#i wish we saw them loafing....

[reginaldubel]

loaf

#dinosaur #paleontology #prehistoric #jurassic park #jurassic world #pyroraptor #raptor #he has such an ugly face but #that makes him scrunkly #i wish we saw them loafing.... #like birds..

[putnamcapital]

s1 ep 6 rewatch notes

[yeah i am still doing these essays, everyone copes differently OKAY]

I wish i had the words to convey my love for the Simon-Rosh-Ayub dynamic when they’re sitting on his bed trying to talk about his video, not the Kim K. video. it’s an instance of one of the things i ADORE about YR, namely, the importance of the love and support of friends - “the gang is back together”. contra a lot of the teenage and adult movies that put romantic love on a pedestal and everything else goes to the dogs.

That shot of Wille set against the sky when the Queen leaves = is it the apocalypse or is it heartbreak and i'm not the only one seeing the religious imagery right?

“we haven’t done anything wrong.” Simon’s moral clarity, his unbreakable backbone - it’s a moment where it’s obvious the Court has no idea who they are dealing with. I’m not sure Wille even knows then.

Frida doesn’t get enough praise for her acting. that side eye of August as they cross in front of him loafing on the picnic table: sublime.

Another parallel I hadn’t seen before: Sara dresses up before dinner; she likes the image she sees of herself in the mirror. She is “someone she is not”, according to Simon (later that night), but she wants that false countenance. In S2, that same move will devastate Wille. But we have another Sara-mirror scene, in S2. Leaning on the Wille-Sara parallel, there’s something being done here about becoming who you are through artifice (dressing up ‘in costume’) or through love (revealing your true self). August (as opposed to Simon, i think …) ends up being a false or traitorous ‘coming into self through love’ for Sara.

Related … when Sara went to see August to confront him about the video, i have retrospectively imagined her as having planned what happened. But if you look at the scene as it happens, both Sara and August seem to just be playing the situation as it arises. Sara starts off by not even intending to tell August, I think that was honest. When she then confronted him about the video, she first asks why did you do this to Wille and then, how do you have the right, you destroyed Simon? none of it is about her. it’s when August asks her ‘what do you want’ - that i think the idea comes to her. And i think that explains her face after she kisses August - her revulsion at herself. it seems like a situation that spiralled out of control very fast.

i can’t really talk about the Sara-Simon fight scene because it’s my Point of No Return in terms of “This is a nice program to watch of an evening” and “These characters have become my entire waking and sleeping existence, is there treatment for this.”

in the scene that starts with them sitting on the floor in Wille’s room, there is that tender moment by the door, and one of the top two kisses and hugs in the whole of season 1 and 2 combined, punctuated with the forehead tap. and i’ve always thought it so lovely until this time i saw the “red flag” - the towel hanging on the hook - and it reminded me of the red ‘flag’ we see in the locker room every other time things go south.

the scene with kristina and wille in the car starts simply with him saying, “WHAT?” which a) comes straight out of fanfic; b) is hyper-realistic adolescent approach to dialogue but also c) actually shows that they are really close. as in, Wille might loathe his mother by the end of this episode, but also he knows exactly what she’s thinking and they can just skip all the usual staging aspects of conversation. it links, i now see, to the book scene, where wille admits that he can’t just throw out everything he’s been taught, b/c he’s internalized it so well

when K is lecturing W about all the public attention he’s going to get now, and how it will be even worse, it’s the same shot of him looking out the car window wishing he could be literally anyone else as in the first few minutes of s1ep1, after the club fight. and we see his reflection in the window, so we get him 'in double' - who he is IRL, and who he is seen to be by the viewer. very clever. very clever.

#young royals #yr s1 rewatch #sometimes frankly i wish i had never watched this show can i be released #yr office meltdown

[brunchable]

2319 Chapter 7 - Clap of Thunder || Young!S.S x F!Reader

Word Count: 8.5K Genre: Young Love, Diary Entry, Flashbacks. A/N: Inspired by the Korean Drama 2521. I used another Kdrama scene for this chapter mehehe. Thank you for being patient guys. *I do not own the gif used*

You: Are you awake? Alex: No, I'm Alex. Who's this? You: Ha-ha, very funny. It's (Y/N). Alex: Oh I thought you're another booty call. What's up? You: A booty call? Alex: y'know, late night summon? Alex: nevermind. You: oh. . . Can I ask you a question? Alex: As long as you promise never again to start a question off with whether or not you can propose a question. You: Whoa okay then a-hole. Anyway, what did you say to my parents?

You stare at your phone for a bit, he was taking a bit longer to reply this time.

Alex: Told them you worked overtime. You: That’s it? They believed you? Alex: What do you want me to say? You got caught through a cosmic rift, and was pulled into another world? You: The shop closes everytime I finish my shift. . . Alex: Hence why I said I dropped you off the library to work on some essay after waiting for you.  You: Oh. Alex: Oh.  You: Thank you.  Alex: You're welcome. I guess we're even now? I don't need to buy you dinner? You: Well… if you still want to you could? Alex: Gold-digger. You: Excuse me? That's rude :-\ You: It's Food-digger, get it right. Alex: xD Alex: Does that make me your Food Daddy? ;P  You: srsly, you need help. Stop flirting with me.

You crack into a laugh and roll over to your side facing away from the window.

Alex: omg the audacity. where do you get it from? Alex: stop flirting back, geeze. let me sleep. You: alright, alright! Good night. Alex: So you admit you were just flirting? ;-] You: YOU WISH. BYE. Alex: hahaha ttyl. nyt nyt.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ 

July 20 1999

“Dad, come on! I already agreed that I will continue training. Can you at least allow me to go on another camping trip? You saw the news about the Perseid meteor shower, it doesn’t occur every thirty-three years. I want to see it.” You chased Arthur around the kitchen while he made himself coffee and did what he was good at; ignoring you. 

“Ask your mom.” Arthur glanced at Vanessa who was setting the table up for breakfast and shrugged. You then turned your attention back to your mom.

“Mom?”

“Why don’t we all take a seat and we can discuss it over breakfast?” Vanessa flashed a smile and pulled your chair out for you. She slides scrambled eggs and bacon on your plate while you sit down.

“Who invited you to go camping?” Arthur began whilst cutting into a loaf of bread. 

“Donna.” 

“Your friend next door? Just the two of you?” Arthur raised his eyebrows.

“Well. . .” 

“No.” He said firmly.

“Oh come on! You allowed me to go last time.”

“That’s because you were a group of girls.” Arthur pauses and drops his arm on the table.

“Seriously, how do you expect me to live independently when both of you won’t even let me explore and do things? My life is so boring! You expect me to just train, go home, eat and sleep! You’re even making it hard for me despite knowing I’m applying for college!” The tone of your voice slowly increased in volume and after you’ve said your piece you slumped back onto your chair and crossed your arms.

“Are you done?” Arthur stared at you firmly before proceeding to spread butter on his bread, “This isn’t how you’re supposed to speak if you want us to say yes to you, (Y/N).” 

“I tried being nice already but did that work?” You sighed, lightly rolling your eyes.

“(Y/N), you know why me and your father are reluctant to allow you to go. Don’t make us say it.” Vanessa spoke gentler compared to Arthur.

“What happened to Kirra, will not happen to me—we are not going hiking, we’re going camping on flat ground. Honestly, I’m already living the life both of you wanted for Kirra, am I not allowed to live mine? I’m not even your daughter anymore, I’m just your spare child that you think you can use as a marionette!” 

“You watch your tongue young lady!” Arthur raised his voice at you after seeing Vanessa upset at your words, “You’re not going and that’s final!”

You clench your teeth and storm out of the kitchen, making sure to stomp your feet up the stairs and then slamming the door to your bedroom with full force.

"That little—" Arthur was about to get up when Vanessa stopped him.

"Leave her be, Art. I'll talk to her when she cools off."

You jumped onto your bed and screamed your frustrations onto the pillow. Why do I have to get uptight parents?! You raise your head and reach for your phone on the nightstand to text Donna that you won’t be coming with them; and by them Donna meant, the boys next door and possibly Stephen knowing Eugene. 

Before you could click send, you heard Vanessa’s soft knock on your door, “Leave me alone!”

“Let’s talk (Y/N).” Vanessa comes in anyway and you don’t even argue since you know she’ll say that this was her house. You kept your back turned towards your mother and felt her weight on the side of your bed, “Do you know where the campsite will be?”

“Rosebery Creek.” you mumbled, resigned.

“That’s a couple of hours away. . . I’ll talk to your father alright? Just promise me you’ll keep yourself level-headed.” Vanessa strokes your head and instantly you feel guilty for saying the things you said but your pride prevents you from apologising. 

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

"Hey Grandma, where's this photo taken?" Sasha sat in the living room while Vanessa sewed a button that popped off Linsey's pants. 

"Which one, ladybug?" Vanessa lifts her eyes through her glasses.

Sasha gets up, hands splayed on an album and points at the photo she was referring to. Vanessa puts down the pants and adjusts her glasses to get a clearer look. 

"Oh, that. That's the time your mother went camping with the kids next door," Vanessa glances at the girl with a small smile, "Don't you recognize anyone else?" 

Sasha looks hard into the photo, looking at each one of the faces and gasps, "Dad?! What is he doing there?" 

Vanessa shrugs, "You’re going to have to keep reading your mother's diary if you want to know." 

"H-how—Please don't tell mom!" Sasha’s eyes widened as she pleaded, "Wait a minute. . . Have you read her diary too?" 

"Yes I have. . . decades of them being in my house. Do you think I'd leave them untouched?" Vanessa laughs and winks as Sasha, "I won't tell if you don't." 

Sasha giggles and nods, "It's a deal."

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

July 23 1999

“Does Alex have to come?” You complained while double checking the contents of your bag.

“His uncle owns the camp, (Y/N), and Alex knows how to get there without getting lost and your father seems to trust him.” 

“Why because his Dad is my coach?”

“Because his Dad is your Dad’s friend.”

“Wait—they’re friends?”

“Were you even at dinner a few nights ago?” 

“I wasn’t paying attention. . .” you shrug sheepishly. Instead of Rosebery Creek, the location changed to White Hill, all because your father trusted Alex’s family.

“You have everything?” Vanessa asks, testing the weight of your backpack. It’s almost ten in the morning, and Alex is supposed to pick you up in a few minutes. “Good lord, this is heavy.” 

“That’s my portable telescope and camera.” Who knew ten pounds could be so heavy? It takes up a lot of space in the pack, so you’ve got one of the tents that’s been kept in your attic stuffed in the bottom, a compressed sleeping bag, clothes neatly rolled to save space, a couple of energy bars, peanut butter cups, and some chocolate-covered espresso beans—all the major food groups. You also brought a grid-lined journal. Just a small one. And a few gel pens. 

“You have the emergency cash I gave you?” 

You pat the pocket of your purple plaid shorts. They match your purple Converse.

“Pager?”

“In my pack,” you lied. 

Mom inspects your arms, “Hive cream?” 

“Yes, I’ve got the stinky homoeopathic cream. Where’s Dad? I need to leave soon.” 

“Arthur!” she calls out towards the stairs, cupping her hands around her mouth. Then she turns back to you. 

“He’s rushing to head out to the bank. He's making an increase on the credit card for your training,” she says as he jogs into the hallway. And toward the front door. 

“I’ll be back in a jiff,” he says, keys in hand. 

“Art, (Y/N)'s leaving for her camping trip,” Vanessa says, sounding as exasperated as you feel. He turns around and blinks at you, and apparently is just now noticing your backpack. 

“Of course,” he says, smoothly covering up his faux pas with a smile. “Excited to spend time with the Strange girl?” 

“Donna,” you say. 

“Donna,” he repeats. More smiling. He turns to your mom and says, “Everything checked out at the campsite, right? Will the girls be safe there?” 

“They have security and everything,” Mom says. “I told you, remember? Mrs. Strange talked to Alex's Uncle, and they’re going to pay special attention to their group.” 

“Right, right,” Dad murmurs, nodding enthusiastically. 

Then he smiles at you, starts to extend his arms as if he might hug you—which is weird, because you don’t normally do that anymore —and then changes his mind and pats you on the head. “Have a great time, kiddo. Stay in touch with Mom and take your pepper spray in case there are any boys with roaming hands.”

You can be sure that there will be boys, and you surely hope that there will be wandering hands. But there's no way you're going to tell him that, so you simply laugh it off instead, and your laugh sounds as fake as his grin does.

He nods stiffly, and it’s awkward. “Gotta get to the bank. See you when you get back,” he says, and before you can answer, he’s jogging out the front door. 

When he’s gone, you vent to Vanessa, “Hello! I’m leaving for an entire week. Does he realise this?” 

She holds up a hand in shared exasperation. “He knows. I told him I could take care of the bank during lunch, but he insisted it had to be now. He’s just—” 

“Stressed,” you say, resigned, "Yeah."

"Hey, forget him. I’m right here,” she says, holding your face in her hands. “And I’m going to miss you like crazy. I will also worry every day, so please call or text to check in when you can.” 

“Spotty cell service,” you remind her. You read warnings about it on the glamping compound’s brochure. 

She nods. “If I don’t hear from you, I won’t alert state troopers. Not unless you aren’t standing here in front of me at noon next Friday. In one piece, I might add.” 

