#but those arent till december

[yymiya]

shoutout to the vampire!diluc fic i started in march and never finished because of exams & uni... this was the first scene LMAO

This is the third letter in five days.

There are likely a number of others, led astray by the blizzard, beaten down by the fall of snow, but precisely three have reached his hand. The terrain here is beautiful, if fatally unpredictable and volatile. Lines of correspondence are often clipped by the conditions much sooner than intended—this, Diluc is acquainted with.

Yet, once more, his falcon drifts along the howling wind and dives down to perch on her master’s raised arm, and he knows the parchment fastened to her leg is not the biweekly report of the Dawn Winery’s affairs that he awaits but something else entirely.

Ordo Favonius has been unusually, frustratingly persistent as of late.

How typical, intercepting his commercial communications to deliver a message—several, rather—of their own without a care for the routine they disrupt. They must have forgotten that he intends to complete this journey alone. He doesn’t need their aid, or their ingratiating, sickly words and void oaths. 

Diluc halts. His boots kick up a gust of powdery snow. It settles between his boot buckles and the creases in his trousers. 

He should read the letter. For what reason would they write him, if not one of great importance?

The others had been scorched, set aflame before the parchment was unravelled to reveal more than the Favonius Coat of Arms. He typically finds a vestige of satisfaction in allowing the stamped ink to smoulder and fall away but...

It isn’t there.

Instead, the letter bears the emblem of his family name.

His falcon is dismissed. She glides through the dull evening and seeks refuge atop a high branch. Only once she begins preening does Diluc’s attention return to the parchment clutched in his fist.

He gouges the Ragnvindr crest with a blade, bending one knee to smear the ink in the snow. It isn’t necessary. Each letter he keeps is then stitched into his jacket lining, but this needless routine of self-preservation is familiar, tried and true.

He stands. Narrowed eyes flick across the page. His sight is obscured by the snowflakes mired in his lashes but he blinks them away, each word bolstering something within him that he wishes not to address.

The anger that festers is white-hot, spiking at the edges until each facet of his being stings.

Only Kaeya is this bold. Hiding behind a crest to which he no longer belongs. Using that horribly sapid handwriting that they had been taught together in their youth. Pretending that he is owed a favour, as though a decade of those weren’t enough.

Diluc presses the back of his hand to his mouth, eyes tightly closed. That isn’t it. Much of his anger directed towards Kaeya faltered with the searing of rain-soaked flesh. Mere vestiges remain.

It seems time away has done little to assuage his distaste for the Knights.

Onyx flames teeter between the ridge of his index and the parchment, but the strange light dissipates with the tremble of his hand. For now, he tucks it into his inner pocket and takes shelter beneath a tall pine.

His falcon keeps watch from above. If a commotion emerges nearby, she will notify him, but Diluc must think for the time being.

The letter is simple, devoid of Kaeya’s flowery, placating language and double entendres, and the message simpler: Inspector Eroch has been purged from the Knights of Favonius and Diluc is permitted to return at last.

The fulfilment of a promise should be gratifying—one more senseless bastard driven out of Mondstadt—but Kaeya’s warning to proceed with caution should not be taken lightly. Eroch’s allies have not yet exposed themselves to the investigation, but they are there, and several of their covert workings presently cause instability within Ordo Favonius.

Despite their differences, Kaeya's judgement is trusted. After all, they were reared by the same hand, the same goal. Their minds are intrinsically tethered together.

Still. Diluc is nothing if not saddled by duty. A legacy sits beneath his skin, bitter and empty and surrounded by stagnant, aged blood. It is Mondstadt that earned his devotion; his family and friends, however few remain. He has a duty as a child of the wind.

He sighs, working his jaw. What choice does he have? They—

They will rescind his exile. They will forgive his transgressions.

This existence is a lonely one, but whether the warm winds of the city will thread him together, he isn’t certain. The community would shun him if they became privy to the truth. Each patrolling knight, complicit or otherwise, would serve as a heavy reminder.

Diluc pulls his glove taut. This place is callous and unwelcoming, a dead-end that stretches for miles of barren desolation. He has scoured all corners while lying in wait.

Gods, has he waited.

His falcon sounds up ahead. There must be trouble nearby.

Hasn’t he done all he can?

[that-writer-101]

The Winter Nightmare Pt. 1

Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

Your life wasn't easy.

When you were just 8, HYDRA broke into your house.

A man, who you would later identify as The Winter Soldier, killed your grandparents who you lived with, then kidnapped you.

You were experimented on.

You were tortured.

You were shocked. Kicked. Slapped. Punched. You were bit one time for christ's sake.

Now why were they doing all this?

You have powers.

Pyrokinesis to be exact.

It was easy to control, for you at least. But you still screwed up sometimes.

They would stretch you past your limits until you physically passed out or collapsed. Even then, you'd be beaten for not being strong enough. You'd wake up with new bruises.

You were taught that the heros, the Avengers, those were the bad guys. You half believed it, but also half believed that HYDRA was bad. But how would you know? You hadn't been able to look anything up or anything like that.

