talk much but when he did, the two of you had amazing conversations about everything. You didn’t know much about him, only that he served as a marine and didn’t really have anyone else, other than a nice man named Curtis who came in maybe twice.

—--

A few days had passed before you saw him in the morning at opening time. He was the first customer, in fact, ordering his usual with the addition of the pastry you gave him the other day, “if you have it sweetheart.”

“I take it you enjoyed it?” He hums.

“Keep giving me treats like that and I'll be your taster forever.”

“Gotta come here every day then,” you tease, “constant feedback.”

He tenses at your words and you panic, thinking you overstepped or something, but he relaxes soon enough.

“I’ll see.” He says simply, and that was that. He takes a seat after paying and you deliver him his typical order, along with the pastry. He hums out a thanks and you leave him to himself.

The cycle continues, he sits quietly in his spot jotting in his journal while you tidy up the never ending mess. He takes his leave after a few hours, and you wave him off after giving him a new pastry to try, cleaning up his table when he leaves. You spot a napkin face-side-down on the table, sharpie ink bleeding through the thin sheet. You look around before flipping it over.

“So you don’t have to wait for my reviews.” It read, and under was his phone number scribbled into the napkin. You smiled, thinking you’ll wait until tonight to text him.

—--

“Hey Pete.” Frank’s phone dinged as he stitched himself up, glancing knife wound on his thigh. He cleaned himself up of blood and grime before responding to you.

“I was waiting for you to text me, sugar.” His teeth gritted almost immediately after sending the text, hoping he didn’t come off as too straightforward.

“Did you try the pastry I packed for you?” Your response read. He smiled.

“Eating it right now. It’s yummy.” He could hear your laugh, airy and full of light.

“Glad you like it, any criticism?” You ask.

“Yeah, you’ve gotta pack me more next time, sweetheart.”

“Will do.” The two of you ended up texting for hours about everything and anything and Frank realizes just how easy it is to talk to you. You two talk until Frank realizes the gaps between your texts are growing longer and longer, and Frank chuckles at you.

“Head to bed, sugar. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Promise, Pete?” His heart aches just a little when he hears his fake name.

“Of course.”

—--

Sure enough? He’s there when you walk to the door, bouquet of flowers in hand.

“Who’s the lucky girl?” You joke, inserting your keys into the lock to open up the café.

“They’re uh- actually for you.” He hands the flowers to you.

“Oh! Thank you!” You take the flowers, grabbing a vase from behind the counter and placing the flowers in them, displaying them on the counter.

“Do you want to order anything?” You ask as he makes his way towards the counter.

“No.” He says simply, and he places his hands on your hips.

“This okay, sugar?” He asks, thumb rubbing light circles.

“Yeah.” He leans down, lips hovering right over yours, but he lets you make the final move to pull him in.

The kiss was short and sweet. His hands pulled your hips flush to his as your arms wound themselves around his neck.

“Pete…” your voice trails off.

“It’s Frank.”

“What?” You pull away.

“My name, it’s Frank. I don’t like people getting too close, but I’d break that rule for you.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“I mean, you’re not as mysterious as my last boyfriend, he had a lot more secrets than that.”

“You’ve no idea, sugar.” He leans down to kiss you again.

[darlingsfandom]

could i request girl dad cillian? no weird or sexual things intended btw. his daughter is a teenager but they’ve always been very touchy feely with each other and close. she hugs him, kisses him innocently, sleeps in his bed, etc because she doesn’t have a mum. his family tells him that they find it a little inappropriate given her age and at first he tries to set some boundaries with her but that breaks his daughter’s heart so he’s like nah fuck it, i’m going to spoil my baby girl as i always doo please please please pleaseeee 😭😭😭

I love girl dad! Cillian. These are easier to do as head canons for me .

•Single Widowed Girl Dad!

•Your mom passed away when you were young and Cillian never remarried because he wanted to be the best parent he could.

•As a child he’d take you to the park after school, push you on the swings, watch you on the slide and let you pick dandelions .

•On the days when it was raining he’d help you bake in the kitchen! Muffins were the favorite thing to make.

•You’d crawl into bed whenever you’d have a nightmare or there was a dangerous storm!

•He’d always read you a bed time story and leave the door cracked so if you needed him he’d hear you yelling.

•He’d take you to your ballet classes every Tuesday. When you got a little older ballet wasn’t your thing anymore and you wanted to play soccer! He took you to practice and your games but you didn’t want to play anymore after the first season. He always let you decide if you wanted to keep going or quit because he didn’t want to make you do anything you didn’t like. The two of you did do a few art classes together but you quit that too!

•When you hit puberty… he was in over his head! He asked your aunt for help with teaching you how to shave, how to put on a pad and how to wash yourself better.

•Make up! You got into make up and he’d let you practice on him just like when you were little and made him play fairy princess! He didn’t mind though he loved playing that with you, even if you did put the eyeshadow all the way to his eyebrow!

•When you started high school your friends were a bit … well … Cillian didn’t like them! One was too loud , always talking about nonsense! The other one was into playing dumb and the final one ? She liked to hit on him all the time! You did find some new friends eventually .

•16! You’re 16! His little girl has grown up! You still seek comfort during a storm and a forehead kiss when you’re upset. Cillian gave you the party of your dreams and some of your family found it weird how much he goes out of his way to take care of you ! He found it weird that they were making it weird !

•Shortly after turning 16 you told him that you like boys! He knew it was coming and so he awkwardly gave the “birds and bees” talk to which you gave him a giant EW! And didn’t talk to him for two days. You did bring home a boy one day to study and Cillian kept an eye. Once again he heard “EW GET OFF!” Making his rage come out! He ran to find you standing there slapping the boy across his face and as he went to raise his hand, Cillian grabbed his hand , took him out of the room and tossed him out the front door. “Don’t ya dare touch my daughter again ya little punk!” And slammed the door! It was a proud dad moment for him.

•When you were about to graduate you sat down with him and explained that you think you like girls! He held your hand and told you the most comforting thing. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy! And if they hurt you… well you know what will happen. You’re my daughter and I love you, I just want to keep ya safe! Love who want just make sure to keep yer guard up until ya find the one ya want to spend yer life with.”

•You did it! You made it through high school! You got honors and he couldn’t be more proud of you! You worked so hard! The tears you shed over test, stress, sleepless nights , lost friends… it was all part of life and he was proud to say that your his daughter .

[the-duchess-of-domination]

Lurker anon here, and I've got some brainrot that I'd like to share :)

So one of my friends is a culinary student and he works at a bakery on the side. From school, he's always bringing back the food everyone makes in his baking class since for some reason nobody ever wants theirs (one time he got like 10 cakes), and he's also always bringing home stuff from the bakery since they need to keep everything fresh and a lot of their stuff can't be left out for too long, plus the place is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays (he tried to give me a giant bag full of bread just last week). That's gotten me thinking.

Let's say your boyfriend owns a bakery. It's a pretty small one, so apart from the two of you there's no need to hire anyone else to help out. It's a Monday evening, so the bakery is closed to the public. You've taken the day off to just relax and get some household chores done, but your boyfriend has been there since the crack of dawn, making and testing new recipes that he's been wanting to add to the menu. The bakery has good equipment that he doesn't have at home, but said equipment is large and so he always ends up making a *lot* more than he needs for sampling, or even for giving away.

Not one to let perfectly good food go to waste (and of course he has a sweet tooth), on top of all the sampling he's doing he's also spent the day snacking on the extras. When you head to the bakery in search of him, you find him leaning back against the counter, one arm braced against the marble surface while the other cradles his swollen, gurgling belly. His stomach is bulging outwards because it's so stuffed with baked goods, outlined by his apron and straining against the ribbons that tie it against him. He's stuffed to the gills, and on top of that all that sugar has made him rather queasy and he raises his hand to his mouth, stifling a low, sickly burp. Looking around, you can see that there are still plenty of pastries dotting the kitchen counter.

The question is, what do you do now - rub your poor boyfriend's overstuffed tum, or see if he can fit anything more into it?