“Don’t know about one piece, but I’ll be here,” You joked. “Speaking of, I’d better get outside. Need to stay on schedule.”

“I changed my mind. Don’t go.” She hugs me extra hard and then clings dramatically. 

“Mom,” you say, laughing. “You’re unbalancing my life force.” 

“Have I told you how much I love you?” 

“Not today. But you manage to convince dad to let me go, and if that’s not a token of affection, I don’t know what is.” 

“I love you, sweetheart.” 

“Love you back,” you tell her. When she finally lets me go, you lift your heavy backpack onto one arm and salute her goodbye. 

“Don’t pee on your shoes and try not to provoke any bears.” She advises as you leave through the door.

“If I see a bear, I’ll pass out from fear, so he’ll just think I’m dead.” 

“That seems reasonable. And, (Y/N)?” 

“Yes?” 

“Don’t be cautious, be careful. Have a good time, okay?” 

You give her a confident nod and head outside. 

The weather today couldn't be any better for summer. Not too warm, not too cold. Just right. Pretty blue sky. As you trudge forwards with your bag in front of the curb, you are experiencing an odd combination of nervousness and excitement.

There was still no sign of Alex, so you made the decision to do one more trial run with your bag.You tried it on when it was empty, but now that it’s full, you’re forced to squat in order to lift it and am struggling to get it on both shoulders. 

When you finally manage it, you wobble clumsily and nearly topple over backward. How am I supposed to hike a dirt trail with this thing? Feels like an overweight sloth is clinging to my neck. Maybe if you secure the strap that buckles around your waist . . . 

“You’ve got it packed wrong,” Stephen calls out.

You turn around slowly, in case you actually do fall over—which is a real possibility, not kidding—and it takes you exactly one second to spot the Stephen: black Converse high-tops, black jeans with artfully ripped holes in both knees, and a black hoodie below a white denim jacket. 

Stephen is sitting on the hood of Robbie’s SUV, which is parked a few yards away in front of his house. “You’re supposed to pack the heavy stuff in the centre, near your back. Let your hips carry the weight, not your shoulders. When it’s packed right, you won’t be at the Leaning Tower of Pisa.” 

“I’m not . . .” You shift your feet and lean forward slightly, barely preventing a bodily avalanche. Dammit. 

Stephen’s smile is slow and annoying. He’s wearing jet-black sunglasses, so you can’t see his eyes. Double annoying. So he’s back to being a teasing a-hole? Great.

“What do you have in there?” he asks. “Gold bricks?” 

“Just a telescope I bought yesterday.” 

“You fit Galileo Galilei inside that pack?” 

“No, the portable one.” 

“Ah. Well, it’s packed wrong.” 

“And I should trust you because you’re such an expert on backpacking,” You squinted your eyes at him. 

He leans back on both hands and lifts his face to the sun. “You know I am—I can help you repack if you want,” he says, still looking up at the sky, where misty trails of morning fog are drifting back out above the mountains.

Stephen Strange with his hands on my private stuff? I don’t think so, buddy. 

“No, thanks.” You let the pack’s straps slide down your arms until it’s back on the ground. And then, in an attempt to shut him up, you add, “My ride should be here any second.”

“I see, I thought you were riding us. I guess not.” He shakes his head. Is he. . .annoyed?

As a dark blue SUV speeds quickly into the driveway, panic begins to spread through your body. Stephen hops from the bonnet of their car in a nonchalant manner and lands softly on his feet after the leap. He gets down on one knee to reach something that is hidden from view near the front tire. When he stands back up, he’s pulling a red backpack onto one shoulder. The top outer pocket is covered with vintage pins and retro national parks patches. A foam bedroll is neatly secured to its bottom.

Baby got back by Sir Mix-A-Lot was blaring from the blue SUV skidding as it breaks between you and Stephen, and then Alex’s brown head pops up from the driver’s door, “Camp time, bitchachos!” he shouts merrily over the stereo, “Pack up your shit in the trunk of your cars and let’s hustle!”

Stephen looks at Alex weirdly, thinking about what that boy was on before turning to you, “Blink twice if you want to swap rides.”

You look at Stephen confused, “Don’t be mean!” 

“Alright! I love that energy Alex! Thanks for being our navigator.” Donna runs up to Alex’s SUV, “(Y/N) has told me all about you! This is such a coincidence.” 

“Oh she has?” Alex flashes you those million-dollar teeth in a dazzling grin. You shook your head and mouthed ‘no.’ 

Stephen scoffs and makes his way to Robbie’s car as the shotgun. You peaked inside their SUV, Sebastian was there, along with another girl in the back seat. 

“Donna, who’s the girl in Robbie’s car?” You ask, trying to be discreet about it.

“Oh that’s Paris, Robbie’s step-sister, she came yesterday to visit him. . . not trying to be mean but she’s kind of a bitch.” Donna whispers.

“Who’s a bitch?” Alex whispers while butting into the conversation.

Donna chuckles at Alex and pointedly nods towards Paris who had her hair dyed blonde and done into two side buns secured with a scrunchy. She chewing gum and texting away on her phone, “Her.”

“Oh yeah. What did you say her name was?” Alex looks over and agrees.

“Paris.” 

“Mhm, Class A mean girl right there. Any girl with a city named after them? Mean. I bet she’s texting her minions about how she’s forced to hang out with a bunch of losers, right now.”

“You seem to know a lot about mean girls Alex.” Donna quirks her brows.

“That’s because I used to date one, her name was Brooklyn. Bitch ate up my self-esteem, lucky it grew back though. . .and stronger.” Alex playfully wipes his shoulders, acting cool.

“I could tell—Well should we get going?” Donna asks but then turns back around, “Can we put some extra stuff in your car?”

“Yes! Of course,” Alex notices you grabbing your stuff and swiftly steals it off of your hands, “Prince Charming to the rescue.” He pops open his trunk and carefully places your bag in and waits for Donna’s crew to pass on some things to him.

“Hey, I’m Robbie and this is Seb.” Robbie approaches Alex with a few things in hand, “Thanks for doing this, by the way.” 

“It’s cool bro, my pleasure—Pleasure to meet you both.” Alex smiles until his dimple is visible and shakes hands with the two boys after fixing the extra bags in his trunk.

“Okay, we’re all here and everyone’s acquainted,” Robbie says. “Are we ready to roll?” 

“We’re gonna have some crazy-ass fun this week,” Donna says, throwing her arm over your shoulder,“Right?”

“Sure will.” You smile.

“Right, Alex?” Donna wiggles her brows.

“Let’s do this,” Alex confirms, and runs towards the passenger side to open the door for you, “White Hill, here we come.” 

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

As Robbie follows drives down Emerald Street, he informs his group that the drive to the glamping compound is more than at least three hours. And for the first few minutes, the car is loud and chaotic, everyone trying to talk at once. Donna was telling Stephen about the camp’s amenities while Robbie makes a commentary about a different site he’s been to. All throughout this Stephen stays quiet and focused on Alex's car.

Inside Alex’s SUV, he was jamming to Shaggy’s ‘It wasn’t me’, while doing a perfect impression of the rapper that got you laughing until your stomach was hurting since he did so unexpectedly.

“But she caught me on the counter. . .”

“It wasn’t me.”

“Saw me bangin' on the sofa. . .”

“It wasn’t me.” 

“She even caught me on camera. . .”

“It wasn't me. . .”

“Is ‘it wasn’t me’ the only line you know?” Alex takes a break from singing and laughs.

“Yes and only the chorus.” 

After the first hour of talking to each other, the conversation between you and Alex gets as monotonous as the view of the valley. You look out your window and see rolling countryside, fruit trees, expansive blue sky, and a few little villages here and there as you go. Long sections of roadway are broken up by rest breaks for trucks and wayside kiosks selling fresh produce. 

A little over halfway through the trip, Alex points out Blackwater Bluff, a tiny historical mining town just off the highway. “They’ve got a fairly big winery,” he says. “My parents brought me once. The downtown is totally nineteenth-century Gold Rush era. I’m talking about the Old West saloon and general store. Gold Rush museum. The works. It’s schlocky, but it’s fun.”

You follow the town as you drive past it. You glance at Alex whose eyes were focused on the road ahead of him. He’s actually full of knowledge behind his chaotic persona, “You travelled a lot when you were young?” 

“Yes, Ma’am. I actually lived in a yacht until my parents had to send me to school. My parents loved travelling and every vacation, we would travel nationally and internationally. You?” 

“Oh. . . no.” You laughed sheepishly, keeping the answer vague. You didn’t want to ruin the mood with your sad story. Alex sends you a few glances but doesn’t press on the subject, “How many hours have we got left?” 

“One hour.” 

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

“This is us,” Alex reports, turning. A small, paved parking area sits at the end of a rocky driveway. A dozen or so cars are parked there, most of them luxury vehicles. He finds an open space near some wooden steps that lead into thick forest. Another sign sits near the steps, stating that the trail is private property and only for guests of the campsite. 

People using the trail must fill out a form and deposit it inside a locked box. There is no road past the parking lot. Robbie parks beside Alex’s car and everyone gets out instantly to stretch their legs.

“Get everything you’ll need,” Alex reports. “Unless you want to spend all your time hiking back and forth to the car. The walk back is fine, but it’s all uphill to the compound.” 

“We’re hiking to the compound?” Paris says, staring at the sign. 

“Two kilometres?” Robbie gives her a laboured look. “Don’t start, Paris. I warned you about hiking.” 

“How long is two kilometres?” Paris asks. 

“It’s nothing,” Alex tells her brightly. 

“A little over a mile,” You elaborate. 

“Oh ok,” she answers, but she’s smiling at Alex. And Alex is awkwardly smiling back at her. 

“Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy.” Alex wiggles his eyebrows at you.

Why are they smiling so big? Did I miss a joke? Stephen’s head turns toward yours, and even though a fringe of black hair obscures one eye, a single dark brow rises in shared judgment of the stupid high five Robbie and Sebastian was doing. Or maybe he’s judging you. 

All of you fill out the trail registration cards at the information sign—in case anyone goes missing or gets murdered along the way, they’ll know everyone’s name and next of kin. When the lads have finished removing everyone's belongings from the rooftop travel carrier, you are quickly brought back to the realisation that your backpack is rather heavy. However, it's not like you can just repack everything in the middle of the parking lot. As a result, you put forth your best effort to fasten it and alter your posture.

“Saddle up, team,” Alex says loudly to the group. “Luxurious nature awaits us at the end of the trail.” 

It’s just two kilometres, I can do this.. You tell yourself. And the woods are pretty amazing, all shady and smelling of pine needles. Birds are chirping, and it’s not too warm. About ten minutes up the first steep hill, you begin to have doubts. 

Stephen, who was behind you could see the weight of your back swivelling you around and took it upon himself to walk beside you, “Give me your bag.” 

“Huh?” was the only noise you could make since you were already huffing and puffing.

Stephen snickers, “Your bag, give it to me.” 

“No, I can do this!” 

“You’re sweating like a sinner in church.” 

“Thanks for pointing out the obvious.” 

“Just give me your bag, (Y/N).” Stephen insisted, “And drink some water.” 

You pass your backpack defeatedly to Stephen and take the bottle of water he was handing you, “Thanks.” you mumble.

“You’re welcome.” 

Twenty minutes up an even steeper incline. By the time you reach the final stretch toward the compound, you’re just wishing you could drop into a foetal position. The sign for the campsite appears, and you nearly weep when you spot a big building inside a break in the trees. 

Your head is sweating, and you’ve been walking uphill in a hunched-up position for so long. The promised land is in front of you, it may have been worth all that misery, because the compound is gorgeous. 

A modern cedar lodge sits at the forefront: walls of enormous windows, fat timber beams, stacked stone fireplaces jutting from the roof. Lush forest surrounds it. Jagged mountains in the distance. The whole scene looks like something out of a dream. 

All of you head inside. Warm sunlight streams through double-high windows as you tread across floors of polished river rock and stop at the registration desk. It smells so nice there, like cedar and fresh-cut flowers. And they have expensive candy sitting in a bowl for the guests. 

You resist the urge to fill your pockets; Sebastian does not. He holds a finger up to his mouth and winks at you, stealthily emptying imported chocolate into a pocket on his backpack, while Alex informs the middle-aged woman working the desk who his uncle is.

You meander around the room, and Sebastian joins you while you examine a wall of framed scenic photos, “Long time, no see. How’ve you been?”

“Still alive and kicking, even though he just went through hell.” 

Sebastian just laughs, easy and warmly, “I agree but at least we made it to heaven.”

Robbie calls his name, and Sebastian ducks around you to answer. Before you can open your mouth, he’s gone, laughing with Robbie about a carved wooden statue that looks like two squirrels having sex. 

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

“No loud music is allowed,” Amanda says to all of you. “No loud talking after sunset when you’re inside your camp. Other guests may be trying to sleep, and your tents aren’t soundproof. Quiet hours start at ten p.m. and last until seven a.m.” 

“Geez,” Paris mumbles under her breath. “This place is a dictatorship.” 

Amanda points in the general direction of the lodge. “We have a small store that sells sweatshirts and rain gear. You can also rent bear canisters and camp stoves. It’s run on the honour system, so you’ll need to put cash in the bin or write your tent number and name on the sheet to have it added to your final bill. Also—” 

Sebastian’s water-bottle pyramid crashes. Bottles roll across the floor. “Oops, sorry,” he says. 

