#but all i did today was sculpt for a few hours while waiting at pauls garage

[freebooter4ever]

Your desk area looks so colorful and interesting! Can we get a lil tour?? I see glimpses of your creations and others (?). Also I'm a wanna be artist but I struggle to keep up a routine (coz of my a.d.d) and your relentless output of aMaZinG work astounds me! Do you have any tips or routines that you follow? (Yes this the same anon as previous lol)

ahahahaha being the super successful artist that i am i literally live in a closet. i've shown photos on here before but i've added to the walls recently so:

you can see the slope of the stairs above my bed \o/ i live with friends in a wealthy area of los angeles and i have my new little air conditioner to keep my drawing computer from overheating tho so can't complain ^_^ (my new pink flamingo/clothes-pins wall section is my 'to finish and send' personal letters collection, sorry guys if you recognize any letters i havent sent yet, as you can see i have a backlog)

ADD and art is hard! i draw every day for an hour at least, i try for more. during quarantine weekends i would literally wake up, draw all day, and then go to sleep, and then repeat on sunday. when i didn't have a job it was the same - wake up, draw till exhaustion, and then sleep lol. for me the biggest struggle was getting over that feeling of needing my art to be a certain caliber quality to share. i started forcing myself to post things no matter what, and with the incentive of 'im going to POST this' that got me motivated to keep drawing, instead of hitting the downward self hate spiral where i despise everything i make and want to flush it all down the toilet so stop drawing altogether. THOSE are the worst days, and i still have them, i dont know if they will ever go away? i just try to power through, which doing that is getting easier and easier but some days are still

i was going through a bad spiral for a few weeks and then i went to see luca and that helped a lot ^_^

when i was younger i was always so afraid of doing things wrong or bad that i didnt draw nearly as much as i wish i would have let myself - its why i stuck with things like computer science or math which had a much more obvious and concrete right/wrong that i could keep working at until it was correct. it wasn't until i lost my job unexpectedly and FINALLY had time to spend all day drawing every day for months on end that i realized i could apply the same dogged determination i use for solving a math problem to /drawing/. i was raised by an engineer who was very passionate about hating art/creative people in general, so my mindset is fucked up lol.

ANYWAY i live in a closet, why are you listening to me? :P my biggest advice is to just keep going no matter what - try to look forward at whats next if its too hard to think about the past stuff you've made, and always remind yourself that the next one is going to be EVEN BETTER so better get started on it now instead of hung up on the old. and dont fight the ADD obsessive fixations - if you want to draw 210 sketches of steve aoki do it.

#i will throw this in my wip tag later to go with my other art talk #also if you are young be careful with your hands #i am having to force myself to take breaks and while i hate it #my hands are feeling a lot better #i havent had any hand pain at all today which is nice :D its usually a daily thing nowadays #but all i did today was sculpt for a few hours while waiting at pauls garage

[nico-di-genova]

What’s in a Name

Prompt: Carlos calling TK, Tyler Kennedy Strand while proposing.

(Huge thanks to @evan-buckley-diaz for helping me come up with the proposal idea!)

       “Wait, don’t look yet,” Carlos says, moving his hands from TK’s shoulders to his face so he could cover the man’s eyes.

       TK paused for only a moment at the lack of sight, before he felt Carlos press against his back reassuringly, and took another hesitant step forward. Arms outstretched before him, shuffling forward slowly, he made his way to what he assumed was the backyard. Carlos had been weird from the moment he’d gotten home, meeting TK at the door with a kiss that felt a bit more enthusiastic than his usual greeting. Dressed in grey slacks and a tucked-in white button up, TK had almost immediately picked up on the strangeness of the whole situation. He was dressed like they were about to go out, not like this was a regular Tuesday night and TK had just gotten home smelling like smoke and sweat. Now, he was being led outside to what he could only assume was Carlos either showing him a body he’d just buried, or the grill that they hadn’t used in months. It was the middle of January, not exactly the perfect time for a bar-b-que.  

       “You’re being so weird,” he says, as Carlos tells him to step down, so he doesn’t trip.

       They must be in the backyard by now; he can smell freshly cut grass and feel the gentle breeze blowing around them. He’s thankful he’d taken a moment to change at the station, trading in his Austin FD attire for jeans and a black bomber jacket; it’s chillier than he was used to. Four years spent in Texas had turned him soft, he didn’t have the endurance he used to have against the cold.

       “Can I look now?”

       They’d come to a stop, Carlos still pressed solidly up against his back. TK leaned further against him, soaking up the body heat that rolled off him in waves. Where TK tended to run cold, Carlos operated as a human furnace. At night, curled up underneath the man’s thick comforter, it could get unbearable. Right now he was just thankful for the warmth.

       “Just a second, jeez, you’re so impatient,” Carlos huffed. TK could hear the smile in his voice, could almost picture it. The flash of perfect white teeth, and the dimples that would pull at the corners of his mouth. TK had seen that smile enough times that it was ingrained in his memory, impossible to forget.

       As odd as this was, TK had to admit it was nice. He’d spent most of the day dealing with pure stupidity. There was the man who’d set off fireworks in his kitchen and was surprised when his house actually caught on fire. The women who’d left her baby in her car while she went grocery shopping, only to realize she’d also locked her keys in the vehicle as well. Even his own team was being weird today. Marjan kept smirking at him like she knew something he didn’t, and his dad seemed to be going out of his way to avoid him. Judd and Paul had kept whispering behind his back as well and making snide comments that rubbed him the wrong way. All in all, it had been an annoying day, and as confused as he was by Carlos’ behavior he was also glad that he was finally home and not out dealing with anymore bullshit. Carlos being strange was something he could handle, at least it was a familiar strangeness.