THE RETURN OF LURKER ANON!!! omg this is incredible.

im not usually a mean feeder, but i can see it going one of two ways ;)

you hate to see your boyfriend so sick, so you usher him home to rest. you help him untie the tight apron, and when he lies down in bed his belly rises up like a hill under the covers. initially he doesn’t want to take any medicine, so terribly embarrassed of what he’s done to himself, but after the strained digestive gurgles get especially loud he gives in, and you sit at his bedside and spoon medicine into his mouth.

he’s got such a bad stomachache that he has to keep the bakery closed into the next day, which he feels guilty about. i imagine him upstairs with his eyes closed, stomach hurting too bad to actually sleep. he thinks about heavy creams and tart jams and wildflower honeys, chocolate chips and powdered sugar. all the red velvet and cinnamon bread and eclairs. as you come in with a chamomile tea you see him wincing, so you start playing with his hair and caressing his sore belly.

or maybe you feel mean. you and him sometimes play punishment games, and nowadays it seems his masochistic self wants to be punished, and although a terrible stomach ache seems like the ultimate punishment to you, you decide that your boyfriend needs to be disciplined and taught a lesson. you collect the scraps of pastries left behind and drag him home. out of the closet you pull ropes, and once his arms are restrained behind his back you force him to keep eating, giving brief intermissions from a gallon of milk:

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

FIC UPDATE: Precious & Fragile Things

Hi! Happy Tuesday. Here is Chapter Five! Also, tested positive for covid this morning. Some good news, some bad news. Anyway, hope you're having a great day!

Summary:

Buck makes progress with Eddie, and Eddie makes progress with Chris.

Snippet:

“You baked brownies?” He asks. “I-I thought you didn’t like chocolate?”

“I don’t,” Eddie confirms. “Bake or like chocolate. But you like chocolate, and my captain is an excellent baker, so I asked him to help me out.”

Oh, for the love of all that is unholy. This man. 

“W-well, that is really kind,” Buck says, lifting the lid of the tupperware and reaching for a brownie the size of his palm. “But completely unnecessary, you know, I’ve just been doing my job and… Is this a triple chocolate brownie? ”

“It is,” Eddie confirms. 

“Wow,” Buck says, taking a big bite.

Buck thinks he hasn’t tasted anything this good since he was last literally in heaven.

“Oh wow ,” Buck says again, mid-chew. “Tell your captain I’m in love with him.”

[dearestkong]

tuesday 23rd april 

sleep: 9:45-5:45 (~8h)

screen time: 2h 39m

wins:

pre-test revision (math)✏️

history recall + textbook cross-referencing✏️

GARDENING!! picked flowers + mint for peppermint tea🫀

housemate baked us lemon meringue pie🫀 

kiiiind of set up a system to keep track of priorities🫀

mini-quizzes for tomorrow’s test✏️

nighttime article research✏️

losses:

didn’t have a good lunch and got tired in the afternoon🛏️

when “resting”, I still reach for my phone📵

☆彡

my god... a day filled with whimsy. the sun sets at like 8pm now and I want to cry of happiness

[tessa-liam]

Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors 

Chapter 4: As the Smoke Clears 

Book: The Royal Romance Finale AU 

Series Premise: Hidden in the shadows, poised to challenge the status quo are enemies of the state. The loyalties and honesty of family and of friends will be tested. ‘Keep your friends close, your enemies closer.’ 

Catch up: Smoke and Mirrors Masterlist  

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks-Rys, OTP ‘LiRi’ 

2nd Pairings: Leo Rys x Amalas, Drake Walker x F!OC Delaney Leigh 

All characters belong to Pixelberry, except Delaney Leigh and Officer Cossoy 

Rating: M🔞*Series Warnings: NSFW material, sexual innuendo, adult language/swearing/drinking 

Category: Alternate Universe/on-going series/angst/fluff 

Words: 1821, Read: 8 minutes 

Chapter 4: As the Smoke Clears 

Chapter Summary: Celebrating Valentine’s Day of lovers, family, and/or friends. The search for Lena continues in Monterisso. Not Beta'd-please excuse all errors. 

A/N1: @choices-february2023 @lucy-268 #choicesfebruary2023 #choices monthly challenge Day18- Romance|Seafood|Hanging by a Moment by Lifehouse – Music Inspiration 

A/N2: @choicesficwriterscreations #cfwc valentine 2023 Prompt, Here and Now – OTP celebrates with their kids 

A/N3: @choicesflashfics Week #20, Prompt #3 - “Are you flirting or starting a fight?” 

A/N4: @peonierose – Thank you for the picture/prompt 

Royal Chambers, Cordonian Palace 

It was an early Tuesday morning and Riley was taking full advantage of the terrace overlooking the gardens. Sipping her coffee, she relished her quiet time. 

It’s Valentine’s Day.  

...and today, her focus will be on her family. 

Starting with baking home-made chocolate chip cookies that were now cooling on the counter. Promising to help Ellie with her Valentine gift for her father, she made one of the cookies into a giant heart for her to create and decorate her gift for Liam. The royal kitchen prepared 3 colors of royal icing for the princess to help her complete her decorating project. 

For Liam, Riley has a surprise romantic dinner planned on the royal yacht tonight. A surf and turf feast with all his favorite dishes, prepared by the chef, cruising under the moonlight. 

They had been planning a trip to Monterisso since finding out about the possible missing sister/fugitive, ‘Lena.’ The timing could not be more perfect for sailing, rather than flying to the island. Leo was already there with Amalas; Leo being the King’s representative involved with the search led by Interpol. 

“Mm mm... what have we got here?” The sound of Liam’s deep groan caught her attention. 

Riley turned to look inside the kitchen and saw him take a bite into a cookie. 

“Hey, you,” she walked into the kitchen, smiling. 

“Is this for me?” He grinned, staring at the huge heart she made. 

“Yes! Yes, it is.” Riley smiled wide at his expression. Shaking her head, “it is part of Ellie’s Valentine gift for you. Do not touch, not yet!” 

“Ellie wants to surprise you at lunch after your meeting by personally delivering it to you in your study.” 

“This is my favorite kind of cookie," he said, reaching to grab another before turning back to her. “I’ll take care of these. You go finish your breakfast.”  

“Ha, ha, your majesty,” Riley chuckled. Don’t take too many cookies back to your study with you.” 

“Oh, and love.... bonne saint valentin a l’amour de ma vie.” Liam lifted her hand to kiss and then twirled her around. Riley reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, and whispered, “buon san valentino all’amore della mia vita,” followed by a deep kiss. 

*** 

Leigh Townhouse, Capital 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Drake!” Delaney rolled underneath the bed sheets to her side to face her boyfriend coming out of the bathroom after his shower. His eyes were closed, and she smiled at how cute he looked with his wet hair sticking up all over his head and a towel wrapped around his waist. He opened his eyes and gave her a grin.  

Walking to the bed, he bent down to whisper, “hey baby,” wrapping his arms around her and kissing her lips. Delaney smiled up at him as she laid there feeling safe and secure with the man she loved. 

“I love you,” she told him as he kissed her again. 

Drake sighed happily, “I love you too. Happy Valentine’s Day.” 

He pulled himself away from her and headed towards the closet. 

“Wait, what are you doing?” Delaney asked playfully as she watched him pull out his boxers from the drawer. 

“Getting dressed....” 

“Well, I thought that since you came out of the shower wearing nothing but your towel,” Delaney replied teasingly.  

Drake smiled back at her as he sat down on the bed next to her. He reached under the sheet to pull her bottom close to him. “And how do you know I wasn’t wearing anything?” 

Delaney blushed. “Umm...well...” She looked away, embarrassed. 

“Well, what?” he asked again, playing along with her. 

“Well, you know I didn’t see much of you last night.” 

Drake laughed. “I’m sure there was plenty to see.” 

He looked down at Delaney's expression and she did not look happy. “Are you flirting or starting a fight?”  

“A little bit of both?” Delaney replied frustrated. 

“Drake, it's the best answer I can give you right now. 

It is Valentine's Day! I thought you could stay home today with me, but instead you are going out.” 

“Baby, after the council meeting, I am coming right back here with your Valentine gift.” Drake replied with a grin. 

*** 

King’s Study, Cordonian Palace 

“Are you ready, princess?” Riley asked Ellie as they walked hand in hand down the hallway to deliver Liam’s valentine gift. 

As they approached his door, the royal guards bowed. 

Ellie raised her hand and tapped. When she heard her father's voice say, “come in,” a royal guard opened the door for Ellie and Riley. 

“Daddy!” Ellie rushed in and went around his desk. Liam picked her up and placed her on his knee.  

“Well, hello princess,” he said, smiling at her. 

“Oh Daddy, Happy Vawindines Day! I brought you a present.” Ellie handed him the giant heart-shaped cookie she had personally decorated. 

Liam kissed her cheek, “Happy Valentine’s Day, my little love. Thank you so much, will you help me eat it?” 

Ellie nodded excitedly as he placed the giant cookie on his desk. 