As you got older, your hatred for this Winter Soldier grew and grew.

Years of training and torture passed by like pages flipping in a book.

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Then one day, everything changed.

The Winter Soilder had disappeared a few months ago, though that didnt mean you still weren't getting beat. If anything they upped the punishments to almost make up for him not being there.

December 4th. 5:17 a.m.

A crash.

Gunshots.

Foot steps.

"Grab the kid! We cant afford to lose 'er!" One guard shouted. Another yanked your arm.

You figured this was your chance. You burned the guard's arms and he drops you.

"SON OF A-"

You make a run for it.

You bolt out of your holding cell. You run and run until you bump into someone.

Shit.

Was your only thought.

You look up. You expect to see the face of an angry guard. What you see instead is the Black Widow.

You inch back a bit.

"Guys I found the girl." She says into an earpiece.

You continue to move back, fear in your eyes, "S-stay back-!" You manage to stutter out.

She bends down to your level on the floor, "Listen kid, we're here to help. We arent going to hurt you."

"B-but.. You.. I.." You stumble over your words.

"We're the good guys. We're gonna get you outta here. But if you dont let us help you, you'll blow up with the base, alright?"

You simply nod your head, too shaken up to talk.

You stand up and follow her as she walks off.

The two of you are about to round a corner, you pull her back.

"There are guards.. Uh.. Hiding in.. The v-vents.." You mumble, pointing to a large vent on the ceiling.

She takes out a gun and shoots through the vent a few times till a few guards drop out, dead.

"Not anymore."

She leads you out of the base and into a jet. There's a few others there too.

You quickly identify them as Captain America, Iron Man, The Scarlet Witch, Dr Strange, and Spiderman. And then obviously Black Widow.

You tuck yourself into a secluded corner.

Black Widow walks over to you and sits next to you.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Natasha, what's your name?"

"Y/n.."

"That's a lovely name. What powers do you have?"

"Pyro.. Pyrokinesis.."

"That really cool. We're going to arrive in about.. 3 and a half hours, so get some rest while you can, alright? I'll grab you a blanket."

"Wh.. Where are we... going..?" You mutter, your eyes growing heavier.

"The Avengers Tower." She says, a slight smile appearing on her face.

"M'kay.." You say as your eyes close, drifting off to sleep.

Natasha grabs a blanket and places it over you. You curl into it comfortably.

-

-

-

-

-

You wake up.

You groan, your neck stiff from being in a literal corner.

You're still in the jet. You hear some people talking.

"What do we do with her?"

"She could make a good avenger."

"Or we could-"

"Guys shut up she's waking up."

You curl the blanket around you and look up.

"Like the blanket?" Natasha asks, looking over at you.

"This is like.. The first blanket I've used in.. A lotta years.. So yeah.." You sigh, a slight laugh at the end.

You gain a few sympathetic looks.

"We're going to be there soon. We'll show you to your room, give you some clothes, then we'll.. Well we will discuss that after." Steve says.

You nod, then rub your eyes a bit, "That was the longest sleep I've had without being interrupted in a long time.." You say, a small smile appearing on your face.

"How long were you there?" Tony questions.

"Since I was.. Like.. 8.. So.. 12 ish years.."

You all talk for a bit, then eventually the jet lands at the tower.

"C'mon, I'll show you to your room." Natasha says, holding a hand out to help you up. You stand up and follow her into the tall building.

After going up a decent amount of floors, you step out of the elevator and are led to a room at the back of the floor.

"Here's your room. There's some clothes in there already, they might be a bit big though."

You step into the room and your jaw drops, "Woahhhh!" You say in awe, "This room is like twice the size of my cell! And there's an actual bed!" You go and jump onto the bed like a small child.

Natasha give you a sympathy filled smile, "Take a shower and get changed. We're going to have you meet someone soon."

You nod and Natasha walks out. You take a decently long shower, scrubbing every inch of your body. You wanted every dust speck from HYDRA off of you.

You step back into your room and find a pair of jeans and a baggy t-shirt.

You turn to a large mirror on the right side of the room.

You didn't recognize yourself.

The last time you had seen yourself in a mirror was when you were 8. In your house. With your grandparents. Before everything changed. Before anything happened.

You remembered it so well.

-

"C'mon Y/n!" Your grandma called out, "The party is starting soon! We're going to be late!"

"But Gramma, the party starts in like 3 hours! We still have time!" You sighed, but ran to your room to get ready.

"Little Flare, what should I wear?" Your grandpa asked. Flare was your nickname, taken from you powers.

"I'm gonna wear my favorite red dress!" You said, grabbing it out of your closet.

You walked over to your full length mirror and held it against yourself. Your face was clean, no bruises or scars at all, "Gramma, Grandpa, what jewelry should I wear?"

"Ooh, you should wear those cute diamond earrings I got you for your birthday!"

"I agree with Gramma, and your little blue necklace."

Then it happened.

The window smashed open. Your grandparents were shot right infront of you.

You were grabbed. Your adorable red dress fell to the ground and got stomped on.

-

Suddenly you were back to the present. You look closely into the full length mirror, just like the one you had in your home, staring at your unfamiliar face. You trace your scars with your fingers.