       “Okay,” Carlos finally said, pulling his hands away, “you can look.”

       TK wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this.

       “Oh,” he breathed, “wow.”

       Their backyard had been transformed into something rivaling that of a middle aged mom’s Pinterest board. String lights ran from the trees and entwined around the beams of the pergola above him; they were a soft golden glow in the black of the night. He studied them in a sort of lovestruck awe, dazzling at the way they’d been so artfully draped around the yard. There were flowers too, hanging in streams from the lights, and petals scattered at his feet. They were white and stood out in stark contrast to the dark green of the grass.

       “What-?” he started to ask before the words left him. He was amazed, if not a little confused, and he couldn’t help but wonder just how long this must have taken Carlos to put together.

       “Do you like it?” the man asked. From the corner of his eye, TK could see the way Carlos was watching him. It was with the sort of intense interest that TK still wasn’t quite used to. His brown eyes drinking in every part of TK. No matter how many times Carlos told him, whispered it against his skin on late nights, TK would never truly believe that he was worth this. Whatever this was, it seemed like something befitting a storybook character.

       “I-. It’s beautiful,” he mumbled, not quite able to find his voice still. It was like he’d stepped into a fairytale, like Carlos was some prince who’d whisked him away to a world of wonder and whimsy. He was utterly captivated.  

       Carlos beamed, “I’ve been working on it all day. Well, technically, Michelle did help me a little bit, but it was mostly me.”

       He turned to face the man, taken further aback by the look in his eyes. Carlos was watching him with nothing but pure adoration in his features.. TK could feel his heartbeat quicken under his gaze.

       “Why?” He asked, voice quiet, “I love it, but why?”  

       It’s here where something filters across Carlos’ face. It’s small, just a flash, but TK can read it: hesitation. Carlos clears his throat and shifts to put his hands in his pockets.

       “Well, I um-. I had something I wanted to ask you actually.”

       TK feels his heart beat faster, hears the way his breath catches in his throat. There’s an inkling of something at the back of his head, something that tells him he knows where this is going. He tries to ignore that part, mostly because he doesn’t want to believe it just yet. He forces himself to wait, to listen, before he starts jumping to any conclusions.

       Carlos moves from TK’s side, coming to stand in front of him. In the soft light that surrounds them, Carlos is positively radiating. His eyes are catching the golden glow just right, shining brightly. TK could get lost in the way he’s smiling, beautiful and brilliant. He wants to lean forward and kiss the man, drink in the feel of that smile against his lips and feel the warmth that’s spreading through his heart grow. Carlos’ shirt is tight on his muscular frame, sleeves cuffed right at the elbow, and the first few buttons left undone to expose his perfectly sculpted chest. He’s effortlessly beautiful, and it’s enough to drive TK mad.

       “I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now, but I wanted it to be perfect.” he takes a moment to breathe, to collect his thoughts, before continuing, “because TK… I’m in love with you. Like, head over heels, suffocatingly in love with you. I love the way you look in the morning, before you’ve woken up, when I can just watch the sunlight fall across your face. I love the way you laugh, how it fills up a room. I love you when you’re mad at me, and your eyebrows furrow up in the cute way they always do. I love you even when you don’t want me to, because you’re worth loving TK. Every day, for the rest of my life, I want to love you. I choose to love you, more than anyone I’ve ever loved before, because you’re worth everything to me.”

       TK can feel tears burning at the corners of his eyes, turning his vision blurry. He manages to blink them away right as Carlos smiles at him, gentle and honest, and gets down on one knee. If TK was breathing before he’s certainly not now. Air lodges itself in his throat, as his eyes widen, and he has to take a startled half step back.

       “What are you doing?” he manages to choke out, hand coming up to cover his mouth in shock.

       Carlos laughs, “what does it look like I’m doing?”

       The tears well right back up. Even though they’ve been dating for close to four years, he still can’t possibly believe this might actually be happening. It doesn’t seem real, “Are you serious?”

       Carlos nods, “yeah, tiger, I’m serious.”

       TK watches, in disbelief, as Carlos reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring. It’s silver and catches the light as he holds it in his hand.

      “I love you so much,” he says, voice beginning to waver, “so, Tyler Kennedy Strand will you marry me?”  

      The words spill out of TK’s mouth before he’s even had a chance to think about them, “fuck yes.”

      It’s so easy to ignore any other part of him. To push away the insecurities, or the past, because he can look at Carlos now and see nothing but honest, open, truth. He’s loved, intensely so. He’s loved so much that the man he’s going to spend the rest of his life with has spent all day setting up this ridiculously cheesy proposal. It’s a little over the top, a little cliché, but it’s perfect. Carlos is perfect, and nothing else in the world could matter to him right now.                

                                                   ******

       It’s later, curled up in Carlos’ arms, that he notices something about the ring he’s twirling between his fingers.

       “Is their something on the inside?” he asks, holding the band closer to his face so that he can see the engraving that’s been etched into the metal. Carlos shifts beside him on the bed.

       “Yeah, it’s um-. It’s my initials, in my handwriting,” there’s a blush burning it’s way onto his cheeks. He must know how sappy it sounds, but TK is so in love that he thinks it’s probably the cutest thing he’s ever heard.