Riley was watching the exchange between the two of them as she sat down on the sofa. 

Liam looked over at Riley and winked. 

“Princess, I have Valentine's Day presents for you and mommy, too.” 

Her eyes lit up and she clapped her hands. 

“Tonight, after your lesson, we are going on a boat. That is where I put them. And guess where we are going on that boat?” 

Ellie furrowed her brows, and asked, “where, Daddy?” 

“To visit Micaela in Monterisso.” 

*** 

Royal Yacht, enroute to Monterisso 

After getting Ellie settled into her bed for the night, Riley changed into her evening cocktail dress. 

As the servers placed platters of crab legs, scallops, and calamari on the table, the chef set down individual plates of steak and lobster for each.

The music played softly in her ears as she walked out onto the deck after dinner. Standing there, she felt like she was floating on air. A smile spread across her face when she felt Liam’s hand gently stroke her bare back. 

“You look so beautiful tonight, my Queen,” he whispered, as he leaned forward for a kiss. 

��Thank you,” Riley deepened the kiss. 

“Come dance with me,” he said, taking her hand. 

As they moved effortlessly to the music, Delaney watched from the window, sitting at the dining table inside. It was the most romantic setting she had ever seen. 

“What are you thinking about?” Drake asked her, but he was fairly sure he already knew. 

“It must be hard being married to a King. But Riley makes it look so easy.” 

“Well, Riley is an incredibly unique woman.” Drake said in reverence. 

Delaney raised an eyebrow, waiting for Drake to continue. 

Riley noticed Delaney watching them, as the song ended. 

“Let us join Drake and Delaney inside, we still have dessert to eat.” Riley smiled as Liam kissed her hand. 

“After you, love,” Liam gently turned Riley to go inside. 

As Liam went inside to sit down at the dining table, Riley met with the chef to begin dessert service. 

“Delaney, I hope you are enjoying yourself.” Liam enquired. 

“I am. I have never been on a yacht before.” 

“Li, this is a 5-star resort on water. Thank you for including Delaney and I on this cruise.” 

“Oh yes, especially on Valentine’s Day,” Delaney exclaims. 

Riley smiled. “No problem, we are happy you could join us.” 

As the servers set their desserts in front of them, Liam squeezed Riley’s hand. “My love, you always indulge me.” 

Delaney took her first bite of the baklava, “this is delicious.” 

Drake grins at Liam and lifts his glass to propose a toast. 

“To great food and good friends.” 

*** 

As the evening progressed, Liam and Drake moved to the outside deck to discuss the game plan on the search for Lena.  

While Riley and Delaney went to the lounge area of the yacht. 

Both women being American, shared that commonality, but moreover, Riley wanted Delaney to feel comfortable in Cordonia. Since Liam and Drake are best friends, Delaney will be included with Royal court functions that Drake attends. 

“So, how did you meet Drake?” Riley asked, as she sipped her infused sparkling water. 

“We were in college together, about 10 years ago, at the University of Houston. I really liked him, so when he left to come back here, I tried to stay in contact, but I lost touch with him.” Delaney explained. 

“That must have been difficult for you. How did you eventually find him?” Riley asked. 

“I went to student services and found his forwarding address information. I kept trying to get in contact with him hoping he would remember me. He finally called me one day and it turned out that we reconnected after all those years.” Delaney sighed. 

“Yes, you were here at Halloween last Fall.” Riley smiled. 

Delaney grinned, “yes.... he was so sweet!” 

“Now, let’s talk about you. Drake told me that you had some very bad experiences when you came to Cordonia. 

Riley laughed, “where do I begin?” 

Drake murmured to Liam, “should I be worried?” Liam replied, “man, you are so screwed.” His laugh bellowed and Riley looked up to him with a smirk, hearing his comment. 

As Liam and Drake walked inside the yacht, they both took notice of the blossoming friendship of Riley and Delaney.  

*** 

Translations:  “bonne saint valentin a l’amour de ma vie.” 

~ Happy Valentine’s Day to the love of my life en francais 

“buon san valentino all’amore della mia vita”  

~ Happy Valentine’s Day to the love of my life, in Italiano 

***

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TRR: @busywoman

Leo & Amalas @twinkleallnight

[blindrapture]

TUESDAY JUNE 14TH, 2011 (There were Strangers at the Birth of the Earth)

(just read the version on the Website. please.)

2:34 PM head ow hurts up door nobody

3:10 PM limp ass blood stomach ow

3:46 PM hurt place! Place food please raw yes

3:50 PM veg eat eat

8:13 PM i feel better. just ow i’ll get over it soon enough though. Otherwise… no. finally got some food. hadn’t eaten in days. mouth hurts cut up but i don’t care hungry. i miss donnie. god i really do. if Donnie was here she’d hug me and kiss me and make me feel better.. She’d make sure I wasn’t feeling like shit and i’d appreciate it so much. Because she’s not wooden. WELL.. I mean.. there’s still something off about Mistress. Like.. she’s not completely cold, there’s a bit of warmth in there like she’s a little alive. I’m beginning to wonder what the hell the Harlequin really is. I’m also wondering what Donnie’s doing right now. I hope she’s still alive. ..of course she is, Jordan. Don’t be silly. Please. How about a mystery I can sorta at least try to solve, the mystery of the receipt? It said B-4000k, didn’t it? For some sorta oven?

8:40 PM Holy shit, I’ve found something. There’s definitely an oven here called the B-4000k. It’s huge, absolutely gigantic. You could probably fit a cow on that thing. I’m not kidding. What’s the “B” stand for? “Bake?” “Bovine?” “Burninate?” ….”Brazilian.” So Bones came all this way to buy us a giant cooker from Brazil? That’s a little weird.

8:43 PM I’ve been looking at it for a while, haven’t I? It’s kinda creepy. Almost.. ominous. Foreshadboding. I’m gonna go home and pop some prog on. I’ll see if I have any clean clothes at all.

9:38 PM Fuck yes, Mastodon’s Blood Mountain. Let’s look for some clothes.

9:50 PM Hey, my Rock Band T-shirt. I love this thing. Found some nice trousers, too. Black. I’m sick of white. No idea where my black suit and trilby are, though. Fuck it, going back to my prog.

10:47 PM ..wait.

10:48 PM All of a sudden, tons of zombies standing outside the house. Like they did many weeks ago. Where have these zombies been? Unless Mistress has been keeping them away and now she’s done with me. ..they’re not copying me. o_o

10:49 PM They mostly just stand there, surrounding the house, but a lot of them are occasionally.. moving their arms. Like they’re getting used to them. Some of them are “testing” the legs, too.

10:53 PM ..they really do not look like conventional zombies. They look a lot like normal humans, but just.. almost comatose? It’s creepy.

11:00 PM They all said “Your move.” And.. now they’re leaving. Huh.

11:57 PM Can I be honest with you, journal? I’m scared of what Mistress’ll do to me tonight.

(Attached: “Now feels like the perfect time for a change in subject, so here’s the tale of when I witnessed the Earth’s birth. The only preface necessary is that I was then so young and guided by an omega-symbol-faced figure calling himself the Devil, sibling to the Colour of Blood.

I could feel space folding in half before me. The Devil flickered into existence beside me, saying nothing. We walked through planes of hydrogen on grounds unseen. Clouds of green dust littered the air. As we walked forward, our path strolled upwards as some invisible hill. Lightning cracked above, forking down and causing a pink rip in the cloud ahead. I fell over as my footing rumbled, but the Devil continued as if I wasn’t there.

In the distance, I could see seven stars appear in the sky. Then seven more. Then more still until this realm had an astral audience. The Devil had almost left my field of vision, so I hopped to my feet and ran to catch up.

A series of grand chords roared to life around us, triggered by the lightning. Steam rose, and the green clouds descended until they marked our footing.

More lightning shocked the ethereal field, somehow solidifying the clouds with a fierce thud that transitioned into the world’s primordial symphony. Magma shot out from under us, creating a tunnel of fire and harmony of heat itself.

I caught up to the Devil, and together we reached the end of this tunnel to see the clouds ahead whirlpooling far below us. Stars flew out from the sky and funneled down the whirlpool. The Devil stood still and held out an arm to stop me. We watched every star fall into the vortex.

Lightning hit the aperture, and all movement stopped in the universe’s fear reaction.

Five figures rose together from the center of the whirlpool, heads looking up to the heavens, one arm outstretched above. To call these figures humanoid would be neither true nor false; their shapes did not resemble us but their movements and the way they carried themselves suggested some common evolutionary quirk. All five towered over our heads, clashes of shadow and color and light and greyscale spread throughout our fields of vision.

