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ewebie · 5 months

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Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged in this by @once-in-a-blue-moon-rising (whom it appears tumblr had unfollowed for me? thanks tumblr, that feature was neat).

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

853,773 -- I want to break a million in 2024!!!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Sherlock... One with a QueerEye cross over, one with a Bluestone42 cross over, one with a Spooks cross over.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Invocation of Saint Margaret - (15k words) a remix of Kipli's A Second Chance:

When Sherlock Holmes opens the matchbox from The Sign of Three and John finds himself years in the past, back to that first dinner at Angelo's with a much younger Sherlock Holmes. Is he dreaming?

Forces of Nature - (18k words) This is the hammock sex one...

Ok. I started this about 6 months ago, because Nicole asked for it (it is, in a way, a tumblr prompt, but it is way too long to be a short). I finally decided to finish it. So... I hope you enjoy it. Meanwhile, how is Sherlock so smoll? Sherlock watched as the man pushed himself out of the water and onto the floating dock constantly anchored in the middle of the lake. Oh. He was… He was quite tanned. Broad shoulders sloped into a narrow, muscular waist and tapered hips that disappeared into the navy swim trunks. Somehow the breadth of the shoulders made the thighs and legs that appeared out of the bottom of the trunks look delicate. Tanned in their own right and powerful, but oddly proportionate to the shorter stature the man seemed to possess. Sherlock watched the water run off of him, down his back, tracing a path along his spine and through the pleasing fossae lumbales laterales and lumbar lordosis into the waistband of the trunks. Sherlock swallowed. Shit.

Paranoia - (3k words) Based on a party game that I had never heard of

Based on the prompt: This is literally the best party game ever ok so here’s what you do: Everyone sits in a circle. Whoever goes first whispers a question to the person on their right. The person on the right must answer the question out loud. The trick is, no one else in the circle knows the question. Next, someone flips a flip-flop up in the air. If it lands face up: the asker must say the question out loud to the whole group. If the flip flop lands face down: the asker doesn’t say anything, and everyone in the group is left to wonder what in the world the question was. And you go around the circle like that. The best questions have the answers as people. We like to limit it just to people in the circle, too. It just makes it more fun. Here are some examples of good questions: * You have to cover someone in the circle completely in peanut butter and lick it all off. Who? * You and one other person must be surgically bound together for the rest of your life. Who is the other person? * You and someone in the circle go in a dark room for 1 hour and do unspeakable things. Who? ... the creepy sexual ones are the best, and it’s really fun when you limit it to people in the circle. have fun

That Is Rather Unlikely - (3k words) The one where Mycroft is high (and my FIRST Mystrade)...

So. Jam asked for this... And you all need to keep that in mind. Then again, the idea was so cute, and a bit cracky, and I couldn't resist... So consider this celebration for then end of a gorgeous Mystrade fic that I've been reading (go read Memoranda of Understanding - yes all 3 parts - by Mydwynter) “Funny story,” John bit out with a humorless laugh. “Isn’t it always.” He braced himself. This was going to be a doozy if John didn’t think it was funny. “But the punchline is: Not Sherlock.” Greg furrowed his brow. “What do you mean, ‘Not Sherlock’?” “Yeah, no. It’s the other one.” The grin on John’s face was carrying through the phone. “Other what?” Greg asked flatly. “Holmes.” “Goddammit,” Greg hissed. “What’s he done?”

On Favors and Keeping Score - (7k words) sickfic!

I love the idea of John taking care of Sherlock when he's sick. But John's a doctor and it walks such a fine line between work and actual affection. Plus, I'm a sucker for John whump. And (from experience) doctors are terrible patients. Then again... Who else thinks that Sherlock has that tiny bit of patience for the right patient? John woke up to the horribly unpleasant sound of his clock alarm. Which meant he’d slept through his phone’s alarm. And for a moment he glared blearily at the noisemaker before smacking at it with his palm. Ugh, he felt like rubbish. The back of his throat was burning with the irritation that heralded a proper dose, his nose was threatening to drip every few seconds, and he had the uncomfortable flush that normally suggested a fever. Nothing high, just uncomfortable. Nothing deadly, just irritating. Nothing worth calling in sick with, just a full day of discomfort in the face of other people’s discomfort. It was going to be a day where he was forced to bite his tongue from telling people off. “You’re not as sick as I am, so off you pop.”

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do! When I'm on a posting schedule for a multi-chapter fic, I tend to reply to the previous chapter comments just after I post the new chapter. When I finish something big, I tend to have to just sit in my feels before replying to the comments on a final chapter. Then I need to make myself go back and respond. Otherwise, I try to get to comments once a week or so.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Angstiest ENDING has to be Bait and Switch, which was written for Mystrade is Crime and I put big ol' pylons around it with caution tape as a NOT HEA. It's not the angstiest fic I've written, but definitely harshest ending.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Happiest is tricky to call, because I love a tasteful fade to black and rewarding and soft end for EARNING it. But soppiest is probably Fairytale of New Scotland Yard, in which I tried to fit as many Christmas tropes as humanly possible.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have... Nothing epic or meltdown worthy, and I have a great community of authors to whom I can turn. And I have to thank @atlinmerrick for giving me framework to think about them. I've had a few rude things in public bookmarks that I've chosen to ignore. But if someone is a dick in comments, they get deleted. Bye bye assholes.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do... Kind? um... M/M? Is that the question? I am a slut for tasteful fade to black... I don't tend to be very graphic when I do write the smutty parts?