       “Seriously?”

       “Yeah. I just wanted something for us, you know. Something private.”

       And TK had thought he was done feeling emotional for the night, but apparently not. He slides the ring back on his finger, loving how perfectly it fits, like it was some missing piece of him. It’s got just enough weight to it that he can feel it and know he belongs somewhere. It may have taken him a few years, but he’s finally gotten it right. No botched proposal, no drugs bought in the early hours of the night, just Carlos beside him, warm and familiar.

       Shifting, so he’s straddling Carlos’ hips, he looks down at the man beneath him with a lopsided grin.            

       “You’re such a sappy idiot,” he says, teasing and light.

       Carlos grins right back, “the sappy idiot you’re marrying, Tyler Kennedy Reyes.”

        He can’t help but laugh at that, “Reyes, huh?”

       “Carlos Strand doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.”

       He doesn’t particularly care what name he ends up with, because in the end, they’re both equally his.

#911 lone star #tarlos #tarlos fic #tk strand #carlos reyes #my fic

[chaosmagetwin]

The Wild Adventures of Ashley and Paul: Chapter 5

The Prompt list with extra errata! : http://chaosmagetwin.tumblr.com/post/158711979060/100-dialogue-prompts-part-2

Prologue: http://chaosmagetwin.tumblr.com/post/157921576040/the-wild-adventures-of-ashley-and-paul-prologue

Chapter 1: http://chaosmagetwin.tumblr.com/post/157956747605/the-wild-adventures-of-ashley-and-paul-chapter-1

Chapter 2: http://chaosmagetwin.tumblr.com/post/158205424995/the-wild-adventures-of-ashley-and-paul-chapter-2

Chapter 3: http://chaosmagetwin.tumblr.com/post/158480935710/the-wild-adventures-of-ashley-and-paul-chapter-3

http://chaosmagetwin.tumblr.com/post/158711541725/the-wild-adventures-of-ashley-and-paul-chapter-4

Ashley sighed and stared at the ceiling from the examination table. The doctor had already come in and chewed her out for not coming in sooner, never mind that she was half demon and regenerated. Never mind that she should have been completely fine when she woke up today. Paul, meanwhile, sat in a chair, reading some pink magazine with a bored expression that matched how she felt. 

“So....” Paul said hesitantly, finally breaking the ten minutes of silence. “Are, uh... are you going to put your shirt back on?” She couldn’t help grinning. She liked making him flustered. It was a nice compliment when she made it hard for him to think. 

“Maybe. I think the doctor will be back in a few minutes though.” She looked over at him and felt her own smile waver. His face was running through a few unreadable emotions. It settled on unhappy. “What....?”

“It’s just... we never finished that talk. About what we’re going to do. The story started, and I just.... It’s...” he sighed, and folded the magazine shut. “What are we, Ashley? To each other?”

She looked away to hide her emotions for a moment. He was right. Laying in front of him with just a bra for a top wasn’t fair if they couldn’t be together. She hadn’t really thought this through. “I... I don’t know. The Author said it didn’t matter what we chose....” She looked back at him and sat up. “He said we could be anything we want to each other.”

“But we’re still in this story. And... Do we want... to be an us?” He seemed to be struggling to find the right words. “You know the authors will twist everything. And our relationship will be out there for all the voyeurs.”

She shook her head. “I can’t.... I can’t make a decision right now.” She sighed and rubbed the back of her head in frustration and confusion. “I... I think... maybe we should break up.” Her gut clenched as she spoke the words, a near physical pain as she tore her own heart in half. She clenched her teeth to keep from crying for a moment, and looked down at the floor. She couldn’t bear to see his face. 

“I... I’ll be outside...” She looked up in shock from hearing his voice clogged with emotion. She only caught the glimpse of his back as he shut the door behind himself. 

“. . . fuck. FUCK! I’m such an idiot!” She slammed the back of her head against the examination table. “Goddamnit. AGH. I can’t believe I said that!” She wiped her face with her uninjured arm and sniffed, trying to get herself back under control. 

It didn’t help at all.

“So, Miss, er.. Ashley.” The doctors words seemed to come through a filter, as if she spoke from a long distance. “Your test results are back. Technically speaking, you are right. Your regeneration should be in effect, but a poison is preventing it. It’s a high technology variant, but luckily, we’ve seen it before... usually in corpses. Fortunately for you, we had some work done in case anyone like you did come in. We have what we think is a cure. Unfortunately... it has never been tested. Frankly, the only reason you’re still alive is because of your regeneration.” The doctor looked up from her papers, then looked around. “Where did that young man go?” She looked back at Ashley, then sighed. “Ah. Never mind.”

Ashley cleared her throat. “So, uh.... when can I start...?” She was surprised to hear her own voice so hoarse. For a half second she thought, so this is what I would sound like if I were a smoker...?

“Immediately. I brought it with me, but we’ll have to keep an eye on you for a couple days. I’d like to move you to the ICU and get you into a bubble in case it wrecks your immune system or something. I need to ask, because you’re going to need someone around you can trust. Did you break up with that young man, or...?”

Ashley nodded, trying to not look glum. “We’re characters, and... I just... we just... it’s hard... hard to explain.” She cleared her throat again. “And i kind of want to be done.. with this.” She motioned to her face. The doctor nodded. “But... I think we’re still friends...”