Describing the five figures challenges me, especially now after the fact, but one looked a mountain gripping a monolith sword, one looked a long ferocious beast with a thousand eyes, one looked a staircase rising into infinity, one looked a pair of black and white fireballs soaring around, and one looked a river of some roaring unknown black ooze. They did not see us, only scanned the galactic neighborhood with some semblance of elegance before setting out to look around further. Grand chords played on, now met by juxtaposing melodies from the fireballs and the river.

The mountain spoke, uttering noises that shook space itself. The tunnel of lava behind us fell into the abyss, and the steam had now formed a thick cloud above even the tallest figure. It was going to rain. That is, before three red stars appeared on the horizon, coming closer and closer faster than the falling rain. The universe paused once more, bracing for impact.

Niggling giggles and mind-terrors flew, one-by-one, into the playing field. Each one stopped on a dime just short of the five titanic figures. These new beings, I could not see but could rather deduce what they didn’t look like. Whatever they were, they were strangers. One stranger uttered something resembling a chuckle and then proceeded to fly into the river, splashing a fountain of black ooze into the air. The Devil stood back a bit, and so I did too.

The ooze covered every titan, and the mountain roared in pain. Cracks appeared, and each figure split into five smaller beings. Everything fled. Everyone vanished. And the strangers were nowhere to be found. In the empty void of prehistoric quiet, it finally began to rain.

I shrugged. The Devil looked at me with annoyance and asked, ---Did none of that worry you?

--Well, forgive me for not reacting exactly the way you intended. Mind telling me what it is I was seeing, let alone what I’m supposed to be worried about?

---You really don’t know?

He paused and looked at the ‘ground,’ hands on his hips, then muttered: ---Right, of course you don’t; I keep forgetting you’re not Tiresias.

I ignored that remark.

He looked at the vortex before us and raised his arms.

---Behold, the origin of your planet! What you just saw were.. what the fuck did people call them, Trimurti? I know the Coyote was in there somewhere. Or was it? You guys have a lot of mythology. He waved his hands in dismissal before continuing: Whatever, the Coyote was one of those guys you saw. Ptah was out there too. I don’t know all their names, okay?

--‘Ptah.’ So they were us? The big titan guys were us?

---‘Titan,’ yeah, that was another word for it. They’re the guys who became us. Or I mean, that was some of them. Long story. Point is, this is when we first settled here.

I looked around at the starless night and the mass-less atmosphere. --You guys sure got here early.

---We like to attend the midnight release.

--And what about those other things?

---I think– he paused to look in the direction they’d come from– ---that one's beyond even us.

We stood there a while, the Devil lost in thought and I trying to take in the scenery. Eventually he started walking back the way we came, and I tagged along, not exactly desiring to stay in the land before time.

--So there’s no way to choose where the Doors take us? You didn’t choose to take me here?

---No. Our destination is entirely random.

Before we left through our entry Door, I heard more chords so I turned and watched the rain increase in ferocity. Far away, hovering above the centre of the vortex, I thought I saw a blue figure watching in all directions with curiosity. No emotion. Just endless curiosity.”)

[PREV LOG] [TABLE OF CONTENTS] [NEXT LOG]

[bluezenzennie]

𝓗𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓸 𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼! 𝓦𝓮𝓵𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓮𝓪 𝓣𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓭𝓪𝔂 ~

A little something made by my friend Flora and I, where we share tea stories, poetry, recipes, moodboards and more!

All are allowed to come sit in the lounge and share some tea and cake, as we enjoy each other's presence. Last but not least, remember to tag Flora and I in your tea Tuesday posts! We'd love to see what you have in store for this Tuesday's tea time.

Today's theme is: "Early summer mornings"

𝓢𝓽𝓻𝓪𝔀𝓫𝓮𝓻𝓻𝔂 𝓶𝓾𝓯𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓼

Early summer mornings call for freshly baked goods! So I say you and I bake some lovely strawberry muffins and then go outside to eat them while enjoying the slow sunrise.

( Strawberry muffin recipe! )

Servings: 12 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Total Time: 50 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with knife, plus 2 teaspoons more for tossing with strawberries

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

1 stick or ½ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

½ cup milk

2¼ cups diced strawberries, from 1 pint, divided

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, for topping

( Follow the rest of the instructions of the linked text up top and enjoy <3 Heads up that if you are like me and don't use fahrenheit, you'll need a converter to help you figure out right measurements! )

𝓣𝓮𝓪 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 𝓹𝓸𝓮𝓽𝓻𝔂

The brisk air of the early summer morn kisses against your skin and bathes your warm body with careful cool breezes. Alive, at peace from the heavy heat that'll loom above us later in the noon. I cannot deny, though, that the comforting warmth of the early hour makes me appreciate the weather. There is a certain charm to it, the cold breeze mixed with the to be warm weather. Not too hot, not too cold. Simply stuck in something more tolerable, temperate.

Magics of the world. Mother nature works in her own strange ways, giving us the loving embrace of the morning dew in summer and clearing our bodies with the freshness it bears. The sun taunts during the day. Testing the waters and licking against our skin.

But not here in the early morning as it rises to greet us. It smiles, showing us the art it can create in the sky with its light and grace. Showing us colors we will never get tired of.

Early summer mornings are to be enjoyed and appreciated for the calm and beauty they bring. For the laughs with friends, for the comfort of solitude.

Tea Tuesday taglist: @a-world-of-whimsy-5-5 @barbedwireandfences @evander-fucklear @edensrose

And we will see you next Tea Tuesday <3 Next theme will be announced Friday!

[lulubelle814]

Regards, Loki - Chapter 15

Master List

On Tuesday, James found he needed to get out of the office for just a bit and seized the opportunity to visit Deja Brew.  Upon finding the coffee shop, he saw it was uniquely decorated and inviting.  Entering, he found it was calm.  It was the middle of a Tuesday afternoon, after all.  Behind the counter was a tall gentleman, not quite as tall as himself.  Judging by first appearance, he seemed a good looking fellow.  He approached the counter, perusing the menu.  After a moment, the barista spoke up.  “Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”

James hummed.  “I’m not sure.  What would you recommend?”  He glanced back at him, taking the opportunity to look at his nametag, ‘Chad’.  Sigyn mentioned testing some pastries, but none showed on display.

‘I wonder if this was the man Sigyn mentioned in her text?’  He looked around, not seeing anyone else.  After Chad listed a few drinks, he selected one which was given to him shortly after.  It was a tea called ‘queen’s gambit.’  He’d never heard of it, but it was delicious.  “Thank you for the recommendation.  Do you have any sweets or pastries by chance?”

Chad’s eyes lit up.  “We don’t right now, but it’s in the works.  Hopefully we’ll have some in the next couple of weeks.  You can follow our instagram page for updates.”

James kept a mental note to do as such and went back to the office.  Sitting at his desk, he felt refreshed.  Sigyn was right.  He should take breaks more often.  Through the rest of the day, his mind wandered back to Chad.  Was this the man his Sigyn was spending time with now?  The thought made his blood boil.

Wait a minute.  She wasn’t his Sigyn.  She was simply Sigyn, a friend and companion.

Sigyn: Have you had a chance to check out the coffee shop?

Loki: Oddly enough, I just got back from there.  The nice gentleman behind the counter recommended this drink called a queen’s gambit?

Sigyn: That sounds interesting.  I’ll have to check it out next time I go in.  Was Chad nice to you?

So that was the gentleman who started occupying some of her time.

Loki: He was pleasant.  In fact, he suggested the drink.  There were no sweets though.

Sigyn: He’s working on it.  Hanging with him on Saturday reminded me how I used to bake with my mom years ago.

Loki: Oh?

Sigyn: Yeah.  I attempted to make mom’s old brownie recipe, but it was a disaster.  I tried to make it by memory, but I obviously got something wrong.

Loki: Is there no written recipe available?

Sigyn: There is.  I’m pretty sure it’s buried in a box somewhere.  Just need to find it.

Loki: When you do, let me know how they are.  I love brownies when made properly.

Sigyn: I take it you’ve had some pretty bad ones?

Loki: I dated a woman a year or so ago who made them, and they were not good.

Sigyn: Do I want to know how bad they were?

Loki: Let’s just say the word awful would be a gross understatement.

Sigyn: I’m so sorry!

Loki: You can make it up to me by letting me know how yours turn out the next time you try.

Sigyn: I can do that.