Amanda pauses, and her inner struggle with patience is showing in the slant of her brows, but, clearing her throat, she finishes her speech. “Evening social time starts at six. We serve drinks, then a four-course dinner. We encourage you to mingle with other guests at the nightly bonfire afterward. The pavilion closes at nine. Any questions, come see us at the registration desk.”

Since it’s already late in the afternoon, there’s no time to do anything before dinner. So the boys went ahead and built everyone’s tents, and you and Donna all unpack. You stash all your food and toiletries in the food locker outside. Then you try to call Mom to let her know you arrived intact. But there’s no service in the tent cabin.

Luckily, Paris disappears, so Donna and you set out and explore your camp section of the compound on your own. There’s a picnic table between our tent and the boys’, and a small trailhead behind it, with a sign warning that the trail feeds into the national forest; White Hill Camping Grounds absolves itself of responsibility should hikers choose to leave their property.

We avoid the screaming kids and follow a fastidiously landscaped trail: cream-colored rocks banded by the occasional flowering shrub and a steady line of path lights. The trail leads to a cedar shingled bathhouse. 

“Whoa,” Donna whispers appreciatively when you peek inside, and you’re feeling the same way. It’s practically a spa, one that’s themed to match our beautiful surroundings, and even nicer in person than it was in the online photos: stained wood countertops, stone benches, pretty lanterns hanging from iron hooks near the mirrors. Unlike your tents, there’s electricity here, and a woman is charging her cell phone while she blow-dries her hair. There’s even a small sauna in the back. 

“I’m going in that sauna later with Robbie,” Donna tells you as you step back outside. 

“Too much information,” you say.

She laughs. “If you want to go with someone, I wouldn’t care. So what’s  with you and my brother?” 

You laugh nervously, “Umm . . .” 

“Is there something I should know about?” A mischievous smile quirked on the corner of her lips.

What? “No!—Nothing at all.” It was just a kiss, for the love of Pete. 

“You’re so easy to embarrass,” she says, grinning. “Did you know your ears turn red? That’s so cute—Hey, I was just teasing,” she says, slapping your arm playfully. 

Jesus. 

“If there is something then I don’t know what you see in Stephen anyway, you’re so way out of his league—but if I were to choose a girl for him, I’d pick you.” Donna nudges you lightly before hooking her arms around yours.

You were not sure how to take this. You think you understand what she’s trying to say, and maybe there’s a core of earnestness in there somewhere—you still feel embarrassed either way.

“We were just friends,” you insist. “Nothing else.” 

With a shrug, Donna says, “Alright then. Did I tell you that he’s a bit of a playboy? Stephen, he's very charismatic but secretive and you might think you know him well but actually, you don't—this is coming from my experience. Unlike Alex, who seems to be an open book. If only you can see the way he looks at you when you’re not looking, my gosh! It melts my heart.”

Now you’re self-conscious about your ears flaming up, which makes you want to avoid the entire topic. You discreetly make sure your hair covers the telltale redness and don’t say anything further. 

By the time you finish walking the path around your area of the camp, you spot Paris and the boys lounging at the picnic table between your tents. You’re a little worried Donna might try to tease you about Stephen in front of the group, but she just runs to Robbie, throwing her arms around him and begging for a piggy-back ride. As though the whole conversation about Stephen and Alex is forgotten. 

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

“Penny for your thoughts?” a deep voice rumbles in your ear. A small yelp escapes your mouth. You punch Alex in the arm with a smile. Everyone was sitting around the campfire made by Stephen and Alex after eating dinner in the dining hall. 

Stephen was playing with his guitar while the rest roasted marshmallows quietly. Paris, who seems to take interest in Stephen, hasn't left his side since after dinner. 

“Ow,” he complains, rubbing his sleeve. 

“Stop creeping up on me like that,” you whisper. “You’ll give me a heart attack.” 

His white teeth flash in the dusk. “Sounds like a challenge.” 

“Glad you’re so keen for my early demise. Where were you just now, anyway?” you ask. 

“I might’ve bribed someone for a few beers and alcohol. . . and I also”—he holds up a flattened s’more—“I made this. Never turn down toasted marshmallows. That’s a sin.” 

“Oh, is it really?” you whisper, irritated that your heart is racing. Because he startled you. Not because he’s sitting so close that you can smell wood smoke on his shirt. But why is he sitting so close? 

“Pretty sure that’s what the preacher said last Sunday at church.” 

You turn away to keep your eye on fire. Alex reaches around your shoulder, holding up half of a marshmallow. 

“Want some?” His voice is dark and velvety, so close to your ear that a thousand goosebumps race down your neck. 

An unwanted shiver chases them, and you pray he doesn’t see it. “No.” 

“Are you sure?” he asks, voice even lower. Deeper. Seductive. No. Not seductive. What’s the matter with me? I have to stop. For the love of God, have some pride, (Y/N). 

“No, thank you,” you say more resolutely. 

“Your loss,” he says, sounding bored. His arm disappears. And now you do turn to look at him. Slowly. But not because you expect anything. You just want to see if he really is bored, or if . . . His eyes aren’t on yours. Of course not. He’s gazing off in the distance. 

Some people had yurts, all of them the shape of circus tents. They’re eerily lovely, glowing with warm, marigold light—sanctuaries in the darkening forest, one that parts to reveal a black sky. And everywhere—everywhere—in that sky, there are stars. 

“So beautiful.” You look up, seeing the bright cluster that makes up the milky way, “Looking up makes you feel so small.” 

Alex copies you and looks up at the star littered skies as well then back at you, “Agreed.” 

Stephen stopped playing his guitar after seeing that little glance Alex gave you. He places his guitar on the side and clears his throat, “Hey (Y/N), mind passing me a marshmallow?” 

You turn your head towards Stephen and nod, “Alex, do you mind passing the packet?” 

“Sure.” Alex picked up the opened packet and passed it straight to Stephen, “Stick.”

Stephen grabs the stick and pierces one marshmallow on it before placing it over the campfire, “So is anyone going to tell a story or are we just going to sit around the fire like we’re mad at each other?”

“We’re exhausted from the drive and the untimely hike, Stephen.” Donna replied while assembling her own s'more on her lap. 

“Dang, I was hoping everyone still had some energy left because I got us some beers and moscato for the ladies.” Alex coos and pulls an iced bucket behind the tree stump he was sitting on.

"Oh hell yeah, now we're talking." Sebastian gets up from where he sat and comes over to Alex to grab a tall can of Guinness and is immediately followed by Robbie.

"Stephen?" Alex holds a beer for offer.

"Sure. Why not?" Stephen grabs the can and opens it.

"How about we play a game? Truth or Dare? Never have I ever? Two Truths, One Lie? Whisper game?" Donna suggested with an excited smirk.

"Really?" Stephen shakes his head.

"Well what do you want? Ghost stories?" Donna rolls her eyes at her brother.

"Let's play whispers, we have three hours until 10pm to make as much racket as we can. Let's put a twist on it though, whoever is the most curious must drink." Alex sits back down beside you with a shrug. 

"Oooooooh" the group said in unison, apart from Stephen.

"That settles it then. I'll choose the first victim," Donna volunteers, eyes wandering around the circle while humming, before turning towards her boyfriend and whispers something causing him to laugh.

"Sebastian." He snorts and Donna gasps as if she's shocked by the answer.

"Oh—seriously? Me? What is it?!" Sebastian takes a drink after wanting to know the answer. He walks over to Donna and leans in closely.

"The question was. . .who is the ugliest one?" Donna whispers.

Sebastian frowned, "Son of a—come here." Sebastian chases after Robbie around the campfire while everyone else laughs, "I'm not ugly!"

After they finished with their little scurpuffle, both of them sat back down, "Alright it's my turn." Sebastian squints his eyes choosing a target and ends up choosing Paris.

"Hmmmm Alex or Stephen." She nods towards Alex and then points at Stephen with her thumb.

Sebastian gasps and cackles, "For real?!"

Donna rolls her eyes and takes a drink, while you and Alex look at each other with a smile at each other knowing that Donna dislikes the girl.

"Donna, why would you want to know the question?" Sebastian arches his brow.

"Right, it's nothing. Why would you drink?" Paris flatly asked.

Donna shrugs, "Just curious."

"Alright, the question I asked was. . . who among us boys do you find most attractive?"

Donna scoffs and shakes her head and Paris rolls her eyes.

"Well since Stephen seems uninterested I'll ask Alex. Is there anything you want to know?" Sebastian passed the turn to Alex.

"Hmmm," he taps his chin and glances at Stephen who has been quietly staring at you across the fire. Alex turns towards you and whispers, "Who has made you smile the most today?"

You shake your head with a chuckle, "You." You answered just to stroke his ego. Alex’s face lit up with a toothy grin and glanced at Stephen who was keeping a blank face.

Donna squeaks along with Sebastian, "What is it?!" 

"Let's let that one slide~" you encouraged the group to whom you agreed.

"Alright, who's next?" Robbie asked to keep the game going.

"I haven't asked a question yet." Paris volunteered herself.

"Okay then ask away."

Paris moved closer to Stephen with a broad grin on her face and whispered something gently in his ear. You forced yourself to ignore the unpleasant sensation that was forming in your throat and turned aside when you saw the slightest movement on the corner of his lips. The group kept to themselves while they waited for his response.

Stephen slowly turned his head towards you and with a piercing stare he answered, "(Y/N)." 

The grin that had been on Paris' lips vanished, and despite the fact that it was brief, you were sure she sent a snarky glare your way before she turned and went to get a drink.

"The hell what is that reaction?" Robbie chuckled.

"Right. Is she drinking out of jealousy?" Donna smirks before winking at you. Silence took over after an awkward tension emanated from Paris. 

Sebastian cleared his throat after finishing his can of beer, "How about we go to bed early? We had a long day."

"Yeah. Good idea. . . Let's get some rest." Alex followed and offered his hand to help you up, "Shall I escort you to your tents?"

You look at him weird but take his hand anyway, "It's literally right in front of us."

"Just thought I'd protect you from mosquitoes and moths." 

"You’re weird." You shook your head and got up. Meanwhile Donna approached you and hooked her arm around you.

"I'll take her. We need to go to the women's bathroom and freshen up for bed." Donna smiled at Alex who raised his hands.

"Alright. Then I'll see you both tomorrow." Alex smiles and backs off before retreating to his tent.

Before heading towards the changing rooms, you and Donna took your toiletries from your tents, "Aren't you curious about what Paris asked Stephen? She seemed annoyed after he revealed his answer."

I am.

"Whatever it is, they can keep it to themselves. Seeing her reaction, I can already tell she doesn't like me." You chuckle.

"She doesn't like me either, oh well," Donna paused, "I'm going to ask Stephen but he probably won't tell me either."

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

After spending some time walking the beach trail and hanging out by the beach most of the day, you and the group came back to camp with Stephen, marching ahead on the trail. The rest of the walk passes in with you keeping quiet. When you hit the bottom of the trail at the clearing near your camp area, Stephen comes to an abrupt halt, causing all of you to trip and barely sidestep him, bumping into each other. Curious as to what stopped him, you try to follow his line of sight. You can’t see anything in the almost-darkness except the faint outline of the tents.

“What is it?” you ask. 

On a grim sigh, he says, “Skunk.”

Alex walks into the clearing, toward the tents, “Stay back,” he tells everyone. 

You ignore that mandate and follow him from a distance as he searches the space. When the wind shifts, everyone catches a whiff of something that’s not particularly strong but is definitely unpleasant. It’s bad enough to pinch your nose. 

“Are you both sure it’s a skunk?” you ask, your voice nasally. 

“No,” Stephen says, approaching his tent. “I think a little flower fairy danced through here and sprinkled her petal perfume.” 

“Note to self. Stephen is a grumpy asshole after a long day.” Alex commented.

Disgust paints Stephen’s face as he walks the perimeter of his tent. “Note to self,” he says. “Stephen is always a grumpy asshole.” 

“That’s not true,” Paris counters, also nasal-voiced, following him. 

“Guys should we be telling Amanda about this—” Your word dies off with a dry heave. “Jesus Christ,” you gasp, turning and running far far away from where the smell is at its worst. You drop your fingers from your nose and take an experimental sniff. The smell there isn’t too bad. 

“What is it?” Robbie asks. 

“It’s in my tent.” Stephen answered after carefully surveying the surroundings.

Sebastian’s eyes widened. “In your tent?” 

There’s a rustling sound that startles Stephen. Betraying his ninja moves, he and the rest of the guys ran towards the area in which you stood.

“Those fuckers are terrifying,” Alex says. 

“Are skunks…violent?” You asked.

Stephen gives you a sharp glance, “Their scent is a violence to my nose.” he responded, you watched Stephen open the cooler where Alex had stored the alcohol and pulled out a bottle. 

“What is that?” 

“It’s coping.” He opens the bottle cap with his teeth, spits it out, then pours a hefty serving into a cup. “Anyone want some?” he asks. 

You shake your head along with everyone else, biting back a smile. 

He catches your expressions and freezes, tumbling halfway to his mouth. “Skunks are no laughing matter."

“I’ve just never seen you this worked up.” Sebastian chuckles and pats Stephen’s back.

