#and at this time my display at work and my refrigerator at home are organized

[whatwememeintheshadows]

[addictedtostorytelling]

Hi! I wanted to know how you think Sara and Grissom’s relationship dealt with his “science experiments” (like the blood in fridge) and bugs he may have had at home. Do you think he was more thoughtful once they started dating, or do you think that took more time?

hi, @happyladylourdes!

personally, i think that seldom do grissom's experiments really become an issue in grissom and sara's home life.

my reasons for saying so are fourfold:

i think we see evidence in canon that grissom does not use his home in the same way he uses his office at the lab (i.e., to store experiments and raw scientific materials).

i think that because of the way grissom's brain works, he is unlikely to carry that kind of "i'll do science any damn where i please" behavior over from a work to a home setting anyhow.

i also think ultimately he's already learned his lesson about being considerate of sara's feelings in that regard, so even on the off-chance he might be tempted to maybe put something funky in the fridge at their place, he'd probably hold off on doing so (or at least ask permission first), not wanting to upset her.

finally, i think that on the rare occasions grissom does do science at home, most often, sara is in on whatever his experiments are; what he's doing doesn't really surprise her because she's his de facto "lab partner," you know?

more discussion/rationale under the "keep reading," if you're interested.

__

so for as much as grissom is a workaholic who brings his work home with him mentally, i think physically things are a different story; on that level, he seems to maintain a much greater degree of separation between his personal and professional lives.

we see several different iterations of living spaces for grissom over the course of the series (not counting the ishmael), and, to a one, they are all supremely well-organized and don't very much resemble his dark, crowded office at the lab whatsoever.

though of course i cannot say so with certainty, my impression is that grissom (even during the period when he lives alone, before he and sara get together) keeps most of his "science stuff" in his lab office, where it will be of most use to him, conveniently within arm's reach should he need it for his investigations. it's there he houses his live insects, amphibians, and reptiles; preserved specimens; the majority of his entomological and forensics libraries; his instruments; his charts; and curios, like his irradiated fetal pig.

only a small percentage of his scientific equipage otherwise is kept at home, and most of this much smaller collection is probably on the more sentimental/antique side; the kind of stuff that may be cool to display for aesthetic reasons but not as useful to him practically.

while the same can be said of his early seasons condo(s), here, since it's most relevant to the question, we'll just focus on his and sara's s7/s8 condo.

from what little we see, there is no visual evidence to suggest that either one of them makes a habit of strewing anything, including science experiments, all over their living space.

while theirs is obviously a home where two scientists live, as is shown by the décor choices of shadow-boxed insects and antique microscopes and mounted fossils and cool rocks, they keep the place incredibly neat, with everything, including the scientific equipment, stored in its rightful place.

you can tell: that back corner by the two windows is the designated "science space," with the active vivariums and working microscopes.

but otherwise the rest of their house, well—just looks like a house.

the kitchen is very much just a regular kitchen, filled with cooking implements and food and cleaning supplies (though some of the items, such as the cloche by the refrigerator, are insect/butterfly-themed).

as we see in episode 07x22 "leapin' lizards," they have a television set in the bedroom. as we see in episode 08x12 "grissom's divine comedy," a sofa and another television set in the living room.

everything looks very normal.

in no way is their home "the mad scientist's lair" that one might expect.

all of the above so, my impression—and, of course, ymmv—is that grissom tends to leave his work stuff, including his experiments and raw scientific materials, for the most part, at work, or at least if he does bring them home, he keeps them confined to their designated places (like to that back "science corner" by the windows or his own study), where they aren't cluttering and contaminating his and sara's eating/resting/sleeping areas.

i mean, albeit we never get a peek into their fridge, but, barring a break from the otherwise established pattern there, i just don't see him treating his and sara's condo like a laboratory.

—and especially not because of how he tends to view the world.

again, while grissom is a workaholic, he is also a great compartmentalizer, at least in terms of his thoughts.

feelings are another story; far less easily confined into neat categories.

two of the main mental "boxes" he has are for work and for home.

according to how i understand grissom—and, once more, ymmv—i think one of the reasons he is the way he is at work, in terms of using the communal fridge in the break room to store science experiments, is because he tends to view everything at the lab as falling into the "work box."

for him, the purpose of the work done at the lab is to solve crimes using science. accordingly, in his view, every person and object in the building is supposed to function toward that end—hence why he gets so frustrated with both policies and people (such as, for example, administrators like ecklie) who impede the scientific crime-solving process; hence also why we sometimes see him make unconventional use of both lab equipment and human resources in his experiments.

for example, why not rope the department secretary into helping you prove a theory about how a corpse was dragged, even though doing so falls nowhere inside the bounds of her normal job description (see episode 03x09 "blood lust")? and what's to stop you from infecting your dna tech's feet with mildew if doing so will help you determine something about a potential suspect in a homicide case (see episode 03x03 "let the seller beware")? and if nick's eating an apple in the layout room, then who's to say you shouldn't demand he hand it over to you so you can stab it with scissors and establish some characteristics of a possible murder weapon (see episode 03x23 "inside the box")?

after all, they all work at/"belong to" the lab, so regardless of individual job descriptions or other considerations, they should, ultimately, be viewed as resources to be used to scientifically solve crimes; they are all "fair game" for that purpose, as far as he's concerned.

certainly, that same line of thinking applies to the break room fridge for him, as well.

though its primary function is to contain the food items of the people who work in the lab (thereby serving them as they scientifically solve crimes), in a pinch, if other lab fridges, such as the one in grissom's office, are full and/or unsuited to the task, it can be used more directly to fulfill the lab's "prime directive," housing experiments if needs be.

as i talk about here, "[grissom] sees no problem with [putting rancid blood in the communal fridge] because he’s just of such a one-track mind that science takes precedence over everything for him; the human element doesn’t even register (even as the team complains to his face, seemingly not for the first time, about the rudeness of his actions)."

the fridge is lab property; ergo, it can be used for lab business: so goes his reasoning.

however, the same is not true of his home living space.

there, everything falls into the "home box" and anything that may follow him home from work—such as administrivia—is marked as being out-of-place within his mental schema. while his and sara's home does have scientific objects in it because they are scientists with scientific interests, the home itself isn't dedicated, in the same way the lab is, as a space to do science in™; ipso facto, it's not "fair game" for him to leave science experiments all over the place there in the same way it is at the lab. the majority of the objects there have little or nothing to do with science and are instead meant to serve grissom and sara's domestic needs.

frankly, most of the time, grissom probably doesn't even feel the need to do science at home because he can always just go to the lab—with its superior resources and designated space—and experiment there.

doing science at the lab is not only easier but ultimately safer and more manageable.

much better to test his theories in a controlled environment with the tools, resources, and technology he requires already on hand—especially considering that any work-related science he were to do at home wouldn't hold up in court and would need to be redone in a more controlled setting anyway.

note: in the reboot, when we see him doing science experiments in his and sara's hotel room episode 01x04 "long pig," he is doing so specifically because he is, at that point, barred from doing them at the lab; the situation is one where he feels he has no choice but to do the work wherever he can, regardless of propriety, which is a very different ballgame than is in play at other times when he and sara are more settled and fully employed by the lvpd.

under typical circumstances, the only serious science he might even consider doing at home would be stuff he was pursuing either just for his own edification (because he was curious to test something out, unrelated to any cases or his general work as a criminalist) or for his academic entomological studies.

but even in those rare cases, i think that he would a) still relegate that work mostly to the designated science spaces in the condo, and, b) communicate with sara about it and not do anything that might freak her out/piss her off.

—because that's the thing.

grissom learns his lesson about this issue long before he and sara ever move in together.

his whole takeaway from the events of episode 02x15 "burden of proof" is that his actions (even ones he views as being entirely professional in nature) can in fact impact other people, and specifically sara, on a personal level. he has to be more careful about sharing space with her and showing regard for her feelings or otherwise he runs the risk of losing her.

he sees: bad blood in the work fridge can lead to bad blood between him and the love of his life, and that's something he never wants.

while it still takes him a couple of seasons after the point of the "raw hamburger debacle" to get his act fully together where sara is concerned, one mistake we never see him repeat with her again is the actual, physical action of making her deal with animal blood or meat; he is always, from that very early point forward, respectful of her vegetarianism and love of animals in the future.

that so, i've gotta believe: when they finally move in together, he's probably incredibly careful to make sure she feels comfortable in their home in that regard. he won't put anything in the fridge that might squeeg her because he doesn't want her to feel disrespected or uncared for.

should he ever feel the need to bring home anything even potentially objectionable to her, he likely makes sure to run the thing by her, and if she says no, he undoubtedly stores whatever it is back at the lab in his own office rather than at the condo because he understands: there is a boundary there.

and should he ever make a mistake, assuming that she'll be okay with something he in actuality ought to have asked her about, i've got to believe that he immediately apologizes once he realizes his error; unlike with the rancid blood in the lab fridge (which, from the context of episode 02x15 "burden of proof," seems to have been an oft-repeated offense on his part), he doesn't need to be told twice.

of course, as talked about earlier, i tend to believe that only very rarely does he ever even attempt to bring experiments or raw scientific materials into their home anyway, but on the few and far-between occasions when he does do so, i also think: by the time he and sara are together and sharing a home, she is most often in on his extracurricular scientific activities from the get-go.

the facts that she accompanies him to his apiary in episode 08x04 "the case of the cross-dressing carp" and in the later seasons applies for a joint-research grant with him while they're living in paris and works as his partner in marine biology once they are on the ishmael all suggest that at times when grissom and sara are a couple, she is his de facto lab partner both at work and at home.

so if he cooks up some experiment he wants/needs to do "off the clock" at the lab, then nine times out of ten, i bet he tells her about it and invites her to take part in it with him from the onset; it's not the same kind of deal as we see in episode 02x15 "burden of proof," where he is (largely inadvertently) stonewalling her and keeping her at arm's length. rather, she's right there with him in the trenches; she knows what's in that specimen jar because she's the one who helped him collect it and she's monitoring it right along with him.

now.

you may have noticed, most of the above discussion is centered on animal byproducts.

as for bugs—

i don't think sara has a problem with them, as long as they are properly contained.

not only are there numerous mounted and displayed insects visible in their s7/s8 condo, but sara herself also has mounted and displayed insects visible in her s5 apartment in episode 05x13 "nesting dolls," before she and grissom even become an official couple. there are also, seemingly, live insects in vivariums in that window corner of their s7/s8 condo.

she knew what she was getting into when she married a beekeeper.

in terms of how any of the above might change once grissom and sara live on the ishmael, i imagine that on such small boat, adhering strictly to the concept of designated space becomes more important for them than ever.

since the ishmael is not only their home but their floating laboratory, they undoubtedly do have experiments going onboard. however, they are probably careful to keep them where they belong, as out-of-the-way as possible, both for safety reasons (so they're not tripping over things) and also to prevent contamination/interference.

they probably have two fridges: one for food and one for specimens, both clearly labeled and on separate sides of the boat.

anyway, all of this rambling is a very long way to say: i absolutely think grissom is considerate of sara from the moment they move in together, with regards to how he makes use of their shared space.

any science he does in their home, i think he makes sure he has her seal of approval to do and does in its properly assigned area, most often with her taking part in the experiment right along with him. everything else, he does at the lab.

thanks for the question! please feel welcome to send another any time.

p.s., you should set up a profile picture and header and post/reblog some stuff so that people don't mistake you for a bot and block you! if you have questions about how to do so, let me know, and i'd be happy to help.

[bulldogcannabispalmsprings]

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[valgasnewsthings]

In iron deficite anemia is helps infusion of red ash berry.

 Poor blood is meaning anemia, in failure for red blood cells or lowering hemoglobin and displaying on any age . And base symptoms are multiplicity, hairs and nails breaking, fast tiredness, dryness skin, work capacity lowering, but reasons are iron failure in organism, which enters from meal.

And in meal add petroselinum, apricots, prunes, raisin, apples, spinach, dogwood,  fig, black currant, beet, gooseberry, blackberry, pumpkin, grape, aubergines. And here not avoid from meat, veal, beef are importance, liver, tongue, kidneys are too, but less eat in atherosclerosis.

Also  benefit and herbs is infusion of red ash berry 10 gr of berries add in 2 glasses of hot water, infuse for hour, filter, use within a day.

10 gr of berries add in glass of boiled water warm, warm 15 min on water bath, cool, filter, press berries, use 0.5 glass for 2 times/day after meal.

5tbl.sp. leafs of black currant, add one l. of the hot water, infuse for hour in thermos, use on 4-6 glasses/day.

When am had anemia  am cure with juices , mixed frresh pressed on 200 gr juices of beet, carrot, black radish, added honey. As better of buckwheat as dark. Used one tbl.sp. for 3 times/day as keep mixture in refrigerator.

Home doctor comments:  In anemia is importance to know her reason, and not use a self cure as consult with a doctor, today are having very effective remedies, herbs, meal are good additional help in cure.

Buckwheat is benefit for blood creation.

In women's of pregnancy is lowering hemoglobin, patients using iron remedies, which are not helping. And hemoglobin rises with washed and dried after grinded buckwheat, one tea.sp. use before meal for three times/day within 2 weeks.

A good hemoglobin rises are soya products as dried soya milk, add one tbl.sp. in any dish. A benefit here are juices mixtures of green apples, lemons, pomegranates, beet, carrot.

100 gr of every juice add in 2 tbl.sp. honey  dark, keep in refrigerator, use 2 tbl.sp. for morning on an empty stomach.

Grandma s recipe for blood cleaning.

My grandma used as blood cleaner, but clean blood is healthy organism. This herb cleans lymphatic system, blood, kidneys, liver is Echinacea. Which cure a first reason for disease, not disease consequences. And without side effects. One tbl.sp. of echinacea as of flower, leaf, stem adding in 0.5 l. of the hot water in thermos for night, or in enamel dish, and pot here warm, filter, use on 100-150 ml. for 3 times/day before meal, course ten days.