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I do, I have, there are a few in my trello as well... Craziest one is probably the nonsense RPF/Sherlock crossover that involved a handful of IRL tumblr friends, the BBC3 intern (who was a cat), Kevin the intern (who existed in deep tumblr lore), and Sherlock characters in which it was a show but also not... The third one in the series was absolutely unhinged and crossed with another set of crackfics from another author and had sentient magenta ooze. So... yeah. It was wild. The series is The Glitter Gang Shenanigans. I'd say just read the 3rd one, but... it would make less sense if you haven't read the first two.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yeah... Stolen and posted in Russia... Huge headache. I think I got it taken down.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, but I don't really allow it anymore.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yep. And 3 of them are on AO3 (one of which is the first in the Glitter Gang series) - those 3 are all with Jamlockk

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

To write, it's Mystrade. I loved writing Johnlock stuff, but I feel like I... outgrew the drama? There's something so lovely and rewarding about two flawed characters with history and baggage and in their middle age coming together.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

There's a WIP I've referred to as "The Big Ebil" and it's really good... and really intense... but I was working on it when I was in a very specific state of mind, and I'm not sure I want to go back to that place... I add to it every now and then and it's all framed, but...

16. What are your writing strengths?

I like to make them EARN it. I like using a character's flaws lead to a logical conclusion that fucks up their plans. I have a very focused sense of flow with my sentences (and drives @paialovespie crazy some times) but I do think I have rhythm in what I do.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I think it's my obsession with final-draft before moving on. I can't zero draft to save my life. Even in a sprint, I'm backtracking to edit. It makes things slow going and sometimes over-wrought.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I have done. And I just finished an epic that has a metric crap tonne of French in it. It was almost foundational to the story, and I actually had 2 betas for the fic (one for the usual SPAG and one specifically to look at the French -- thank you Sky). Because there was so much French, I did hover-text translations rather than just having the translations in the end notes. I've had a few other fics with the odd one or two lines of non-English, but I use that infrequently.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

On AO3... Sherlock. On paper... X-Files.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Right now, I'm still super proud of finishing The Hayloft. It's very emotional, very soft, AU Mystrade. It was a true labour of love.

I think from a formatting and story design perspective, I See London; I See France, because it reads like an episode of QueerEye -- intersplicing commentary segments with action chapters -- and makes use of a dozen different character POVs/voices.

But all time favourite fic is an oft neglected fic from very early on in my AO3 writing. It's called All These Things That I've Done. (yes... back when I was using song lyrics for titles). It's 55k words. It is Angsty as all fuck. But it's pre-slash for Johnlock, Sherlock is only in the last chapter. It's functions as a backstory for John Watson that ends with S1E1 of Sherlock... so since it's not really a Johnlock fic, it doesn't show up in searches as often. I had originally started it as a response to a desperately underwhelming "John Watson" display done for Sherlocked Con (it was truly poor). And I love it. I reread it about once a year or when I need a good cry. The playlist for it (all the chapter titles are songs) is also just... angst. I had someone read it while listening to the appropriate songs and the live-blogging was basically sobbing. I really love how it turned out. So... if you love John Watson, read it.

Open tag... anyone who wants to do this, please do! (tag me back!)

#on writing #ewebie's fic #gpoy

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journarl-s · 5 years

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TVXQ Concert Circle - #with In Jakarta

“Definitely an unforgettable concert experience. The dazzling stage is just too much, the concert literally climb up into THE BEST concert i have ever been to. Everyone alive should at least attend one of their concert, and you’ll have no regrets left.” - me

“The energy, the performances, the stage, the visual, the lightnings, are just beyond words. Despite the small venue, TVXQ brings out their very best act like it was in stadium/dome. Their professionalism is what everyone should look up to.” - me

Some quoted words above are me acting out as critics but,

HOLY SHIT AFTER SO MANY YEARS THEY FINALLY CAME AND HELL YEAH THEY CLIMBED UP INTO THE BEST CONCERT I'VE EVER BEEN TO IN MY LIFE.

THE STAGE, THE ENERGY, THE PERFORMANCE, THE SOUND, THE LIGHTNINGS, THE VISUAL, HOLY SHIT THAT WAS THE VERY BEST.

They are all very true. Sounds a little bit exaggerating, but THAT IS THE TEA yeorobeun. ok sorry, pardon me.

So am gonna tell you guys about this amazing experience. i can actually say that my literacy is not that good especially in english but since i want to improve my english skill, here i am trying. So....

At first i kinda worried if TVXQ gonna cancelled the concert again like in the Philippine because the venue was small and only 1 section was sold out but the day is finally came!!!! ALHAMDULILLAH.

When i entered the venue, i was kinda sad because there were section that was not packed enough and had some space but what's on my mind that day was "i'm going to have fun, i'm going to see them in real life, i'm going to sing my heart out!" and turned out all the crowd think the same as mine? lmao because the energy we poured during every song was so loud maybe because there's a lot of people who has been waiting for 16 years also!! If i compared it to my Eyes On You experience, it's like, when i'm doing fanchant because of the sound and my own voice, i can't hear clearly if the fanchant was loud or not but in this concert, holy shit, i heard the fanchant so loudly!!!!!

