P A R A D I S E

cecilia paraíso 23. aspiring photographer. cape hazel

[uael]

describe...

1. describe the best dream you’ve ever had. 2. describe the best friend you’ve ever had, regardless of the friendship’s current status. 3. describe your dream dog. 4. describe your favourite person on tumblr and see if your followers can guess who it is. 5. describe your dream life. 6. describe your desired style. who is most similar to that style? 7. describe the best day you’ve ever had. 8. describe how you want to be when you grow old ( ex. a cranky old man or a rich, posh old woman ). 9. describe what you hope to be in four words. 10. describe your favourite movie without saying the title or any of the characters names. 11. describe the best light you’ve ever seen. 12. describe the coolest thing you’ve ever seen. 13. describe the feeling of winter on your skin. 14. describe your favourite spot in your house. 15. describe your pets. 16. describe the dreamiest spot in your town. 17. describe yourself as if you were a character in a book. 18. describe the feeling you get when you see your love/crush. 19. describe the best spot you know for watching the sunrise or sunset. 20. describe your favourite weather.

[ccparaiso]

mechanicvl‌:

each jab hurts, but they’re bearable because over the years, harley accepted on some level that cecilia would hate him and he would deserve it. it’s the we won’t pretend like you care about it that hits hard, too hard. i did what i did because i cared too much, he wants to say, but that only works if ever bothered to tell her that when he broke things off to begin with, and now he’s years too late, so. so. he knows, logically, he’s at fault here. realistically, it still stings. to explain it now would be the next rational solution, but cecilia looks more ready to watch him go than listen to him explain, which is– yeah, he deserves that too.

“sure. no small talk.” his voice drops to a subdued mutter. he watches the nyquil go into the bag, feeling strangely like time’s passing too slowly and too quickly at once. he jams his card into the chip reader and waits, but that definitely takes too long, and the silence is starting to get to him. he’s never been good at just keeping quiet. “are you staying this time?”

when harley agrees with her, cecilia is taken by two conflicting feelings. the first one is relief. she really doesn’t want to do small talk and tell him about her life. no - he lost the right to know anything about her when he kept her in the dark back then. and besides, it just hurts too much. cecilia looks at him and he’s her lost best friend, not only her ex boyfriend. he’s her lost trust. it’s too painful to dance around her words, not knowing what she can say to him because she doesn’t know what drove him away the first time. so yeah, silence is better. but it’s also horrible and infuriating that he accepts it that she won’t talk to him. it makes her want to slap him, to scream at him, to ask - why don’t you fight for me? why am i not worth fighting for?

she keeps her turmoil at bay though, concentrates in the letters that read processing on the card machine. cecilia almost prays that it goes faster so she can go back to pretending harley was never a part of her life. she sighs and taps her fingers impatiently, brow furrowing as she looks back to her computer. something isn’t right. especially when harley talks. she glares at him and considers not replying at all, but then again, it’s another way to try to hurt him just a little bit back. “this is a job, harley. what do you think? working at the pharmacy is a hobby of mine?” she raises her eyebrows and the card machine beeps, indicates the processing failed. “seems like it didn’t go through, wanna try again?”

[ccparaiso]

dianaxalvarez·:

Diana placed the box carefully on the counter, relieved to finally set it down. It was a little too heavy for her, and she had been struggling since the second she had got out of the car. “Yeah, I’m from the hospital. I don’t live too far from here, so they sent me rather than send someone else out of their way,” she said, with a kind smile. “I can stay and help put this all away, if you like.” 

she’s nodding, not paying too much attention to the hospital employee as she rummages through the box. there are a lot of things there. and a lot of things, she has no idea what they are. did they actually have this on their pharmacy? at the offer of help she looks up, opens her mouth - it would be nice to have help but she probably doesn’t need it. probably. “uh-” cecilia lets out, unsure of her own answer. “no, i think i got it.” she says, though she does spend a long time looking at this group of little boxes intensely as she tries to figure out just what the hell those words mean. 

[ccparaiso]

jasperdavies·:

while he wasn’t the greatest at interacting with ‘fans’ (he hated that term), jasper mustered a smile, “thanks,” he said, making a move to stand up and shake her hand. he had a large internet following, yeah, but he’d never thought he’d be running into someone who actually likes his work. “uh,” he motioned to the vacant seat in front of him, “do you want to sit, maybe?” 

cecilia hopes he can’t notice the nervous edge on her smile. she met a lot of famous people - courtesy of her father -, but more often than not, she couldn't care less about their opinion on her. this - this is entirely different. "oh, thank you. i'd love to," she replies, taking the open seat in front of him. she sets her cellphone down - the one that still has his blog open and tries to make up conversation. "it really is great to meet you. your pictures are very inspiring to me," she tells him. "i never thought i'd meet you in cape hazel, though."