“That ass-reeking rodent,” he says gesturing with his glass, “is crawling around my valuables, and knowing my luck, we probably pissed it off, and made it spray all over my shit, and then everything will need to be replaced.”

Donna snickers but stops immediately when she receives a cold glare from Stephen, "Where will you be sleeping tonight then?"

"He can sleep in my tent, considering I got the biggest one." Alex offered casually and shrugs.

"No way." Stephen flatly refused.

"Then would you rather accompany your little flower fairy friend?" Alex retorts, "I don't recommend sleeping outside either."

Stephen sighs, "I can't believe this. Fine."

“The only problem is, we have to get extra sleeping bags at reception and pillows.” 

“Well better walk there now before it gets completely dark then.” Stephen shrugs, “Can I borrow your flashlight?”

“Sure. . . give me a second.” Alex ran into his tent to grab his flashlight.

“Do you need company?” Paris asked Stephen.

“I’m alright, (Y/N) will join me.” He replied plainly.

“Huh?” You said dumbly.

“You’re coming with me to grab extra stuff.” Stephen repeated and it wasn’t even a request, it was a command.

“Uh okay then—”

“Here!” Alex runs back out and hands Stephen the flashlight.

“Took you a while to find it. . . does your tent even have space for one more person?” 

“Of course, I’ll clean up a bit for you—if you’re so worried about space.” Alex pats Stephen’s shoulder, “Well you better get going, if not we’ll meet you at the dinner hall.” 

“Sure. Let’s go.” Stephen gestured his head for you to come with him and you hesitantly followed. 

You don't even know what was the point of you coming with him when he wasn't going to talk to you. Stephen was being hot and then cold towards you and you don’t know how to approach him. Maybe he needed some extra hands? But he clearly doesn't need you, he carried your bag for you yesterday. Before you knew it, you were ogling his back as you complained about his actions inwardly.

"So why did I have to tag along with you?" You asked but Stephen remained quiet, "Alright, good talk."

Five more minutes of walking to the reception, both of you finally arrived. Stephen told you to wait at the porch while he asks for extra stuff for himself. You look up, seeing the sky covered with a thick blanket of clouds that flashed, followed by a clap of thunder. 

"Oh great." You looked up and hugged yourself as the cold breeze crossed through your body.

"I got the stuff, let's head back." Stephen said from behind you and then noticed that you were looking up as well, "Looks like we're going to have a stormy night. Let's go before it starts pouring."

Stephen gives you the flashlight while he carries a box with a sleeping bag and a few blankets and pillows inside. Another flash of lightning lightened up the heavens and though you anticipated the thunder, you jumped afterwards anyway. 

Stephen chuckles, "Afraid of a little thunder?"

"No! It's just creepy since we're also in the forest." 

A drop of water went splat on the centre of the top of your head followed by another and another until the clouds couldn't hold the water it collected and poured, drumming on the ground, puddles began plinking as the rainfall became heavier. 

"Take cover over there!" Stephen pointed at the large oak tree with a canopy big enough to act as shelter.

"Can't we just run back?!" You yelled through the round of heavy rainfall.

"No way! I'm not risking this stuff to get wet!" Stephen argued. 

"It's going to get even more wet if we stay here!" 

"Just wait for the rain to calm down a bit!" 

You clicked your tongue and crossed your arms, you were tempted to go back on your own but then Stephen wouldn't have any light. I swear if I catch a cold after this, I'm going to kill him.

"May I have this dance?" Stephen holds out his hand to you.

You laugh and shake your head at him, looking at him as if he has lost his mind, "Are you insane? It's pouring down rain! We need to get back."

"Insane? Maybe. But you haven't  really lived if you haven't done this before. C'mon, you look bored."

You can't help but smile at him, the butterflies swarming their way through your stomach. Only this man can make you want to do these things. You give in and take his hand. He leads you to an empty spot under the big oak tree. You're pressed up against him. The clean, woodsy fragrance of him filled your senses. The fingers on your right hand interlock with his and your opposite hand lays flat against his chest. His other hand is on your lower back holding you steady. No music. No loud traffic. The only sound was his humming of that song you heard him singing in his room and the pitter-patter of the falling rain.

As both of you sway, Stephen tilts your head up to look at him. He's already looking down at you with the soft smile that gets your stomach flipping inside you. His clear blue eyes gazing into you with nothing but adoration that you feel all the way down to your toes.

Rain crashed onto the earth relentlessly, thick drops pounding like your heart as he looked at you. He's beautiful, more beautiful than the storm around you. Your eyes were locked into his and you can't bring yourself to look away. You smile, captivated by each other's presence. 

"Aren't you going to ask what Paris asked me last night?" Stephen asked, but you could barely make out what he said.

"Why? Do I have a need to know?" You asked and Stephen shrugged, "Alright what did she ask?"

"She asked me who would I kiss between you and her, and I chose you." Stephen answered quietly.

"What?!" You asked, not hearing what he said through his mumbling.

"I said, she made me choose who I would rather kiss, and I chose you!"

"Huh?!"

"Oh for fuck sake." Before he could lose his nerve, Stephen yanked you towards him. His hand hooked behind your neck and fisted your hair and tugged, forcing your back to arch. Your eyes widen at the force that pulled you towards him. His kiss was a soft, chaste kiss. Sparks consumed your skin, and the heat in your stomach flared to life. You shuddered at the sensation, your pulse beating so wildly you couldn’t hear anything else.

Stephen slides his other hand lower down your back and tuck you closer, settling it at the tender curve of your spine. You remained still, your chest rising and falling with harsh breaths beneath his tentative touch. 

His tongue teases yours, slow, steady swirls that coax yours to find his. He tilt your head in his grip, slant his mouth to deepen the kiss. Rocking you against him, tangling his tongue with yours, the kiss becomes as rhythmic as the waves behind you. Slide, tease, retreat.

"Why don’t you ever tell me to stop?" He asked, his forehead pressed against yours.

Tell him to stop? A herd of wild horses couldn't drag you away. You never wanted anyone like this.

His mouth claimed yours again, and the kiss turned fierce. Wanting. Hungry. He was ruthless in his invasion of your senses, his touch so hot and possessive it branded itself into your skin, and you surrendered to him without a shred of resistance.

"Stephen you snake, since when do you kiss my friends?" someone said from behind Stephen.

You pushed Stephen away abruptly when you heard Donna's voice and pressed your swollen lips together, "We were just about to go back." You mumbled and walked past Donna and Robbie, who had his jaw hanging wide open.

Donna squinted her eyes towards her brother and handed the other umbrella to Robbie, "You share an umbrella with him, I'll go with (Y/N)." 

"Okay." Robbie replies, smiling widely at Stephen.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪

Present Day

"Mrs. Laurier? Some left these flowers for you." Your assistant entered your office after knocking and carried the box of assorted flowers. 

"Who sent these? They're beautiful." You smiled as he placed the bouquet on your desk.

"It's from your husband, boss." He says and places an envelope in front of you and smiles before leaving your office.

You wait for your assistant to exit the room and close the door before opening the envelope. 

Congratulations on the success of your Paris exhibition. Couldn't send flowers all the way to Paris so I thought I'll  just send you one now. Will I be seeing you and Sasha at my game next week? — Alex.

Another knock at your door from your assistant, "Sorry boss but there’s another bouquet of flowers that was just delivered for you."

"Oh dear. . . Who is it from?" You asked, your hands automatically placing the card into your drawer. 

"Don't say, maybe there's a card in there somewhere." He carefully places the box of flowers on the other corner of your desk and leaves once more. 

You took the other bouquet and searched for a little card and sure enough there was one.

We kissed beneath the twisted trees, our lips between the stars, tiny ripples in the lake, this love, once lost, is ours.

You drop your head on the table and groan, "Ugh, my heart needs a break." 

SERIES TAGS: @goldencherriess @lokislov3 @strangesweetheart @mydearalmira @veryladyqueen @seasonofthenerd @artsherlocked @bobateadaydreams @classicrebound @holygalaxyprincess @sobeautifullyobsessed @winsteria @allie131313 @gaitwae @sherlux @the-royal-petals @keistange @omgstarks @evelynrosestuff @withalittlehoney @strangeions @gwephen @cemak @patbrdac @siredlust @downtownshabby @nicoletk @lilithskywalker @youcantseem3 @samisubi @strangelockd @bloodyxsaint @lady-harvey @paola-carter @jotaros-bara-tiddies @delightfulheartdream @strangefilms

#stephen strange x reader #stephen strange #doctor strange #stephen strange x you #doctor strange imagine #doctor strange x you #doctor strange x reader #benedict cumberbatch x reader #dr strange x reader #benedict cumberbatch imagine #stephen strange imagine #stephen strange fanfiction #doctor strange fanfic #Spotify

[shelbgrey]

Control Center™

Be excellent to each other and party on dudes

-Bill and Ted's excellent adventure

Song of the week:

◾🔹◽🔹◾🔹◽🔹◾🔹◽🔹◾🔹◽🔹◾🔹◽

Request are ✨CLOSED✨

◾🔹◽🔹◾🔹◽🔹◾🔹◽🔹◾🔹◽🔹◾🔹◽

💠Fandoms I write for💠

Bones💀

Ghostbusters👻

Twilight🌲 🩵Emmett series 🧡Eleazar series

Greys anatomy🩺 masterList

ER

Harry Potter⚡ MasterList

The Lost Boys🏍️

Stand by me 🚂

Supernatural☠️ ~no destiel!

Grease🕶️

Beauty and the beast(CW version)

Once upon a time 🗡️ ~I won't write for pan or Gold!

Moon knight🌘

Marvel🦸request page

Bates motel🔪 request page

Elvis Presley🎸 request page/master list

The Great Gastby🏛️

Horror 🪓

It🎈~ Adults only!

The X-Files👽 ~ I just write for Mulder

Once upon a time in Hollywood🎬

The Outsiders📖 sodapop series ~on hold

Vampire Diaries🩸

Buddy Holly🎵

New master-list ML2

Aesthetic Board masterList

Fictional characters hogwarts houses

📚Writing prompts📚

0.1) “You know that I’ll always be there, for you...”

0.2) “You are the reason that I'm still breathing”

0.3) “Slow down, you’re doing fine”

0.4) “Why can’t I breathe whenever I think about you?”

0.5) “I wish we never met, I wish I never laid eyes on him"-“if I never laid eyes on him I wouldn't have fell in love”

0.6) “because when you told me that you hated me it was pretty much the worst thing I had heard in a long time”-“I think we both know I never really hated you”

0.7) “he's not my boyfriend” - “I think you better tell him that” - “what?” - “only love makes you that crazy”

0.8) “if it wasn't for you I would have never made it here, so thank you”

0.9) “it all starts with the eyes. She's gotta have those kinda eyes that can look right through the bullshit To the good in someone.”

1.0) “I mean, it's nice they found each other Sometimes you fall for someone you'd never expect, but that doesn't make it wrong. Doesn't everyone deserve to be happy?”

1.1) “I gotta say, I'm not doing so great. I keep trying to start over, but I can't get anywhere because I'm lost”

1.2) “promise me you'll never die on me” - “I promise”

1.3) “I've been in love. It's painful and pointless, and over rated”

1.4) “everybody talks to me like I'm the one. The one, that I should change. Why should I change? I never got to find out who I am and you want me to change? That's crazy”

1.5) “i love you” “I love you more”

1.6) “I need to know if it's possible that two people can stay happy together forever.” - “in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are”

1.7) “I'm not ignoring you. My hearing aid just doesn't like you”

1.8) “not all soul mates are lovers”

1.9) “You saw the good in me when no one else did...so thank you”

2.0) “the worst day of loving someone is the day you loose them”

2.1) “i love you in every universe”

2.2) “your not who they say you are”

2.3) “I've been busy marrying you, I haven't had time to piss anyone off!”

2.4) “I know 2 siblings, they fight like dogs but in the end they'd kill for each other”

#Writing prompts #Imagines #Greys anatomy #Supernatural #Marvel #Harry Potter #Vampire Diaries #One-shots #Harry Potter imagines #Supernatural imagines #Horror imagines #Marvel imagines #Greys anatomy imagines #Spotify

[griffin-girl-r]

Chapter 5

Word count: 2,461

Warnings: None

Chapter 4 , Chapter 6

—

What was behind that locked door?

—

Maria was lying on the couch in the living room with Natasha comfortably snuggled on top of her as the commander ran her fingers through the redhead's hair.

"Move!" A raspy voice ordered

"Why do you always have to pop up and ruin all the fun?" Maria groaned annoyed, slightly moving her legs aside to make space on the couch

"I'm not ruining anything!" The nameless girl gasped offended as she sat down "I actually came to spice things up a little."

"Oh, really?" Maria rolled her eyes

"Yep." The girl nodded "I thought that it would be lovely to watch Nat's favorite movie since we are already loafing around here."

Natasha quickly lifted her head as her eyes sparked with joy.

"Moonraker?" Natasha asked excitedly as she looked at the young girl

"You can bet." The girl chuckled, grabbing the remote from the coffee table in front of them and turning the TV on

Natasha clapped her hands excited as she shifted in Maria's arms, turning to face the TV and impatiently waiting for the movie to begin.