I'm glad that everyone who attended the concert have memorable experience to bring back home and as encouragement to face the real life that's gonna happen in the next day (lmao it's for me).

As for the concert, i never expect that the setlist has that flow so the songs feel connected to each other somehow. It was also thanks to the VCR that contained of hotness, handsomeness, and funny videos.

Bounce, Something, and Top of The World became the opening act and seems like to hold a magician concept! And it was so much fun lmao i can honestly say that i don't really like Bounce before but when it was sung at the concert heeeeeeol it's so good!!

After that, Yunho and Changmin introduced themselves and i love the way they speak Bahasa lmao. Yunho was like "Sudah lama tidak bertemu. Apa kabar semuanya!!!" and Changmin was like "Saya kangen kalian semua" and did a yes pose (lmao he is so cute) as we answered yes though it's not a question, it's a statement lol.

After that was Truth and then Love Line, my favorites of their own separate albums ❤ and then Tonight. In my honest opinion, Tonight is a hard song to sing because it is full of high notes and truthfully the 5 were singing it with so much effort and then now it's only 2 who is singing it, my heart is weeping. I really appreciate the hard work that Yunho and Changmin put on singing this song, and it was not disappointing at all, it was beautiful. VERY BEAUTIFUL. I CAN'T. I love you guys, truly. Thank you for singing this song.

Now was the time for Yunho solo. He sang his newest single Follow, although i prefer City Lights he he The Chance of Love came after, holy shit, it was the remix version that they sing in MBC Gayo. Changmin's high note in "i will take you higher~~ i will take you HIGHEEEEEEER" is just too good, i am in awe. Sooner than Later came next. It was not expected that Sooner than Later would also became a performance full of hotness, though still can't beat Before U Go which was came after, but still.

AND THEN THE PEAK OF HOTNESS CAME (yes, it’s Before U Go!). MY HEART. OK THIS IS MADNESS MY HEART WAS LIKE "OMG OMG OMG ALLAHU AKBAR" because it was that deadly ass performance. You know what i mean if you know what kind of performance Before U Go is. Thank you again Yunho and Changmin that was brilliant. My life is now complete.

So, here am gonna spill my Before U Go fancam that was intended to be my private belongings but, if i don’t do this you guys will not get what i mean TT

The next was the ballad stage, TVXQ sang Lazybones and Mideoyo. When they started singing Lazybones, all the white lights turned on them and at that exact moment, me and everyone around me be like "MALAIKAT" which means "ANGEL" HAHAHA.

And finally, Changmin's solo Beautiful Stranger. Have been waiting for this because the song is just beautiful itself. My most favorite of Changmin's solo and the 2nd is In a Different Life. Changmin's kind of solo is really put me to lay back for awhile.

After that is Vertigo and Mirotic. MIROTIC IS THAT PERFORMANCE WHEN I LITERALLY PUT MY LUNGS OUT TO DO THE FANCHANT. IT WAS CRAZY. MIROTIC WAS CRAZY.

Hug and Balloons came next! Hug was kinda beat up not like the original one. Looking at Changmin and Yunho singing this song really reminisce the old one and they both look very different (lmao ofcourse!). Balloons was so fun!! We jumped a lot and literally shout so loudly "JIIINAGABORIIII" lol anyway they showed up with a boyfriend look and huhu they're so handsome TT after that is Dream, still with the boyfriend look.

In the bridge of Balloons, Changmin was like pointed to our side and Yunho was like saying something in korean and told us to sing "La~ La La La La~" and then after our turn, Changmin was like "Kiri~" means it's the left side turn to sing and then he said "Semuaa" which means "All" and then Yunho followed along saying "Semua semua semua!!" And then he said "Sekali lagi!! (Once more!)" Lol why are they so cute 😭

After the kind of cute, fun and lay back jumping stage, it’s suddenly turned into MAXIMUM-KYHD-RISING SUN stage. IF MIROTIC WAS CRAZY THAN THIS PART OF THE CONCERT WAS CRAZIER!!!! IT IS THAT CLIMAX HOLY SHITTTT and what made me upset was, in the middle of Keep Your Head Down, my phone's storage was suddenly full FAAAAAAAAAKKKKK fortunately my external storage was still empty, thankfully i have still got the full footage of Maximum and Rising Sun and half of footage of Keep Your Head Down. Thank God! but still TT

After that was Morning Sun, Yunho and Changmin threw balls to the audience. And waw Changmin's throw was really far i'm impressed.

The last but not least, Circle. The song that really fits for an ending of a concert when i first listened to it. The melody, the rhythm, the tunes, all of them, i love it. HUHU and finally i can hear it live TT

At the ending ment, it felt sentimental as in Yunho and Changmin actually keep repeating the “16 years” and keep saying thank you as if they were kind of regret to hold their first concert here just now, while they should’ve hold concert here sooner, like YES YOU SHOULD HAVE COME SOONER! nonetheless, the important thing is they held their solo concert here finally, it’s always better to be late than never. So, THANK YOU VERY MUCH for including Indonesia in your tour!!!! and i won’t forget your promise to come back here again and will definitely come to watch you guys again!

