#china building pictures
Text
21 crazy buildings in China
New Post has been published on https://china-underground.com/2012/11/20/21-crazy-buildings-in-china/
21 crazy buildings in China
Chinese website 163.com compiled a gallery of the 21 craziest buildings built in recent decades in China.
In recent years, cities’ urban development become a hot topic because these constructions are related to a large amount of money. Many times, mainly because constructors and local authorities distinguish these buildings from classic skyscrapers, they present whimsical shapes, which also lead to an increase in construction costs.
In this gallery, there are public buildings, Chinese private companies buildings, and also copycats of famous western architectural designs.
The weirdest buildings in China
Shenyang Finance and Trade Development Zone, and in particular the building of Fangyuan Mansion. This building with a cylindrical shape was designed like a coin because the owners work with money. On 10th January 2012, CNN classified the structure in the top ten of the ugliest buildings in the world. The building was designed by renowned Taiwanese architect CY Lee designer of the Taipei 101 Tower. CNN reported that Fangyuan Mansion tries to merge Eastern and Western styles, but this merger has not a harmonious appearance.
Cuiping Wuliangye, Yibin city, Sichuan Province, a company’s factory that produces liquor has a building shaped like a bottle.
Yiling, District of Yichang City, in Hubei Province, the offices of a local group is located in a building shaped like a bottle.
On 15 December 2009, in Hebei, Yanjiao, was opened the most shocking hotel: the Hotel of the Emperor, with the appearance of three gods. The structure of 41.6 meters in height has been designed in 2001. The hotel is classified as “the largest pictographic building” and therefore entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the best project, the largest in the world which is both a sculpture and a building.
Many Chinese Internet users have expressed their disapproval of “the East Gateway of Suzhou” structure still under construction.
The list included also Taihu Pearl – China Huzhou Sheraton Haikou Resort.
Exterior design of the building Linda Hai Square with the shape of fish wasn’t appreciated; located on Dongsi ring.
Sanya, Hainan Island. “Phoenix Island Real Estate” sells apartments t an average price of 90,000 RMB per square meter.
Nanjing, Yuhua. The government building is similar to the Capitol in Washington DC.
A Wenling People’s Court Building is similar to the White House.
The second ring road east of Changsha, Hunan Province, the customs office resembles the U.S. Capitol.
In Fujian, Fuqing was built in Lin Yi Park an “Eiffel Tower” tower renamed Tiancheng.
In Jiangsu province, Funing County, Seongnam, in the park White Swan has created a cottage reminiscent of Sydney Opera House Swan Harbor.
Shandong Rizhao water tower is called “Sail of the Century”.
Chongqing, Guotai Art Center, Center of Bashu Culture Art, which will be completed later this year. CFP
Henan province, Yichuan, netizens have reported that the project of the north gate of the city looks like a belt.
Beijing Olympic Park watchtower, still under construction, consists of five independent towers with different heights: the main tower reaches a height of 244.35 meters. Many have compared the structure of five big “pins.”
Located in the south-east of Beijing, on the fourth road ring, Zhuoen Sen Oriental.
Chongqing
Again in Chongqing. Netizens think that a recent construction project look-alike a zip pullover.
Fushun Shen Fu New Town “Circle of Life” is the new panoramic structure, with a diameter of 157 meters, 50 floors, with installed 12,000 LED lights, 3,000 tons of steel, cost a billion dollars. The project on the web has gained a first place among buildings more ridiculous. The local government has responded that this project will make it a distinctive architectural landscape.
backlink > inhabitat , acidcow , izismile , netasite.net (Japan)
Via EDIFICI STRANI
#ArchitectureInChina, #Beijing, #BeijingOlympicParkWatchtower, #ChinaBuildingPictures, #CrazyBuildingDesigns, #CrazyBuildings, #CuipingWuliangye, #CYLee, #EastGatewayOfSuzhou, #FangyuanMansion, #FushunShenFuNewTown, #Hainan, #Hubei, #Images, #LindaHaiSquare, #PhoenixIslandRealEstate, #SailOfTheCentury, #Sanya, #ShenfuNewTown, #Shenyang, #Suzhou, #Yanjiao, #Yibin, #YichangPeninsula, #Yiling
#architecture in china#beijing#Beijing Olympic Park watchtower#china building pictures#crazy building designs#crazy buildings#Cuiping Wuliangye#CY Lee#East Gateway of Suzhou#Fangyuan Mansion#Fushun Shen Fu New Town#hainan#hubei#images#Linda Hai Square#Phoenix Island Real Estate#Sail of the Century#sanya#shenfu new town#shenyang#suzhou#Yanjiao#yibin#yichang peninsula#Yiling
0 notes
Text
I wonder: Do Americans know about american school buses? Not their existence in general, but how they're seen overseas.
Over here, they're one of the symbols of America, on par with the Statue of Liberty, the flag, the Eagle, and well ahead of any chain restaurant you can name. People won't know any US states, but they will know these vehicles.
The thing is, here in Germany, we don't have dedicated school buses. The general idea is that kids go to school on their own. When that's not practical, they're expected to use (and given free tickets for) public transit. Public transit is designed around this requirement; there are many places where there is a bus, and anyone can get on it, but the route and timetable really only makes sense for school children. In case a dedicated school bus is really needed, that's generally subcontracted out, and the lines either use something like a Sprinter Van for smaller routes, or a normal city or interurban bus (often a used one that's a bit older). School trips are normal public transit, or a rented bus, typically a coach or regional bus.
It's not a perfect system, in the past couple of years there's been an epidemic of people bringing their kids to school in their cars instead of letting them walk, which is less than ideal. It is what it is. But building a dedicated network of public transit lines only for students, and building dedicated vehicles only for that, has never occurred to anyone here.
Of course we know about these buses, from movies and such, but they're as foreign here as cacti or pick-up trucks (actually we're seeing more and more of these here) or yellow cabs (all europeans will assume all cabs in the US are yellow until they actually visit).
You do see these buses here at times, because people still generally like the idea of the US, even if they have a lot of issues with a lot of details, and so folks bring them over, along with stretch limos and stuff (also not really a thing here). And of course, if someone goes to all that trouble, they don't do it to haul school kids, they rent it out for city tours or as a party bus or whatever.
So you see these yellow things as a symbol of faraway places, scenic vistas, some vague undefined idea of freedom that doesn't necessarily hold up to any contact with reality, and it's just a huge part of the whole US aesthetic.
And then you go to a student exchange with the US, and you finally get the chance: You yourself get to ride in one of these iconic chrome yellow buses! It looks just like in the movies! You get in, you drive in them a little…
…and you realise they're shit. Just the worst buses in the western world. Terrible suspension. Uncomfortable seats with weirdly high backs (so they don't have to put seatbelts in, they just restrict how far kids can fly in an accident). Everything made out of the cheapest materials. Turns out the reason why the US uses school buses like that instead of normal modern city buses, which the US has, is to save money and because they just hate kids.
And then it hits you why US Americans say "as American as apple pie", a dish that is made and enjoyed literally anywhere in the world, instead of "as American as yellow school buses". Of course the Americans already knew all this. They got tortured by these things forever. It would never occur to them to see this as a symbol of America, it's just a normal part of life for them. It's a symbol of school and school life and sometimes normalcy, and tells us that these actors getting out of it are supposed to be teenagers, nothing more.
But most people in Europe have, of course, never ridden on these buses. So when they see them in movies and TV, that's a giant big yellow signifier that we're not in Hessen or Wallonia or wherever anymore. A symbol of a different world, one that may be at most a once-in-a-lifetime-experience for most people, just like a picture of a tropical beach, Incan Pyramids, the Great Wall of China, or Hildesheim (there's no reason to go there twice). And I think Americans don't know that, and that's fascinating.
2K notes
·
View notes
Note
why do you support china
TL;DR,
As the daughter of a family of peasants on both sides, I would simply not exist if it was not for Mao Zedong and the communist party. My grandfather on my mom's side was the only person in his village to attend high school. My maternal grandparents became PLA medics then full on doctors. My grandfather on my dad's side was illiterate until the 50s, after which time, he became a local librarian. Every single senior citizen in the PRC has stories of the horror, war, death, starvation, poverty that Chinese people suffered for centuries, amplified by the century of humiliation. There's not a single farmer left in my family. They are artists. Teachers. Engineers. Physicists. Musicians. Doctors. Programmers. The oldest pictures in my family's collection are a set of prints from the 60's, after cameras came to the peasantry. In my very own lifetime, I saw Pudong, on the east bank of the Huangpu river which splits Shanghai in two, go from just the Oriental Pearl and a collection of buildings to the skyscraper metropolis it is today. When I was born, there was not a single kilometer of true HSR. In 22 years, they have built 45,000 kilometers of HSR, a number which is still growing. In 2021, the PRC completed the historical task of eliminating extreme poverty in the entire country. There are millions of families like mine living in the PRC, from Urumqi to Harbin.
In 1991, the Soviet Union was illegally and forcefully dismantled, a process which culminated in the constitutional crisis of 1993. Similar processes of primitive accumulation occurred in former Eastern Block countries, from East Germany to Bulgaria. State assets were stolen for cents on the dollar. Quality of life, especially average lifespan, dropped significantly and so dramatically that it took former Soviet countries 3 decades or more just to recover to pre-dissolution numbers; some still haven't. Pensioners lost their pensions and were forced to sell scrap and empty bottles just to survive. Those who had state jobs were laid off. Social welfare programs were cut back or eliminated entirely. Children were forced into prostitution or trafficked. Now the constituent republics which made up the USSR engage in petty regional wars to the detriment of all of their citizens. The Soviet Union was a country just shy of 300 million people. Over 1.4 BILLION people live in the PRC right now. Economic shock therapy of which the former USSR went through would be an unmitigated humanitarian disaster on a scale perhaps never seen on the planet.
The Communist Party of China has brought about unimaginable good to Chinese people. It took a backwaters, "sick man of Asia" and turned it into the 2nd strongest nation currently on the planet all within a single lifespan. The PRC is the most successful socialist project still around and should be a magnificent source of lessons to learn from, both the good and the bad. However, this is not to say the the PRC should be emulated or copied. Rather, communists should analyze their own material conditions and class make up and apply the lessons of the PRC as they see fit for their own countries.
887 notes
·
View notes
Text
a/n: continually obsessed w/ cod dads, here's price
part 1: simon here
part 3: soap here
part 4: gaz here
masterlist here
warnings: pregnancy
word count: 1.7k
buy me a ko-fi
Price was afraid to have babies with you because of the age difference and you rolled your eyes every time he talked about being an old man and how a pretty young thing like you shouldn’t be dating him much less trying to get knocked up by someone his age. As if he’d let you even entertain the thought of leaving him for a young buck who couldn’t spoil you like you deserved.
Throughout your pregnancy he treated you like fine China, afraid he’d say the wrong thing and make you cry. He’s heard about women’s hormones during pregnancy even as you remained rock solid, rolling your eyes when he’d ‘yes dear’ you.
You tried to kick him out of the bathroom when morning sickness hit and he refused. Instead sitting on the tub next to you, petting your back as you leaned into the toilet and tried to soothe you, telling you how strong you were and how beautiful you were carrying his baby even with sick bubbling up your throat at the slightest movement
“I thought morning sickness was only supposed to be in the morning,” you moaned with your forehead pressed against the cool floor tile.
“It’’s a misnomer, love,” John said, removing himself from his perch on the tub to wet a cool washcloth and wipe down your face.
He wishes this phase was over, hates seeing you in pain like this.
That changes once the baby’s born then he’s ready to do it all over again. He didn’t know how attached he’s gotten to helping you do the things you couldn’t because of your belly like putting on your shoes (looking up at your belly reverently the entire time before planting a kiss on it) for you and helping you pick things off the floor that your clumsy fingers dropped. He grew a particular affection for helping you rub shea butter and vitamin E oil over your rapidly appearing stretch marks.
Price insists on building the nursery furniture without reading the directions, “Know what I’m doin’ woman,” and to your chagrin he was right. Managed everything without a set of directions perched on his knee and instead chucked them to the side with the box.