"I saw this movie so many times." Maria declared in a bored tone but a small smile tugged at her lips

"You tell me." The girl laughed, focusing on putting the movie on and not on what she was saying "I saw this movie one too many times."

Maria's suspicions were raised once again as she gave the taller girl a confused look.

"What do you mean that you have seen it too many times too?" Maria tilted her head, squinting her eyes

"I mean..." The girl nervously began "I mean, I watched it a few times until now." She chuckled "It's not the first time when I see this movie."

"If you say so." Maria dropped the subject before turning her head to look at her girlfriend who was happily watching the intro of her favorite movie

-

"We can go outside if you want today." The stranger that wasn't such a stranger anymore said when the credits of the movie started rolling on the screen

"Didn't you say that the outside world it's just a copy of the world we know?" Maria bitterly spit out

"Exactly." The girl replied just as coldly "That's why you can still go outside and walk around or enjoy some fresh air. I thought that a month of being locked inside this house would make you wish to be free."

Maria opened her mouth to deny the girl's offer but Natasha beat her to it.

"I would love to feel the sun on my face." Natasha smiled at the young girl "I love your idea. Thank you, sunshine."

"I also have a swing on the porch in front of the house." The girl softly smiled at Natasha "I know how much you love those."

"And you're right once again about me, sunshine." Natasha shook her head with a smile "One day you'll need to tell us why you know us so well."

"One day, Nat." The girl nodded "One day. But not now. It's not the right time yet. You both still have to sort your life out and you need my help to do so, that's why you need to wait a little bit more to find out the truth."

"Haven't we waited enough?" Maria reproached "How much time do you plan to keep us here?"

"Once you have both completely healed and decided that you're ready to go back to your world, you can leave. You're actually free to go any moment you'd like. Just tell me and I'll send you back."

Maria clenched her jaw as the anger inside of her toward the girl's attitude was about to burst out and consume her but she quickly calmed herself, knowing that this girl was right.

No one was forcing her to stay and accept the help she'd been offered.

Maria knew that she silently enjoyed the moment of peacefulness and comfort this girl offered to her and Natasha.

"How about we just go outside now?" Natasha proposed in an attempt to light up the mood

"We could do that." The girl nodded with a sigh, trying to smile for Natasha "Need any help?"

"I think I feel strong enough today to walk outside on my own feet, thank you very much." Natasha joked, pushing herself off Maria

"You are always strong, babe." Maria grabbed Natasha's hand and placed a kiss on the back of it

"Thank you, love." Natasha lightly squeezed the brunette's hand "Now, to the swing!"

-

"She looks like a penguin." The youngest woman laughed as she watched Natasha waddle over to the large swing she had on the porch of the house

"I know right." Maria shared the laughter "She's my favorite penguin." She added

"I'm so glad that she's finally able to walk on her own two flippy floppies without help again." The girl joked

"I can hear the both of you!" Natasha shouted as she took the last few steps towards the swing, also letting out a giggle once she was seated in the swing

"And if you can hear us, what?" Maria walked over to Natasha and quickly pecked her lips "What will you do about that?"

"I'll make sure to punish you as soon as I get the chance to." Natasha winked at her girlfriend

"I can't wait." Maria smirked satisfied, sitting down beside her girlfriend

"Eww..." The young girl said "You two are disgustingly too cute."

"Thank you. We try." Maria replied with a chuckle

"Okay then, lovebirds." The youngest girl announced "I'm going to leave you alone for a few minutes while I'll make some lemonade for us."

"We'll be here, sunshine." Natasha smiled at the girl before resting her head on Maria's shoulder

The girl left the couple as she entered the house and into the kitchen.

Both Maria and Natasha were left to enjoy a comfortable silence as a light breeze blew on their faces.

Maria carefully placed her head on her lover's head after she placed a kiss on the crown of Natasha's head.

—

"Masha?" Natasha interrupted the peaceful moment

"What is it, Natty?" Maria tucked one strand of hair behind Natasha's ear before looking down at her girlfriend's face

"Do you remember that big house near Clint's farm that I always said would be my dream house?" Natasha asked, her voice wavering in the slightest

"Yeah..." Maria nodded confused "I do. Why?"

"Masha, this is it." Natasha tearfully pointed with her hand around "This is that house where we dreamed of starting our own little family together so many years ago."

Maria lifted her head and carefully looked around, taking in everything surrounding her.

And that's when it hit her that Natasha was very much right.

This is the house she planned to buy for Natasha as a surprise before asking the spy to be her wife.

"You're right, babe." Maria nodded as she kept looking around "This is that house."

"But..." Natasha muttered confused "How?"

"I don't know, sweetheart." Maria admitted "I don't know. Everything about this girl is very enigmatic to me. She truly is a mystery that I just can not solve. I don't have any idea about who she is, what this place is, or why she knows us so well."

"She's making our dreams true." Natasha pointed out "She's offering us the chance to live our dream life. Together."

"I know that." Maria quickly added "What I don't understand is why is she doing all of this for us without any hidden purpose? Why isn't she asking for any favor in return?"

Natasha let out a deep sigh "I have no idea. Everything is so strange but in a good way. I feel comfortable when I'm around this girl, Masha. She doesn't make me feel awkward or afraid of her and she isn't raising any suspicions that she intends to harm us in any way. If she did, I would know because I'm a trained spy."

"We must find out what she keeps hidden in that room." Maria's voice was filled with determination "I have a feeling that the answers to all of our questions are locked in there."

The spy slightly scrunched her face. She didn't like the fact that her girlfriend was so determined and impatient but she also knew that Maria was right. They couldn't wait forever to find out some vital information.

"And here you have it!" The girl in question walked outside on the porch with a tray in her hands "Lemonade."

"Thank you, sunshine." Natasha smiled at the girl, lifting her head from Maria's shoulder

"I also added some fresh mint to go with it." The young girl looked at Maria with a shy smile on her face

The brunette commander was taken aback by the thoughtful gesture of the girl as she, once again, knew exactly what Maria liked.

"Thanks?!" Maria said confused, taking one glass from the tray and sipping from it

Maria contently hummed once the lemonade's flavor fully engulfed her taste and a big smile appeared on her face.

"This is exactly how I love it." Maria couldn't stop smiling "Thank you, kid." She added, sparing a look in the young girl's direction

The nameless girl smiled widely as she felt proud of herself for finally managing to make Maria be kind to her for once.

"You're very welcome, Agent Hill." The girl grinned excitedly

"Come here, sunshine." Natasha cuddled closer to Maria, making space on the large swing for the young girl to squeeze in beside her "You've earned your place."

The young girl took one step forward but quickly stopped as she gulped. She looked in Maria's direction, waiting for permission to sit down beside them.

The former Deputy Director carefully weighed the choices she had and the possible outcomes.

If she said no, Natasha would be sad and a little disappointed in her for some while, the girl could get angry for being rejected once again and everything could degenerate into a violent fight between the brunette and the youngest girl.

If she said yes, Natasha would be proud of her, the girl would be happy to be accepted and the three of them could enjoy their first peaceful moment together without Maria causing a scene for nothing but the girl would be too close to Natasha for Maria's liking.

She couldn't stop but feel jealous because, deep down, she knew that this mysterious girl was trying to steal Natasha away from her.

No matter how hard the girl tries to deny everything, Maria already knows what are the intentions of this girl.

Natasha is a stunning woman. Her beauty could make even the blindest alien fall in love with her, let alone this young girl who possessed the body of a goddess.

Maria feels threatened when it comes to her place in Natasha's heart.

For the first time in so many years, Maria has some real competition.

"I'm sorry." The girl sighed sadly, looking at her feet when Maria took too long to reply "I'll better leave you alone to enjoy a moment without myself being the third wheel. I'm going to go and take a look at the animals."

"You have animals here?" Natasha asked curiously, trying to ease the awkwardness of the moment "What type?"

"I have almost every farm animal there is." The girl kept looking down at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the world "My grandma had a farm. She loved her pigs and horses so much. Especially her pigs. She taught me how to take care of them."

"That's nice." Natasha forced out a smile but it was more of a sad smile

"I'll just leave." The girl declared with a heavy heart, turning around

The expectation was hanging in the air.

Maria could let the girl go since she didn't put up a fight but one look at her soulmate and Maria knew exactly what she had to do.

"Kid, wait!" Maria shouted, making the girl turn around and look at her "You can stay." She nodded "Why don't you tell us more about your animals?"

The girl's face suddenly lit up as she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Really?" The girl questioned in disbelief

"Yeah..." The brunette nodded again "Just take a seat."

The youngest woman did as told without waiting for another word, carefully squeezing in beside Natasha.

Natasha proudly looked at her girlfriend with a satisfied smile on her face.

Maria sighed.

Even if she didn't want to say yes, she knew that this was the right choice.

"Thank you." The girl smiled happily

"Now, what you were saying about those pigs?" Natasha questioned with a smile

—

It wasn't long till the nameless girl fell asleep on the swing beside the two older women.

Both Natasha and Maria were shocked at how comfortable this girl was around them.

So comfortable that she dared to close her eyes without any fear that they would do something to her.

To be honest, Maria enjoyed this peaceful moment with this girl just as much as Natasha did.

They felt attracted to her just like a magnet.

Maria stood up and motioned to Natasha to follow her.

Confused, the redhead followed her girlfriend inside the house without a word.

"Where are you going, Masha?" Natasha asked once the door of the house was closed behind her and she was out of the hearing reach of the sleeping girl.

"This is our only chance to find out the truth, Tasha." Maria determinately stated, taking off towards the forbidden room "We need to be quick and open that door before she wakes up and figures out what we're trying to do."

"Mia, I don't think that's a good idea." Natasha struggled to keep up with Maria "I think we should be patient and wait for her to reveal her identity to us."

"I'm done playing this shitty game named waiting." Maria said through grinned teeth as she was slightly angry "I am going to find out the truth and I will find it today."

"Maria, wait!" Natasha loudly called but it was already too late

Maria had already started to kick the door with her leg and it wasn't long till the door gave up and the handle fell.

From there, the next few moments happened on fast forward as Maria kicked open the door with Natasha trailing behind her.

But the couple stopped in their tracks as they were met with a sight they never thought they would see.

Natasha wasn't able at first to form any words but Maria voiced her thoughts anyways, as the commander whispered one word out into the air.

"Impossible..."

—

Created: 02.07.2023

Finished: 14.07.2023

Edited: 28.09.2023

Age: 28

Word count: 2,461

Warnings: None

Request: No (Original idea)

Pairing: BlackHill

#mama nat #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x daughter!reader #natasha x daughter!reader #natasha's child #natasha's kid #natasha romanoff x teen!reader #natasha x teen reader #natasha x baby!reader #blackhill #maria hill #maria hill x daughter!reader

[rosyjuly]

bee meet cute ideas buzzing around my head:

so we know that after abu dhabi, lewis hid from the world in colorado. what if, fuelled by anxiety about leaving his safe bubble for the 22 season, he impulse buys a little place in a little town in switzerland. it’s isolated, it’s got mountains, no one there knows him - it’s basically the same, right?

initially he does use it as a hideaway. the car is bad, the results aren’t coming, and everyone wants to talk about last season. after imola, he goes straight there, doesn’t even bother going back to his place in monaco.

but time moves on, and he heals, and the season starts improving, and he keeps going back. he stops hiding in the house and starts venturing into town. people raise their heads as he goes by. he doesn’t know if it’s because they recognise him or because he stands out - either as (let’s be real) the only black person in the little swiss town or just because he’s a new person. but, after they raise their heads, they nod. then they smile. and after a couple times, they greet him as he goes into town and stops by the bakery for fresh bread as a little treat to himself. the guy at the till speaks decent english, so they start to make small talk, eventually even medium talk. turns out he just works at the counter, and the mysterious baker remains a mystery. lewis thought he glimpsed him in the back once, while he was telling the counter guy how he misses good pastries since he went vegan. the next week, there’s a small batch of vegan raspberry danishes there.

one day on his walk back from town, he sees a table set up in a front garden. the small jars laid out on it are filled with honey. someone has doodles little bees buzzing about on the lids. there’s a sign that lewis has to use his phone to translate, telling him it’s from a local hive, and a small box for donations to reinvest in setting up more hives. lewis takes one, drops the only note he has in his wallet into the box, and tries the honey it with his bread the next morning.

it’s perfect. it tastes like switzerland, like the green and the mountains, like his new world he’s making for himself. the next time he sees the stand of jars, he buys an extra one to give to angela, and donates an unreal amount. the third time he sees the stand, he goes to pick up his jars and remembers an article he saw on twitter about whether honey was actually vegan. he wishes he’d read the article instead of just scrolling past the headline in a brief quiet moment between practices. he’s lingering there for at least five minutes, torn because his googling hasn’t made the issue any clearer. then a voice calls out from inside the house:

and then the actual meet cute happens. sorry for just dumping all this in your asks. it feels got away from me and i had to put it somewhere

anon i'm on the verge of actual tears, you really wrote all this and sent it to me :( and it's so perfect? i love every single word of it? "t’s perfect. it tastes like switzerland, like the green and the mountains, like his new world he’s making for himself." hello? i gasped when i read this part, this is such beautiful imagery. truly i can't do it justice but i shall try because i am SO grateful :(

the cottage is close enough to monaco that he can just pack up a duffel bag in the morning and be there early afternoon. roscoe loves it, loves the garden where he can chase after butterflies. lewis does his yoga on the soft green grass. it's grounding, in a way. he tries to spend as little time online as possible.

he goes to the bakery -- it sells wonderful sourdough and the rye bread isn't half bad either. once he pops in in the morning and brings a loaf for miles who's competing in [insert european country for some international tournament], who's delighted to have it toasted and with hummus after he wins (i know nothing of fencing i'm so sorry everyone).

the quick glimpse of the baker, if it's even them, reveals nothing more than a copper glint from the corner of his eye, but the next time he comes, the clerk is SO happy to see him, immediately pointing out the raspberry danishes -- also, lewis probably hasn't been there in a week or so due to a race, meaning that mystery baker has made the pastries every day ever since in the hopes that lewis would show up :(

the small doodles on the jar... and the note is signed off with a smiley with an actual nose: :-) he only has a 20 euro bill but it feels like a fair trade when he tries it the next morning with his vegan butter (omg anon you and me both like clicking our togues, trying to calculate with a cocked head how lewis would feel about whether honey is actually vegan... nobody tell us please. let us live in wistful ignorance). and then the voice calls out and by the gate, a scruffy man stands, the wind picking up stray strands of his curly hair. his name is sebastian he's beautiful in an unruly, earnest way, like combing his hair is the least of his priorities. it suits him somehow. sebastian's soft spoken and funny, invites lewis into his garden and shows him the hives, and somehow it feels like he's almost showing off. they have a discussion about whether it's exploitation -- the way sebastian's eyes glitter when he talks about his bees, it doesn't feel like it is. they sit on sebastian's porch and drink homemade lemonade and then sebastian brings out these soft vegan pretzels with sunflower seeds on top and lewis tells him that it's even better than the ones he gets from the town bakery and somehow that's what makes sebastian blush, his lovely cheeks coloring pink.

