#best bath and circulating

[rowlandlucinda]

Labtron Refrigerated Thermostatic Bath and Heating Circulator features a PID-controlled temperature range of -40°C to 100°C, 0.1°C stability, and a 20 L/min pump flow. It offers automatic overload protection, overheating alarms, and a TFT touch screen for easy control.

[crescenthistory]

on pining and patching up in the prefects' bathroom

pairing: regulus black x fem!reader

request: could i request c13 "hold on, this might sting" with regulus and fem! slytherin reader? i was thinking maybe she got into a fight with another girl over an insult or something petty like that? and reader and reg are friends who are in love but also in denial about it.

wc: 1.8k

cw: minor injuries and reference to blood and violence, fluffy hurt/comfort, au where both black brothers ran away, rita skeeter bashing, best friends to lovers, yearning, slytherin gang shenanigans, first kiss

“You need to stop spending so much time with Barty.”

Your hum was non-committal and quiet, yet its echo filled the entire bathroom. With your knees to your chest, you sat curled up atop the closed toilet seat lid in the widest stall the Prefects’ Bathroom could boast of. In front of you, Regulus was washing his hands, preparing to patch you up, and wearing his signature furrowed frown. 

Despite how polished of a prefect Regulus appeared in front of other students, there was no limits to how often he snuck his best friends into prefect-only spaces – whether that be for an impromptu bath where Dorcas almost drowns Barty until Pandora pretends to be the one drowning, or emergencies such as this one. You had argued that a busted lip and bleeding eyebrow is far from an emergency, but with his hand gripping your upper arm, he had clearly disagreed as he hauled you in here to clean you up.

Never mind the fact that you have an infirmary for these very instances.

“It would be a bit of a cop out to blame just him, don’t you think?” Barty may be the most forward in your friend group, but each of you had spilled blood somewhere in the castle.

Regulus mirrored your earlier hum. “I’d still like to anyway.”

You looked down at your knees with a bit of a smile. It was quite quaint in here, at least when you couldn’t see the opulent bathtub in the corner. Intimate. Regulus perched against the sink as he dried his hands, clearly staring a hole through your cheek.

“Who would you like me to blame then, hm?” he asked when you didn’t reply.

You huffed a little, meeting his eyes – his gorgeous steel eyes that you pretended did not completely evaporate any and all fight from you. “Try Skeeter. She was the one circulating that cursed pamphlet of hers. If she didn't beg to be punched, I would have left her alone.”

Regulus intertwined his fingers in his lap, raising a brow at you. “I didn’t know she cursed it.”

You adored your friend, but could not hold back your eye roll. You probably picked it up from him, anyway. “She didn’t literally curse it. It just was cursed. Horrendous. Abominable. Atrocious. Would you like more synonyms, Mr. Black?”

He gave you a flat stare. “I’m familiar with the dictionary, actually. I just don’t think anything Rita Skeeter writes down on a dumb piece of parchment is worth you getting a black eye.”

You held his gaze, internally kicking yourself for choosing to die on this hill all the while laying down on it stubbornly. “You didn’t read it,” you muttered half-heartedly.

“No, I didn’t. Why would I?” You felt he was sitting awfully still for someone who earlier had been seething about needing to heal you up quick. It felt like there blood was trickling down your temple even though you were sure it had dried by now. You wiped the back of your hand over it, drawing a hiss from Regulus as he stole your hand from you, keeping it captive. “There’s no reason you should be wasting any of your breath on that witch, amour. Neither in the form of an argument or a bloody fight.”

You convinced yourself you weren’t affected by his pet name for you that he only utilised in moments like this – but you couldn’t hold back the way your breath hitched when he rubbed his thumb over your knuckles while murmuring a healing spell. That’s your Regulus “I’ll try to master wandless magic early for no apparent reason” Black for you.

“I wasn’t fighting her for her, I was fighting her for what she was saying. And who she was saying it about. I feel like that’s an entirely different matter.” You shrugged, looking away once more.

Regulus squeezed your healing hand, dipping his head down to try and catch your gaze again. “I know. I know she’s been all wound up in mine and Sirius’ business ever since we left home, okay? I don’t care what she says about us, and neither should you. Please.”

You gave in and let him catch it, tilting your head slightly sideways as you looked at him, making some of your hair fall in your face. “Someone ought to care about you. If you don’t want to, I will.”

It was a silent battle of wills as you held each other’s gaze. Eventually Regulus sighed, dropping your hand as he reached for his wand.

You knew he was wordlessly letting you win this one time, but the loss of his touch still felt like a defeat somehow.

“What’s the problem anyway, Reg? It’s not that much of an issue, in the grand scheme of things. It’s just a small scratch.” You resented how pleading you sounded, but you didn’t want him to look so pained over this – especially when you stood so wholly by what you did.

Regulus laughed humourlessly at that, bringing his hand out to tuck your hair out of the way and cup the uninjured side of your face. “Well maybe you live in the grand scheme of things, but I live in the present. And presently, my girl is quite beat up.”

Your heart stuttered in a way that would have made any cardiologist cringe. You didn’t know whether to argue against the fact that he claimed you were beat up or react to the fact that he called you his girl – and how you would react to that was an entirely different conundrum you simply did not have the time for.

A bit dumbfounded, some tension melted from your shoulders even as you pressed your lips together. “I’m alright,” you settled with, voice barely a whisper.

He still didn’t quite meet your eyes as he sighed; but he tightened his grip on your cheek, thumb faintly brushing over the top of it. “I know, amour. Hold on, this might sting.”

The tip of his wand danced over your ruptured lip before travelling up to your brow, cleaning the wounds gently before sealing them. He was right, it did sting and you drew in a sharp breath between your teeths. Regulus made a noise that could only be described as cooing, a sound that seemed to command your body to lean further into his touch.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, though it was not his fault in the slightest. You hoped your eyes conveyed that sentiment because you feared your voice would fail you.

He tucked his wand away in the holster Pandora had made for him, and you prepared for the loss of his touch – but as soon as his wand was put away, his hand came back to your face. His other stayed in place as he cradled your face between them, with a gentleness that belied his usually sharp demeanour.

Regulus’ brows were furrowed deeply, but not in the way they would when Sirius annoyed him or second-years asked too many invasive questions. This was something else, something deeper. His eyes flickered between both of yours before darting down to your lips. Ever so gently, his thumb brushed over where your bottom lip had been cruelly cut, tracing a now invisible line.

With his gaze trained there, he whispered. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

“It wasn’t because of–”

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” His gaze shot back up to yours. “Ever. Do… do you understand what I’m saying, amour?”

You thought you might. Your fingers felt like they should be shaking as you brought them up to curl around both of his wrists, stroking your fingertips over his pulse points.

“You’re saying the same thing I’m saying when I refuse for anyone to speak badly of you.” Your voice was barely above a whisper. “It’s not right. You don’t deserve that.”

Regulus’ grip on your face loosened a little as his fingers spread out, some slipping back into your hair. “What do I deserve?” he mumbled.

For a brief second, you weren’t sure if you could do it. Your eyes flicked wildly between both of his before you dared drop them to his lips, plush and pink and slightly parted, as if he was waiting.

He didn’t deserve to wait any longer.

With the same grace and gentleness he bestowed upon you as he healed your injuries, you slowly tipped your chin up and leaned in until your lips met his, both’s breaths held.

It was not a long or dramatic kiss. It was not even a particularly memorable one. Yet somehow, it was everything to you; the best kiss you could imagine.

Regulus made a groaning sound in the back of his throat and pushed off the sink to pull himself closer to you, holding your face firmly, like it’s something precious that might slip away. His mouth moved against yours, breathing you in and making your head spin.

One of his hands moved to the back of your neck as you rested your foreheads against each other. The bathroom felt even quieter than it had before.

“You deserve that,” you whispered, eyes still closed. “Hopefully, I do too.”

“You deserve the world, amour.” Regulus gave you another chaste kiss, which somehow surprised you even though you had kissed less than ten seconds ago. He brushed his knuckles against your healed eyebrow, sporting a near-pout. “And you deserve to not be all duffed up.”

You looked up at that and snorted despite his sincerity. “I’m far from duffed up, Regulus.”

He laughed a little, eyes crinkled. “Don’t tell me I should see the other guy.”

“Mm, I’m pretty sure you did. Got her rather good, I’d say.”

At this distance, you could see how there were lighter specks floating in Regulus’ irises, making the grey look almost silver. They seemed to shine just for you as he murmured, “I don’t condone it… but I reckon you did, yeah.”

“The only reason you don't condone it is because I got hurt. I know you're far from above violence, baby.”

If it was possible for Regulus to look more pleased, he did. “Maybe so,” he whispered as he was leaning in.

The next kiss he pulled you in for was decidedly longer.

Around the same time, a small scribbled note came flying into the Slytherin common rooms and landed in Barty’s lap – who himself was perched in Evan’s lap. It took him a mere second after he read the note to go flying out of Evan’s arms, dragging the other boy with him.

“C’mon Rosie, we’ve got to get Dorcas. We have a witch to kill.”

For someone who condemned Barty’s bad influence on you, Regulus sure didn’t mind to utilise it for himself.

[heich0e]

The troops file into the capital city in a slow, splintered march.

What's left of them, anyway.

It's a stark, bitter difference to the way they'd filed out a fortnight prior, dressed in full regalia and their heads held high as they set off to serve their people under the eye—in the name—of their king. The same king who watched on placidly from the palace's main gate as their procession filed past, a sight that only made the soldiers' valour swell as they marched away into battle.

Compared to that departure, with its fanfare and optimism, this seems almost a different group of men entirely.

And their beloved king is nowhere to be seen.

You're the only member of the royal family, or even the higher court, who witnesses the return of the troops at dusk. Pressed against a pillar near the gate, bathed in shadow, you watch the men trudge past the palace towards the military armoury on the other side of the city with your breath caught in your throat.

It's quiet as they pass, just the sound of boots shuffling lethargically over cobblestones, and the occasional warble of pain from one of the sick or injured. The city hasn't come to welcome them home. You wonder if these broken men are grateful for it.

Towards the end of the short procession, a sudden incident causes the group to slow. A soldier has collapsed to the ground, the few behind him stumbling over his pitiful figure, cursing at him as they go. You watch a few men kick the already suffering man, whether by accident or maliciously you can't be sure. The small, wounded man rolls onto his side, and you catch a glimpse of his face in the waning light.

You gasp.

"Stop. STOP!"

You throw open the gate before you, rushing out into the street.

There's confusion for a moment in the wake of your exclamation, but as the group of soldiers realize just who is racing towards them—the hood of your cloak falling back in your haste—they freeze in shock. The men drop (at least as much as they're able) to their knees when you reach them.

You crouch over the supine body in the street, your heart in your throat.

There's blood on his lips and up close you can see it's staining his shirt at the base of his throat, an unsightly rust brown streaked with fresh crimson. Old blood dried and wetted again with new. He's either ill, or gravely wounded—possibly both—but you can tell he's been coughing up blood for days.

You try your best to ease his head into your lap without harming him, bringing him to rest upon the pillow of your skirts rather than the filthy stone of the street.

"Your majesty..." you look up at see a higher ranking officer dismounting his horse hastily, his face stricken with fear. He dips in a stiff bow. You can't help but notice how unharmed he appears. "Whatever brings you—"

"This soldier—" your voice breaks, and you pause to suck in a breath. You run a hand across the face in your lap, wiping some blood from his lips with the edge of your sleeve, and take a moment to collect yourself. You look up at the officer again, meeting his gaze resolutely. "He's just a boy."

The officer looks shocked; less remorseful than he does guilty.

"He's a foot soldier, your majesty... there are many young men his age who serve the—"

"He is not a young man. He's but a boy. A child."

It's true, the figure you cradle in your arms is a boy no more than twelve, his body slight in every way but for the baby fat still clinging to his bruised cheeks. The child groans, still clinging to consciousness by its final fraying threads, and more blood trickles from the side of his split lips.

You hold him closer, patting his cheeks again, unsure of how else you can possibly soothe him.