The first thing he built was the fancy rocking chair he bought for you, insisting you don’t help him with anything
“At least let me hold the screws John, I feel stupid just sitting here!”
To him, peace is this. This is what so many long nights holed up in some shithole on a mission have led to. Him sitting on the floor at your feet, building a life together while oldies play on the record player in the next room. He’s so overwhelmed in the moment he can’t help but pull your hand to his lips and kiss it and laughs at you when you ask him what’s wrong
“It’s all right, is the thing, love.”
When you get the first ultrasound, he stops at the store on the way home and purchased a picture frame (insisting you stay in the car and not overexert yourself, he’ll just be a moment, love). The next day he’s on base it now proudly sits facing him next to the photo of him and you vacationing in London with your faces squeezed together in the frame, selfie-style.
Tells anyone who enters his office about you and how far along you are, whether they ask or not, comparing the baby to different sized fruits, which parts were developing that week.
“She’s the size of a lime now, tiny little thing.”
“Can you imagine that she’s growing fingernails in my bird’s belly!”
Absolutely rubbed your swollen ankles in the evenings when he got home from work, peppering gentle kisses on them when he switched feet
Loved your pregnancy brain fog and would kiss your nose any time he got to remind you about something. He became the keeper of your calendar, scheduling your appointments and taking you to them.
When you go into labor, he’s on base in a meeting with some high-brass in a meeting on a highly classified matter. He’s not even allowed to bring his phone into the room. Instead having to turn it off and lock it in a safe prior to entering even with a baby on the way. He was aware this might happen and had instructed you on the line of succession.
“If you can’t get ahold of me, leave me a message lovie, then go down the line. Simon’s second-in–command-”
“Then Kyle, then Johnny, I know, John, you’ve drilled it into my head,” You soothe him, petting the creases he’s worn between his eyebrows, “It’ll be just fine, women have been doing it for thousands of years.”
“I’ll be there, I promise lovie,” He kisses your palm
You leave the message on John’s voicemail, a curt, “It’s time John, once I hang-up I’m dialing Simon, just like we practiced.”
Simon answers on the third ring, “Missus?” His rumbly voice cuts across the line.
“It’s time Simon and John’s still in the meeting since his phone is turned off.”
“Copy.”
The line goes dead leaving you blinking at the Call Ended screen.
You decide that Simon is aware of the drastic nature of the matter and instead busy yourself, you lug the baby bag and your purse to the floor next to the door and go through the checklist John had created in the front pocket: Stove off, windows shut and locked, televisions off…It wasn’t until Simon was letting himself into your front door that the list was likely a distraction from your husband to stop you from leaving on your own until Simon arrived.
Simon collects you with the cool confidence of a Lieutenant in the special forces.
No, don’t worry about the bags or the door, he’s got it, just get yourself into the car.
You try John’s number over and over on the way to the hospital, narrating Simon’s driving, “John, I’m going to have words with you when this is over, I cannot believe you let your pregnant wife in a car with what has to be the worst driver in all of Manchester!”
Before you know it, you’re being rushed into the hospital with Ghost snapping at the nurse at the desk for a wheelchair, NOW! He barks out orders in true military fashion leaving your head buried in your hands as you’re being escorted to the maternity ward.
“Now don’t worry, Sir, your wife is in excellent hands,” one of the nurses addresses Simon, all muscle pushing you in the wheelchair, unblinking and matching their pace.
“He’s not-” You try and interject.
“She better be,” Simon cuts you off, “And the labor will be handled with the utmost care or someone will have to answer to me personally.”
The contractions have started coming back to back and you’re pacing the hospital room, sucking on ice chips fed to you by a patient Simon.
Kyle and Johnny have also arrived and join him in his vigil, somehow maneuvering their way through the “Father and family only” policy the hospital has.
“She was adopted,” You later find out Kyle deadpanned at the security trying to stop him from entering the room, “Can’t you see the family resemblance?”
True to his word, John is there.
He’s rushed into the room, frazzled and running his hand over his beard, eyes darting until he finds you, “Hey sweet girl, I’m here, I’m here,” pointedly ignoring the nurse trying to count out the men in the room
(“Who are these men to you again miss?”)
(“I’m the father,” Gaz informs, flipping through a magazine to pass the time between bursts of activity with contractions.)
You moan out John’s name slapping at his chest weekly when he gathers you up into his arms and hugs you, “I’m mad at you John!”
“Don’t be mad, love, I made it just like I promised,” He tries to soothe you, smoothing his hands over your disheveled hair.
“Not about being late, about getting me pregnant!”
“It’s a bit late for that now, love,” He does his best to hide the smile twitching into place under his mustache.
The boys remain in the room for the entire labor, John holding one hand and the other men trading off when your grip became too strong (“Dinnae know the lass could break my bones with just one hand,” Johnny moans shaking out his aching appendage.)
When the baby finally arrives, the doctor again looks around at the men in the room, “Would…Dad like to hold her?”
John finally extracts himself from your bruising grip to hold your daughter, eyes twinkling with joy at seeing the bundle covered in blood and viscera. Such a difference from every other time he’d been covered in the blood, these are stains he’ll gladly wear.
#1 baby wearer captain price
“I hardly get to hug you anymore because she’s always strapped to you!”
Price’s eyebrows go up at that, “Are you jealous, love?
“Not jealous, but I miss my husband's arms around me!” When you say that with a slight pout in your voice, Price is quick to arrange Uncle Soap and Gaz so he can wine and dine you like old times.
You make sure to wag your finger enough at the boys and remind them they’re there to babysit, not throw a rager and rile up the baby, even though you know your warnings are falling onto deaf ears. You wholeheartedly expect to return home to a cranky and overtired baby and two military men.
“Can’t neglect either of my girls” he’d mutter into your hair after pulling you close after dinner, holding you to his chest tightly in the middle of the sidewalk
“You never do, John, you’re the best man I could’ve hoped for,” You muttered into his chest, “Never did I think I’d get someone so in love with me and our child.”
Will regularly fall asleep with the baby curled on his chest, boonie hat pulled down over his eyes, with your daughter also lulled to sleep by his steady breaths. You can’t help but take a photo every time it happens, so smitten with how your husband enjoys his quiet days on leave.
You can’t help but send the photo to the boys, having the group chat with them immediately blown up with emojis sent by Soap, laughing at the Captain’s prone form.
As a joke the photo ends up framed on Price’s desk, next to the ultrasound. Price actually enjoys having it to remind him of the peace he has waiting at home and the joke is ruined when the photo remains in it’s place of honor.
679 notes
·
View notes
Text
I too watched the hbomberguy video and went straight to Twitter, whereupon I found that James Somerton had mentioned danmei in one of his videos and it made everyone mad, so I went looking and. yeah here's a full transcription of his just completely incorrect coverage of cql and mdzs from "Hollywood's (Gay) China Problem" so you don't have to watch it and give him views:
"The 2019 fantasy series The Untamed, featuring an unlikely bond between a man with magic powers and a stoic prince, started an online craze over the pair's implicit romance, but the show's promotion focused on its portrayal of Chinese traditional culture, a push consistent with Chinese communist party propaganda.
The show was... Queerbait-y. But the novel on which it was based [shows a picture of the fanmade cover for The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation made by fan translator team Exiled Rebels] certainly was not. That featured a very explicit love story between the two main characters, but was self-censored when adapted to meet the censorship guidelines of the Xi Jinping government. But it didn't matter. Like so much queerbaiting before, people saw through the weak veneer of heterosexuality. They "took the bait", so to speak. The series has accumulated a total of 9.5 billion views in China as of this summer, and had also received an international release via Netflix. It was described as a global phenomenon, taking off like no BL series before it, making its way all around Asia and with the Netflix deal, all across Europe and North America as well.
Tencent, the Chinese streaming platform it originated on, saw 2.6 million new subscribers to the service when it was released. And WeTV, an app that lets you watch BL content anywhere in the world, saw growth of 250% while the show was airing. In January of 2020, the cast members planned to embark on a multi-city, worldwide fan meeting tour. Cities included Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Macau, Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York... But it was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Even the Chinese government has endorsed it. The overseas popularity of these romantic sword-wielding heroes is often highlighted in Chinese media coverage focusing on the massive overseas streaming numbers and its ability to build a growing appreciation of the charm of Chinese culture."
755 notes
·
View notes
Text
A Room Away
Requested Here!
Edit: Part 2 Here
Pairing: Tim Bradford x fem!reader
Summary: Tired of Tim's bad moods, Angela gets him a new roommate: you. As Tim gets to know you and learns about your past, you slowly become more than his roommate.
Warnings: mentions of past domestic abuse (reader and Tim), reader has chronic migraines from past head trauma, nightmares, reader has a panic attack, angst, fluff, Nyla and Angela. (roommates to lovers)
Word Count: 4.2k+ words
A/N: Parts of this are so self-indulgent. The migraine depictions are based on my migraines, but I think they're some of the most common symptoms. I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think! (I'm still trying to get Tim's character down, so apologies if he's OOC.)🤍
Masterlist | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info/Fandom List
Picture from Pinterest
Tim sits in the back of the room for roll call, his arms crossed tightly across his chest as unimpressed sighs escape him. Angela is getting tired of his seemingly perpetual bad mood. Clearly, he’s lonely, but he will never admit it. And that loneliness makes him mopey and broody (Angela’s official motto for Tim Bradford) until he has enough and snaps at someone.
Sitting at her desk, Angela watches Tim yell at a boot. He’s always harsh with them, trying to prepare them for anything, but now he’s using them as punching bags for his forbidden feelings.
“What’s his problem? He’s grumpier than usual,” Nyla says as she joins Angela.
“He’s lonely,” Angela answers. “Won’t admit it or do anything about it.”
“That man needs a girlfriend,” Nyla muses.
Angela sits up straighter and smiles. “You’re a genius, Harper.”
“I know.”
Angela opens a website on her computer, and Nyla pulls up a seat to watch her intervention into Tim’s personal life.
“You’re going to rent out his spare room without telling him? This’ll be fun to watch,” Nyla says, laughing.
“He has way too much room for just one guy. Getting him a roommate and a girlfriend will surely help with.. that,” she finishes, gesturing toward Tim.
“A roommate and a girlfriend, or a roommate who becomes a girlfriend?”
“Either should work.”
“That’s your number.”
Angela nods, putting her contact information on the listing. “Tim would shut it down after the first call, so I’ll interview them, run background checks, whatever, and find the perfect one.”
“Well, Mrs. Right is always found on Craigslist,” Nyla jokes.
“This isn’t Craigslist.”
“Semantics.”
Angela posts the listing, and she and Nyla hope getting Tim a roommate will help nudge him out of his bad mood. He needs someone to talk to and bond with, but he’ll never come to that conclusion on his own. Which is why Angela considers herself to be such a good friend.
✯✯✯✯✯
Los Angeles is a big city, which is part of why you chose it without another thought. Full of opportunities and a chance of fading into the background, it’s the complete opposite of your home, which overflows with memories. The patched drywall you were pushed into, the stained tile where you thought everything was going to end, and the china cabinet with the shattered glass are left behind and traded in for a minimum wage job, a used car, and a lot of panic that you won’t be able to find somewhere to live.
You’ll need a roommate until you can save enough money for your own place. However, finding a decent place with a decent roommate is nearly impossible in your price range. Browsing online listings, you see one that could be promising. The information at the bottom says there is an interview process, which catches your attention. Sending a text to Angela Lopez, you cross your fingers for good luck before walking into work.
By the end of your shift, Angela has replied and asked you to meet somewhere nearby. You want to go home, a dull headache building at the base of your skull impairing your mood. But you also really want a better place to call home than the pay-by-the-month motel you’re currently living in.
Angela gives you a firm handshake as she introduces herself as an LAPD detective. She asks questions about your life, job, hobbies, and finally, why you moved to Los Angeles.
“I just needed a change of pace; was ready to leave my old life behind, find something bigger and better,” you answer, a simplified version of the truth.
