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chicgeekgirl89 · 3 years

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The Hoodie

Fandom: 911 Lone Star

Characters: Carlos Reyes, T.K. Strand, Mateo Chavez

Summary: “...hoodies are what you wear when you want to be comfortable and feel at home. So I thought you needed one, considering the circumstances.” A little post-ep for 2x13.

A/N: I found it VERY interesting that Carlos was the one in a hoodie at the end of 2x13 since hoodies are definitely a T.K. thing. Isn't it amazing how one, teeny tiny detail can be enough for me to write an entire fic?

AO3

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Carlos had been on the phone for six and a half hours. Six hours and thirty-four minutes if you were being exact. And that wasn’t including the other two hours he’d spent online, trying to search up insurance information.

There had been a long call with the arson investigator, then the insurance agent, then his bank, another hour with the arson investigator, his mortgage lender…he was exhausted.

“Hey babe!” T.K. said brightly as he and Mateo returned from their shopping trip, bags in hand. Mateo had offered to drive and T.K. had taken him up on it. It was all well and good to borrow t-shirts and sweatpants, but underwear and shoes were a whole other matter. T.K. stopped and pressed a kiss to the top of his head where was sitting at the kitchen counter.

“Hey,” Carlos said scrounging up what he hoped was a convincing smile. “Looks like you were successful.”

“We got everything,” Mateo assured him. “And I mean everything. I didn’t know T.K. was a shop until you drop kind of guy, but I think he bought out the entire men’s department at Zara. And J Crew. Honestly we kind of emptied out the whole mall.”

“Did you see the texts about tonight?” T.K. asked as he rooted through a bag from Aldo.

Carlos shook his head. He’d felt the continuous buzz of the group text as he’d slogged through his conversation with the insurance agent, but hadn’t had time to look.

“We’re hanging at the firehouse. You down?” Mateo asked.

Just the thought of it made him tired, but Carlos tried to rally. He’d fallen apart enough, it was time for him to move on, even if all he wanted to do was curl up in T.K.’s arms and cry. Again. “Yeah, sure, sounds good,” Carlos said, careful to keep his tone bright and cheerful.

T.K. shot him a quick look but didn’t say anything, so Carlos assumed he’d been successful in hiding his exhaustion. A night out with friends would be good for T.K., a distraction from all the stress of the last two days.

“Come upstairs and try some of this on,” T.K. said, gathering up all the bags.

“I’ll be up in a minute,” Carlos said. “I have a couple emails I need to send.”

It was more like half an hour than a minute because the insurance agent called back again, but eventually Carlos made his way to the guest bedroom. T.K. was standing by the bed, a new button-up hanging open as he held up and compared two belts. “That’s all yours,” he said, nodding toward a pile on Carlos’ side of the bed. “Just figure out what fits, we can take the rest back.”

Carlos was definitely not in the mood to put on a fashion show, but he took a quick look through the clothing and pulled out a polo shirt and jeans to try on. “How did the calls go today? Any progress?” T.K. asked.

Carlos sighed as he stripped off his borrowed t-shirt. “Not as much as I would like. Turns out having your home and all your worldly possessions burn up in a fire isn’t exactly the easiest insurance situation. They want copies of all the paperwork, proof that the home is burned beyond repair, a copy of the police report, the fire report, and I have to secure the site so nobody loots it. Not that there’s anything left to loot.”

T.K. had gone over in the morning with his dad and Judd to sort through some of the wreckage, while Carlos started his calls. There had been very little that was salvageable and everything that was had been sent off to be professionally cleaned. Yet another phone call Carlos had had to make.

“We’ll get it figured out,” T.K. said. “I can stay home tomorrow and help.”

Carlos shook his head. “No, it’s kind of a one person job. And my name is on everything so they probably won’t talk to you anyway.”

T.K.’s face softened as he took in Carlos’ frustration. “Are you sure you want to go tonight?”

“To hang with the 126? Yeah of course,” he said.

“Carlos…”

“I’m fine, really. It’s…just been a long day. It’ll be good to blow off some steam,” Carlos told him.

T.K. didn’t quite look convinced but he let the matter slide for the moment. “That looks good,” he said, nodding toward the polo Carlos had put on.

“Yeah, it fits fine.” Carlos reached for the next thing in the pile. “Oh, here, this must be yours,” he said, holding out a blue sweatshirt.

T.K. looked up and shook his head. “No, that’s for you.”

“You bought me a hoodie?” Carlos asked.

T.K. set down the pants he’d been refolding. “I know they’re not really your thing,” he said. “But hoodies are what you wear when you want to be comfortable and feel at home. So I thought you needed one, considering the circumstances.”

Carlos ran his fingers over the soft fabric. It was touching gesture and he felt tears prick at his eyes again for the thousandth time in the last day. “Thank you.”

T.K. smiled and nodded toward him. “You should try it on.”

Carlos slipped it over his head and pulled at it until it fit around his waist and hips. “How do I look?”

T.K. reached up and fixed a few of his mussed curls. “Hoodie hazard,” he said with a smile. “You look great.”

An hour later they headed over to the firehouse, coolers and snacks in hand. Carlos felt good, ready, maybe even a little excited to be out and put the day behind him.

But he was not prepared for how sense memory would assault him. The firehouse smelled like smoke and fire and destruction, causing his shoulders to tense immediately. And the gentle teasing about their lack of home to hang out in stabbed a sharp blade into his stomach. Marjan was just trying to make light of a bad situation, but it still hurt.

But T.K. looked so happy surrounded by his friends and his dad that Carlos couldn’t bring himself to ask to leave. Instead he smiled, sipped his beer without tasting it, laughed when it was called for, and answered any questions thrown his way. He and Paul even went a round together at the foosball table. Mostly he stayed by the counter, shifting food around, refilling bowls, getting people drinks, and just generally keeping up the pretense of being a good party host.

He thought he was doing a pretty decent job hiding it; of pretending that he didn’t feel like the walls were closing in on him with their dark, smoke stained plaster. He was trying very hard not to think about the fact that being in this space felt like being back in his burning bedroom, absolutely certain that he was about to not only die, but also lose the man he loved with all his heart.

He was rearranging the snack bowls for probably the twelfth time when he felt arms go around his waist and T.K.’s lips found his neck. “Let’s go back to my dad’s,” he murmured.

Carlos frowned and continued his very important cheeseball work. “It’s only eight o’clock.”

“But you’re tired and don’t want to be here,” T.K. said softly.

“I’m fine.”

“Carlos.” Lips pressed against his neck again. “You can say you’re not okay.”

“You’re having a good time,” Carlos tried again.

“If you’re not having fun, I’m not having fun,” T.K. told him.

Carlos turned in his arms so they were facing each other. “It’s just been a really long day and I—” he swallowed hard. “Being here is kind of like reliving the fire all over again.”

T.K.’s eyes clouded. “I am such an idiot. I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think about that.”

“It’s fine,” Carlos told him. “I’m fine. Really.”

But T.K. was already on the move. “Hey guys?” he called to the group. “Carlos and I are going to call it a night.”

“T.K. we didn’t drive,” Carlos reminded him. They’d caught a ride with Mateo since his Camaro was toast.

“You can take my car,” Owen offered.

“Yeah I’ll drive the Cap home,” Mateo volunteered as he defended his goal against Nancy.

“See?” T.K. said. “All good.”

“Who’s going to clean up the mess?” Carlos asked as T.K. tugged him toward the door.

“Any of the other five people here at the moment. Just because you never let them help doesn’t mean they’re not capable,” T.K. informed him. “Night guys!”

“Night!”

“Goodnight!”

“Drive safe!”

“Stop feeling bad,” T.K. ordered as he climbed into the driver’s seat of Owen’s car. “You’re not making me leave, I chose to leave.”

“I don’t want to pull you away from your friends.”

“They’re your friends too.”

“I know but…I just thought you needed this. To get your mind off everything.”

“The only thing on my mind is making sure you’re okay,” T.K. said as he flipped on the blinker and turned them left, streetlights ghosting over his face. “I knew something was going on. I shouldn’t have dragged you out tonight.”

“You didn’t drag me out.” Carlos shook his head. “I thought maybe it would be good for both of us. I didn’t realize…I didn’t know that being at the firehouse would make me feel this way.”

“I’m just so used to dealing with fire and smoke I didn’t even think about how it might take you back,” T.K. said. “But I should have. I’m sorry.”

Silently T.K. reached for his hand, threading their fingers together over the car’s console. The small gesture made Carlos’ throat grow tight.

They finished the drive to Owen’s in silence. The place smelled blissfully free of smoke and Carlos felt the muscles in his back loosen just a little bit. “Come here,” T.K. said, pulling him toward the couch.

Carlos ended up sitting between T.K.’s legs, back pressed against his chest as T.K. flipped on a Netflix documentary. He’d just gotten settled when T.K.’s fingers slipped inside the neckline of his hoodie. “T.K. you don’t—”

“Shh,” T.K. said softly as he began to work loose the knots in Carlos’ neck and shoulders. “Just relax.”

Slowly Carlos felt his shoulders begin to unwind, his body relaxing into T.K.’s as his boyfriends fingers dug deeply into his muscles. “Better?” T.K. asked a few minutes later.

Carlos nodded, eyes feeling heavy. “The hoodie helps too,” he mumbled.

“Yeah?” T.K. pressed a kiss to his curls.

“It feels like you,” he said, semi-aware that his words were slurring as sleep pulled at him.

He could feel T.K. smile against the top of his head. “I’m glad it’s working.”

As Carlos drifted off, sweatshirt and boyfriend cocooning his body in comfort, he felt the deep, reassuring sense of home.

#911 Lone Star #Tarlos #Carlos Reyes #T.K. Strand #Tarlos Fic #911 LS #Soft Boys #Fluffy Boys #The Hoodie

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promethes · 4 years

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dumping the horrendous unconventional short story I wrote for my midterm under the cut to get it off my mind bc I do not like it.

ENTRY 1

I think I will make my life’s motif a bird. It shouldn’t be too hard. They’re everywhere and pop out at the most opportune moments. I’ll find a way to tie them in.

ENTRY 2

Stood in line for way too long at the cafe. Can you believe the girl in front of me didn’t even look up to plan her order until she was physically at the front of the line? I knew what I wanted to order before I even stepped foot into the place. They need to change that. I’m on the lookout for some kind of online suggestion box to submit to since they decided to forgo an in-house one for some God forsaken reason. There’s not a lick of common sense in anyone these days. Saw a robin on my way out and flicked it a sesame seed from my bagel.

ENTRY 3

Would you listen to this garbage? They’re planning on tearing down my favorite bowling alley. “Didn’t pass inspection” my ass. It’s an important cultural landmark of our city and I’m marching down to the mayor to set him straight. I can’t stage important life moments around the cardinal themed bowling alley if there is no bowling alley to have a cardinal theme!

ENTRY 4

Mom’s in the hospital. Driving over now, she said it has something to do with her cholesterol. It either spiked or dropped real low, but I can’t be sure. Either way, she’s in the hospital. I don’t know why she chose the one that’s so far away though. The vending machines in the other one have way better stock.

ENTRY 5

Forgot to say. I didn’t run over any birds on the way there.

ENTRY 6

I don’t think I’m spiraling yet but I’m close to it. Mom’s fine, she’s just staying overnight in case anything acts up again. I, on the other hand, am NOT. Car won’t start and I’ve been sitting here in the parking lot for almost four hours now. Embarrassed beyond belief. A weird old man with a huge shiny truck offered to help and he’s been good on his word lending me his car to jump-start mine, but his bumper stickers make me nervous. His truck has custom lettering too. I’m a big guy, so not too worried, but a little concerned.

Anyway, it didn’t work and I’m calling a tow truck now. I tried to thank the guy and offered to buy him coffee, but he just said “No way, Jose” which was weird. He smacked the top of my car before he left and said I need to “dress this little lady up.” Maybe I’ll get a sparrow bumper sticker online. Everything’s online these days.

ENTRY 7

Starting to rethink the bird motif thing. Not much goes on in my life anyway, and there’s only so much material I can get out of waking up early to chirping. Maybe I should aim lower. I could choose a color instead. Red would be a cop-out, it’s too obvious. Blood! I need something that’s at least a little challenging. We’ll see. I’ll sleep on it.

ENTRY 8

GREAT NEWS! Sister got a BIRD. A real-life living breathing chirping flying bird. It’s a sign and I’m not going to ignore it. My life’s motif is a bird and it’s not going to be one of those unbearably hidden motifs from English class required readings either.

(Although I did like some of them. That spoon in Middlesex…… I want my bird to be his spoon. To take up space in an almost eerie way. I’ll find a way to make it work.)

ENTRY 9

Laying the groundwork. These things don’t come easy, so I’m sowing the seeds (birds do that, right?) Told everyone at work that my great great great grandfather’s name was Starling. Drilled up a lot of curious questions and I even got to know some of the people I always just miss talking to. They were all VERY interested. Tomorrow I’ll bring in a picture of an actual starling. I don’t think Andrew quite knows that it’s a kind of bird.

ENTRY 10

Don’t remember the name my sister chose and I couldn’t remember if I tried even if I squeezed my eyes shut before blinking really fast like I usually do because this bird (Polly I’m going to call it Polly because an annoying bird deserves an annoying name) is so incessantly annoyingly unbearably loud. I can’t believe this thing is my sign.

My sign is chirping me into the basement and into a frenzy. At least I have my old sleeping bag handy until I can figure out how to shut it up. Why must my motif be so unbearably annoying?

ENTRY 11

Update on the car: starter wires snapped. Haven’t seen any birds around lately (except for a crow but I hate crows and I won’t be counting them) so I was hopeful and asked the mechanic if there’s any chance a bird could’ve pecked at the wires until they got so worn down that they snapped in the hospital parking lot.

He looked at me like I was crazy. I know that was what the look meant because he said, “Are you f****ing crazy man? The wires are deep in your car under the hood.” (I’m censoring the language. I don’t want language taking away from my story. If this is to be read in a future child’s English class to teach a lesson about motifs, I can’t be including foul language.)