I felt very satisfied after the concert, despite the waiting-outside-the-venue thing that got your ass burned and skin got tanned (lol), the concert was that magical i came home weeping lol. I know that TVXQ consists of main vocal of their separate trainee groups but i really think that the recording tape of CD or DVD did them injustice! Their vocals are SO much better than the CD! While other groups sound the same as the CD, TVXQ are much greater. I think the CDs can't contain the greatness of TVXQ's voices.

It's been more than a month and i still can't get over the concert, instead, i love them more than ever! To think that i'd jump to this blackhole again lol....

#tvxq #dbsk #tohoshinki #yunho #jung yunho #uknow yunho #changmin #shim changmin #choikang changmin #uknow #max #concert #kpop #experience #daebak

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sohaveyoubeento-blog · 5 years

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V is for Vietnamese & Vintage

Us three ladies had always played it pretty safe by way of our lunch dates. Not to say the local deli isn't absolutely kick ass - it's very tasty and very enjoyable every time we go, but in much the same way as I struggle to go to the same country more than once on my holidays (excluding India, you can never have enough India) I couldn't help but think that life's a bit too short to sit in the same eatery every time we meet for lunch, given that the whole day is ours, and within reason, travel is no issue.

The three of us decided that we would try different cuisines every week, and with the girls (Laura and Dani) living in the quieter, leafier suburbs of Otley and Burley in Wharfedale, with me (Alex) living in what I frequently describe as the bronx, 5 minutes from central Leeds but gloriously populated by some of the best food joints in the country (confirmed) they usually end up meeting at mine and then we go into town to try somewhere a bit off the beaten track. Invariably, being three mums of young children, we eat at the speed of rabid dogs and end up having a bit of time to go explore some local weird shop or two, never anything mainstream like a department store. Oh no. We like vintage shops. You know the type, they smell like damp and the inside of your nan's wardrobe, and we prance around pretending to overlook the fact that we are just in a well laid out, slightly more selective charity shop without the undertone of giving. Usually there's some blue haired student with a headscarf and a faint stench of Bobby Orange pawing through piles of shirts and jumpers that are deemed as retro, when they've actually some of them originated in C&A - we remember that place the first time round,depressingly. The whole vintage scene is a bit ironic and try hard and a bit sad at times, but the one thing that it does offer is the piece you are often looking at, generally is one of one only in the store. The same goes for charity shops, generally. We like stuff that can't be bought in bulk.

Dani owns Deluxe Blooms, and is a luxury faux florist, and very good at it too. Laura is a nail technician and spray tanning afficionado, and the owner of Maibella Nails and Tanning. I own a salon called Lexa Hair, and the three of us work together frequently. The ridiculous thing is though, that work is going really well for us, and while in the past we may have dug around in charity shops for a bargain simply to be economical, now it has begun more of a habit. And you know what they say, old habits die hard. We don't have to eat streetfood on picnic tables anymore, and we can shop anywhere we want, but at least just for me, I don't like extravagance and I'm not impressed by labels or price tags. I like pieces that are unique,with a story behind them. My two accomplices sort of get dragged in to it I think, but they seem on board with most of it. I hope.

And street food is the best food on earth, everyone knows that.

We kicked things off with a visit to a fairly new (maybe a year old I think) Vietnamese place on North Lane in Headingley named VietBaker. Inside it's very wooden looking, quite industrial and urban, stained wood everywhere and dark red leather chairs. It smells like the rice cooker that's chugging away in the corner, mixed with plenty of garlic and of course, the fresh baguettes that are stacked up in a glass cabinet above the front desk.

We opted for a sharing platter for £9, and from the menu us Yorkshire ruffians requested spring rolls (the deep fried ones, not the fresh, healthy ones obviously), prawn toast, and 'rustic chips'.

This was skin on chips with salt and pepper (well cooked and so tasty) and the prawn toast was understandably made of baguette slices. It made for a much heavier slab of prawn toast and therefore an even more unhealthy treat but man alive, was it good. The spring rolls were pork, prawn and the usual crispy vegetables inside. Not floppy or soggy, totally crispy and served with a really light and watery sweet chilli dip that's more sweet than chilli. It was all very lovely.

I've personally eaten from here a number of times and I think the Vietnamese have got it absolutely nailed when they make sandwich. Or a Ban Mih. Laura and I opted for one each, chicken for her and pork for me. Dani went for something off the new part of the menu, the fusion section, which even featured a take on beef bourgignon, Vietnamese style. She tried the Shanghai pork belly, served with rice. Her whole bowl was piled high, and we're not talking a polite, peanuts size bowl. More like a ‘free ceramic crunchy nut cereal box’ bowl, with the with tokens on the back of the pack, that you’d send off as a kid. It was huge. The second bowl was just plain rice, which worked really well as the pork alone was…. alot. It was sticky and tangy and rich and all those other wanky words that just mean amazing. I'm trying so hard to limit the wankiness. I like writing and eating, combining the two is hard work though. Bear with me. The slow cooked pork made me feel a bit gutted I went for a sandwich until I got stuck in.