Trying not to show it, Angela immediately takes a liking to you. Each of your answers solidifies her gut instinct that you’re a good fit for Tim. You ask why her name was on this listing if it’s not her house, and she follows your lead and gives you the truth, but not all of it.
“Tim, the owner of the house, is a coworker and friend, and I’m just trying to help him out while he’s busy with work,” she explains.
As you leave the meeting, Angela gives you her personal number, as well as someone named Nyla Harper’s number, “just in case you need anything.”
She texts you a time and address, telling you to meet her at your new place the following afternoon. You thank her repeatedly before driving to the trashy motel one last time.
✯✯✯✯✯
Parking outside the house, you fall in love with the neighborhood and the cute architecture of the home. Angela meets you in the driveway, seeming more nervous than excited. You realize she may not have been totally honest with you as you follow her to the door.
An incredibly handsome man opens the door, sighing when he sees Angela. He lets both of you in, seeming to trust Angela completely.
✯✯✯✯✯
Tim knows he will regret opening the door, but the woman with Angela is beautiful, and deep down, a small part of him wants to know who she is and why she’s on his doorstep.
“This is your new roommate,” Angela announces, giving Tim your name.
“You didn’t,” Tim responds. “Please tell me you didn’t rent out my spare room without asking me, Lopez.”
“I won’t tell you that, then.”
Standing quietly to the side, you anxiously watch their argument.
“Um, sorry,” you begin, interrupting them. “But I can go, and find a new place, since this is clearly not what you signed up for.”
You move toward the door before stopping when Angela demands, “Don’t go anywhere.”
She gives Tim a stern look before cocking her head to the side. He sighs like he has accepted his fate, a tragedy based on his reaction. Gesturing for you to follow him, he gives you a quick tour before showing you to your new room and bathroom.
“I’m not home a ton, but when I am, I’m usually watching a game or just hanging out, so,” he tells you before trailing off.
You nod before promising, “You won’t even know I’m here.”
Tim wants to believe you, but he also thinks you’re pretty and kind enough that he wouldn’t mind seeing you occasionally.
✯✯✯✯✯
You cross paths with Tim a few times in the first two days of living with him. He’s struck by your beauty each time but recognizes that you don’t open up willingly, so he never presses you to talk. Content to be ships passing in the night, Tim gives you a nod before continuing out the door.
It’s your third night in the house that Tim learns your reserved qualities may not be as simple as a personality trait. Waking when he hears a strange noise, Tim listens in the darkness before deciding it’s your footsteps he hears. Based on the sound, you're pacing, so Tim gets out of bed and walks to the kitchen. He walks right past you, and you give him an apologetic smile before slowing down. Tim makes you a mug of calming tea, sliding it across the kitchen island before sitting beside you as you drink it. Suspecting you had a nightmare or some similarly disturbing experience, Tim reminds you where you are and that everything is okay in his own way.
Over the next week, you wake him up a few more times, thrashing in your bed or exiting your room once you wake. He nudges each time, offering to let you talk about it, but you never do. You always apologize for waking him, thank him for keeping you company and making you tea before you disappear back into yourself and into your room.
✯✯✯✯✯
You’ve lost count of the days and nights spent in Tim’s house, your sense of time thrown off by the continued plague of nightmares and the monotony of your days. As you wake up after a surprisingly dreamless sleep, you immediately turn your face back into the pillow. Your heartbeat pounds in your head, and everything seems brighter and louder. The migraines have been nearly as consistent as the nightmares since before you left for Los Angeles.
Tim knocks on your door, and you groan as the sound echoes in your brain. He cracks the door, concerned that you aren’t up yet.
“Are you okay?” he asks, seeing your current state.
“Migraine,” you answer. “I called in sick.”
He closes the door to block the light from outside and lowers his voice to ask, “Do you need anything before I leave?”
“I’m okay. Thanks.”
“Well, call me if you do, or if anything changes, okay?”
“I will. Thank you, Tim. Have a good day.”
Tim nods, even though you can’t see him, before backing out of your room and exiting the house as quietly as possible. He keeps his ringer on, looking at his phone every few minutes as his concern for you remains at the forefront of his mind.
Angela and Nyla notice his usual grumpy disposition seems to have been replaced with concern for something, or someone. After he checks his phone for the fifth consecutive time, Angela decides to pry.
“How’s the beautiful roomie? Still just a roommate?” she asks.
“She’s not feeling well,” Tim answers.
Angela waits for an elaboration, but Tim doesn’t offer one. She looks at Nyla, who gives a knowing look. It’s obvious that Tim is softening toward you, but you haven’t made enough of an impact that he’s less grumpy or snappy. As the day continues, his usual personality returns, convinced that you must be okay, or you would have called.
The next day, after learning that you are, in fact, feeling better, Tim is back to his pre-roommate levels of anger and high strung-ness. To worsen his mood, you wake him up with a nightmare but refuse to let him in, not even acknowledging his kind questioning as to how you are. He’s worried about you because you welcomed his presence before, but he is also angry that you changed so quickly, and now you don’t trust him. Everything is piling on, and Tim isn’t sure how much more he can carry.
✯✯✯✯✯
“Just tell me something,” Angela presses.
“Stay out of it, Lopez!” Tim yells, his emotions reaching a boiling point. “I didn’t even want a puppy- a roommate! If you like her so much, why don’t you take her in?”
Angela waits for his shoulders to drop slightly before asking, “Timothy… is this because you don’t like her, or because you do?”
Tim’s jaw clenches, and his nostrils flare as he turns away, offering to go on patrol while Nolan and Celina go to the shooting range. Everyone seems to think they know Tim better than they do; Angela is pushing him toward you while you’re distancing yourself, and the push and pull is tiring.
✯✯✯✯✯
Tim waits in his truck in the driveway for a few minutes before walking in. When he walks in, you’re standing in the kitchen. He hasn’t actually seen you since the day of your last migraine when you stopped trusting him, and your sudden willingness to be in the same area confuses him. Anger and confusion rarely mix well; with Tim, it’s a fatal combination.
You notice his tension and knitted brows, chewing your bottom lip before asking, “Are you okay?”
Stumbling to his tipping point for the second time in the day, Tim takes all his anger and confusion over his feelings out on you.
“What do you think? You can’t decide if I’m worth trusting with something as small as a nightmare, and Angela thinks that I’m practically neglecting you,” he begins.
You swallow harshly as his voice rises, stumbling backward when he starts moving his arms.
“Especially considering I didn’t even want you here!”
Flinching, you snap your eyes closed and catch yourself on the corner of the wall. Tim freezes as he watches you. Everything begins snapping into place in his mind: your nightmares and the distance added to your reaction to him yelling and moving his hand are all signs he should have noticed sooner.
Your chest is heaving as you take short breaths, and when you finally open your eyes, you look terrified. Tim steps back, keeping his hands where you can see them. You focus on him as you slide down the wall, cradling your head in your hands as you fight off bad memories and a growing headache.
Tim watches you before sitting on the floor, keeping his distance. He waits for you to calm down, willing to let you decide whether or not you want to talk to him. You finally look back up at him, but he doesn’t move.
“I- I’m sorry,” you whisper.
“Can I come closer?” Tim asks.
You nod, and Tim slides across the floor, not wanting to stand up and look any more imposing than necessary. His knee presses gently against your thigh, and when you don’t move, he gives you a small smile – the first you’ve ever seen.
“I’ll leave in the morning,” you say, fiddling with your fingers.
“Please don’t,” Tim replies, shaking his head. “I’m really sorry. I wasn’t mad at you, just angry with a long day. But that’s no reason to yell at you or act like that. You confused me, and I didn’t know how to deal with it. That’s on me.”
“I’m sorry,” you repeat.
“Don’t. When I was younger, my dad took his anger out on me sometimes. I’m sure I deserved it once or twice, but I also know better than to treat people like an emotional outlet. If you ever want to talk, I’m here.”
You nod before saying, “My ex.”
Tim feels a protective surge at the idea of anyone hurting you, let alone doing it enough times that yelling pushes you to the point of a panic attack.
After comforting you with proximity and kind words, Tim offers to walk you to bed. Your hand brushes his as he opens your door, and you smile as you thank him for everything. It’s a minor change in your relationship but an important one.
✯✯✯✯✯
Tim leaves before you wake up the following morning, determined to find out as much as he can about you and your past. He’s not necessarily being nosy, but he wants to know if there’s anything specific that could help or hurt you.
“What do you know?” he demands as he storms up to Angela’s desk.
“About what?” she replies, raising her brows.
“What do you mean ‘about what’? Her!”
Nyla leans back in her chair, glad to watch the unfolding drama.
“Tim, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Angela explains.
“Why’d she move to LA?”
“Are you seriously trying to find something wrong with her? That’s low.”
Tim moves around her desk, dropping his voice to answer, “I’m trying to figure out who thought it was okay to put their hands on her. Because she won’t let me in.”
Angela begins connecting the dots you left untouched. You ran from the person controlling your life, not your actual life. She knew that you were omitting something during your initial meeting, but she didn’t expect it to be so big.
“Have you been open with her?” Angela asks finally. “Because that’s a two-way street. I’ll talk to her if you want me to, but she trusts you, Tim.”
“How do you know that?”
Nyla’s eyes bounce back and forth like she’s watching a tennis game. She sighs before deciding to interject. “She told her! Sent her a text one night!” she calls out, smiling and waving when Angela and Tim look at her.
Tim nods, giving Angela the closest she’ll get to an apologetic look before leaving.
✯✯✯✯✯
Returning home, Tim is surprised to find you on the couch, in your work clothes, with your face pressed into a pillow. You wave your fingers without moving to acknowledge him, and he remains silent as he walks to the kitchen.
“You don’t have to be silent, it’s your house,” you mumble. “I’ll figure out a way to get to the bedroom.”
“You’re fine here,” Tim answers, setting a glass of water beside you. “Another migraine?”
“Skull fractured from getting my head pushed through a window a few months ago,” you explain with a sigh. “The migraines have gotten worse since then.”
Tim lays a hand on your shoulder, giving you plenty of time to tell him not to touch you. You don’t, relaxing under his touch instead. Tim takes a seat beside you, hoping to comfort you once more.
“Your ex?” Tim asks.
You hum a yes, and Tim’s jaw tightens, even as he comforts you.
✯✯✯✯✯
Walking into the police station, Tim’s wallet is tucked safely in your bag. Approaching the front desk, you say your name and are wordlessly handed a visitor’s badge before someone gives you directions. You don’t have time to argue, shrugging as you attempt to remember where to turn. Angela sees you before you see her, rushing to your side and looping her arm with yours.
“What are you doing here?” she asks happily.
“Uh, Tim forgot his wallet. I was just going to drop it off, but they sent me back here,” you answer.
Tim says your name, coming around a corner, and Angela pushes you toward him, joining Nyla as they watch your interaction.
“You know she was trying to get you a girlfriend and not just a roommate, right?”
Tim nods a thanks as he accepts his wallet, glancing over at your audience. “I’m half-tempted to make them think I kicked you out.”
You smile brightly, and Tim licks his lips to keep his smile from mirroring yours. His eyes tell you more than enough, and you’re happy to see him, too.
“Do it,” you whisper. “Just let me know when so I can play my part. Angela told me to call her if you were ever mean to me.”
“Have you?”
You don’t answer, opting to wink at him before stepping back. Waving at Angela and Nyla, you leave the station as they rush to Tim’s side. As they ask overlapping questions and talk about how cute you and Tim look standing together, Tim ignores them before walking away.
✯✯✯✯✯
Tim is pulled from his sleep by your panicked yell. He leaves his bed and barges into your room with no thought. His heart rate slows when he sees your teary face and tangled sheets.
“Sorry,” you mutter as you wipe your tears. “I just don’t know how to make them stop.”
Tim sits beside you, opening an arm toward you. It’s a bold move, especially for him, but you take his offer and curl into his side.
“Are- did you mean it when you said I could talk about it?” you ask.
Tim nods, and you tell him more, but not everything. You remind yourself that he’s your roommate and maybe, just maybe, he's your friend, but he’s not here to listen to all of your baggage.