In 5 days of rest to repeat and still 2 times on ten days. Its one course. If need course of such cure repeat still 3 times on ten days in a month.

from Valga s health news,gardening,and cooking ,and beauty . https://ift.tt/1lO0UKC via https://ift.tt/BEegwqx

[visespruce42]

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[chasingpj]

𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

pairing: leo valdez x gn reader

summary: five ways he says i love you through his actions

warnings: implied nudity and s*x, discusses food and eating and nothing else, i think. oh, and maybe some typos

category: headcanons

love letters/notes

leo is a busy boy

he's always picking up new projects so he can spend all day in his workshop or the forges with his siblings

when you guys live together, he leaves small notes on the refrigerator for you

they're always short, saying simple things like "i love you" and "i miss you already"

for the love letters, he'll leave them in random places for you to find

if you're a big reader, i can see him hiding it between the pages of your book

one day, you pick up your book to read, and the note falls on your lap

it's a love letter written on a piece of blueprint paper; there’s a little bit of oil smudged on the side of it

he got distracted while he was working on something because you were the only thing he could think about

his love letters never fail to make your heart flutter

sometimes they make you cry

he's quite sentimental

leo always tells you he does better writing down his feelings than he is saying it out loud because he can organize his thoughts better

you know that leo has a hard time with that because of how he grew up

when you guys have an argument, which isn't very often, he writes his feelings down on paper

he's always quick to apologize if he did something wrong, and the notes help him form the apology that you deserve, and you're quick to forgive him

once, you were super angry after an argument, so you locked yourself in your shared bedroom

you needed to calm yourself down

the both of you much too angry and stubborn to make a compromise

as your recollecting yourself, 40 minutes in, a folded piece of paper slips from under the door

the letter has teardrop stains, and the ink is slightly smudged

on the paper, it's all his thoughts written out in the best way he can explain them

after reading what he wrote, you quickly deemed that whatever you were fighting about was silly, and you guys made up

you love his spontaneous notes so much that you do them back

you guys have a game of who can find the most creative hiding spot for your notes

one time you found one tapped to the inside of the toilet cover

you found it hilarious

you throw folded post-its with messages in his tool belt

he finds them during the day while he's working on something

after you joined in on the fun, he scatters notes in random places, and every few days, you find a new message hidden somewhere randomly

they're just so sweet; there’s never a time where they don't make you smile

gifts

this is a given

it's not a leo headcanon if gift-giving isn't included

he would make you things like roses from scrap metal to literal furniture

if you have a lot of jewelry, he will make you a cute jewelry box

if you're a big book reader, he'll make you bookcases to support your book collection

he's always giving you little trinkets that he made with leftover materials from projects

he loves making things for you and gets upset when you decide to buy something from ikea instead of asking him

"babe, why would you buy that? I could have just made it for you!"

when he's on his way from returning on his quest, sometimes he'll find something that reminds him of you in a store, and he'll buy it

when he has the money for it, he'd buy you a star :(

says that he spent even more money to buy an extra bright star

because "you're the sun in my universe"

brb gonna cry

also, he'd gift you a bond bracelet

you know, those bracelets where every time you tap on it, it makes the other person's bracelet vibrate

the both of you get anxious when one of you goes on quests, so the bracelets bring the other person who's at home comfort

because when you tap back, at least he knows you're alive and vice versa

one of the best gifts you've ever received from him was your engagement ring

he made it himself

he took so much care and effort into making it

imagine leo forging your wedding ring himself??? i'm in spain with no s

he was so nervous that you wouldn't like the style, so he had piper casually bring it up to you

piper was so nonchalant about it that you didn't even think twice about the question

the ring has the prettiest gemstone or diamond (whatever you prefer)

you cried so hard when he told you he made it himself that you couldn't even say yes to his proposal clearly

he makes both of your wedding bands too

he carves a saying that's dear to the both of you on the inside

this is nothing to do with anything but imagine when you guys have kids, he makes animals out of pipe cleaners for them i'm gonna cry, brb pt 2

overall, whether he makes the present himself or not, he puts a lot of effort and care into it

every gift has a meaning and a place dear to your heart

cooking for you

leo is canoningly a good cook

he loves cooking for you

and you love eating what he makes

he's usually busy on the weekdays, so he cooks on the weekends

you guys always joke that he'd be the cutest househusband

you got him an apron for Christmas as a joke gift one year, and he wears it all the time

there's something so charming about him wearing an apron with a funny saying like "Mr. Good Lookin is Cookin" or with like a ripped out shirtless guy in front of it

you giggle every time you see him wearing it

oh, no matter how many times you've seen it, it's still so bizarre when he takes out hot trays from the oven with his BARE hands

everything he makes tastes amazing

he makes all kinds of food and is always trying something new

if you tell him what you’re craving, he’ll cook it for you

once he woke you up to ask if you wanted ribs… it was 3 am but like, of course, you wanted some

unless you're vegetarian or vegan, sorry, HAHA

often though, he does make Mexican food

it reminds him of when his mom was alive

he always has some story to share

every time he makes caldo de pollo (chicken soup), he always talks about how his mother would make it in the summer and that when he was little, he would always complain about eating hot soup in hot weather

you know he doesn't notice his constant telling of this story, but you don't mind

it's so bittersweet when he talks about his mom

through the cooking of his traditional food, you feel closer to him and his late mother

the memories he shares with you makes your eyes sting with tears

especially when leo says how much he wishes that esperanza could have met you

sorry, that was a little emo

also, leo usually wakes up earlier than you

he knows you're a sleepyhead, so he'll cook breakfast for you

so that when you're running around in the morning trying to get dressed and your things together

you never leave the house hungry because there's always a tupperware filled with breakfast, and if he has enough time, he'll fix you something to take for lunch too

if you come home late from work or school, he'll make dinner even if he's tired to surprise you

so many times you've come home from a shitty day at work or school, and the small table where you guys eat your meals is all set up with your favorite food

leo greets you by peeking his head into the hallway from the kitchen, tossed curls, cheerful brown eyes, and a bright grin

"I hope you're hungry," he says, despite knowing that you are hungry

and then you guys talk and laugh together over a delicious meal

compliments

leo's really observant

he notices when you’re in a bad mood, even if you try not to show it

he also notices when you change little things about your appearance

if you get a haircut or you get your nails done, he'll comment on it right away

especially outfits

if you buy something new, he'll complement it

imagine standing in front of the mirror, looking at yourself in your new outfit

leo comes behind you, his hands coming around your waist

he'll pepper kisses on your neck, a soft hum leaving his lips as he meets your eyes in the mirror

"is this new, mi amor?" he asks, hands running up your sides

once you affirm that it is a new dress or shirt, he'll smile and tell you how beautiful you look in it

maybe says he'd rather see it off of you wink wink

there's never a day where he doesn't compliment you

he thinks you're the prettiest person in the world

you've caught him staring at you lovingly plenty of times

he's just asking himself how did he manage to get someone as beautiful and amazing as you

you always squirm under his gaze and playfully ask what is he looking at

"you're so pretty, mi amor. I can't help it."

AHHH!!!!

alongside the endearment of mi amor, he'd always call you bonita and hermosa

you're so sweet to him, and he can't help but tell you how much you mean to him every chance he gets

surprises

leo is an acts of service kind of guy

i think he'll spontaneously do things to make you happy

if you've been busy studying for finals or just beat up from a day at work

he'll draw you a bath

or he'll cut up some fruit for you and leave it at your desk

he randomly buys you flowers

he never needs an occasion to buy your flowers

it'll be a regular tuesday, leo just happened to walk past a store with flowers displayed in the front, and he thought about how bright your smile would be if he showed up with a bouquet

I feel like he's pretty introverted, enjoys being at home with you

the both of you are pretty broke for a while, so a lot of dates were at home

leo made the most of it

you guys will have nice dinners at home

he'll set the table nicely, set the mood with candles

he'll redecorate the space so well you feel like you're at an actual restaurant

and of course, his food is amazing

breakfast in bed is another thing he'd do for you unsolicited

especially if you guys had a looong night wink wink

you're woken up by his still groggy voice, fluttering kisses on your cheeks

you open your eyes to see he's set a tray with your favorite breakfast on top of the bed

the two of you will eat breakfast together, which usually leads to you staying in bed for the rest of the day

just enjoying the warm cocoon your sheets create around the both of you

overall, he's super observant and caring, and he goes the extra mile to make sure you're happy because he knows you do the same

anyways, does anyone know where I can get a leo?

masterlists taglist: @nct127bee @minamisulemisa @yanfeisluvr @cartocns @Slytherclaw-kitten @idk-bye-no @percysbluehairbrush @Hermioneswifeee @quteez @drayshadow @ashookykooky

[vs-redemption]

I thought of another one sorry lmao. Okok so Dabi got the Cat girl but what if Bakugou got the bunny girl lol. So Bakugou x reader who’s quirk is a bunny! (Ears,tail,cute twitchy nose ahhhh)

-🐱❤️

From Cindy:  🐱 Anon! At it again with these really great ideas! I did a weird amount of research on rabbit behavior for this, but I like how it turned out. I hope you agree!

Cottontail (Bakugo x Bunny Girl!Reader)

Dating a girl with a bunny quirk was not all cute fuzzy ears and sexy little tails like a lot of people probably expected. Actually, there were a lot of curveballs that could really throw someone off guard if they weren’t careful. Nobody knew that better than Katsuki Bakugo, who had experienced plenty of surprises from the moment he met you until even after he’d asked you to marry him.

“Man, she is so cute!” Denki sighs the first time he sees you working the front desk at the explosion hero’s agency, earning himself a slap to the back of the head.

“Hey, keep your eyes to yourself idiot!” Bakugo warns his visiting friend before checking in with you about any missed calls or schedule changes. You pass on a few memos before watching him drag Denki off to meet the rest of his friends for lunch as he usually did about twice a month.

Bakugo’s professional attitude and respect towards you was something that had drawn you to him right away, but those same traits also made it very hard to express the fact that you had developed a crush on him. For a while, you held back from openly flirting with him or doing anything that might be deemed inappropriate. Unfortunately, denying yourself for too long caused your bunny instincts to kick in and force you into action. You both were just as surprised the day he came over to ask you about some paper work that had been left on his desk only for you to jump up from your chair and punch him twice in the chest.

“What?” He blinked in surprise, trying to understand why you’d attacked him as your face got hot in embarrassment. Thankfully, the hits hadn’t been strong, but it was still a bit humiliating.

“I am SO sorry,” you bow your head over and over again, ears flopping over your face each time. You were too flustered and worried about losing your job to stop your mouth from spilling the truth. “I really couldn’t stop myself, I just think you’re really attractive!”

“What?!” Bakugo repeats, even more confused than before. It was definitely an uncomfortable conversation, but you explained that ‘boxing’ was a courting behavior for rabbits and begged him not to fire you as his cheeks slowly turned pink at the explanation. Thankfully, he was merciful enough to let you remain in your position, but your spunky little display had apparently been enough to peak his interest. The hero kept a closer eye on you for the next few weeks following the incident, giving him time to pick up on a few of your other habits related to your quirk.

“Oi, cottontail,” he leans over your desk with an eyebrow raised. “Why are you chewing up all the pens? If you’re hungry, let me take you out to lunch.”

“Actually, I just chew on things when I’m content or happy,” you couldn’t believe he’d noticed let alone pointed it out. “Don’t worry, that’s why I buy my own pens.”

“I’m not worried,” He shrugs, “I just want to take you on a date. I don’t have to punch you back to get you to say yes, right?” You weren’t sure if you should laugh or feel embarrassed, so instead you opted to be happy that he seemed to be reciprocating your feelings.

Even after dating for a while, Bakugo was still super respectful of you and your rabbit traits. He even asked permission before touching and petting your ears, and you found it extremely endearing the way he blushed and fumbled over his words each time. The first time he invited you over his house to make dinner for you and watch a movie, you found that he’d stocked his refrigerator with your favorite snacks to give you something to munch on and satisfy your urges to chew until the meal was ready. Of course, as soon as Bakugo thought he had you pretty much figured out, there was another shocking turn of events.

“I’m so tired, Katsuki,” You yawn and flop down on his sofa after getting back from a date that had consisted of a rather intense game of paintball. “I don’t think I have the energy to go back home.”

“Then just stay here,” he offers without hesitation. The thought of having you warm and safe by his side as he slept sounded really nice, but his peaceful image went up in smoke when you climbed into his bed and started pulling up his blankets and pushing his sheets around with both hands.

“What did my bed ever do to you?” He asks, half amused and half bewildered.

“Oh jeez,” you groan when you realize what you’d been doing. “That was so rude! I’m so sorry. I just can’t get comfortable or sleep unless things are a certain way.” Bakugo walks up with his hands on his hips as he observes the mess you’d made of his previously perfectly organized bed. Your ears go back and you lower your head in submission, feeling ashamed. Your boyfriend recovers quickly though, and takes the odd behavior in stride.

“Do what you have to do, I guess.” He shakes his head and smirks. “As long as I’m still allowed in here with you.”

“Of course!” You reassure him while pulling his face in and give him a soft kiss. “Having you with me is the most important part.” This is all he really needs to hear to be put back at ease. He was quite particular about how he kept his things as well, but he didn’t mind adjusting if it meant you were feeling comfortable around him. Plus, you were nice enough to remake his bed just the way he liked the next morning.

Bakugo was in for another surprise the first time he’d done something to get on your nerves. He honestly couldn’t even remember what it was that had annoyed you anymore, but he’d never forget the way you’d thumped your large foot at him and twitched your tail, looking ready to charge at him. It was a bit terrifying and he quickly learned how to read your body language to avoid being on the receiving end of any more of your punches.

After moving in together, you still managed to throw Bakugo for a loop every once in a while. There were things that blew his mind, like when you cut your hair and left little locks of it around the house as some sort of spring time nesting behavior.

“It’s only for a week or so Katsuki, I’m sorry!” You always apologized even though he never really got upset over things you couldn’t control. “If I don’t do it like this, I start to pull the hair out myself and leave it around which is much more painful and a lot messier too.”

“Don’t worry about it, cottontail,” He pulls you into a side hug and presses a kiss to the side of your face. Behaviors like this did get tiresome sometimes for Bakugo, but it never bothered him for long. There was no way he could stay upset over things like that, especially when he got to wake up in the mornings to you nuzzling his face as a way to mark him with your scent. He also lived for the moments where he did something that made you happy enough to hop into the air and do an excited little spin, like the day he’d gotten down on his knee and asked you to be with him for the rest of his life.

Being with a girl with a bunny quirk definitely came with its fair share of surprises that ranged from super cute to kind of scary. Thankfully, Bakugo was the type of person who could handle just about anything you threw at him.

[jolynej]

may i ask some hc's for a bisexual artist reader dating bruno, giorno and doppio? 🥺 👉👈 (bonus: reader gets to flip off/ smack diabolo for interrupting dates lol) - 🎨

yes! sorry it took so long, honey! this was really fun to write!! hope you enjoy, bby!!

all characters are 20+ in this piece!

CW: implied nsfw, a curse word in Doppio’s part

• Immensely impressed with your artistic and creative capabilities, no matter your preferred medium. Each time that you present him with a finished copy of your work, his cerulean eyes light up, and his amber lips tug up to reveal a proud, dazzling smile. He gets worried that some of his compliments may sound repetitive, so he has developed a habit of commenting on and praising the most random aspects of your work. From anyone else it’d be odd to hear about that ‘handsome shade of green’ or the ‘fascinatingly sexy technique’ you used, but it’s Bruno, and you wouldn’t expect anything less

•If you’ll indulge him, he’s a big fan of sitting back and watching you work. Full warning though — those odd comments of his are in full abundance! The man truly hangs on to everything that you do and is very anticipatory of how your piece will turn out. But he is far from overbearing. He knows how bothersome it can be to have someone hovering over your shoulder, and he makes sure to allow you to have more than enough breathing room and space to work

•On special occasions such as anniversaries or your birthday — or even just on a random Tuesday, the man just loves surprising you, let’s be real — he’ll gift you art supplies. From brushes to paints, to art programs and aprons, Bruno has given you an array of art-related items. The moment you say that you’re eyeing something in particular or are running low on a particular supply, he mentally catalogues that information away for later

•100% into paint and sips! He signed you up for one as a date idea, and he found out that he really enjoyed himself. It’s a fun way for him to loosen up, relax, try something new, and to, of course, spend time with the person he loves most. He’s a bit of a giggly drunk, and he has definitely made you, and some other angry patrons, mess up due to his loud gasps and snorts and wheezes that he makes because he made such a silly little dolphin, wheeee!!

•Bruno offers to model for you — nude, if you don’t mind certain things popping up. He acts all suave and nonchalant when he proposes the idea, but when it comes down to the actual event of him posing on an ivory-colored sheet draped over a chaise lounge with one hand propping up his head and the other sat upon his thigh, he’s trying everything he can to keep himself from getting turned on. But there is something about the distinct way in which your eyes are narrowed in pure concentration, because of him, that gets him going

•He’s a good critic — he’s fair and offers constructive criticism but is never harsh nor rude, plus, he’s quick to remind you that he knows next to nothing about art and what exactly goes into the creation of your pieces, so he tells you to take his suggestions with a grain of salt, it’s just his way of trying to get you to challenge yourself and achieve even great heights! Still, Giorno always finds something in your latest piece that he admires, and his compliments are always very genuine

•Definitely hangs your work up in his office and whenever someone comments on the work or asks who the artist is, he just smirks and says in a knowing, smug tone that he’s intimately familiar with their other work and that he’s grateful for the exclusive access that his position as don has given him. Whether or not the innuendo is lost or not on the other party is solely dependent on their own inference

•Giorno will absolutely surprise you with your own art studio and/or gallery to display your pieces. While the actual work and planning that went into this took months of proper organizing and hours of him touring different venues to search for the perfect place, the don makes it seem so nonchalant and casual when he calls you out of the blue to tell you to meet him at ‘x address’ at 6:00 PM sharp for your birthday present

•If you have any plants in your works, then he may surprise you with a fresh cut flower or fern or even a potted sapling, depending on the specific species of flora that was featured in your piece. Don’t be shocked to find a vase of roses or hydrangeas or forget-me-nots, or any flower for that matter, on your kitchen counter when you come home from work. He leaves a handwritten note in gorgeous cursive that says something sappy along the lines of ‘I hope this bouquet blooms new inspiration, amore’

•Much like Bruno, he’ll be happy to model for you, and he’ll have no qualms about doing so nude, if you ask, but he probably won’t bring it up otherwise. He’s very patient and does a great job staying still for you, and he will also create a few spontaneous vines and blossoms to better accentuate his chiseled features, stringing the delicate petals through his golden hair and dotting a few at his feet

•Since the boss has him traveling all over, he’ll commission a small self-portrait of you to keep with him when he’s away. He’ll ask for a new picture every few months, which he explains is because he wants to keep up with your change in appearance, be it a new hairstyle/color, new glasses, a new piece of jewelry that he adores on you, etc... but honestly, he just wants to have as many pictures of you as he can — you’re just too lovely!