Vietnam was a former French colony, and much like their neighbour Cambodia, found their local best offerings being bastardised to accomodate the 'local palate'. The nice version is that the baguette was the French's gift to the Vietnamese, although I imagine it was more a case of 'put your lovely meal in my baguette for me or you're in deep shit.'

I've never been to Vietnam but having visited Cambodge a few summers back, I remember being astounded at the gorgeous, light, dairy free Asian cuisine that had been shoved in a crusty, warm baguette. Whoever's story was true, it's the absolute bollocks.

They cut this freshly baked baguette open and spread it with patè on one side and on the other mayonnaise (already weird but hang in there) - add a ton of crispy green leaves, cucumber, pickles, coriander and fresh chilies, and add some meat into what little room is left. Enough meat to give you meat sweats. It. Is. Superb.

The pork was very finely sliced, dark and sticky again (here she goes) and you can bang on a fried egg, too, if you're an absolute wrong un. No thanks.

Laura had the chicken which was a milder flavour but none the less tasty and flavoursome. I noticed Laura pulling bits off her sandwich and delicately chewing away at them, while I picked it up and ate it like I'd been sleeping in the dark arches for the last month. I even had to be asked to wipe my face. Sorry, not sorry. No messing with a Ban Mih. Especially not this one.

The bill was a very respectable £11 a head, and they threw in a free set of spring rolls for us, which was a nice unexpected surprise. The place had a steady flow of traffic, and although wasn't packed, I've been on an evening and I think it's safe to assume that's the bulk of their trade. It was fantastic food, very reasonable and highly recommended. Great staff and great location. We'll be back!

Afterwards we drove for about 3 days to find a parking spot anywhere near Hyde Park, so we could check out the newly (ish) renovated (OK sign replaced and possibly ownership changed) Vintage something or other in Hyde Park.

I forget the name, and if I'm brutally honest I can see why. It's alright, but it used to be alot better. The last time I went in there was alot of very old apothecary style wooden drawer units, some weird taxidermy, and unusual pictures in frames that would look incredible in the lounge. This time there was quite a bit of formica, and some hideously orange stained TV units that I guess in some context would be deemed as cool again.

The music collection seemed to be where the most effort had been made. The clothing was actually quite 'quirky' in the sense that you wouldn't actually wear alot of it, there was a whole department that seemed to have been handed over by the owner of the late knob head Jimmy Saville, shell suit after shell suit in every colour of the rainbow, in that non breathable fabric you'd get a two man tent in. Hideous. Still, there are some absolute finds in there. I would encourage people to bear in mind that these shops have a high stock turnaround and in their uniqueness, and ability to replace items based on sales, any vintage shop can be a complete bag of shite one week and a total gold mine the next. Its the luck of the drawer, I love that about them. That and the fact that we call them vintage shops. The three of us refer to them as shit shops, but potato patato.

I find it depressing that as I mentioned before, alot of the 'retro' stuff is just normal stuff we, in our 30s, encountered in our youth. There was a 'vintage phone' that was £15 and I'm pretty sure my gran has it now. It's literally a BT £10 phone still in argos, but clearly it had lived with a heavy smoker, adding to the aged facade.

Some of it was very authentic, some of it was broken crap, but the general feel of the place is a good one. There is more 70s stuff than anything else which is quite cool, but like I say, stock changes very frequently. Dani bought an oversized T shirt with a University football team logo emblazoned across it, and to be honest I would have too. There was a vast array of university related large varsity based sweaters, some unnecessarily cut in half width ways (why?!!!! Serves no purpose now, you fools) and that's the kind of thing I would have liked to look at. But as I was in charge of a one year old who was bombing around the floor, doubling as a human sweeping brush and coming back with more dust on him than the inside of the V6 after the attic stairs have been tackled, I gave it up as a bad job and put my bank card back away. No spending for mum today. Gutted.

The shop is pretty fabulous, on the whole. They do know how to charge when it comes to furniture, but the clothing is far more reasonable. It's not all one off pieces, a couple of items make an appearance a few times and that kind of ruins it for me, I start picturing some huge factory in China making hideously outdated clothing and leaving them in a damp garage for a few years, chucking a bit of tea down them and wearing the cuffs and collars down, before exporting the newly knackered pieces to us dumbasses in our 'quirky vintage shops'. Who knows. It's well laid out, and pretty cool, and although not my favourite, I imagine the next time I go it'll be a whole different experience. Swings and roundabouts with these places. It was an interesting look, and if Parker hadn't been doing his best ferret impression I would have definitely bought a jumper. Well worth a look.

Until next week!

Laura, Dani and Alex X

VietBaker, Headingley

https://www.thevietbaker.co.uk

Vintage Boutique, Hyde Park

https://vintageboutique.com

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alj4890 · 5 years

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A Little Romance Couldn't Hurt

(Maxwell x Amanda) as requested by @krsnlove with the below prompt. Taken from The Other Friend Series.

Brought in some of The Red Carpet gang for a few scenes 😉

A/N this started out as a fluffy Friday story, but became too long and complicated. But a promise is a promise, so here it is. Everything, except the rocks and famous people, have happened to me on various vacations with friends or my husband, LOL. Always make sure to travel with someone who can make you laugh. And bring pain pills.