"What's wrong with him?" You ask the increasingly nervous officer above you as whispers begin to circulate amongst the surrounding troops.

"H-he's... the battle was... our enemies outnumbered us."

"Is he injured?" You press, unsatisfied with his reply. "Or has he taken ill?"

"I-" The officer stutters. Looking around for support from any fellow soldiers, though none come to his aid. "He's—"

"His name, then?" You ask again, your fury growing. If this commanding officer cannot relay the details of this soldier's health, the least he can tell you is this.

The officer struggles to meet your gaze.

"Your highness—"

A familiar voice sets your teeth on edge, bile creeping up your throat.

You turn your face towards the side gate of the palace where you'd previously been hiding, and see a crowd of household staff watching you with their hands over their mouths in dismay at the impropriety. Before them stands Geto, with that same infuriatingly even expression on his face he always seems to wear. A smile with no warmth behind it.

"—whatever are you doing out at this time of night?"

You say nothing, your teeth locked together under the vice of your jaw.

You cradle the boy in your arms closer to you.

"The king will grow worried if you do not soon return to your quarters," Geto goes on to say, stepping slowly towards you.

The king.

The man Geto Suguru and every one of these brutalized men serve.

Satoru.

"Take this boy to see the court physician," you tell Geto.

"The military doctors are highly skilled, your highness," the advisor standing over you replies, still smiling blithely. "All of our soldiers are in their expert care."

"I want him to see Shoko," you repeat yourself, your voice trembling not with fear but with indignation.

"Shoko is unable to see to this soldier," Geto replies easily, brushing off your request again. "She's traveling north at present, and will not return for at least three nights."

"I want him to see our doctors," you hiss through your teeth. "He needs to be seen."

"Your highness," Geto crouches down to your eye level. Your hands shake as you hold the boy in your lap. "There is no help that our doctors can offer this young man any longer."

You look down, and feel a rush of nausea.

The boy in your arms has gone utterly, terribly still.

It's all a blur after that.

Other soldiers gather around, prying the boy from your unwilling grip. You're helped up off the street, wracked with tremors that threaten to ground you again, and a touch—heavy and unpleasant—supports you at your side.

There's blood drying to your hands. To your sleeves. To the rustling fabric of your skirt.

Inside the palace, the staff who had watched the ordeal unfold all quickly scatter, scandalized whispers spreading in their wake. There's not a corner of the palace that will not know what's just transpired by the time the sky goes fully dark.

Geto stays by your side as he escorts you back to your quarters, his hand still at your waist, treading slowly down the sumptuous halls of the palace. Bathed in the flickering glow of candlelight, you can feel the cold, crystalline eyes of the royal portraits which line the walls watching.

"Unhand me."

Your voice is flat when you find it again, but it still rings clear without waver.

Geto obeys your command, his touch slipping from your waist as he takes half a step back from your side.

"Your maids are preparing a bath for you, your highness," Geto's tone is far too conversational for the circumstances. Too silky for the tackiness of blood between your fingers. Too gently for how rubbed raw you feel. "A doctor will be by shortly after to offer you a sleeping remedy."

"I do not need a doctor," you reply, a lump forming in the back of your throat and bitterness coating your tongue. "That boy is the one who needed aid, and was denied it."

When Geto says nothing, you stop walking and turn to face him.

"Take me to see the king."

Just for a moment, the man before you's expression slips. His smile falters.

"The king is—"

"Suguru," you cut him off before he has the chance to make an excuse. Before he has the opportunity to deny you something you did not ask. "Take me to see my husband, now."

[p0orbaby]

Squirrel? Squirrel!

summary: at this point, people just let you do what you want

warnings: nil

a/n: thanks for the request !

word count: 1.1k

-

You don’t remember the exact moment you decided that today was the day to catch a squirrel, but here you are, sprinting across the training grounds like a maniac. The squirrel, to its credit, looks mildly concerned, as if it didn’t sign up for this level of cardio.

Which it didn’t, but that’s none of your business.

“Why are you chasing a squirrel?” Leah shouts, barely managing to keep the exasperation out of her voice. She’s sometimes captain, which means she’s sometimes responsible for keeping things under control, a job made infinitely harder by your presence.

“I’m trying to help him,” you yell back, leaping over a stray football like you’re in some kind of Olympic hurdling event. “He looks lost!”

“Does he? Does he really?” Leah sounds like a woman on the edge, which is fair, because you’ve spent the last week convincing the new physio that the ice baths were secretly filled with pickled onions.

You’re aware that you’re the class clown of the team. If there were a formal title for it, it’d be embroidered on your jersey right under your number. The physio had been an easy target—too earnest, too eager to believe that a teenager could be trusted with serious information. You had explained with a straight face that, at Arsenal, there was a tradition of bathing in vinegar to promote circulation, and you had never seen someone look so horrified in your life. To your credit, you almost felt bad.

But not really.

Beth jogs up alongside you, her face equal parts amused and concerned, which seems to be the default expression of everyone when you’re around. “You know you’re gonna have to explain this one to Kim, right?”

“Kim loves me,” you reply, ducking as the squirrel makes a sharp turn towards the goalposts. “I’m like the daughter she never wanted”

“That’s definitely one way to put it,” Beth says, laughing as she matches your pace, which is not difficult because the squirrel is now dodging the goalposts with all the grace of a drunk toddler. “But seriously, what’s the plan here?”

The plan, if you could call it that, involves cornering the squirrel, giving it a lecture on the importance of proper nutrition (because that acorn it’s gnawing on looks suspiciously expired), and then setting it free like a wildlife warrior.

You don’t tell Beth this, though. You’ve learned that it’s best to keep your more ambitious plans to yourself until the very last minute, preferably right before they inevitably fail spectacularly.

“Improvisation is key,” you say instead, sounding like every PE teacher who’s ever tried to make dodgeball sound like a legitimate sport.

The squirrel skids to a stop by the water cooler, possibly considering hydration as a valid life choice, and you seize the opportunity to lunge at it. You miss by a good three feet, landing on the grass in a sprawl that would be embarrassing if it weren’t so common in your daily life.

From your new vantage point, you notice Lia sitting on the bench, watching the entire scene with the air of someone who has seen too much to be shocked by anything anymore. She’s eating an apple, slowly, methodically, like this is just another Tuesday.

“Need a hand?” she calls out, voice dripping with the kind of dry humor that you both appreciate and aspire to.

“Nah, I’m good,” you reply, dusting yourself off as you get back to your feet. The squirrel is now halfway up a tree, looking smug, which feels like a personal attack. “I’ve got him right where I want him”

“Yeah, sure looks like it,” Leah says, finally catching up to you. She’s slightly out of breath, and you make a mental note to tease her about her fitness levels later, but right now you’ve got bigger fish to fry, or squirrels to catch.

“Maybe we should let the squirrel go,” she suggests, putting a hand on your shoulder in a gesture that could either be comforting or restraining. You’re not entirely sure. “You know, before Jonas comes out and realises his star winger is trying to wrestle woodland creatures”

You consider this for a moment. The squirrel does seem pretty intent on staying in the tree, and you’re not sure how much longer you can keep up this level of enthusiasm. Plus, your last run-in with Jonas had involved a lengthy discussion about the dangers of free-climbing the goalposts after you’d tried to prove a point about your superior upper body strength.

“Fine,” you say with a sigh that’s more dramatic than necessary. “But only because I don’t want to give Kim another heart attack”

“Very noble of you,” Beth says, patting your back like you’ve just made a grand sacrifice.

You start to walk back towards the training pitch, the squirrel now a distant memory as you begin plotting your next escapade. Maybe something involving the team bus and a few dozen helium balloons.

As you’re contemplating the logistics, Leah pulls out her phone, probably to text Kim that the squirrel incident has been safely contained. “You’re a menace, you know that?”

“I prefer ‘misunderstood genius,’” you reply, grinning as you start jogging backwards, a skill you’ve mastered purely for moments like this.

“Sure, and I’m the Queen of England,” Leah retorts, finally cracking a smile.

“Does that make me the royal jester?” you ask, doing a little bow as you reach the training pitch.

“More like the royal pain in my-”

“Language, Leah!” you interrupt, mockingly covering your ears. “There are children present!”

“Yeah, one of them’s standing right in front of me,” Leah shoots back, but she’s laughing now, and you know you’ve won this round.

As the rest of the team regroups, you spot Kim making her way over, her expression a mixture of bemusement and something that might be resignation. You wonder how many more years you’ve shaved off her life expectancy.

“Y/N, do I even want to know?” She asks, though you suspect he already knows the answer.

“Probably not,” you admit cheerfully, shrugging like the whole thing is no big deal. “But I’m open to discussing it over lunch”

Kim sighs deeply, the kind of sigh that says she’s seriously reconsidering her life choices. “Just…try to focus on the actual training today, alright?”

“Absolutely,” you say with a solemn nod, crossing your fingers behind your back where she can’t see them.

As the team heads back to practice, you catch Beth giving you a knowing look. “What?” you ask, feigning innocence.

“I’m just wondering what you’ll come up with next,” she says, shaking her head in amusement.

“Oh, don’t worry,” you reply, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. “I’ve got plenty more where that came from”

[pastel-charm-14]

·˚ ༘ practicing self-care when you're tired*ೃ༄

rest and recharge: honor your body's signals and give yourself permission to rest. curl up with a cozy blanket, sip on a warm cup of tea, and allow yourself to simply be. even a short nap or some quiet time can work wonders for replenishing your energy reserves.

nourish your body: opt for nourishing foods that provide sustained energy without causing spikes and crashes. focus on whole, nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day.

gentle movement: engage in gentle movement practices that help to invigorate your body and uplift your spirits without draining your energy. try a leisurely walk in nature, a restorative yoga class, or some gentle stretching to release tension and boost circulation.

pamper yourself: indulge in some self-care rituals that make you feel pampered and cherished. take a warm bath with epsom salts and essential oils, treat yourself to a soothing massage or facial, or simply curl up with a good book and lose yourself in its pages.

connect with loved ones: reach out to friends, family, or loved ones for support and connection. sometimes, a heartfelt conversation or a listening ear can provide the comfort and encouragement you need to navigate challenging times.

set realistic expectations: be kind to yourself and adjust your expectations to align with your current energy levels. prioritize essential tasks and let go of non-urgent commitments or obligations until you're feeling more energized.

practice mindfulness: cultivate mindfulness by bringing your awareness to the present moment with kindness and curiosity. engage in activities like deep breathing, meditation, or visualization to calm your mind, reduce stress, and enhance overall well-being.

remember, self-care is not selfish—it's essential for maintaining your health, happiness, and vitality, especially during times of low energy. listen to your body, honor your needs, and trust that you're doing the best you can. you deserve love, care, and compassion, always.

[soleauclub]

The Nightly Detox Guide: How to Reset Your Body While You Sleep

by Soleau Club / www.soleauclub.com / @soleauclub

Detoxing isn’t just about green juice and sweating it out at the gym. Your body is designed to naturally reset and repair itself while you sleep—if you set it up right. Here’s how to create a nightly detox routine that leaves you waking up feeling lighter, clearer, and totally refreshed.

1. Hydrate with Purpose The detox process starts with hydration. But instead of chugging plain water, amp it up. Before bed, mix a scoop of electrolyte powder into a glass of water. The added minerals can help flush out toxins and reduce morning bloat without making you feel waterlogged.

2. Dry Brush for Lymphatic Drainage Before hopping in the shower, grab a dry brush and gently sweep it up your legs and arms toward your heart. This stimulates lymphatic flow, helping your body release built-up toxins. Plus, it’s a quick way to exfoliate and get that glow.

3. Detoxifying Bath Soak A warm bath is more than just self-care—it’s detox therapy. Add Epsom salts and a few drops of lavender oil to calm your muscles and encourage circulation. Soak for 20 minutes while you listen to a chill playlist or do some deep breathing.

4. Nightly De-Bloat Stretch Session After your bath, roll out your yoga mat and do a few light stretches to aid digestion and release tension. Focus on gentle twists, seated forward folds, and legs-up-the-wall to keep things moving through the night.