I’m not f***ing crazy but I am extremely ticked off. Does he not realize how little birds come out in the cold weather? I need whatever I can get.

I’ll just tell people a bird got stuck under the hood of my car. I’ll change this entry later. Mechanic man doesn’t deserve a spot in a child’s English class; he didn’t even have the decency to watch his language for them.

ENTRY 12

People at work are finally starting to catch on! Got called “bird guy” by Kathleen (Catherine? Kristy? Whatever.) when she saw my shirt. I knew it’d be a good move when I saw it on sale at Walmart. I’m thinking of making the cover of my book Hawaiian print, but I’ll tell my future publisher I’m not married to the idea. Can’t be too picky on my first book! I’ll leave that for the second.

ENTRY 13

I will enjoy my day today I will enjoy my day today I will enjoy my day. Sister needs to get control of Polly. I’ve moved down my whole mattress now. I will enjoy my day I will enjoy my day I will enjoy

ENTRY 14

Can’t believe I overlooked eagles and hawks. Of course sparrows and starlings weren’t doing the trick! Classic oversight, focusing too much on the mundane. I won’t be making that mistake. I blame it all on that incessant chirping. Mom says it’s not too bad but I’m fairly certain that cholesterol has gotten to her ears. She must be going deaf. She’s lucky she’s ill or else I’d be very extremely sore at her for making that face at me. I know it’s a bad face because it’s the same face that f***ing mechanic made and I don’t think he’s ever made a good face in his life so if my mom made that same face then I really don’t like that. She gets a pass for the cholesterol.

ENTRY 15

I feel amazing. Bought an eagle bumper sticker at a roadside gas station and after a few strategic snips, it’ll be ready to go on the car. I’m dressing this little lady up! The red, white, and blue has got to go first though. Decided a while ago not to let colors mess with my motif, and I’m not going to slip up on that again! Snip snip.

I’m considering this a debt paid. Dressed the little lady up. Two birds, one stone! I’m making that my new catchphrase.

ENTRY 16

Should I make this a love story? I’m thinking about making it a romance. Doves are right there, really just waiting for me to weave them in. On the other hand, I don’t think that’d work to create much of a conducive learning environment for the kids. I think I’ll stick to a Mark Twain type story instead.

Reread the beginning and don’t think it’s working. I’ll be cutting all that out. I spoke too much about mom’s cholesterol. Too many side characters and not enough focus. Where was I going with this again?

ENTRY 17

Writer’s block. It’s ok, I still had that major breakthrough with the hawk/eagle thought. Put in my two weeks to dedicate all my time. I’ve found a bird-watching site that I hope will bring me more peace than f***ing Polly.

ENTRY 18

These birds are really working to stay in my New York Times best-selling children’s novel. Knew this would be a challenge, but they really do never stop conversing. If only they could read, I’d write them a best-selling manual on the best ways to speak inwards rather than outwards. Chirp chirp chirp needs to turn into ______ ________ ________.

ENTRY 19

Sister’s going to be f***ing pissed but it was the only thing to do.

ENTRY 20

Honestly, it was just a bird! If it was really part of our family, you’d think that I’d know its name by now.

ENTRY 21

I said that Polly’s in a better place now, but set her off with the “Polly”. Maybe this was a mistake. She said I “begged” her to get the bird but she shouldn’t say that when she’s the one reacting like this.

ENTRY 22

Books should come with suggestion boxes. No more birds. Story’s six feet under just like Gladys. See, I can finally remember it now that I can hear myself think.

#eugh #og #emptying notes #essays

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detectivedreameater · 4 years

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Feel It|| Agatha and Marley

TIMING: Last week PARTIES: @detective-keen and @detectivedreameater SUMMARY: Agatha comes to check up on Marley after her incident with Tommy the bear. Feelings are relented. CONTENT: Brief Medical talk (no blood mentions)

Marley prodded her face in the mirror, wincing. The jagged, angry lines that traced down her face, her cheekbones, her jaw, were raw and blue and painful. They stood out in jutting color unnatural to the eye, and looked almost like someone had simply smeared blue pen along her face. But every touch reminded her that it was not paint. Every blink, every breath. Every twitch of her lip. She wasn’t sure how many people had seen, but she’d left the hospital as soon as possible and gone to Erin’s. The doctor’s had come back to an empty bed and Marley had come home to an empty house. Save for JD. He followed her nearly everywhere now these days, hopping along behind her feet like a shadow, softly prodding her with his antlers when he wanted attention. She kept logs and salt logs around for him to chew on now, and the two had settled into a routine she’d never thought she’d get in her life. It was...kinda nice. And he didn’t stare at her face weird, because he didn’t understand what the lines on it meant. Perhaps that was for the better. She was just reaching into her freezer for more alcohol when someone knocked on the door. Was it Anita again? Or Erin checking up on her? Sighing heavily, she set the bottle down and went over to the door. “I said I’m fine, I don’t need you to constantly check up on--” but she was cut short when the door opened and revealed none other than Agatha. Certainly not either of the people she’d expected. “Keen,” she said, staring, “you’re-- here. Why are you here?”

Agatha, having been told that Marley decided that she was too cool to stay at the hospital, had rushed her way to her colleague’s apartment, not only upset, but also worried. The more she learned to know Marley, the more she noticed how she hated getting help from others, but she didn’t think it could be to the point of refusing to see a bloody doctor. And so she ended up knocking on her door, arms crossed over her chest, yet juggling with a bag from the bakery, trying not to squish the little pies she had bought for her friend. Obviously, it was hard to look angry when you had pastries in your hand. “Why am I here?” She repeated, making it clear that she expected to be invited in. “Maybe because your dumb ass decided that she did not need to stay at the hospital despite,” she looked at her facial scars and then down at her feet. “Despite… this,” she replied. If she was being honest, she was truly impressed by the size of the scars on Marley’s face, but now was not the time for that. “You need a doctor, look at… how are you going to heal properly?” She’d probably have scars on her face for the rest of her days, but she did not have to make it worse like that.

Agatha’s eyes looked at her face and then immediately away and it was then that Marley realized this was what was going to happen for a long time now. She would have frowned had it not hurt to do so. The worry wrought through Agatha’s face, in her voice, made her furrow her brow enough, though, to stretch the cuts and make her wince. You wouldn’t understand, she wanted to say, but how, then, did she explain leaving the hospital? “I’m fine, I know someone who’s good with stitching,” she muttered, stepping aside, then and turning away from the door. She didn’t invite Agatha in, but she didn’t tell her to leave, either. JD, behind the door, poke his nose out. “I’ll heal just fine,” she said, picking up her bottle of tequila again. “Want a drink?”

“What?” Agatha’s brow furrowed, and she looked Marley in the eyes as if to say : don’t you dare. “You know you sound like someone who’s gonna ask a vet to stitch them up so that the cops never hear about it?” She sighed heavily, following behind. If you didn’t tell her to go away, you could bet that she wouldn’t. “I brought you pie. I didn’t know which kind you liked so.. Well, I brought you pie,” she repeated, not seeing Marley’s pet at first. With a small scream of surprise, she watched that… weird animal follow Marley behind. “I didn’t know you had a …” well she was not sure how to finish that sentence. Besides, she did not know a lot about Marley’s personal life, and her apartment would not help with that. The place looked as neutral as a plate of pasta, desperate for some sauce. “A drink?” putting the pies down on the kitchen table, she glanced over at Marley and bit her lip briefly. This was not going to end well. Needless to mention that it was a bit early for this too, but she doubted that Marley had plans to leave her place today. “One drink, but you’ll have to tell me what happened,” she warned.

At the squeak, Marley looked up-- then down, to see JD hopping after her. “Oh, yeah, that’s Jack Daniels. He’s my uh--” huh, how to explain this one to a normie? “Pet hare. He’s got a strange mutation.” Just like me, she thought sourly. “He won’t bite,” a beat, “probably.” Her nose crinkled and pain erupted in her face again, making her pause her movements while she waited for the burning to pass. “A vet? No, she--” Wait, she couldn’t let Agatha know she knew Erin. It would be too obvious, then, how Erin had gotten rid of the evidence on her. “She’s medically trained. Look, I just-- I don’t do hospitals.” Was that a good enough explanation? She set down a glass in front of Agatha and filled it halfway with tequila. Then poured a full glass for herself. “What? Don’t you read the news, Keen? I had a drink with a bear, but he didn’t like whiskey,” she said in a monotone she hadn’t used in a while. Slid the glass to her. “Drink up.” Eyed the pies. “You didn’t have to bring me anything.”

“Jack Daniels?” Agatha tried to look at her with a look of judgement, but ended up laughing instead. “That’s… well, let’s just hope the medical examiner never sees him. She’ll want to cut him open,” wrinkling her nose, Agatha took note of what Marley said and told herself that she’d try to keep her fingers away from the hare. “Ugh,” she groaned. Apparently, this was not going to convince Marley to see an actual doctor. “I do hope so,” and if she wondered why the other woman had an issue with hospitals, she knew better than to ask. Last time she tried to ask Marley questions, she ended up with her own feelings hurt. “I did read the news,” which is why she had rushed to the hospital to find out that her friend was gone not even 24h after being admitted in. “But since you were… there, I figured you would tell me more as to how the hell a bear got into a bar.” A cop and a bear walk into a bar. Sounded like a damn joke, except it was closer to a nightmare. “I did not have to, but I wanted to. Suck it,” she declared, scanning the kitchen with her eyes to find a knife. Oh well, she had her swiss army knife. Getting it from her jacket, she cut herself a slice of cherry pie and left the knife on the table for Marley to get some food. “I skipped breakfast to see you at the hospital, alright?” This was a huge deal. And with those words, she had a big sip of tequila.

“Yeah, like the whiskey. I call him JD for short, or Jack if I’m mad at him,” Marley said nonchalantly. She chose to not look into the fact that she’d name her pet after an alcohol, but it was either that or Bugs Bunny. “And Kadaver isn’t coming anywhere near me, or my apartment, or JD. Ever.” She jabbed the knife into the pie as if to punctuate her statement and cut out a little piece for herself. At least Agatha wasn’t pushing the hospital thing. Marley could appreciate that about her, she usually didn’t push. Except for in their last online conversation, but she wasn’t about to bring that up, nor was she about to give Agatha an opening to. “I don’t know how it got in. Investigators said the back door was left open and it probably followed the scent of food inside. You know how bears are.” She made a little claw like motion with her hand. Was that in poor taste? Her face stung at the thought. “You skipped breakfast? Jesus, Keen…” she muttered, trying to keep the weird feeling bubbling in her throat from finding its way into her voice. “It wasn’t like I was gonna die. No need to panic. I’m fine, see?” Motioned to herself as she poked at the slice of pie she’d cut out, wondering why people liked this stuff so much. It was too sweet for her usually. “Well, you know...aside from the obvious.”

Agatha did not really know what to say. She didn’t really see the link between a big rabbit and liquor, but there must have been a story behind this for sure. “Kadav… Not a fan of her?” Agatha tried to get along with everyone, and while Regan was intimidating, she did not have any animosity for her. She couldn’t, as she had to rely on her expertise so often. “Or is it just a pun on her job?” Could be a possibility although from the way she had stabbed the pie, she doubted that. Sucking her fingers clean -which was truly useless, as she was not even done eating her slice-, she listened to Marley speak of her encounter with the bear. “I mean, that makes sense,” kind of. “If bears start wandering into the city center, we’re in trouble,” she commented, finishing her slice of pie and getting another. “Look,” she frowned, a piece of apple pie in front of her, “I was worried, and I figured that pie for breakfast wouldn’t be so awful. Don’t… flatter yourself,” she narrowed her eyes, daring her to say a thing about this. Now she was not nearly as intimidating as the other woman, and the scars would only accentuate that. Not that she was jealous. “Right, bears aren’t that much of a big deal,” she mockingly brushed it off with her hand. “Call me when you get attacked by…” She tried to think of something worse, and when she couldn’t she decided to go for something stupid, “I don’t know, a moose, or something real.” Shaking her head, she then looked at Marley, her expression softer. “Are you really okay?” She hoped this wouldn’t go like that conversation they had about Jane, and Marley’s feelings. One could hope that the tequila would help.

“It’s both,” Marley said simply, picking up a cherry from inside the pie and plopping it in her mouth. Yeah, cherries just weren’t her thing. She didn’t need to justify her distaste for Kavanagh to Keen, mostly because the reasons were ones Agatha wouldn't understand. Telling her she didn’t like it when Kavanagh screamed would just sound too strange. She went to rest her chin in her palm before remembering, and leaning her whole weight against the counter top, arms folded. Watching the other woman, wondering what her real motive for being here was. Her and Agatha were work colleagues, that was all. It wasn’t like Agatha really cared about her, but when she asked if she was really okay, Marley flustered a moment. Of course she was okay, right? She wasn’t dead, that’s what mattered. But it didn’t feel right to say. She could remember the worry on Erin’s face as she’d cleaned up her blood, and the relief on Anita’s when she’d laid eyes on her and known that she was alive and alright. She shifted back to a standing position and looked away, pretending to interest herself with JD on the ground next to her feet. “Totally fine,” she mumbled, but she wasn’t even sure she’d convinced herself, let alone another detective.

Agatha gave Marley a silent oh. Her jaw clenched as she watched her colleague approach her hand from her cheek. That must have hurt, she thought to herself. The tequila wasn't too bad, although she had some bad memories of evenings and mornings involving it. Although while the liquor could make Marley talkative, it could also make Agatha's focus shift to something else, when what she cared about now was the woman's wellbeing. Still, it seemed that much like the other day, Marley was not about to discuss her feelings, as if she was scared of those. "Totally fine," she scoffed. What a load of bullshit. "Jane disappears for days, it's fine. You get attacked by an animal who could have killed you," she paused to catch her breath, " it's fine. You are obviously wounded, it's FINE. F.I.N.E." She wished the word would have been longer, because it would have been more impactful, but at least her point was made. "This. Is bullshit. I'm not going to sit here to hear bullshit. Respect me."