“The last thing he said before I left was, ‘there is nowhere you can go that my love won’t lead me to find you.’”
“You know that wasn’t love,” Tim replies, waiting for your nod before continuing. “And I’ve got your back, Angela and Nyla are right here, and we won’t let anything happen to you. No matter what.”
Drifting back to sleep in his warm, safe embrace, you finally learn what it’s like not to be scared.
When you wake alone, neither you nor Tim acknowledge what happened. You’re okay with slow changes, as long as there are changes.
“Tim,” you say, interrupting him on his way out. “Thank you. For last night.”
“I’m only ever a call away,” he reminds you.
✯✯✯✯✯
Your head starts aching around noon, quickly worsening into a full-blown migraine. When you’re ready to go home, it’s bad enough that you can’t drive. Sitting in your car and resting your head against the steering wheel, you want to call Tim but can’t find the strength to move.
Tim, meanwhile, returns home and begins wondering where you are. He calls, and you don’t answer, so he lets his worry control him as he gets back in his truck and drives your usual route. Tim hopes to pass you or find you waiting as someone changes your tire. When he gets to the parking lot of your job and sees you slumped in your car, he has to fight not to panic.
Rushing to the door, he’s both grateful and concerned that it’s unlocked. He kneels beside you, saying your name before bending to see you. Your eyes are tightly closed, but tears are still leaking out.
“I’m taking you to the hospital,” he says.
You whimper as he picks you up, clinging to him until he lays you down in the backseat of his truck, buckling you in as well as possible.
“Hospital can’t help,” you mumble.
Tim wants to argue, but remembers what you said about the skull fracture. You’ve already been to the doctor, so maybe getting you home and comfortable will be enough.
After a nap partially influenced by unbearable pain, you wake to see Tim sitting by your bed.
“Why are you so nice to me? You didn’t even want a roommate,” you mutter sleepily.
Tim smiles, making you think you’re hallucinating. “Yet I got something better.”
✯✯✯✯✯
You don’t quite make it to work the next day. Walking into the station, you’re surprised when Nyla greets you first.
“I’m assuming it’s a joke,” she says.
You furrow your brows in confusion before you see Tim leaning on a desk with his arms crossed while Angela yells at him.
“Unless he really kicked you out,” Nyla adds.
You nod, walking towards Angela and Tim.
“No, you don’t get to blame me! I got you a roommate, a friend, a beautiful woman who could have been more than a friend, and you’re mad at me?” Angela exclaims.
Tim locks eyes with you, not changing his expression as he gauges whether or not her yelling is upsetting you.
“Can I talk to you?” you ask Tim.
Angela steps back, hoping to hear Tim apologize, but he stands up and gestures for you to follow him without speaking. Worried that you’re sick again, Tim waits silently.
“I’m okay,” you promise. “I just wanted to see you.”
Not believing something so simple, Tim shakes his head. “Tell me what happened.”
“I saw a guy who looked like him while I was driving to work. He was yelling at a girl outside of a diner, and it made me nervous.” You keep your eyes on the floor, but Tim gently raises your head.
“You’re not alone, and I know that things still seem uncertain, and probably will for a long time, but you don’t have to be afraid of anything while I’m here.”
“Then why’d you kick me out?” you tease with a pout.
Tim shakes his head, telling you to go before following you out. You wipe an imaginary tear before waving at Angela.
“No, you’re not leaving,” she says, grabbing your shoulders and steering you toward her desk.
Nyla smiles at Tim, and he sighs before following.
“Tell me exactly what happened between you two,” Angela commands.
You look past her before tensing, and Tim immediately catches on. He follows your line of vision and sees Nolan and Celina booking someone. You shrink in on yourself, and Tim moves to block your view.
“Get her out of here,” he tells Angela.
Angela doesn’t wait before obeying, ushering you into the bullpen and out of sight.
“What’s the charge?” Tim asks Celina.
“Assault. Beat up a woman outside a diner,” she answers.
Tim’s jaw tightens at the knowledge that this man made you nervous this morning, reminding you of your ex. He hates abuse in every situation, but when you’re involved, his protectiveness and anger differ. Tim leaves before saying or doing something he’ll regret.
When he finds you in the bullpen, he takes one look at you before hugging you. It’s quick, but Angela and Nyla look at each other in shock.
“So, you’re good?” Nyla asks.
“We were never bad,” you reply. “Just wanted to get back at Angela for trying to set us up.”
“It worked?” Angela inquires excitedly.
“Not yet.”
“Not yet?” Tim repeats, looking over at you. He shrugs as he concedes, “Okay.”
✯✯✯✯✯
When Tim gets home, he drops his stuff by the door, raising his arms in question as he looks at you. “Not yet? What is that supposed to mean?”
“You haven’t made a move. How do I know you’re not just protective and caring under that handsome, gruff exterior?” you ask with a shrug.
Tim shakes his head, cupping the back of your head gently as he kisses you. You raise your hands over his chest to hold his jaw, pushing yourself closer as you reciprocate his every move.
“Because I don’t protect just anyone like this,” he says against your lips.
You kiss him again before asking, “Does this mean you can reduce my rent?”
Tim rolls his eyes, tucking you against his side where you’re safe from everything and everyone.
#tim bradford x reader#tim bradford x fem!reader#tim bradford fluff#tim bradford imagine#tim bradford the rookie#tim bradford#the rookie#requests
444 notes
·
View notes
Text
GG and the Duomo di Milano
Duomo 2019 (left), 2023 (right) and 2024 (top).
He has posted a photo of it whenever he goes to Milan, since his first trip there in 2019. Here's my CPN on that.
Fake, fan fiction, CPN.
Of course, as an artist and a photographer it makes sense that GG is interested in this beautiful building. Gorgeous intricate architecture that is covered in lifelike statues, no doubt it is very satisfying to photograph. It's truly one of the most stunning cathedrals in the world. But we're turtles, so we're always going to look at things from a slightly different angle.
This CPN first came up back in 2019, the first time he went to Milan. GG said in an interview that he was excited to see the cathedral, and he posted a picture of it on his Weibo account. Turtles at the time speculated that GG was inspired by the photos that were all over the news in 2016, when same sex marriage was legalized there.
It was the location of massive LGBTQ rallies when same sex marriage was being debated and put to a vote, and was the site of equally massive celebrations when that vote won.
Some people are skeptical of this connection because they feel that the time gap of a couple years is too large for it to be relevant, but to me those people can't possibly understand how significant the same sex marriage fight is to queer people who wish to marry (and who wish to have their human rights recognized in general).
Especially around that time in history, when the fight was at its most active globally. There was a period of a few years where the issue was constantly in the news, as more and more countries were gradually recognizing legal rights for same sex couples. Images of those protests and celebrations were inspiring and exciting for queer people all over the world, and those who cared a lot about the issue followed that news pretty closely.
This is an issue of significance to queer people everywhere, even those who don't want to marry. It represents a shift toward acceptance and toward broader legal recognition of equal human rights for queer people.
Same sex marriage is a huge hurdle toward equality for anyone whose rights are at stake, because most of the opposition to human rights for queer people tends to come from religious groups and conservatives with narrow notions of 'family values'. When societies acknowledge - even on paper - that queer families are legitimate, the biggest barrier has been crossed.
Based on a lot of things I've seen from GG over the years I believe he's very deeply invested in Pride and gay rights. He's not at liberty to be as open about it as he'd like to be, but I believe he shows what he can. I have talked about that in more detail in this post.
I also believe that marriage is something that both GG and DD care a lot about. They are each others anchors in life, and even when they don't get to spend a lot of time together, they are home to each other. DD has also talked about wanting a son, and GG has also shown interest in children and family and often talks about a simple life.
They just ooze domesticity on many levels, and I think that even if it doesn't fit within their lives right now, they probably talk about and think about building a family together one day. And given the culture in China their parents likely want that for them as well.
I talked about the possibility they might already be married in this post. I talked about the possibility of them wanting kids in this post about DD saying he wanted a son, and later in this one from an OOL interview where GG mentioned envying Gu Wei's life.
Both GG and DD strike me as being connected to queer culture, just given some of their jokes, attitudes, etc. and some of the people they're associated with. Even their experience with filming CQL (which I talked about in this post). They're also both from the younger generation in China, which is much more progressive and informed on these issues.
All of this leads me to believe that it's not an accident that this landmark has captured GG's imagination.
The Duomo is also a very popular wedding/romantic photo destination, and where couples often propose.
I think that it's romantic that GG posted the moon over the cathedral this time. There are a lot of fake rumors and CPN around GG and DD and the moon, and turtles believe that they often send pictures of the moon to each other. They've both posted photos of the moon on social media in the past.
There have been a lot of posts about their connection with the moon over the years. A few of my favorites are Pie's post from Mid-Autumn Festival, Pie's post about Midsummer Moon (among other things) and of course the LRLG rumor that talks about DD taking pictures of the moon for GG.
Given what this landmark might mean to GG, it makes this photo even more special.
Or he could just enjoy photographing a pretty building. We'll likely never know for sure.
122 notes
·
View notes
Text
You know how I love offbeat properties and I found this seller's For-Sale-By-Owner ad on Zillow. He started building the home in 1969, in Eureka, California, and it's been under construction for 43 years! It's a French ornamented cathedral Gothic, with all custom ornaments, molds and scaffolding techniques. This mansion is based on Newport, Rhode Island style and spirit from the 19th Century.
This is what it's supposed to look like - The Vision.
And, in 43 yrs., this is what he's done so far. He's asking $4.5M. Now, he has been living in it, so you can live in the finished part. The house is being sold furnished, and what furnishings! Read what he wrote about them below:
"Also for sale here are 1500 sq. ft of the ultimate grade palatial antique Italian marquetry, veneer and solid wood furniture, ranging from console tables and mirrors; 10 different sizes of round antique tables, up to a 12' x 6' museum-piece dining table, various rare cabinets, marquetry, upholstered chairs, couches, china and other cabinets, solid gold (plated) grandfather clock and two huge antique chandeliers, all worth over $300k on the market now and arguably TWICE that!"
This outer door is amazing.
Here's a gargoyle and other ornamentation that still has to go on the house.
But, look at this - it says the exterior designs are ready for installation "when the lawsuit is over." So, the property is involved in a lawsuit, too? (Check the blog - I found the lawsuit papers and posted it.)
There's so much stuff here.
This room is done. It must be a ballroom. I don't know what to make of all this. This looks like the Romanoff's place.
This must be a music room. There's a harpsicord and a harp in here.
Look at these walls. He says the walls are hand done- are these the actual walls?
The walls are hand painted according to the description.
Here's a mantel waiting to be installed.
This is going to be the kitchen.
The gold double sink.
I don't know if this is an old picture of the original inspiration for this home, but it's definitely a representation of the home itself.
This is an amazing fireplace.
Another beautiful fireplace.
He's using the bedroom, but it's not finished.
I'm disappointed in this bathroom. Maybe it's just temporary?
He has a lot of photos of the furniture and these are really primo antiques. So, this would be one of the dining rooms.
This looks like a brand new bedroom set. Looks like a furniture store that used to be near me called Roma Furniture.
The chandelier in the ballroom that he says is included in the sale.
One of the sitting rooms.
Nice inlaid table.
There's a lot of furniture. If you want to see it all, click on the link b/c he's posted 100 photos. But, I'm very confused.
The property measures 6 acres and there are "massive fall color and rose gardens, 20,000 plantings, plus 10,000 daffodil, iris, lily, etc. Bulbs are spread over 6 acres, still there mostly, alive and colorful. Plus, hundreds of valuable landscaping sculptures are included."
121 notes
·
View notes
Text
"I hear there's a whole crew of eager young faces out there just ready to ride the rapids!" hollers our rafting guide, a man who I would later discover from the TV news was actually named Ralph. This man continued to give us a short-form version of his life story, before instructing us on the proper way to wear a life vest (or "personal flotation device," if you're German.) The tourists around me oohed and aahed and snapped pictures, enough to be already halfway through what, in a simpler time, would have been a roll of Kodak film.