[ccparaiso]

archiesanders‌:

lifting an eyebrow at the passive-aggressive question, archie answered. “yeah,” he smiled sheepishly, stacking the books in his arms horizontally. “don’t know why, but the books arrived last sunday—and, well, the library was closed that day, so…” after sliding the last few books in the shelves, archie turned to the woman, wincing. “oh, fuck, the photography books are still in the stock room.” they’d gotten three whole boxes of books about penguins, so they were still in the middle of making adjustments to the ‘p’ section. “any particular books you’re looking for? i can go and get some for you.”

she’s suspicious. there’s something about his whole character that makes less than sense to her and cecilia’s eyes narrow a little. what does he get, putting on the good boy act? he’s not subtle about the whole i’m-in-a-gang aesthetic and yet, here he is. trying to be helpful. but cecilia isn’t falling for that, no sir. she groans a little when he says they’re in the stock room. she was really looking forward to exploring the section a little bit. “oh, i wanted to look around what you have,” she explains her groan, not wanting to be misunderstood and getting gangster boy sending his friends to run her over with a motorcycle. “but uh- the photographer’s eye and the photographer’s mind are the ones i really wanted to find. they’re both by michael freeman,”

[ccparaiso]

marianasrodriguez·:

mariana beams at cecilia, nodding quickly. “i wouldn’t say no to some assistance.” she says with a grin, shuffling a little to adjust the box in her grip - truthfully, she’d been hoping cecilia would ask if she needs help. dropping eighty percent of the decorations on her way down the stairs would be loud and disastrous. how she made it down the attic ladder is beyond her, really.

“here - if you’ll grab like, the wreath and that box on top, that’d be great.” she says, smiling gratefully. “i’ll pay you back with some cocoa if you want.”

it’s really not like her to find more work for her to do. however, she knows how hard it can be, balancing more boxes than you should. besides, mariana comes from a similar upbringing so yeah, new york girls should stick together. right? “well, since you offered cocoa,” she replies, a cautious smile on her lips. she carefully frees mariana’s hands from the wreath and the top box. “are these halloween decorations? already?” she asks. 

[ccparaiso]

violentparties·:

indy had jumped at the chance when cecilia had asked her to model for her next photoshoot without thinking too much about the consequences. things had been weird between them for a while, though indy couldn’t quite put her finger on what had gone wrong between them. whatever it was, indy was determined to let it slide, deciding she could focus fully on the camera and her friend rather than the tension that seemed to be bubbling between them. with a smile, she approached cecilia, taking the coffee from her with a thanks. “so, what’s the concept for today?” she asked, her artists mind at work even though photography wasn’t a medium she’d ever really ventured into, “anything in particular you want me to do?”

even with indy there, beautiful and nice, cecilia doesn’t relax. if anything, it seems like indy’s presence makes whatever nervousness inside her worse. she can’t find a reason though - they haven’t fought, not really. they’re perfectly good and friendly and yet. she shakes the thought, replacing the worry with a smile. “well, i’m about to invite you to the top of my building,” she tells her, “wanna do something a bit on the gloomy side, take advantage of the rain to work with reflection on pictures,” cecilia then reaches to take the fabric of indy’s sleeves between her fingers, her eyes flickering between it and the blonde’s face. “these will actually look gorgeous with the wind, too.”

[ccparaiso]

marsbavmer·:

“cheers,” they nodded before settling into the seat, placing their drink off to the side. “cecilia, huh? that’s a charming name. reminds me of a song, cecilia and the satellite by andrew mcmahon in the wilderness- every heard of it?” mars questioned, leaning back in their seat and crossing their legs. they were somewhat surprised the other was willing to hear them out and they also appreciated it. if possible, they preferred to employ up and coming artists as well as support femmes when hiring for certain areas. “yes, i would require seeing your portfolio before finalizing anything, of course. as improper as this conversation is starting out our deal would have a contract. now, have you heard of the flicker club by chance? the concert venue in dock square.” they started out, head tilting slightly as a relaxed smile curled their lips up. 

cecilia looks at their drink and then at her empty glass. she can’t afford another one, not really, but maybe if this goes well she just might, in a near future. “i haven’t heard it, no.” she replies, “i’ll get to it later, for sure. cecilia is actually the name of my mom’s favorite poet” cecilia tells them, not entirely knowing why. perhaps it’s an attempt of impressing them, seeing that they’re considering employing her. she nods at the portfolio and the contract, everything sounding like music to her ears. “oh yes, of course,” the woman tells them, “’haven’t got a chance to go there yet, though.”