Agatha’s voice rose in both volume and pitch and Marley blinked in surprise. She looked up at her with wide eyes, silent for a moment. In all their years working together, she’d never heard her yell. Marley turned her face away, trying not to frown-- she’d never been so aware of how many muscles moved in the face until now and she hated it. She was going to make sure Tommy suffered, long and good for this. And she was going to make sure he knew she was the one that did it to him. And maybe she’d even get to look Roy in the face and tell him it was her. What a delight that would be. But none of that mattered right now. And neither did her feelings about what had happened. About what would happen, even after the gashes healed. “What else am I supposed to be?” she said quietly, hands folded across her chest. “What good is being upset going to do?”

Well at least Agatha had managed to get some sort of reaction from her which was already a lot more than she might have expected. She understood wanting to appear as stone cold, and she bore a blank face whenever she heard anyone talking shit about her and her father, but she couldn't understand that Marley did not allow herself to be not even vulnerable, but at least, a little bit more aware of her own feelings. Because you could bet that Agatha had cried at home at the end of the day for her first few weeks at WCPD. No one knew, but she did cry. "Relieved, angry, scared, thankful," it wasn't about admitting to being sad, but rather admitting to having feelings. "What good is keeping it all in here," she pointed at Marley's chest, "going to do?" Agatha looked down at her hands and fell silent. It seemed like they were heading the same way as they did online. "Nevermind." Standing up, she went

to the window to look outside. Right now, she did not want her to see that she was herself upset.

Marley squinted a little-- lamenting the pain it caused-- as Agatha pointed at her chest. Then Agatha was walking away from her, over to the window that overlooked the street outside and Marley scrunched her face harder, this time through the pain, and set her glass down. “Fine, you wanna know how I am? I’m pissed,” she snapped. “I’m angry and tired and in pain and I’m so mad at Jane I can’t even talk to her and she’s supposed to be my partner and all I wanted-- all I wanted was one day off. Just one where nothing shitty happened. Cause you know what? I had a good weekend. I really did. Things were going great. But you know what life does? It reminds you that you don’t deserve good things, and it does it real damn well.” She then scooped up her drink and downed the rest of it, slamming the glass down. “But you know what doesn’t help? Crying about it. In fact, that’ll probably make it worse because there’s giant gashes on my face now, thanks to a fucking bear!” In fact, just talking hurt. She groaned and grabbed the towel she’d been using to ice the wound with, pressing it against her face as she slid to sit on the floor in her kitchen. “I’m gonna fucking kill that bear if I ever see him again…” she muttered.

Finally, Agatha told herself as Marley began a monologue so gut wrenching it could have made her regret she pushed her into saying all these things. But she didn't regret. She could take her pain, her anger, and if Marley let her, she would help her with those. The pain, she couldn't help with, but anger she could manage. "Is it anger, or despair?" She turned to face her. It seemed like despair to her. Marley was tired, she said it herself. She expected something else, she said it herself. "Not everything has to help. Some things are useless and we still do them, because that's what people do," stupid things, like matching your socks, or saying hello to the waitress, or crying. Agatha walked around the kitchen table, squatting down in front of her friend. Or maybe Marley didn't consider her like one, but she would act like one anyway. "You're gonna need a bigger gun If you want, we can go shopping for proper rifles, what do you think?" She said it with the calmest expression on her face, and her hand extended toward Marley, palm up. "Well?"

Marley shuddered and scrunched her face at the word ‘despair’. She wasn’t going to call what happened to her a tragedy, she was alive, wasn’t she? She had all four of her functioning limbs and soon enough her eye would be fine, too. So what really was the loss? Cosmetic damage? Her dignity? No. Some part of her knew it was something deeper. Something buried inside. Marley looked up when Agatha came to bend down in front of her, holding out her hand. She wanted to push it away, she didn’t need pity or help or distractions. She needed-- “A bigger gun?” She balked for a moment, mouth slightly agape. That wasn’t what she’d expected Agatha to say. She took a moment to gather herself, pushing off the floor to sit up a little straighter. “You really wanna go gun shopping with me?” She eyed Agathat’s hand warily for a moment-- was this some sort of trick? Was Agatha going to try and stop her from going after Tommy? Not that she even knew the bear was actually a bugbear. Even if she did want to help, Marley wasn’t sure she was ready to take her hand yet. “Right now?”

Truth was, Agatha had originally considered giving Marley a hug, but the thought of a hunting rifle had crossed her mind then, and all things considered, it made more sense. Marley probably thought that hugging was useless, and while Agatha agreed to a certain extent, she also knew that those were great when you were feeling down. “Well it’s either this, or a hug, from yours truly,” she scoffed, then looked puzzled for a moment. “I mean, we can do both,” she did look like she needed a hug. Obviously, Agatha wondered why Marley was the way she was (not the bear attack, this much she did not question), wondered what her upbringing must have been like, but she knew better than to ask. Now was not the time to snoop around, as much as she wanted to understand. “But yes, I really want to go gun shopping with you,” it was not something she felt uncomfortable doing. With her parents both working in law enforcement, she was not too skittish about firearms, although this conversation would have probably been different around someone with no training. “Well, I don’t know, I’m asking you. I understand if you would prefer to wait,” her expression warmed up a little, the traces of a smile appearing on her features.

“I don’t really…” Marley started out, eyes wandering from Agatha’s face down to her hand again, “...do hugs.” In fact, Marley could probably count the amount of times she’d been hugged on one hand. At least, that she could remember. Sex didn’t count, either. That was something different, even if she was held in someone’s arms. Hugs were...complicated. They were soft and intimate and affectionate and Marley wasn’t any of those things. And for the longest time-- and still even now, even after what she’d said to Anita-- she didn’t believe she deserved any of those things. Marley reached out finally, though, and took Agatha’s hand, using it to help herself stand. She discarded the bloodied rag and tried to fold the blue into it so Agatha wouldn’t see too much. She wondered why she hadn’t said anything about it yet. “Maybe later,” she said quietly, “not really feeling up to being out in public yet.” It didn’t exactly scare her, the thought of going outside right now, but she knew something was holding her back. She could tell herself it was because she didn’t want to see the looks on people’s faces when they saw, but even she knew that wasn’t entirely true. She fiddled with the rag a moment. “But yeah--” she added on, “--we can go gun shopping together.”

“I figured,” she breathed out with amusement, and couldn’t repress a smile. “Not much of a hugger myself, but…” She let herself trail off as she felt like she could begin to get talkative as to why she didn’t like hugs much either. She came here for Marley, not to discuss her own issues. Agatha was relieved as Marley took her hand, and looked away at the sight of what seemed to be blue blood. If she had never heard of a disease that could cause this, she knew that blue blood was a thing, although she didn’t think it existed aside from horseshoe crabs. God those creatures looked awful. Either way, she didn’t want to make her uncomfortable with health questions. “Alright, sure,” it was to be expected. With what had just happened to her… Agatha herself would have wanted to stay in her apartment, and avoid people, or the stares, at least. “Raincheck on that then,” she glanced over at the kitchen table. Marley had barely touched her pie. Probably wasn’t feeling too hungry. “Alright, what do you want to do then?” Might as well do something she liked and felt like doing.

“What?” Marley asked, a little lost. “What do you mean?” Was Keen offering to do something with her? To stay over? “You-- you know you don’t have to stay. You came to check up, you saw that I’m doing fi--” stopped mid word, cleared her throat, “--that I’m managing. You don’t have to stay. I’m sure you’ve got much more important things than to stick around and watch me mope all day.” Because surely she did. It wasn’t like they were close or even friends. That word still made her chest burn, even if it was the only word she had to explain what Erin was to her. Jane was easy, she was her partner. Anita was easy, she was her, well-- her girlfriend, now, she supposed. But others were hard. She wasn’t friendly, she didn’t get attached to people, she didn’t go out of her way to be nice to people. She’d never really been that way. There had been little point in making connections when all she did was get passed around from home to home. Nothing ever lasted. “You can go home if you want. Don’t stay just for me.”

I’m doing fi- Agatha’s eyebrows raised, but it seemed like Marley was done being full of shit. Good. This was not what she came here for, but she was really proud of her, and you could read it on her face. Her eyes twinkled with malice, and she couldn’t help but smile. “I did not say anything about staying here all day,” she replied, still beaming. It was her day off, and she had planned other things for today, but once she heard about what had happened, she kind of forgot about anything she had in mind. It would probably come back to her in a few, but right now, she focused on Marley instead. “If I wanted to be home, I wouldn’t be here,” she observed, picking up the pies to put them in the refrigerator. Her eyebrows raised as she saw how empty the thing was. Well that was just sad. Agatha’s stomach was sad. Good thing she had gotten her something to eat. “Look, if you want me to leave, I’ll leave. But I really don’t mind sticking around,” she glanced at the room and wrinkled her nose. “What would you like to do?”

Marley ruffled her nose slightly, pain shooting through it. She turned and watched Agatha scoop up the pies and put them in the little, pathetic excuse she had for a fridge. Luckily, she didn’t point out the fact that it was a drink fridge or that it was empty. She glanced away when Agatha looked up at her, pretending she hadn’t been watching. JD circled her feet a few times and she bent down to pick him up stiffly, remembering the bruises that still lined her chest and leg when she did. Even if Agatha’s words didn’t entirely make sense to Marley, she tried not to let it get to her. She was tired and in pain and all she wanted to do was sink into her couch with a bottle of tequila and pretend none of the past week had happened. Well...not the entire week. Some good things had happened. Maybe this could be another one of those. She glanced over at Agatha and let out a breath. “Wanna watch a movie?” she asked. “I rented a bunch of random ones that sounded cool.” They headed over to the couch, and as Marley sank down, she felt something itching inside of her. After a long, quiet moment, she said, “Hey, Agatha?” and when her companion looked over, she muttered quietly, almost missable, “Thanks,” before clicking play.

#chatzy #wickedswriting #chatzy: agatha #feel it #agatha

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surveys-at-your-service · 5 years

Text

Survey #208

"if you want to soar with vultures, you'll have to swallow crow."