5. Belly Massage for Digestion Lie down, rub a few drops of coconut oil on your hands, and massage your lower abdomen in clockwise circles. This helps stimulate digestion and can reduce bloating overnight. It’s a simple, soothing step that takes less than five minutes.

6. Support Your Liver Your liver is working overtime while you sleep, so give it a little love. Sip on a cup of dandelion tea before bed—it’s packed with antioxidants and can aid in flushing out toxins. Plus, it’s a calming way to wind down.

7. Bedtime Supplements for Deep Sleep To really let your body reset, quality sleep is essential. Pop two of Soleau Club’s sleep gummies about 30 minutes before bed. They’re formulated to help you drift off easily and stay asleep longer, so your body can do its best work while you rest.

Ready to make detoxing a nightly ritual? Follow Soleau Club on Tumblr for more wellness guides, catch our weekly YouTube videos every Sunday, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram (@soleauclub) for your daily dose of luxe wellness inspo.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Hypothermia

Hypothermia - A potentially fatal condition; occurs when body temperature falls below 95°F (35°C).

The danger signs include:

intense shivering;

stiffness and numbness in the arms and legs;

stumbling and clumsiness;

sleepiness, confusion, disorientation, amnesia, and irrational behavior; and

difficulty speaking.

The signs and symptoms of hypothermia follow a typical course, though the body temperatures at which they occur vary from person to person depending on age, health, and other factors.

The impact of hypothermia on the nervous system often becomes apparent quite early. Coordination, for instance, may begin to suffer as soon as body temperature reaches 95°F (35°C).

The early signs of hypothermia also include cold and pale skin and intense shivering; the latter stops between 90°F (32.2°C) and 86°F (30°C).

As body temperature continues to fall:

speech becomes slurred,

the muscles go rigid, and

the victim becomes disoriented and experiences eyesight problems.

Other harmful consequences include:

Dehydration

Liver and kidney failure

Heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure rise during the first stages of hypothermia, but fall once the 90°F (32.2°C) mark is passed.

Below 86°F (30°C) most victims are comatose, and

below 82°F (27.8°C) the heart’s rhythm becomes dangerously disordered.

However, even at very low body temperatures, people can survive for several hours and be successfully revived, though they may appear to be dead.

TREATMENT

Until emergency help arrives, a victim of outdoor hypothermia should be brought to shelter and warmed by:

removing wet clothing and footwear,

drying the skin, and

wrapping him or her in warm blankets or a sleeping bag.

Gentle handling is necessary when moving the victim to avoid disturbing the heart.

Rubbing the skin or giving the victim alcohol can be harmful.

Warm drinks such as clear soup and tea are recommended for those who can swallow.

Anyone who aids a victim of hypothermia should also look for signs of frostbite and be aware that attempting to rewarm a frostbitten area of the body before emergency help arrives can be extremely dangerous. For this reason, frostbitten areas must be kept away from heat sources such as campfires and car heaters.

Rewarming is the essence of hospital treatment for hypothermia.

How rewarming proceeds depends on the body temperature.

Other considerations, such as the patient’s age or the condition of the heart, can influence treatment choices.

Different approaches are used for patients who are:

mildly hypothermic (the patient’s body temperature is 90���95°F [32.2–35°C]),

moderately hypothermic (86–90°F [30–32.2°C]), or

severely hypothermic (less than 86°F [30°C]).

Mild Hypothermia

Reversed with passive rewarming.

This technique relies on the patient’s own metabolism to rewarm the body.

Once wet clothing is removed and the skin is dried, the patient is covered with blankets and placed in a warmroom.

The goal is to raise the patient’s temperature by 0.9–3.6°F (0.5–2°C) an hour.

Moderate Hypothermia

Often treated first with active external rewarming and then with passive rewarming.

Active external rewarming - applying heat to the skin (e.g., by placing the patient in a warm bath or wrapping the patient in electric heating blankets).

Severe Hypothermia

Requires active internal rewarming, which is recommended for some cases of moderate hypothermia as well.

There are several types of active internal rewarming:

Cardiopulmonary bypass - the patient’s blood is circulated through a rewarming device and then returned to the body, is considered the best, and can raise body temperature by 1.8–3.6°F (1–2°C) every 3–5 minutes. However, many hospitals are not equipped to offer this treatment. The alternative is to:

Introduce warm oxygen or fluids into the body.

Hypothermia treatment can also include, among other things:

insulin,

antibiotics, and

fluid replacement therapy.

When the heart has stopped, both cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and rewarming are necessary. Once a patient’s condition has stabilized, he or she may need treatment for an underlying problem such as alcoholism or thyroid disease.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Realistic Injuries

[lesmiix]

Can you do headcanons with how Hyun-ju would comfort her girlfriend while she’s on her period?

HEADCANON: Tomato days.

Cho Hyun-ju x fem!reader.

Summary: Your girl loves taking care of you while you're on your period. Warnings: A loving girlfriend a/n: Hope you love it!!!

❤️HYUN-JU REQUESTS ARE OPEN!❤️

I think that even if Hyun-ju doesn't have periods, she would still have all kinds of tampons and pads in her apartment and that she would always carry some in her bag for her friends and for you.

If you have an accident where you are wearing light-colored pants on the street while you are in public, she would give you her jacket to cover you and buy you another pair of pants for the rest of the day.

If you have very bad cramps and you are at home, God, she would treat you like a queen (although she always does)

She would make sure you're resting in bed or laying on the couch all day.

You could see her making sure everything is in order; the room temperature is not too hot or cold, the heating pad is in it's perfect warmth, checks the time, controlling when you should take the next pill, etc...

"Hyun-ju, can I take the pill already?"

"In half an hour my love, I'll make you something to eat so you don't have the pill on an empty stomach."

The most attentive girl ever.

If you flich a milimeter because of the pain, the next thing you know is that she's cuddling you, with your face buried in her chest, not letting you breathe.

"Ju-ju... It hurts..."

"I know my love, I know"

"No but it really hurts too much..."

"Breathe through your nose darling, the pill will take effect in no time."

Oh! Also, you're getting the best meals of your life.

Even though you're usually not too hungry because of the pain, she makes very light food so it doesn't feel too heavy on your stomach.

If you woke up in the middle of the night, she'd wake up too, she hates it when you deal with this on your own.

If you wake up and see that you have stained, your girl will make you have a warm bath while she changes the sheets.

Later that night she will give you silk pajamas fresh from the dryer and dry your hair while she steals small kisses from your lips.

And finally she will carefully lay you on the bed, giving you a massage in the pelvic area so that the blood circulates better and it doesn't hurt as much, smiling at how your eyes slowly close in sleep and comfort.

Overall, princess treatment

[gingerteawrites]

BY THE HEARTH: OUVERTURE

A/N: I'm sorry this took forever to put out, midterms are upon us and I wanted to give you guys the best I could. I promise to get you the next chapter in the coming week! Please enjoy this for now, and let me know what you think. Previous part here.

Content: Royalty!AU, Nanami x female reader, king Nanami, Princess Y/N, Widower Nanami, Toddler Yuuji, hurt, angst. Not beta read

Word count: ~2.4K

Banner by: @cafekitsune

ACT V

Nanami held Yuuji in his arms through the castle’s great hall, the child enthusiastically recounting the events of his tutoring session.

“And he said I can start archery soon!” Yuuji beamed, his eyes seeming to sparkle with the promise of future achievements. Nanami chuckled, placing a gentle caress over his son’s back “I know you’ll be amazing at it.” He offered, causing the child to nuzzle into him with a smile.

Before they were able to cross from the great hall into the corridor that led to their wing of the castle, the door behind them opened abruptly, causing Nanami’s senses to come to life, alert while he instinctively covered Yuuji’s body under his arms.

“There they are!” Haibara beamed, entering the room with his characteristic ease, his heavy sword clanking loudly against the armor on his hip.

Nanami relaxed his hold on his son, and as soon as Yuuji peeked over his father’s shoulders, he started flailing with unbridled excitement, as if asking his father to let him down. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he bolted towards the knight, who caught him with an impact that made him lose the air in his lungs.

“I swear you’ll be stronger than me by next year.” Haibara laughed, while Yuuji hugged him tight. “Uncle Yu! You’re back! How was the fighting? You won, right!?” The onslaught of questions left almost no time to answer, but Haibara tried his best to catch up with their speed.

Nanami watched them, expression relaxed and arms crossed across his navy robe, the gold embroidery seemed to shimmer under the rays of the setting sun that filtered into the room, catching in his hair.

“And hello to you too, your majesty.” the knight said, causing the child to giggle. Nanami rolled his eyes, but obliged “Welcome back Haibara.”

The trio finally walked out into the corridor, following its winding path as the spring air carried the fresh scent of the new bloom surrounding them. Haibara shortly recounted their victory at the border to the child, who drank in every word like he was parched for more. Nanami could not help the fond smile that graced his lips.

They eventually reached Yuuji’s room, where Nanami had planned on leaving him for his bath and a nap before the banquet. But the child vigorously protested being separated, clinging onto his father’s foot.

Nanami crouched down so he was at eye level with him, his hand going to softly tousle his pink hair “We’ll see each other in a bit for the banquet. You want to look and feel your best for the big party, don’t you?” He placated, and Yuuji accepted with a pout.

“Is the pretty lady going to be there? I want to see her again.” the king visibly stiffened, eyes moving to Haibara who watched them curiously.

“Yuuji we talked about this. You can’t go running around with strangers.” He sighed, his hand moving to rest on the boy’s shoulder.

“But she’s not a stranger! She lives here! I've seen her” The kid reasoned, the pout growing on his lips.

“Okay, okay we’ll talk about this later. Now go.” Nanami urged, standing up to walk away.

“See you tonight, little storm.” Haibara waved off with a wink, causing Yuuji to giggle in amusement before the maid guided him into the room.

Back in the coridoor, the royal knight began his detailed report about the expedition, staying close as the pair slowly paced through the wing with that held the royal quarters.

“There’s been a lot more activity at the Southern border than in previous years. It’s getting warmer and the more circulation there is, the more likely the attacks become.” The knight reported, his expression devoid of all prior amusement. “But we were able to wipe out their largest base and arrest most of the militia's leaders.”

“Good, we will have to question them about possible remaining strongholds and their methods.” Nanami commented, his hand resting on his chin in thought.

“It is very concerning that a group of rebels with seemingly no resources managed to cause so much damage to the port. It smells fishy.” Haibara added, matching the pace with Nanami.

“Buuuuuut,” he sidetracked, stepping in front of the king. Nanami looked up to see his friend's eyes round with mischief, and almost let out a sigh in anticipation for whatever he was about to bring up.

“Was Yuuji talking about your new wife?” he leaned in to whisper cheekily, akin to the way young maids would close in to gossip.

“You’re too old for this.” Nanami brushed him off, stepping aside to keep walking.

“Killjoy as always.” He said, but his words held no bite. “Anyway it doesn’t matter if you don’t want to talk about her since she’ll be at the reception tonight.” He gloated, his outer armor clinking when he rested an arm on his hip.

Nanami remained silent, his eyes fixed on the way up ahead.

“You sneaked away from the troops, didn’t you? I need to go welcome the knights.” He said.

“She IS coming to the reception tonight, right?” Yu raised a brow, completely ignoring his king’s concerns about the protocol.

Kento looked ahead wordlessly, and Haibara felt like maybe flicking his king’s forehead might be worth facing the risk of being condemned for a crime against the crown.

“Nanami Kento. Your excellency. My king. You cannot be serious.” He sighed, exacerbated as he stepped in front of him once again. “You know most of the aristocracy will be present at this ball, right?” He asked, brow raised.

“Of course I know.” Kento replied, still unfazed by his friend, who took a comically deep breath, his hand resting on his head as if to quell an impending headache.

“So what message are you hoping to communicate if she is not present?”

“That she is taking time to get accustomed to a new nation and would like to rest.” Nanami replied matter-of-factly, not believing further explanation would be needed.

Haibara rubbed along the bridge of his nose. “You’re communicating that you do not care about your wife’s absence.” He punctuated. “It’s one thing to not love her,” He crossed his arms over his chest “But I do not need to explain to you what happens when a royal is not cared about.” He continued.