Why was I engaging in this pursuit, one which was not just dangerous but without the involvement of any motorized transportation whatsoever? Simple. I had gotten a free ticket from a coworker who "couldn't make it," and I had heard that there were some old hoopties crashed in the forests around the white-water rapids.
See, way back in the era when old cars were new cars, there was no good way to recycle them. Tow truck technology was in its infancy. Junkyards were just called "yards." And China hadn't been invented yet. Or it had, but they were probably also busy building their own new cars and didn't want to take some idiot's old Ford Business Coupe off his hands. So folks just left that shit on the side of roads, in forests, or pushed them off a cliff and watched what happened before driving off in their new car. Tragic, I know, but it means that lots of perfectly good running gear is all over this part of the country.
Ralph led us out on the water. He was pretty good, except for the part where he kept yelling at me to perform manual labour for which I was receiving no compensation. After a couple hours into the trip, I had seen no cars whatsoever and was beginning to lose hope entirely. I was damned to be stuck on this orange pool toy as we shot down the water in order to be rewarded with yet more water. Thrilling though it may be to some people, I was perfectly familiar with going dangerously fast and getting uncomfortably wet from any daily commute in my harem of rusty cars.
That's when I saw it. Anyone else would have easily missed a glimpse of the fender of a 1929 Chevy International roadster. I pulled my backpack off, discarding my oar to do so, and retrieved my homemade grappling hook from within. With a quick burst of compressed air and a not-so-quick burst of nitromethane-fuelled Sanden air-conditioning compressor exhaust, I was flown from the piteous grasp of Mother Kinda-Wet to the warm embrace of Mother Earth. And boy, did she ever have that fender. Not much else, of course, but if you squinted, you could kinda see part of the headlight was now being adopted by the accumulated moss.
After guessing the vague location of it, I dug in and left with my quarry: one extremely rusty, pig-iron "Oakland" vee-eight engine. It was really light, because almost none of it was left, which is good because I had a long way to walk home. A chipmunk kept me company along the way, probably because he used to live in #3 before I picked up his whole sub-development.
As for the other occupants of the river rafting tour, I'm told that at least half of them, perhaps deluded by hours of direct sunlight and lack of access to proper nutrition, believed my sudden escape was actually proof of my having been abducted by angels. I rolled that into a few other paying gigs upon my return to civilization, but it didn't really do much for the fleet. Tax-exempt crooked megachurches have very strict rules about only buying new cars.
107 notes
·
View notes
Text
i keep seeing that picture of the Chinese railway employee (Han Junjia I believe, if the People's Dailt article I found is the same as the post I'm thinking of) posed in front of a steam locomotive in the 80s when he first started work on the railway side by side side a more modern picture of him in front of a high speed train. i don't think the post is that complicated- it like illustrates the development of china and the rapid transformation of the network and the country. from the 1980s to the current day -but the "before" picture - in the 1980s - is like. not the place where the Chinese state railways started and is worth discussing because it is an impressive development which I'd imagine a lot of the people who see it take for granted.
the locomotive is a JF class. the class of locomotive which would become the JF was originally designed and built in America and sent to Manchuria to work on the Japanese colonial railways and designated "Mika" or 'Mikako". After World War I, Japan assumed operation of the Sifang locomotive shops built by the Germans during their occupation of China, which was then used by Japan to produce Mikas of the same design as those orders from the United States. After China was liberated by the PLA the railways were recategorized and standardized and the Mika was renamed JF standing for - Jie Fang (Liberation). Spare parts leftover at the Sifang Locomotive Works from the Japanese Occupation at the Sifang Locomotive works were used to produce the first locomotive produced in the People's Republic and the first truly indigenous locomotive - JF no 2101 - which would enter service on railroads run for the benefit of the country and its people rather than colonial powers. The JF would be the backbone of the Chinese railway in the early years of the People's Republic as the railway network grew and the country rapidly industrialized. it was a reliable design examples of which lasted in service for at least 86 years. by 1980 the entire railway network had undergone a drasric transformation compared to just 40 years previously- from one with locomotives built by colonial powers to work on colonial railways to domestically produced locomotives to work on railways which were for the benefit of the country itself and not a colonial power.
even at the time the "before" picture in the aforementioned post had been taken, there had been people who had witnessed a massive and almost unimaginable transformation within the Chinese railway network. who started as employees in Japanese colonial railways or German colonial locomotive works who ended their careers building locomotives in not only a newly liberated country but a worker's state. and i think that's as impressive if not more impressive than the high speed rail construction.
250 notes
·
View notes
Text
Aster's Maze
Follow up to Obi's Place and Santa’s Otto
Art by @badoobers
Words by @engeorged
I know it’s been over a year since I posted, but it’s been quite a journey for me. One I’m not even sure if I’m ready to talk about. The encounter with Obi changed me somehow and I’m not the same person I was. I can’t quite seem to settle anywhere for very long any more. I feel restless, and to be blunt, like I’m not quite fully present wherever I am. My mind is always in a different place?
Let me go right back. By now, you’ve probably read about my encounter at Obi’s place. I’m not gonna lie, I was a wreck for a few days. It was like a hangover meets a sausage casing? The amount of food he’d packed in me took days to digest. I was swollen for 72 hours, not really able to do anything but sleep and go to the toilet. (I’ll spare you the details although I’m aware a few of you out there will want them you dirty bastards!!) I didn’t check my messages the whole time but after my last post, a lot of you had reached out to me. Turns out there’s quite a few of these guys around and they don’t fuck about! The pictures you all sent me were quite eye opening! (That's maybe for another post!)
The whole thing felt like a dream, but on reflection I realised it was a pretty good dream. I hate to admit it, but being able to eat that much food was quite a turn on. I tried for months to find him again and ask what he did to me. I’ve not been able to repeat it by myself, and trust me, I’ve tried. I can’t really even eat half of what he put into me. Every few weeks I would sit down in a restaurant or a buffet place and just block the afternoon out and eat as much as I could to see what would happen. Now I’m a big guy (and getting bigger!) and I could probably out eat most people if it came down to it but there’s just no way I can get as full as I did that morning. My belly is definitely increasing in size and capacity but still, without whatever magic he was using I can’t do it again.
To cut a long story short, I ended up travelling. The few stories you sent me (that weren’t totally nuts) were fascinating, but from all over the world. I’ve been searching for trolls in Norway, piscies in the UK, dragons in china, tikoloshes in Africa. Nothing! Not a single bite. I was starting to believe that maybe it was a hallucination from being so over tired. Maybe the stripes on the road had hypnotised me as I drove or something.
I’m currently living in Greece for a bit. I’ve pretty much run out and so I found a casual labour job on a building site in Greece. It’s a bit of a shit show to be honest, but all I have to do is turn up and lay bricks for a few hours in the afternoon and I get paid! The extra bit of timber I’d put on means I break a sweat the second I get up, as even though it’s early autumn, here it’s still 24 degrees by midday!
It was coming up to lunch time on the site when I started feeling a bit faint. I realised I’d not had anything to drink for a few hours and I was super dehydrated. I grabbed my water bottle and when lifted to my lips, only a few drips came out, so I had a scan of the area and saw a guy with a cart selling gyros and beers. Usually the street food was pretty good around here so I headed over, still wearing my tight high viz vest. As I got close to the stand I started to realise how hot the guy was selling them, now I’m newly ‘out’ and so I don’t still fully know what my type is but I can tell you reader, this guy was everyone’s type. He was stacked, his arms were like ripe watermelons and as I got close I realised how huge he was. I’ve told you I’m 6’5, but this guy towered over me. He must have been 7 feet easily. His hair was everywhere and he had this crazy medallion around his neck with a symbol on it I recognised from somewhere.
Now, I know my story has ended up on some niche websites and blogs, so I know what you pervs are all waiting for. So here it is. His gut was potentially the hottest thing I have ever seen. It was huge. He was so tall it was practically oval. Firm and round and pushing against the buttons in his shirt. It was like he wasn’t even tempted to hide it. In fact, as I approached, he lifted his arms above his head to stretch which meant that there was a good three or four inches of furry dome poking out from underneath. He looked as stuffed as I was at Obi’s. As I got nearer I started to regret my decision to go over. I must have looked like an absolute state. I was wearing my battered work jeans and fluorescent jacket, covered in brick dust and sweat and I absolutely stank. A 280 lbs slab of man like me working in 30 degree heat is a recipe for funk, and I was dripping with it. He looked up and saw me so there was no going back, I committed and walked up trying to look cool. Something about him made me want to melt into a puddle. I said ‘Yasass’ in my best Greek accent and he replied with a bass filled ‘Hello, how can I help you’ in perfect English. His accent was vaguely British with a hint of Greek overlayed. The rumble of his voice made something shift inside me. I think I was in love.
I ordered two beers and paid him. Lifting it to my lips, thirst took over and downed one on the spot. I didn’t really want to leave, I wanted to try and get his number or something. I downed the second beer and I could see it must have impressed him as he leant forward in his cart and offered me another. I ordered two and offered him one which he took. We stood chatting about the weather and what I was up to and as we chatted he started putting together a huge gyro full of amazing smelling meat. There was a hint of salad at the bottom but the thing was packed as tight as his shirt. He wrapped it up with his strong hands and offered it to me. I took it immediately and took a big bite, within minutes the thing had gone. It was the best tasting thing I’d ever had. When I finished I realised he’d just been watching me eat it, not saying anything. His dark eyes focussed on me making me feel very seen. He had very keen eyes that looked deep into my soul. (I know how pretentious that sounds, don't worry, but you’ll see I’m right in a minute!)
I jokingly said I could eat another one and before I’d finished my sentence he had one there in his large paw! I won’t bore you with the details because there will be a lot more later but suffice to say I ate 3 of his huge gyros. I was substantially full, my own belly was beginning to push out against my work clothes and I’m pretty sure I lost a button I offered to pay but he wouldn’t take it. He just said he’d see me again. I went back to work on the site very full and very horny!
I stopped by for lunch every day for the next week and a half. In the evenings I discovered he owned a small but very cool restaurant bar selling the same food but with the addition of a whole selection of spirits and cocktails. It was a full two weeks before I plucked up the courage to ask him out. There was just something about him that drew me in. Reflecting back I don’t know if we actually spoke about much. Even now I know very little about him. All I remember is his huge belly, round and tight, every day staring at me. Perfection in a fursuit. I remember that he had a few piercings. The medallion round his neck had chains coming off it connecting to nipple piercings. He also had a heavy gold nose ring, which, if I wasn’t thinking with my dick, might have been a bit of a clue. I was looking out for whatever Obi was, not whatever he was. And is, I guess?
On reflection, and with what I know now, he was strategically increasing my already substantial belly capacity for the game. (More on that later) Every meal, he would give me a little bit more food. A bag of stuffed vine leaves here, some baklava there, extra meat in the wrap, a special sauce, larger wraps. Before I knew it I was eating 6 of his gyros twice a day with whatever accompaniments he palmed off on me that day. Every evening I would spend bloated and swollen, nursing my aching stomach whilst thinking of Aster. (Oh I forgot, one thing I did get out of him was his name) I guess I should add that I didn’t twig what was happening in case that’s not obvious. I was bewitched by everything about him to the point where I didn’t realise he was testing me out for something much bigger.
A few weeks in I had a penny drop moment, I’d just finished my 6th evening gyro and he was making me one more to finish me off. My belly was huge, packed with the supply of food he’d been encouraging me to eat. I was wearing a now painted-on shirt and I was standing in the street at 5pm obediently stuffing myself silly with his street food. I’d gone past full a few gyros ago and it was now simply pushing and stretching my stomach more and more. The feeling of the stretch (as some of you probably know) is exquisite. I’d experienced it fully with Obi and I’d been chasing that feeling all over the world to get to that place of total engorged capacity and it dawned on me suddenly I was there again. Something about that day made me realise I'd met another one of these creatures. Aster wasn’t human.