She looked away as the doctor raised an eyebrow. “How ever you want to do it. Let’s get this started. I’ll let him know what room you’ll be in while the nurse moves you.” 

“You’re a murderer! How are you working in a hospital!?” The old man blinked at her, slightly surprised. he may have been older, but she recognized his face immediately. It was the assassin.

“Ah, yes.... This is that time period, isn’t it? Don’t worry about it. I’m not here for you or your friend today. It’s been quite a few years since then....” The aged assassin was wearing a nurses blue scrubs, and had arrived to take her to another floor. For a second she had wondered if she were hallucinating, but she had only just been injected by the cure. “Do not worry, little devil girl, I’m here to help. I’m just moving you from here to the ICU.” 

“You’re here to murder someone, aren’t you?!” She could hardly believe this conversation.

“Well, of course. Normally, I wouldn’t be helping anyone, but I was caught by that doctor on my way to the elevator. An order later, and here we are....” He scratched his bearded face idly, as if waiting for something. “Would you mind calming down? We all have our story arcs. Just pretend I’m a nurse for a bit or something.”

“... I... Why are you trying to kill us?” How could she ask anything else, really?

“Hmm... i can’t really explain that to you. But I’m not trying to kill both of you.. just him. and don’t bother attacking me. It wouldn’t stop past me from attacking you in your future. Also, I can’t tell you the outcome, because then that would change the future, and that is... problematic. Are you ready, yet?”

“.... Let me get this straight. You’re a time traveling assassin who has been sent... back in time? to kill Paul for some reason. And you want me to, what, ignore that you are here?”

“Yes.” His voice was amusingly bland. Ashley could only respond with a sigh.

“Let’s get on with it, then.”

“Hey! GET BACK HERE!” Paul sighed as he heard Ashley’s voice ring out in the hall. It’d been nearly two hours since he’d seen her last. Since she had broken up with him. “That cat stole my cereal!” He blinked in surprise. A cat did what now? He knocked on the open door to her room and peered in. “Paul!” Her voice swooped up an octave and her face brightened. “Did you see that? Please tell me you saw that.”

He swallowed hard, and looked around for a cat for a moment before shaking his head. There was no cat, and the cereal she seemed to be referencing was in a styrofoam bowl on a rolling stand just out of her arms reach. “No, I didn’t. Are you okay?” She nodded vigorously. “Uh.. okay. That’s good. Are you.... high?” She grinned and nodded again, though with a little more forced control this time.

“Yeah, they... gave me an antidote to the poison. That’s why I didn’t heal. Poison.” For a moment they stared at each other.

“Ashley, are you sure you want me here? The doctor said you did, but... I mean...”

“Yes! I want you here! You’re my best friend, even if I cna’t date you.... c’mere.” She patted the bed next to her legs. “They got my legs strapped down under the blanket, cause I’m kind of.... uh... messed up? I thought I saw the assassin earlier, but he was old, and a time traveler. But now I don’t know what to think.... you didn’t see a cat, did you?”

He shook his head. “Your cereal is right here.” He pulled the table closer to her as he sat down carefully. He winced as the bed groaned under his weight, and sighed before standing back up. “No cat. What are you seeing right now?”

She shrugged, before looking him up and down. “You’re made of wood and got flowers growing out of your ears, and I think there are some fish swimming in your eyes. So... Yeah. Very high on this stuff. They thought it might compromise my immune system, but I guess the side effects were different than they thought.” She grabbed the bowl of cereal and carefully took a bite. “I havn’t eaten all day.... and it’s like... midnight, right?”

“More like nine in the morning.” He smiled sadly. “Ashley, I...” he jumped as three gunshots, quickly followed by the running of footsteps rang through the hall. “What the hell?!”

“HEY! CAN YOU STOP SHOOTING PEOPLE RIGHT NOW?! We’re trying to sleep!” Ashley harrumphed. “I knew I saw the assassin. Ass ass in. Hah!” She took another bite of her cereal, obviously distracted by something on his shoulder. “Paul, it’s late. I know I broke up with you, but.... can you stay?”

Paul looked outside into the hall, and saw exactly what she was referencing. He’d never seen the assassin before, but he had the same silhouette  as the one that had been shooting at them last night. The same sculpted muscles, the same intense heat that way outstripped everyone but Ashley. He was in the process of fighting with the security guards, a wild grin on his face. “Hold on, Ashley.” Paul stepped out into the hall while ripping his right handed glove off, and switched his hand into the blaster mode. “Hey! Stop!” The assassin’s eyes flicked to Paul, and quickly dodged into another room. “Wait!” The security guard followed, but Paul knew that he had escaped when he heard glass shattering. 

“What... the fuck.” Paul turned around, and saw Keith. “Dude, your hand.... your arm... what the fuck.” He was wearing a pair of too long and loose blue jeans and a black hoodie, tennis shoes barely visible beneath the cuffs of the jeans. On his arm was a leash, leading to a panting golden retriever. “I thought you were just a built guy! I didn’t know you were.... you know! BUILT!”

“You mean, a cyborg....?” 

“Yeah! I mean, I thought you were like... part demon, or blessed by Ashley or something, and that was why you were so big?!”

“Blessed by Ashley...?” Paul couldn’t help but feel a little incredulous. “She’s not a goddes, you know. She’s just a half devil. Demon.”

“Yeah, but, she’s the sister of Satan. and that dude is practically a god, so... you know.... I’m just surprised is all.” Paul sighed and turned his hand back to normal just so he could face-palm. 