Nanami was growing agitated with the conversation. He wanted to stand his ground and keep the distance, but the logical part of him listened to his friend. It was a tale that needed not be told anymore. A neglected royal was a target for people who coveted their position, and even worse, a potential weak link. If Kento did not show some modicum of care for her, there would be no strong deterrent for the rest of the aristocracy to stop their efforts to forge a relationship that benefited them. The king sighed, his fingers fidgeting with the golden rings on his fingers.

“I really hate when you are right like this.” Nanami admitted, to which Haibara chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah. You might be well versed in strategy and leadership, but you sure can be dumb sometimes.” He commented, giving in to the urge and smacking his shoulder.

“Your men are waiting, let’s go.” Nanami straightened up, leading the pair back to the main courtyard to greet the battalion.

You were sat on your bed, shoulders relaxed against the headboard with a book in your hand. The melodies the pages sung to your heart soothed you in a way, helped you escape and forget about the turmoil of your predicament. A knock resounded on your large door, startling you a bit before Alma announced herself and pushed them open.

A fleet of servants followed behind her, and you couldn’t help but notice the buzz with which she directed them. They were carrying… clothes? And various pieces of jewelry?

Your eyebrows knit in confusion, and you approached them quietly.

“What is going on?” You asked, walking towards Alma while standing out of the way of everyone else, who were hard at work setting up camp at your vanity.

“My apologies for the intrusion, your majesty.” Alma said, her smile betraying her excitement. “His majesty has instructed us to help you get ready.”

“Ready?” Your mouth gaped “For the banquet?” You blurted out, incredulous.

“Yes, yes.” She said chipper “Come now, we don’t have much time left.” She extended a hand towards you, waiting until you grabbed onto it before she rushed you to the vanity. “We have a lot of choices, please tell us which one you would prefer.”

“With this celebration, we welcome back our most honored royal knights.” Nanami’s even-keeled voice announced from the atop the Dais, addressing the fancily-clad attendees. “May our troops continue to lead successful campaigns, and our nation stay protected.” He concluded, followed by claps and light cheers from the audience.

He returned to his seat overlooking the group, and Haibara approached him, his ceremonial armor heavy on his shoulders as he kneeled in greeting before the king.

“You did invite her, right?” He insisted as soon as he got within earshot.

“When will you stop doubting me?” Nanami raised a calm brow in response.

“When you’re going to give me reasons not to.” the knight chuckled, rolling his eyes playfully.

Nanami had hoped for you to arrive before he had to officially announce the beginning of the banquet, but he understood why you might delay because of the short notice. He was not even sure if you would want to come. Kaori never bothered with formal events, unless it was to flirt with new aristocrats or flaunt some new expense.

Stop, he told his mind. Stop thinking about it.

Well, regardless of your presence he still needed to carry out his duties. With the festivities begun, he walked over to the table around which the royal knights were congregated, and they welcomed him with formal bows.

It was while in conversation with them that the young prince was announced into the hall, and Yuuji walked to his father’s side, his usually unruly hair styled in a slicked side part. His dignified walk was contrasted with the wide smile his features held, causing the king to smile in turn. When he reached his father, he bowed, and Nanami hoisted the boy in his arms.

“You look very poised, son.” He commented.

“I know right!” He exclaimed, expression smug.

He was about to step away from the knights to go on about the tedious task of small talk with the rest of the aristocracy when another announcement resounded into the hall, capturing everyone’s attention.

“Her majesty, the queen.” the herald sung.

You were NERVOUS. TOO NERVOUS. Your fingers dances along the frills of your dress, hoping to dissipate some of the turbulent energy.

You were used to high society, having been to events as soon as you were of age. But this one felt decidedly different. Almost like a test, causing all your experience to fade in the background of your growing tumult.

As soon as you were announced in, you felt every gaze fix on you, and willed yourself to not look down. You took practiced steps, punctuated and elegant, like you had learned as a child.

Alma had helped you settle on a white dress, whose neckline dropped off your shoulders, lining your collarbones with a delicate lace outline, and a bodice that hugged your top section. From your waist down, the silky material flowed out, creating ripples like clear spring water. A single big sky-blue bow was attached to the back of the dress, and the gold jewelry sparkled against your skin.

The quiet looks turned into growing chatter, and suddenly the bangles and crystal pendant felt too heavy to carry. The urge to hide gripped you.

Absolutely not. You steeled your resolve, your gaze locking on the king, whose piercing amber eyes looked at you like he could see through you. A shiver ran down your spine. The gold of his robe seemed to shimmer against his skin, just like the crown atop his head, only contrasted by the white cape that draped across his shoulder.

You continue to walk calmly, until you reach a few feet away from the pair, and bow deeply in respect.

“Your majesty, the king.” You greeted, head still down.

“You may rise.” You heard his smooth voice rumble, and stood until you faced him.

Immediately you noticed the child in his arms, who smiled at you like a long lost friend.

“You’re here!” He announced enthusiastically, grinning with all his teeth. He asked his father to place his down, and the boy bowed in front of you, extending his hand which you took. He brought it to his lips for a chaste kiss, in a way that only a child learning a new skill did, making you giggle lightly.

You curtsied in return, heart warmed by the sweet gesture.

“My prince,” you say with a smile. “You look quite wonderful today.”

He proudly patted his attire, which seemed to be a mini version of what his father was wearing.

“Thank you!”

People surrounding you observe the interaction keenly, their mouths moving in a quiet hush of whispers. You tried to listen for what they were saying, but your mind was still quite occupied with the way the king’s eyes had not left you.

You were about to say something to fill the silence between you when the orchestra along the North wall of the large room started playing a string set, and you were faced with a strong hand open before you.

“Shall we open the dance?” The king asked, eyes focused on yours. You nodded, placing your fingers lightly over his, letting him lead you to the center of the floor.

Phew, I finally got this out. As always, please let me know what you think! I always love reading you comments :))

Tag list: @ofcqdesi @tomiokasecretlover @luvstama @amisuh @abhootghiihii

@cosmicbreathe @lucreied @starmapz @tylersaiddonteatbananas @taeteddybear

@bopsigles @flaneur002 @evans-dejong @lazypostfandomer

[delusionalist448]

AN- hiii I don’t really post like this on here, usually I post all my writing on ao3 and post a link, but this one is just for tumblr :D a soft bath scene with Satoru Gojo being sweet, but silly.

The minute you mumbled about your aching feet, he couldn’t help himself. He nearly sprinted to the bathroom to draw a bath, just for you. He may have teased you about the different oils, salts, and flower petals you would throw in on the special self care days; it didn’t matter though.

Satoru had his own way of showing his love, even if it was to craft a cauldron of random bath essentials and then some. The bath supplies in the cupboard really didn’t seem like enough to him, taking it upon himself to add in a few kitchen ingredients, such as garlic cloves, ginger, and a couple sticks of cinnamon. He was proud of his wild concoction and hoped you would be too-no, he knew you would be too!

After finishing up, Satoru coaxed you up and into the bathroom, the overpowering aromas were clashing and confusing. You could smell the lavender oil, the garlic, the citrus bath salt and peppermint? It was intense and unappealing, but for him? It was the best bath you had ever seen. You did your best to keep your facial expressions in check, but that was a challenge of its own.

“I read online that lavender is to relax, garlic is for spiritual protection, cinnamon to detox, and peppermint to improve circulation and soothe inflammation.” He sounded just so satisfied with bath he had brewed. It was cute, really.

“I can’t wait to get in.” You smiled, trying to hide your repugnance, but there was no way he couldn’t smell the awful collision of miscellaneous scents.

“You’re gonna feel so much better after this one. I promise, baby.” He placed a gentle peck on your cheek, and it felt entirely sincere.

You felt the way his hands gently guided your clothes away from your body, pooling at your feet. You swallowed down any repulsion you had left, and settled into the tub after being fully undressed.

You could hear him scoop up some of the bath water and pouring it down your back. It felt nice, but his hands began to rub in the oils that clung to your back. It felt nice having his strong hands working out the discomfort, even though you had told him it was only meant for your feet. He didn’t care. He wanted to make you feel special.

You didn’t hear the soft moans you had been producing at his touch, but he did. He made mental notes about which spots felt the best and which ones made you almost flinch at his touch. His fingers gingerly traced up and down your spine, causing you to shiver. He hummed to himself, pleased.

After a while, he removed his hands. He watched as you groaned at the lack of his touch. “You really like the bath?” He asked, his voice soft and almost afraid of disappointment this time.

“I’ve never seen anything like it.” You whisper, giving him your best smile. He doesn’t stop to think for but a moment as he pulls off his own clothes to join you in the bath. “What are you doing?” Your perplexion showing plainly on your face.

He effortlessly lifts you and sits himself in the bath, directly behind you. It’s cramped, but it works. “I wanted in too.” He shrugs, enveloping you into his strong arms.

The bath is cramped, but it’s not uncomfortable. The snug feeling of being close together makes you forget all about your aching feet to begin with.

“Baby…” You whisper, turning your head back to look at him.

“Yes?”

“You didn’t have to do all this for me.”

“I wanted to.” With that, he plants a soft kiss on your hair, holding you as if he was afraid to let go.

[tokiwarcube]

This is gonna be so random, but can we get dethklok headcanons of how they'd react to their s/o being a ghoul/ghoulette in Ghost, please? 😶

Less random than you'd think, actually! This prompt in particular was actually written with a ghoul/ette reader in mind, although it wasn't explicitly stated. I'm actually a huge Ghost fan, myself! Bonus points to anyone who can ID me in the movie, LMAO

I do encourage reading This one for a bit more instrument/element specifics, but regardless, do enjoy!

Nathan Explosion

Despite his fame, Nathan keeps his personal life a secret from the media — or well, as best as he can as one of the most famous men in the world. So in that sense, he kind of admires the anonymity you maintain. Or at least used to maintain, anyways.

He’s gotten sucked into the metal vs. not metal debate, and before seeing you perform, he absolutely lies on the latter half of the debate. But holy shit, talk about stage presence. He’s very proud of where Dethklok stands in a concert sense — seeing Dethklok is truly, a completely unforgettable experience — but Ghost is just… Brutal.

Performance-wise, he likes Year Zero the most — the first time he saw flames erupting over the stage, bathing you in hues of orange and white absolutely took his breath away. Any song where you get to shine is a favorite of his as well.

His favorite song overall is a toss up between Year Zero and Elizabeth, though. He likes the lyrical imagery of both, and really, what metal performer doesn’t have a soft spot for an song about Elizabeth Bathory?

He gets a bit jealous if you’re a little flirty on stage, especially because he can’t just swoop in to make his place clear, but he works through it.

He’s a little obsessed with the Era V outfits — don’t be too surprised if he gets a bit handsy when the mask comes off. Or before.

He fucking hates Plushia with a passion — he is convinced that its cursed, and will not allow him in the house.

Pickles the Drummer

Pickles LOVES Ghost once you introduce him, and not just because you’re in it. The very fun, in-your-face sexuality that comes with rituals is right up his alley, and the musical niche they fall into with regards to genre is just… Listen, he loves the heavy shit, but rock will always have a place in his heart.

Impera enjoyer till the end of his days. His favorite live song is Watcher in the Sky, both for the vibes and for how crazy you’re allowed to be on stage; however, he’s also rather partial to Mary on a Cross, for obvious reasons. It’s not his favorite musically, but he does think that the bit Papa does live is funny as fuck.

Assuming you’re a ghoul with a bit of movement, he likes to hang out with security so he can hit his vape and shotgun you from below. There are MANY videos of this circulating online, and you’ve gotta admit — it’s pretty hot. Sometimes he’ll indulge the rest of the ghouls if they try to jump on the train — he’s not greedy. Also, its funny.

He likes to suggest silly little bits to incorporate into future shows — whether or not they actually get through review is another thing, but he’s got some good ideas. He doesn’t mind if you get a bit flirty on stage either — hell, he thinks it’s hot as fuck, truth be told.