"Whoohoo!" Maxwell exclaimed as he walked out on the balcony. Carmel was absolutely beautiful. He and Amanda had left their little girls with Liam and Riley and had come for two weeks of fun in the sun and a few meetings with Thomas Hunt. Maxwell had plans though that involved some special alone time without a six year old and her three year old sister running about.

He rubbed his hands in anticipation. This was just what they needed. He returned to the suite and grinned when he saw Amanda on the phone. She had already called before they took off, while somewhere over Kentucky, and when they landed. She looked up at him. "Here's your daddy. Love you angels!"

Maxwell talked for a few minutes and told the girls he loved them. He tossed the phone aside and tackled Amanda on the bed. She giggled as he propped himself up on his elbows. His expression was filled with mock surprise. "Sorry, I tripped." She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him down for a kiss.

They were interrupted from exploring this long forgotten freedom by the phone ringing. It was Thomas. He had arrived early and was waiting down in the lobby. "We will be right down." Amanda said while Maxwell shook his head, no. "See you soon."

He groaned and pulled her closer. "Wouldn't you rather stay here for a romantic beginning to our getaway?" He kissed along her jawline to her lips. He rolled over, causing her to laugh into the kiss.

"Yes, I would. That's why I'm going down there now so that I can hurry back up here and be alone with you." She moved her lips down his neck as she talked. "Let's go." She pushed off and grabbed his hand. He groaned and got up. "How did I end up with someone so cruel?"

The lobby was teaming with people. Luggage was moving at an alarming speed by the staff trying to get everyone situated. Maxwell saw a luggage cart barreling toward Amanda and shoved her out of the way. He was knocked down and bags landed on his back. His cry of pain echoed around the room.

"Maxwell!" Amanda began to try and pull the bags off of him but they were unusually heavy. Thomas ran over and tried to assist her. "Are there bricks in these bags?" He growled as he lifted.

"Actually, it's rocks." They turned to see a nervous looking man. "I'm a geologist and I brought some samples to share at UCLA."

"Well don't just stand there! Help us!" Thomas yelled. They soon had Maxwell unearthed and he moaned in pain. "My back." He stayed still trying not to tense up. The manager ran over, apologizing while yelling for a doctor to be called.

A few hours later, Maxwell was lying in bed feeling the effects of the muscle relaxer. Amanda had been alternating between heat and ice, while grimacing at the darkening bruises. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to a spot that had no mark.

He had a loopy smile on his face. "That felt nice." He said in a slightly slurred voice. Amanda gently ran her hand down his back. He would have a few days of swelling and spasms. So much for their romantic beginning.

Five days later, a rather grumpy Maxwell watched his wife get ready to go down to the beach. Apparently, Ryan Summers had invited a bunch of the friends she had made her first time here for a little fun in the sun. There was no way he was letting her go without him.

"You sure you feel up to it?" She asked for the fifth time. "I won't stay long if you want to lay back down."

"I'm fine." He bit out.

Amanda paused and looked at him. "You don't sound fine."

"I'm fine." He stressed again.

"Ah yes, the positivity just oozes from you." She teased.

His lips quirked and he couldn't help laughing at how ridiculous this trip had been so far. “I am gonna be so positive today! Positive or DEATH TO ALL!”

"Took a bit of a dark turn there at the end." She said, slipping her hand in his as they walked out.

"Well, you would worry about me if I was suddenly sunshine and rainbows after the last couple of days." He stepped out onto the warm sand and gazed out at the deep blue water. This was what he needed. He smiled down at Amanda as she wrapped her arms around him. Well, he needed something else too, but this was a good start.

They heard their names called out and turned to see a group waving at them. A petite blonde came running at full speed and hugged Amanda, squealing with delight. "Addison! It has been too long."

"I know! I've missed you guys like crazy." She grabbed Maxwell and hugged him.

"Careful!" Maxwell exclaimed when she squeezed hard.

"Sorry! Thomas told me what happened." She grabbed both their hands and pulled them along. They spent the afternoon enjoying the time with everyone. Maxwell relaxed back in his beach chair and was even found smiling most of the time.

His eyes rested on Amanda often. Addison and Holly had talked her and Thomas into playing badminton. During the hilariously bad plays, he noticed Amanda was looking a little red. He called out to her and rummaged around in her beach bag. "Uh oh."

"What's wrong." She asked as she sat down beside him.

"You look a little red. And we have no sun block." His eyes widened when he got a closer look at her. "Umm. We might need to get you inside."

"What? Why?" She asked. He pointed at her shoulders. Not only were they red, they had begun to blister. "What did you put on?" He asked.

"It was some kind of weird stuff Addison had. She said she used it all the time at the beach and that I had to give it a try." They yelled out to her.

"What's up? Holy crap! Your shoulders! Wait...which stuff did you put on?" Addison asked. "Did it smell like lemons or coconut?"

"Coconut. Why?" Amanda began to feel alarmed.

"Yeah... that's my super secret dark tanning lotion. I barely stay out for an hour when I have that on." Addison seemed worried.

"I've been out here for over three hours with it!" Amanda exclaimed. Now that it had been pointed out, she could feel the burn.

Maxwell stood up and they said their goodbyes. When they got back to the room and she removed her top, they both stared in horror. "I look like an overcooked lobster." She whispered.