I swallowed down my last bite and took the next one from his massive hairy hand. I looked at him properly for maybe the first time. Looking past my own lust and attraction and I saw that he wasn’t quite ‘right’. His hair was shaped in such a way that hair didn’t really grow. His side burns were much more than a side beard and that ring in his nose was huge because his nose was so large and flat. And his belly! No human belly would ever be that size and rounded shape when it was that big. It would be sagging down over his belt, not sitting proudly on top of it defying gravity. I started eating the food he’d made me and asked him outright. ‘Who are you?’ He looked me in the eye and said with a slightly crooked grin ‘Obi said you could eat.’
I stood back aghast. He was one of them. I had so many questions. But before I could ask any of them he started packing up his cart. I found myself rooted to the spot while he packed away. I literally couldn’t move. As he grabbed the handles he turned to me and put his large hand on top of my distended stomach and winked. And that’s when I saw it. The little purple twinkle in his eye. With that, he was gone and I was finally able to move. The fullness I was not noticing yet hit me and I nearly sat down on the pavement where I stood but I managed to pull myself together and make it back to the site where I did very little work. He’d fed me as much as Obi had done but without me noticing. And I let him!
I could hardly wait for opening time at the restaurant that evening. Still full from lunch, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to ask him out or just demand some answers. When I saw him behind the bar, cleaning a glass with a tea towel I knew what I wanted. I marched right up to the counter but before I had a chance to speak he pulled out a single purple rose which he handed me. As I looked at him in the low light, I realised all his confidence had fallen away and he was genuinely a little nervous. Turns out he’d fallen for me too. He ended up asking me on a date. Who knew a 7 foot tall Minotaur would be such a hopeless romantic. (Yeah I just dropped that in. I didn’t know how else to say it really! It is what it is?) He told me that he finished around midnight but that he had somewhere he wanted to take me and would that be alright. I agreed, obviously! And parked myself on a table by the window to wait for him.
Even though the restaurant was pretty busy, he found time to be quite attentive. Every hour he brought me another rose and a plate of something to eat. By the time it was midnight I had a vase full of flowers and a belly full of Greek food! Bear in mind I was stuffed from lunch and I arrived at the restaurant at 6. So do the math to work out how full I currently am. That’s important for the rest of the story! As the final customers left I watched as he whipped round the place lifting the chairs and sweeping up as fast as he could. It was kind of cute to see how keen he was. When it was all done he explained to me that he wanted to take me somewhere that was special to him, somewhere he thought I would enjoy. He looked a little sheepish but I agreed. We walked through town (slowly I might add, I was basically round at this point) as he held my hand. Not many people can make me feel small but walking around holding this giant's hand was quite humbling. At this point I think my belly was bigger than his but he was still over half a foot taller than me. Being near him calmed my stomach too. It was like I was just pleasantly full when I was near him, not dangerously packed to bursting. We chatted a little bit but we mainly walked in silence, happy in each other's company.
We arrived at a sort of park on the edge of town. There were a few ruins we walked past but we ended up at the edge of what looked like a small cave. In any other setting I would have run a mile but he has been so tender with me I just felt super safe. In the moonlight, at the edge of the cave we stood looking into each other's eyes. He slowly leant in to kiss me and I let him. As he leant back I felt myself rooted to the spot again unable to move. He started walking backwards into the cave and as the dark consumed him he winked again and beckoned me to follow him. After a minute the effects of whatever it was wore off and I was able to slowly walk into the cave. After a few steps I discovered that it was lit all along by torches and it started to become more of a corridor. There was no sign of Aster but I carried on into the maze. As I walked I felt a little rumble in my stomach. I brushed it off as just digestion starting and kept going. After a few turns it saw a few petals in the ground. The massive softie had left me a trail to follow.
Eventually, I came across a small recess in the wall with a little table set into it and a candle. I sat down on one of the chairs and Aster emerged from out of the darkness with two heavy cloched plates. He sat down and put the plates in front of us. He pulled the cloches off to reveal a sizeable plate of oysters. I smiled and he smiled back. I found myself inexplicably hungry and went to take my first one, but he leant over and stopped me. He picked up a large oyster and lifted it to my lips. I smiled and opened my mouth and titled my head back. If I’m totally honest I’ve never eaten oysters before but I’d seen it in films. I knew I was supposed to swallow them whole so fortunately I didn’t make a tit of myself. I don’t know if you’ve had them before but I’m not gonna lie, they taste good but they are like swallowing snot! Being fed them was hot though! Knowing I had the full attention of this slab of man was really doing it for me! He fed me a few and then sat back and I did the same for him! Watching his heavy Adam's Apple bob up and down as he swallowed was a surprising new kink I discovered in that cave!
Suffice to say, it was like time worked differently in that cave. We’d only been there a few minutes and there were a fair few oysters on each of our plates. Maybe 3 dozen each? They didn’t really take long to eat but it felt like we were there for hours. I wasn’t counting the oysters but by the time we’d cleared the plates, my belly had advanced quite a way. Like way more than a few dozen oysters would have done. It was still tight and round but it was a lot bigger and heavier. It appeared that my tank top had ripped at the edges and so I just took it off. Even though we were underground it wasn’t cold so I was happy in just my jeans.
I looked at Aster and he had the biggest grin on his face. His own belly was beginning to blow out from our oyster binge. I could see even more of his substantial furry belly pushing out from his shirt. I wasn’t sure if he looked taller at that point? Everything about him was larger in some way and he was meatier and hairier too. (Yes every part of him was bigger. I won’t say more than that!) He was absentmindedly rubbing the underneath of his belly curve as he watched me readjust to my new bloated mass. His eyes were both kind and predatory at the same time. We stood there for a little while admiring one another until he winked and shimmered like Obi used to. With that he was gone and the chase was back on. I lumbered on further into the maze of tunnels, my swollen midsection slowing me down considerably. The path twisted and turned as I was led deeper in.
I couldn’t tell you how long it was until I found him. At first, I began to hear running water and so, for want of any other clues, I followed the noise. The walls of the maze were beginning to look less constructed by human hands and more cave-like, I guess? Stone bricks giving way to actual stone. I even thought I saw a few flashes of gemstones here and there but I was more interested in my next meal. Even though I must have eaten a week's worth of food so far, I was still inexplicably hungry. I don’t know if I can describe how it felt. My insides felt packed full. Like totally solid. There was very little give to my belly. And yet I knew I wanted more. Actually I needed more. The stretched feeling I have when I’m around these guys is something I’ve never experienced before.
Eventually, the water got louder and louder until I walked through a stone archway and found myself in a cavernous expanse. The sound of water turned out to be an underground waterfall, the water cascading down into a piercing blue lagoon. The ceiling was lit with some sort of glowing insects which were making a melodic rhythmic chirping sound. I searched around the expanse until I found him. He was sitting with his legs in the water next to a fire where he seemed to be grilling fish. It was the first time I’d seen his legs and they were indeed as you would imagine them to be. Covered in thick black hair. I couldn’t see his feet as they were in the water but I am guessing he didn’t have five toes at this point. It seemed that he was becoming more of his true self the closer we got to the centre. I made my way round and joined him sitting by the water. It was one of the most beautiful places I’d ever been. We sat there for a few moments in silence. Enjoying the beauty. I realised after a while that he was holding my hand. He turned his attention to the fire and pulled out a perfectly grilled fish which he placed next to himself and he began to break off pieces of the succulent meat and began feeding it to me. The fish melted in my mouth. It was so succulent and tender. I ate the whole thing quickly and he brought a second fish over and put his hands back on the floor as a signal for me to feed him. I obliged, tenderly placing it into his mouth. We did this for a while until all the fish he was cooking had gone. He leant forward and I thought he was going to kiss me again but instead he plunged his hand into the water and pulled out more fish. I’m no expert but I know one of them was a Salmon, and a pretty big one at that. And I think there was a rainbow trout and something else sort of blue? We carried on eating and cooking and eating and cooking for hours. The time weirdness means I have no idea how long we were there or how many I ate at this point, but looking at the both of us we were both much bigger. I don’t know if it’s part of the atmosphere or I genuinely ate that much but there it was. My own belly was enormous. Way bigger than I had been in the diner. His gut was spectacular. Round and hairy and now totally free from his shirt. Bear in mind he was nearly 8 feet at this point.
He reached over and tenderly began to massage my own swollen stomach. His hands, surprisingly gentle, but firm. I closed my eyes and relaxed and basically let him do what he wanted to me. All of my senses seemed to be heightened, every little touch was like a wave of ecstasy flowing across my skin. His smell was heady, strong and potent and filling my nostrils. Eventually, I realised he’d gone but I stayed there for a little while longer. Partly because it was so beautiful but also partly because I could hardly move.
I pulled myself to my feet, hauling my cantilevered belly up. It was still self supporting and jutting straight out from me into the air. I wished there was a mirror somewhere so I could have seen it properly. I saw an opening in the wall near the waterfall so I followed it through into a darker and more narrow part of the maze. The walls were closer than before and there were a few parts where I was worried I might not get through with my newly ballooned gut. After a while I started to smell the aromatic smell of cooking pork which made me instantly hungry again. I followed the smell and found three doors with a riddle written above it. I can’t remember the riddle but it was something about liars and guessing the way. You can probably guess that I’m not the smartest guy, I’m not dumb, but when it comes to stuff like riddles I’m out. My belly was rumbling loud at this point too so I was distracted. I decided to just listen at each of the doors. Door one I could hear a whistling noise which I reckoned was some sort of drop. Door two was a distinct growling snore. Although Aster was super stuffed I was pretty sure it wasn’t him asleep, and having met some of these guys I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a cute teddy bear behind there! I approached door three and had a listen. I could just about hear a sizzling sound and with the smell of pork I couldn’t handle it so I threw the door open. I wasn’t disappointed!
The room was a small stone cell with a fire pit sunk in the bottom. On top of it was a decently sized pig on a spit. I couldn’t see Aster so I stepped in gingerly. The door closed behind me and as I turned it dissolved into the wall. There was no way out. I stepped into the room and looked into the shadows at the edges. And there he was, taller than ever. As he stepped out into the light of the fire I could see he’d changed more. The first thing I noticed were the horns that had now sprouted from the top of his head. They weren’t massive but they were slightly curved and protruding from his thicker hair. The hair wasn’t just thicker on his head either. He’d now taken off his shirt and I could see the extent of it. He was pretty much covered in thick black hair all over his arms and sides. Virtually the only skin visible was across his bloated sphere of a belly. And that had a decent covering all along the bottom of the curve stretching up to a thick happy trail that snaked up to his hairy pierced pecs. The thick gold chain connects to his medallion.
He spoke with a deep gravelly voice that I could literally feel in my feet. He told me under no circumstances was there to be any pork left before we left this place. Under any other situation I would have laughed. The pig had to be 200 lbs of meat. That would literally have taken any normal person a few weeks to eat. But here, with him, I knew right there that we would do it. I was apprehensive to think about how much my stomach would distend after that but I knew that whatever this place was it would be ok. I walked up to him and put my hands firmly on the sides of his thick belly and looked up. He looked down at me and bent his head to kiss me on the lips again. I smiled and sighed with contentment. Something special was about to happen.
He pulled back and handed me a sharp knife, and took out one of his own and cut a slab of meat. The juices were rubbing down his arm. He pulled off the crackling and greedily began to eat it, crunching and swallowing it down. He offered me the meat and I eagerly opened my mouth to receive it. It tasted even better than it smelt and within minutes the whole slab had disappeared into me. We continued to feed one another the pork for a while, taking it in turns to slice off large chunks of flesh and sharing the delicious meat. We were soon covered in the stuff, our bellies continuing their rapid expansions. As we progressed, instead of slowing down we began to speed up. We even abandoned the knives and took to simply ripping off our next portions and guzzling down our haul. He fed me and I fed him and we ate ourselves. The boundaries of reality slipped away as we gorged on the meal together. (Yes I know that sounded a bit twatty but that’s how it felt. How many pigs have you shared with a fucking Minotaur?)