He always steals mummy bucks out of the cannons before they go off. Puts it in a money clip and everything, the bastard.

He thinks the military outfit is hot as hell, but also. You do look like a bug. And he won’t hesitate to rib you about it every now and then.

Misses Cowbell Ghoul every day of his life.

Skwisgaar Skwigelf

He loves how camp Ghost is — all of the bits really make the show fun, and he loves that humor is incorporated so well. After catching enough of your Rituals, he starts bugging Nathan to incorporate some sort of spin off the “go fuck yourself” bit, and let me tell you, he’s CLOSE to getting his way.

He absolutely made fun of you when the Era V outfits got revealed… and never stopped. He loves the Era III and IV outfits so much more all around, and will never let them go. (I’m so sure that he’d like it more if he could see past the mask, but he just can’t. Quit staring at him with them big ole eyes!!!)

He still insists on tightening the bolo for you before you go on stage, though. And he secretly saves all of the gifs and videos of you on stage to watch when he misses you. So… maybe the mask does grow on him a little bit, loathe as he is to admit it.

I don’t know how to tell you this, but he 100% develops this weird, pretty one-sided rivalry with Dew. Is it because of the man beneath the mask? Is it some weird lead guitarist thing? Is it because he gets to work with you on stage, and Skwisgaar doesn’t? He’ll never tell you, but either way, he shoots some vile glares his way whenever you two interact on-stage.

There’s one particular video of Dew flashing the “you suck” sticker at him, and Skwis just glaring up a storm in response.

His favorite songs to hear live are either Mummy Dust or Cirice, and he always tries to coax you over to flirt with him a bit… and he’s usually successful He might be in the crowd at barrier, but he’s managed to cement himself as a staple of every ritual. Go figure.

(People online always complain about the giant at barrier though, please convince him to hang with security under the guise of sneaking kisses or something. People are So Sick of his tall ass, even if he does add to the show.)

Toki Wartooth

Ghost ticks so many boxes for Toki, so needless to say, he is ecstatic that you get to work with such a cool act!

His favorite album is a hard tie between Opus Eponymous and Prequelle, funnily enough. The former reminds him of his early days in metal, but he loves the overall vibes of Prequelle — very hard to choose between the two, for him.

After you introduced him to Ghost through your work, he actually delved a bit deeper, and got obsessed with Repugnant. He 100% prods you into prodding Mr. Toblerone Frog into doing more death metal stuff.

He absolutely makes bracelets to trade with fans — getting a bracelet made by Toki quickly becomes as legendary as getting a ghoul pick. Although there’s always exactly one bracelet per show that he makes with one of your spare picks that he hands out to one special person.

He has your ringtone set to If You Have Ghosts :’) He also very much loves the Ghesties bit, and there’s a nonzero chance that he’s changed your contact to be a gh- prefix of some sweet little petname he has for you.

His favorite song is easily Dance Macabre — both live and off the stage! This only doubles after the events of LA.

He saves mummy dust and confetti from every show that you do, and keeps it in his scrapbook.

He thinks the Era V outfit is really cute. You DO look like a bug… but you’re his bug :)

He has been begging for ghoul plushies since he started dating you; although, he is very happy to own a little Plushia. He thinks he’s cute.

William Murderface

Like Nathan, he has also gotten into online debates about whether or not Ghost is metal — except he takes the opposite position of Nathan. Ghost is metal as fuck to him. Listen, you don’t go on stage in front of that many people, make fun of God and everyone who worships him, and come out not being metal. Like the Satanism bit is whatever, but having the balls to go and make fun of that many people on stage? Metal.

He thought the old outfits were really boring, but he is nothing short of obsessed with Era V — for both you and Papa alike. He desperately wants a replica of Papa’s military jacket.

His favorite album overall is probably Infestissumam, but he’s also partial to Opus Eponymous. He’s been begging you to get talk Trickery Feet into getting Idolatrine on the setlist since you got him into Ghost — hell, if he ever gets the motivation to actually record Planet Piss, he’d love to do a cover of it.

Although his favorite songs to see live are probably either Mummy Dust or — after the LA show — Twenties. Twenties slides in very quick as his number one after the LA show.

He gets into arguments online about your characterization in fandom spaces, I’m sorry. He does indeed read fanfic, and he will be leaving “they would not fucking say that” comments.

He likes to banter back and forth at night about what your role would be in the clergy if you know, the whole bit was real. For someone who doesn’t give a fuck about religion, he actually puts a lot of thought into this.

[rowlandlucinda]

Labtron Thermostatic Refrigerated Bath offers precise temperature control (ambient +8 to 100°C) with a 15L capacity, adjustable pump (0-15 L/min), CFC-free refrigeration, stainless steel interior, over-temperature protection, uniform temperature distribution, and energy-efficient operation.

[donnerpartyofone]

What was the process like for writing the novelization for Splice? Would you consider writing a novelization of an existing work again?

Eek I'm being interviewed! I'M SO FAMOUS. There are a lot of parts to this answer. The shortest answer is that I really just watched SPLICE in tiny sections every single day for a very, very long time. I had a certain version of the script to work from, but it wouldn't contain the exact things that were said and done in front of the camera (no script would), so I just studied the movie. I scanned the sets for objects I could not identify, of which there are a LOT -- things I've never seen before, and things I've seen but couldn't name -- and searched online until I learned to describe things like hay trolleys and circulating baths. To me, the point of a novelization is that it produces an interior and sensorial experience not offered by a screen, so I tried very hard to expand on the material qualities suggested by the movie.

It never once occurred to me to change anything. Apparently this is an expectation of novelizations. I had a writeup in Fangoria that was very kind about my ability to make psychological sense out of the things people do in SPLICE, but that expressed disappointment that I hadn't added scenes or anything. I'm such an inveterate, pathetic sort of rule-follower, I didn't even ask myself about this. I did change one exact thing, regarding the kind of candy that Elsa eats, because it was meaningful and amusing to me to do so, but I don't think anybody will ever get it. I also included just a little bit of material from the script that didn't make it into the movie, because it was completely in line with my psychological interpretation, which was what I was most concerned with.

I never thought of SPLICE as a perfect film, but I had a lot of thoughts about it, and I think my main contribution was to explain what these characters are thinking and feeling as they wade into this life-changing and profoundly icky experience together. That became very personal very quickly and I was a little bit afraid that maybe this would be how everyone would find out how totally insane I actually am, but I'm told that that part worked out pretty good -- by Vincenzo Natali, among other people, who is SO NICE AND SMART AND SUPPORTIVE. Best guy! When I turned in my draft to the publisher I thought there might be a little back and forth, I did not expect them to send the raw document directly to Vincenzo and I was very alarmed when I heard from him before anybody else, but I really had nothing to fear. He's one of my favorite people now.

I would definitely do another novelization. Actually I think I'm uniquely suited to this because I have a good dose of aphantasia. I didn't even know until recently that it's statistically weird to think mostly or exclusively in words and to have a very hard time visualizing, like, almost anything. When I started telling people this about myself I was asked, among other things, "How do you do anything if you can't picture what you're going to do?" And I was like, uh...I don't know. Maybe this is connected to my extreme executive problems and my problems with goal formation and followthrough. I mean I think this is true, now. And I developed this sort of half-joking self-mythology that I have to be watching movies every second of the day because I suffer from an image deficit and I need external infusions. Like even when I used to draw (trauma took that away, long story, but I drew all the time for like half my life), almost everything I ever made was swipes -- and I think they're pretty good, like it's worthy as art. But I guess for me, art has to be made out of something external that I manipulate. All the art I've ever made without a reference point has been maybe technically OK but really lifeless, you can tell something is missing. So I think the novelization process was a lot like how I used to draw, where I had a completely concrete external referent and I would just sort of tour it very extensively until I had created a twin of it out of my interpretations. And the twin is like, the same but different, it's a clone made out of feelings and reactions. I think that's a worthy sort of art object to make.

There's a thing I'm working on now that I'm sure I won't be able to talk about for a long while, but it involves writing things from preexisting sketches and prompts, and that's a little bit the same. I don't have as much to go on, but I can tell what the shape of it could be, I just turn it over like, what if it's like this, what if it's like this, what if it's like this. And I know that what I'm turning out is really made out of tropes and archetypes, it's kind of a collage, but if the collaging is really earnest and you're feeling your way along with reasonable naturalness, it can turn into something. It's not that different from describing experiences you've had, if you really think about it. The following comment is NOT MEANT TO COMPARE MYSELF TO A GENIUS but I had this nice moment of synergy recently when I rewatched Kiyoshi Kurosawa's CURE, which to me seems so forcefully unique, but in interviews he says things like, "Well I just really wanted to make an American horror movie," and talks about how his starting point was not personal at all, he just wanted to play with the established tools and ingredients people use to build a certain kind of product. And I thought, I guess that's what I do -- not as intelligently or deliberately, but I get how you can work in a way that sounds so formal and empty, and have it produce something distinctly personal.

Thanks for your fun question!

*Virginia Madsen voice* Oh yes. I forgot to tell you. BUY MY BOOK!

EDIT: Oh I kind of lied, I changed *just some of* the music that Clive listens to, to something that would be easier to communicate to a reader. Like I wouldn't use the exact band on the soundtrack because it was too obscure and specific, but I would talk instead about his genre choices because they went with what I was trying to say about him as a person. I think all of it was still pretty in line with the sounds, and the Clive, that appear in the film.

[secretswiftymarvelfan]

Boston Bears: Fake Out - Rugby Player! Ari Levinson x Reader (Part 1)

A/N: Just a quick reminder that the reader from Off-Limits has now become an OFC called Elena and Tommi is now our reader!

Word Count: 5.8k words

Warnings: Language! Mention of Masterbation! Angst! Cheating! Brief SMUT! 18+ ONLY! Minors DNI!

Rugby Explained

Dividers by Me!

Fake Out Series Masterlist /Boston Bears Masterlist / Masterlist

Chapter 1

A/N: Just a quick reminder that the reader from Off-Limits has now become an OFC called Elena and Tommi is now our reader!

It was Saturday morning and you were at work trying not to pull your hair out. Today was supposed to be your day off, one that you desperately needed. You were supposed to be having a long lie-in, cuddled up to Dan your gorgeous fiancé, then you were supposed to go to a market together to see if you could find some cute decorations for your wedding reception.

But instead one of your clients had made a minor PR hiccup which caused them to spiral and panic. Your boss had called you and a couple of others in to talk them down from making a statement about something barely anyone knew about. 

“Look right now the news is only circulating in one small pocket of the internet” you sighed running your hand through your hair as you leant back in your chair “Very few people know, if you made a statement to your millions of followers, millions of people will know about it and then the gossip mags will sink their fangs into it and the even more people will know and you can kiss any deals goodbye”

Your client shook his head “I don’t care there’s a disgusting rumour going around about me! I need to shut it down!” He argued.

“Y/N is right,” your boss said from her seat at the head of the conference table “We understand that you’re anxious about this, so we’ll do our best to squash it on the down-low and keep monitoring the situation so if the time does arise when a statement is needed we’ll be ready”

The client sighed “You swear?” 

“There’s a reason we’re the best PR agency in the state” your boss promised. 

“Fine, I’ll hold off” he sighed before ending the Zoom call.

You slumped down in your seat letting out a long sigh “Why is it the men that cause us the most issues?” You muttered as you rubbed your forehead tiredly. 

“Because they’re less evolved” your boss sighed as she got up from her seat “Look you’ve been working so hard recently, on top of planning your wedding so why don’t you head home” 

She wasn’t wrong, the summer was a busy time in the PR world. It was like everyone decided to go crazy over the summer months and there were more messes to tidy up than normal. This year it seemed to bleed into September too, much to your annoyance. You had spent any time off you had trying to plan for your wedding, even with a wedding planner it was more stressful than you thought it would be.

“Are you sure? I’m happy to help out” you said even if the idea of going home and having your afternoon back sounded incredible. 

You probably wouldn’t go to the market now but you could relax, have a bath, and spend some quality time with Dan. God knows it had been a while, both of you too busy or tired to do more than relaxing on the couch together.