[ccparaiso]

marsbavmer·:

sharp eyes flicker between the person’s face and the camera once it was placed down. the truth of the matter is that they’d been completely taken by how captivated the other had been with whatever it was she was doing with the camera. it was clear that even if she wasn’t a professional, there was a passion there. mars crossed their arms, considering the young woman. “maybe, do you mind if i sit?” they settled on, nodding to the free seat across from her. their demeanor changed a bit, falling back into more of a professional politeness mixed with their usual eccentricies. “the name’s mars, by the way. i am sory to disturb you, but i am looking for a photographer for something.” 

it surprises cecilia that she really doesn’t mind if they sit. she was taken aback by the straight forwardness with which they approached her and if she is honest, she was instinctively defensive. but her shoulders relax and cecilia is leaning her back fully against her chair, eyeing the person in front of her with curiosity. “sure, have a sit,” she says. “i’m cecilia,” is the reply before the person - mars - mentions that they need a photographer and cecilia’s eyes sparkle, heart beats fast. because that can be an opportunity and she’s suddenly much more interested in this conversation than she was before. “well, then tell me what you have in mind. i can show you some of my work and we can work something out.”

[ccparaiso]

( @antiquatcd ) it feels low, standing in line in the grocery store with crumpled dollar bills on her pocket. crumpled dollar bills that she got from her mom to buy a few necessities for the home. she wonders if now she can really think of herself as poor because this? this feels like something a poor person would do. in new york, she never did grocery shop. she still shopped with her father’s money, but it was a black card and she was walking down fifth avenue. cecilia sighs, looking at her phone but there is nothing to catch her attention so she puts it back on her pocket and looks around. her eyes meet another pair - one belonging to a person she really wants to avoid. she’s been successful until now and she’s not trying to change that. she swears in portuguese under her breath and she taps the shoulder of the person in front of her. “sorry, can i go first? my mom needs these to finish dinner” she says, hurriedly and completely lying. she just doesn’t want to face finn now. or ever. 

[marsbavmer]

“well, hello there, cutie,” mars greeted the brunette with a coy smile, no real intent behind the pet name or look aside from good fun. “i couldn’t help but notice you and your camera from over ways,” they spoke, nodding towards where they’d been sitting before. “you take many photos? is it a hobby ooor ya’ occupation?” in honesty, they had some type of real intent behind interacting with the young woman but it was all business. | @ccparaiso

[ccparaiso]

cecilia is engrossed looking at her camera. well- layla’s camera, bless her heart for letting cecilia borrow it. she taps her fingers against the tabletop, judging her composition in a particular photograph and deciding if she likes it. she’s too busy mentally drawing lines over the image she doesn’t notice the other person until they speak. her eyes shot up, suspicious. she’s not too fond of pet names, especially if they come from someone she doesn’t know. the narrow of her eyes soften as they ask about her camera and she puts it down, stares at the stranger, deciding if she would engage in the conversation. ah, hell, it’s about photography, of course she’s going to engage. 

“bit of both,” she replies, running her thumb over the buttons to the side of the camera’s screen. “not getting any money with the photographs yet, but i want it to be my occupation,” cecilia says. “why? you interested?”

[ccparaiso]

marianasrodriguez‌:

it’s a windy day and the attic of manor inn is blustery - more so than usual. mariana shivers, wising absently that she’d thought to bring her cardigan up with her, though she didn’t expect looking for fall decor to take quite so long. with her newest box of fake leaves, branches, flowers, and one mildly sad-looking and god-knows-how-old fake pumpkin, she descends the ladder and sets her box down, reach up to make sure the entrance to the attic is closed and locked securely before grabbing her box and the attic pole and heading back down the hall.

she can barely see around the box she’s carrying - being extra tiny doesn’t help, that’s for sure, but if it weren’t for all the fake sunflowers in her face, it’s entirely possible that mariana would’ve avoided bumping into someone. as it is, however, bumping into them is exactly what she does, and she swears in spanish. she peeked around the box carefully, offering a sheepish smile. “hey! sorry. i can’t see around all this crap.”

she feels the need to correct the girl - tell her that she doesn’t have to be sorry, that cecilia is quite alright. it’s off putting and off character, how her pride washes away at the sight of the female in front of her. if it was anyone else her response would most likely be certainly something entirely sarcastic and unpleasant. however, she doesn’t feel the need to be sarcastic - no, mariana is one of the few people whose opinion cecilia actually cares about. for what reason she’s not sure, but it so happens to be like this. 