“This is why you can’t have nice things, Keith. You make too many assumptions. Why are you here, anyways?”

Keith looked embarrassed and rubbed the back of his head. “Oh, uh, well... I uh... couldn’t make it last night, so.. I thought I would stop by this morning for breakfast and stuff.... but Karen and Sarah said you guys went to the hospital... so... I uh... came by to see if you guys wanted some company.”

“... That’s.. actually very nice of you. Ashley’s in this room. Did you hear about what happened to the school? or see?” Keith nodded.

“Nobody knows what happened. The cops think it has something to do with somebodies story, so, they’re doing some investigations. The school’s never disappeared before... Amelie, the magical girl Cheerleader captain? She’s... pissed. Put lightly. What happened here, anyways?” He motioned around the hallway.

Paul sighed, and gave a shrug. “It’s... a long story. Who’s this?” He knelt down to pet the dog carefully. He grinned as it panted happily at him and licked his hands. 

“This is Astro! I brought him, cause I figured you guys would enjoy him. I know I do when I’m sick.” Keith knelt down as well, rubbing Astro’s rump. “How is she, anyways? Sarah said she got shot....?”

“She’s fine. It was a shoulder shot. She regenerates, so, it’s not so bad. Turns out the shot was poisoned somehow, too, and it kept her from healing... You’re actually pretty lucky you weren’t at our place last night. There were a lot of bullets flying around. Come on in, and we’ll tell you all about it. Or... I will. Ashley is.. sort of high at the moment.” Keith laughed as they stood up and entered Ashley’s room, who grinned at Paul and gave a wobblier nervous smile at Keith. 

“Hey, Ashley. I brought Astro!” He laughed nervously. “he’s... my dog. Come on, boy. Up!” The retriever hopped up calmly onto the bed, and Paul felt something in him lighten as he saw her reaction. He couldn’t help but smile a little as she grinned at the dog.

“I’m not breaking up with you.” Paul said suddenly. Ashley looked up at him, surprised. He saw her mouth open, and cut her off. “If you think I’m leaving you and your demon eyes and evil horns you’re wrong. I love you. I don’t care if there are others watching, or whatever. I’m not breaking up with you.”

#The Wild Adventures of Ashley and Paul #Chapter 4 #Female Lead #Male lead #Creative Writing #love #he said it #Hope I didn't over do it #or make it sappy

[atypical60]

Do you like getting away for the weekend?  Someplace close to home but far enough that it calls for a night at a hotel? The weekend before last, Bonaparte decided that an overnight trip to D.C. was long overdue.  We dropped Chippy off at the doggie day care for a sleep over with his canine buddies. We spent a leisurely morning packing and we were off to make our way through traffic on I-95.

I still get a feeling of pride when I am in our Nation’s Capital.  The Washington Monument is always a splendor to see!

We hadn’t been to our Nation’s Capital in a while.  It’s our favorite place for a quick overnight—and I was so happy to be going there that I wasn’t even thinking about the politics. Both of us just wanted to have a good evening and enjoy the rest of the weekend.  Close to home, the drive rarely takes more than three hours unless we hit a major traffic jam.

Oh yes. My little emoji uses the same language that I do!  But an overnight trip truly is “Fan-f@!#ing-Tastic!

It isn’t as expensive as an overnight in New York and we always have a good time.

We regularly stay at the Marriott in Falls Church. It’s on the outskirts and not in D.C. proper.  The location is incredibly convenient because the drive is 20 minutes away from downtown D.C. And the price point is incredibly reasonable.

Our old haunt, Bistro Français on M Street in Georgetown sadly went out of business. It’s a shame because this little place had been around for over 40 years and was consistently good but the chef and owner decided to retire.

Bonaparte, was devastated. And in his stubborn French way, vowed to “discover” another French restaurant.  He did and he found a winner– La Chaumière.

If you think the outside is adorable, just wait till you see the inside!

We got to the hotel, relaxed for a bit then got ready for our dinner.  I do not know what I was thinking but I wore a pair of very high heels.  I absolutely love the shoes and wear them to work quite often. But I didn’t think ahead about walking up and down M Street, on the uneven pavement in such dangerous footwear.

These were the beauties I wore. They are lovely for the office but just don’t work for walking on city sidewalks or in city streets!  Personally, I don’t know how streetwalkers do it. I admire them!

I couldn’t walk.  Bonaparte was thrilled because the fact that I was unable to walk meant one thing–I couldn’t go into my favorite stores—among them J. Crew and TJ Maxx. The fact I couldn’t go into the stores because I couldn’t walk on the sidewalk to get to the stores. made him more merrier!  And so, my Frenchman was thrilled because not being able to walk meant I could not spend any money!

No shopping aside, we ended up having a great, great dinner.  La Chaumière’s interior has a rustic elegance. It’s comfortable and not intimidating. It’s larger than I pictured and as we left the restaurant after dinner, there was a line of people waiting to get in.

The interior is really very charming and cozy too! 

Bonaparte started off with a pâté—which he said was delicious. I had a pike quenelle. Let me tell you something. I love quenelles. The best way I can describe a quenelle is that it’s a lighter-than-air dumpling and it’s like biting into a cloud of flavor.  And the lobster sauce that the quenelle was floating was a sea of flavor!

The morsel that Bonaparte SHARED with me was absolutely delicious. Lots of good flavor but not overpowering…

This quenelle–was so incredibly light and heavenly that I HAVE to find a recipe. This is my new project!