•Doppio brings up making one of those giant canvas pieces where you both cover yourselves in paint and make love on the canvas together. He had overheard Squalo and Tiziano discussing it one day, and he immediately found himself torn between whether you’d look cuter in pink or blue paint — or both. Doppio would love to sit and have his portrait painted; but alas, that wouldn’t go over well at all with the boss, so this, to him, is the next best thing! Plus! It’s a testament to the love that you both share, and no one has to know how it was made!

•During his travels, he’ll visit little gift shops and will mail back postcards that feature the work of local artists or photos of the scenery or native wildlife. He writes you a cute ‘I miss you’ letter and signs it with a tiny doodle, a heart, and in cursive he ends the note with a simple but intimate ‘your Doppio’ You should plan on making a scrapbook one of these days due to the amount of postcards that you’ve received over the years!

•You have a date night where you both paint along with an episode of Bob Ross, and to put it kindly, Doppio’s painting ends up on the fridge and not on your living room wall, but he’s still proud of himself, considering it’s his first time painting. A few days later, Diavolo walks by the refrigerator one day and asks you why ‘that tasteless shit’ is on display, causing you to scowl and smack him clean across his disgusted face

“Ah, tesoro...” Doppio winces, rubbing his cheek, red and hot from the impact of your harsh slap. “Why does my face hurt?”

[krethes]

Chapter One of To Love a Girl:

“Remus, are you decent? I’m coming in!”

Remus jerked his head up from his pillow and groaned. ‘ Oww…’ He'd peeled his face from the pillowcase, which was never a good sign. He looked down. There was a line of blood there from a scabbing wound on his cheek. Hastily, he turned the pillow over and tucked it behind him, out of sight, out of mind.

Before he could do anything else, the lock turned on his front door and it swung open, squeaking at the very end like it always did. A humming Lily Potter stepped into the midday darkness of the flat and brought with her the smell of fish and chips (no malt, blessed girl) and a bag of lemons.

Seeing Remus on the sofa, she threw a brilliant smile his way as she kicked off her shoes to join the pile of much larger pairs at the door. She was dressed for the terrible heat in a short hunter green jumpsuit, the top two buttons undone. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail but despite all that, the fine hairs on her forehead and at the nape of her neck were dark with sweat and beads gathered at her temples. “Christ it’s hot out, isn’t it?” Remus felt a pang of guilt for living on the fourth floor.

Remus, wearing a pair of Sirius’s athletic shorts (that were far too short and far too baggy in the waist) and one of Sirius’s red-and-white striped tank tops, had to agree. He was always hot-natured, but this was ridiculous. They didn’t have central air in their tiny flat and cooling charms only went so far. His tank stuck to his chest and his curly hair hung limp around his face.

Had she been anyone else, excluding the Marauders of course, Remus would have been mortified about showing off so much of his skin, and he was displaying quite a lot. He put a significant effort into covering himself up in public, but Lily knew everything about that. Actually, she practically knew everything about him. It wasn’t as terrifying of a reality as Remus once thought it would be. He felt fortunate to have Lily in his life.

Lily sat next to him with kind delicacy, careful not to jostle him. “Poor little lamb,” she whispered, brushing back a damp curl from his brow. “James said you were in a right state when he came home this morning.” Remus felt her eyes wash over him, taking in the damage.

Sirius and Peter had been called away for a mission for the Order and so he'd only had James for companionship for his transformation. Prongs was all well and good and they had a fine and uneventful time, but the wolf missed its canine friend. Its displeasure was apparent in the open gash on his cheek and the sluggishly-bleeding claw marks across his chest covered in an ace bandage.

“I’ve had far worse, Lily, it’s alright,” he tried to assure her, leaning into her touch. Her hands were blissfully cool on his forehead. His wounds were almost healed anyway thanks to James’s basic healing spells and his own natural ability to heal quickly.

“Well the fact remains. Hungry?” She offered him a greasy packet of the fish and grinned when she heard his stomach growl. “Stupid question,” Lily laughed at herself.

Remus sat up gingerly and stretched his legs way out with a satisfied groan, joints popping loudly. He'd been curled up on the couch since moonset and had only budged when James threw clothes at him to "hide his shame when my wife comes by later". It felt good to move again even if his muscles were still sore from going from man to wolf to man again in a handful of hours.

“Have you grown again? Remus, I just saw you two weeks ago!” Lily asked, shocked, looking at the sheer amount of tan leg that revealed itself. Her hand rested on his bony shoulder and she frowned slightly, feeling only jutting bone beneath his skin. Remus watched her eyes slide across his thin chest and her other hand felt his spine, prominent.

She stood up suddenly and strode into the kitchenette with her bag of lemons. “That’s it, I’m making this lemonade now because you need calories. Have my fish, too. Does Sirius feed you? What’s in your refrigerator?”

Remus watched Hurricane Lily tear through his kitchen, touched by her tutting and scoffing when she saw four open bags of digestives in the cupboard but only three eggs, a mostly-empty carton of milk, and a six-pack of beer in the ice box. “This is it ? Remus!” she admonished. A piece of paper appeared in front of her, magical script jotting down items autonomously.

“Lily, you don’t--”

“Absolutely not, Remus Lupin. Sirius won’t be back for three days and this isn’t going to last you. You’re in no shape to go to the store, and if you try to stop me, well… there’s not much I can do about that but you won’t stop me.” Her green eyes flashed dangerously at him and he withdrew into the couch, subdued by the might of the 5’4” witch in his kitchen.

“Yes, ma'am,” Remus responded, resigned. He’d meant to do the shopping before the full moon, but the heat wave kept him tied to his flat. His body temperature was already naturally a few degrees higher than your average human’s and heat made him irritable. The few days before the full moon made him even more irritable. He would’ve had to wear long sleeves and long pants to hide his telling scars and it was all just too much. Things were so much harder when Sirius wasn’t around.

Satisfied, Lily tucked the list in her pocket and started chopping lemons. “I’m not trying to be a pest, Remus,” she apologized softly, barely audible over the sound of the knife on the cutting board. She was acting a little more mother-hen than Remus was used to, but Lily hadn’t been in this role very often. Most of their interactions were on a more level playing field, not her taking care of him.

“You aren’t a pest, Lily, don’t fret.” Remus stood with care and joined her in the kitchen, leaning his lanky frame on the counter across from Lily. This close, he really did tower over her, Lily’s red ponytail barely reaching the top of his sternum. He knew he’d grown by the way his jeans only reached the tops of his ankles, and by the way Sirius had to reach a little further to kiss him goodbye. He was tired of it, really, the growing pains blending into full moon pains. He was nineteen. It had to end sometime, right?

“Eat your fish,” Lily instructed, grabbing more lemons.

He saluted her playfully and retrieved the fish with a flick of his wand. He broke open one of the filets and took a grateful bite, moaning softly around the beer-battered goodness. Lily’s tinkling laughter made him smile, but he made quick work of the three pieces in his basket.

“I do eat, you know,” Remus murmured as he polished off the french fries with ease, licking his fingers shamelessly.

Lily’s frown seemed more to do with the effort of squeezing the lemons into the pitcher rather than discontent at his words. “I know, Remus, I know. I just wish we could put a little bulk on you. I’d worry less.” She paused in her squeezing to meet his eyes, hers a little over-bright.

Remus wiped his hands on the scant fabric of the shorts and put his hands on her shoulders to turn her. Lily put her last lemon down and looked up at him, surprised. He pulled her into a gentle hug, minding the tears in his chest, and held her close for several seconds. She was so good to him. She always smelled so nice, like… fresh tea and rosehips and… something else? Something… new…

He knew it was weird, but he turned his head to press his nose against her temple, inhaling again. Something was different. Lily laughed at him and pushed him away, glancing up with a questioning look. “Okay, Padfoot ,” she joked at the veritable snuffling, returning to her squeezing. Over her shoulder, she asked, “Where’s your sugar?”

Remus fetched it for her dutifully from the top cupboard (Sirius put it there for no other reason other than to see Remus reach for it every morning for his tea), puzzled by what he’d just smelled. It wasn’t bad or worrisome, it was just… different.

Lily poured in one cup of sugar, took a look at Remus’s hip bones jutting through the polyester shorts, and added a second cup for good measure. “You could come stay with us, you know,” she said while adding warm water from the tap. “Just until Sirius gets back… Must be awfully quiet here without his racket.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “It’s just three more days -- maybe less, and we’ll see you next week for your cookout! As much as I love the pair of you, Lily, I cannot be in the same house as newlyweds.” He gave her a knowing look and she pinked up prettily in embarrassment.

“Remus Lupin! If you weren’t so beat up I’d swat you!” she scolded, flicking her tea towel at him anyway, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Eat the other packet of fish. I had a big breakfast."

He complied and tucked into the other basket happily as Lily stirred the water into the pitcher vigorously. She poured two glasses over ice and handed him one, which he accepted with thanks. It was a little warm still, but the sugar felt wonderfully restorative, even if the citric acid did burn his snarled-raw throat on the way down.

The second serving of fish and chips lasted no longer than the first, and he tossed the newspaper into the trash bin and washed his hands in the sink. He splashed a little water on his face and smoothed back his curls from his forehead. When he straightened up, Lily was on the couch and had cleaned his stuffed-away pillow with a tap of her wand. She was too good to him.

But Lily didn't mention it, she was a good friend like that. When Remus sat beside her, she maneuvered so that his legs draped across her lap, his back against the arm of the sofa. It really wasn't big enough for two (unless they wanted to be intimately close), but despite that and the heat, Remus liked the closeness.

He'd spent the last eight years, or the most of them, in elbows-jabbing contact with three other boys. The past three years saw him connected at the hip to Sirius, and he'd grown accustomed to all that entailed. The constant contact at night (Sirius had to touch him in some way, usually a leg thrown over his thigh or his fingers curled around his bicep), the comfortable companionship of sharing a small space with someone you loved. It was nice. Four days (and three to go) had been difficult , and he was going a little stir crazy.

Lily snatched the television remote from a bin near the sofa and clicked on the TV with a happy noise. "James wants a telly soo badly! I just don't know how it would work in Godric's Hollow, you know? Nothing’s electric, but-- oh! The University Challenge! I haven't seen this since I was a kid!"

She turned the volume up a little and watched in rapt attention as she drank her lemonade.

They spent the entire afternoon watching assorted Muggle programs on television and demolished the entire pitcher of lemonade. When the sun began to set, James appeared in his living room with his arms full of Chinese takeaway. "Hungry?" He asked, smiling from ear-to-ear.

His friends were too good to him, Remus mused again, diving into a white box of noodles. When James came close enough to hand him a beer from the fridge, Remus inhaled deeply, subtly. Hmm. He smelled fine. So it wasn't something new in their home that made Lily's smell change.

He chewed his lower lip thoughtfully, interrupted by the sudden arrival of Sirius Black in their living room, looking tired but whole. ‘Thank god.’

Sirius's lips were warm and his arms, like iron around his body as he held him a little too tight, banished all thoughts of Lily or James or anyone else in the world from his mind and he melted into the embrace.

James and Lily laughed and quietly excused themselves from the flat, leaving the two men intertwined.

"Hungry?" Sirius asked when they finally broke for air, seeing the stacks of half-empty cartons on their coffee table.

"Ravenous," Remus replied and savored the predatory way Sirius looked at him in his obviously-borrowed clothing. Sirius picked him up and carried him to their bedroom, the Chinese food forgotten.

[pleasantwizardphilosopher]

This is the third chapter of my current fic, please let me know your thoughts!!

The news are going insane, who is this anonymous hero? People cannot even decide on her features, some say she has brown hair, some say she’s blonde, others claim she’s redheaded (?). Not even those who were in the attacked building, which was afterwards closed by the FBI for further investigation; could give any more information aside than the fact that she was a woman, mid-twenties (or was it thirties?), with similar powers to those displayed by Superman, no one saw her face up close though, to preoccupied with surviving and helping others.

One bold reporter, who was also in said building, decided to give her a name, and so, not even twelve hours after that tragic event that almost took 120 people’s lives, “Supergirl” was everything the news outlets were talking about. Blowing off in a futile desperate attempt to find out whether she was another Kryptonian or a super-powered alien from a different planet, under the knowledge that Earth, and particularly National City, is the home of several misplaced aliens from throughout the galaxy. There were lots of testimonies from people who supposedly saw her that night, saying Rao knows what, and others who actually got to see her in action, those being a little more reserved on their testimonies, making thigs a lot more confusing.

Kara squeaks in excitement for the nth time this day, she cannot even focus on the task at hand as she molders a few wires together, the grounding smell of melted tin and burnt plastic filling the room; swaying her hips enthusiastically to the upbeat pop music playing loudly in her lab, giving a few tiny jumps of excitement every now and then. The always-present humming of several industrial-level refrigerators and a constant typing and beeping coming from the room above along with the music drown the noises of the city, a few miles away. She is in a towering scary-looking warehouse, one that she and Winn bought together in order to make it the official Zor-El Technologies headquarters, there are three floors, mostly empty since it’s only the two of them and Roland, the janitor who comes in once a week to clean every preposterous failed experiment and organize a little, always handling their devices carefully; it has a basement, where they keep their new inventions and innovations locked down in a vault, the ground floor where they keep most of their tools and utensils, where Kara is currently working in her own projects, the first floor, where Winn has his state-of-the-art, kind of futuristic-looking super computer console and the third one, which is empty. The warehouse is provided with huge floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing sunlight to stream freely all day long, much to Kara’s delight, and being this the factor that tipped the scales when deciding where to buy, at least for her.

She is so enraptured in her own gleefulness that she doesn’t hear Winn come in (probably to consult something with her about his current software design), and everything seems to move in slow motion, for Kara it really does. She is singing the chorus at the top of her lungs while remembering how good it felt to save so many people, and so she twirls giving a small jump, but instead of landing on her feet immediately, she hovers a few inches above the floor, and is at that exact moment when Winn bursts through the door, literally catching the woman mid-air.

They stare at each other in silence for a few minutes, Kara still hovering above the floor, not even breathing, afraid to scare her closest friend (Alex doesn’t count). Winn just stares blankly at her, jaw dropping in a way that would be comic haven’t he caught his best friend fucking flying. Kara lands softly and quietly moves forward to where Winn is still standing jaw-slacked, and she carefully places a warm comforting hand on his shoulder, trying to measure his reaction. But when she looks into his eyes all she sees is glee and curiosity, maybe even a hint of smugness. They break into a fit of laughter, Winn laughing so hard for not catching the clues that tears prickle his eyes. And Kara is filled with warmth and familial love for this man who has become so much to her. After all, they have been together since high school, which is quite some time to get to know someone.

After that, Winn is the best partner in…law enforcement (?). The computer geek is the best ally she could’ve asked for and the most supportive friend ever. He designs a suit for her, one that bears her House crest, because even after all her parents did, she can still proudly display the Zor-El name and family crest and help people, maybe even work to make up for their crimes and mistakes; and the characteristic red and blue that her cousin also sports, the red skirt was definitely a no go (Rao no), instead, she goes for pants and knee-high red boots, with a golden trimmed belt at her waist. Starting off as a superhero proved to be way harder than she had expected.