What may we call you? Brittany/Britt or Ozz/Ozzy. When can we send you a birthday card? (Figuratively, of course.): February 5th. And, where are you calling from? (Again, figuratively.): Please free me of the sweltering grip of North Carolina. What is your favorite Hostess/Little Debbie snack? BIIIIIIHHHHH that's too hard. I love that shit. I love the honeybuns, Twinkies, those little chocolate cupcakes... and really just most things lkdjalksdjwoe. Do you/your family buy loaf from the bakery or bagged on the shelf? Bagged. White, wheat or other? Mom usually buys whitewheat, but sometimes just wheat because she knows I prefer it. Have you ever fixed something without knowing just how you did it? I'm sure I have at some point. When was the last time you were on a plane? Last December. Where were you going and why? To Sara's for her birthday. What’s the best news you’ve gotten lately? Mom found a serious deal for a brand new Canon camera with more focal length range than my previous one and she bought it right in time for the wedding I shot yesterday. :') ^And, the worst? My niece may already be developing schizophrenia. If you could invent something, what would it be? Uhhhh... just one is hard. I literally just thought about this for like 5+ minutes and can't think of one singular invention that would actually be important. Well, maybe some sort of totally natural, long-lasting preservative for food? That'd help so many people and would greatly decrease the amount of fruits and such we waste, and it would also save money with probably slightly decreasing the frequency of grocery shopping. Tell me about your favorite pair of pants. I literally just have black yoga/dance pants lmao. Do you like getting dressed up? NO. Is your technology up to date? Depends on how "up-to-date" you mean. My stuff definitely isn't totally current. Ever been stuck next to someone really annoying on a LONG plane/train ride? Nah. Would you be embarrassed to find out you snored loudly in public? Yeah. Are you afraid of heights? Yes, to a degree. What is a compliment you get most often? "I like your hair"/stuff like that. Tell me about the last frightening/weird dream you had. This is hard, I like, never remember my dreams. Now, about the last pleasant dream you had. AHA I actually do remember this one: I got the rare-as-all-fuck and beautiful as all hell heavenly onyx cloud serpent in WoW, which I've tried getting every week for years. @_@ My eyes like popped open and I nearly gasped. Do you feel guilty about killing bugs? Sometimes. If there is a spider in your room, will you be up all night knowing that? YUP. How do you feel about coconut? I hate it. ^ Ever cracked one open? No. If you like someone, what do you do? Generally get shy and smile a lot when interacting with them. If you DON’T like someone, what do you do? Try to avoid being around them, keep talking to them to a minimum. What do you feel most insecure about? What DON'T I feel insecure about? Do you do your part to save the earth? I do what I can as not an independent adult (ex., I don't have my own car, so we don't drive to the dump). I turn the water off when brushing my teeth, I don't linger in the shower, I absolutely will not litter, things like that. Does it ROYALLY piss you off when your intended username is already taken? Yeesh, it doesn't even make me mad, it's just annoying. Describe your sunglasses. I don't have any. What’s the most you’ve spent on a pair of sunglasses? N/A ^Or, ladies, what about a purse? No clue, but definitely not a lot. Actually, what’s the most expensive clothing item/accessory you own? Again, I don't know. What is your favorite spoken language to listen to? Latin. Is there a TV switched on in the room you’re in? There is no TV. If so, what’s on? N/A What room of the house are you in anyway? My bedroom. Do you own anything that is special edition? I think some games, maybe? Maybe other things? Do you have any funky bookmarks? I have one of those moving 3D ones of meerkats. Do you know anyone with a British accent? Not personally. Are you reading any books at the moment? No. If so, tell me the plot briefly. N/A. When did you last get delivery pizza? A few weeks back. Drake Bell or Josh Peck? Back when the show was current, I preferred Drake. I know nothing about him now; Josh is cool, though. When was the last time you had a tick on you? EW idk I don't even wanna think about it. Do you watch Adult Swim? No, I hate it. It's crawling with immature humor. Have you been to the Grand Canyon? No. What is your favorite type of donut? Glazed or plain. Who usually makes dinner in your household? Mom. Name ALL the colors you’re wearing. Oh jeez, I have on a really colorful Day of the Dead-style skull tank top. Literally like every possible color. Are there more females or males in your family? Females. Have you submitted anything to Urban Dictionary? No. Did you have a Gameboy? If so, do you still have it? Yes to both. Is there a playground anywhere near your house? Define "near." Not very. Does anyone in your family snore loudly? Mom. What’s your favorite cereal? Probably Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Or Crunch Berries, the all berries kind. Do you read reddit? If so, how often and what subreddits do you like? No. Do you know anyone who’s had a baby recently? An old best friend from high school. When was the last time you ate marshmallows? Not since Sara was here and we had s'mores last summer. Do you listen to any podcasts? How do you listen to them? No. What brand of toilet paper do you usually buy? I don't pay attention to whatever Mom gets. Why did you leave your last job? The stress was giving me panic attacks. Have you ever eaten at a restaurant and left without paying? No. What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud? Probably Mark or GameGrumps. How old were you when you first became sexually active? 16. What’s your opinion on The Simpsons? I don't have one. Do you know anyone who has been through a divorce? Plenty of people. Do you have to pay for parking in most places in the town/city you live in? No. Can you hear lots of traffic from your house? Does it bother you? A moderate amount. We live on a busy road. Would someone being either a cat or dog person effect you dating them? No. What is the smallest thing you lose your temper over instantly? Hm, idk. Talk to me like I'm an idiot will definitely get me, actually. What’s a job that doesn’t get enough respect? Mfckn teachers. They are WAY WAY WAY underpaid. What did you take for granted until you visited another country? Never left the country. What is the worst first date you’ve been on? Tyler had a flat tire, and we had to walk to the gas station for something I don't remember and back to the sketchy tire place, and it was SO cold and windy. It didn't actually bother me, like he felt godawful and it wasn't like it was in his power, but from a date standpoint, yeah, that was an event. Who is your favorite scientist and why? I'm not educated enough on various scientists for this. Do you prefer emoticons or emoji? Emoticons. What’s the hardest task you’ve ever had to do? Open my mind in partial hospitalization to let Jason go and recover. How did you meet your pet? Teddy was from a friend of a family friend who knew we were looking for a dog. He was a present for me, so I didn't actually pick him, but rather Ashley chose the last remaining puppy with brown on him, and boy did she make the best decision. Roman was one of the shitload of kittens Ash's mother-in-law had; I was immediately drawn to him with his beautiful blue eyes. <3 Venus was from an online hub of ball python breeders, and I just absolutely fell in love with her colors. Kaiju and Mitsu were both from Craigslist. Do you look like any of your grand- or great-grandparents? I don't have a clue. Did/Do you have any PEZ dispensers? Oh yeah. Do you like grapes or raisins better? I only like grapes. What is the most extreme weather your area has ever experienced? I looked it up; the coldest in history is -9*, highest is 105*. Is there anything you plan on watching on TV today? No. Are there any broken appliances in your house? Maybe. Mom may still have my old Sager in hopes of fixing it one day or something, but I feel like we finally got rid of it. What color is the lampshade in the room you’re in? I don't have a lamp in here. At school, what is/was your worst area in math? I don't remember. Have Jehovah's Witnesses ever called to your door? Yes. Do you ever throw money in those ‘wishing’ wells? No. Waste of coins. Ever take money out of them? No. Are you well known by people in your area? No. What is the picture on the desktop on the computer you’re using? A meerkat. Have you ever had your future told? No. Do you 'spit on it’, to seal a deal? No no no ew. Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis? No, thank god. If so, have you had any scary hallucinations? N/A Do you believe in ghosts? Totally. Would you ever stay overnight in a haunted house? Sure thing. When was the last time you had an injection? What for? Months ago when I was getting a cavity filled at the dentist. For some reason, I would NOT go totally numb until they gave me like 5+ doses. Is there anything you cannot wait to be over? This eternally-looping groundhog's day bullshit. I want a job, to be in school, friends, just a damn purpose. Do you have any enemies? "Enemies," no. People I don't like that also don't like me, yes. What was the last thing you had done at the dentist? Speak of the dentist, lol. Said cavity filling. Do you scrunch your face up when eating sour things? No, I'm not very affected by sour things. As a child, did you ever get the chance to go to Disney World/Disneyland? World, yes. <3 Are you someone who is really committed to politics in your area/country? No. When was the last time you were on a boat? Where did you travel on it? Two summers ago when I was fishing with Colleen, her husband, and dad. Does your family ever have any kind of weird traditions in your house? No. What would you consider your favorite movie from a different decade? The Lion King. Do you ever take bubble baths only to relax yourself in some way? I never take any kind of bath. When was the last time you were sick? What were you sick with and why? I don't remember. Have you ever wanted your significant other to get rid of a friend? Yes, though I had serious reason, but I wasn't in any way demanding about it/nothing was actually affected by them remaining friends. If you have siblings, have they moved out or do they still live with you? They've both moved out. Do you know anyone who has or has had any kind of mental illness/disorder? I'd love to meet someone who can possibly say "no" to this. Do you ever go to Blockbuster? How frequently would you say you go? *stares off into the distance wistfully* Is your mother a stay-at-home mother or does she work somewhere? She never stops working. What food would you just want to disappear off the face of the earth? Nothing? I'm not going to take away the diet of people depending on some source I just happen to hate. Do movies with super heroes intrigue you in any way? Why is this? Yeah, I just like fantasy stuff, and I enjoy the majority of the plots. I also just enjoy the idea of superheroes existing. Do you watch those late-night talk shows? What’s the best part about them? No. Do you ever listen to music so you can actually change your emotion? I try to sometimes. Do you like shopping alone? I've never really shopped alone. Does your best girlfriend have any talents that you don’t? Yeah, like she can animate pretty well! Have you ever written a song? I wrote a fucking song to the Nintendogs theme as a kid lmfao. Does anybody send you money in the mail for your birthday? My grampa always did, but he's sadly passed away, so now, no. Do you own any shirts that have a year on it? Ha ha, I have a Back to the Future shirt stored somewhere with the date on it, and it says "I was there." What do you think about mullets? I absolutely hate them. Would you rather date an actor or an athlete? I find actors more talented. I'd be afraid of an athlete s/o getting hurt, too. Do you have any scratches on your cell phone? No. Somehow. When was the last time you blushed? I don't remember, it's definitely been a while. Who is one person you met and automatically didn’t like? A doctor for my tremors. She was a BITCH with just such an unlikable, dull personality. Never went back to her. Do you have any video game systems in your room? Which one(s)? I have a Nintendo DS Lite somewhere... and then my laptop is actually a gaming laptop. What movie coming out do you really want to see? The. Live action. TLK. First day? I'm fuckin' THERE son. Is your skin tone lighter or darker than your mom’s? We're about the same. What is the best thing about the beach? All I care about is if the water's warm. Have you ever done another person’s make-up? I gave Jason a makeover once lmao. Have you ever spied on your neighbor? No. Do you think they’ve ever spied on you? No. What color eyes does the last person you kissed have? Brown. Honestly, do you double dip? No, I break chips apart. I will if I'm eating by myself, though. What color is your birthstone? Purple. What is one thing you don’t like sharing? Hmmm. Oh, probably candy, lmao. Where on your body would you NEVER get a piercing? Downstairs. Which Adam Sandler movie do you like the most? He's been in so many, I don't have a clue. I like him, though. Who was one of your first celebrity crushes? Jesse McCartney was my husband. Did your parents ever read stories to you before bed? Mom did. What are you listening to? "Queen For Queen" by Motionless In White. Do you like hickeys? If they're not in an obvious spot. Do you hate the person you fell the hardest for? No. When was the last time you talked to one of your best friends? I don't have a best friend besides Sara, and I talk to her everyday. Is there someone that makes you happy every time you see them? Sara. Do you believe what goes around comes around? Not always. Do you have any summer plans yet? No. I'd like to go up and visit Sara, but I have no clue if that'll happen, especially with me trying so hard to get a job. Do you have any good friends of the opposite sex? One. Do you have a secret that you’ve never told anyone? Yes. Have you ever regretted kissing someone? Yes. Do you think age matters in relationships? To an extent when a minor is involved. Even huge gaps in adult relationships creep me out, but there's nothing morally wrong with it. How many people have you had real, strong feelings for since high school ended? Two. Do you believe exes can be friends? It depends on the intensity of the relationship, I think. Plus what went wrong. Did you ever lose a best friend? Yeah. Has the last person you kissed ever seen you cry? Lol poor thing's seen me sob. Are most of your friend guys or girls? Girls. When was the last time you took a long drive? A few days ago to my psychiatrist. About an hour drive. Have you ever played Spin the Bottle? No. Have you ever TP'd someone’s house? Well, considering I've never been that damn immature, no. Who do you text the most? Sara. What was the last movie you saw? Detective Pikachu. It was cute, although I was expecting it to be more targeted towards an older audience with Ryan Reynolds playing Pikachu. (I knew nothing about it going into it.) Are you a monogamous person or do you believe in open-ended relationships? I'm monogamous. What do you most like about making out? The touching/caressing. Have you ever casually made out with someone who you weren’t seriously involved with? No. Would you get involved with someone if they had a child already? No. Do you miss your last sweetie? Not romantically. It'd be nice to hang out again, though. Have you ever gotten back in touch with an old flame after a time of more than 3 months of no communication? No. If you could kiss anyone who would it be? Y'all been known. What’s your favorite flavor of soda, pop or whatever else you call it? Blue raspberry. Have you ever attended a religious or private school? Yes; I went to Sunday school. How many cars does your household own? One. What time do you usually have dinner? 4:00 for fasting reasons. What’s your favorite meat? Probably chicken. Do you need glasses to read or drive or need them all the time? I always need them. Are you a very forgetful person? I'm so forgetful that I literally sometimes have borderline anxiety attacks that I'm developing dementia or something at age 23 lmao. What is the best gift anyone has ever gotten for you? My dog. Do you look anything like you did 3 years ago? I guess somewhat, though I was way bigger and my hair was much longer. Have you done something dramatic to your looks in the past year? No. Make up or no make up? I think everyone inevitably looks better with make-up as it enhances features and dulls imperfections, but I personally couldn't care less if you wear it or not. I almost never do, so I can't talk. What’s your favorite thing to watch on the TV? IF I was to watch TV now, probably things like animal documentaries. Would you rather be anorexic or obese? Actually go fuck yourself. Do you upload videos to YouTube? Definitely not regularly. I don't know the next time I'll make one. Do you own any albums by Michael Jackson? No. Do you like your phone on silent or vibrate? Vibrate. Do you like Beavis and Butthead? I don't watch it, but it honestly seems pretty damn stupid. What do you believe happens after we die? Who even knows, really. I believe there's something after we die, but we'll have to wait to find out what. Does the concept of eternity scare you? It kinda... does, actually? Like, wouldn't it get boring eventually? Are you happy that you were born and raised where you were? I suppose. Are your parents still together? No. Do you know anyone who is pregnant right now? Yes, and I want to see their fckng son he's gonna be so cute. She's due soon and I pray I get to take pictures of him. Is there a band you like but don’t like the people in it? Blood On The Dance Floor and Otep. Well, Otep is respectable in some areas, but all things considered, she is a bitch. What tabs do you have open right now? Fucking five YouTube tabs, dA, and Tumblr. Who was the last person to write on your wall on Facebook? No clue, and I don't feel like looking. Have you ever seen a tornado in person? Thank Christ in Heaven no. Are you between the ages of 30 & 40? No. How much was a gallon of gasoline when you first started driving? I have no clue, when I got my permit. What was your first car? N/A Who taught you how to drive? My driver's ed teacher and my mom. What was your high school mascot? A firebird. Did you go to your senior prom? Yes. What did you do after graduation? Honestly? I don't even remember, almost at all, lmao. I either went to Jason's or went home/Jason came with me. Any posters on your bedroom walls growing up? When Nicole and I shared a room, she literally covered the fucking walls in Jonas Brothers shit while I was at a friend's house, and I was. Very. Very. Unhappy. Do you remember the first time you drank a beer? I've never had beer, don't want to. Did you ever try cigarettes? No. How did you spend your summers growing up? Swimming, hanging out with friends, playing outside, riding bikes, playing softball with Dad, playing video games... If you could change anything from your teenage years, would you? Hey, could I have been like, a happy teenager??? Do you remember your first time? No considering at that time I didn't realize it essentially was sex, so it wasn't something that stood out at the time. After high school - straight to college or straight to work? I went straight to college. Favorite home-cooked meal growing up? Spaghetti. Favorite place to eat out growing up? It was probably McDonald's. How many stuffed animals do you own? I literally have multiple huge bags in the attic of childhood stuffed animals I couldn't get rid of, lmao. Are you good at comebacks? WOW no. When’s the last time you watched the news? I don't have the slightest idea. Do you love Christmas time? Of course. Do you really think that the number 13 is unlucky? No. What’s your favorite flavor of cough drops? Omggg I love those strawberry ones. Do you have a fan in your room? Yes. I wouldn't survive without it. Do you think Cookie Monster is cute? I don't really feel either way. Do you like candy canes? Yes. Have you ever had a dream where you killed someone? Yes. Which is worse: stuffy nose or runny nose? Probably stuffy? I don't have a runny nose much, but I've got pleeeenty of experience with stuffy noses. Which is worse: Sick to your stomach or sore throat? THE FORMER. What’s your favorite smiley face? c: Do you think your last relationship was a disaster? No. How many concerts have you been to? One. :/ Would you ever join a band? If I was actually talented with the guitar, maybe, but as things are now, nope. Which internet browser do you use? Chrome. Do you know anyone who is a firefighter? No. What was the last wedding you went to? Just a few days ago for a lady who contacted me about shooting hers. It was a great one, and honestly wonderful to see an interracial wedding here in the South. You do nooot see that everyday. What’s your favorite alcoholic beverage? Margaritas. When was the last time you saw a photo of your ex? Probably the last time I was uploading pictures from my old phone; it's the one I take the once-a-year selfie because the Samsung camera is ACTUAL trash. Do you “binge-watch” TV shows? No. Well actually, on the occasions Sara and I have, I can only handle a handful at a time before I completely lose focus on it or, at that time anyway, interest. What is your opinion of clowns? I don't have one. Do you play any games on your phone? Only Pokemon GO if I'm somewhere I can actually play it. Do you plan ahead when it comes to your outfits? No. Have you ever shaved your face? We have this tiny automatic razor thing for your upper lip, and I use that like once a month or less because yay having dark body hair. What color is your front door? White. What was the last vaccination you got? Whatever those mandatory ones are when you become a teenager. Idr. Would you ever try herbal medicine as opposed to conventional medicine? No. If I need medicine for something, I'm using something I know works. Have you ever been to a petting zoo? I think as a kid? Do/did you have a curfew set by your parents? It wasn't heavily enforced, but Mom preferred I be home by 10 if I went somewhere. How many times have you consumed alcohol? *shrugs* When was the last time you wore a hat? What kind? I have noooo clue. When was the last time you sang an ENTIRE song? Good question. I rarely sing an entire song, rather just parts. Do you consider yourself to be attractive? I don't mind my face, but I do NOT like my body, so overall, no. Are you addicted to anything? Technology. What are you craving right now? I've had an insane craving for hot dogs on the grill for like a week now lmao. Mom's doing that and buying some drinks today for the two of us. I wanted my sisters to come for some family time, but my younger sister has homework, and then Ash and kids like... never come here. "Because of the dogs," according to her husband, but I don't believe that. Are you a forgiving person? I'm way too forgiving. Do you have a brother? Yes. Have you ever had a dream of stabbing someone? WHOA actually I think I semi-recently had a nightmare of me going ham stabbing someone for some reason I don't remember. What would you want your last words to be if you could choose them? "I love you" or then "see you on the other side" is cute to me and also indicates we'll be together again. So probably the latter. What band can’t you stand listening to? I reeeaaally dislike Mumford and Sons. His voice is awful. What is your favorite mystery/crime/FBI related show? Does Sherlock count as a mystery show? Would you ever have a bird as a pet? Nah. How’s your relationship between you and your grandparents? Not wonderful. I don't like her very much, and evidence says I'm not her favorite person, either. Do you have a photographic memory? No. Have you ever had to speak at a funeral? No. Do you know someone who’s been cremated? Hm, don't think so. Have you ever talked to someone when they were high? Yes. Your ex is on the side of the road, on fire. What do you do? Uh, call 911??? Dunk water on him if at all possible? I'm not just gonna drive past anyone who's on fucking fire. It’s 2 in the morning and you get a text message, who is it most likely? Sara. I only ever text her and Mom, and Mom would be right outside my door asleep, so. Ever cried while you were on the phone with someone? Is there anyone who hasn't? When was the last time you saw your father? Not since his birthday last month. Do you like any of Justin Bieber’s songs? No. Any time when you need to search something on the Internet, which search engine do you use? Google. Do you believe saving your virginity for marriage or no? I don't care. I believe in saving it for someone you truly, deeply love. When you were a kid, did you ever like Barney? Yes. Omfg I just remembered something with my older sister; when she was little, Barney was her "boyfriend." She was "talking on the phone" with him once, and when Mom interrupted her, she scoffed and said, "I'm talking to Barney." And then Ash and Barney had an ACTUAL "ceremony" for a divorce. That's a thing that happened. What’s the capital of state, country, or providence you live in? Raleigh. When you open your web browser, what is your home page set to? Why did you select this? Google. I think it was automatically set. Would you allow a camera crew to follow you around and make a reality series out of your life (no matter how boring it is) if you got paid well? Why? No. I'd get so fucking annoyed, I'd feel under constant scrutiny, and I don't want fame. If your car broke down would you call a friend or family member to pick you up or would you call AAA (or something like it)? I'd call my mom and listen to her on what to do from there. Do you put a lot of thought into the gifts you buy for people? YEAH. It's rare I actually have my own money to buy gifts for anyone, so when I can, I think hard. On an average day do your thoughts tend to be more positive or negative? Negative, I think. Do you ever trust anyone else to drive your car? If you don’t have a car, do your friends and family ever allow you to drive their vehicles? I don't have my own, but Mom lets me drive hers. Name at least one thing you like about each season. Winter: SNOW. Spring: Flowers!! Summer: swimming. Autumn: visuals. What amount of time do you think is perfect for a vacation? I guess a week?