As usual, Bonaparte went with steak and frites. I ordered the Magret de Canard—duck breast, in a black currant sauce.  I love comparing the duck I order in restaurants to the duck I make at home and this was heavenly.

I really should not be posting photos of food like this while I’m back on Weight Watchers. I’m hungry now. Anyway, this is the Magret de Canard. OMG. It WAS better than mine. I love duck!

I don’t know what it is about red wine, but if it is a “good” one, I can drink it without suffering from a headache or heartburn.  The wine we had was really good.

Do you like a good red wine? Try this. It was REALLY, REALLY good!

Coffee and dessert and we were let loose into the night.

Yes. We are a very wild couple. Our idea of D.C. nightlife is driving through the City and enjoying the sites. One of the things I absolutely love about Georgetown is that it is filled with young people. It’s just fun to see them out and enjoying life!

Yeah. Driving around Washington D.C. late at night is our idea of fun!

The next morning, was brisk and sunny. And after a hearty breakfast and a quick pack, we were off to the National Gallery of Art.

While Bonaparte enjoys eggs, and bacon, and sausage, and toast, I stick to my usual–a big bowl of oatmeal with dried fruit.  Oatmeal–I could eat it anytime!

Oh. And I dressed for comfort the heels were packed away!

The National Gallery is one of my favorite places in D.C.   I cannot even tell you how many times we’ve been here. And the secret on a Sunday morning is to get there early before it opens at 11 AM. We try to arrive before 10:30 AM

NOTE:  The earlier you arrive, the better your chances of getting a parking space. And on Sunday morning parking is easy to come by.  Park the car, walk around for a bit, people watch—it’s all part of the enjoyment!

A gloriously sunny day when the weather is still cold is the best time to visit a museum!

The fountain surrounded by flowers in the rotunda always gives me a good feeling..

Here’s some flowers I picked just for you!

So, this is one of the great things about the Gallery—you never know what kind of great exhibit you will come across. This visit it was the Della Robbia exhibit. Have you ever heard of Luca or Andrea Della Robbia? I hadn’t. And I like to think I’m pretty well-educated in the arts. I’m so pretentious! Oh well, you learn something new every day!

Come and look at some of the exhibit with me:

I was fascinated by the lemons and pinecones mixed with the greenery!  I need to find replicas of these things to hang at home!

I want to know the secret of keeping these colors so vivid after centuries and centuries. I can’t even keep a pair of black pants from fading after one season!

I love a great Madonna–and this one is beautiful!

This was almost creepy because IRL it looked like she was looking right through you!

This yellow, green, blue color combination is doing something to me. I want to wear these colors!

It was so kind of the Della Robbia’s to sculpt a bust of Francis I of France!

A beautiful Pieta–Della Robbia style.

And we end with a couple of Saints!

After the exhibit, we roamed around looking at paintings.  Now—my favorite artists are the French.  I love the Impressionists but I also love Delacroix and Courbet.  This time around we spent a good amount of the day admiring the Flemish and Dutch painters.  You know, I forgot how much I like the Flemish/Dutch painters.

Here’s a bit of what we saw. And you know, when I look at a painting sometimes I think of things that I’m sure others don’t.  I’ll explain:

I love Rembrandt’s portraits. I love the dark/light thing he has going on. But most of all, I dig the hat.  Why can’t I find a hat like that?

“A Young Man in a Large Hat” by Frans Hals is one of my favorite paintings of all time.  This young guy looks totally wasted. WHAT was he drinking? I’ll bet from the expression on his face that he was thinking of some girl he met the night before he posed for this. And the hat. The hat! I LOVE that hat. I want that large hat. It’s so much better than that dopey hat Pharrell wore in that Happy song video. And look at Young Man’s outfit. I would totally wear that.

Here’s another outfit I would wear. I am coveting that tan coat. It’s beautiful. The hat? Not so much–I would wear Young Man’s hat with that coat. But those boots with the red lining are to-die for.  It isn’t fair that men got to have the good clothes back then..

…While the women looked like this?  That hat is awful. It looks like a wig cap–believe me, I KNOW wig caps!  And that thing around her neck. I guess its the way women hid turkey neck back then! Can we put some make up on this woman please?

I’m not crazy about the red hat on this Vermeer girl. I like the earrings in his other painting.

This guy looks miserable because I’ll be that turban weighs a good 25 pounds!

“Agrippina & Germanicus” by Sir Peter Paul Rubens. If I were Germanicus, I would want a refund from Sir Rubens for giving me that huge double chin.  I don’t think they had chin lifts back then but he could have given her a better profile!  Her hair is beautiful!

I see still life paintings like this and think “dinner”!  I’m still hungry!

See what I mean? I put more thought on the clothing. Why don’t they make hats like they used to?  Here are more paintings and sculptures from our little visit:

This gentleman’s neck thing is so much nicer than the woman a few paintings above. His is softer fuller, prettier. I would wear this one to hide my turkey neck!

I love the dress but she looks so depressed!  Oh wait. She’s getting ready to stab herself. Or maybe since tweezers weren’t invented yet, she’s getting ready to cut some lady whiskers off her chin.

I’m bewildered by the fact that men, even young men dressed so beautifully. If a young man dressed like that today, he would be banned from using the men’s room!

..and why can’t a lingerie company make a bra that could give us the same “lift” as this woman-and they didn’t have padded bras in those days. Bring back boning in dresses!