The first time she goes out to stop a bank robbery, she collides like a missile with the vault’s doors (Shoot!), ripping them from their hinges. The second time she tries to stop a fire, she mistakenly freezes the whole block’s heating pipes (Rao!). However, she never gives up and after a very heated conversation with Alex, she manages to convince her to let her help, to be the beacon of hope she was always meant to be and to protect Earth and its citizens, human and aliens alike. Alex throws a chair, or two, towards the wall in frustration, unable to convince Kara to stop this nonsense and stop risking her life (the irony Special Agent Danvers). And then, hazel eyes lock with ocean blue ones Kara sees fear in brown eyes, and she understands, she really does, but Alex cannot ask her to keep such important part of herself hidden anymore, not when she could be out there, helping, she is a super-powered Kryptonian after all. The certainty and compassion the agent sees in cerulean blue eyes isn’t something she’ll ever stand in the way of. Kara is her sister after all, and even though she fears for her, she’ll always be by her side, supporting her. This starts a new facet into their relationship, as Alex becomes part of her Super-task force (rename pending), being an FBI agent, she has access to a lot of information and having the Girl of Steel by their side, several agents’ lives could be spared.

After more than a year of fighting crime, human and aliens equally (she’ll never understand why aliens attack the species whose planet is giving them refuge), she has come to a certain balance between the cheery, sweet looking and clumsy Kara Danvers and her alter-ego, strong-looking and inspiring, Supergirl, taking more distance from projects at Zor-El Technologies and dedicating more and more time to saving people and helping wherever she can. It isn’t as fulfilling as she thought it’d be, it’s almost empty the way she has come to have to decide between helping people one way or another. She does love science after all and helping the little citizen as well.

She sighs. She has been getting less and less time in her beloved lab and it’s finally taking a toll on her cheery attitude and sunny personality. Grumbling a little she keeps reading the opinion column in the newspaper she’s holding “Brilliant, gorgeous and…sociopath? The last of the Luthors” the title reads, is an extremely extensive, and horribly written piece, she must say, about Lena Luthor and how “aside from appearances she’s just as insane as the rest of her twisted family”; the piece is so biased that the Kryptonian is not sure how someone was allowed to publish that, and is extremely long, taking almost three whole pages. She hasn’t meet the raven-haired genius in person and hasn’t actually bothered to look her up, it feels like a huge invasion to her thin and almost non-existent, privacy; she knows what the general public does, she doesn’t live under a rock for Rao’s sake, her brother went insane and as such she had to take over the company, now renamed L-Corp, and has been working restlessly to drift it away from weapons manufacturing and turning it into a force for good with science and engineering, very similar, in a way, to what Zor-El Technologies aims for. She is so mad at whoever wrote this …crap, that she entirely misses the small sidenote that reads “Third alien assassination this week, hate or patriotism?”.

It’s just the beginning of August, she’s perched in a bench right in front of National City’s Central Park, next to a cafeteria that she absolutely loves, the wind is blowing softly and is quite chilly, announcing the upcoming winter, claiming it to be freezing cold. The sky is cloudy, grey clouds filling it with very little sunrays being filtered through them; there are huge mountains of orange and brown-ish leaves scattered across the sidewalk, some kids are playing with them, throwing them at each other and breaking into fits of giggles, the street is filled with their laughs, the soft smell of recently baked bread, upcoming rain, and hot coffee. The trees are almost bare now and make low whistling noises when the wind rushes through them, shaking violently whatever leaves they have left to the ground and lifting the ones that have already fallen into spirals in the air. Kara is tucked into a fluffy light brown sweater and ripped jeans, glasses perched on her nose and hair up in a tight ponytail as she keeps skimming through the article. Her heart breaks every single time she encounters pieces like this one about the green-eyed genius, it’s absolutely unfair judging someone based on their family’s crimes instead of measuring them on their own merits, that’s what she believes in after all, what she was taught those many years ago in her home world, and after following up-close every article the Irish woman has written for scientific Journals, she’s fairly certain that the Luthor is nowhere near to how the papers and the press paint her to be, she’d have to meet her to be sure but there is no doubt in her mind about it.

She stands to leave, folding the latest version of the Daily Planet and tucking it into one of her jeans back pockets, just then a strong gush of wind comes from apparently nowhere and ruffles her hair in her face and almost blowing the paper from her hand, making her stop to put everything back into place. While taking her hair and awoken leaves out of her face, as if drawn to a magnet her eyes fixate on someone standing just by the main entrance of the park, across the street from her. She is a little shorter than herself, she guesses, is wearing sleek black boots, tight black jeans, and a very soft-looking red sweater under a leather jacket, the woman’s hair is jet black and falls in soft waves over her shoulders. Her lungs seem to forget how to work as she just stands there, jaw-slaked staring at the woman, she’s too far away from Kara for her to make out her factions precisely but she’s certain that the woman is gorgeous. Her body feels heavy and slacked as if something was pinning her into her spot, or most accurately someone, the blonde woman across the street to be precise, Lena doesn’t know what’s come over her, but she’s certain that whomever that may be, she wants to get to know her, there is just something in her posture that pulls her in, as if the woman emanated warmth that Lena feels drawn to like a moth to a flame, furthermore, she is like a ray of sunshine, with her soft-looking, blond mane, her outfit screams soft, and it hits something deep within the CEO.

They don’t know how long they stay there, fixatedly staring at each other, the world seemingly vanishes, brown and orange leaves floating throughout the space between them, neither seems to be able to breathe or even blink. Lena is too scared someone might have recognized her to move a single muscle, at least that’s what she tells herself, but is actually the soft, tender, pull to her heart that keeps her there, feeling like the permanent hole in her heart has finally been filled, she’s certain that the blonde can feel it as well. Kara has never felt like this in her whole life, she had even started to believe that she wasn’t capable of such feelings, having heard every cheesy pop song about love at first sight it had seemed quite ridiculous to be honest, but she’d be lying to herself if she said that she doesn’t feel absurdly drawn to the woman. Out of nowhere, a car rushes past, lifting curtains of leaves in its wake, while passing near the blonde a ball comes rolling into the road from a pile of leaves, where the kids were still playing and right behind it, a young boy no older than 6, just jumping in the way of the car; between the leaves the driver mustn’t have seen him since they don’t stop; fortunately Kara is just a few paces away and manages to grab the child by his armpits and lift him, pulling him out of the way and back to safety. When she turns around to look at the woman again, she is no longer there, vanished between orange streaks, it all feels cold and empty now for the Kryptonian, the same way one feels after waking from a beautiful dream.

Kara shakes her head, what was she thinking? With a light giggle and after receiving several ‘thank you’ from the child’s mother, she turns around to leave, only to almost run over Nia and Brainy, her boyfriend, who, miraculously, had apparently just materialized behind her. She and Winn met Brainy at a trade fair, about six months ago; he had approached their stand and started asking questions, very precise and specific ones, the ones that only someone with wide knowledge of the subject would be able to do; and making suggestions here and there, Winn following suit to add his own input to the conversation. Brainy was a Computer Engineer with a double degree in Electronics, and his mind rivaled Winn’s, he even challenged him, that’s how he was added to the team. He and Winn became a whole new department in Zor-El Technologies. They designed software, firewalls and other products meant to protect devices from outside infiltration and whenever Kara worked on a techier device, they'd provide its software and failsafe; he sometimes worked on side projects mostly theorizing and experimenting with chemical compounds. It worked out like a charm, they complemented each other like a well-oiled machine, allowing both computer geeks to spend more time in their own computer and AI innovations and inventions rather than just supporting Kara with other projects more engineering-like.

Later on, he introduced them to Nia, an Actuarial Science undergrad, who decidedly loved their work, having read thoroughly about their previous projects and future launches; and joined to take care of Zor-El Tech. finances, because honestly, although Kara and Winn where great minds, finances weren’t their strongest suit, pun intended. The whole thing contributing to Kara being able to take on a lower workload, allowing her to spend more time saving people and having to worry less about small perks of the business, without raising suspicious. Around three months ago, however, Kara realized that Nia had powers, after falling asleep at work and having woken up startled and stammering something about an imminent threat to a Kryptonian, a week later, Lex had stroke, declaring war on Superman and turned the sky red to try and take him down with a Lexosuit of his own design, trapping her sister in the cross-fire. After that, the whole team decided to leave secrets aside and the four of them started fighting crime together, with Nia and Kara on the field and Winn and Brainy being their eyes and ears, both of them brilliant strategists.

Nia is looking at her with a knowing smile, as if she had been witness to the staring contest between the Kryptonian and the unknown woman, she truly hopped she hadn’t, fortunately for her Brainy was as oblivious as always and so she decided to start a conversation with him. It was easy talking to Brainy; he didn’t have many issues with emotions, he did, well, he kind of just didn’t understand them and hence didn’t know what to do about them; Kara’s mind is barely into the conversation as her thoughts keep drifting to the beautiful woman who had managed to make her feel dizzy and giddy without even being within reach, without Kara actually being able to get her face and figure entirely, damn lead-lined glasses. She hopes their paths cross once more, although she is not certain how that is going to happen when she didn’t even get to see her face. She lets out a soft groan of frustration. Kara has been feeling particularly irritable recently, since she hadn’t really had time to work on her projects, and after this quite frustrating encounter she is at the brink of blowing up.

She hates the feeling, so, as soon as they hit Zor-El headquarters she heads to her journal, the one she keeps on the bottom drawer of her lab’s desk, she is always filling it with unfinished or half-baked ideas, scrolling through it, deciphering her doodles and notes, analyzing every idea she has ever written in it. She has made up her mind, she is going to do something big, one of her greatest projects so far, she knows Zor-El has kept launching projects, but she hasn’t really been involved in them, or truly invested, having to save the world, every now and then. This would be her project, something for her to focus on entirely, to take the most advantage or her brain and to challenge herself, she knows the others would understand and give her space.

The Girl of Steels slams her journal in her lab table with a little triumphant ‘aha!’ immediately wincing after seeing how the stainless-steel table bended underneath her strength. She should definitely get nth metal benches from now on, note to self. The journal is open on a page that talks about solar panels, it’s an idea that has been nagging her for some months now, it makes a lot of sense, her own cells are super-charged batteries, if she could figure out exactly the way they metabolize solar radiation into energy, those solar panels would be the best ones on the market. That is, assuming she can build the circuitry, she is well-versed on engineering, but this is way out of her league, the solar cells culture would be the easy part, she already has well-cemented physics and alien biology knowledge to do so, even without actually growing some of her own cells (she can ask Alex to take a tissue sample to analyze); and the hardest would be the software, she could totally ask Winn and Brainy’s help for it, but the circuitry, neither of them could build it from scratch, or maybe they could, but it would require a lot more time and money that the one they currently have for out-of-the-blue prototypes; and taking a pre-designed one from the currently available on the market wouldn’t be powerful enough for mechanism.

She starts biting her nail and pacing around her lab. There must be a way for her to manage this, not only would it be an amazing project for the company to make it into the front pages, but it would also greatly improve the lives of millions, especially those in sun-filled countries, such as African countries and Central America countries. She feels like this is an old problem and the solution is just there at the back of her mind, but refusing to be caught, then, out of nowhere, she gets it, it’s so clear know that she can literally watch a light bulb light in her head. Lena Luthor, the heiress to the Luthor empire has a whole department dedicated to sustainable energies, moreover, they are currently working on improved solar panels and renewable energies, this could totally work, a partnership with a high-standard company such as L-Corp would prove to be good for the development of Zor-El Technologies and if this project ended appropriately, L-Corp would also benefit from it.

One thing she knows for sure: she needs a good proposal, excellent in fact, so she throws herself on the nearest chair and starts typing her proposal into a document, she is using her superspeed leading her to finish it soon enough, deciding to take some time to go grab a doughnut, giving her computer time to buffer and finish the ordeal, Winn would definitely call this a “computer onslaught”. While she’s munching on her chocolate and strawberry sprinkles doughnut a thought crosses her mind, it would be a good idea to notify the whole crew, the Superfriends as Winn call themselves. Once gathered she gives a very inspiring pep-talk about how this project is going to bring Zor-El Technologies into the spotlight for good, and maybe even keep them there, she wants to do this for herself, almost entirely, she won’t ever refuse help as she was taught that they were stronger together, but she wanted to do most of the work herself, having being deprived of working on scientific projects for so long, she needed this. Hence, they agree on supporting her, taking off her back as much Supergirl duties as possible, Dreamer, Nia to friends, would take her place on the street and she’d only be called if the emergency needed her particular set of abilities, aka brute force and invulnerability. They also agree on providing the Kryptonian with moral support, advice and food, yesss food!, and everything seems to be set. Now only the hard part is missing, arrange a meeting with L-Corp to present her idea.

That’s when it hits her, she has to present her idea at L-Corp (!!) which means, she has to talk directly to the CEO aka the one and only Lena Luthor *full blown panic. It has to be spotless; she know for sure that the woman will be attracted to the idea, however, she hasn’t really met her and is not entirely sure how stern or demanding she may be. Sitting again in front of her computer, the blonde starts proofreading her proposal, adding a few details here and there, like the fact that the panels are going to be improved by platinum oxide nanoparticles, maybe a core-shell with iridium, she’s not entirely sure about that last part, she has to do some research to see which nanoparticles oscillate most under solar radiation; and that step of the project is going to lay entirely on her court, since she’s going to base her whole research on the way her cells work and that’s definitely something private, secret even.

The youngest Danvers is sitting outside the office of The Lena Luthor, her leg keeps bouncing unstoppably, as her nerves are quite taking the best of her, she shouldn’t be nervous, this isn’t the first time they are turning towards a bigger company for sponsorship, nor the first time she has been face-to-face with an important person, but there is something different about asking for sponsorship directly to the head of one of the biggest consortiums of the country, who also happens to be the sister of a maniac who tried to kill your cousin and who also is the woman whose career you have been following closely for five years, glup. When the double doors open and her assistant, Jess, signals her to get in, she is not at all sure what to expect, partly because of her nerves, she is going in auto-drive, and partly because, coming to think of it, she has never actually heard anything about the raven-genius from someone who has directly dealt with her and it’s kind of worrying. She is not sure whether to expect a cold-blooded, cocky-demeanor and over-the-top CEO or a kind, friendly, but straight-forward one.

When she finally gets over herself and manages to drag her feet into the office, she almost drops herself to the floor. The first thing she notices is the pristine-white decoration that prevails in the office, the floor-to-ceiling windows give it a very open-space, clean appearance. The second thing she notices is the smell, it smells like coffee, expensive perfume and …scotch (?). The third thing, and the one almost sends the Girl of Steel barreling out of the office is the CEO, Kara is absolutely not expecting, nor ready for, a stunning, raven-haired, Irish beauty that she has seen previously, more specifically, a month ago, outside National City’s Central Park, she freezes. What Kara doesn’t know is that Lena isn’t expecting her either, the blonde woman who stole her breath a month ago, the CEO is not used to feeling giddy, like she is now, she finds herself blushing slightly and feeling a little silly, what are you Luthor a love-struck teenager? Pull yourself together! The idea just randomly pops into her head and makes her blush a little harder, she certainly feels like one, surrounded by the scent of vanilla and flowers that irradiates from the other woman, seeping into her like the soft warmness of hot cocoa during a cold snowy winter. She is beautiful, with those cerulean bright blue eyes, and sun-kissed skin, the navy-blue tailored suit and light blue button up definitely fits her. In her eyes, she can see, and feel, her kindness, she is certain that this woman has the biggest heart she has ever encountered, blue, like the ocean, a sight she would gladly get lost into, but underneath all that, there is something else, which terrifies and captures her, Lena suddenly finds herself wishing to know all about this Kara Danvers.

The Maiden of Might certainly cannot believe that all it took for her to be and absolute mess, aside from her usual clumsy-self, is a set of forest-green eyes paired with crimson red lipstick, a black pencil skirt and emerald-green blouse, which certainly seems to make her eyes pop out more. But what really drags her in are precisely those eyes, filled with curiosity and amusement, maybe a little bit of fear and so so much hurt, like open wounds that have never healed, buried just under the public eye, to protect herself. Whereas she first thought that Lena was unbreakable with her power pose and 7-inch Luboutins, now she isn’t that certain. Her aura yells “power” and “control”, but the almost invisible quirk of her brow says fear, her pose, if you look carefully enough seems stiff, carved into her through punishment and humiliation; her hands are holding a pen, innocently, however, being the observant hero is, she is capable of recognize the soft movements of her wrist as if the raven-haired woman wanted to fidget but were refraining from it.