#survey #quiz #questions #random #bored

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devinlucas · 3 years

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One reason why sales of private jets are on the rise is because of increasing affluence of the people.

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ssugawarakoshii · 7 years

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Random stuff no one cares about (fuck u jo)

@mysmoldarkfictionalsons told me to do this so it here it is 1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk? Milk than cereal

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day? Yes

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books? Pages of homework, pens, tickets, earphones

4: how do you take your coffee/tea? Alone or with really little milk

5: are you self-conscious of your smile? Yup

6: do you keep plants? Two cactus

7: do you name your plants? Nope

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings? Does editing count?

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself? Yes

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach? All three? But I’ll say side?

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends? “Stitch”

12: what’s your favorite planet? Uranus

13: what’s something that made you smile today? Talking about 80s voltron with Ce

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like? It’d be small, full of our stuff and a comfy sofa for us to cuddle

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is! There is a planet that may be made entirely out of diamonds

16: what’s your favorite pasta dish? Spaghetti carbonara

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair? Rose gold/purple/blue

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up. When they got drunk in the village party and they tried jumping to the river from the bridge and I had to take care of them all (I am the one to bring this up btw)

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it? Kind of? And just random ideas and stuff (ok and also dates and shit)

20: what’s your favorite eye color? Green

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces. It’s blue with starts on it and it’s completely destroyed by now, the zip doesn’t even work anymore and it’s all full of scratches rip

22: are you a morning person? Depends tbh

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations? Watch a movie/show/anime, read or edit

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets? I think yes?

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into? An old house… I don’t usually break into places

26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit? My Panama jack shoes rip

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor? Berries

28: sunrise or sunset? Sunset

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing? When she’s nervous, Eva is always trying to grab someone’s hand without realising AND IT’S SO CUTE

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared? Yup

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks. I like socks, but not that much? In winter and all they’re great but in summer I prefer my feet to be free

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends. A guy in the village party (again) kept following us around, so Angel went and asked him what happened. The guy then just turned around like half pouting and handed us his empty hand and was like “I wanted to give you cookies”. And we ran. The lesson is, kids, never drink or do drugs if you don’t want to end up like that man

33: what’s your fave pastry? Orejas de carnaval con chocolate

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it? It was called Eric and it was a white dog with brown spots and it’s somewhere in my room, im pretty sure

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often? Yeah but in the end I always end up using the most normal stuff

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now? Oh wonder

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean? Clean

38: tell us about your pet peeves! I hate it when people like crack their knuckles? Nope don’t do that in front of me I beg you. Also people that walk slow… move dammit

39: what color do you wear the most? Black

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you? The chain my grandmother gave me for my communion. It has an image of virgin Maria as a child and my name engraved and she told me my grandfather had always wanted to give me a chain like that one

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving? El laberinto de los espíritus

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it! Not really

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with? Silvia…

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything? Like a week ago? Lmao it didn’t last long

45: do you trust your instincts a lot? Yup.. doesn’t mean they work

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of. Are you a son of Poseidon? Cause you got me all wet (I’m gonna go bury myself now)

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe? Cauliflower. Take it away

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today? My biggest fear was the world suddenly ending… yep…. I was weird. Maybe it isn’t the same but yoU CAN’T TELL ME THAT ISN’T SCARY

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought? Yes but I usually cant buy them which leads to the part where I can’t remember which one was the last I bought

50: what’s an odd thing you collect? Do snow globes count? I have some of them and I love them

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them? I’m not mentioning the person but photograph

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far? The glasses one? Is that from this year or last? Ah fuck it

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them? No, yes, no, yes Weird af but strangely great

54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face? Grandma

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point? Breaking a pencil (the thing we were discussing was that I didn’t have enough strength to break it okay so I got all hulk mode and broke it)

56: what are some things you find endearing in people? people that do a lot of hand gestures (they remind me of myself tho)

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics? It makes me feel like a psycho murdered :’) nah kidding it makes me feel nostalgic AND WHO DOESN’T RE-ENACT THE LYRICS SMH

58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why? Jandro is the Vodka aunt and Jo is the wine mom (although she is Vodka but she is way more mom so fuck it)

59: what’s your favorite myth? Persephone’s myth or Icarus one

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves? I love it and my fave authors (cause I can’t choose poems) are Bécquer, Góngora, Rubén Darío and Pablo Neruda

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received? I’ve never given really stupid gifts? My gifts are good *gasps* and my cousin gave me a clown nose once

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind? Sometimes I drink orange juice

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be? I am very fussy and it’s the one thing I’ll always have tidy af

64: what color is the sky where you are right now? Ugly grey ugh

65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with? Do my online friends count? Maybe?

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like? It’d have blue and white that’s all I know

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel? Sleepy. That’s it.

68: what’s winter like where you live? Cold and grey but with snow tho

69: what are your favorite board games? To be honest I don’t know?

70: have you ever used a ouija board? Nah (I was going to, then backed down you see)

71: what’s your favorite kind of tea? I don’t know, I’m more of a coffee girl

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it? Yep

73: what are some of your worst habits? Biting my cheeks/lip until it bleeds and scratching my scalp and ears until it bleeds too (que sanguinolenta por favor)

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns. Love

75: tell us about your pets! A bird, his name is Winnie and he’s a little shit but I love him

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t? Studying history

77: pink or yellow lemonade? Yellow (I’ve never had pink lol)

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub? I’m neutral ground

79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you? Joana’s video for my birthday

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why? Violet and white and yes I chose it because they’re two of my faves colours there’s nothing feel about it

81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of. Beer bottle

82: are/were you good in school? I am good thanks very much

83: what’s some of your favorite album art? Idk

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones? Idk

85: do you read comics? what are your faves? Yes and here’s a thing about me I cannot by the sake of my life choose favorites in anything don’t make me do it

86: do you like concept albums? which ones? Depends?

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives? Tbh I’d say the Godfather (can’t really think of any other rn rip why do you put me in such compromises?)

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy? No??

89: are you close to your parents? Meh

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities. All I have to say is it has history, culture and it’s beautiful sorry I don’t want to make this long

91: where do you plan on traveling this year? Dublin lololol

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch? Drown it in cheese bitch give me all of it

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most? Ponytail/bun

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday? A classmate on the 28th

95: what are your plans for this weekend? Doing my Spanish project and editing

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot? Procrastination my dear

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house? INFP, cancer, Ravenclaw

98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it? I’m not sure? Sometime in December with my father and yes

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them. Light by sleeping at last100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why? 5 years into the future, I don’t want to relive my past thanks

I don’t have anyone to tag (my only friends are the tagger (fuck you) and the other person she tagged ( @nekolance why) So bye bye do it if you want to

#non fandom #damn jo this was so fucking long #the song question... i bet my ass no one knows who i was thinking of #nah ofc not #random

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rdmfavcpls · 7 years

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Valentine’s Day -Cyber Sleuth

Title: Expensive Chocolate Category: Digimon Pairing: Ami x Arata Rating: T Summary: Arata gets way too much chocolate like he does every year so when he’s complaining to one of his school friends which Ami accidentally overhear. So when they hang out with the rest of their friends, Yuugo and Arata getting more chocolate, and Ami tells Arata not to worry about a White Day present. So what happens when a couple of his friends come over and see Ami’s present. Disclaimer: I do not owe any rights to the characters or to the series.

~~Story Begins~~ “Dude,” a high school boy carrying one bag of cheap store bought chocolate boxes, his blonde hair was cut short but highlighted the crystal blue eyes, he was wearing a white collared shirt buttoned up and tucked into black pants, “how do you always score so much chocolate?” Arata sighed, his black hair resting against the back of his neck and shoulders, his black eyes were closed in exhaustion, he was wearing the same uniform as his friend next to him, but he was carrying four bags of chocolates ranging from different prices and different stores. “I have no idea, but I wish they would just stop. I can’t afford to give everyone an White Day gift that equals to the amount of money they spent on me. I don’t even think I’ll be able to buy the one girl who I like a special gift. She might just get the same mass produced cheap return gift as everyone else” Unbeknownst to the two men, a girl with flaming red hair, her digivice goggles tied around a small part of her hair, her bright blue eyes were looking down at the ground, her arms were behind her back as she leaned against the wall, a black sleeved and yellow shirt with two circles, one inside the other with ‘AWA Studio’ under them, her grey skirt was short stopping under her thighs, her yellow socks led down to grey shoes. Hey grey backpack was resting by her feet where a couple of medium size white boxes were resting on the inside. She looked up as the two men walked past her and she tilted her head to the side, a sign that she was thinking.

Arata Sanada was now wearing his usual outfit, a white overcoat with blue stitching, a lighter blue bodysuit underneath it and black shoes. He would be caught dead if any of his online friends saw him in his school uniform and was sitting at one of the picnic table at Ueno Park with three other friends. One was a loud-mouth chicken with dyed red hair in pigtails, her blue eyes were literally the window to her quick changing emotions, she was wearing a light pink jacket that completed the rainbow bracelets on her wrists, a pale blue dress had thin straps which didn’t cover her black bra straps, the dress was tied at the sides near the bottom showing the black strings to her panties, grey tights covered her legs which led to pink heels. “Come now my sweet Yuuko, admit it! You just can’t wait to dig into your brother’s chocolate!”