This is a Spanish painting but I can’t remember the artist. I LOVE this painting. The women are so cute. I love the look on the woman with the little coral bow and I love how you can tell the other woman is probably laughing behind that fabric!

I love a tricorn hat and I wish that they were still sold for regular use. I would definitely wear one. The rest of the ensemble does nothing for me. I think the over-the-chin look is just wrong! 

I’m amazed at how I’m naturally drawn to French painters. This is another one of my all-time favorites. “Elizabeth Throckmorton Canoness of the Order of the Dames Augustines” by Nicolas de Largilliere.  I love nuns. And this painting is so beautiful-I swear if you stand close enough, you can get a waft of that powdery scent nuns are known for. One of my faves!

I LOVE the Art Nouveau period in painting and this is one of the details in a series of paintings about Joan of Arc by Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel. He is best known for his illustrations in children’s books but I love the clean lines and the basic simplicity. 

Here we are in the Rodin section. Let me tell you something. I can’t stand Rodin. As a person.  He was a tool.  And if you ever get the chance, watch the film “Camille Claudel” starring Isabelle Adjani.   I can bet that Rodin took credit for this sculpture when Camille Claudel is the one who sculpted it…

This one too. It has Claudel written all over it!

And as we exit, we bid farewell to France’s greatest king, Louis XIV, the Sun King!

I hope you enjoyed our little weekend trip!  You don’t have to go far away to take a little trip. Sometimes the best way to chill and regroup is a little getaway during the weekend!

This has been played more than once on this blog but I can’t help it. Every time I go to a museum this enters my mind:  Mussorgsky “Pictures at an Exhibition”.

A Little Trip to D.C. Do you like getting away for the weekend?  Someplace close to home but far enough that it calls for a night at a hotel?

#art #Travel #Weekend trips

[chaosmagetwin]

The Wild Adventures of Ashley and Paul: Chapter 1

"Honey, have you seen my sniper rifle?" The man stared directly at the case where it should have been. Voids in the foam showed where each piece should have sat, perfectly clean and ready to operate once put together. This partiuclar one was his favorite. He always enjoyed the act of putting it together, taking it apart, making the bullets for it, cleaning it, and especially shooting it. The beautiful kickback, the heartfelt wrench of ecstasy as the sculpted bullet left the chamber, gracefully spinning towards his target, to end their life with an incredible mist of red. 

"No, not since Randy took it out for some practice shooting." He sighed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Randy was their son. A eight year old. He really shouldn't have been handling a high powered sniper rifle. "That was about an hour ago. Why? Do you have a job?"

"Yes, Honey. I'll be back in time for dinner. If I'm not, would you mind packing some up for me?" He closed the metallic briefcase and picked it up. There was only one place Randy could really be; the shooting range. 

"Of course. It's roast beef tonight." She whooped at something in the living room and he smiled. "Come give me a kiss! I can't get up right now, and I'd like to tell these losers that I'm married! Hah!" He went into the living room and kissed his beautiful wife of ten years, and gave her a smile. Despite his raging success as an assassin for hire, they still liked to treat it as though he was just going to an office job. "Told you he was hot!"

A voice came over from the hologram. "Pff, please, he's obviously an android. No ones that stacked. Get fucked, fag!" He watched with a curious expression as his wife's holographic body was destroyed. 

"Ah, damnit. Hey, when you see Randy, tell him that he should focus on not getting The Authors all excited. You know who the usual assassin/assassin's son stories play out." She slapped his butt with a grin.

"Will do. Have fun!" He trotted out the door, picturing the return home with perfect detail. Jobs were rarely dangerous, and while they treated the going away as a normal office job, the coming back was a little more... exciting.

As had been expected, Randy was at the shooting range, joyfully shooting the ancient AWM with the expected accuracy of an eight year old. A stern talking to later about touching things he wasn't supposed to and of being mindful of The Authors, and he was on his way to work again, whistling a happy tune. "Jerry! Hey there." He nodded to the security guard, who nodded back to him, a stern expression on his face. he held out his security card. "Nice weather we're having, eh?" The guard looked up at the sky and shrugged.

"Smog and rain as usual. Should have brought a mask to work today... You guys are lucky. Clean air all the time." He coughed into an arm as he looked at the card with squinting eyes. "You're clear. Enjoy the trip."

"Will do, Jerry." He whistled as he skipped inside the building.

"Ahh, what a beautiful day..." He took a deep breath of the clean air. Only the nice, almost chocolate tones of smog today, with lots of fresh air, and a clear sky that showed the sun. He pulled the tag out of his pocket and whistled at the target that appeared. A huge man, with muscles of metal and a face of greek descent. The body didn't match the head at all. Not that he cared. He wasn't the fashion police. He laid down on the suburban roof he had climbed up onto and set up the rifle, whistling a jolly tune softly. He loved this job. In thirty seconds, the front door to that home would open, and the target would be clearly visible. He hummed as he twiddled with the dials on the scope, enjoying how it move the sights around until it was in perfect alignment with the expected wind. 

He smiled as the door opened, waited a half second, then fired.

"Oops..."

Ashley stared at The Authors corpse on her front steps, her mind ticking for a few seconds to register what just happened. Authors didn't just die. She looked over at Paul, and saw the shock on his face as well. "Inside, get inside!" She hurriedly pushed him, and slammed the door shut, her eyes feeling too wide. A bullet hole appeared in line with where Pauls head had been a moment before, and she bit her tongue to keep form making noise. 