For a moment neither of them move, too absorbed in the sight in front of them. Then, as if realizing she was staring, Lena shakes her head, returning to the real world and leading the blonde woman to her desk, so they may discuss the matter at hand. When the Kryptonian takes a second too long to move, her crimson lips move upwards into a smirk, and oh boy is she lost. Mentally slapping herself, Kara manages to move towards the modern white desk and take out her proposal, praying to Rao not to stumble over her words while the genius woman is staring intently into her eyes like that. She feels her palms sweat, she didn’t even know that could happen, but manages to catch herself and go through the proposal with the CEO. Lena is stunned to say the least, her department has been endlessly and fruitlessly trying to improve solar panels effectivity for several months now, a huge crew of the most recognized scientist in their fields have gotten nowhere, and out of the mist, Kara, on behalf of Zor-El Technologies, which she has heard about but very little; comes forward with not only the most complete proposal, but the design is already planned, the system and functioning have been researched and started to be developed. She has crossed paths with extremely bright people, studying at the best universities and all that, but this, this is entirely different, unexpected and is directly poking into her curiosity.

After Kara has finished her proposal, Lena decides to negotiate a little with regards on how this joint project is going to work, she is curious by nature who can blame her. For starters, L-Corp is not going to provide a team, she herself is going to work on the project, it’s been a while since she has had the opportunity to be hands on with a project with the move and rebrand of the company, however this is the opportunity she unknowingly has been waiting for and she is going to take it, she has a lot of experience in bioengineering and nanotechnology after all, and several ground-breaking discoveries in those areas have been hers. Albeit Kara was certainly not expecting the green-eyed woman to propose working herself directly into the project she cannot say that she isn’t pleased with the idea, heck, she has been wanting to work alongside the genius ever since she first heard of her. A contract is printed, were both parties agree on working together and the details of the launch and profits for each company are thoroughly detailed. The main change into the proposal it’s that Winn and Brainy are not going to be the ones designing the software but Lena, who is also going to work, along with Kara, on the circuitry and Kara herself will help design the absorption and conversion system, a dual design based on nanoparticles.

Once all the details are polished and both women have agreed to the terms and signed, they stand up to shake hands and close the deal. What neither of them is expecting is the soft buzz, current-like, that goes through their hands when they touch, while it is electrifying, it is not unpleasant, a soft tingle that goes from the tips of their fingers all the way to the base of their spines, thrumming alive every nerve termination. If they linger a little, holding hands and smiling dumbly at each other, coffee and flowers mixing in the air between them, no one can blame them. Lena lets go first, a little breathless, as if her soul had just went for a ride outside her body, fingers still tingling, she has to will herself to not rub her hand on her skirt in an attempt to make it stop. She lifts her gaze from where they were shaking hands and fixates her eyes into ocean blue ones, seemingly searching for something into her jade-green ones. She doesn’t know what this is, neither does Kara for that matter, but she doesn’t mind, staring into ice-blue, strong and confident, she sees power and strength, and somehow, she knows that those shoulders hold the weight of the world.

When Kara gets out of the office that day, she wonders what the future may hold for both of them, while the project is definitely going to revolutionize green energy production, she is certain, she is willing to allow her mind wander into endless possibilities for the both of them, she has been struck dumb twice by the CEO, and that is not of common occurrence, as Kryptonian, and from the House of El nonetheless, she is not easily flustered or left speechless, less more breathless, but the stunning woman behind those doors has managed somehow. And she is nothing short of a scientist after all, hence, she will take her time to find out the meaning of this. Smiling happily to herself, she leaves the building, with a slight bounce to her step, after all, this project will change the future of Zor-El Technologies. What neither of them know is that it will also change both their futures and perceptions.

[carbronze5]

Stop Throwing Away Time And Start Feng Shui

A principle of Feng Shui is that our life are formed by a few points: Destiny (issues we can’t handle like who are mothers and fathers are) individual character (that which we can command and develop like our intellectually and self-consciousness) and environment (the house which retains us and energetically and preferably supports us by reflecting the tales we have about ourselves, earlier, present and future). When I initially read that considered, it landed really really hard for me, due to the fact when I thought of my residence from that point of view, I did not definitely like what I saw. The guidance I will be making use of is from a library copy of Denise Linn's Room Clearing A-Z: How to Use Feng Shui to Purify and Bless Your Home. Established up household guidelines for working with the room, for illustration, if the place of work-place user need to function all through the day, have a set time for all function to be put away out of sight prior the friends using the area. When it comes to employing Feng Shui to completely transform your life, the finest suggestions is constantly to glance at your natural environment and see how it displays who you are proper now, as opposed to how you were and no more time want to be.

I can swiftly see the gaps and imbalances in my everyday living and thoughts with this method. Some individuals say that clutter in your property triggers litter in your intellect, and it can be hard to get organized and experience at peace when you are surrounded by clutter. So, keep in head, many factors adjust or increase the Feng Shui of a residence. seven. Keep the outside the house of your refrigerator clean up and very clear. From that clear place, it aids us set Good goals to get there, and the big impression is that it teaches us how to use objects in our ecosystem to support us stay targeted on generating that fact. My accidental discovery of the artwork eyesight boarding sparked a thirst for just how it is that we can make and turn goals into fact. Possessing taught, created, and practiced eyesight boarding more than the a long time, I’ve figured out insider secrets that separate successful vision boards from all those that are just quite illustrations or photos. I have just developed a self-guided, 4-7 days course named Desk for Achievement that will aid any person create an business that will start their occupation.

2 Ring Finger. This finger is also named the ring finger simply because this is the finger that most folks put on rings. Again, the Entrance Doorway will be positioned along the edge of the line across the bottom of the Bagua Map - both on the Information & Self-Cultivation, Career or Travel & Handy Men and women line. Occasionally the development paper pack doesn't have the appropriate shade for the bagua. If this is the situation I ordinarily obtain a attractive photo in a shiny magazine vivid with this required colour. Placing a neutral photo around the vision board ensures that we appear at our eyesight board from a neutral energetic condition. feng shui bracelet meaning for manifesting your dreams is to develop a vision board. When it will come to vision boards, if you have make yours when you’re in a state of inspiration and hope, and make a place of on the lookout at it when you’re sensation satisfied, it is likely that your favourable strength and momentum will speed up the manifesting of your wants. Primarily, the goal of Feng Shui Everyday living Mapping is to convert your whole property into a 3-D eyesight board, by putting, orienting and envisioning the numerous products in your property in this sort of a way that they continuously remind you of your wishes and intentions.

What if a spouse and spouse have differing quantities and therefore distinct ideal instructions for their residence? Your kitchen area is one of the 3 most vital spaces in your residence for Feng Shui (the others are the rest room and bedroom). As we build appreciation, we can generate areas that mirror the very ideal of who we are and flow easily in direction of our collective maximum excellent. Everybody appreciates that acquiring a target is superior. Creating a objective down, having said that, increases the chances of accomplishment exponentially. Nonetheless, you will occur throughout Laughing Buddha in a number of positions, colors, and unique types. It will act as a frequent reminder of where by your daily life is going. Developing a eyesight board on prime of the Feng Shui bagua, the grid which depicts the nine existence areas of lifestyle (under) act as visual reminders of what we want to be, do or have in our life. Parcel of our day-to-day life. However if you designed it when you were in a adverse body of head or subconsciously you experienced a solid detrimental momentum likely even if you had been making an attempt to be constructive, you could possibly respond to it as if it have been that irritating man or woman telling you to “cheer up!

[carryonsimoncarryonbaz]

NEW FIC!!!

Written for the Carry On Quarantine event organized by @xivz​ for the prompt of food delivery. My thanks to @fight-surrender​ and @basic-banshee​ for the beta reads and support!!

Baz is a teacher quarantined at home and Simon is doing temp work delivering food for The Girl and the Goat, a local pub. A craving for a burger leads to Baz ordering from the pub, followed by weeks of mutual pining, the slow burn of a developing relationship thwarted by the physical constraints of social distancing, and a refrigerator full of pub food. Movie nights, exasperated friends, lots of texts, way too much food, and multiple awkward encounters. 

Let My Love Open the Door

Baz

I close my laptop and drop my head down onto it. I’m knackered. The metal feels cool against my forehead. I roll my face from side to side, relishing the smooth chill of it against my cheeks. And then I remember.

Fuck, now I have to disinfect the damn thing.

I’m done. Done for the day but also so done with this.

How can I be expected to effectively teach students—Sixth Form students at that—from a computer terminal? I’m almost three weeks into this, but their looming A Levels and GSCE’s are still on schedule for May.

That’s less than two months away. Five weeks and three days, to be exact.

Thank fuck it’s Friday. I’ll at least have two days to prepare next week’s frightfully inadequate lesson plan.

I grab a disinfecting wipe from the canister and methodically wipe down my laptop. I’m not sick—not a cough, not a sniffle—but I’ve bought into this not touching my face directive and I shouldn’t be smearing my germs on random surfaces. For all I know I could be carrying this thing. One of the asymptomatic Typhoid Marys, spreading it far and wide.

Not that there’s anyone to spread it to, seeing as I’m on my own here, but I wipe the laptop down anyway, unnerved by the whole idea of it.

I’ve washed my hands more in the past month than I have in my entire life. I spent the first day at home wiping down every surface, laundering the bedding, mopping the floors. My house went from having a pleasant, woodsy scent to the overwhelming stench of bleach instead.

It gave me such a headache that I had to open the windows and damn near froze. Bloody coldest March we’ve had in years. April’s not proving to be much better.

My mobile buzzes. I should have left it in the bedroom but I’ve become painfully attached to it.

If I’m not planning out curriculum, video conferencing with my class, answering frantic emails from parents, students, the other teachers at my school, or compulsively cleaning and reorganizing my house, then I’m moodily scrolling through Twitter and Instagram and ratcheting up my anxiety.

I should delete my social media.

My mobile buzzes again.

I glance at my watch. It’s six o’clock.

Bound to be Wellbelove.

Wellbelove: are you done yet?

Wellbelove: Baz!!

Wellbelove: you can’t still be doing classwork it’s after 5

Wellbelove: BAAAAZZZZ

Me: Give it a rest, Wellbelove. Some of us are actually working from home.

Wellbelove: I am working, you poncy bastard I’m obviously far more efficient than you.

Me: Look, some of us can’t just post our morning exercise routine and somehow have that count as work.

Wellbelove: Why are we friends again? Can you remind me why I put up with this slander from you?

Me: Because of my sparkling wit and undeniable charm.

Wellbelove: more like your fashion sense and propensity to pick up the bill when we eat out. Neither of which are in evidence at the moment so I may have to rethink my devotion to you

Me: Still, I’m indispensable.

Wellbelove: then buy me dinner. what are we watching tonight?

This all started at the end of that first week, when Agatha couldn’t concentrate on the book she was trying to read and I’d reached the pulling-my-hair-out state of lesson planning. She suggested we watch a film together—FaceTiming while our Netflix accounts played in sync.

We’ve done that almost every night since. Dinner and a movie, separately, from a distance.

We spend almost as much time arguing over what to watch as we do watching, but that’s just how we are. I’ve known Agatha Wellbelove since we were toddlers at the same crèche when our parents were at uni. Same primary school, same secondary school.

We drifted apart during our uni years, with Agatha at Brighton for phys Ed and Oxford to read for English Language and Literature for me.  

It was some bizarre twist of fate that we were both hired to teach at the same secondary school in Chilham. She was the last person I expected to see on my orientation day.

We picked up where we left off, latching onto each other as we navigated our first real world experience after uni.

It’s been three years now and I think the past three weeks have been the longest stretch we’ve gone without seeing each other since we moved here.

She’s self-centered, brutally straight-forward, horribly short-tempered, dreadfully impatient, and devastatingly gorgeous.

A perfect match for me if I wasn’t so irrevocably gay.

And if she wasn’t . . . well, categorically uninterested in me in that way is probably the best way to phrase it.

But she’s my best friend and I know it hasn’t been all that long but fuck, I miss her.

Wellbelove: WHAT ARE WE WATCHING BAZ ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION

She’d be kicking me in the shin by now, if she were here. Maybe I don’t miss her quite that much.

Ugh, it’s my night to choose. I don’t know what I want to watch. Something soothing, not one of those action films or plucky sports dramas she likes so much. I actually like Bend it Like Beckham but not those sappy American ones she’s inflicted on me.

I need something familiar. Comforting.

Me: Pride and Prejudice.

Wellbelove: 2005. Kiera Knightley. I will accept no substitutes.

Me: The 1995 version is superior.

Wellbelove: Colin Firth doesn’t look like that anymore Baz. Let it go.

I start to type “Keira Knightley doesn’t either” but fucking hell she does still look the same.

Wellbelove: and you owe me dinner

Me: 2005 AND dinner? You are greedy and demanding, Wellbelove. I’ll agree to Knightley. Make your own dinner.

Wellbelove: I want a burger I’m ordering out since you’re being a berk and won’t send me food

Fuck. I’m craving a burger now too.

I don’t even want to think about cooking anything. I’m so sick of pasta, even though I’ve tried to make it a different way each time, with my dwindling pantry supplies. And much as I love the curry place down the road I can’t eat it every day.

I used to think I could. I used to say I’d be happy eating tikka masala every day for the rest of my life, but I was mistaken.

And no more chippies. I can’t do another chippy.

Me: Who’s delivering burgers? Please tell me you aren’t getting McDonald’s.

Wellbelove: why would I get McDonald’s when I can get a lamb burger from The Girl and The Goat?

Me: they’re not still open?

Wellbelove: of course they’re still open you stupid git.

I don’t know why I hadn’t thought to check. Why I assumed the pubs would close down, when they all have kitchens and food service, just like the chippies and fast food places.

Me: why didn’t you bother telling me, you hag?

Wellbelove: You are a grown man Hunter gatherer type you should be able to forage for your own food

I want one of those burgers. We don’t go there all that often but The Girl and The Goat has some of the best burgers in town. Fucking hell, I’m salivating at the thought of it.

Me: Text when you’ve got dinner and we’ll start the movie

Wellbelove: you’re ordering from The Goat aren’t you you hypocrite and not even paying for mine

I close the messenger app to look up The Girl and The Goat online. I scan the menu and then ring them up.

The warm, cheerful voice on the line assures me the order will be delivered to my door within a half hour. I give my mobile number so the driver can text when he arrives.

“Just be looking for the text, love,” the woman’s warm voice continues. “Simon will leave everything at your door, no need to open up until he’s gone. I know how wary people are these days so we’re trying to make it easy.”

A little over a half hour later my mobile buzzes with a message from an unknown number.

Unknown number: Food’s here!

Unknown number: I’ll ring when it’s on your doorstep

The doorbell chimes and I peek at the doorway video display only to startle at the huge grinning face looming on the screen. I push the audio button.

“Yes?”

“Hullo! I’m Simon. I’ve got your order from The Goat. Lamb burger and chips.” He holds up a gloved hand carrying a bag. “I’ll just leave it right here for you.” I get a brief glimpse of a broad back clad in a brown leather jacket as he bends down, before he’s back to grinning at the camera again. “Thanks for ordering from The Goat. We appreciate the business. If you text me back you’ll get a discount for next time!”

“Text you back what?”

He leans in closer and shrugs. “Whatever.”

He’s got brilliant blue eyes. A scattering of freckles dotted across his face.

“Um, right, ok then. Thanks.”

He waves and then he’s out of sight again.

I move to the front window and twitch aside the blinds to watch him get in a blue car with “The Girl and The Goat” displayed across the door in white lettering.

I wait until the car is long gone before opening the door, gloves on, carrying the parcel of food as if it’s radioactive until I reach the kitchen, where I can dispose of the bag and transfer the food to my own dishes.

It’s likely overkill, I know, but I find being wary and methodical helps calm me.

I settle down in front of the television with my meal and my mobile, ready to message Agatha, when I see the text from the unknown number again.

I’d not say no to a discount. I click on it to text back. What exactly does one text to an attractive delivery man?

I shake my head. He’s just the delivery man, it’s irrelevant if he’s attractive or not.

My finger is still hovering over my mobile. I’m having an existential crisis over what to text a delivery man so I can get a discount on a pub meal. These are the depths that I have sunk to with this self-quarantine.

It would help if he were ordinary looking. It really would.

Me to unknown number: Whatever

I hit send before I think too hard about how unoriginal and trite a response that was.