#anon i'm kissing you on the forehead #i just spent 1.5 hours working from 9pm and to come back to this precious gift in my inbox #truly i am on the floor #you are so talented and generous to send me this #let me know how i can ever reciprocate this :( #rosy.ask #bee meet cute

[mrspeetamellark]

Can you write something based on Johanna and Peeta's coworkers picking Katniss out of a crowd and telling Peeta he could never pick up her using a cheesy line? Peeta using a cheesy line on Katniss? Not knowing they're together. 😁

“Finnick, there’s no way I’m saying that to her,” Peeta told his cubicle mate as they waited in line at a Starbucks near their office.

“Why the hell not? Are you worried she’ll turn you down? I say you go for it. She’s gorgeous, and totally your type.”

Peeta rolled his eyes. “First, because that’s the lamest pickup line I’ve ever heard. And second, what makes you think you know what my type is? This is the first time we’ve hung out outside of the office.”

Finnick looked between Peeta and their other coworker Johanna and chuckled. “Because every time we’re in a meeting we catch you doodling braids and gray eyes in your notebook. That little cutie over there looks exactly like whatever dream girl you’ve conjured up in your mind.”

Peeta sighed and rubbed his forehead. “And let’s say I did decide to go along with your attempt at publicly humiliating me. What’s in it for me?”

“If she gives you her number, I’ll give you fifty bucks.”

“And if she turns me down?”

Finnick rubbed his hands together, a devious smile on his face. “You do my expense reports for the next two months.”

Johanna nudged Peeta. “What do you have to lose? It’s a good way to make some easy money. Fifty bucks is fifty bucks. Gas is expensive, my dude.”

“Fine,” Peeta grumbled. “I’ll do it. Anything to get you two nutcases to shut up. All I wanted was an iced coffee, not a forced conversation with a girl way out of my league.”

Finnick patted him on the back. “I have faith in you, buddy.”

Peeta snorted and shook his head. “No you don’t. You’re the biggest tightwad I know. You must really think I’ve got no chance with her if you’re offering me that kind of scrilla.”

Finnick’s sea green eyes sparkled mischievously. “Well I guess we’ll find out shortly what the verdict is. Go on, little buddy. Your queen awaits.”

Peeta flipped his coworkers off before trudging dejectedly towards the stunning brunette sitting at a table near the coffee shop’s front window. He took a deep breath on the walk over, giving himself a pep talk in preparation for his come-on.

When she saw him approach, the woman gave him a sweet smile and put down the book she was reading.

“Hello,” she said. “Nice day for a cup of coffee, isn’t it?”

He grinned. “Sure is, baby cakes. Listen, I know this might seem a bit forward, but I saw you sitting here and just had to introduce myself.” He gave her an appreciative once over and added, “I have to say, those short shorts look so good on you, I sure wish I had some butter for them biscuits. Any chance I can get your number? I think I could bake you feel real good.”

Peeta cringed internally as he watched her face go from relaxed to flabbergasted.

But then she surprised him by throwing her head back and laughing, hard. He released a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding when it sank in that he hadn’t completely blown his chance with her.

“Sure,” the woman said, still chuckling. “A guy that can keep a straight face while delivering a baking pun that cheesy deserves a shot. Hell, I’m so turned on right now you can even come to bread with me tonight, if you’d like.”

Peeta was shocked at how quick-witted the woman was. His interest in her increased significantly; he had always found a sense of humor attractive.

“Here,” he said, handing her his phone.

He smiled as he watched her type her phone number into the device, already imagining how he would spend Finnick’s money.

“There you go,” she said. “I’m Katniss, by the way.”

“Peeta. Nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” she replied, smiling. “Text me. I feel like this could be true loaf.”

Peeta laughed, then said his goodbyes to Katniss and walked back over to his coworkers.

A stunned Finnick gaped at him. “I can’t believe that worked. I purposefully picked the worst pickup line I’ve ever heard. Fuck.” He opened his wallet and reluctantly handed Peeta several bills.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Peeta said, as he pocketed the cash with a grin.

A few minutes later, while the trio walked back to the office, a text notification pinged on Peeta’s phone.

Katniss: They have no idea, do they?

Peeta laughed and typed his reply.

Peeta: That I’ve been happily dating you for the past five years and that we totally just swindled them out of $50? Nope, they’re clueless ;) Nice acting, babe.

Katniss: Sweet! Dough you wanna get down and dirty at my place tonight? I knead you.

Peeta: Oh, hell yea, baby, I’m more than bready for you. Can’t wait to see you rise all night long.

#everlark drabble #mrspeetamellark writes #everlark fanfic #everlark

[blimbo-buddy]

I'm glad you are… being destroyed by Turtle Tail and Bumble. :) /j

Might need to write some more and subject you to it... since it you are but a wee birthday lad.

ANYWAYS! This is making me grin so hard and I am overjoyed that you are loving my spin on the scene. I'll go ahead and say a few things...

"There is no more time, Turtle Tail." is Bumble speaking! Turtle Tail is in an emotional trainwreck, so she can't discern that Bumble is saying this. Bumble, even on her death bed that she was led to because no one was on her side, was pitying her.

Bumble couldn't forgive Turtle Tail, but she loved her. Actually... I think we'll all understand what I mean if I write it.

TW for death, POV cat dying, angst, abuse, and fatphobia mention.

---

Relief.

It twists inside of Bumble's gut when she sees the round and fuzzy cheeks of Turtle Tail. Those green eyes pool with tears and an emotion that, while she feels disgusted to wish for, is gratifying to see. Regret swims amongst Turtle Tail's sorrows.

Her lungs burn, but she strains herself to ignore it. She can keep breathing. She's strong like Turtle Tail. The weak fat cat that everyone saw her as isn't here. She can be strong. Maybe then...

Maybe a fairytale ending could happen.

As a kit, she didn't know about the big bads of the world. She only knew how pretty it was. Those kithood dreams shined in Turtle Tail's eyes. She found hope within the bright and lovely molly who told her that her dreams, far beyond the walls and fences of the house, could be real.

"One day," Turtle Tail purrs loudly as she leans her head into the crook of Bumble's neck and grins, "We can run in the fields. I'll tell you about everything. From the weeds, to the flowers, to the birds, and even the cute bumble bees like you."

Yet it never came true because...

"I was selfish." The words leave Turtle Tail's maw too late.

All this time, she has wondered if that was the truth. She couldn't say. Turtle Tail was so wonderful. She smiled so brightly and treated her so nicely. Yet... Yet wasn't that just basic decency? Wasn't that just what normal cats did?

Normal cats don't shame each other for being overweight.

Normal cats rely on each other unconditionally.

Normal cats don't have to beg for help.

Normal cats have friends who laugh with them.

A raspy wheeze leaves her as the horrifying thoughts dig into her. Their friendship and her love that refuses to die even when she is... was nothing more than something normal cats had.

She's dying a pathetic and slow death where everything burns. Screams wish they could bury themselves in her throat, not so she could launch them out of spite, but just so someone can acknowledge her anguish.

Her eyes take that as a cue to look up at the only cat who, even if for a blip in her life, treated her like someone who mattered more than the sun and the stars. It might have meant less to Turtle Tail, but... but she loved every second of their interactions. She loved Turtle Tail's laugh. She loved her goofy little tail they joked about. She loved how Turtle Tail scrunched into the tiniest loaf so she could be the one curled around her.

Honey doesn't come without its disgusting facts.

In the end, Turtle Tail abandoned her - just like everyone else. She was another worker in the hive working to break her down.

"Loved?" Tom sneered as he towered over her. He didn't stink like the villains in the tales her mama told her. His pelt was glossier than fire, unlike the evil-doers who had patchy and scraggly fur. No one believed her when she said he could say, "No cat will ever love a fat cat like you, who was named after how round she is."

And he was right.

Turtle Tail remained silent when the cats began to shame her body and abilities. There was no debating. It was truth, both in the eyes of everyone around her and Turtle Tail.

Despite now, as her ears ring, hearing Turtle Tail claim that she's beautiful amongst so many ungraspable words, all she can think is: If you thought that, why didn't you say so?

Why now? Why so late?

Pain digs into her chest as she drags her paw up. The hate-filled green eyes aren't what she wants to see. All of these words aren't what she wants to hear. Because, no matter what, she wants Turtle Tail to be happy. Even when she yowled that she hated Turtle Tail, she knew that it would always be half of a truth.

She hated that Turtle Tail won her heart and shattered it.

Shutting her eyes with her paw, the darkness allows her to view the few fond moments. The gentle, loving Turtle Tail that laughed alongside her. This is the cat she knew. They shared secrets and truths. That cat didn't meant the world to her. No, Turtle Tail was her world.

Perhaps that's where she went wrong.

Smack.

Light forcibly filters back into her eyes. Time feels so drawn out. The pain isn't even here anymore.

"I need more time." Turtle Tail's desperation is on full display. She might not be able to see her any longer, but her body - even if it slowly is numbing - can feel her shaky paws. The tips of Turtle Tail's claws seem to prick her, though she can't be sure.

Prying her maw open, she forces herself to say, "There is no more time, Turtle Tail." Every atom of oxygen goes into stating the obvious. Her lungs writhe inside of her chest. The fuzzy darkness tugs at her conscious, trying to end her life.

Yet, at a time like this, her death is not what she mourns.

You didn't say, "I'm sorry."

Oh cool, so I was spot on with who said "There is no more time, Turtle Tail."!

Also oh my god… Bumble taking those hurtful words from the settlers to heart and internalizing it, using it to put herself down no matter how much it hurts her heart. GODDAMN IT HURTS. And the little flashback to when her and Turtle Tail's lives seemed perfect? Where Turtle Tail promised a beautiful and lush world beyond the fence, ONLY TO THEN TURN AWAY FROM BUMBLE WHEN THE HARSHNESS OF THE WORLD BEAT DOWN ONTO BUMBLE. And THEN Bumble hears Turtle Tail admit her cowardice and selfishness when she didn't defend Bumble, holy shit the emotions, imagine how Bumble felt 10 different feelings hit her at the same time, both good and bad.

Also YES YES! The text points out the shitty nature of the settlers and the clans in general and criticizes them for it, we love to see it! Bumble just… reminiscing on the good times with Turtle Tail, only to then remember that Turtle Tail turned her back on her, never helped her. Her world is shattered now, the one Settler who never gave her a scornful look or never whispered insults behind her back had left her scared and alone. I fucking love the honey and hive thing you used, it's really clever! But oooh my god, like the last story, I see the text "And he was right" as being Bumble's inner thoughts about herself, her internalization that made her hate herself. The same thoughts also apply to the next bit of text after that.

"She hated that Turtle Tail won her heart and shattered it." YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME ANON YOU CANNOT JUST BREAK MY HEART WITH ONE BIT OF TEXT. And then we hear TurtleTail's words through the point of view of Bumble and I really like that bit, we're seeing two sides of the same event, only now we are experiencing different emotions and thoughts.

Also. Ho-ly. Fuck. TURTLETAIL NEVER DID SAY THAT SHE'S SORRY, I ACTUALLY SCRAMBLED BACK TO THE OTHER ASK TO DOUBLE CHECK AND IT'S RIGHT. SHE NEVER SAID SORRY. That realization hit me in the face like a brick, anon. Anon I don't know how you do it, I don't know how you're able to create such clever stories, and the TWIST? Perfection.