“Yeah we can handle the rest now, you deserve the break after talking him down, get on home” she smiled patting you on the shoulder.

“Well I can’t argue with that, I’ll see you Monday” you smiled as you got up and shouldered your bag.

You glanced at the time as you got in your car, it was lunchtime so you decided to grab some bagels from your and Dan's favourite bakery. You didn’t text Dan, wanting to surprise him, and made your way home.

As you opened the door you heard a strange noise. You paused waiting to hear it again, you heard it almost immediately. You realised with a start that it sounded like moaning. 

You silently crept through the apartment following the noise, which was getting louder and louder. You followed it to your bedroom door which was ever so slightly open. You peered inside but instantly regretted it. Because inside you saw Dan and your wedding planner naked in bed, getting busy, getting very intimate. 

“Oh god don’t stop” she moaned as she wrapped her leg around his waist.

“Fuck you feel so good, I’ll never get enough of you” Dan groaned as he thrusted deep with far more passion than you’d ever seen.

You stumbled back as your world crashed down around you. You turned on your heel and rushed back out of the apartment and to your car. You went into autopilot mode as you drove away, only snapping out of it when you pulled up outside of Elena’s old apartment remembering she didn’t live here anymore. She moved back to Boston in the spring after a horrific incident with her ex Bryce Langley.

You slumped back in your car seat as your mind began to replay everything. This wasn’t a one-time thing, they’d clearly been doing this for a while now. Maybe since you hired her over a year ago. Everything suddenly made sense, the way Dan always seemed to be busy, how he seemed to be dragging his feet with the wedding planning.

How could you have been so blind?

You didn’t know what to do. You knew that if you confronted him he would end up talking you around. He promised he wouldn’t do it again and you’d want to believe him. You would end up married to a man who would willingly cheat. 

You glanced over to the passenger seat where your bag and bagels you brought were. Your blood boiled as you looked at the bagel you got for him. You had done a nice thing, you got his favourite bagel and he cheated. You snatched his bagel and stormed out of your car to a nearby trash can, throwing it away with force. 

That act alone made you feel better. You realised you just needed to cut ties. No confrontation, which was something you absolutely hated to begin with so avoiding it was perfect. You just needed to leave and get as far away as possible. 

Climbing back into your car you started planning. Your parents had moved to the UK so you couldn’t just up and leave to them. You didn’t have any close friends in LA anymore, not any that you could live with until you got yourself somewhere new to live.

You glanced up at Elena’s old apartment, she was the only friend you wanted to see right now. She was like your sister. The only reason you hadn’t already called her was because you knew the Boston Bears were playing today and she was busy as their medic. 

You knew what you needed to do. You grabbed your phone and started searching for flights to Boston. The earliest you could find was tomorrow night at 10 pm that stopped in Denver meaning you wouldn’t get into Boston until 10 am on Monday. It wasn’t ideal but it worked out pretty nicely, you could sleep the entire flight and while Dan went out with his mates you could pack up as many of your belongings as possible.

The next thing you needed to do was quit your job. You needed a clean break from LA, you didn’t want anything to draw you back or tie you to this city. So you sent an email to your boss, you didn’t tell her you were leaving because you had been cheated on. You said that you had a family emergency that meant you had to go back to the east coast and you were handing in your notice effective immediately. You made sure to schedule the email to be sent on Sunday evening just in case she reached out to Dan. 

Soon enough everything was planned and ready to go. You would call Elena tomorrow during her day off to warn her, then you’d pack and get the hell out of LA for good. You slumped back into your seat feeling more exhausted than ever. Your stomach growled so you grabbed your bagel and took a bite trying to ignore how it now felt tainted with betrayal.

You spent the rest of the day alone trying to keep yourself busy until the time you were originally supposed to return home. The last thing you wanted was to intrude on them again. You just hoped that Dan changed the sheets.

You were so exhausted that you got Chinese takeout on your way home. As you walked in you made sure to make a racket just to be safe, dropping your keys and bag down by the door. Thankfully Dan was alone this time, sat reclining back on the couch.

“Hey, how was work?” He asked walking over and pressing a kiss to your cheek.

You had to fight the urge to recoil away in disgust. You didn’t know and didn’t want to know where those lips had been.

“Exhausting but we’ve got it under control now” you sighed “I got us Chinese”

“Oh nice did you get spare ribs?” He asked eagerly.

“Uh no sorry I forgot but I got you chow mein” You lied, you knew they were his favourite and you deserved to be a little spiteful.

“No worries” Dan shrugged as he took his food and walked back over to the couch.

You resisted the urge to heave out a heavy sigh as you grabbed your food and moved to join him. Sitting down on the opposite side of the couch.

The two of you ate in silence, the only noise coming from the TV which was playing some program that Dan liked but you didn’t care for. Normally you’d sit and read your book but you were too exhausted. 

When you decided to call it a night you walked into the bedroom to find the bed made but still the same sheets as before. Your body shuddered at the thought of sleeping there where they had gotten busy. You had no choice though, so to make it more bearable you decided to sleep in leggings and a long-sleeved tee.

When Dan joined you, you pretended to be asleep. Trying not to flinch when he kissed your shoulder. You tried to fall asleep but couldn’t, you stared up at the ceiling and listened to Dan’s snores which never irritated you before but now you wanted to smother him. 

You looked over at him and saw him in a completely different light. You wondered how you ended up in this position, and whether there was something you could have done. You wondered whether than man you considered the love of your life ever loved you.

Ari woke with a long sigh. He should be feeling properly rested, he’d had all of Sunday to recover from the match but instead of relaxing, he’d flown to and from New York to deal with something. He was exhausted, the last thing he wanted to do was go to training. A good portion of the day would be going back through the game on Saturday but that didn’t help Ari since he got sent off with a yellow card. He was expecting another chewing out from the coaches for that. 

He let out a long yawn before sitting up, he checked his phone relieved to see no missed calls. He then stood up and grabbed some boxers to slip on, he ran hot so often slept in the nude but didn’t want to give any neighbours a show. He walked out of his bedroom and towards his kitchen to grab himself a much-needed coffee. 

As he drank his coffee he made himself a quick breakfast before sitting down in front of his laptop. He had a few things he wanted to search up and look into before he had to make his way to training. 

Soon enough he got dressed and made his way to the training centre. He was one of the last to arrive, his nose buried in his phone as he walked into the media room finding a seat near the back. 

“Look all I’m saying is that girls who love NFL players should love us too! More so! We don’t need a helmet or padding” Johnny exclaimed as he leaned back in his chair spinning side to side. 

“Maybe but it is two completely different sports, they get more funding than we do, they’re like gods” Jensen pointed out. 

“Minor gods are still sexy” Johnny smirked “Don’t you think so Levs?” 

Ari looked up from his phone “huh?” he hummed.

“That us minor sports gods deserve the girls just as much as the regular gods” Johnny repeated. 

Ari just shrugged “Maybe they just didn’t like you storm” he said before returning his attention back to what he was doing. 

“I beg to differ” Johnny scoffed. 

“Hey, you okay?” Chris said as he sat down in the seat next to Ari. 

Ari nodded as he put away his phone, out of sight “Yeah, just tired” he said.

Chris smirked “Celebrated too much yesterday?” as he leaned in to whisper.

“Yeah something like that” Ari said clearing his throat. 

Thankfully the conversation died out as the coaching team walked in ready to start the game review. Ari reclined back in his chair ready to relive Saturday, not that he particularly wanted to. 

Ari kept pretty quiet as the coaching team ran through each passage of play, highlighting all the good moments and moments where something went wrong. His fists clenched when it got to the moment when he got his yellow card. It was a ridiculous yellow, the opposition got away with the exact same thing he did. 

“We need to remember not to argue with the ref, leave it to the captain to deal with,” Andy said, his arms crossed as he surveyed the room. 

Ari tried his hardest not to huff in annoyance. Thankfully they didn’t linger on it too much longer. They then moved on to watching clips of the Washington Wolves play, they were the team they were facing next week. The coaching team ran through the different clips highlighting the weaknesses the Bears could exploit. 

“Right, that’s it for now, get yourselves into the gym” Head Coach Rogers said “We’ll call you in for your 1 to 1 reviews, Levinson we’re gonna start with you”

Ari made an effort to keep his face straight as he nodded, walking over to go join the coaching staff, all of them sitting down at a small table.

“Have a good day off Levinson? Get up to much” Coach Rogers asked as he tapped on his laptop. 

“Uh yeah,” Ari muttered in response.

Coach Rogers arched a brow, exchanging a glance with Andy before returning his attention back to his laptop “How do you think you played on Saturday?”

“Pretty good, I didn’t miss any tackles, won a few turnovers” Ari shrugged.

“And the yellow card?” Andy asked.

“Unfair, the other team got away with it the entire match” Ari huffed shaking his head as he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Well we’ll get to that, but first let’s look at this” Coach Rogers said as he turned the laptop so Ari could see the screen.

They spend the next 20 minutes going over different passages in play where Ari made an impact or could have made more of one. They went over the yellow card in more detail than Ari would have liked.

“Look Ari” Coach Rogers sighed “you were right that you shouldn’t have been penalised for the same act that our opposition got away with, but that’s not why you got the yellow, you got the card because you argued with the ref” 

“But-“ Ari went to argue, he wanted to explain that Chris wasn’t nearby to argue for him.

“No,” Coach Rogers said holding up his hand to silence him “You should have let Evans deal with it, he’s the captain it’s his job to talk to the ref, not you”

Ari shook his head. He knew that Coach Rogers was right, he shouldn’t have argued but sometimes his temper got the better of him.

“Look Ari” Coach Rogers sighed “you want to make the National Team don’t you, get called up for the World Cup next year” 

“That’s right sir” Ari nodded, it was something he dreamed of ever since he first picked up a rugby ball, but had been overlooked every time.

“Well I’m good friends with the new head coach, Sam Wilson, he’s even asked me for my opinion on a few players” Coach Rogers continued.

“Right,” Ari said sitting to attention, this might be his best chance at finally getting the call-up. 

“You’re a great player Levinson, it’s criminal that you haven’t been called up yet,” Coach Rogers told him, Andy and the other coaching staff nodding in agreement.

“Thank you sir, that means a lot coming from you,” Ari said gratefully, Coach Rogers had been one of the best players in the league back in his day. He led the Boston Bears to multiple championship wins. 

“Coach Wilson is interested but not sold yet, he doesn’t like players that are too much of a wildcard, players he can’t trust, players that get sent off for dissent” Coach Rogers explained with a pointed look. 

Ari felt his shoulders deflate “So I have no chance is what you’re saying”

“No, but you need to sort this sort of behaviour out, he’s going to be watching the entire season on and off the pitch so you need to show him that he can trust you,” Coach Rogers told him, Ari failed to hold back a scoff as he shook his head “Ari you are a great player, you just need to keep your cool more”

“Well that’s easier said than done when the ref is as blind as a bat” Ari snapped his fists clenched as his anger got the better of him again.

To his credit, Coach Rogers didn’t react “It can be done, we’ll help you on the pitch but it’ll be up to you off the pitch” he continued.

“How? What could I possibly do?” Ari huffed.

“I leave that to you to sort out,” Coach Rogers said “We want to see you in the Team USA jersey as much as you do”

“Sure” Ari muttered as he shook his head.

“Levinson is everything okay?” Coach Rogers questioned with an arched brow “Everything at home?” 

Ari felt his defences go up all of a sudden “Perfect” he stated “Can I go to training now or is there more to say on how I won’t represent my country?”

Once again Coach Rogers didn’t react, nothing more than clenched his jaw “No” he said gesturing for Ari to leave. 

Ari did exactly that, storming out of the media room. The door slammed loudly behind him. He couldn’t wait to get to the weight room where he could work through his frustrations which were only getting worse. 

He was so caught up in his anger that he wasn’t really looking where he was going. He turned a corner and ran straight into someone. He looked down to see a woman he didn’t recognise, her hair up in a messy bun, and baggy clothes. She certainly didn’t work here, and only staff and players were allowed in the building.