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

When she got home from work that evening, she had a renewed vigor to find that recipe.  2 hours and several boxes later, she found it.  ‘Damn.  I put in too many eggs, way too much flour and not enough sugar.’

Looking in her kitchen cupboards and in her fridge, she had enough ingredients left to test out a batch.  45 minutes of stirring and baking later, they were ready.

‘Here goes nothing,’ she thought to herself, taking a spoon and scooping out a bite to eat.  As soon as it hit her tongue, she was in heaven.  It was exactly as she remembered.  Closing her eyes, she could picture her mother finishing a batch, warning her to let them cool off before digging in.  The memory brought tears to her eyes.

Recalling the conversation with Loki earlier, she had an idea.  It was only 8 pm.  She pulled out her phone and called Bruno.

Bruno: Bruno speaking.

Louisa: Hey Bruno!  This is Louisa.  I’m not sure if you remember me?

Bruno: Of course I remember you, ma’am.  You were very kind to me despite your stressful circumstances.  Did you enjoy the basket of goodies?

Louisa: Very much!  I was wondering if I could ask you a small favor?

Bruno: How can I be of service?

Louisa: I was wondering if I gave you something, if you could take it to our mutual friend?  There’s a treat in it for you if you’re able to.

Bruno: How could I turn down treats?

20 minutes later, he was at her door.  To be honest, Bruno had developed a soft spot for her in the brief amount of time they’d known each other.  She handed him 2 containers of brownies.  “One is for you, and the other for him.”

He opened the lid to one and gave it a whiff.  “I love brownies!  You spoil me, Ms. Louisa.”  Without hesitation, he broke off a piece and ate it, making noises normally only heard during sex.  “These are amazing!  Thank you, Ms. Louisa!”

“I’ll have to remember that for the future.  Consider it a bribe for taking these to him and a downpayment on saying thanks for helping rescue me the other night.”

“This is the tastiest bribe I’ve ever received.  This other container may not make it to your friend.”  They laughed, but she knew he wouldn’t do such a thing.

“I spoke with him on the way here.  He’s very curious as to why I’m going by his place.  He gave me a little insight into the nature of your relationship, that you both use nicknames to retain anonymity but talk often via messages.”

She felt a little relieved that he was aware of their situation, realizing it was a good thing because that meant he wouldn’t spill the beans to Loki.  “Thank you so much, Bruno. Can you tell him they’re from Sigyn?”

He nodded. “For the future, how much would you charge to deliver something to him?”

He grinned.  “For you, Ms. Louisa?  You don’t need to give me anything.  The occasional treat would be most welcome though if you have them available.”

“That’s a deal, Bruno.  Thank you so much!”

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

He left and went straight to his destination.  Knocking, it was only a moment before James opened the door.  “I must say.  It was odd but welcome to hear from you.  What is it I can help you with?”

Bruno held up a container.  “These are for you, compliments of Sigyn.”  James raised an eyebrow, taking the container.  “I’d be careful with those, if I were you.  They’re addicting.”

Opening the lid, his sense of smell was immediately filled with the scent of the most delicious brownies he’d ever encountered and couldn’t help but take a bite of one.  “Holy shit!  These are incredible!”  He took another bite.  “I can’t thank you enough, my friend.”  He reached into his pocket to give Bruno a tip to which he declined.

“Ms. Sigyn already paid me.”

He raised another eyebrow.  “She did?”

Bruno nodded.  “She gave me my own container of brownies.”  Both laughed.  Bruno departed, and James went to his fridge, thankful he still had some milk on hand.

Loki: You are too kind.  These brownies are incredible!

Sigyn: You flatter me, sir.  I like them quite a bit.  They remind me of my mother.

Loki: I cannot thank you enough for these.  You didn’t have to, but I’m glad you did.

Sigyn: I know it’s not much, but I wanted to thank you for your advice and the gift basket you sent me the other day.

Loki: Not much?  If this is the way you thank someone, I’ll have to send you more things.

They texted back and forth happily for the next hour before realizing they should probably get to bed soon as they both had work in the morning.

[fiftytwotwentythree]

Wellness Wednesday:

Mentally Prepping for Meal Planning

Awhile ago I talked about keeping an eye on my financial wellness... well, my for scheme to boost my pocket book was to start meal planning/prepping.

So, I went grocery shopping and bought essentials geared towards making (5) meals - meals which yield leftovers... leftovers which hopefully taste better the 2nd and 3rd day.

This week I ate 2 out of 5 of those meals and I cannot complain, but there is room for improvement - like - I attempted/tested freezing food and waiting days to eat again. It tasted fine after nuking, but I need to work on the packaging and thawing process.

I think once I get freezing my leftovers down it will be smooth sailing - my main thought is not to have a meal ready in the freezer for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday... but rather not waste any of my leftovers or give my palate a breather.

And speaking of giving my palate a breather... I devised a new challenge for the month of October which will contradict that entire notion - a challenge where I will do nothing but have all my meals ready to go - because - I made the decision to eat the same thing everyday for 31 days... should be fun... or it could be fun... I have all my canned goods bought - I just need to decide on my entrees and snacks.

In other news... Nothing much going on.

Being relaxing lately.

.

.

32nd CHECK-IN:

Current Goals:

Lose 52 lbs

Completed as of 4/12/2023

New Goal: Maintain or Continue on The Weight Loss Path

Avoid "Junk Food"

Minimize Take-Out / Fast Food Consumption

Short Term:

Vegetarian-ish Diet: Completed

End Date: 4/09/2023 - 46 Days Total

.

.

Meal Tracker:

THURSDAY

Lunch:

(3) Leftover Oven Baked Ham, Pastrami, Corn Beef with Pepperjack Cheese Sliders

American Style Pasta Salad with Chicken

Snack:

Serving of Blue Diamond Almonds

Bag of Orville Redenbacher Ultimate Butter Popcorn

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

1lb of Watermelon Cubes

Supper:

(2) Leftover Oven Baked Ham, Pastrami, Corn Beef and Pepperjack Cheese Sliders

Small Plate of Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes and Andouille Sausage

(2) Small Oranges

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

(1) Glass of Milk

FRIDAY

Lunch:

Small Plate of Leftover Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes and Andouille Sausage

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Snack:

Party Sized Bag of Smartfood's White Cheddar Popcorn

Supper:

StarKist Lemon Pepper Tuna with Pepperjack Cheese on a Croissant

StarKist Sweet & Spicy Tuna with Pepperjack Cheese on a Croissant

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

SATURDAY

Lunch:

(2) Hotdogs

(2) Scoops of Broccoli Cheddar Pasta Salad

(2) Scoops of Potato Salad

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Snack:

(2) Bowls of Smartfood's White Cheddar Popcorn

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

(2) Bowls of Wonderful's Shelled Seasoned Salt Pistachios

Supper:

Bowl of Chicken Enchilada Pasta Salad

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

(2) Small Oranges

SUNDAY

Lunch:

Half of a Cobb Salad

Snack:

(1) Bowl of Wonderful's Shelled Seasoned Salt Pistachios

(3) Bowls of Smartfood's White Cheddar Popcorn

(2) Glasses of Chocolate Milk

Supper:

Chef Salad

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

MONDAY

Lunch:

Chef Salad

Serving of Blue Diamond Almonds

Snack:

Large Movie Theatre Popcorn (No Butter)

Supper:

Fiesta Salad with Chicken

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

TUESDAY

Lunch:

Bowl of Cesaer Salad with Croutons

Serving of Blue Diamond Almonds

Supper:

Bowl of Leftover Cesaer Salad

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

WEDNESDAY

Lunch:

Large Plate Leftoversof Chicken Enchilada Pasta Salad

- Herdez Street Verde Sauce

- Herdez Street Rojo Sauce

- Parmesan Cheese

(2) Scoops of Potato Salad

(1) Scoop of Broccoli Cheddar Pasta Salad

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Serving of Blue Diamond Almonds

Snack:

(3) String Cheese Sticks

Bag of Orville Redenbacher Ultimate Butter Popcorn

(4oz) Bag of Sahale Snacks Pomegranate Vanilla Flavored Cashews Glazed Mix

(4oz) Bag of Sahale Snacks Pomegranate Flavored Pistachios Glazed Mix

Supper:

(2) Hotdogs

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

.

.