My mobile pings back a moment later.

Unknown number: 15% percent off the next order. Just say Simon said when you call it in! :)

Read the rest at ao3!!!!!!!!!!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23590015

[lppsidefics]

Meihem Fanfic: Victim Parallel

Chapter 1: Breaking news update

><><><><  

“The on going situation downtown has erupted into chaos, as two gun men opened fire on a police barricade. The assailants, who have yet to be identified, robbed the Valiant Marks bank earlier this morning, stealing an estimated 36 thousand dollars in gold, and are currently attempting an escape on Hi 20-20 in a high speed chase. Police Chief Wilhelm had this to say on the matter-”

“Duōme kěpà…” Mei switched off the television as the tea kettle whistled in the kitchen. She took the steaming pot off the heat and poured the boiled liquid into a set of prepared mugs, adding a spoon full of cocoa powder to each as she went. Placing the hot kettle on a rag for cooling, she stirred the mixtures a few times, before rearranging the cups onto a tray for transportation.

Only struggling a little with the balance of the serving plate, Mei headed out into the hallway lined with bedroom doors. She stopped at the first door on the right, where a pink and blue poster was plastered over its surface featuring a brunette girl and signed in the top hand corner, “Love D.va.”

Mei tapped lightly, and opened the door slowly, giving a peek into the room before entering. In the large bed that took up most of the space, was the very same girl from the posters layered along the walls. The bed was fixed with blinking colored lights, and stamped with stickers, some peeling from their edges, and wrapped in the blue sheets was a messy head of brunette hair.

“Zǎoshang hǎo…Good morning…Are you still sleeping Hana? ” Mei whispered, and the girl started to wake.

Her eyes were still half closed, and not adjusted to sight yet, as Hana lifted from the pillow, giving a stretched moan as she moved. “Good… morning.” She greeted, and Mei offered a purple mug full of hot cocoa to the tired woman. “Gamsahabnida…”

“You’re welcome.” Mei replied, before exiting the room and moving to the next door in the hall. This one, was littered with bumper stickers from all kinds of places.

Some just said the names of cities, and some had dumb little jokes on them like ‘Is your refrigerator running? Better catch it.’ Reading them gave Mei the urge to roll her eyes, but she’d grown pretty used to seeing them there.

Again she gave the door a soft tap, but this time someone answered. “Who is it?” Said a cheerful voice from the other side.

“It’s Mei!”

“Come right in luv.” Mei obeyed, and opened the door. Inside, a tall woman with chop cut brown hair was sitting in a rolling chair beside the computer desk. “Good morn’n Mei! You bright an’ bushy tailed today?”

“Good morning Lena, I…” Mei paused to consider the question a second time. “…I don’t know what that mean’s actually, but I made coco.” She said with a smile, holding out the serving tray topped with only two remaining cups.

“Oh, Lovely!” Lena exclaimed with excitement, before taking up the red mug printed with a Christmas tree. “Thanks luv, you’re always think’n of others Mei. Here I got this paper to write, an’ you’re bein’ such a dear.”

“It was no problem.” Mei insisted, taking the final cup of cocoa, and raising it in a cheers pose. “I was making some anyway.” The other woman returned the gesture, and they each took a small swig. The realization that the drink was warm came too late for them both, and they lowered the cups quickly with whimpers of pain.

With sounds of distress, Lena spun around in the chair, placing the hot mug on the surface of the desk and covering her face with her hand. “Sorry…” Mei muttered through her own pain. “…I forgot it was so hot.”

Lena gave a chuckle and smiled. “No need to worry luv, I’m alright.” She straightened up in the seat and crossed her legs. “So are you still goin’ to hospital today?”

“Yes, Dr Winston says Bastion’s condition is getting better.” Mei explained with a nod, and brought the steaming mug up to give it a gentle blow. “He might wake up soon, and the Doctor wants him to have a familiar face to wake up to.”

Returning to face her laptop, Lena started clacking away at the keys at a rapid pace that Mei’s eyes couldn’t really keep up with. “Well that’s real sweet of you to go all that way on ah Saturday luv. Emily an’ I are goin’ for a cinema date this afternoon, if I can get this bloody thing done that is.”

Mei wiped a hand across her lips to remove the cocoa left there, and it was then, that the sound of another door swinging open interrupted the conversation, and a still bed headed Hana passed by in the hallway on her way to the bathroom.

“Say Mei, don’t you need to get goin’?” Lena asked without looking away from the computer screen.

“Hm? No, I still need to take a shower, but I’ve got plenty of time, it’s only eleven a.m.” Mei stated, taking another carful sip of her cocoa.

Lena spun the chair back around to meet Mei. “Not quite luv, my clock here says it’s already passed noon.” Bolting towards the laptop, Mei squinted to read the tiny computer clock at the bottom of the screen.

“Bù hǎole!” Mei exclaimed, disposing of her coco mug on Lena’s desk and rushing out of the room. “Wǒ yào chídàole!” She went for the restroom but the handle was locked when she twisted it.

“Ya!” Hana screamed from inside. “Man-eul yeolji ma! I’m in here! Wait your turn!”

The sound of water spraying from the shower indicated that Hana was not going to change her mind, and Mei gritted her teeth with stress before hurrying down the hall to her own bedroom instead. She swung open the door, her panda bear doorplate clacking on its string, before digging through her closet.

Mei’s room was usually quite tidy, but her closet was almost always a war zone of clean and dirty clothes stuffed into hampers and squeezed into drawers. She grabbed the sleeve of a sweater she recognized and pulled the entire garment out of the pile.

Moving to the mirror on the closet door, Mei held the sweater up, inspecting it’s condition before deciding to pull it on over her tank top. It was a long sweater, practically a dress with her short stature, and the collar was wide enough to reveal the smallest glimpse of her dark blue tank underneath.

But she was low on time, and the outfit was nice enough to suffice. Mei swiped a comb from her dresser table and started viciously pulling it through her dark locks. She brushed until her hair was at least manageable, and then wrapped it into a easy bun at the top of her head, stabbing a bobby pin into it just to keep it from falling apart.

Adjusting her thick rimmed glasses, she gave herself one last checkover in the mirror, before scooping her satchel over her head and heading out of the apartment. “Bye! I’ll be home later!” She called out, digging her bare feet into a set of slip on shoes, and out the door she went, hopping down the staircase in a hurried pace.

The bus ride was short since the hospital was only a few blocks away, and Mei was in the building and on the elevator in less than an hour. Reaching the seventeenth floor, Mei found her way to the front desk for check in.

“Hallo Mei-ling!” A familiar voice greeted, and Mei turned to meet it’s owner. Dr. Angela Ziegler practically glided through the hall in an elegant walk, her blonde hair bound into a tail, and her white coat fluttering like feathery wings behind her. “Who are you here to see today my friend?”

“Nǐ hǎo! Dr. Winston asked me to visit with Bastion today. He’s supposed to wake from the coma soon.” The tall angelic doctor stopped beside Mei as they spoke, her hight nearly dwarfing the Chinese woman.

“Well, don’t be too upset if he doesn’t, Mei-ling…” Angela sighed, trading her clipboard chart with another sitting on the desk surface. “After all, this is not an exact science.”

Mei-ling followed the Doctor down the hall, keeping a brisk pace behind her. “I know Doctor. Last year he didn’t wake for a whole month late, I’m just trying to… stay positive!” She cheered with a smile, holding up a resolute fist of strength.

With a short bit of laughter, Angela came to a slow stop before a hospital room. “I think we all need a little bit of your attitude Mei-ling!” She opened the door, revealing the inner long space where machinery beeped and tiny lights flickered with green hues. The room was rather cramped, but that was normal for a room at a hospital, and the back wall was lined with chairs. Mei moved in and sat into one of the seats, depositing her bag in the chair beside her.

“I’ll go let Dr Winston know you’re here. I’m sure he’ll want to see you too.” Angela said before leaving the woman alone with the patient, and closing the door.

With a sigh, Mei shifted her attention to Bastion, whos small body barely filled the hospital bed. The child’s light brown hair was short and fluffy, like he’d just come out of a bath, and his weak little arms laid motionless.

This was one part of the volunteer work she never got used to. Seeing the patients so fragile and deathly, as if their very soul was dangling between life and the after life.

It was particularly upsetting to see children this way.

Mei shook the thoughts from her mind and forced a smile onto her face, deciding that she needed to busy herself with something she scanned the room for a task to keep her preoccupied.

The many gifts and drawings that had previously been displayed in Bastions old room, were now just cornered on a rolling table for transport, and Mei took it upon herself to organize them for the child’s awakening.

She stood and started to re-arrange the flowers around the window, using the nurses station sink to re-fill the vases with water. She collected the cards and propped them up on their folds, along with the coinciding gift.

One by one, Mei-ling hung the crayon scribbled construction papers along the wall, and gathered the toys into a single waiting chair to save space. She picked up a stuffed bear with a tag signed ‘from Uncle Torby’, and tucked it neatly beneath one of Bastion’s thin arms.

He seemed to have a response to the motion, and gave a very low huff.

Mei sat in the chair again, leaning into speak to the comatose boy. “Nǐ hǎo Bastion…” Though she knew he couldn’t hear her, Mei hoped it would bring him some sort of comfort, trying to let him know that he wasn’t alone. “…It’s Mei-ling, remember me?…”

“…I’ll be right here when you wake up okay?…” The child made no movements, but Mei smiled at him anyway.

Soon after, Dr Winston entered the room, ducking his head slightly to fit under the door frame. “Ah, hello Mei-ling! How are you today?”

“I’m doing fine Doctor.” Mei responded with the nod of her head, and then both their attentions turned to the sleeping child.

Winston sat on a wheeled stool and awkwardly maneuvered himself over to the patients bed. “And how are you doing Bastion?” The Doctor asked jokingly, pretending to listen closer to the boy for an answer. “What’s that Bastion my boy? You’re ready for lunch? You and I both!”

The man laughed boisterously at his own humor, and Mei stifled a giggle. Dr Winston was a tall, muscular man, with thick black hair and a patchy beard. His glasses were comically small on his wide face, and his voice was gruff but warm. He’d been Mei’s teacher in college and now she apprenticed under him, learning what she can about the medical field.

“Let’s get started shall we?” Winston said, taking up a syringe and filling it from a small canister on the table beside him, then, he injected the liquid into Bastions iv tube.

Mei nervously watched the medicine travel through the tube, though she couldn’t really see the water like substance, and the two fell silent as they waited for a response.

Nothing. Bastion didn’t move or make a sound, he just slept calmly, and Dr Winston scratched the back of his head with a massive hand. “Well, that was anticlimactic…” He said with a sigh, and then turned his attention to Mei who was seated across the bed. “…Give him sometime, I’ll check in again later.”

With a nod, Mei relaxed in her chair, and Winston left her alone once again with the patient. Utter silence retaking the room.

[tedrick]

caldel fic bc i can’t put it in docs uwuwuwuwu

mostly early 2020???? late 2019???? unfinished

Calvin found himself a bit bewildered, and unsure what to do with his hands during the long elevator ride. Typically not the type to be visibly nervous, Calvin was clearly out of his comfort zone in this large, grandiose building.  

It was hard not to notice from the outside, ornate and elaborate; Calvin was used to staring at it whenever he’d pass by, wondering about what the apartments inside looked like, the size of the lobby, the expensive furnishings. Now he found himself inside, traveling to one of its top floors in the elevator. 

Adel really lived here? 

The silence was becoming increasingly awkward. If Calvin had dared to watch Adel during their ascent he would have seen that Adel was also clearly uncomfortable, standing a bit too stiffly and holding his breath. By the gracious nature peripheral vision though, Adel seemed to just be naturally and comfortably subdued. 

“So..” Calvin said, looking across the elevator, the walls of which were lines with a soft, velvety looking covering. “You live on the twelfth floor? Here?” He laughed as he said it, trying not to seem rude or strange, while also making an attempt to hide his nervousness. 

Adel turned to him, eyes wide and attentive before he quickly glanced away again. “Uh, yeah- haha.” The laugh was embarrassingly forced, but he wanted to seem as nonchalant as he mistook Calvin to be. “The suites are all on the highest floors, but it’s still a very nice building, I think.” Adel punctuated his sentence by nodding to himself, that was probably the right thing to say. 

Calvin stared at Adel for a moment, processing what he had just said. There wasn’t very much time for him to process though, as the elevator finally slowed to a stop, the doors swiftly opening to a classy well-lit hallway with a faint pleasant fragrance. 

Adel stepped out and Calvin followed stiffly, transfixed by the elaborate patterns in the carpet and the wallpaper. Some ways down the hallway, Adel finally stopped at a door, and Calvin stood behind him as he retrieved a key ring from one of his jacket pockets, a singular key hanging from it. As he leaned over Adel’s shoulder, Calvin also saw that attached to the key ring was a small, cute keychain of a frog that he had never seen before. He smiled, thinking that it was adorable. 

There was a click as the door unlocked, and Adel slipped the key ring back into his pocket. Surprisingly, after he swung the door open, he stood by the doorway and motioned for Calvin to enter first. 

Calvin drifted through the doorway that entered into the bedroom portion of Adel’s apartment, which was even larger than his own bedroom. 

The room was immaculate as well as bright, mainly thanks to the rather large window on the opposite wall which displayed a view of the busy street outside, and the sprawling blue sky above it. 

The cleanliness of the room brought attention the its decoration, which was mostly limited to various instruments arranged around the perimeter of the floor and the walls. A guitar leaned against one wall, a ukulele hung on another, a keyboard sat in the corner, aside several other instrument cases. Besides the instruments, the rest of the decoration in the apartment was comprised of different houseplants, which took up most available surfaces- the windowsill, the desk, the dresser. They all looked different, and were all obviously very well taken care of. 

Besides that, the apartment wasn’t just impeccably clean, it was also incredibly sparse. Evidently, Adel didn’t take much an interest in interior design. Furnishing the room was the bare minimum: a comfy bed, a polished nightstand, a desk and a seat, a cushy chair, some shelves and a rug.

It all looked nice enough to fool the eye at a glance, but there were no knick-knacks that weren’t plants or schoolbooks. The entire area was distinctly.. utilitarian. 

“Ah,” Calvin started, removing his jacket as he took it all in. “So you’re one of those ‘minimalists’, huh?” He cracked a smile at Adel, who was locking the deadbolt on the door. 

“I uh, don’t really know what that means.” Adel said timidly, trying not to show his confusion as he turned around. He smiled at Calvin, and removed his own jacket, then walked past him and draped it over the chair at his desk. 

“You hungry?” Adel asked with a grin, and without waiting for an answer, he disappeared down a hallway, leaving Calvin alone beside the entrance. 

Taking his cue, Calvin gingerly placed his jacket over Adel’s and followed him through the short hallway into a small, organized kitchen space. Adel was searching through stainless steel refrigerator. Quickly, he turned and tossed something to Calvin, who caught it to find that is was a large, round orange. 

Internally grateful that he hadn’t fumbled the orange and made a full of himself, Calvin further tested his luck by tossing the orange back and forth from hand to hand, trying to look cool.

“Thanks, man!” He said, looking up at Adel with a beaming smile. Adel smiled back, relieved that he made Calvin happy. From a cupboard he pulled out a granola snack for himself and began to unwrap it. 

“You’re welcome.” He replied sheepishly, looking down. 

Making short work of his orange’s peel, Calvin glanced around the kitchen, which was relatively small, yet well-outfitted with different appliances and utensils. Still, something about the arrangement of it was off- it looked superficially decorated rather than a well-used kitchen. He got the feeling that Adel didn’t spend too much time in here. 

“So uh, how-“ Calvin started before Adel wordlessly moved forward and gently took the orange peel from his fingers, sliding a drawer open to reveal a trash can that he dropped the peel and his wrapper in. 

Realizing this had interrupted Calvin, Adel looked back at him with his wide, expectant blue eyes. “S-Sorry. Go on.” He prompted. 

Now flustered, Calvin spun the peeled orange in his hands. “Yeah uh. How’d you even get a place like this dude?” He asked, gesturing to the space around them to show that he was impressed by it’s grandeur. 