“that’s okay,” cecilia says, not believing her own words or the blush on her cheeks. “looks like you could use some help”

[ccparaiso]

ravnds·:

she knew cecilia wasn’t enthused to see her. raven could say the same. but she had to get this shit over with, so she tried to grit her teeth and bear it. rae suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at the sheer irritation caused by hearing cecilia even speak, but it was a poor attempt. 

“party,” she replied, her voice devoid of any pleasant emotion. just the cherry on top of a shit sundae. at the mention of the id, raven quirked an eyebrow. “you know who i am. why do i need to give you an id?” she asked, digging into her back pocket for her wallet nonetheless. “to make sure i’m not trying to steal migraine medication?”

it’s almost a game. she sees her disdain reflected in raven’s face and she feels like she’s in some sort of competition with raven. who’s gonna crack first and abandon the attempt at civility - that’s the challenge. and cecilia can’t lie and say she’s not trying to annoy raven because she doesn’t really need the id. her boss allows her to dismiss it if she knows who it is and if the person is a regular client at the pharmacy. raven checks the boxes, but still cecilia smiles in fake cordiality and says “it’s just protocol,” she shrugs. “you never know- you have no idea how many people try to buy medicine without prescription,” cecilia pauses, stretches her hand forwards. “your id, please?” 

[ccparaiso]

( @violentparties ) she shouldn’t be feeling nervous. except there is something in her gut, churning and turning and she purses her lips, tries to push the feeling away. cecilia rolls her eyes at herself because this is indy. it’s not like she’s photographing an obnoxious obscure instagram model that thinks cecilia should be paying to photograph her. of course she’s not charging a thing - she’s in need of a better portfolio and it so happens that the camera loves indy. the city is somewhat gloomy, the ground and the buildings rained on and it tickles cecilia’s artistry, calls her to it. she’s lucky indy accepted it. 

“hey!” she says as she sees the blonde coming towards her. cecilia lifts a cup of coffee, a thank you of some sort. “got a little something for my favorite model on the way here”

[ccparaiso]

archiesanders·:

“shit!” archie raised his hands up in surrender as a reflex, subsequently dropping the books in his arms and garnering a lot of annoyed stares. “oh my god, i’m so sorry,” he quickly apologised, to the other or to the books that had fallen on the floor, nobody knew. crouching down, he hastily stacked them back up, expertly balancing them in one arm as he stood up.  “i, uh—yeah, my bad, i was just…” he vaguely glances down at the books in his arm. “a university donated a bunch of books, so we’re rearranging the shelves.” he knew the woman wasn’t looking for an explanation, but the excuses began slipping past his lips before he knew it.

no one can make her admit to it, but cecilia is actually scared of the man in front of her. it’s odd- that he’s apologizing, that is. she stares at him with narrowed eyes, wondering if that’s some kind of test and just steps back when he’s gathering the books. she doesn’t offer to help him - it was his fault, after all. besides, the quicker she can escape him, the better. “ah,” she takes his explanation, thinks about it. so maybe it’s not just the designer’s fault, but the actually librarians’ fault that she’s not finding her books. “is that why is everything’s a mess?” cecilia asks, but she’s not nearly as aggressive as she could be. she doesn’t want to piss him off and give him any reason to find out where she lives and strangle her to death one of these nights. or run her over with his motorcycle. or just find another humiliating and horrible way to murder her. “i can’t find the photography books.” 

[ccparaiso]

jasperdavies‌:

one of the best pros of working from home was that jasper had full control of his own time—he had a shit ton of freedom, and he didn’t have to work for anyone. oakum’s was more of a side hustle, rather than an actual, stable job he had—jasper loved doing commissions, he really did, but sometimes it can get overwhelming (especially with his growing internet fame), and working a 5-hour shift at oakum’s helped him alleviate some of the stress. 

taking a sip of his caramel macchiato, jasper leaned forward in concentration as he looked through his files, trying to search for a good, old photograph to add in his portfolio. a presence alerted him, however, making jasper look up from his laptop. “i am, yeah,” he answered slowly, eyebrows knitting together in confusion as he looked at the other. she did not look familiar. if there was one thing jasper was good at (besides photography), it was remembering names and faces. “and…you are?”

she has a smile on her face that she’s making a conscious effort to keep light and not excessively excited. he is just a normal person after all, even if he’s someone she looks up to when it comes to the thing she loves doing the most. cecilia blinks, looks a bit ashamed of not having introduced herself. she hopes that didn’t ruin his impression of her already - because although she’s keeping her cool, she has admit she really wants him to like her. 

“ah, i’m sorry, that was rude.” she smiles, tucking her hair behind her ear. “my name is cecilia paraíso, i’m a fan of your photos,” she tells him, offering her hand, hoping she sounds perfectly normal. “curiously, i was just looking at your blog.”

[suspirava-deactivated20250203]

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