Workouts:

THURSDAY

(200) Jumping Jacks [4 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Assisted Push-Ups [2 sets of 50]

(50) Reverse Leg Lifts [5 sets of 10]

(50) Leg Kickbacks [5 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

FRIDAY

(200) Jumping Jacks [4 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Assisted Push-Ups [2 sets of 50]

(50) Reverse Leg Lifts [5 sets of 10]

(50) Leg Kickbacks [5 sets of 10]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

SATURDAY

(200) Jumping Jacks [4 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Assisted Push-Ups [2 sets of 50]

(50) Reverse Leg Lifts [5 sets of 10]

(50) Leg Kickbacks [5 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

SUNDAY

(200) Jumping Jacks [4 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Assisted Push-Ups [2 sets of 50]

(50) Reverse Leg Lifts [5 sets of 10]

(50) Leg Kickbacks [5 sets of 10]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

MONDAY

(200) Jumping Jacks [4 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Assisted Push-Ups [2 sets of 50]

(50) Reverse Leg Lifts [5 sets of 10]

(50) Leg Kickbacks [5 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

TUESDAY

(200) Jumping Jacks [4 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [5 sets of 10]

(100) Assisted Push-Ups [2 set of 50]

(50) Reverse Leg Lifts [5 sets of 10]

(50) Leg Kickbacks [5 sets of 10]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

WEDNESDAY

(200) Jumping Jacks [4 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges[4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Assisted Push-Ups [2 Sets of 50]

(50) Reverse Leg Lifts [5 sets of 10]

(50) Leg Kickbacks [5 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

.

.

WEIGHT TRACKER:

Starting Weight (Noon, 1/01/2023): XXX.X lbs

Weight at Last Check-In, 8/02/2023: -2.4 lbs

Weight As of Noon, 8/09/2023: -0.4 lbs

Total Weight Loss: -81.2 lbs

.

.

Closing Thoughts:

The Good:

Being reading a lot of comics... been real chill.

The Bad:

Cravings are getting strong. Daydreaming about cheat days.

The Ugly:

Nothing as bad as daydreaming about Nachos

[daughter-of-fire-and-dreams]

🍳 = What kind of family gatherings does your muse prefer and why?

MY PLAN WAS TO MAKE A SILLY DOODLE WITH THE ANSWER BUT ALAS, BRAIN REFUSED SO TYPING IT IS

Ahem..... The table is set, a banquet of several different dishes are at the ready. Dodo, popotos, salads, freshly baked bread and plates, cutlery and glasses of wildly varying sizes.

It is so peaceful yes... Haila's quietly pouring herself some tea on her new Othardian mug, learning to test the limits of how much she can burn her hand before deciding too much is too much. All is good in the worl-

The table stumbles, spilling liquids and nearly sending a few pieces of cutlery off of it. Some of the food though, is now at least one inch to the left. Poor Howl is on the verge of tears from his baby chair. His glassy eyes are wide as he does his best not to scream while pointing at the opposite side of the table, probably trying to get his parent's attention.

Ah yes... Rhua and Rhea are trying to choke eachother out on the other end.... Neither seem to be succeeding, but their argument sure isn't going to end soon. Something something, 'you have shit taste in people'. Pots calling the kettle black... Right in front of mom, who doesn't seem to mind at all. Same old, same old, just another Tuesday.

Poor Luma is still baking in the background, he retrieves his hand very quickly while trying to hold back any curses. He too burnt himself by accident after the initial scare from the sibling's roughhousing. At least he didn't burn the quiche.

Little Helia is there to save the day though. Or at least, be the ultimate weapon to stop her big brother and sister. Her baby chair is separate from her twin, lest she try to eat him again. And right next to her adult siblings instead. She's unconcerned, not bothered at the possible doom of being toppled over and stubbornly trying to reach at a dodo leg. Just being there is enough for Rhua and Rhea to actually have some sense of self control and not let their fight get too out of hand to accidentally hit her. But the baby is oblivious to it, there is no family dinner to her, just dodo leg.

Haila sets down her cup as if half her children weren't trying to kill eachother while the other half were either concerned or unconcerned by this turn of events. She removes her feet from her flats to run them over their dog Moogle underneath the table when something catches her attention. Rohmio isn't there.

A quick survey of the open room reveals that yes, all complimentary desserts have disappeared from the table. Rhua's wrestling continues unabated until she leans back too much and tumbles against something.

Losing her balance, she falls back and hits the back of her head against the hard wood. Her brother, with his hand outstretched and having failed to stop her from falling, quietly moves it down to rest on his lap as if nothing had ever happened. Not of course, before doing a faint 'Yes, I win' motion with it to continue and actually start eating.

Rhua is nearly upside down, rubbing at the back of her head in pain. She hears a meek 'Sorry..' as she looks up and sees that her 'big' kiddie brother had actually been crouched down beside her chair while holding a sack filled with all the stolen sweet goods.

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

This is the current best case scenario. And one that Rhua knows she might yearn for but at the same time feels like the odd one out. Family gatherings to her were quiet moments where her mother would return to town and both her and her brother would nonchalantly make dinner either at Rhua's apartment or Haila's. But a quiet part of it, despite being peaceful, was the mourning of a father and husband that was now gone. Never having seen the night sky he preached so much about to his children, and not being able to stop Haila's daily tears.

Rhua as she is right now truly misses her baby siblings, she wants to bond with them, she wants to interact with the side of her family that she never met or didn't expect. She's not fond of Haila's current husband, Luma. But she accepts he makes her somehow happy. The entire Lee/Hann family has never gathered in one spot at the same time. And while Rhua is still at odds of not belonging there, she still slightly yearns for a day like that to happen in the near future.

[intherainbowfactory]

Minty Python's House of Horsefeathers sketch #69320139459302111111111111111

“Oh! Of course! You’ve come to the right place! Our bakery is the best in Ponyville, rated a whole six super-duper teevee stars out of five! No other bakery around has as many nummy treats for ponies to eat sweetly!”

Pinkie ducked down in front of them and appeared behind the counter. Graham Chapman really wished he had a pipe to make the situation more silly, but for now he could only smile silly-ly to achieve that effect.

Pinkie Pie’s expectant wide grin caught John Cleese rather unawares, but he ventured forth. “Ah, yes, well,” he glanced at Graham, who nodded, and turned back to Pinkie, “we’re rather peckish for some scones, I think.”

“Peck-ish? What the heck is that s’posed to mean?” Pinkie gasped and crossed her heart with her hoof. “You don’t want me to bake birds into pies, do you? I swear, I’ve stopped doing that ever since that one time it made Fluttershy cry! Pinkie promise!”

“Er… rather, we’re hungry for scones,” John explained slowly. “Tea, too.”

“Well why didn’t you say so you silly fillyfooler?” Pinkie giggled, “We’ve got the bestest scones no matter what Donut Joe says!”

“Very nice. We’ll take some blueberry scones.”

“I’m afraid,” Pinkie unravelled, “we’re out of that kind. Sorry worry!”

“Oh, um, very well. What kind would you want, Graham?”

“Got any dragon fruit scones?”

Pinkie craned her ears towards Graham. “What was that?”

“You loony git, Graham,” Cleese admonished, “they wouldn’t make dragon fruit scones if they don’t even have an organised motorised transport infrastructure system to ship it here!”

Graham just ignored him. “Oh, sorry, Pinkie. My Equestrian accent is rather atrocious. Let me try that again” He cleared his throat.

“Oi, lass,” he intoned blandly, “ave ye gotten any uvva wee summat draggin’ fruities fer I could of et-en a pint uv sconce?”

That got John to chuckle, since he’s heavily prejudiced against the Scottish.

“Oh! Dragon fruit scones! Those’re our specialty!”

“You really have some?” John asked seriously now, his eyes wide. “You know, I’ve never tried dragon fruit before, but I think I’d love to right now…”

“Sorry, Sourpuss! We never get it at the end of the weak,” Pinkie roared while lifting a two tonne barbell, “only on Mondays! (Those are our wing days! Leg day’s on Tuesday!)”

“Bugger!” John hemmed and hawed. “Orange scones?”

“They’ve been in order from a gang by the West Side for two weeks now,” Pinkie decreed, “but they were lost when Screwball ratcheted them,” she whinged.

“Hmm!” Chapman took up the mantle. “Huckleberry?”

“Sorry! A wacky magistrate relative of mine outlawed them,” Pinkie related judgementally with a guilty look.

“Strawberry?” John replied incredulously.

“Nope. We lost them in a telephone miscommunication accident,” Pinkie recalled fitfully.

Graham was starting to like this. “Peach?”

“Lost when an experimental airplane delivering them crashed,” she explained.

“Grape?”

“All smashed!” she whined.