Adel didn’t seem to share his sentiment though, as he shrugged. “I dunno really. It’s a nice building. It had nice reviews so..” His sentence trailed off as he took a bite of his granola. He was dodging the question. 

Forcing the orange slices apart with his thumb, Calvin chuckled. “No, I mean, how do you even afford a place like this? The rent here must be crazy.” He hoped that Adel could tell that he was sincerely not trying to be rude, he was just bewildered. Calvin couldn’t fathom this small, awkward, punkish boy living in a place so lavish. In fact, he was pretty sure Adel had never even mentioned having a job that would pay well enough to support such a living situation. 

Something about Adel’s posture shifted and solidified, taking up the brooding and serious shape it had before they’d gotten to know each other better. When he spoke his words seemed stilted, as he gave his response a good amount of contemplation. 

“Well.. it’s mostly family money.” As he spoke, he suddenly began walking back to his bedroom area. Calvin followed. “My grandparents are kind of... doting? I think. They send me money from Germany to help with school, housing, the like..” 

From an outside perspective, it was unclear what Adel was thinking. Part of him was embarrassed to admit that he was sustained by money that he didn’t earn. Another part of him was ashamed by the fact that the money was mostly insurance against him needing to work. 

“Wow! That’s really nice of them!” Calvin exclaimed, painfully aware that Adel had become a little uncomfortable, and they were both just standing in the middle of his room. “I’m sure my parents would do the same but, five kids is a lot to provide for already, haha.”

At this, Adel’s discomfort seemed to disappear. He perked up and looked at Calvin, who was in the middle of eating another slice off his orange. “Five kids? You told me you have sisters but not four other siblings!” Adel sat down onto his bed, clearly unable to fathom being a part of such a large family. 

Tentatively sitting down next to Adel, Calvin nodded. “Yeah I’ve got four sisters. I swear the exhaustion will kill me someday.” He feigned a wistful look into the distance, making Adel crack up immediately. Seeing Adel laugh so carefreely made Calvin loosen up a bit. 

“We all have our differences,” Calvin continued. “But I love them. At least it’s never boring.” As he spoke, he lovingly thought of his large family, and all of his younger sisters who he cherished deeply. 

“I can imagine.” Adel said. “It’s probably never lonely either, huh?” Even though he was speaking directly to Calvin, his gaze was lowered to his hands, which he fiddled with now that he wasn’t holding the snack he’d just finished. 

Calvin shrugged. “I dunno... It can get pretty lonely sometimes. I’m the big brother- I’ve got to take care of everybody, be responsible, be smart, be happy. Its a.. Its a big role to live up to, y’know?” He tried to smile but the furrow of his eyebrows wouldn’t allow anything convincing. 

At this point Adel looked up at him again. “I never really thought of it like that before.” 

Instead of replying, Calvin remained silent. He could tell that Adel was thinking through something that he wanted to elaborate on. 

“I’m an only child so.. sometimes I wonder if i missed out on any of that. Those-“ He gestured with his hands as he tried to think of the word he wanted to use. “Those bonds, i guess, that are built in with siblings. Even the responsibility. Someone to take care of. It sounds nice.” 

There were several moments of silence as the two of them were lost in their thoughts. Calvin spoke. 

“Adel... were you lonely at home?” 

Adel grew somber. He inhaled deeply, releasing his breath in a tired sigh. “I wish I could lie to you Calvin, but honestly.. there wasn’t really a time when I wasn’t lonely.” 

Calvin stayed silent once more, opting to observe. As Adel began to continue speaking, he slightly shifted to face towards Calvin less. His words came slowly, as if reliving the memories was difficult, or perhaps he had spent a very long time trying to forget. 

“I was an only child, yes, but.. not even my parents ever spent much time with me. My mother was always very paranoid. It pushed my father away, he became unfaithful. That only made her behavior worse.” Adel paused for a very long time. “They divorced very early in my life. I lived alone with my mother afterwards.” 

This was the point where Calvin decided he should speak up, offer some words of consolation or a change in the topic. Before he could utter out anything however, Adel continued. 

“You know, neither of them ever really treated me like i was their child though. I was probably just proof that two shallow people managed to achieve a nice family life. That was a lie. We’d smile for portraits, then go to our own rooms far away from each other. Even in such a big house, i could still always hear them yelling at each other.” Adel chuckled as he spoke these final words, but his face was emotionless, and his eyes were distant. 

“And when there were two of us I hardly interacted with my mother. There was nothing she could do that a maid couldn’t do for her, so long as she didn’t have to look at me. I was just a little doll in a big empty doll house. Nothing ever changed. It wouldn’t even matter which room i used because they had never even made a room for me. Isn’t that strange?” Finally, Adel turned to make eye contact with Calvin. His eyes were wet, but not close to tears.

“A boy living in a house for adults. She had arranged the house to her liking before I was born, and never changed it afterwards. That house was exactly the same for as long as i lived in it. Sparkly and extravagant, my messed up family hardly belonged. It was like... a puzzle, that was already complete without us. Not a single one of us fit into it, and none of us fit together as well... I’ve never really known the closeness of a family, large or otherwise.”

“Even after we moved in with my grandparents, sold the house, I was still always all alone.” Then Adel fell silent, and withdrew into himself. It seemed he was done speaking about his past.

Calvin looked around the room once more. Perhaps thats why all of the decor was so superficial and functional. Perhaps thats why the apartment seemed so empty. He looked back at Adel.

“I’m sorry Adel. I shouldn’t have pried.”

Adel’s back straightened, and he swatted at his eyes, blinking back any threat of tears.

“No, it’s alright.” Adel assured him. “I shouldn’t be getting emotional, it’s not that deep.” Then he became visibly uncomfortable. “I- I’m sorry for making this awkward, Calvin. We should talk about something else. I didn’t mean to be a bummer.”

Without much forethought, Calvin said the first thing that came to mind, hoping it would cheer Adel up.

“Uhhh what about these plants? You never mentioned you were like, world’s best houseplant owner! I’d probably kill a cactus but these, these are really nice!”

Obviously Adel was invested in his plants, he must love them, and Calvin was earnestly impressed by them. He’d once tried to plant an orange tree when he was younger, but to his disappointment, nothing ever came of it.

Thankfully, Adel smiled. His eyes lit up with pride, and he straightened his back. “Yes, i love my plants. I’m very proud of them. I’ve always enjoyed gardening, but there’s not much you can do in an twelfth story apartment.”

This made Adel laugh, and Calvin tried to laugh too even though he couldn’t relate.

“Do they.. do they have names?” Calvin asked.

Adel tried and failed to repress a smile, and he leaned in close. “They do.” He giggled. “I wasn’t going to say- i think it’s a bit embarrassing.”

Calvin leaned forward as well, setting his hand down right next to Adel’s to brace himself.

“Nooo! I’d love to know, for real!”

Adel rolled his eyes playfully and smiled as he stood up, walking around his room and introducing each of his plants. He started out shyly, but eventually it was clear how invested he was in his individual houseplants- none of which Calvin could name, but they were all very pretty.

“This is Anne, and Claudio, Henry, Franz, Hector, Fanny and Felix, Guissepe, Gustav, Igor, Maurice, and Samuel.”

Adel paused next to the final plant, clasping his hands together and pulling at his fingers, eager to recieve praise from Calvin.

[sabineelectricheart]

A Lighter Burden

Summary: No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another.

Rating: K+ - Suitable for more mature childen, 9 years and older, with minor action violence without serious injury. May contain mild coarse language. Should not contain any adult themes.

Words: 2900

Notes: I found this picture on a site for a store called Gilbert Chocolates. It was meant to be.

Delicate bits of crystallized ivory cascaded from the grey, cloud-cloaked sky to blanket the quiet lane between his home and the lonely window which was his destiny.

These days, the sky always seemed overcast. Ever since 1929, they had not seen the sun’s generous shine in Burlone, which was fitting for the overall mood of its inhabitants.

There was a biting chill woven throughout the strong currents of wind that accompanied the descending white flurries, making it difficult for Gilbert to really appreciate the mesmerizing, even innocent, display as he trudged through the empty, sad streets.

The frigid air tore at the exposed skin of his face and neck in a distracting assault, forcing him to pull the heavy lids of his coat further down over his face for protection. As a result, Gilbert's vision was obscured, and he was forced to stare at the ground while he made his way tirelessly through the storm.

The weather was far too terrible for anyone to be out and about. It was the sort of morning that would have been better spent enjoying the storm from the tranquil warmth of home.

Gilbert thought of the comfy chair beside the stone fireplace in his sitting room and felt a pang of desperate longing. He would give almost anything to be in the cosy shelter of the too-large manor house he shared with his beautiful wife. However, he had needed to do some early morning shopping, and there was one more stop on his list before he could make a hasty return home.

His last destination was a small store on a quiet promenade of Creta, looming closer to the Falzone territory than to the headquarters of the organization that supported and protected it. Ferrero Confectionary was a place he had found himself frequenting more and more often over the last few months.

It seemed so strange to Gilbert that he had not stepped foot in his old turf after he left for America for his liquor business, though those buildings and the people that lived on them held so many memories for him. He had been far too preoccupied with building an empire, amassing wealth, he ended up forgetting what was once important to him.

Now, years later, after his North American endeavour greatly diminished its returns, he was suddenly back in town, trying to find wise investments for his money and manpower, in a country ravaged by war, authoritarianism and economic crisis, all on the while dredging up nostalgic thoughts of times long past and making new memories for his collection.

A smile tugged one corner of his mouth up into a lopsided grin when he thought of the reason behind his recent visits to the local chocolatier. Each trip began and ended because of the love he held in his heart for Liliana. She was a beautiful spark of radiance in what would be, without her, an otherwise dreary, meaningless and ultimately short life.

To Gilbert she was the rarest of diamonds, yet she did not see herself in the same light that he did. Whenever he tried to tell Lili exactly why she was such an amazing person, his wife would give him a humouring smile. Still, Gilbert knew she did not really believe all of the wonderful words he used to describe her. She was precious to him, and Gilbert only wished she could see herself through his eyes.

Lili was even more precious to him these days than ever before. Especially now that she was suffering from such constant bouts of illness. All Gilbert wanted was to make life better for the woman that he loved, and one sure-fire way of achieving that was to pay a visit to the old Ferrero couple, Nina and Adamo, the owners of his wife’s favourite confectioner, and the only people who can come even closer to match her, presently unavailable, talent for sweets, in his unbiased opinion.

If he could spend just a few coins on something that would ease Lili's torment, Gilbert could not think of any reason why he should not do just that. He would spend much, much more than that, after all. He had too much to spare.

What was it that his wife read to him once? No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another? He wanted to lighten any and all burdens Lili was carrying. Jesus, he would throw fistfuls of bills at the couple if it would give Lili even one single refreshed sigh.

Gilbert raised his dark head when he felt the ground begin to climb beneath his boot-clad feet. The tiny square stretched out before him, just as deserted as the avenue behind him had been. It would seem that everyone else must have thought better of going out early, preferring to stay out of the weather.

A, albeit comparatively small, pillowing of snow had fallen over the little village throughout the night, but it still was a lot for Burlone’s usual Mediterranean disposition. It was no surprise that the ground sat untouched.

His were the only footprints to mar the beautiful perfection as he walked to the front door of the sweetshop. The green door swung open easily on well-oiled hinges when he turned the golden knob and pushed it open. The tiny bell overhead tinkled throughout the uncanny silence filling the shop, alerting both of the proprietors of his arrival.

Adamo looked up from a batch of fudge cooling on the counter before him. The little old man flashed a smile of greeting when he recognized Gilbert's flushed face peeking out from beneath the dark and inconspicuous hood.

"Ah, Gilbert my boy! We didn't expect you to visit us this morning, what with the weather being as it is." The old man gave a familiar chuckle as he hobbled from behind the counter to take Gilbert's hand in his own. He gave it a quick, squeezing shake and said, "Nina and I were sure you would wait until the temperature was a little more agreeable."

"Good morning, Adamo!" Gilbert said with a grin. "I probably wouldn't have come had I not known that poor Lili was about to run out of her favourite sweets. You know, they're the only thing that really make her feel somewhat better."

"Really? I had no idea." The chocolatier chuckled again and wrapped an arm around Gilbert's shoulders. As he led him over to the counter where Nina was working, he said, "You are a good lad, Gilbert. To look after your wife in such a way shows just how much you love her."

Gilbert nodded his deep-red head in agreement as he pushed his hood back, causing unruly locks of auburn hair to fall across his face. He felt a small warmth on his face starting to bloom, but years of schooling one’s expression did wonders to hide embarrassment. "I do love her, sir. She's my everything."

"Where is the Madama this morning?" Adamo asked with real concern. He always asked Gilbert where Lili was and how she was doing.

"I left her at home, in bed.” He responded, with a demurer tone than the usual. “She was exhausted after being up all night, as always. I thought I'd let her get a little rest while I went gift-shopping. How happy she will be when she wakes up to a latte and fine chocolate?"

Nina looked up from what she was doing to give Gilbert an approving look, as a mother would when their son proved the good upbringing she provided.

"That lovely girl is lucky to have such a gallant man looking after her. Not all husbands are as considerate are you are, Gilbert, dear." She threw a look in her husband's direction and smiled wistfully. "I know exactly how lucky she must feel with you there. Adamo, for all his faults, has always taken such good care of me when I'm ill."

Gilbert watched as the dark-haired woman stretched a hand out to pat her husband's face gently. He did not know why, but witnessing the small display of love between the couple made him feel both uncomfortable and content.

He was witnessing a tender moment that felt as if it should have been private, something secret between the two. Yet, at the same time, he felt as if he were looking through a window of what he hoped would be the future for him and Lili.

To preserve their privacy, the redhead looked away from the pair and waited for the moment to pass, not wanting to interrupt something so sweet.

After a few minutes, Adamo said, "Well, Gilbert, what will the order be today? Another sack of Lombard liquorice for your little lady? Perhaps some peppermint candy canes? Or will it just be the usual?"

Gilbert's green eyes flicked back to the couple. On the other side of the counter, Nina was working again. She was wrapping chocolates in clear plastic wrappers and tying them shut with little pieces of scarlet ribbon. Looking closer, the man saw that they were chocolate roses perched on top of thin wooden sticks, resembling the real thing, minus the nasty thorns. Somehow, they seemed to gleam a brilliant red, as if they had been dipped in a cherry varnish. He thought they looked too beautiful to simply be eaten.

When Gilbert looked toward Adamo, the older man was leaning against the counter waiting patiently for his order.

"Just the usual today!” He responded with a smirk. “I want to go back home as soon as possible, but I need to get another big box of your almond truffles. Those are Lili's favourites, and they really seem to help her when she's feeling unwell."

"That must be your lucky day, then. We pulled a fresh batch of truffles from the refrigerator just earlier this morning, and I was just about to box them. I'll go get it now, it’ll just be a second!" The old man said with a wink.

He turned and hobbled back toward the counter where he had been standing when Gilbert arrived.

The redheaded crime lord, then, turned his gaze back to the chocolates Nina was still wrapping while he waited, and asked, "What have you been concocting all this time, signora?"

She looked up to see him watching her intently. "Oh, these right here? They are some of my favourites. I have to keep myself away from them or else we wouldn't have any left to sell."

The woman held one of the wrapped chocolates out to him for inspection. He took it and looked at it very closely while she spoke. "These are chocolate covered roses. I've chosen some of the sweetest roses that I could find and dipped them into a perfectly tempered dark chocolate. When you eat them, they taste just like chocolate covered strawberries."

"You mean there are actual roses inside of these?! I didn't know a person could eat roses!" Gilbert realized that his voice sounded sceptical as he spoke, and he hoped that the sweet old woman behind the counter would not take offense.

He need not have worried. She gave him a kind smile as she said, "Oh yes, dear. People can eat all of the different types of roses. They're not toxic, and quite delicious indeed. Each one has a different flavour. Some are sweet, like these, and taste like a bit like strawberries. Others give off a bitter punch. Does your young lady like chocolate?"

"Yes, she does. Lili would love these. She's always appreciated the chocolates that you make, Nina." Gilbert handed the chocolate back to her, careful not to drop it.

The shopkeeper seemed pleased at hearing that. "I've always taken great pride in my handmade chocolates. I'm happy to hear that Signora Redford enjoys them so much."