"What the fuck?" It was Paul. For a moment, she hadn't recognized his voice. It was high pitched, and she realized he sounded like he was about to faint. "He's... he's just.... gone! But Authors don't... can't...."

"Just get away from the door!" She pushed him again and he stumbled back. "What do we do? What do we do?! Call the police?!" Her mind felt scrambled. 

"No, it's fine," Came Paul. He had opened the door and was looking out. "They're gone." Ashley stared at him, flabbergasted. "God damnit. He died."

"Whatever! Just leave him there! Get inside, you don't know whats out there right now!" She peeked at the body and felt sick. The Authors head was... missing. Also, her front porch was an interesting shade of pink and red. 

"Yeah, I do. One of my eyes is cybernetic. He's gone now." He leaned down to look closer at The Authors body. Ashley took a deep breath and leaned against the wall, letting out a sigh that turned into a groan. "What? I'm practically impervious. My skull's made of steel. Unless they pulled out a bigger caliber than that, i'm pretty sure I'm okay." She glared at him.

"Come on, you know just as well as I do that magic is real. Just cause you're a cyborg now doesn't make you invincible! What if that bullet was enchanted? What if they used magic to make the bullet curve or whatever? You wouldn't see them then, now would you!? No! And there you go, risking your life to look at a dead body! Agh! It's like a nightmare. And besides, a metal skull isn't that thick! A direct hit is still bad!"

"Okay, okay, fair. But he's gone either way, or else I'd be shot, right? So... what do we do? I'm thinking call the police." He stood up again and moved inside. "A dead Author is a pretty big deal...." They nodded, but before either of them reached the cell phones, they heard the sirens. "Guess someone heard the gunshots..."

"And then he just stepped out to look at him!" Paul watched with an internal sigh as she emphasized his 'idiocy' with her many and varied emotive gestures. Karen grinned, and shook her head. 

It'd been a day since the shooting, and most everyone at Character High had already heard. Normally, he wouldn't have cared, except that everyone kept bothering him about it. 

Ashley, meanwhile, refused to talk to him at all, which wouldn't have bothered him except that they'd been dating for nearly a month now. They'd been friends ever since she'd saved his life through... unconvential means, allowing him to live long enough to get him a cybernetic body. 

She was just about the only person he actually liked, who could relate to him. She understood how he thought, and it was the same the other way around. It helped that the two of them were moved into the same house by The Authors. When he'd finally asked her out, it was like everything had finally fit into place. Now, though, he was just frustrated with her. A day of not speaking to him, a day of no jokes, or even puns. The first class of the dya, and she was already telling everyone how idiotic he had been. 

"Man, Wild House is so lucky." It came from Sarah, a blonde who looked completely normal. Normally, that wouldn't have been any sort of problem, except everyone also knew that she was from "Murder Mystery Sociopath" house. The only other person there was a mousey brown-haired girl who was about as likely to hurt someone as she was to fail a class, which was fairly impossible. "All that excitement. Did you catch who did it?"

Ashley shook her head. "No. I'm not really sure what's going to happen anymore. I mean... What happens when an Author dies?" 

The general consensus was a shrugging from those listening. Finally, Paul spoke. "You know, I have infrared vision. I could see that guy in the distance. After the second shot, he got up and left. I wasn't being dumb." Ashley glared at him, and sniffed, the little golden rings in her horns jingling as she turned her head away from him in a snub. "Really?"

Karen giggled and shook her head. "I'm surprised the name of your house isn't 'romantic comedy' house. Wild House is just kinda.. I dunno. Misnomer? Speaking of which, I need to get out for a while. Mind if I come over tonight or something?" Ashley shrugged, and finally looked at Paul, a silent question in her raised eyebrow.

He sighed, and gave it thought. He wasn't a fan of people, especially where they might see his cyborg body, and his home was definately a place that had that. Ashley was far more sociable than he was, though. Besides... it could be fun with a witch in the house for a night. "Sure. If Ashley agrees." Both Karen and Ashley grinned at him, almost mocking. All of them knew what Ashley wanted. "At least let me pretend to ask for her thoughts to be made verbal..." "What time will you be over? I could have dinner ready!"

"NO! I mean, uh, that's okay. I'll show up after dinner! Sleep over, right? I'll bring pajama's." Karen tittered.

Ashley sighed. "Yeah, I know I cna't cook. Just before he died, The Author confirmed it's.... part of my character. All the times I made anything any good was just luck."

".... Wow. What an asshole. You can't even learn? It's just, like... fate of the universe?" It was Keith. A guy who was nobodies friend, but liked to insert himself into conversations anyways. "What a bummer. Mind if I come over, too?" Ashley looked at Paul again, a silent order written on her face this time. 

"Sure!" He said with a smirk directly at Ashley. "I can't imagine a reason why not to. Sarah, you in? We'll have a good ol' party."

Sarah gave him a grin in return, one a little too wide for his liking. If he had a flesh back, he had no doubt it would be shivering. "Okay! I don't see why not. Anyone else you want to invite?" Paul shrugged. Parties weren't his thing, but it was worth it just to mess with Ashley a little bit in return for all of yesterday. 

As Ashley intensified her glare, Karen spoke up again. "I know a couple people. They're pretty cool. Mind if I invite them over? They're in Class B." 

"Sounds good to me," He said as the bell rang.

#The Wild Adventures of Ashley and Paul #Female Lead #Male Lead #Chapter 1 #Creative Writing