“Raspberry?”

“Stampededed by a cow—from Denmark! A young prince in line for the throne!” she gave a little moue of disdain.

“Plain?”

“Yes!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Wait, really?” John pried.

“No, not really. Sorry. They got demolished by a convict with a crowbar. I just remembered he lied to me about it.”

“Damnit!”

“Oatmeal raisin?” Graham ventured.

“Blown up on an adventure spaceship,” Pinkie vented.

John and Graham looked at each other at that one.

“Surely you must have some traditional English scones in stock!”

“Yeppers! Trottingham-tested scones! The best in the business!”

“Great! Graham and I will take some,” John demanded it.

Pinkie Pie just balked at that. “... They’re rather flaky.”

“That’s fine, we’ll take them anyway.”

“They’re a bit too flaky for the customers to eat…”

“We happen to like them like that. We’ll take them.”

“In fact, oopsie poopsie, they might be too flaky to sell…”

“Look, I don’t care how excrementally flaky they are, just give them to me!”

“Oh, wait, silly me,” Pinkie giggled, “I forgot Mr. Cake bought them all up for his family! I can be such a doofus!” she sighed in contentment. “I guess you could say de man ded it!”

“Look, I’m starting to work up a cold sweat at this—” which was true, since he was panicking for a reason he did not know out of pocket, “—so, so do you or do you not, in fact, have any scones in stock at all, or are you just, just—oh god!”

John Cleese collapsed into the nearest chair, wiping his brow with his hoof.

“John! Are you alright mate?”

“Graham, do you realise, we’re in the bloody Cheese Shop sketch!

Chapman sat down. “I’ve had a feeling. Intercoursingly good, isn’t it?”

“Easy for you to fucking say since you’ve missed the last fourty years. I’ve only had to go through it ten thousand times, suffering through morons reciting it from memory like our show still stands as a bastion of what is right in comedy as opposed to a big imaginative gutter that we just pissed the night away in half-assing for fun in the seventies! Honestly, can you even comprehend such a hell?”

“Well, there was this one time while I was laying on the hospital bed—but I see you are getting tired of those death gags and so I will stop with them,” he hastily assured his friend at the sight of John’s wild face.

“I’ll tell you my full thoughts on the Cheese Shop sketch, and in being true to form, I shall do so as long-windedly as I wish, which is to say, straight.”

Pinkie Pie’s hoof came up with a pipe, which Graham accepted graciously.

“Anyway. Yes, I have had fans of our show recite it to me quite a few times over the years after that episode aired, but I really don’t mind it. Oh, sure, it could be a bit repetitive at times, but the sketch really means something to them on a subconscious level, which is why it enjoys the lasting power it has.”

“But,” John sputtered, “you’re missing the point! I don’t want this to just be how people remember me, by a bloody stupid sketch I didn’t even like performing!” John pointed his hoof accusingly at Graham, his energy coming back. “Don’t you remember what that Twilight woman just told us a few moments ago? She said that the most significant objects and events from our lives would cross over to this universe first.”

John gestured wildly to the entire world at his table in Sugarcube Corner. “But why in the pissing, bloody, hell would the ancient Cheese Shop sketch be considered so damn meaningful by the fabric of reality that it would be the first thing we get? Not my recent lectures at various colleges, not Terry’s Wallace and Gromit thing, not even your autobiography,” John stressed, “get so much as a bleeding hippie’s glance in all this!”

Graham forgot to take a draw from his pipe in his concern. He drew closer to John, his forehead wrinkled and his eyebrows closing together.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly.

John’s muzzle muscles unclenched. His eyes grew dull. He talked in a low whisper.

“I just don’t get what it all means. Just… why? Is the universe just doing this to spite me? To punish me for not acting as I should have? I mean, if the universe itself is saying that’s the most significant event of our lives…”

“Then it bloody well ought to be!”

John looked up at the blonde stallion’s outburst. He could see Pinkie just standing there behind the counter, whistling and nonchalantly cleaning the inside of a ketchup bottle with a rag.

Graham merely took a drag of his pipe. A couple of bubbles came out.

“Now I know you were the one to always push for something better in our writing,” he expanded calmly, “to push for something more original, or more intelligent in our sketches. To try to make it something you could be proud of, as it were.”

Graham contemplated the pony sitting position he took on the chair for a moment.

“But I just had fun writing it. I wrote the Cheese Shop sketch, you know. You remember that? Just having a good time writing some jolly old scenes for a show we wouldn’t have ever expected to get funded in centuries?” Graham cracked a smile and caught a fleeting glimpse of a grin on his good friend’s face.

“You remember? You said you didn’t get the humour, that we should scrap it—right up until Michael read it and he—he…snrk ! !”

That got a good laugh out of John. “Oh, god! He was laughing so hard he fell on the floor and drenched his face in that awful writer’s rum! He should have been here; he would have loved this!”

They spent just a minute reminiscing before Graham got back to topic.

“Heh heh… Well, that’s all I have to say about that, I suppose. Y’know… that we were just bonding over being silly with all of it. Still a pretty good philosophy for a cold, uncaring world, yeah?” 

“Not the worst I’ve heard,” John demurred.

“Well, good, and, er…”Graham looked pretty awkward, eyes down cast. ”Sorry about getting cross.”

“It’s all right. I forgive you, you old puppy-eyed widowmaker.” John sniffed into his chest, his muzzle feeling rather pleasantly warm on his brown fur. “I still would’ve liked to have a more positive influence, to have a legacy that would let others be just as creative as we were,” he muttered.

At that moment, out of nowhere, Vinyl Scratch’s Wubmobile just sped down the road in front of the bakery. The ponies inside Sugarcube Corner ignored it, even though it might have possibly been connected to the conversation at hand.

“C’est la vie,” Graham got up from the table, “now let’s get out of here and find a good pub to drown our putrid spinal columns in.”

“Hold it right there!”

Pinkie Pie was in their faces again.

“Now, I didn’t hear anything about what you two were chatting about but I did hear you say the name Twilight! Are you friends with her?”

John went with it. “Well, yeah, it’s rather a long and horrifying story, but we know her.”

“Oh goody goody goody gumdrops with chocolate whipped cream on top! Now that I know you’re good ponies, I can give you this!”

The this! was a full, round, luscious, chocolate chip scone.

“I was saving this for Twilight today when I was gonna prank her by saying I didn’t have any scones left,” the two stallions looked at each other, “but I thought you should have it, Sourpuss! Oh, and don’t worry about payment! It’s on the house! Not literally, though, because that’s just plain silly.”

“Why, thank you so very much, Pinkie Pie! Oh, and if it’s not much trouble,” Graham conspiratorially lowered his voice and put up his hoof to whisper to her, “could you teach me that teleportation thing sometime?”

“Sure thing! Now, see ya later!” 

John Cleese and Graham Chapman thanked the pink ponking pony, and then they went on their merry way through the sleepless streets of peculiar Ponyville.

[A/N I loved writing this in the last 2 1/2 hours! also hot damn! almost 2000 words! gonna have to publish this one if I can...]

[temporarymoods]

aggressive hey

i always promise so much.

rarely do i fail to deliver.

except when it comes to writing.

i'm not even sure what i want to write about now, but i guess a couple things right off first:

haven't posted to the blog in a while

have thought about it a lot ever since (throughout november, december and winter break, the first two months of the spring semester, + a week)

just can't sit down and do it sometimes

but I've got a lot of ideas. lack of blog posts absolutely not correlating with lack of things to say...

i utilize my notes app extensively, there's some ideas there, but i don't want to go in at random, that would feel wrong and i couldn't maintain this meter of writing that i'm already doing, so.... Dune.

just learned about what's going on with Dune, in the Dune world, and so on. first attempt at watching the movie a couple years ago left me feeling silly but, i'm better now. i want to read the book over the summer, in a hammock. there are a lot of things i want to do this summer. those are all over my notes app, too, and on my wall. i don't think "dating" makes the list, though girls remain pretty.