Yuuko Kamishiro was more quiet and reserved than her other female companion along with more more modestly dress. Her long black hair resting her back, white fur collar white dress covered her body and the black long-sleeved shirt she wore underneath, black tights covered her legs til they met with white shoes. Her digivice goggles were wrapped around left arm making it easy access, her black eyes were wide upon her friend’s accusation. “I-I-I do not. I just want to make sure that my brother doesn’t eat it all in one day! It’s been seven years since he last experienced Valentine’s Day!” The brother in question was Yuuko’s very own twin, Yuugo Kamishiro. His black hair cut perfectly around his neck and face, bringing out his grey eyes, a detail his sister took care of. His white jacket has faux fur on the hood and on the opening for his hands, black pants led down to black shoes. He laughed nervously, still getting used to the elements of the reality world instead of the digital world, “I am willing to share with my sister if she asks.” Arata smirked at his three friends, “If you like Yuuko, I can give you two of my four bags.” “What?” Nokia asked. “You got four bags!” “Yeah, all from female classmates,” Arata shrugged. “It happens every year and it doubled when I tried using the ‘I have a girlfriend’ approach.” “You must be popular,” a new voice said from behind the boys causing them to tilt their heads, Nokia had an excited look on her face while Yuuko had a relieved look on her face. One can only take Nokia alone for so long before it gets exhausting. “Sorry, I’m late. I had a last minute case Kyoko wanted me to solve. It took longer than what we both thought it would.” She walked around to the side where her two girlfriends were sitting and sat her grey backpack down. “You are always late, so it’s not like it’s a big deal,” Nokia responded. “Ami!” Yuuko said upon seeing the cracked digivice goggles than the hand that usually has a black glove with yellow circles for the tips of her fingers and the palm were replaced by white bandages wrapped tightly around her hand. “What happened?!” Ami sat down on the seat and waved the question off with the injured hand, “It’s nothing!” “What do you mean by, it’s nothing?” Arata asked narrowing his eyes at her. “Your digivice goggles are cracked and your hand is bandaged, I really don’t think it’s just nothing,” Yuugo added. “Start explaining yourself,” Nokia said. Ami shook her head, “I just burnt my hand while I was cooking supper and let’s just say, things were a bit chaotic at school and at the office today.” “How did that result in your goggles getting cracked?” Nokia asked. “In an attempt to distract me from stopping jealous girls getting at Ryota and Sakura. I guess I never knew how popular Ryota was before,” Ami responded. “So they stole my digivice goggles and threw it amongst themselves which resulted in one of them dropping when a teacher yelled at them for playing in the hallway.” “You can’t afford to get them fix or get yourself a new pair,” Yuuko spoke glaring at the crack like it dishonored her family. “Hey, hey,” Ami said with a laughter. “I’ll manage. I just can’t reply back or create a digi-line message but I can still take calls. It will survive until I have enough to get it fixed.”

Arata and Yuugo looked at each other and they both sighed at their friend, she always laughed off any worries they had about her, usually reassuring them but that was before they remembered their childhood memories, where she would keep her pain a secret, even when they were reintroduced, she still hid her pain and worries from them. They looked back to see Yuuko rolling her eyes as Ami and Nokia bickered over a word in which Nokia misspoke. Only Ami would be able to not be exhausted after spending so much time with Nokia and her antics. “I at least remembered it was Valentine’s Day,” Nokia argued. “Oh! Hey! Thanks for reminding me!” Ami said getting into her backpack and pulled out the two white boxes and handed them to Yuugo and Arata. Arata smiled and accepted the box clueless to the wide eyed expression of Yuugo and Nokia while Yuuko also had the same look but was almost drooling. “Happy Valentine’s Day!” “Thank you,” Yuugo said being polite to Ami. “Yes, thank you so much,” Arata said. “I’ll have to try your chocolate later on, I tried Nokia’s homemade chocolate and I’m pretty much sure she tried to kill us. They were so bitter to where I still have the aftertaste in my mouth,” “They weren’t that bad,” Nokia said crossing her arms. Ami smiled, “That’s okay. I know it’s a bit out of tradition but neither of you have to give me a White’s Day Present.” Everyone just stared at her like she grew two heads, “What? Are you insane?” Nokia yelled. “Haha, no I’m being serious,” Ami said with a smile. “I really don’t need anything for White Day.” “You’re...joking,” Yuugo said looking down at the box of chocolates before looking back at Ami. Surprisingly, she got the message and shook her head. “You’re being serious.” “Yes, very serious,” Ami responded. “Why?” Arata asked his emotions were in turmoil but he kept them in check. “I won’t be around on White Day,” Ami responded. “My school trip starts two days prior before it. So since I won’t be here to celebrate it, there’s no need to get me anything.” “I swear,” Yuuko said. “You have the strangest string of logic.” Ami just laughed it off happily, “Why thank you!” “That wasn’t a compliment,” Yuuko deadpanned.

Arata just smirked as Nokia said something causing the other two girls to talk to her about how her expectations of White Day won’t happen. The next day, Arata was hanging out within his apartment with some of his school friends when the one who he was talking to after work yesterday noticed the plain white box, “Hey, Arata, where did you get that box?” “That white box?” Arata asked as he chose his card and laid it down face first since they were playing Cards Against Humans. “One of my friends gave it to yesterday for Valentine’s Day. She said something weird too about how she doesn’t want a White Day gift. Something about her school trip happening before and how it’s going to last a week.” “Dude, do you seriously not know what company sells chocolate in a plain white box? It’s like 2,800 yen!” his friend responded. “You need to get her something, no matter what she says!” Arata stared at his friend, “I am not that special to ever receive that expensive chocolate plus another friend got the same white box. I think you are exaggerating, she wouldn’t be able to afford two of them.” “I don’t know dude,” another one of his friends spoke, “I would ask her about them if you want too. Besides, there's not a single girl who wouldn’t want to get something back on White Day!” “Ami is strange,” Arata said feeling the doubt come creeping into his mind which he shook away, “She was pretty adamant about it too.” “It’s your choice,” another friend said placing his card down, “I won’ be expecting her to return any feelings you have for her out the window. Now, if you just think of her as a friend than that friendship could get destroyed.” Arata blanched mentally, if what his friends are saying is true, then remembered something, “No, I don’t think she did get chocolates that are that expensive, mainly because another one of our friends would have commented on the price of it. She just loves expensive things.” “If you say so,” his one friend spoke turning around. “Now, let’s see what fate awaits me.” Arata was walking home from school, looking down, rumours were going around at school that he was going to ignore a girl who gave him expensive chocolate, the part about her not wanting any was omitted from the tale. “You look different in your school uniform,” a voice said in front of him causing him to look up at Ami who had a smile on her face. Arata’s eyes went wide at Ami before they narrowed into a glare, “Don’t tell anyone.” “I won’t, but I suggest you follow me,” Ami responded motioning for him to follow her into an alleyway as he noticed the sound of heels clicking against the sidewalk. They were in the darkest part of the alleyway, unnoticeable to the untrained eye. “Ami!” Nokia yelled as she appeared at the entranceway followed by Yuuko and another girl. “Where are you? You have some explaining to do!” “I’m still amazed that Ami was able to lie to us with a straight face,” Yuuko said. “Wait until Arata and my brother find out.” Ami grumbled something under her breath that sounded like chinese, Arata just stared at her. The new girl spoke, “She wouldn’t have lied about the school trip if she didn’t have a good reason for it. Ami usually settles for something small. Than again-” “Than again what?” Yuugo asked. Arata whispered to Ami, “You lied about the school trip for White Day?” “Shh,” Ami said looking at Arata, “I could have just ran by you and let the others see you wearing your school uniform.” “She’s not within sight and the more time we waste here, the further away she could be,” Nokia said running ahead with the other two girls following her. Ami started to creep closer to the entrance but stopped as Arata grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, “Care to explain about the trip now?” “Arata,” Ami said softly only for him to tug her closer to him, “You really want the explanation now.” “Shh,” Arata whispered and pressed her against the wall blocking her from any light that could give her away. He had pressed both of his hands against the wall by her head and he had lowered his head, “I want an explanation but for now, be quiet.” Ami gulped and nodded her head as Arata looked towards the entranceway where the three girls were walking back talking amongst themselves about how Ami had escaped them and all sorts of questions that they needed to ask Ami. When Nokia noticed the alleyway, “She could have gone in here. I’m going to go check.” The two teenagers hiding within the shadows tensed up as Nokia started to go into the alleyway when Sakura stopped her, “No, don’t go in there Nokia. It’s known as kissing alley, I highly doubt Ami would willingly enter there when couples are there making out. Especially since what’s his name -” “Arata,” Yuuko said. “Yeah, Arata isn’t around and if he was, Ami wouldn’t have the courage to go down this alley with him in the first place!” Sakura continued. Arata noticed Ami ducking her head to look underneath his arm at the girls. “I don’t know, she’s done stupid crazy stuff before,” Yuuko responded. “She might have if her friends were in danger,” Sakura responded. “However, she’s a chicken when it comes to confessing her feelings or anywhere near emotions. It’s been awhile since she last had a crush so she wouldn’t even dare come near down this alleyway. Now, from she’s told me of Arata, he would lead her down this alleyway, but not Ami.” Nokia turned around and started walking away, “I still can’t believe Ami has a crush on that jerk Arata.” Sakura was the last one to leave and for some reason she brushed her skirt off five times before leaving. “Traitor,” Ami hissed out. She went to move underneath Arata’s arm but he stopped her causing her to look at him, “What?” Arata smirked, “You need to give them more time to leave otherwise they would notice we were in this alleyway.” Ami sighed and leaned back against the wall, “You’re right. However, I am so going to ignore Sakura for two weeks now. She knew we was in here and-” Arata kissed her surprising her with not only the fact that he was kissing her but of how hard the kiss was, her blue eyes widening and they stayed like that when he pulled away with a smile, “That should give them enough time. You still need to explain yourself and I would like to get out of my school uniform.” He grabbed her head and led her quickly to his apartment, once inside and locked, he looked at Ami with a smirk. “Still speechless?” “You kissed me! Why did you kiss me? You wanted to get the girl who you have feelings for something special which is why I didn’t want a White Day present so I needed a reason as to why I didn’t want a White Day present without pointing it at you!” Ami said causing Arata to laugh. “It’s not funny!” “You’re right. It’s hilarious,” Arata laughed. “Ami, I have feelings for you. Otherwise I wouldn’t have kissed you but to answer your question as to why I kissed you, I have two reasons. One is because your voice was raising almost giving away our location, and two because I wanted too.” Ami crossed her arms clearly not amused. She walked towards him and started unbuttoning his school jacket during his laughter fit, “Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. I still don’t want a White Day present.” Arata just smirked in between his chuckled as he tilted her chin up, “Oh, but I’ll make sure to get you something extra special for White Day.” He kissed her again just not as hard in which she responded by kissing back. He pulled back, “Wait, I only told my best friend at school about me wanting to get something special for the girl who I had feelings for, how did you know?” “That’s a secret I’ll explain another time,” Ami responded smiling. “Now, go change so you can escort me back to the Agency!” “Yes ma’am,” Arata responded shaking his head. ~~The End~~

#Digimon #digimon story cyber sleuth #Digimon story #Ami Aiba #Arata Sanada #nokia shiramine #Yuuko Kamishiro #yuugo kamishiro #ami x arata #Valentine's Day special #might make a white day special

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loradmurphy · 5 years

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A Relaxed, Colourful Wedding in the College Valley

Is this the year you say ‘I do’? As we start this new year I’m sure your wedding planning is now in full swing, and today I have a wonderfully relaxed, colourful wedding to help get your wedding inspiration off to a great start.

Deirdre and Eoghan married at Cuddystone Hall in the heart of the College Valley, a remote, tranquil spot perfect for their ‘Quigleyfest’ wedding. A festival style wedding reception party followed the couple’s ceremony in the romantic setting amongst the rolling hills of the valley.

If you are looking for ways to incorporate a festival theme into your wedding then you will love Deirdre and Eoghan’s wedding style. Their styling elements included DIY pallet signs, a VW Camper Van (what festival would be complete without a camper van?), horse box bar, colourful paper lanterns that adorned the ceiling of the reception marquee and an abundance of fabulous florals.

The flowers really bring this wedding to life, from the bright showy sunflowers on the tables to the multicoloured roses on the cheese stack wedding cake. The bridal flowers, in lighter more subtle shades of dusty pink and mauve with green foliage, look so pretty against the bride’s white dress and the pink bridesmaid dresses. Deirdre chose a floral hoop instead of a traditional bridal bouquet, which together with her really cool red edged open toe shoes creates a relaxed bridal style.

With such colourful styling and stunning scenery, I hope you enjoy looking through these wonderful wedding pictures by Erika Tanith Photography…

Beautiful and So Romantic

“Eoghan and I became friends when we were teenagers and started dating when we were about 16.

“We were on holiday with a few friends in Thailand when Eoghan proposed, learning to scuba dive on the beautiful island of Koh Phi Phi. Eoghan said he wanted to go for a walk along a quiet part of the beach so he could take some photos. I was a bit confused as this was a weird thing for us to do and I couldn’t understand why no one else would come along.

“We took the walk along the moonlight beach, stopped to take a few photos and then I turned around and he was down on one knee. I was totally not expecting it! It was beautiful and so romantic, and I could believe he thought it up!”

Bridal Style

“I bought my dress off the rail at Wed 2 Be from the signature collection called Priya. It had a lace top half with pearl buttons down the back and long sleeves, but I had it altered to remove the sleeves.

“When I tried it on I couldn’t get over how good I looked, and it felt comfortable so I bought it then and there. It was only my second time trying on dresses.

“My bridesmaids wore dresses from ASOS that were all slightly different designs but the same colour and designer. They liked this idea as they are all very different people with different styles and shapes. Their each had their hair done differently but with the same clips in, and they chose their own shoes

“Eoghan ordered great quality made to measure suits from a designer in London for the men. He wore a blue tweed suit and the groomsmen wore brown tweed. It was a bit last minute though, with the suits arriving just 48 hours before wedding. We had no idea if they were going to fit everyone but it was all perfect in the end.”