We didn’t take any breaks in our gluttony, the pig simply ended up inside both of us. I’d guess Aster ate more, simply because he is a good few feet taller than me but I didn’t notice him actually eating more. By the time the pig was reduced to bones we were both insanely swollen. My own gut was packed so big I couldn’t see anything else when I looked down. The skin tightly stretched over the vast quality of food it held inside itself. If I thought for a second about how much food I contained I’m not sure my brain could handle it. I looked like someone had slipped an air compressor up my arse and turned it on for a good half an hour. Physics had to be different in there because there was no way I’d have been able to stand up without some supernatural help. Looking at Aster, he was the same. Comically swollen, his huge abdomen surrounded by a sea of hair. The only difference between us is that you could still see some of his muscle definition. The power and strength he contained was tangible when you looked at his animal-like frame.
Covered in grease and bits of food we sat back admiring each other's new size. I wanna keep the story a touch modest, but he was clearly aroused by our efforts. I won’t go into details because I never kiss and tell, but fuck me he was a big boy! I’m glad there was magic in the site because after what we did next I could have ended up in hospital!
After we had, erm, cuddled, we lay back with our heads next to one another. Our engorged stomachs stuck high into the air, solid and packed with food, unyielding in their size and volume. We stayed for a period of time and chatted about our lives. Aster clearly wasn’t wanting this to be a one off encounter. He was surprisingly affectionate and romantic for a half man half bull. He wanted to know all about me and my life and what my plans for the future were. It was such a tender moment I could have stayed there forever but Aster had one more plan up his sleeve. He pulled himself up easily and offered me a hand to help me up. I just about managed to get to my feet, helped by his superhuman strength I assume! Kissing me again he led me by the hand into the shadows where we found a new door. Fortunately, it was a double door as neither of us would have fit through anything smaller at this stage. We walked into a vast cavernous space. I didn’t think it was possible but it was even more beautiful than the underwater lagoon where we ate the fish. The glowing insects were back and this time other glowing creatures joined them. Small colourful lizards darted from rock to rock making patterns in the water that filled half the floor. Several smaller waterfalls fed this one, each framed by cascades of glowing plants with brightly shining flowers falling down. Alongside the water was a long banqueting table covered with food. There were golden bowls and plates full of oversized fruits and bread. Huge slabs of roasted meats and wheels of cheese. At the end there appeared a large ornately decorated cornucopia which seemed to be the source of the food. Aster led me to the table and sat us both down in large oversized thrones. We’d made it to the centre of the labyrinth!
As we sat down, our swollen bellies resting on our legs I realised he had plans to carry on eating. Whatever magic was present meant I definitely felt hungry but there was no way I could physically move to get the food. I was practically pinned down underneath the sheer ridiculous size of my own belly. I was about to say this to Aster when I heard something move in the water. I looked across to see six men emerge from the water. I say men, we both know they weren’t that. If I had to guess I would say they were some sort of water nymphs? They had a pale bluey green tinge to their skin which had a faint shimmer to it as well. They were lithe and incredibly beautiful, their muscles and sinews visible underneath their skin. Their tight shorts left very little to the imagination and their eyes looked as hungry as I felt. They were here to feed us.
I don’t know whether we were there for a few days or weeks or months. The food from the cornucopia kept coming and we kept eating. Non stop gorging, all enabled by the blue dudes. Their dexterous long fingers feeding us food and massaging our swelling bellies. We both ended up the size of trucks, our inhumanly swollen bellies stretching way past what was physically or morally possible.
At some point we were done and we were pushed or rolled to the edge of the water. I slipped in and sank heavily to the bottom. Whether I was magically able to breathe underwater or whether I somehow didn’t need to breathe, I’m not sure, but Aster and I were able to move freely under the water. We swam for a while through caverns and caves, snaking away from the maze. When we surfaced we found ourselves on a small island just off the coast of the town. Away from the magical influence of the labyrinth, Aster was back to his more human form and his belly was vastly reduced but still clearly swollen. I was the same, my belly was huge, but it at least was obeying the laws of physics. Again, I don’t want to make the story any more r-rated than it needs to be so let’s say we spent some time with each other there. We needed some time to digest and recover as well.
Friends, I don’t know whether what happened was a dream or some sort of vision, but I do know I’ve gained 50lbs in a few days. I have a very definite and prominent ball belly now, which I’m not unhappy about. I also have a new boyfriend. Unlike Obi, Aster was happy to stick around, so I do know that something happened. I don’t really want to ask too many questions from Aster because I don’t really mind if it was real or not. I know he’s here and I know we ate a shit ton of food and I know he’s not going anywhere
#belly expansion#gainer fiction#gay gainer#stuffing#belly fiction#gainer stories#male gaining#stuffing art#gainer artwork#gainer story
483 notes
·
View notes
Text
Three Little Words
Rating: T
CW: none
Tags: Established relationship, tiny bit of angst, kisses
Prompt: For @quinns-shadowy-arts "Love is saying 'I love you' even when you're scared"
WC: 1091
Written for @steddielovemonth Day 21
Three little words.
Three little words that burned like acid on his tongue when he tried to say them. Three little words that he knew he felt, every single time his heart beat in a rhythm of Steve, Steve, Steve, but he couldn’t make himself say. It was just three little words. Three little words that he knew his boyfriend wanted to hear more than anything.
They both bore scars from those three, simple little words. Steve’s parents used them in a lofty, detached sort of way, trotted out for appearances just like the nice china. Eddie’s parents wielded them like a weapon, his father using them as an excuse for why he behaved the way he did. The old “I only do this because I love you” that Eddie learned very early in life had absolutely nothing to do with those three little words.
It had taken Eddie a very long time to even be open to the possibility of saying them to someone else. Even with Wayne, his father in everything but blood, never got to hear them out of his mouth. Wayne didn’t say them much either, had other ways to show it than speaking it out loud.
The problem was, Eddie really wanted to say them out loud. He wanted to croon them in Steve’s ear when they were pressed together in bed, or whisper them into his mouth during a good night kiss, or even whisper them into Steve’s skin when they were both shaking in bed from nightmares of the horrors they’d seen. His chest ached with it, but his stubborn mouth refused.
So, he threw himself into showing Steve. Night drives together, cuddling in the van, making love in one of their beds until neither of them could stand it, falling asleep together after… all of these things painted the picture of what he wanted to say, but he knew it wasn’t enough.
He needed to say them. He just didn’t know how.
“How do you tell someone you… you know…” Eddie asked one day when he and Wayne were sitting outside, smoking together. It was a warm, clear night, the stars winking above them.
Wayne raised an eyebrow. “No, I don’t know. Mostly because I have no idea what you’re trying to ask me, son.” He took a drag from his cigarette. “Is this about Steve? Are you trying to break up with him?”
Eddie spluttered. The very idea made his heart feel like it was going to fall right out of his chest. “What the fuck, no! The opposite! I want to tell Steve that… you know…” Just say it. It’s right there. Just say it, you fucking coward.
“Ah. You want to tell Steve you love him,” Wayne said after a moment.
Eddie swallowed. “Yeah. I just… you know… can’t. I try to say it but it’s like my brain won’t let me.”
Wayne let out a sigh and stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray by the bench. “I get it. Sometimes it can be hard, especially after what you kids went through.” He sighed, rubbing his chin. “But I think you should just try. Steve’ll get it.”
Eddie nodded, but it didn’t stop the angry swirl of his stomach or the burn on the back of his tongue.
–
He waited until the next night, after he’d picked Steve up. They grabbed some fast food and drove out to the quarry, parking and opening up the van. It was another nice night, the half moon blazing bright in the night sky. Perfect night for a little romantic rendezvous.
“This is nice,” Steve said, pulling out their burgers and fries. “It’s nice to be able to hear myself think after being around the kids all day.” He popped a fry in his mouth and then leaned over, pressing a greasy kiss to Eddie’s mouth.
It should have been gross, but all it did was make that feeling in his chest grow stronger, the need build higher. Fuck, it shouldn’t be so hard, but Eddie was terrified. What if Steve didn’t feel the same? What if he used it against him, just like his dad had? What if, what if, what if…
“Eds? You okay?” Steve asked, breaking Eddie out of his spiraling thoughts. His brow was furrowed and the corners of his mouth were turned down. “Do we need to go?”
Eddie shook his head, trying to gather every ounce of courage he had. Three little words. That’s all it was. “No, I’m good. I just… I really need to tell you something.”
Steve kept frowning, sitting back. “Okay, I’m listening.”
“I just… Steve…I…”
“If you’re going to break up with me, can you please just get it over with?” Steve said sadly, folding his arms across his chest.
“Why does everyone keep thinking that? No, Steve. I love you, why would I break up with you?”
It got so quiet, Eddie was pretty sure he’d be able to hear a pin drop. That wasn’t quite how he’d planned to say it, but now it was out there. Nothing he could do now. “Steve?”
Steve looked back at him, pretty mouth dropped open and his eyes sparkling, just like the stars above them. “You love me? You mean it?”
Eddie felt his whole body soften. He could still feel them there, burning in the back of his throat, but that feeling was being overtaken by the way his stomach fluttered, how pretty Steve’s blush looked under the moonlight. “Of course I do. I just… those words are hard to say, you know?”
Fingers entwined with his own and pulled him close, Steve breathing against his mouth from where their foreheads were pressed together. “I do. Thank you for saying them. I thought so, but… you know I love you too, right?” At Eddie’s nod, Steve continued, “I didn’t want to say them first, either. The last time, it kind of blew up in my face, but… I’ve felt it for months now. You’re kind of it for me, you know?”
“I do,” Eddie replied, grinning so wide his face hurt a little. “I’m sorry I was scared to say it.”
“I was too. But now we don’t have to be. That was the hard part.” Steve closed that last little bit to kiss Eddie again, deeper and sweeter than the last one. It felt good. It felt right. It felt like nothing was ever going to be the same again, in the best way.
It felt like those three little words.
127 notes
·
View notes
Text
You know what? I'm bored, and I've got some ideas, so here are my Ilvermony headcanons.
The separate houses are treated as little more than an aesthetic difference by the students. While there might be rivalries and prank wars between the houses, it never gets to the levels of near discrimination that it gets to at Hogwarts. The students all just consider themselves students of the same school and members of the houses intermingle and hang out with each other all the time. They're even allowed to be in each other's dorms for limited amounts of time each day. The teachers encourage it as they often say that each house represents a part of what every great wizard needs, and coming together helps bring them all together towards the ideal wizard.
It's not uncommon for there to be students from other countries who don't speak English perfectly. Thankfully, there are charms to help translate their speech for the teacher, and the only part of their work that needs to be spoken English are their incantations. Though some might still ask for help in getting the pronunciation correct.
The dining hall students eat in is vastly different from Hogwarts's Great Hall, being a large room with mahogany walls filled with multiple circular tables covered in red tablecloths with gold trim and set with silver untensils, fine blue China plates, and crystal glasses. In the center of the room is a vast roaring fireplace with a picture of the Sayre family overtop of it. During feasts, the Pukwudgies bring out platters and pitchers of food and drink that stay magically hot and cold until the students serve themselves from them. Students are allowed to sit at whatever table they please, and the staff eat at a massive table in the middle of all the others.
The dorms are just different buildings of the castle that have five floors of T-shaped hallways with long red and gold rugs bearing the houses symbol. Along the walls of each hallways are dorm rooms for each years students. Students are assigned two each to a dorm, with their roommates's names being included with the letters they receive at the start of each new year. Roommates can't be changed unless two students agree to trade with each other. The dorms all have two large half poster beds with red and gold sheets and blankets, the blankets also carrying their houses symbol and pillows with blue pillow cases. There's also two desks, half dressers, wardrobes, and a set of three shelves above the dressers on both sides (the rooms are enhanced with expansion charms to give them extra space). The halls for younger students all have a dorm manager in them, an older student who was chosen to sleep on their floor to act as a chaperone and disciplinary figure to the students.
The students get to the school by way of multiple magical single decker busses that all arrive at Rockfeller Center in New York. They drive for around an hour before making a stop at a magically hidden pit stop where the students can get snacks, drinks and use the bathroom before the rest of the journey.