"Here you go, lad!" Adamo said. He had had made his way back with a large, wooden brown box held in both hands. He offered it to Gilbert with a grin. "I certainly hope that this batch of bonbons is just as good as the last. That blond associate of yours dropped off a letter here the last time you took some home to Lili. She wrote that they were the best batch yet! I don’t want to have her disappointed now."

Gilbert chuckled. Lili was the sort of person to do something like that. Though she was sick almost day and night, she would have taken the time to let the sweet old couple know just how much she loved their treats.

"I'm glad to hear it.” He responded with joy. “I had no idea she'd sent you a letter."

"I've mentioned it more than a few times over the years, Gilbert. That Lili is a lovely girl. She's been very kind to a couple of old timers like us. I can't remember the last time we received so many complementary cards and tips." Adamo patted him on the shoulder. "Make sure you give her our love."

"I definitively will!" Gilbert responded.

He watched as the old man nodded his head and then moved off to continue working on the batch of fudge waiting for him.

Gilbert reached inside of his trench coat to pull out the stuffy wallet resting deep within an inner pocket. It was weighty in his hand, having been filled up earlier that morning, and he had to rest it on the counter to count the ever-devalued currency. The box of chocolate truffles would normally cost just a few lire, but Gilbert liked to leave a couple of extra bills for the little old couple.

He pulled out five hundred lire and held them out for Nina to take. She was waiting for him, having already taken the box from him to place in a bag, so that she could put the money in the ancient till.

He was just taking up the bag to leave when she said. "Wait, dear. Take these back for Lili. I believe you once said lilac was her favourite colour, yes?"

Gilbert stared with wide eyes as the woman took another box from the counter, one with a big lilac ribbon, and pushed it into his hands. The box had a clear cover so that he could see inside. It was filled with at least a dozen chocolate roses.

"Oh, Nina! That’s mighty generous of you, but I can't just take these.” The mafioso argued. “How much would you normally charge?"

She shook her head at him. "You're a good man, Gilbert Redford. You have been looking after a sick wife for months now, never once complaining. On top of that, you've been giving a little extra pocket money to a couple of old farts that haven't done anything to deserve it. Now, you take these to your wife. I won't take no for an answer."

Gilbert felt a wave of emotion wash over him at her words. "Nina, Adamo, you do deserve the extra pocket money. You've helped Lili throughout her entire pregnancy with your sweets. She's been sick nonstop for months now, and the only time she gets any relief is when she's enjoying some of your handmade candy. She jokes that the baby will be the sweetest in the world because of how much she eats. I'm grateful for all that you two do for her without even knowing how much it helps."

Nina hurried around the counter to pull the redhead into a tight hug. "You are such a sweet man, Gilbert."

He wasn't sure what to say, so Gilbert said nothing. He just took Nina into his arms and returned the squeezing hug. She sniffled when she pulled away and wiped a quick hand against her cheek as if brushing away tears.

"Thank you, Nina." He said, earnest.

"Oh, one last thing before you go!" sSe said with a watery smile. Her hands were clutching a smaller bag that she had taken from the countertop. "I want you to have these. I know that it isn't much, but I know these are some of your favourites. I've been slowly gathering things for you since you started coming in to get those silly candies for Lili. There's a bit of chocolate in there, a few types of fudge, some cakes and a piece of cherry jam pie. I remember you being fond of it when you were a boy."

Gilbert looked at the bag in his hands and thought of how he could express his gratitude. As if realizing his struggle, Nina said, "There's no need to say anything, dear. I know how much you appreciate what we do for you." She pulled him into another quick hug before pushing him to the door. "You get home to Lili. I'm sure she'll be missing you."

He moved toward the door as he cast a glance at both of them over his shoulder. The old woman had gone to take her husband’s hand in her own, and they both watched him head off into the storm.

It seemed almost sad that he should be leaving them there. They had become a fixture in his life over the months. However, all of them knew that in a few days’ time he would be back for more goodies.

He had to come back because Gilbert needs to make rainbows in all of Lili's clouds.

*_*_*_*_*

Piofiore Masterlist

[cecilspeaks]

160 - The Weather

No man is an island. Some men are fjords. Most men are oxbows. All men are ravines. Welcome to Night Vale.

The news coming up. But first, let’s go to the weather.

[nature noises, birds cawing]

There’s a cold front moving through Night Vale. Temperature at City Hall is currently 63 degrees and sunny with wind gusts later this afternoon of up to 40 miles per hour. These winds are expected to bring cold air as low as 20 degrees this evening, and possibly dropping to below zero overnight. It’s unknown what’s causing this weather, is a statement I make every day, looking out into the sky. Is it God? P-perhaps it is the government. Perhaps Earth itself is, is it out of boredom that the weather exists? Maybe it is out of care. That would suggest the existence of a God who wishes us well, but it does not explain the fierce destructiveness of a blizzard, or a heat wave, or a tornado, or a tsunami. Is a tsunami weather? That is a question best left to oceanographers, meteorologists, or a Tarot deck. But why would God make a thing, then mar it? What mood change is this? what care can this god have for humanity? Ahhhh. And maybe that’s the point. Ah, that does make me feel better, to think that it all doesn’t matter. It really takes a lot of pressure off, doesn’t it?

Let’s have a look at agriculture. John Peters – you know, the farmer – says his orange crop this year is massive. He says the quantity of product has not deviated, only the quality. “Them oranges are huuuu-uuge!” John said, holding an orange the size of the 2002 iMac computer. “I can’t fit this thing into one of them orange crushers (what that) I make the juice with!” he said, struggling to keep his back straight under the weight of the abnormally sized citrus fruit. But John says he’s excited for his orange grove, which has been doing great ever since he genetically modified his crop to no longer cause teleportation across existential dimensions when consumed. Despite his excitement for orange sales, John says he’s worried about next year’s crop of invisible corn. He said he looked up summer 2020 in his farmer’s almanac and all it said was, “Wellll crap. Good luck.” John plans to diversify his farm investment by raising cattle for slaughter. He’s vegan these days, so he does not want to sell the cattle for meat or dairy. He’ll just raise the cattle until they’re old enough to kill. Best of luck in all your endeavours, John! Hope you finally win that coveted Best Orange at the Citrus Festival this year.

Many of our listeners have written concerned emails about the temperature possibly falling below zero. Bob Sturm of Old Town said: “Zero is the lowest number, Cecil. I’m a big stats guy and I can tell you that you cannot have less than nothing, that’s impossible.” Well listen Bob, I’m a journalist, not a numerologist, so I don’t know what to tell you. Apparently there are many unknown numbers below zero, and as they are discovered, rest assured I will be here to report on them. (Reina Guerrero) from the west side asked if there’s anything we can do to better prepare ourselves for this weather. Well (Reina), here are some tips I just looked up online. One: bundle up. Yeah, your heater can only do so much. Two: bring your pets indoors, and if you have an agent from a Vague, yet Menacing Government Agency outside your home assigned to record your every movement, invite them in as well. You don’t want them freezing alone out there in their black sedan. Three: light a fire, if you have a fireplace. If you do not have a fireplace of pellet stove, try using a refrigerator or sink. Four: if you should lose power at any time, do not panic. Just curl into a ball breathing heavily and repeating: “Oh God no, oh God no, oh God no, oh God no”, through loudly chattering teeth.

Now, we’re not expecting precipitation tonight, but should it snow, I recommend making a snow angel. Yeaaah, that’s always fun. All you have to do is lie flat on your back, arms and legs outstretched, until you are called into celestial service to whatever greater authority rules these beautiful creatures. Thank you for your questions and comments. I’ll do my best to keep our town up to date on the latest weather.

But first, this Saturday is Night Vale’s annual Holiday Fireworks Extravaganza at the Night Vale Harbor and Waterfront Recreation Area. There will be live music by local bands, including  a new band by Dark Owl Records owner Michelle Nguyen and her girlfriend Maureen. [quietly] Ah, my old intern Maureen. Their band is called The Funtastics, and it’s a folk country slash (trans) tribute band performing the acappella covers of Philip Glass scores. According to Michelle’s press release: “Please do not watch our show. I’m very angry you even know about it. I hate that our secret concert at the annual Holiday Fireworks Extravaganza, Night Vale’s most anticipated and attended annual event, was leaked to the press.” Following the concert, there will be a collective prayer to the [gong, echoing] Great! Golden! Hand! And then the fireworks will begin. Event organizers say they have a special fireworks display in store for attendees this year. Traditionally, the biggest explosions are reserved for the end of a half-hour long buildup of lesser explosions, but focus groups have indicated that people are tired of having to wait for the best part. So instead of normal boring fireworks, they will be blowing up old cars using the 18,000 tons of solid fuel they found at an abandoned missile silo on the edge of the Sand Wastes. The Holiday Fireworks Extravaganza would like to thank the Sheriff’s Secret Police for the vehicle donations, which are mostly cars impounded this past week for overdue state inspection stickers. Can’t wait to see everybody this Saturday at the Fireworks Extravaganzaa!

Brrrr! It’s getting pretty bad out there, Night Vale! The temperature has fallen dramatically to 20 degrees outside the radio station. I can hear the creak and groan of our antenna straining under the 40 mile per hour winds. I’ve seen three different minor accidents outside my window as drivers lost control of their vehicles. I’ve got my little space heater under my desk. Huh, but I can still barely feel my feet. [chuckles] I regret choosing today of all days to bike to work. [sighs]

Oh, I’m getting word that power is out in the Barista District, and dozens of leather apron wearing people have been forced to make torches out of Irish cream soaked biscotti stuffed into (-) [0:09:16]. And the only thing available coffee wise right now is cold brew. Gross.

Employees at the Night Vale power plant are working to restore power to that area of town, but they have run into some difficulties. The blustery winds and extreme cold have kept some of the workers from being able to drive to the plant, and the ones already on site re perplexed by how any of this works. “We are not sure if this is a nuclear plant or electric or coal or what,” said Mike Reiner, director of operations for the power plant. “We tried turning the whole thing off and back on like a computer, but the switch didn’t really do anything. Nobody labels anything around here, for crying out loud.” Reiner then began to cry out loud, as dozens of workers rushed to put their arms around the sobbing man. “We’re sorry, boss, we’re sorry,” the frantic workers all repeated. In the chaos of the consoling, a single worker was heard whimpering: “Oh god! Someone do something before he changes back into…” But that voice was quickly and fearfully shushed by the others.

More on the power outage and weather conditions soon.

But let’s get to some good news. Our population is booming, Night Vale! We have more people than houses. But thankfully, the good folks of the private land development industry are helping out. Ah, the altruistic hand of capitalism! A new housing development named The Final Destination is going up in Radon Canyon. New homes start in the 130’s for 2 bedroom semi-detached townhouses, all the way to expensive 10 bedroom estates with beautiful views of the blue..ish mist that settles every morning along the canyon bottom. Representatives from the EPA have warned against building residences in an area known for producing toxic gases, but the developers said they will equip each home with a large exhaust fan and provide a lifetime supply of rebreathers for the first 15 home buyers. The EPA has tried repeatedly to stop this development, stating that excavation of the canyon floor could lead to the release of more gases, which would catastrophically imperil not only the lives of those in the canyon, but the Earth’s atmosphere for hundreds, if not thousands of miles in all directions. “Who knows what’s beneath the shale in that canyon?” one EPA representative said. The representative was wearing a sports coat too large for his frame and comically out of date glasses. He continued: “We have been trying to declare Radon Canyon a Superfund site for years, but Night Vale doesn’t show up in any government database and so it cannot receive its projection. Didn’t you ever see the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, how everybody’s faces melted off, it’d be just like that.” When it was pointed out that the end of that movie was good because it was Nazi faces melting, the EPA representative said: “Yeah yeah you’re right, that was pretty cool but still, get what I’m trying to say right?” Nobody did, because it was a weird thing to bring up a 40-year-old movie about Nazis and museum artefacts. So, now we will have new housing in the heart of Night Vale’s most beautiful scenic attraction, beginning spring next year.

I’m getting word that the power is out now in Old Town Night Vale and at the library, and on the south end. The temperature has dropped to 5 degrees and I think it will continue to plummet throughout the night. People are doing everything they can to prepare. Before the stores close, I recommend driving out and picking up some water as well as canned goods, even some fresh produce and raw meat while it’s still there. I mean, people worked hard to grow that food ten states away and then drive it across the country right here to you and you haven’t bought it yet? Even if your refrigerator’s not working because of the power outages, it’ll be cold enough in your house to keep it all fresh. So get out there and spend your money on food! We have so much of it. Let’s use it, Night Vale.

But above all: stay warm! If you’re alone, visit a neighbor. Body heat and company can help a lot in weather like this. And if you have room in your home, welcome your neighbors in! There’s no reason to be alone at a time likes. Plus it’s the holiday season, why not keep each other warm with stories, with camaraderie, with good fellowship? [shivering noises] Yet, if you can’t be with others tonight, [groans] then I will do my best to keep you company through this brutal cold.

Ah, I’d like to tell you a story of my childhood. It’s a very personal story, one I‘ve never shared on the air before. [shivering noises] I’m a bit nervous to tell it to you all, but if ever there was time for a story to bring us closer together, now is that time. I will tell you that story in a moment, but first, let’s have a look at sports.

[“Suspension of Disbelief” by Victory Soul Orchestra https://victorysoulorchestra.com]

[beeps] Computer: The National Weather Service has issued a severe weather warning for the greater Night Vale area. Temperatures as low as -10 degrees are predicted with high winds gusting up to 16 miles per hour. Wind chills overnight may reach -30 degrees. Residents of Night Vale and the surrounding towns of Pine Cliff, Red Mesa, and Desert Bluffs too should seek shelter. They should band together around fireplaces with heaters at their highest settings. In cases where heat sources are not accessible or operating, residents should huddle in the vacant lot out back of the Ralphs. Come huddle with us. Come huddle with us. There is a barrel here. It is filled with trash and we have lit it on fire. It is so warm, the trash. The trash is mostly paper and cardboard, but it is also something greater than that. It is a symbol of progress of the great tower of industry (and need) [0:19:51], a ruined towel like Babyl, which just toppled down of the weight of its hubris, and in the language of flame it tells us things. It tells us so much, not through words but through visions. 

Here is a list of visions the fire has revealed to us. One: two spools of coaxial cable. Two: a single white bulb atop of an anthill. Three: an empty keg around squat cylinder of frosting, beneath which lies nothing, not even air. A void (cake). “Happy birthday,” echoes the choir from a good distance away. Four: a great black bird whose white wings brush along the castle turret. Five: a snake spiraled and asleep inside a leather boot. Six: a wheelless tractor in a vast wasteland of cracked earth. Seven: your brother. Not a brother you know, but a brother you once had. He looks like you and he repeats your name, but backwards. Eight: smoke clouds shaped like vice grips.   These are the visions of the flames in the barrel in the vacant lot out back of the Ralphs. 

Beneath our gaze and across our minds, beyond our consciousness, these are the remains of the great tower of humanity. Come huddle with us. You without heat. You without home. You without hope. Come huddle with us. 

This severe weather warning is in effect (through) 8 PM tomorrow, when the warm front is expected to move through the region bringing sunny skies and high temperatures in the mid-80’s, and everyone will return to their normal lives, satisfied that they have (-) [0:21:51] death once again, confusing accidental survival with competence and immortality. What doesn’t kill you only makes you more complacent. The National Weather Service knows this is but a night together with you, not a whole life. For what we have in this moment is (truer) than rain, but deeper than thunder. Parting is such sweet sorrow. Blah, blah, blah. I’m not saying the morning will not hurt. I’m only saying the joy of memory is stronger than the prick of any (plate) upon my heart. This has been a severe weather warning from the national weather service. Stay tuned to the station for further updates.

I love you. I have always loved you. And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[beeps]

Cecil: And that is what I saw in the mirror that day. And why I do not like to go near mirrors. Ever.

[sighs] I never told that story to anyone before. I hope it has kept you company throughout this treacherous night. I hope it has kept you warm. Just knowing you’re listening somewhere out there in the cold dark has kept me warm. Stay safe, wherever you are. Good night, Night Vale… [shivers] Good night.

Today’s proverb: Who called it Snowpiercer instead of Chris Evans’s Polar Express?