Festival Vibe

“We didn’t have a wedding theme as such, we kinda threw it all together. However, as we love a good music festival we did aim for a festival vibe. We wanted a relaxed wedding that was a bit different to more formal weddings we had been to, as that’s definitely more our style.

“I spent a bit of time on Pinterest but I’m not really talented enough to pull out the fancy crafts! We have some amazing friends who, to be honest, did most of decorating.

“A friend married the week before so we split the cost of some fairy lights and strung them across the ceiling of the hall and marquee, along with some paper lanterns which made nice and simple decorations.

“The day before the wedding we received an amazing surprise gift of giant letters spelling QUIGLEYFEST and E&D. They were one of my highlights and I still have them at home ready to take out for every party!

“We made the seating plan from a pallet, putting names and tables into photo frames and decorating with potted plants. This was mostly Eoghan, with a little help on the wedding morning! We also had another pallet with the order of service. For the tables a group of friends helped me decorate some glass jars that we put flowers in. Pretty simple really.”

Colourful Flowers

“So I’m not very girly really, so I saved on flowers. My sister married the year before and had quirky artificial hoop flowers for her wedding that I borrowed. They looked great and it was nice to have that included in wedding. Then I just went to Gateshead Team Valley Flower Market and ordered some bright sunflowers and multicoloured roses for the table jars. I didn’t have a specific colour scheme in mind, I just wanted a colourful, fun vibe.

“Our cake was another Eoghan gem; he really pulled it out of the bag. It was a savoury choice of a cheese cake which we decorated ourselves with the multicoloured roses. We did have crackers and chutney to serve it with but after a few drinks we kinda forgot, so people just ate slices of cheese!”

Awkward

“We decided not to have a first dance as we wanted to avoid the complete awkwardness of it. Instead we got everyone on the dance floor for the first song.

“For entertainment there was a Polaroid camera with dressing up box for funny photos, and a live band in evening.”

Relaxed Photos

“We found our photographer, Erika, online and loved her photos and general vibe. She was all about relaxed photos for people who don’t like posing. She mixed with crowd and made us feel relaxed and not rushed on the day; lots of our guests commented on how nice she was.

“Although I love all our photos, one that stands out is the two of us with the valley in the background and sunbeams shining through the clouds. It’s awesome!”

So Many Laughs

“We have such wonderful memories of the day. So many laughs, the registrar struggling to pronounce Eoghan’s middle name, great speeches, slightly ripping my dress on the dance floor because of awesome dance moves, getting in behind the bar to serve a few drinks… I would do it all over again!

“Our advice to other couples would be to make the day what you want. Compromise with each other but not with others. Doing things a bit differently is fine as long as you are doing what you want. If you two enjoy yourself then so will your guests.

“In terms of cutting costs, I saved so much money on little things but you should be prepared to spend on the things you care about most. If someone else you know is getting married consider sharing decorations which really saves on things. Flower markets are good value too, and you would be surprised how talented your friends are at crafts! Finally, instead of hiring a photo booth you can use selfie sticks and ask friends to bring dressing up box donations.”

Suppliers

Photography: Erika Tanith Photography

Venue: Cuddystone Hall, College Valley, Northumberland

Wedding Dress: Wed2B

Shoes: Joe Browns and Converse

Suits: Jennis and Warmann

Bridesmaid Dresses: ASOS

Hair Accessories: Magaela Accessories

Make-Up: Lisa Jones Hair and Makeup

Flowers: Gateshead Team Valley Flower Market and Borrowed Flower Hoops

Cheese Cake: West Country Cheese

Catering: Jackson’s Catering

Band: Soznak

Bar: The Tipsy Horse

Personalised Love Hearts: Swizzels

Marquee: Cheviot Marquees

The post A Relaxed, Colourful Wedding in the College Valley appeared first on The Wedding Community Blog.

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rebeccahpedersen · 6 years

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Does Drastically Under-Pricing Still Work?

TorontoRealtyBlog

Does anybody still read the newspaper?

And no, I don’t mean online. I mean does anybody get up in the morning, head to the front door, bend down while holding a cup of coffee, and pick up that beautiful roll of newsprint, curled inside a blue plastic bag?

I’ll admit, I stopped subscribing a while ago. There are always those moments when you think you don’t need a subscription, and yet you still don’t cancel, for some reason.

When I got back from my Honeymoon in 2013, our front door had fourteen newspapers laying on the footstep. Oops, I guess I forgot to pause the subscription?

But the real kicker came when I switched gyms.

For years, I read the newspaper on the stairmaster – the one with the upright handles and the curled plastic edge that made it easy to fold the paper into quarters, place it over the screen, and read even while hitting the top of the “hill” in the workout.

You know every gym has its cast of characters? The guy that screams with every rep on the bench press, the woman that makes a “shoosh” noise with every step on the treadmill, or the guy that never touches a piece of equipment and is always talking? Well, I was “the guy that throws newspapers.”

A 40-minute workout on “fat-burner plus,” and a full copy of the Globe & Mail meant that I was feverishly shuffling papers, and when finished, my attempt to gently place the paper on the ground often resulted in a sweat-covered newspaper being flung three machines to the left.

But I read every word, every section, every day (except for Wheels; I have no interest in cars), five days per week.

When I left Goodlife, and started CrossFit, my newspaper subscription was no longer needed.

And yet I still long for that first whiff of a fresh newspaper on a Saturday morning.

A friend of mine still reads the paper, every day (and does the crossword like he’s twice his age…), and will often say, “Hey did you read the article in the paper today about…,” and go on as though I also wake at 6:15am every day to check yesterday’s news.

My response is usually, “No, but I did read that article last night, on my phone, before bed.”

This past weekend, the article that was the subject of our back-and-forth was about under-pricing in the Toronto market. Although it wasn’t really about under-pricing, but rather a simple “snapshot” of the market that introduced the topic of under-pricing, but didn’t really offer any analysis, or take-aways.

The article?

“Cricket Club House Gets 13 Bids; Sells $605,000 Over Asking”

First and foremost, we really see how a person that only reads headlines will never truly understand what’s going on out in the world. This headline offers only absolute numbers, but no relative ones.

But the article goes on to describe how a house that was essentially worth $2,000,000 was priced at $1.4M, and ended up selling for, you guessed it – around $2,000,000.

The agent said, ““I knew we’d probably get $1.9-million to $1.95-million based on a couple of recent comparable sales nearby, but I priced it really low to bring people to its door.

Then added, “I see some homes in the area take multiple offers, but at most you’ll see a handful, so to get 13 is a big deal.”

Perfect. This leads exactly into what I want to talk about today.

So first and foremost, is this agent suggesting that had the property been priced at fair market value, that it would have sold for $1.9M to $1.95M, and that the “under-pricing” by $600,000 strategy was responsible for the $50,000 – $100,000 premium?

Secondly, is producing 13 offers, on a house that’s under-listed by 40%, an accomplishment?

I’m not knocking the agents here. These are top dogs, not just in that location, but in the GTA.

What I’m asking is: can you measure the success or failure of a massive under-pricing strategy by the number of resulting offers?

Or to take that a step further, can you actually apply a failure to the strategy if you obtain a certain number of ridiculously unacceptable offers?

I’ve written blogs before about the “strategy” involved with over-pricing, then under-pricing, and how I think it’s so incredibly see-through. Of course, I’m putting the word strategy in parenthesis, because it’s usually anything but a strategy. More often than not, the practice stems from inexperience, and even desperation.

Picture this: a house is listed for $1,200,000, with “Offers Any Time,” and it sits on the market for 30 days.

The listing is terminated, and the property comes back out onto the market for $999,000, with “Offers Graciously Reviewed On Thursday, October 25th At 7:00pm.”

Can this strategy really work?

Are buyers that naive?

Show me the buyer that sees the listing and says, “Wow, $999,000? That’s a great price!”

This buyer doesn’t actually exist, right?

This strategy would never work, would it?

Well, if it didn’t, then this blog post would be going nowhere.

Late in the spring market, a colleague of mine had a listing that was rotting on the market at $1,299,000. Four weeks, no bids, and the seller was getting anxious.

So what’s the move? For all you armchair real estate agents, do you reduce to $1,279,000? Does that reduction move the needle at all? Probably not. Wait, that’s being generous; definitely not. Any buyer who was interested in the home anywhere near that $1,279,000 price would have come in with an offer when the property was listed at $1,299,000.

Would a reduction to $1,249,000 move the needle?

I suppose it depends on value, doesn’t it?

But in the end, my colleague decided to terminate the listing and bring the property back out at $989,900.

It was absolutely, positively, ludicrous.

What kind of buyer in 2018 would be fooled by this? What kind of agent would bring his or her buyer through the house and allow the buyer to believe that the property was attainable at $989,900, or $1,100,000, or even $1,200,000?

What kind of buyer? What kind of agent?

All kinds.

This strategy actually worked, and this time, I’m not putting the word strategy in parenthesis, because although it was a Plan-B, and it was borne of desperation, it worked.

It worked, really well.

Because the property didn’t just sell for “around” the original list price, ie. the $1,250,000 that the seller might have accepted, when the property was on the market for a month at $1,299,000.

No, the property sold for $1,310,000.

(gasp)

I know.

And in between being shocked at the stupidity of a buyer who paid more than the previous list price, and far more than what the buyer could have purchased the property for just ten days earlier, you’re also hating the game.

To be fair, you’re probably also hating the player.

But be honest with me for just one moment. If you’re going to apply “fault” to this situation – that a buyer paid $1,310,000 for a house, listed at $989,900, that was listed for $1,299,000 ten days earlier, which probably could have sold for, say, $1,270,000 with ease, to whom, or what would you apply that fault?

It’s easy to blame the system, or lack thereof.

It’s easy to blame the listing agent for the tactic, er, strategy.

But isn’t it the naive buyer’s fault in the end?

Of course, that situation I just described is rare.

I just came out of a similar circumstance the other night with a very different result.

An east-end property was listed for $1,698,888, again, with no takers. This property as well was listed for just shy of four weeks.

Low and behold, it was re-listed….wait for it……for $998,888.

Yes. A $700,000 price reduction, now with an “offer date.”

It was the talk of the industry, for both good reasons and bad.

Cynics were staying “it’s stupid,” without straining for a deeper argument, and yet some were saying, “The agent has balls for trying this!”

Now what do you, the general public, make of this?

Would it work?

Would buyers really line up to bid on a $998,888 list-price, when the house was just listed for close to $1.7M?

No. Not a chance.

Couldn’t happen, wouldn’t happen, should never happen.

Except that it did.

This property received thirty offers.

Thirty.

And while I’m not privy to the contents of the two-foot-high stack of offers, I would hazard a guess that there were a whole slew of $1.1’s, $1.2’s, and $1.3’s.

In the end, my buyer clients purchased the property.

That’s right, my clients “out-bid” twenty-nine other people.

Except, did they really?

They bought this house for a paltry $1,562,000.

Almost $140,000 below the original list price.

A cynic might point out that they paid almost 160% of the list price. But does a list price really matter in this case? The property was effectively put up for auction at $1, and we won the auction, which, I might add, was well, well below our pre-determined reserve price.

And when I say that my clients “out-bid” twenty-nine other people, and add the cynical and rhetorical question, “Did they really,” what I mean is that we were really only bidding against two other buyers.

Twenty-seven of the thirty offers were never in the game.

And how many of those thirty offers were absolute garbage?

So do you blame the listing agent and the seller for wasting the time of those buyers who submitted “garbage” offers? Or can we buck the societal trend in 2018 and actually hold people accountable for their actions?

Sorry. I always bring politics into it…

As far as the “drastically under-list” strategy goes, specifically after the property has already been listed once before, you can see that these situations can go either way.

Sure, I chose to write this blog after I personally represented a buyer when the situation went my way. But the story is as fresh as your grandmother’s apple pie, so the timing seemed right.

As for the buyers out there, you now (finally!) have access to sold data, but you don’t have access to previous listings. Make sure you know everything and everything about the property, including the listing history.

I know this is like telling somebody to wear their seat-belt in a car, but as is the case both in real life, and in real estate analogies, not everybody does the smart thing…

The post Does Drastically Under-Pricing Still Work? appeared first on Toronto Realty Blog.

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statusreview · 6 years

Text

#111: Can Minimalism Be Cozy?

As much as we love to simplify and declutter, we’re not aiming for that ultra sleek and sometimes sterile look that’s often associated with minimalism. So we’ve been trying out a step-by-step process for creating a minimalist space that still feels warm, cozy, and inviting. Spoiler alert: Sherry loves the easy formula and is basically going nuts on the whole house. We’re also starting to bring our vision for the duplex kitchens to life and – curveball alert! – we’re steering clear of white cabinetry. You can hear why we don’t think it’s right for the duplex, along with learning how we’re getting a custom look on a serious budget. Sherry also ups her underwear game and John conquers one of life’s little daily annoyances.

You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may have to click through to the post to see the player.

What’s New

image source

As you may have seen in our duplex style inspiration post, the picture above is one of our biggest inspirations when we envision the duplex kitchens – and after our trip to Ikea last week, we think we’ve found all of the materials to make it happen (on a nice affordable budget).

Below are some photos of us trying to picture things in Ikea (yes, we brought our tile samples with us – and even our paint swatches). On the left you can see the combo that mimics the look from our inspiration photo above using this tile and Ikea’s new Askersund cabinets. On the right is the other combo we’re trying with colorful cabinets (Ikea’s Kallarp in a glossy “gray-turquoise”) and a similar patterned tile in a different colorway.

It’s a little hard to get a sense of tile pattern in those shots above (plus, Ikea’s lighting is blergggg), so these images should give you a better sense of the combos. Here’s the first with the wood cabinets (we won’t use metal pulls like the ones below though) and our blue tile.

And here are the glossy blue-gray cabinets with our pink/gray tile for the kitchen on the other side of the duplex.