She stuttered an apology but Ari’s anger and frustration that had been simmering since the match on Saturday boiled over “Who the hell are you? You know you can’t be back here? What are you a fan desperate for an autograph or media desperate for a scoop?” He demanded.

The woman stuttered slightly before completely breaking down in tears. Ari scoffed in frustration and moved to step around her, he’d have to go find security to deal with this. 

He’d just stepped around her when he heard someone speak up behind him “Y/N? What on earth are you doing here?” Elena said.

Ari turned around and saw Chris and Elena stood there. Elena had a look of shock on her face, while Chris was frowning at Ari. He then glanced back down at the woman beside him who was sobbing. It took him a moment but he then recognised you. You were the bombshell that had him by the balls from the moment he met you back in late April. 

“What the fuck Levinson” Chris demanded as Elena rushed over and hugged you. 

“I- I didn’t-“ Ari stuttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

“What's wrong? Why on earth are you here?” Elena asked you softly.

“I’m sorry I meant to call yesterday but I forgot and- and-“ you stuttered before breaking down into sobs again. 

“Hey, hey, hey it’s okay let’s get you out of here” Elena said shooting a glare up at Ari before wrapping an arm around you and leading you away.

Chris watched as Elena took you away and out of sight before turning back to Ari “What the hell man? Why’d you yell at her? Why’d you upset her like that?” Chris demanded.

Ari shook his head unable to think of a reason “I didn’t even recognise her” he muttered “I thought she was a crazed fan or something”

“You shouldn’t have yelled at her even if she was!” Chris argued shaking his head at him.

“I know… I- I fucked up” Ari admitted.

Fucked up was an understatement. From the moment he set eyes on you in that hotel bar you captured his attention and never let go. You looked absolutely stunning in the red sundress you’d been wearing, a beautiful smile on your face as you laughed with Elena. He’d felt this tugging sensation that drew him closer and he knew he had to at least say hello. 

He’d been secretly devastated when you held out your hand and showed off your engagement ring. He’d only just met you, he knew nothing about you but he found himself cursing the universe that he’d met you too late. He hadn’t missed his chance, he never had one. Yet despite all that he couldn’t just drop it, he wanted to get to know you, flirt with you. Maybe he hoped that your relationship was on the rocks and he had a chance, that he couldn’t leave LA without even trying. Maybe he hoped it would get you out of his system.

It didn’t.

He hadn’t stopped thinking about you for the last 5 months. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he’d fantasised about you, and thought of you whenever he needed to find a release. Ari was no stranger to finding hookups but he hadn’t even managed to do that because he couldn’t get you out of his mind.

He kicked himself for the way he behaved. If you didn’t want him before, you definitely wouldn’t want him now after he made you cry. His heart ached as he replayed the moment your face crumpled, your left hand moving to cup your mouth as if you could stop yourself from crying.

Wait.

“She wasn’t wearing her ring” Ari muttered as he looked over at Chris.

Chris frowned as he glanced in the direction Elena had taken you “Wasn’t she?”

Ari shook his head “No she wasn’t, she seemed upset before I said anything, maybe they split”

Chris hummed “Maybe, I hadn’t heard about it if they have but you still need to apologise,” he said with a hard look.

“I will I swear, next time I see her I will” Ari promised. 

“Good, now get to the gym and work off whatever is going on with you” Chris ordered before walking off back towards the media room,

He’d probably need to tell the coaches what happened since Elena was Coach Rogers’ daughter. This probably meant Ari was in an even worse position now if he wanted to get called up. He let out a long sigh before heading off towards the gym, not before popping into the PR and Coms office.

“Ari, what can we do for you?” Steph, the head of PR asked as he walked into the office.

“I need some good PR, something that shows I’m not a wildcard and can be trusted so I can get a call up to the national team” Ari explained.

“Right that shouldn’t be a problem, have you got any ideas?” She asked.

“No but I’ll do whatever is needed” Ari said with a small shake of his head.

A lopsided grin grew on her face “That’s exactly what I like to hear, give me a couple of weeks to come up with some strategies and I’ll get back to you”

You were sat wrapped up in a fluffy towel on the edge of El’s bath. You hadn’t realised how much you’d been running on adrenaline until you literally bumped into Ari and promptly broke down after he yelled at you. Under normal circumstances, you probably would have ripped into him but you were too exhausted.

You hadn’t been able to sleep Saturday night. You felt too disgusted, sleeping in the bed and on the same sheets that Dan had cheated on. You had been so tired and busy packing up as much as you could on Sunday that you forgot to call Elena. You barely slept on the plane either so you were running on empty when you got to Boston.

Now you just felt empty. Unable to bring yourself to move. Just static in your mind.

A gentle knock on the bathroom door pulled you from your stupor “Hey food’s here” El called out softly.

“Okay,” you said with a quick sniffle “be right out”

You finished drying off from the bath El had run for you before getting changed into a new set of comfies. You shuffled out of the bathroom to join El and Chris in the living room, a couple of pizza boxes open on the coffee table.

“Here,” Chris said as he passed you a glass of wine, a plate full of chicken, veg and pasta in his other hand.

“Thanks” you muttered as you accepted the glass sitting down on the floor by the coffee table “Aren’t you having pizza?” 

Chris shook his head as he sat down next to El on the couch “Diet plan” he explained as he dug into his large meal.

You shouldn’t be too surprised, you remembered all the times El mentioned the diet plan the players had to stick to. Especially over the summer when she was helping Chris recover from his broken collarbone and dislocated shoulder. You didn’t know much about it all but it was a testament to both El and Chris that he’d recover enough to be fit again in time for the season. 

“Wanna talk about what happened?” El asked gently as you took a bite of your pizza slice.

You took your time chewing before eventually swallowing to give you a bit more time “Dan’s been cheating on me with the wedding planner” you finally admitted.

That clearly wasn’t what either of them expected. El nearly spat out her wine while Chris choked on his mouthful. 

“Shit,” El said as she patted Chris’ back “What did he say when you confronted him?”

“I didn’t” you sighed “I just left, left him a note and the ring and left”

“Wow… god I- I never expected him to do something like that” El muttered as she shook her head.

“Me neither” you sighed “I was supposed to be working all day but my boss said I could take the afternoon off since I wasn’t supposed to be working in the first place, I decided to surprise him with his favourite bagel but when I got back to the apartment I saw the two of them going at it on our bed”

“Oh god” El muttered a look of horror on her face “and you just left straight away?”

“Not straight away no,” you said looking down “I knew I needed to get a few things sorted, so I stayed the night and pretended everything was okay before packing up as much as I could yesterday, quitting my job and flying out here”

“God, I could never do that, I would have smothered him in his sleep” El commented, slapping Chris’ hand away when he went to grab a slice of pizza after putting his empty plate down.

“Ow,” he complained as he rubbed his hand “and noted” he muttered.

“I just still can’t quite believe it, I thought everything was good between us,” you said “Yeah things were tense but I thought that was just the stress of the wedding planning” you sighed rubbing your forehead tiredly “I- I don’t know when it started or why or-or if I could have done something different”

“You did nothing wrong, he’s to blame in all this,” El told you “And the wedding planner, she was supposed to relieve you of the stress not steal your man” 

“But-“ you started.

“But nothing, I know there’s that little voice in your head that’s telling you all the things you could’ve done, tearing you down,” El said, her voice shuddering. 

Chris gave her a sympathetic look, placing his hand on her back and rubbing it soothingly. She’d gone through hell last spring, her ex Bryce had told the entire LA Lions team what her naked body was like except he lied and made up hurtful rumours. Like you she ran away, you had tried to pick up the pieces for her, tried to help and guide her. You originally didn’t like the idea of her dating Chris after everything she’d been through but after you met him in LA and found out what he’d done for her you knew that she’d found her special person. 

Like you thought you had.

“But don’t listen to it, none of what it’s telling you is true” El continued “What is true is what we’re telling you, that nothing is your fault and you are deserving of so much better“

“and when you are ready… you’ll find someone who won’t even want to look elsewhere because he knows he found the best woman he’ll ever find” Chris added as he smiled softly over at El.

“Thank guys, I’m glad I came to you” you sighed as you wiped away a few stray tears.

“It’s okay and just let us know what it is you need” El smiled “Chris stop it! Diet plan!” She scolded when he reached for the pizza slice again earning a huff of annoyance from him.

“Thanks, I- I um, I guess I need to find a job and somewhere to live” As you said it all the consequences of what you’d done hit “god I have no job or home” you muttered dropping your head into your hands and breaking down. 

You heard El get up and move to sit beside you, wrapping her arms around you and holding you close as you broke down. 

“It’s okay you did the right thing” she reassured you. 

“Yeah he clearly didn’t realise what he had right in front of him if he looked elsewhere, you deserve better than him” Chris said taking advantage of El moving and grabbed a slice of pizza. 

“But what am I gonna do now?” You stuttered as you wiped away your tears.

“We’ll work it out don’t worry” El reassured you as she rubbed your back soothingly.

“Yeah, you work in PR right? I’m pretty sure they’ve been looking for someone to join the team at the Bears for a while” Chris suggested.

“There we go, we can get you a job with the Bears, we can see each other at work all the time” El said, nudging your shoulder trying to get you to smile.

“That would be nice” you admitted, it would be like college again when you and El were practically inseparable, but then you remembered your encounter with Ari “But I don’t know anything about rugby, and wouldn’t I need to work close to the players” you gulped nervously.

“You don’t need to know much” Chris reassured you “and Ari said he was sorry”

“Yeah my dad said the 1 to 1 had been pretty tense so he was probably just in a bad mood and took it out on the first person he came across, you guys got along great in LA” El reminded you. 

You sighed, Ari did seem different to the man you met in LA but still he shouldn’t have shouted at you “I don’t know”

“Just give it a go, and it can just be somewhere you work until you find somewhere else” El suggested “And you can stay with me until you find somewhere, we can either share the bed or take turns sleeping on the couch”

“Why don’t you move out?” Chris interjected.

“Huh?” El muttered in confusion.

“I mean why don’t you move in with me El? You spend most of your time at my place anyway and it means Y/N can have this place” Chris explained.

You watched as El’s face softened, the look of love shining in her eyes. You were so happy for her but it also broke your heart because you used to look at Dan like that. 

“Really?” She whispered in disbelief.

“Yeah move in with me Elena Rogers” Chris smirked.

El grinned as she blew him a kiss “I’d love to”

You had to look down unable to see such pure love while your heart was so broken “I’ll um have to get the rest of my stuff at some point not that I particularly want to be back in the apartment” you sniffed.

“We’re playing the Lions in LA the last weekend of November so we can get anything you want” Chris suggested.

“Yeah, just give us a list and we’ll get it, you won’t ever have to step foot in the state again” El promised you.

“And if you want us to destroy anything of his, glitter bomb the apartment or slash his tyres just let us know” Chris winked.

“Chris” El gasped shaking her head at him.

“What?” Chris laughed “You know you were thinking it” 

“I’ll let you know” you chuckled weakly.

“Good, well I better head off back to Dodger” Chris said standing up from the couch “I’ll leave you ladies to curse the male species and do whatever else it is you girls do” he bent over to quickly kiss El goodbye.

“See you tomorrow” she smiled.

“See you tomorrow,” he said grabbing yet another slice of pizza “One for the road” he reasoned before heading out.

“How can he eat so much?” You muttered in amazement. You didn’t have much of an appetite to begin with but even if you were ravenous you couldn’t eat as much as Chris just did.

“It’s insane isn’t it, my dad showed me the food bill at the club once… eye-watering,” El said shaking her head in disbelief “Now let’s forget about all mankind and just have a girl's night,” she said grabbing her glass of wine.

You let out a long sigh, part of you just wanted to wallow but you knew that would only make you feel worse. Maybe getting wine-drunk, talking shit about men and distracting yourself from everything was the way to go for now.

You grabbed your glass “Girls night” you said forcing a smile.

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[silent-stories]

Vampires can't cry

(Vampire!Eddie Munson x gn!reader)

The wood was always calm at night but was never completely silent and after several late night outings to meet Eddie, you had gotten used to crickets chirping rhythmically, frogs croaking in the distance, and the occasional hoot of an owl.