Thanksgivings at Ilvermony are always huge. The decorations include fall leaves that flutter and blow themselves through the halls, realistic turkey figures that jump around and gobble, and in the center of each dining room table is a red and gold hat that plays music. Each table gets its own turkey to carve (any leftovers are served over the next few days as sandwiches) along with boats of gravy and cranberry sauce, bowls of corn, mashed potatoes and carrots. And for dessert, a veritable buffet of pies, including Ilvermony's famous cranberry pie, the recipe said to have been invented by Isolt Sayre herself.
Any students without a wand before coming to school is allowed to select one from the hall of wands just past the sorting room. The hall holds hundreds of wands stacked inside their case along the walls. The room holds both wands so new they were just ordered yesterday and so old they were created at the very start of the school. After each sorting ceremony, the head of the school helps each first year's find a wand that "chooses" them, a process that can take up to an hour at most. It's also heavily guarded at all times by both a pair of heavily armed, muscular Pukwudgies and a rotating member of the staff as it's a prime target for thievery either by students or dark wizards.
Ilvermorny boasts a massive roaster of international magical studies electives. In each one, students can study the government, magical creatures, and magical history of the country of their choosing. Some even go on summer trips to those countries to further their studies.
Rather than O.W.L.s, Ilvermorny students takes the W.I.T. or Wizarding Intuition Tests, something similar to an SAT tests. The tests are taken twice, once during sixth year and once during seventh year for each class the students take, and the combined scores of each year are added together, and that average becomes their score. The better the score in certain subjects, the more job opportunities the students have.
To receive mail, students go to the mail room in a tall tower at the southern side of the castle where every owl goes to bring packages and letters for their deliveriees to receive. The mail room is student run and students are selected at random to do the job.
#Harry Potter#Hogwarts#Isolt Sayre#Ilvermorny#ilvermony school of witchcraft and wizardry#Wampus cat house#Pukwudgie#Thunderbird#Horned Serpent#Harry james potter#Ron Weasly#Wizard school#Harry potter headcanons#Ilvermorny headcanons#HP#Hp fandom#Hogwarts legacy#Severus snape#Draco Malfoy#hermione granger
80 notes
·
View notes
Text
My trip to Taiwan
I took a break from posting because...I went to Taiwan! This was my first time going there, and I was mostly in Taipei. I had a great time and took many, many photos. I'll share some highlights here (along with commentary) to commemorate my trip.
Left: Liberty Square 自由廣場
Right: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial 中正紀念堂
You can't tell here, but there was a row of porta-potties directly to the left of the archway. That was a funny sight. There was also a stage in the middle of the square. Maybe they do outdoor concerts?
Left: Tamsui Old Street 淡水老街
Right: "Sidewalk"
Besides the main roads, most streets lacked raised sidewalks. Instead, they had a painted path. I had to get comfortable being very, very close to cars and other vehicles.
Left: Motorbike parking lot near Tamsui Old Street
Right: Covered sidewalk.
I’ve seen motorbikes before in China, but Taipei took things to a new level. Motorbikes were absolutely everywhere. I even saw this parking lot exclusively for motorbikes. They rule the streets.
In the busy downtown districts, you often don’t need an umbrella due to the covered sidewalks. You can walk for blocks and blocks while staying covered. This was pretty convenient on rainy days.
Left: Jadeite Cabbage 翠玉白菜 at the National Palace Museum 國立故宮博物院
Right: Umbrella rack (also at the museum)
Confession—I didn't think the National Palace Museum was that good. Probably because I've been to the actual Forbidden City in Beijing. And sadly, the Meat-Shaped Stone wasn't on exhibit.
In the US, some stores will provide a plastic bag for your wet umbrella. In Taipei, many stores had a rack or basket outside instead. Most were not as secure or elaborate as the one pictured.
Left: Eslite Xinyi Store (bookstore) 誠品信義店
Right: Sun Yat-sen Memorial 國父紀念館
I bought a couple books and a Yoga Lin CD at the Eslite 24-hour bookstore. I only planned to swing by, but I think I spent 2 hours there. I definitely recommend checking it out if you're in Taipei.
Taipei 101 台北101
It was overcast when I went to Taipei 101, but the view was still nice. On the bright side, there was NO line. 101 is by far the tallest building around, so you really feel that you're looking down at the city.
Taroko National Park 太魯閣國家公園
Taroko was the only place I visited outside of the Taipei/New Taipei City area. It's in Hualien county on the east coast. There were so many betel nut stores in the countryside on the way there.
Left: Pond at NTU 國立臺灣大學
Right: 228 Peace Memorial Park 二二八和平紀念公園
Taipei has the best parks! They really put American parks to shame. Before going, I didn't understand why so many Taipei parks are tourist destinations with 4.5+ star reviews, but now I totally get it.
Elephant Mountain 象山
I didn’t realize how mountainous Taiwan is. Taipei is cradled by mountains, so there are many places to hike, even within city limits. I braved the rain for the famous view from Elephant Mountain.
Subway billboard 臺北捷運
The Taipei Metro/MRT was amazing. So fast, clean, frequent, and convenient. US subway systems are a joke in comparison. These are from an amusing series of billboards promoting riding etiquette.
Some other observations:
I was quite impressed by all of the English signage in Taipei. I think it would be very easy to navigate even if you don’t know Chinese. Many stores and small eateries had menus, signs, etc. in English.
I knew Taiwan had many convenience stores, but I was not prepared to see a Family Mart or 7/11 on every block. Someone needs to open this style convenience store in the US ASAP.
I saw numerous adds featuring Korean actors like Son Ye-jin and also kpop groups like IVE and NewJeans. I also heard kpop playing at various stores, whereas in America, I only hear it at Hmart.
I was struck by how many street signs and subway stops names used pinyin romanization. There was a lot of inconsistency and mixing of different romanization systems. For example, you have Taipei vs. Beitou (same character: 北).
There were many Japanese stores, pharmacies, and restaurants. Upon further consideration, this makes sense given Taiwan's history, but it stood out to me nonetheless.
Overall, I had a lovely time in (mostly) Taipei. As a big city (but not too big) surrounded by beautiful nature, there's something for everyone. I already want to go back! Of course I also want to see some other areas of Taiwan too. Maybe next year.
85 notes
·
View notes
Text
grandma Rosiepuff's pod in the sims 4
ok, im finally doing it. here is grandma's pod in the sims like i said i would do. i used opefulee's floor plan for the pod (they have a pod tour on yt)
the first room is the living room. i gave them lots of toys bc theyre kids, mainly for floyd and branch. i did add some things that i added to the bunker build, like the pink vase is in jd's room. i love the little height chart, the tree one fit the best to me. theres lots of little things, like the records on the wall or the baby things on the table or muddy foot prints by the door
next is the bathroom. i hate builds that look to staged, like an open house or something. i like to make mine look lived in, thus all the clutter everywhere. i wanted to shove the changing table into a counter but it suck out. i put baby things near the changing table. there's makeup and a small mirror for Floyd, a cup with tooth brushes and skin care products, cologne, and bath product slight out of frame. there's a hamper, a basket of clean laundry and on the floor is a pile of clothes. and branch's lil potty for potty training.
on to the kitchen, i made it such a weird shape it was hard to fill it without making it cramped. the bulletin board with concert date and school activities. some priceless China that totally wont get broken in a pod with five boys, never. school art projects hanging up on the walls. more muddy foot prints by the back door (who do you think did it). a calender on the wall for other dates and such. cookies on top of the fridge. couldn't forget branch's high chair and wine in the fridge bc raising five boys must to be hard so grandma needs a drink
time for upstairs. its a simple hallway, a few pictures, no the boys TOTALLY DID NOT draw on the wall around their door. Absolutely not. i put a broad with childrens drawings bc grandma cant hang their drawing on the fridge, the door is glass. were not going to talk about how i fucked up the railing
on to the actual brozone, the boys room. i wanted to take bits and pieces from each of them bc thats what you do when you share a room with you siblings, you put in what you can. beds go as followed, first bunk (left) Spruce on top, floyd on bottom. next bunk(right) top is clay and jd is on bottom. then branch's crib. i put the alarm clock next to jonh's bed bc i imagine hes the one waking his brothers up for school or rehearsals. floyd has a lil ghost night light by his bed, spruce has a reading light up by his to read fan letters. thers board games on their dresser. floyd has nail polish by his bed. clay has books on his bed. i made it where they could rehears their songs and record them in their room. agian more cloths on the floor (seriously who keeps leaving those lying around) and another toy box bc clearly these boys dont have enough toys.
thats it, thats the pod. did you enjoy
#trolls#brozone#trolls clay#trolls floyd#trolls bruce#trolls john dory#branch trolls#grandma rosiepuff#trolls sims
51 notes
·
View notes
Text
The Chain as Things I Learned About the Byzantine Empire
AKA: I got a 100% on the Byzantine test so I’m making it everyone’s problem
:p @vio-starzz @shadowlinktheshadow @trippygalaxy @mushr0oms-and-m0ss @treasure-goblin
Time
Emperor Justinian saw all these random and incoherent laws and went, “Is anyone gonna make that make sense?” And not waited for and answer
Basically, the Empire had all these laws that went for different places and people were getting confused, even himself, so he decided to end the maddness
He condensed the laws into the needed and useful ones and scrapped the “wtf??” ones
This made it easier on them and himself
Sky
So there was this guy, St. Cyril, and he was Christian and he wanted places like Russia to be Christian too
Problem was, the languages were different and it was hard to teach when they couldn’t understand you
So what did buddy old pal St. Cyril do? He made his own fucking language
It’s crazy, look up the Cyrillic alphabet I’m serious-
Warriors
They made a 14 mile long wall-
No, it’s not a Great Wall of China, but still
It was all a one wall protection unit for their capital, Constantinople(modern day Istanbul)
It was a good idea, I mean, they were on a peninsula so they only really needed to protect on side on land🤷🏽♂️
Wild
When Justinian was Emperor, he looked at silk and was like, “is anyone gonna steal that and make their empire rich?” And not waited for an answer🤷🏽♂️
Justinian was honestly the best part of the unit-
Wild is just the smuggling of the silk guys-
Wind
Wind is the Schism of Christianity
Basically, the two churches, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, hated each other
Rome, basically the capital of the ROMan Catholic church was close to being invaded, so they asked for help
They were denied help and the Pope, the head of the Roman Catholic church, got pissed
So the Pope wrote to the Emperor and the Patriarch, the head of the Eastern Orthodox church
In this letter(at least I think it was a letter) the Pope basically said, “Fuck you, you’re no longer allowed to be Christian” but didn’t actually say that. The Pope just excommunicated them
So the Patriarch went, “Fuck you too, and now you’re not allowed to be Christian” and excommunicated the Pope💀💀💀
This is Wind because the two sides excommunicated each other out of spite and we know that Wind has a lot of that
Legend
Bro is the Hagia Sofia
Please look it up, it looks so pretty-
As mentioned earlier, Justinian ordered the smuggling of silk so the people who liked in the modern day Europe area didn’t have to travel all the way to China to get it
Justinian used these riches to build the Hagia Sofia
The Hagia Sofia was originally a Christian church, as Christianity was the main religion rip roman mythology
Later, the Byzantines were conquured by the Ottoman Turks, who were Muslims
The Ottomans turned the Hagia Sofia into a mosque and built those pillars you see in the picture when you see the modern version
Then, probably some 10-20 years ago, it was converted into a museum
The Hagia Sofia has been through a lot in the last, at least, 1000 years. Yet, she still stands, just like our emo rabbit boy
I can’t think of one for Twilight, Hyrule, or Four right now but if I do, I’ll make a part two
#linked universe#linkeduniverse#linked universe time#linked universe warriors#linked universe wild#linked universe wind#linked universe sky#linked universe legend#lu time#lu sky#lu legend#lu warriors#lu wind#lu wild#Shady Rants#SCREAMS FROM THE SHADE
40 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
the-orb-they-ponder
Ponder the orb
parksandkorra
Parks and Korra
merath
Michael Erath
lizziesaltzmancentral
rise to my level.
dstmaxwell
The stealerrr