SUMMER * dinner parties, on the porch, heavily curated * farmers markets, fresh produce w/ baked goods * indirect sunshine * direct sunshine * shrooms * sand * biking * the movies w/ a sweatshirt around my waist * a bong, graduation present to self * better clothes * movies, at home tho, lots * ice cream * camping and lake swimming * working * walking through the park * the hardware store (for what?) * feeling like i did it * sports games (spectator)

that's just naming a few. hopefully a lot of them can come true. i want to let my body feel good, it knows what to do, you know?

speaking of: dry sex life. mostly. but that's just on me, my doing, so i cannot really complain, but just state. for future record. that im still in my contented-single era, haven't quite hit the wall that keeps you bothered about it yet. cool cool. guess some time w a stranger couldn't be that bad, if i made it fun for me. what a weird concept. i love my friends, that is already so much. saw a corny tweet about that today. didn't like it because it would show up on friends' feeds and that's just,, ugh. true though

february was kind of ungovernable (what else can i say besides 'crazy' or 'wild'???) in a bitches testing me way (lmao) but no in a... here, see for yourself: [from my notes]

<<Feb 1st, downhill instantly>>

Feb 4th>>

Priorities 

Comfort and Wellbeing

Feb 6th>>

Sick email

Hi Prof,

This is Kate from your ( ) class. 

Just writing to let you know that over the past couple days I’ve been experiencing symptoms of a medical emergency. 

Feb 19th>>

i feel like peopke have been pretty critical with my recently and i dont like that 

>>

lowkey infuriated

>>

el tuesday [these are things I write down that I wanted to talk to el about on tuesday]

having to defend myself a lot recently

maybe i should cut my acts (self centered, crazy/stupid) (dramatic, unserious) [REDACTED]

would normally want to talk to a therapist about my natural desires to do things that feel important to me but are deemed odd/wrong by others ex. [REDACTED] but also wouldn’t normally pick such a birds eye topic because we get engrossed in the little things. but still: is there something fucking wrong w me? is it bpd? am i 2 hippie 2 quit?

doing things for the plot, to experience things (different)

my whole idea of human relationships in general 

Feb 21st>>

blog

was very overwhelmed this morning— hadnt felt that anxious in a loooooonggg time!!— but lunch w gray and lab partner (liz?) was so beautiful & im like, again, omg i love life + my friends ☀️☀️🌞🌞

Feb 23rd>>

Mom - therapy hospital $$

Feb 29th>>'

“By anarchist spirit I mean that deeply human sentiment, which aims at the good of all, freedom and justice for all, solidarity and love among the people; which is not an exclusive characteristic only of self-declared anarchists, but inspires all people who have a generous heart and an open mind.” Errico Malatesta, Umanita Nova, April 13, 1922

* * *

so that's that... i think hopefully that says a lot, captures a feeling. i knew it was a month to remember like halfway through, you know? and it ending with a 1 year breakup anniversary... classic. reflective. so glad it's march though, damn! haters were taking up too much space. i say that jokingly obviously but also if you dare to read through the lines you might observe that i am in fact quite upset about the attacks leveraged at me over the course of a couple nights in a short span of time that were all off base and random and yet still hurtful anyway it was a weird pattern there's no denying! it doesnt help the identity crisis, which is in FULL SWING !

who am i?

idfk man. let's consult the March notes app, shall we?

March 1st, 3am>>

dont like cleaning bc dont like confronting the waste i make

March 1st, 2pm>>

in love a little bit with a handful of my friends but for various reasons dating them is not in the question & will never be! how relieving to know that

March 6th>>

Candlelit charcuterie night 

* * *

feel like these don't shine as bright but they're certainly better. im supposed to get my period today and i had no idea. but wait let me clarify that you should not take that second note to mean that i have feelings for my friends i do not, just read it another way idk

music been good recently.

rn its 2018 peach pit (Drop the Guillotine) but that's definitely not representative. Lime Garden's album One More Thing is though. and Grimes still, if im not doing that persona enough. and Car Seat Headrest, but in an on wait - always way. like a fucking brother. rest of the good shit is just in my Liked Songs kind of at whim. special selection: Chosen to Deserve by Wednesday. Next up should be RINA bc alr found 2 songs on there I really enjoy. but even now im off hyperpop for a week, lmao. what happens when you go camping.

towel party next week aunt in the hospital mom visiting in like 1 second more job interviews tomorrow research to do havent unpacked yet its spring break i just keep getting high and getting through it i really do love my friends

there's probably so much about this life that i'm going to miss. and i look forward to the time where i actually have the space to consider that. more choice

a poem to close us out, and maybe i'll upload some pictures tomorrow. (haha, odds?) thanks for reading. just off the radio show juice, Fri Mar 8 3:20am. common time for me recently. stealing back my peace in the wee hours oft'

i heard symphonies who wouldn't let me sleep the everysound of rain on wood my ear on wood the same

i taste dairy soft despite my body taking my time i do not think

scratching at my head i can do this this i can do which lets me cave in

i laugh a lot it makes me cry a lot of tears a lot of love

i love sooooooo ( ) all to say ( )

<3, Kate

[orchidyoonkook]

hey yoonieee !! how are you today ? hope you have/had an amazing day just like you 🫶🫶 make sure you grab something yummy and warm to eat (it's so cold wtf 😭), hydrate and take good care of yourself 💕💕

long time no talk (i swear i half forgot this app even exists and half been working on a book 😭) had a great day today. i somehow managed to sleep till like 1pm, stay in bed for another 3 hours i think and then cleaned my living room floor just to get it dirty again like 10 mins later 😭 then i just chilled around before baking FOR 3 FUCKING HOURS (had to do 34 cupcakes for our christmas fair tomorrow at school (also i may or may not just simply skipped school today...)) but i'm happy that christmas break is finally here cuz i've had a crazy af week. i missed a test last week and i've been shaking in my boots cuz i wasn't sure if i had to take it this week (and believe me when i say i'm absolutely shit at this class 😭). but this week has been amazing. i had a simulation of an exam on tuesday and it was so funny cuz the whole class was really really nervous before (even tho they don't write the marks) and after it like half of the class started dancing 😭

btw sorry for the long paragraph 😭 i wanted to text you i think two days ago but as i was writing the message i accidentally opened a notification so the text got deleted and i was so tired (pretty sure it was like 5 am) so i said fuck it and that i will text you the next day. i've seen you haven't been feeling the best so i really hope you're feeling better and that you're doing good 💕💕 also again no pressure in responding just make sure you take care of yourself 🫶🫶

-✨

Hi Baby Star!

i suck cuz this is from dec 21 but i didnt have a computer for 2 weeks and then work and this is me getting on a personal computer for the first time since Dec 19th to finally answer this!!

SO:

long time no talk (i swear i half forgot this app even exists and half been working on a book 😭)

That's okay!! I was barely online in general those few weeks so I feel ya

had a great day today. i somehow managed to sleep till like 1pm, stay in bed for another 3 hours i think and then cleaned my living room floor just to get it dirty again like 10 mins later 😭 then i just chilled around before baking FOR 3 FUCKING HOURS (had to do 34 cupcakes for our christmas fair tomorrow at school (also i may or may not just simply skipped school today...))

omg im so happy you'd had a good day!! with so much sleep and rest time???!!! that sounds PERFECT <<<3333 And then you even got some cleaning AND baking done??? Star you're kicking so much butt im so proud!!!

(34 cupcakes is insane but i just KNOW your house smelled amazing!!! and one skipped day is fine that late into the semester as long as it didn't interfere with exams imo)

but i'm happy that christmas break is finally here cuz i've had a crazy af week. i missed a test last week and i've been shaking in my boots cuz i wasn't sure if i had to take it this week (and believe me when i say i'm absolutely shit at this class 😭).

Me too!! I was so looking forward to the break! I hope yours was super good! Please let me know how you did on your exam!! I bet you knocked it out of the park! But even if you didnt, it wont make or break anything.

but this week has been amazing. i had a simulation of an exam on tuesday and it was so funny cuz the whole class was really really nervous before (even tho they don't write the marks) and after it like half of the class started dancing 😭

YAYAYAY!!! literally so happy so extremely happy your week was so good. That makes my heart so full because you deserve your weeks to be good!

Duuuuuuuude!!! dance party after exams???? Helllllllllls yes. that sounds amazing!

btw sorry for the long paragraph 😭 i wanted to text you i think two days ago but as i was writing the message i accidentally opened a notification so the text got deleted and i was so tired (pretty sure it was like 5 am) so i said fuck it and that i will text you the next day.

that is perfectly alright! I adore hearing from you whenever you are able to manage, and I promise to try and get better at answering your asks a little faster now that I have the computer back!

i've seen you haven't been feeling the best so i really hope you're feeling better and that you're doing good 💕💕 also again no pressure in responding just make sure you take care of yourself 🫶🫶

I'm better!! Still a little stressed cuz things keep adding up, but I'm also slowly crossing things off the list! And I absolutely will respond! Just maybe not in the timeliest manner sometimes 😅

I'll take care of myself <3