Internalization is such an underutilized concept in Warriors, think of all the interesting and heartbreaking things that you could write when it comes to internalization of any kind. The fact that you made it so Bumble internalized those jabs that the settlers made towards her since that was a very stressful and traumatic moment in her life and then to have TOM really just hammer that in. It makes me so angry at the settlers, it makes me pissed off at Tom, it makes me sad for Bumble. Bumble please please you are worth the world you deserve everything good please don't let those dirty fucking hippie cats tell you that you don't belong because your weight is different than theirs.

#blimbo rambles #ask #fatphobia mention #abuse tw #internalized fatphobia #seeing as we see this in Bumble in the story

[nights-flying-fox]

SLEEPY CAT FOR YOU MY FRIEND!!

SLEEPY CAT AAAAA SMOLL BABY KITTY IN MY INBOX

THANK YOU BANJO AAAA HERE HAVE THIS FIC :D

.♥♥♥.

 Mikey always loved cats. Since the day they had gotten to the surface and he had seen one, he fell in love with them. That was why he always begged for a cat to his dad. Too bad that Splinter was a rat, and therefore he hated cats. (Or at least that was what Mikey thought for years, until he found out one day that Splinter had allergies against cat fur.) There was also the fact that the sewers weren’t the best place to take care of a cat. Mikey couldn’t understand why when he was younger, after all he and his family lived in them just fine, right? But eventually he had understood why. He still wished he would have a pet cat.

 He never expected his wish finding him one day in the lair. None of them did.

 “Mikey, did you bring him here?” Asked Raph.

 “No, you know how it turned out last time!” Mikey said. Poor Splinter had a sneeze fit.

 “How did he even end up here?” Leo wondered.

 “I am sure I can track him to figure it out.” Donnie informed. “But he can’t stay here.”

 “Yeah, not without a name.” Leo grinned as he began petting the cat.

 “Leo! You know Pops doesn’t allow cats!” Raph said.

 Leo dramatically gasped, “Raph! Where are your manners, be nice to our guest!”

 Raph groaned.

 Mikey looked at the cat. A little brown tabby. It looked very sleepy too… “How about the name… George?”

 They all turned to Mikey. “What.” Leo asked confusedly.

 “I think he looks like a George!” Mikey grinned.

 “He definitely does not.”

 “Wrong, he is George.” Mikey declared.

 “No! He is uh um… Cocoa?” Leo tried. Mikey snickered at the name.

 “Cocoa? Really?” Donnie raised one of his drawn brows.

 Leo glared, “Well, you find a better name then mr-I-know-everything.”

 Donnie rolled his eyes. “I recommend something much better and smarter, like—”

 “WAITWAITWAITWAIT WE CAN NAME HIM JUPITER! OR JIM! LIKE JUPITER JIM!” Leo exclaimed.

 “I like the idea!” Mikey grinned, joining Leo and petting the cat as well.

 “That. Is not what I was thinking but works too.” Donnie commented. “We could call him JJ for short.” He patted the cat’s head. The cat meowed happily. “I like him, he is smart enough to agree with me. Unlike some…”

 “Hey!” Leo shouted. And so, the twins started their banter again.

 “Ignore them, kitty.” Mikey said to kitty. “That’s how they always are.” Then he turned to Raph, “Aren’t you joining?”

 Raph silently walked towards JJ. As he came closer, JJ left Mikey’s side and walked to him, meowing happily. Raph began petting it, his expression softening. Mikey could see the sparkles in Raph’s eyes. Then JJ yawned sleepily, “Aww he sleepy kitty…” Raph cooed. As JJ leaned to him, Raph opened his hands. To his surprise JJ jumped into his hands, and then tucked his paws under himself, ready to sleep.

 “He is a little loaf…” Mikey gasped.

 “Shh! You’ll wake him! You two too, be quiet!” Raph warned his brothers.

 The twins stopped whatever they were doing (Donnie was biting Leo’s arm, Leo shoving Donnie with his foot, frozen in the middle of their fight). Mikey looked at JJ, “Now what? We keep him, right?”

 Raph took a sigh, “Yes, but if anyone tells Pops or let’s JJ near him…” He gave them a dangerous glare.

 “Got it boss.” Leo nodded, getting up. “But where do we keep him?”

 For a short while they all brainstormed, trying to find the right place. Mikey wondered if he could keep JJ in his room, but probably not since Splinter sometimes visited their rooms. Also, it would be easy for JJ to get out and find Splinter’s room, which would be terrible. Where else… where else…

 “He can stay in my lab.” Donnie broke the silence. “Splinter rarely gets in, and it’s a big space. I can manage making it a safe place too. Both for JJ and for my tech against his possible mischief.”

 “Sounds good to me!” Raph smiled. “Good job Donnie!”

 Mikey saw Donnie smile confidently, his tail wagging happily.

 “Then what are we waiting? Let’s get the necessary stuff for our sleepy friend!” Leo declared.

 Mikey grinned, “Let’s go!”

 As they walked towards the lab, Leo turned to Mikey, “You finally got your wish, Mike!”

 He grinned, “Do you think more cats will follow the same path?”

 “Is one cat enough?” Donnie asked.

 Mikey shook his head, “Nope! Never!”

 “Michael, that cat most likely got lost. There is almost no chance something similar happening again any time soon.” Donnie said.

 Except he didn’t know how wrong he was.

#thanks for the ask!! #rottmnt #nighty writey #THE WAY THIS MADE MY DAY BTW #I have been feeling a bit down and then boom. SLEEPY CAT IN INBOX <33 #thanks banjoooo #and yes somehow i ended up making a fic that i might continue ısefgfgsfsjfsgsg oopsie #nighty's treasure chest

[joy-haver]

I saw your post asking for comfort. I'm sorry you are having a rough time. I wanted to pop in and say that you are a very important person in my life. You have brought me kindness and comfort especially when I have been bedbound by pain. You are a lovely person who thinks deeply about a lot of things and I value your input and thoughts.

Ive been reading your spec-fics on clothing in a library siociety. And I have been rethinking a lot of my held beliefs about ownership and property. So I thank you for broadening my beliefs and ideas.

Thank you for being a part of my personal community. I wish I could send you a loaf of poppy seed bread and a warm cup of tea. So for now I love you do what you can to take care of yourself cause surviving and persisting and getting cate from your community and partners is inherently revolutionary. Bigger changes and effort can wait. But it is important to remember that rest and allowing yourself to be cared for and asking for your needs is inherently revolutionary. And if we want to build societies of care for everyone we also have to trust our work and communities and allow them to take care of us when we need.

Rest well and lots of love,

❤️💗💜

Thank u. I love y’all

Reminding mysef to accept care is hard and I appreciate the help with it.

Words I wrote in my good times come back in these times

“I like to say that the worst things about you and the best things are the same things. Because you get hungry, I can share with you a meal. Because you are tired, I can tuck you in. Because you are lonely, and scared, I can hold you against me. Because I see the devastation around be, I can seek the solutions.

Present those imperfections to the world, and fit yourself within the interlocking system of human life.”

#answered #asks

[shinakazami1]

Been busy lately so I don’t have much time to review and edit, but here I am! (this was supposed to be sent on the anniversary.) (edit 1: It’s already (edit 2: halfway through) november.)

(edit 3: i gave up. words be damned, i’m sending this. there should have been more. curse you writing)

(edit 4: reminder. write a long ask anywhere else except the actual tumblr ask window. sending again just to make sure i didn’t hallucinate all this- it would be so, very embarassing...)

hehehehehe love your art. Crunchy. Pringles. Crushing it in my mouth. yummy colors and perspective (That bucket sexyman design looking kinda fine though.,..i mean who said that) (->absolutely normal behavior)

I love how you interact with others’ art, leaving your comments and compliments. Really appreciate that little motivation boost and positivity you spread :)

As seen from Paratober, you seem to take the prompts beyond their face value and messed around with the concepts of those prompts (gonna put Jester in a carton box hehe. Can we have Jester loafing? Loafing in a box?)

Personally I’m not a writer, so I don’t know how you guys’ brains work but I love how you come up with interesting ideas stemming from the game’s original material, expanding, digging deeper into them. I look up at you all in wonder hehe

Also, I read unheard wishes.

You see, I rarely ever seek out angst. I came in there with “this is gonna hurt but I can totally bring myself through this”

Boy was I wrong. Now, because I didn’t read it properly enough to leave a comment that would do it justice (time restraints get you like that), I won’t give a lengthy review. But just so you know, my general feelings were “who do you think you are. did you really think you had the right to hurt me like this. *inhales* aaaaaaaaaAA *cars crashing glass breaking sound effects idk* *lays motionless on the ground* (affectionate)”

Maybe i’ll read your filk wip next. Biology is fun :]

It’s your way with the images you make for your stories and art. Candlecurator? Whatever’s up with fernarrator? I’m not listing the ones in your writings. A lazy, lazy anon I am, I know. [insert another keyboard smash]

I haven’t been here for a while so i don’t really remember much, sorry ;; (-> fake fan detected?!? *vine boom*)

Your theories definitely left the strongest impressions on me. How do you all think like that?? (this goes to the rest of you, tsp theorists/analysts/meta. what are you all on??? damn. give me some.). Perhaps it’s a writer’s thing, maybe I’m just incompetent in this deep thinking kind of stuff.

My favourite was the nature connection theory. Absolutely ate that up. (definitely not because of my bias for plants and nature-related stuff, noooo-). You somehow connected the plants in the parable, creating these wonderful strings of text about what you saw in these plants, the implications, and then sharing those ideas to us. Give me your braincells, shina. Give me-

[Close your eyes.]

Anyway- I think you’re pretty neat :]

Have a nice day!

✨✨✨!!!!!307 ANON!!!✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

ᴬᵍᵃᶦⁿ since I was already writing a draft to respond to your previous ask. The fact you have this copy makes me hope you are saving these asks somewhere because I lost a lot of posts thanks to the great Tumblr editing system....

Happy (belated and too early at the same time hehe) anniversary 307 :] To your edits - PLEASE start writing drafts somewhere else oshsaoifas I don't want you to lose your versions again. You might say you are not a writer but you decide to write such beautiful comments and asks - value your words more :]

Anon. I have an exam this week so it will take my energy but DO KNOW YOU WILL GET BUCKET SEXYMEN SKETCH. I imagine you will see it in a few months but,,, I hope you will like it, just like you like my art in general.

I feel now in retrospect so silly I hadn't done this sooner!! While I sometimes don't have the energy to comment on other people's stuff in my own comments, I know how much joy being told your words could make someone happy :] And I love interacting like that!! Shared appreciation!!! That's why I adore Tumblr in general - it feels most organic in that ability to engage with others as a social media.

I'm glad you like the Paratober prompts! I am happy I mixed the prompts to try to get even more creative with them!! And feel free to put him in every box!! Some old art of Jester in a box:

(I gotta finally start uploading my old art I do have. There is so much...

FEEL FREE PLEASE TO LEAVE MORE COMMENTS EVEN A SILLY ONE BUT OUGHHH I am so proud of Unheard WIshes so thank you so much <333333 Glad you could enjoy

Just remember anon that I do not know your age and the rating for Filk is Mature so please respect the ratings :]]] Ao3 tagging system is there for a reason!! However I still keep on getting opinions that Filk seems to target 16+ demographic since it's more South Park style...But still, please respect it :]

Oh sure, you are so lazy *looks at your very detailed an amazing asks* so lazy. But WAH THIS IS LIKE??? A VERY RARE CANDLECURATOR APPRECIATION??? Like I know folks see Fernator and like him but to hear you like her means so much to me ;;;;;;

And hey - life gets busy :] The fact you wanted to come again, read my story and wrote this, rewrote even god knows how many times... I will always think fondly of you.

DUDE OUGH I need to return to theories, I have so many yet to share,,, you wanting one means a lot to me :} I worked hard on the Fernator theory post so I am glad to hear you could enjoy it! I might do a pool on what people could want hehe

[Closes my eyes and tries to close yours]

I think you are very neat, 307 anon. Thank you, for being you and I hope I will see you one day again. Every ask, I worry it's also a farewell. And then - you come back. I hope you are okay out there - I hope your life, even if so busy, gives you moments of happiness and calmness.

Have a lovely day, 307 :]

#307 anon #307 #anon #ask #i shake you #SO FUCKIGN HARD #I LOVE YOUR ASKS #I SAW YOUR FIRST ONE #AND LIKE #I HAD READ IT SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE WRITING A DRAFT I WANTED TO FINISH TODAY #AND THEN #I SEE ANOTHER ONE #AND WAS LIKE #'oh fuck. of course tumblr glitches out.' #but then I read it again #And I was like #'*gasp* the edit 4 is different...oh ma gawd this madlad' #I HOPE YOU WILL SEE THIS #IF NOT I WILL BE SO FRICKING SAD #AND THE BUCKET ART I AM WORKING ON IT BUT IT WILL TAKE A BIT TO FINISH #BUT WAHAHAH #WAAAAAAAAAAH #YOU ARE #SUCH A BLESSING #A SWEETHEART #I SHAKE YOU #I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE WORK YOU READ #I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY #SO FRICKING #AWESOME

[stuffems]

Sacred Wishes

There was a time, ages ago, before we had any need for the gifts of gods. Before the needs that we had would be solved by our own will. But those things always had a cost of some kind. Not every due was meant to be paid, really.