We’re working on a post with more info on all of our selections so far for the duplex (including bathroom tile, paint colors, and more) but we’ve mentioned that we’re planning to pair both kitchens with some light counters (most likely granite or quartz) and some combo of open shelves and upper cabinets. We’re thinking we’ll do the upper cabinets white in both spaces as well.

And if you’re looking for more info about Semihandmade, below you can see some of the styles they carry. We priced out the unfinished ones (the first two below) and they were $400 – $500 more than the Ikea ones shown above (which already come factory finished/sealed). I also looked into the more colorful beaded options, but they were about $1100 more, so we’re still holding out for the right project to try them out. Maybe one of our own home’s bathroom renovations…

And now the photos you’ve all been waiting for – the before & after of my key ring, thanks to paring down my keys and my membership/loyalty cards (here’s that Key Ring app I used to digitize my infrequently used cards). This is the leather key organizer I bought on Etsy too. It holds up to 6 keys and/or some loyalty cards.

Also, as a PSA, it’s not recommended that you post pictures of your keys online (someone with enough know-how can duplicate them from a photo). So I’ve digitally altered the tooth pattern on the keys shown here. No one’s copying our kitty key on my watch!

Cozy Minimalism

There’s a quick peek at some of the spaces Sherry has started simplifying in our house based on the process in Myquillyn Smith’s upcoming book Cozy Minimalist Home. You can pre-order it now, and follow Myquillyn (aka “The Nester”) on her blog The Nesting Place for more info and freebies. You can also hear her on Episode #58 of our podcast where we all talk about how much she shares of her children online.

Here’s a shot of our kitchen island from back when we revealed our kitchen renovation a couple of years ago.

And here’s that same angle today with the counters looking much more clear. Admittedly it’s a less “pretty” photograph because it lacks those visual anchor points that a typical styled photo has… but in real life, it makes the room feel open and more ready for anything – from spreading out homework to baking cookies.

Here’s the island from the other angle, which shows that there’s still plenty to look at in this room (it doesn’t feel stark, just less styled and filled up than it did before). We also like how clearing the far end of the island lets your eye see through to the living room more easily (the kids are often in there while we’re in the kitchen, so it’s nice not to have stuff blocking the view anymore).

Here’s another example of how we simplified but it still feels cozy – just less styled and full. Before we had lots of decorative objects on the counter (the cutting board, the flowers, the clock, even the sugar and flour containers that we’ve not actually used sugar or flour from in years).

Here’s the same angle today. There’s still a decorative object (the plant) but we’ve replaced those unused canisters with ones that we actually do use (popcorn & cereal get stolen from them daily). These used to sit on the opposite end of the counter, which felt cluttered whenever we plopped down our grocery bags there to unload them, so now that space is freed up to be used for that without feeling as cramped. The breathing room feels great.

Moving into the living room, this is what the built-in bookcases looked like after we made them and filled them to the brim with colorful books and objects (learn how we made them here!).

While we enjoyed that full and colorful look for a few years, we both felt ready to simplify things a little so that wall feels a little less heavy and packed. Here are the bookcases today after we donated the books we were done reading/referencing and generally simplified things. You can see there are also fewer frames on the left wall too.

You can also hear a longer discussin about the “controversy” of books as decor objects (including the backward book trend) in Episode #85.

Like the kitchen counter photos, I’d argue that the more minimal looks don’t always register as better/more interesting photographs (it didn’t help that I was taking the new photos during thunderstorms – thank goodness for long exposures!) but in real life it has been a nice change of pace. Just having less “stuff” around has made the house feel lighter and less overfilled.

And now, we must end this section with the SNL sketch that we referenced. Nuni and Nuni are minimalists, right?

youtube

We’re Digging

Above are the three Third Love bras that Sherry has bought over the last two years and can’t stop talking about – a classic plunge, a strapless bra, and a fancy lacy one. They each come in different colors, but Sherry (unsurprisingly) chose the blackest/darkest option for each one.

And here’s that Daily Beast article I was so fascinated by: “How An Ex-Cop Rigged McDonald’s Monopoly Game And Stole Millions.” It’s no surprise that it’s been optioned already and will become a Matt Damon/Ben Affleck produced movie!

If you’re looking for something we’ve dug in a past episode, but don’t remember which show notes to click into, here’s a master list of everything we’ve been digging from all of our past episodes. You can also see all the books we’ve recommended on our Book Club page.

And lastly, a big thank you to Universal Furniture for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about their new Spaces collection specially designed for smaller homes at UniversalFurniture.com/YHL.

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #111: Can Minimalism Be Cozy? appeared first on Young House Love.

#111: Can Minimalism Be Cozy? published first on https://ssmattress.tumblr.com/

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endlessarchite · 6 years

Text

#111: Can Minimalism Be Cozy?

What’s New

image source

And here are the glossy blue-gray cabinets with our pink/gray tile for the kitchen on the other side of the duplex.

Cozy Minimalism

Here’s a shot of our kitchen island from back when we revealed our kitchen renovation a couple of years ago.

Moving into the living room, this is what the built-in bookcases looked like after we made them and filled them to the brim with colorful books and objects (learn how we made them here!).

You can also hear a longer discussin about the “controversy” of books as decor objects (including the backward book trend) in Episode #85.

And now, we must end this section with the SNL sketch that we referenced. Nuni and Nuni are minimalists, right?

youtube

We’re Digging

And lastly, a big thank you to Universal Furniture for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about their new Spaces collection specially designed for smaller homes at UniversalFurniture.com/YHL.

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #111: Can Minimalism Be Cozy? appeared first on Young House Love.

#111: Can Minimalism Be Cozy? published first on https://bakerskitchenslimited.tumblr.com/

0 notes

h0neyimholmes-blog · 6 years

Text

#111: Can Minimalism Be Cozy?

As much as we love to simplify and declutter, we're not aiming for that ultra sleek and sometimes sterile look that's often associated with minimalism. So we've been trying out a step-by-step process for creating a minimalist space that still feels warm, cozy, and inviting. Spoiler alert: Sherry loves the easy formula and is basically going nuts on the whole house. We're also starting to bring our vision for the duplex kitchens to life and – curveball alert! – we're steering clear of white cabinetry. You can hear why we don't think it's right for the duplex, along with learning how we're getting a custom look on a serious budget. Sherry also ups her underwear game and John conquers one of life's little daily annoyances.

You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you're reading in a feed reader, you may have to click through to the post to see the player.

What's New

image source

As you may have seen in our duplex style inspiration post, the picture above is one of our biggest inspirations when we envision the duplex kitchens – and after our trip to Ikea last week, we think we've found all of the materials to make it happen (on a nice affordable budget).

Below are some photos of us trying to picture things in Ikea (yes, we brought our tile samples with us – and even our paint swatches). On the right you can see the combo that mimics the look from our inspiration photo above using this tile and Ikea's new Askersund cabinets. On the left is the other combo we're trying with colorful cabinets (Ikea's Kallarp in a glossy “gray-turquoise”) and a similar patterned tile in a different colorway.

It's a little hard to get a sense of tile pattern in those shots above (plus, Ikea's lighting is blergggg), so these images should give you a better sense of the combos. Here's the first with the wood cabinets (we won't use metal pulls like the ones below though) and our blue tile.

And here are the glossy blue-gray cabinets with our pink/gray tile for the kitchen on the other side of the duplex.

We're working on a post with more info on all of our selections so far for the duplex (including bathroom tile, paint colors, and more) but we've mentioned that we're planning to pair both kitchens with some light counters (most likely granite or quartz) and some combo of open shelves and upper cabinets. We're thinking we'll do the upper cabinets white in both spaces as well.

And if you're looking for more info about Semihandmade, below you can see some of the styles they carry. We priced out the unfinished ones (the first two below) and they were $400 – $500 more than the Ikea ones shown above (which already come factory finished/sealed). I also looked into the more colorful beaded options, but they were about $1100 more, so we're still holding out for the right project to try them out. Maybe one of our own home's bathroom renovations…

And now the photos you've all been waiting for – the before & after of my key ring, thanks to paring down my keys and my membership/loyalty cards (here's that Key Ring app I used to digitize my infrequently used cards). This is the leather key organizer I bought on Etsy too. It holds up to 6 keys and/or some loyalty cards.

Also, as a PSA, it's not recommended that you post pictures of your keys online (someone with enough know-how can duplicate them from a photo). So I've digitally altered the tooth pattern on the keys shown here. No one's copying our kitty key on my watch!

Cozy Minimalism

There's a quick peek at some of the spaces Sherry has started simplifying in our house based on the process in Myquillyn Smith's upcoming book Cozy Minimalist Home. You can pre-order it now, and follow Myquillyn (aka “The Nester”) on her blog The Nesting Place for more info and freebies. You can also hear her on Episode #58 of our podcast where we all talk about how much she shares of her children online.

Here's a shot of our kitchen island from back when we revealed our kitchen renovation a couple of years ago.

And here's that same angle today with the counters looking much more clear. Admittedly it's a less “pretty” photograph because it lacks those visual anchor points that a typical styled photo has… but in real life, it makes the room feel open and more ready for anything – from spreading out homework to baking cookies.

Here's the island from the other angle, which shows that there's still plenty to look at in this room (it doesn't feel stark, just less styled and filled up than it did before). We also like how clearing the far end of the island lets your eye see through to the living room more easily (the kids are often in there while we're in the kitchen, so it's nice not to have stuff blocking the view anymore).

Here's another example of how we simplified but it still feels cozy – just less styled and full. Before we had lots of decorative objects on the counter (the cutting board, the flowers, the clock, even the sugar and flour containers that we've not actually used sugar or flour from in years).

Here's the same angle today. There's still a decorative object (the plant) but we've replaced those unused canisters with ones that we actually do use (popcorn & cereal get stolen from them daily). These used to sit on the opposite end of the counter, which felt cluttered whenever we plopped down our grocery bags there to unload them, so now that space is freed up to be used for that without feeling as cramped. The breathing room feels great.

Moving into the living room, this is what the built-in bookcases looked like after we made them and filled them to the brim with colorful books and objects (learn how we made them here!).

You can also hear a longer discussin about the “controversy” of books as decor objects (including the backward book trend) in Episode #85.

Like the kitchen counter photos, I'd argue that the more minimal looks don't always register as better/more interesting photographs (it didn't help that I was taking the new photos during thunderstorms – thank goodness for long exposures!) but in real life it has been a nice change of pace. Just having less “stuff” around has made the house feel lighter and less overfilled.

And now, we must end this section with the SNL sketch that we referenced. Nuni and Nuni are minimalists, right?

youtube

We're Digging

Above are the three Third Love bras that Sherry has bought over the last two years and can't stop talking about – a classic plunge, a strapless bra, and a fancy lacy one. They each come in different colors, but Sherry (unsurprisingly) chose the blackest/darkest option for each one.

And here's that Daily Beast article I was so fascinated by: “How An Ex-Cop Rigged McDonald's Monopoly Game And Stole Millions.” It's no surprise that it's been optioned already and will become a Matt Damon/Ben Affleck produced movie!

If you're looking for something we've dug in a past episode, but don't remember which show notes to click into, here's a master list of everything we've been digging from all of our past episodes. You can also see all the books we've recommended on our Book Club page.

And lastly, a big thank you to Universal Furniture for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about their new Spaces collection specially designed for smaller homes at UniversalFurniture.com/YHL.

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #111: Can Minimalism Be Cozy? appeared first on Young House Love.

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lukerhill · 6 years

Text

#111: Can Minimalism Be Cozy?

What’s New

image source

Below are some photos of us trying to picture things in Ikea (yes, we brought our tile samples with us – and even our paint swatches). On the right you can see the combo that mimics the look from our inspiration photo above using this tile and Ikea’s new Askersund cabinets. On the left is the other combo we’re trying with colorful cabinets (Ikea’s Kallarp in a glossy “gray-turquoise”) and a similar patterned tile in a different colorway.

And here are the glossy blue-gray cabinets with our pink/gray tile for the kitchen on the other side of the duplex.

Cozy Minimalism

Here’s a shot of our kitchen island from back when we revealed our kitchen renovation a couple of years ago.

Moving into the living room, this is what the built-in bookcases looked like after we made them and filled them to the brim with colorful books and objects (learn how we made them here!).

You can also hear a longer discussin about the “controversy” of books as decor objects (including the backward book trend) in Episode #85.

And now, we must end this section with the SNL sketch that we referenced. Nuni and Nuni are minimalists, right?

youtube

We’re Digging

And lastly, a big thank you to Universal Furniture for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about their new Spaces collection specially designed for smaller homes at UniversalFurniture.com/YHL.

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #111: Can Minimalism Be Cozy? appeared first on Young House Love.

0 notes

truereviewpage · 6 years

Text

#111: Can Minimalism Be Cozy?

What’s New

image source

Below are some photos of us trying to picture things in Ikea (yes, we brought our tile samples with us – and even our paint swatches). On the right you can see the combo that mimics the look from our inspiration photo above using this tile and Ikea’s new Askersund cabinets. On the left is the other combo we’re trying with colorful cabinets (Ikea’s Kallarp in a glossy “gray-turquoise”) and a similar patterned tile in a different colorway.

And here are the glossy blue-gray cabinets with our pink/gray tile for the kitchen on the other side of the duplex.

Cozy Minimalism

Here’s a shot of our kitchen island from back when we revealed our kitchen renovation a couple of years ago.

Moving into the living room, this is what the built-in bookcases looked like after we made them and filled them to the brim with colorful books and objects (learn how we made them here!).

You can also hear a longer discussin about the “controversy” of books as decor objects (including the backward book trend) in Episode #85.

And now, we must end this section with the SNL sketch that we referenced. Nuni and Nuni are minimalists, right?

youtube

We’re Digging

And lastly, a big thank you to Universal Furniture for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about their new Spaces collection specially designed for smaller homes at UniversalFurniture.com/YHL.

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #111: Can Minimalism Be Cozy? appeared first on Young House Love.

#111: Can Minimalism Be Cozy? published first on https://aireloomreview.tumblr.com/

0 notes