Lovers Lake had become your meeting point for the last few weeks, maybe because when Eddie was not yet aware of a dimension full of monsters beneath Hawkins, that had been the place where you had had your first date together or maybe because it was easy to find during the darkest nights without getting lost.

“When are we going to tell Wayne?” You asked the boy sitting next to you, his gaze on the moonlight bathing the water, creating a silver sheen that stretched across the lake's surface.

"I've been thinking about that for the last few days." He replied after a brief moment of pause, shifting slightly as if to get away from you.

It was something he did often, you had noticed. His shoulder no longer touched yours when he sat next to you and his pale hands didn't seek out yours to play with your fingers like they once did. When you had asked why, he had said that his skin had become cold and no longer gave off that typical warmth that you liked so much before he became... whatever he had become. Vampire,was the more correct term. Monster, he used to call himself.

"And?" You questioned.

"And I think it's best if he doesn't find out."

“Eddie,” You said softly, you knew full well why he didn’t want to tell him he was still there and it made your heart ache every time he reminded you, “he still thinks you’re dead.”

"I'm not?"

You opened your mouth to reply, then stopped. You couldn't deny it, Eddie was dead, his blood was no longer circulating, his skin was as pale as it had ever been, he wasn't eating, he wasn't sleeping, he couldn't stay in the sunlight.

The cool breeze of the night sweeped through the air, causing the leaves of nearby trees to rustle softly and you wrapped yourself in your leather jacket, the one that once belonged to Eddie and that he no longer needed.

"I talk to him often, Eddie. He's hurting, he's grieving. You should... you should let him know that you're not... that you're still here. That he can still talk to you, that he can still hug you, and that even though things are no longer the same, even if they may never be the same again, you are still like a son to him."

Eddie shook his head, a few dark curls falling into his eyes. His hair seemed longer than it was a few months before but you knew that it had probably stopped growing.

You reached out to move them, waiting a moment before your fingers touched his cold skin.

He didn't move away this time.

He closed his eyes as if, after weeks of avoiding your contact, he had reached the point that he could no longer bear to be away from your touch.

"It's better to be dead than-"

“No,” you grabbed his hand, you didn't care that it was cold, “don't say it. No one would rather you were dead. We spent days mourning you. Me, the kids, your uncle, even Steve. I felt like I was dying too, so don't say it would be better if you were dead. You're back. You're here. I can still talk to you, I can still hold your hand and I can still tell you that I love you."

His eyes glittered in the dark. You knew it was only because of his new "condition" and not because of the tears that might form in them.

Vampires couldn't cry, you read.

"How can you still-"

"Love you? Trust me, I can."

His hand moved into yours and for a moment you feared that he was leaving it, that he was about to run away like that time you took Dustin into the woods with you, but instead his fingers slowly intertwined with yours.

"I'm scared." He whispered.

“I know,” you drew circles on the back of his hand with your thumb, “I know.”

“I don't have a heartbeat anymore,” he said after a few moments, bringing your hand to his chest, where a heart had been stopped for about three weeks, “but I'm sure I still love you.”

"I know that too."

In the dark, you swore you saw a tear roll down his cheek.

Impossible, you said to yourself.

Vampires can't cry.

[scribble-dribble-writes]

Gunpowder

<<< Prev (The password) (Tattooed kisses) Next>>>

Pairing: Buggy x female mermaid!reader

Warning: none

Word count: 2000

Content: Just some domestic fluff

Not sure if these are any good haha but I crave the fluff 😩

---

You were lounging in the bath tub that was set aside for you in your quarters, the fresh water making the scales on your tail shimmer with life. The scented candles around you made your room smell like the island that was near the cove you had inhabited long ago. Now buggy makes a point to get you things any time his ship passes that port, which for some reason has become often.

Wearing one of his tank tops that you stole from his deck, which he knew about but never asked for it to be returned. You were reading up on the other possible sea routes you could take, new monsters to be aware of and ship passages that you never criss cross because everyone was on a look out for mermaids. Not that there were many of your kind left because of the poaching and hunting, it had caused your people to be so far from the sea that many most likely had died on land.

Even though the water was warm a shiver ran down your spine, your mind going back to those dark days in the cove, trying your best as a young girl to hide away and scrounge for food when Buggy found you. As much as it was a part of you, your tail was often the reason why people began to hunt your kind down.

Circulated my myths that your scales could have healing properties or how owning one could bring good fortune to your house, the iridescent colour that thrum with every breath you took, it scared you. Where you saw beauty another saw opportunity. So you only took your mermaid form when you were alone or when you were on a mission, it wasn't for everyone to see.

Here on the ship though, you were safe, you could relax, no one was going to harm you. So you sank deeper into the tub and turned the next page in your book when the door bust open. You didn’t have to look up to know who it was. His squeaky shoes gave him away.

“Now what do you think about this new costume?”, he stood in the middle of your room with his arms stretched wide. You gave him the pleasure of letting your glance linger a little longer, that made his smile grow a little wider before you got back to your reading.

He was dressed in an extravagant over the top outfit, with multiple colors, rings on all his fingers, an even bigger hat and rhinestones catching the light so effortlessly. You tried to hide your smile behind your book but it was as though he could sense it.

“You don’t like it?”, he whined as he got closer to you, to sit down near the edge of your tub.

“No, no, it works well for the show. What is tonight’s story about?”, you asked as you continued to read, your eyes ever so often catching his.

“The prince and the mermaid princess.”, he leaned closer, his eyes taking in your features that you could feel the electric touch on your skin.

But you huffed a laugh which seemed to bother him. He pushed your book away to get your attention.

“Why is that funny?”, he asked in a more serious tone.

You took a second to analyse him, the sudden change in his demeanor, all your favourite colours on his suit, he knew you liked precious stones, so he had all of it on his hat. It was endearing, no one had taken time to get to know you.

“Mermaids don’t like princes.”, you told him, his face fell even further.

He dipped his fingers into the water to play with edges of your long dark hair. You wanted to bring back the zest with which he had entered, but before you could try to make amends, his eyes found yours again.

“What do mermaids like?”, he asked to which you continued your act of looking away lost in thought. Your theatrics bringing back a smile to his face.

Princes would never consider what you liked, they only wanted to hold onto you like a valuable possession. But Buggy wasn't like that at all, in fact he was the opposite in every way.

“In general?”, you asked unable to hide the fuzzy warmth that was filling up your body the more you got him to relax.

So he rephrased his question.

“What do you like?”, he asked but looked away as though your answer was the only thing in the world that could truly break him apart.

“I like clowns.”, you said quietly, placing your face in front of his so he had to catch your gaze again. He pursed his lips, nodding with confidence and joy.

His energy was back, the glimmer in his eyes, the certainty in his smile. Not many knew the man behind the mask, the man who was insecure about his nose, that he only wanted attention because he never received it, to have had been a part of a crew and then be betrayed. So you were protective of it, his happiness. Just the way he was protective of your freedom.

“But you do look good as a prince.”, you smiled as kissed his cheek, which with the way he was tapping his fingers on the rim of the tub like a happy puppy, let you know that your mission was accomplished.

“I’ll raid a kingdom and give you a castle.”, he beamed, swiping away a wet strand of hair from your face.

“No castle can amount to your ship. I feel happy here.”, you told him and watched his eyes widen. He knew what it meant when you said a place wasn’t constricting. He knew what it took for you to truly find comfort.

“I’m glad.”, he said tenderly, his calloused thumb tracing the rise of your cheek.

“Then tell me what you want and I’ll go steal it for you.”, he said, his soft gaze was easy to get lost in, making you feel like the only woman to exist because it was only reserved for you.

“I have everything I need right here.”, you replied, pulling your hand from the water to showcase your room but finally placed your pointer finger on his chest, right above his beating heart.

Maybe it was the gesture, or the scent of the room but as you smiled at him, you knew that these moments were the ones you could never trade off. You were tied to this ship just as much as he was, and if it went down, you would go down with him. But your hope wasn’t placed on someone who thirsted after power like many who dwelled on these open seas, it was on a boy who loved the spotlight with a little rough edges.

You saw him for who he was, sure he was still working on trying not to be greedy, to not put all his best efforts on unknown treasure, to make sure his crew was treated well. He still had a long way to go but it was how you stood by him, his most coveted spy that no one knew about was also the only woman who knew him well enough to see there was still a little good left in him. You deserved a better man and so he vowed to become one. For the first time in his life, he had to work hard for something that he truly wanted, he had to earn your love and every step of it was well worth the pain. So if you were so generous with being vulnerable with him, he could be too.

He leaned over to kiss your forehead and heard you hum softly but as he pulled away he noticed how the paint on his face had tainted your skin, so he furrowed his brows as he tried to wipe it off only to leave traces of gunpowder from his finger tips having dealt with cannon balls through the day. He frowned and you caught sight of it.

“What is the matter?”, you asked, holding his hand in place even though he tried to move away.

“Nothing, I’m prone to making a mess.”, he said as his eyes looked away out the little window but you understood the deeper meaning behind it.

So you took both his hands and placed it on the sides of your face even as he tried to hold it away, you didn’t listen to his words as he tried to convince you otherwise. You held his fingers tight, to feel the grit of his palm against your skin and holding you in his hands seemed to silence him, his eyes now filled to the brim with affection.

“The favourite thing about this man I like is that his hands smell like gunpowder.”, you said as you trailed your fingers over his, to close your eyes and inhale deeply the smell of flint from his hands when you opened your eyes, the edges of his eyes were glistening.

But he cleared his throat as he gave you a sweet smile.

You let go of his fingers and as he pulled them away, black residue was left behind on your cheeks.

“And the thing about messes is that,”, you paused as you submerged your head under the water and when you broke to the surface, your face was clean.

“There’s always a way to fix it.”, you raked your hair back as you let the water drip away from your face but your action had caused from him to watch you, his eyes now heavy lidded and dark, the smile on his face saying he wanted you.

He gave you a curt nod but as he did it he began to pull away his costume, till he only had his shorts on. His chiseled back catching the candlelight that the raised bumps of scar tissue were more evident now, he got closer to the tub and in moments like these, you knew he was the one in charge. From afar he looked lean but up close, his shoulders were broad, his constant training made him a much bigger build in contrast to your nimble form.

He gave orders and did as he pleased, so he held onto the edge of the large tub, the muscles on his arm flexing as he lowered himself into the warm water, letting out a sigh of delight. But that was only till he waded towards you, the water cleansing his hands clean, deeming him worthy of holding you properly this time. His eyes spoke a language only you understood and now you knew he only had one thing on his mind.

But before he could get to it, he reached for your hand and placed it on his face, guiding your thumb across his lips, the water began to wipe away the paint on his face. You understood what he wanted you to do so you go to it. He positioned himself below you, such that you could sit on him, your tail draped across the lower half of his body, to use your fingers to wipe away the paint on his face till finally you caught sight of his bare face.

Vulnerable and afraid as his eyes flitted away from you, as though you were going to reject him. But if he loved you for who you were, you did the same. You tilted his face up to the light and his eyes bored into yours, there was no more paint or gunpowder to get in the way or cause a mess. It was only you and him. The girl who was lost and the boy who had found her. His hand steadied your hip as your tail flipped joyously at the end of the tub. He held onto your with adoration, his touch over your scales pushing your over the edge of desire. You placed your palms on his bare chest and felt the rhythm of his heart that beat rapidly the more he got close to you.

“You’re the best treasure I’ve ever found.”, he said quietly as though it was a truth he could no longer hide.

Your eyes fell to his lips as your fingers traced up his neck to pull back his wild wet blue hair. He pulled you to him, a low chuckle escaping his mouth as his lips found yours as if you were the answer to his life, to his loneliness, there was a passion in how held you but the slow and sure manner of his kisses made you feel that he was in no hurry. He didn’t have any another place to be or another attack to strategize.

He was yours first and he wanted you to know it so you let him, let his lips tell you without words all the ways he loved you. You drew him closer, his head fit into the crevice of your neck as though he was made for you.

The night was young and for the first time, in each other’s arms, you began to feel young and alive too.