It began so small. The children of the village would wander to the edges of the wilderness and return with small shining stones. They did this more and more until one, who said he traded it for a loaf of bread, brought back a lump of solid gold. I was worried but I thought it was nothing more than their imaginations.

Many months later, this continued but was tempered by the wisdom of our eldest members, including myself, and thus it seemed to cease for now. That was until I found one of the children fighting with another over a wooden toy. I broke up the fight but one shouted that she’d ‘traded it fair and square’ for a pastry her mother had given her. I was puzzled and thought this all to be more than simple games of imagination.

One evening, I stood at the edge of the village as I washed my husband’s clothes to see if I could catch the children wandering out to ‘trade.’ A child made their way to the edge of the forest, a couple pastries in hand, and stopped by the bushes. I couldn’t hear what she’d said but when she held out the desserts, something with porcelain claws reached out and took the offerings. In return, she was given a small plush rabbit that looked newly made. She giggled and thanked whoever or whatever it was before scampering back to the village.

I knew in my heart that it wasn’t something to be worried about now. But the future had a strange way of proving me wrong.

It soon became people offering things to this ‘god.’ It would tell them that it would grant their wildest dreams if it was given something in return. At first it was harmless like food, clothes, or things we crafted. Then someone went missing. The only thing left was the person who must’ve made the wish. They had gold beyond compare and tried to order everyone about. It was so small at first but I knew this would get worse.

This new ‘leader’ commanded a sacrifice be made to the god in exchange for a harvest. Then another and another. I couldn’t take it anymore. They sent me as their sacrifice but I took a blade with me in secret. Whatever this was would not take me alive.

They brought me to the mouth of a cave and left me there, bound and at the mercy of what lay here. A creature emerged from the dark, gold eyes glittering like shards of moonlight as it rose higher. At first I thought it to look like a big given grander size but then it became like a man, a sly smile on its features. His skin was also like porcelain and glittered uneasily in the evening light. What it wore was strange but I didn’t question it.

“I apologize, my lady.” Using a claw the size of my torso, it easily cut my binds. “They must treat you so poorly. But he did make a wish and I suppose you are the offering.”

I remained quiet as he came closer. I couldn’t see where his torso ended, it simply went on and on into the infinite dark of the cave. With a gentler touch than I expected, it lifted me up to be level with a maw that split like a horrid snake’s jaw.

I saw my moment and took it.

With a clean cleave of my sword, I split its tongue, forcing the thing to drop me. Just as I managed to get back to my feet, it lunged at me in fury. There was so much going on I hardly realized the leap I made and how my sword found a space between its eyes. The male visage it had shattered while its body became dust.

Even though I knew it was dead for now, I dared not remove my sword. That was where it would stay buried for as long as time would pass.

[eeveearoace]

WOO BOY, i just finished the owl house, and MAN. i am feeling a lot of things, and i wanna talk about them (putting it under the cut just bc there's so much lol)

firstly, i know there's a danger in comparing shows to one another, but i'm honestly WAY happier about how toh ended in comparison to amphibia. i understand WHY amphibia ended the way it did, but honestly? i think it was kinda the wrong way - but that's probably just personal feelings, idk. but TOH?? overall, i really liked the finale. the idea that friends and family wouldn't be able to see each other again after everything they went through is just heartbreaking, and even though i love angst, sometimes it just doesn't work for canon.

"it'll be nice to see everyone again after all this time." "luz, you saw them last week." i had to pause the episode after that, because THANK FREAKING ARCUES. if luz got separated from them,,, UGH. SO glad they didn't take that route lol

one minor complaint i have about the episode is that the beginning made me feel like i was missing something, or had somehow skipped ahead, or was watching the wrong thing, or just. idk. i get why they did it, it definitely made the collector's game hit us as an audience harder, but since i didn't see it live, the beginning. just made me feel like i was missing something idk lol

and the episode did get a bit "power of friendship!"-y, but whatever. it wasn't too bad lol

but OH TITAN when the animation got SMOOTH??? i went a bit feral ngl (it!! was so good!!!!!!!!!!!)

also, i'm just. so glad that raine didn't die. i wish we got confirmation about raine and eda, but honestly, i'm just SO RELIEVED that one of the few nonbinary characters in media didn't die (and that the only nblw ship in media that i know can still sail!!)

"i'm sorry for everything" going feral going feRAL GOING FERAL (they knew what they were doing. they wanted to traumatize us. *velociraptor screech*)

TITAN. LUZ. that design was SO GOOD AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (also, HARPY LILITH?? HECK YEAHHHHHHHHH)

titan dad ;^; his nonbinary vibes,,,, ;^; i loaf you,,, ;0;

willow becoming a grudgby player just makes me so happy, but HUNTER CARVING PALISMANS??? SCREAMING SOBBING YES :,))))))))))))))

blue flapjack,,, pancake,,,,(?)

i'm really happy that with titan luz, her powers were still all sigil-based (i'm really glad that the show didn't cure her "disability", even if it would've only been temporary)

the collector learning and growing :> we love to see it

okay, so i know belos is evil and everything, BUT. okay that goopy cursed design kinda slapped super hard idk what to tell you-

also LETS GO RAINE the way they FOUGHT AGAINST THE POSSESSION?? heck yeah. nonbinary bards let's goooooooo

the way that luz just. is so done with belos. she's not falling for the "oh the curse made me evil" stuff. she's just like NOPE and honestly? we love her for that

"i'm sorry for everything" i already mentioned this. but i'm still reeling from it

flapjack tattoos ;^;

HOOTSIFER AND LILLYYYYYYYY ;0;

it's honestly really kinda cool that luz looses her connection to the sigils until king gets older (i mean, it sucks for her, but still) because sigil magic was ALWAYS connected to the titan, ie, king's dad - but it starts to return as king gets older (but it's still nowhere near as powerful yet, which makes sense)

there's probably stuff i'm forgetting tbh, but it was just. really good. and i'm so glad that raine didn't die and that luz can still go back and forth between the human and demon realms :,)

#kaivee rambles #toh #the owl house #owl house #toh spoilers #owl house spoilers #the owl house spoilers

[erin-bo-berin]

Yep Sigh-mon-says, I wouldn't be surprised if they were the account you came across cos it was the one I saw. Thought it was the same person as people had warned about, gave that vibe. At least we know to steer clear of anything coming from them. Wish people would just stop spreading crap like they are.

I'm also looking forward to seeing what Joe does next. All of his projects so far sound great and can't wait for us all to see them and be able to discuss them ^^ and Decide still has a grip on me like it does with many others, so will be good to hear what he does next in regards to his music too.

How's Hoppy doing after her vets visit Erin? Is she still in grumpy loaf mode? 🐇

I know he’s filming Cold Storage next and as if you couldn’t tell I’m so excited for that. 😅Honestly his character is so wholesome and cute and I will die on this hill! I’m already contemplating rereading the book just for the character he’s gonna play lol

She’s pouting a lot lol she usually doesn’t stay mad the rest of the day and is over it pretty quickly, but today was a bit more dramatic when it came to trying to catch her to get her in her carrier. This was her after she got home and she was shaking like a leaf she was so scared 😥

[nikitafiber]

Cats I have encountered over the course of this semester

As mentioned before, I am a known lurker. I am constantly looking out for cats, they are so cute and fun to watch. I see a lot outside of the Law Library and I am always so tempted to snatch one.

Anyways, I have organized them into categories so that there is there some structure.

These cats are the ones I have spotted on the main campus. There is a protected cat colony in the courtyard of Draper, so I know these cats are being taken care of and that they are safe.

This the cat colony information. They were caught, spayed/ neutered and then placed back onto campus and are given food, water, and beds.

I think I caught one mid-nap.

This one is drinking water.

Sleeping loaf.

Another perspective of the sleeping loaf.

I love when they sit with their tails wrapped around their paws. It amuses me.

These two look angry, but they were cuddling and it was very cute. I feel like it is important to note that I did not get too close to them, but used the zoom on my camera, so they appear closer than reality.

so cute.

I was walking to my apartment and this cat came up to me and stared at me for a bit, so I stared back. I took a picture as it was walking away to remember this experience.

Now, these are the cats that I have seen and took pictures of outside of the law library or in the parking lot of the law library:

I think this was the first cat that I saw around the library. He lurks. He also will be spotted again...

In the dead of night (not really, only like midnight) he lurks once again. What a guy.

Another one. There are many cats with this coloring that hang out outside of the library, but this one was so fun! We played for a bit. Here, cat is like in the pounce position, crouching down and lurking.

This lady is so beautiful. She is white with brown accents, she has brown ringed markings on her tail and blue eyes!!! This was the first time I saw her and she came up to me and stared at a safe distance. I saw her again another night as well and she approached me again (from a safe distance, but more so than any other cat). She seems to be less than a year old since she is quite small. I wish I snatched her.

Here she is again!

I think this cat is scared of me.

There are 3 cats in this picture.

Before Thanksgiving break, I saw this guy roaming around and he was so small, but he has grown quite a bit since!!

Ok this next one is a bit creepy, but I was dropping one of my friends off at his apartment complex and through his neighbor's window, I saw this cat.

Wow so cute right?? To be fair, this cat was staring at me first.

This is when I noticed there was ANOTHER cat lurking thru the blinds. SO CUTE.

I got too close, so the one sitting on the ledge went and joined the other cat. PLEASE this is the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life, they are BOTH lurking!! Their eyes are so cute.

This next category is the least creepiest/ weirdest. These were taken at friend's houses, so they are known cats.

Over Thanksgiving break, I went to a family friend's house and they had a full grown adult cat and a tiny baby kitten. This is the kitten, he was so cute and very fun to play with. The kitten was very energetic! My dad also loved the cat, which was fun to see. However, my mom was not convinced to let me get one of my own. I do have a plan for this however.

This is my friend's cat, "mr. bubbles", the name is misleading tho, as the cat is female. She is a very smart cat, she catches toys mid-air so fast, no matter where you throw them. She also has a great sense of object permanence, which is very impressive.

Clearly, I am very obsessed with cats. I think part of this is due to the fact that they act like real life cartoons, which is always a fun thing.

[chaletnz]

Lake Atitlan: San Pedro & Santiago

In San Pedro the tuk tuks were even crazier than elsewhere in Guatemala that I’d seen so far - or maybe there was more traffic and narrower streets so it just seemed like there were more close calls! This town was very dirty, with a huge amount of stray dogs running around in the streets, it also seemed to be interestingly targeted towards Israelis with a lot of signs and menus in Hebrew. My overall impression of San Pedro was that it's there for partying and/or doing a Spanish school! We didn't spend too much time here and moved on to our final stop around Lake Atitlan which was the village of Santiago. It’s home to 60,000 people, one of them being a friend of our guide Elena who would be showing us around. Her demeanour during the tour was disinterested and bored but her friend was great, I wished the entire tour could’ve been with him! Our next part of the tour was in tuk tuks so the French couple rode with Elena, and myself and Toyoda-san rode in the other. Our first stop was at a local home where some old Guatemalan ladies were selling their traditional garments, one of the ladies put on the Guatemalan headdress as featured on the back of one of the quetzales coins. We hopped back in the tuk tuk with the Star of David displayed proudly on the back and the name Bethlehem emblazoned on the front (all tuk tuks have a name on the front). The next destination was a visit to the shaman’s house to see how people worship in an ancient Mayan ceremony, though it seemed more like a chance to get money from tourists for the right to take a photo. None of us opted to pay for this ticket. Our guide also told us that the Mayan history is very important in this area of Guatemala, there are 22 different Mayan languages spoken around Lake Atitlan. Elena speaks one and her friend spoke two, of course both also speak Spanish as the lingua franca of the country as well as English for guiding. We returned to the Colonial church again to go inside and see how it's a mix of Christian portraits and Mayan motifs. We were then taken to an art gallery which had a running theme of painting local scenes from the view of a bird, or the opposite view like a loaf of bread at the market. Our final stop was atop a hill with a view out into the inner bay. Our group had lunch at Cafe Arte near the marina, our meals came out as we had ordered. I had a chicken burrito and a mocha latte which was decent considering it definitely was not a specialty coffeeshop! The four of us chatted over our lunch about our travels and backgrounds and plans for the rest of our trip after today. We sat in this restaurant waiting for Elena to eventually get the group together and take us back to the boat to ride back to Panajachel. Once we returned she rushed us back to the tour office but our transport was still half an hour away. She wanted to have us sit on the curb and wait for it but I insisted on being allowed to go browse the market stalls down the street. I took it upon myself to inform the others of the departure time for the bus and then headed off in search of a bracelet and a hoodie. I didn't find a suitable bracelet but I found a nice zip up jacket that I had been looking to get to have at work in the office. It was only 50 quetzales ($8) which was fantastic because the first stall where I saw a similar one was 150. I snapped it up and wore it on the long windy bus ride back to Antigua. Part way through the journey we seemed to turn a corner and the rain suddenly came lashing down for a while but then it was gone and dry by the time we were in Antigua. The driver dropped me right at the door so I could ditch my bag and then go for a walk around the city. I headed out to the market but it was closing so I picked up a big bottle of water and grabbed a quesadilla from Taco Bell before turning in for the night since tomorrow would be my one day in Antigua alone before joining the Intrepid Travel tour group in the evening.

#Guatemala #Lake Atitlan