"Yes you do. Did I mention that I love lobsters?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her causing her to giggle. She sobered the longer she looked at the crisp carcass that once was her body.

She teared up as she looked at her shoulders. For some weird reason they were the only blistered part. Everywhere else was red. Her cheeks and forehead were bright red and her nose...good grief. Through the tears of pain, she started laughing. "Who knew my love of all things coconut would lead to my downfall? I thought their shells were the only thing to cause bodily harm."

Maxwell started laughing and grabbed his back. "Ow! Don't make me laugh so hard." This caused them both to laugh harder. Amanda gingerly laid down on the top of the cover, cringing as her raw skin touched the comforter. He groaned as he stretched out beside her. "So..." He began, a teasing glint in his eyes. "This has got to be our most romantic getaway ever."

Amanda laughed. "I would kiss you but I think my lips were singed off by the sun."

"I would lean over and kiss you back, but I would never be able to move again." Maxwell said. He glanced at her and grimaced. "I can literally feel the heat of your burns way over here."

Amanda nodded. "I'm freezing but I'm pretty sure I would pass out from the pain if I pulled a blanket over me." She thought a minute and grabbed a blanket. It hurt like crap but she was still conscious. "Didn't work."

Maxwell slowly moved closer to her. She eyed him warily, afriad he would bump into her. He stopped about six inches away and collapsed. "Okay...by my math, if we can miraculously heal in two days, we will have at least one whole week to ourselves." He turned his head to look at his badly burned wife.

She met his eyes and began to laugh. "In case it was burned off, I was raising my eyebrow in disbelief." He snorted and the bed shook as they continued to tease each other until they fell asleep.

The next morning, Amanda opened her eyes and tried to get up. Her burned skin was tight and she hobbled around slightly bent. She looked in the mirror and realized she looked worse than before. Her shoulders had literally been basted with coconut substances and cooked for hours. The blisters ran deep around where her straps had been. MaxwelI heard her moan in agony as she tried the shower. She got out and ran the tub faucet and slowly sat down.

He tried to get up but his back had spasmed. "Babe. You okay?" He called out.

"Not sure. Think so. You?" She replied.

"I can't get up at the moment. Know that I would have checked on you if I could." He moaned and rolled over on his stomach.

"That's why I love you. I would come check on you but I barely got in the tub. This might be my new residence. Be sure to bring the kids by for holidays." Amanda tried to lean back and sucked in a painful breath.

After a little while she was able to get out of the tub. She tried to gently pat dry her messed up skin. Maxwell finally got up and walked in the bathroom. He averted his eyes. Her burns hurt just looking at them.

"I saw that. I know I look disgusting." She mumbled as she tried to put a t-shirt on. She gasped and breathed hard through the pain.

Maxwell shook his head. "You know I don't think that. It hurts me seeing you like that." He looked at her and frowned. "There is nowhere to kiss you that won't hurt."

Amanda reached for the boxers she stole from him. And slipped them on slowly. "That's better." She shuffled out and tried to sit down on the couch. "Nope." She got back into bed. The comforter was softer. Maxwell ran a shower and sighed as the hot water hit his sore spots.

He got dressed in pj bottoms and a shirt. He smiled and stretched out next to her. "You know...I had planned on the two of us spending most of the trip here. This wasn't what I had in mind."

Amanda laughed and barely kissed him. Her lips were raw but she couldn't resist.

And so it went for the following days. Finally, Maxwell's back stopped hurting. Amanda's burns, save for the very top of her shoulders, had healed. They decided to celebrate with a romantic night out.

Maxwell was tying his tie when Amanda stepped out in a little black dress and did a slow twirl. He let out a low whistle. "If I did not want to show you off so much, I would suggest we stay here." He ran his hands down her back as he kissed her.

She looped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He smiled, planning in his mind how the evening would go. It was going to be a night to remember.

2 hours later.

"Why does this place hate us so much?!" Amanda cried out. She heaved over the toilet. Maxwell was in the other bathroom heaving over his own. "I don't know. But I want to go home." He sighed and collapsed on the floor. Food poisoning. At a five star restaurant. Why?

After he knew nothing else would come up, he crawled out to check to see if he was a widower. It was too quiet in the other bathroom. He stuck his head in and saw her laying in the floor. Her chest was slowly moving up and down so he didn't have to worry. He crawled next to her and laid down.

"If it's cool with you, I'm going to die. You are such a great father that you and the girls will be fine." She whispered.

"You can't. I'm dying right now. One of us has to stay for the kids. They need you more. You're the perfect mom. Plus I think I just died during that last sentence."

Amanda rolled over slowly. She took his hand. "I'm going with you. The girls have all those godparents. It's safe for us both to die."

2 days later.

They finished packing what they could, ready to leave whatever level of hell they had stumbled into. Their jet was being made ready for the earliest possible departure. Maxwell glanced around at the room that had been a prison, hospital room, and a torture chamber. He opened the door to step out on the balcony when Amanda jumped in front of him.

"Are you crazy?! You step out there and either an anvil will fall on you or some giant bird knocks you off the balcony." She pushed him away and went to shut the door when a bat flew in.

They screamed and ran out of the room.

1 hour later

Their private jet seemed the best place to wait for the next 10 hours. They placed their bags down and reclined in their seats. Amanda opened her eyes and looked at the only man she knew who could make her laugh so much during so many crazy, rather painful situations. She gently touched his cheek. He opened his eyes and grinned. He kissed the hand against his cheek.

"I love you so very much." She whispered.

"I love you so very much too." He whispered back. He tucked a blanket around the two of them and pulled her close. He let out a contented sigh and went to sleep.

#choices trr #the royal romance #trr maxwell #vacations gone bad

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dragonandowl · 6 years

Text

High while up high.

my inner monologue is going strong and I've been lamenting my lack of journal to reflect in for at least an hour so here I go finally giving in to an e note or whatever this is called.

Again, I've been deep in inner monologue, the high allowing me to feel things fully , in this moment , and wow - I'm having some major ...i guess you could say awakenings because I sort of feel woke.

being in this place of travel has got me travelling back in time, to other periods where I was travelling and what my mindset was, what I thought about the world. i gan literally ask what was i thinking and then go look it up because of how many journals i used to keep. I would give deep into the now, though many times It was actually a deep in to a reflection of the past. not like what I'm doing right now, but my journaling foe much of my early life wad just a summary of the days before . it was a councious shift not till maybe last year of highschool or mayve not even till my final year did I just journal straight from the heart , to figure out my emotions.to talk as I am talking to this phone through my fingers - talking out loud to figure out but also just to...make evident that you're having these thoughts.... so that they might be helpful for later when future you asks "what was i thinking"??

I'm thinking right now about how I feel like I am woken up from a little-thinking mode - one where I'm to busy to think , when I just do the task ijnfreont of me and think about that one thing quite fully because those things consume a lot of thought. I'm not leaving any time for reflection in between. so now upon reflection it feels quite strange. I feel for instance that my relationship with Shaina is unhealthy. I feel like. well I for one feel like this is hard to write with her right beside me - I feel even more dirty and guilty for these thoughts ! my shoulders are all tensed, the thought of her grabbing my phone right now and breaking her heart. but I do feel at this moment like I'm travelling with a 14 year old American and I'm just questioning - do I want to stay In this state ? Is this why I am making myself so busy ?or have i always been. could I go back to ignoring these thoughts or are they substantial ? is this chapter of my book ending soon or is it just a paragraph. I want to be challenged and to think deep and to be kind and to be immersed in something that is not priceless but I also realize this relationship has made me feel too comfortable and even fearful of the world.

it might however be very unfare to assign blame to my relationship and not instead on my age and also the state of the world. I had so much less anxiety when I was younger - just a rage and desire to experience the uniqueness of this world. these different circles of social norms , foods, smells, economies, levels of accepted physical touch. we had a lyft driver over here , Diego was his name. he ended up being the most eye opening guy honestly, I'm sitting here quesrioningn if I could be as brave as I was at 18 if I went to India now, or if I would cower at the challenges that poverty forces on people. or maybe I was just so naive before and didn't really think about India in the context of poverty ? instead just of color and culture and beautiful differences ?

and wasn't this my perspective before, that people get by on very little money but often , as long as they have some connection to the natural world and a community and culture , the money is not very missed. there are enough other things to keep ones mind occupied. people with no house no car savings account no any account no laptop no Wi-Fi no sneakers no no make up no coffee shops no tv no blue tooth speakers no dog parks no air conditioned cinema no draft beers ... they do alright. maybe they are even more free to think their thoughts and be wise than those living like Americans , distracted by all the above.

and I am not challenged enough, with all my luxuries and a partner who tells my my privelidge , my fortune , is normal and even under rated comparatively.

Diego the Lyft driver was from argentina. at first he thought I was saying that if experienced pretty much argentina because i said I had lived in Chiapas Mexico but I clarified that no I was trying to how It seemed liked you could tell who all the Argentinians were because they had a certain unique look , style , and attitude and he totally agreed. well they have a different accept too but yeah many traveling Argentinians had this hippy look. he even described it to me - skinny, long hair, tanned girls but who look like they are light skinned and then get tanned. I suppose true Argentinians didn't mix a lot with the indigenous people, which I am just now realizing and want to note to look up for later

Damon talked a lot about different experiences he had with living in other locations like when he worked in India. but he also brought up a thought that has since terrified me and made me anxious this whole flight - so many people are just very stupid. especially Americans - just so distracted by all the above I mentioned. and I here I am travelling the world and people are just so unpredictable. and our world is becoming so corrupt it seems... can we really just go on like we are doing , trusting the good will of others around us? this is what I want to do. how I mostly lived my life before. maybe it is just anxiety that comes with age , maybe it's in our blood, or maybe I'm just in a bad state, but this is really how i feel - that I want to slow down move less and retreat to a safe place. to know my connection to my physical environment - the natural trees dirt and earth.

he was training to be a comedian he said nearing the end of the drive. he had actually been practicing his timing on us , waiting for the build up and the right time to give us the 1 - 2 punch.

I'm starting to think about work and how I need to review Tania's steel framing order so my edible thc must be wearing off. I'm pretty relieved that I won't be high for the arrivale and the wall through the airport - it was pretty difficult navigating the departure desk , security and boarding in this state. but I don't regret that i did this. I don't think. I needed this. I think ...i don't know truth me told about my strategy for handing my now conscious thoughts.

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