You take a step back, starring at your scar filled arms.

You take off your shirt and look at your body.

Bruises and scars.

That was all you saw.

A wave of painful despair washes over you. You begin to cry, still staring at your reflection.

Wanda walks into the room, "Hey, just seeing if you were almost ready for- Oh my stars!" She exclaims, running over to you.

You flinch as she puts a hand on your shoulder, "Darling, what's wrong?" She asks, taking on a motherly role with you.

"I just.." Your lip quivers as you hold back more tears, "look a lot different than i thought i would.." You meet her eyes in the mirror, giving her a not-so-reassuring smile as a tear falls down your cheek.

"Look at me," she says, turning her head to yours, you look at her, "you're so strong. You survived through so much. You look wonderful, kid."

You pull her into a hug, mumbling a thank you as you do. You take a deep breath and pull your shirt back over your head.

You and Wanda walk down to the common area of the tower. There's a new face, a man that hadn't been there before.

"Look who finally showed up." Steve joked, sighing as he looked up at you.

The man walks up to you, "Director Fury. Nice to meet you Ms. L/n." He holds out a hand for a hand shake.

You shake his hand. You're still very shaken up by the whole situation.

In the span of a day you had gone from being tortured to being greeted nicely.

You and Fury both take a seat, the rest of the people there watch the two of you intently.

"So, L/n," Fury starts, "You're a pyrokinetic, correct?"

You nod in response.

"On a scale of one to ten, how would You describe your control of those powers. One being no control, ten being total control."

"Uh.. Like an eight... I guess..?"

"Care to demonstrate?"

"Isn't that a bit.. Uhm.. Dangerous..?"

"You have decent control do you not?"

You simply nod, you hold your hand out and a small, flickering, shakey flame comes up.

Fury arches an eyebrow.

"She's had a long day." Steve starts, "A lot has changed over the last few hours for her. Give her some time to warm up." (Pun intended.) Steve continues, looking at Fury.

Fury nods and stands up, "I'll come back in a few days. I expect to be impressed." He says, then walks out.

You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding.

"You alright, kid?"

You just shake your head and close your eyes. You feel weak. The adrenaline that had been flowing through you this whole time was wearing off.

"You should get some rest, it's getting late. C'mon, I'll help you back to your room." Natasha says, getting up and then helping you up.

The two of you go up the elevator to your floor and walk back to your room.

"Once you regain some strength, we'll test out your powers, alright?"

You nod, going into your room and grabbing some pyjamas, "Alright.. Talk to you tomorrow.." You yawn and give her a tired smile.

Natasha walks out and shuts the door. You quickly get changed and lay on your new bed. The bed is so goddamn comfortable, you fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.

-

-

You wake up feeling more refreshed than you ever did. You check the time, 1:37 p.m.

You do a bit of quick math in your head.

God damn.

You slept for 17 straight hours.

You take a quick shower and get changed into a pair of black leggings and another baggy t-shirt.

You walk down to the common area.

"Look who finally woke up." Tony says, glancing up at you from one of his little inventions.

"That was the best sleep I've had in a LONG time." You smile, then go and sit on the couch next to Natasha.

A few other people were in the room too, Wanda, Bruce, and Steve.

"Guys, Buck is gonna be here soon." Steve says.

"Who?" You ask, it was a name you hadn't heard before.

"A friend of mine, he's also an Avenger. He's been on a mission for the past week."

"Oh, alright!" You don't know why, but the thought of this new person makes you uneasy.

After a bit you would find out why.

"Buck's here." Steve says, "He'll be up in a minute."

You stand up and walk to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. You hear Steve greet his friend and you walk back into the common area.

You see who Steve is greeting.

The man who tortured you for years.

The Winter Soilder

Your eyes meet his.

"Oh hell no." Is all you say.

Bucky's eyes go slightly wide.

"Buck? Something wrong?"

"Y/n, you alright?"

You walk up to him.

"So the Winter Soldier has a name."

The room goes quiet.

You make a flame in your hand and launch it at Bucky, he moves away just before it hits him.

"Aw how sad. I missed."

"Y/n, stop, what's going on?!" Steve shouts, stepping between you and Bucky.

"That man, no, that boy, tortured me for nearly 12 straight years. Can't I get some payback?" Your voice is unnervingly calm.

"Flare look-" Bucky starts, you cut him off.

"Don't FUCKING call me that!" You shout, tossing another handful of fire at him. This time you hit him in the chest.

Natasha grabs the top of your arms and pulls you back. It was just like the guards did.

Your mind goes back to HYDRA. You make yourself go limp. The guards didn't like struggle, going limp was always the best option.

Natasha didn't know what to do. She'd just grabbed you and you'd suddenly gone limp. She lets go of you.

You look back to Bucky.

"Go fuck yourself. And stay the hell away from me."

You storm up to your room. All eyes turn to Bucky.

"Buck, I need one hell of an explanation."

[marvel-writer-101]

The Winter Nightmare

Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

Part 1.

Warnings: mentions of torture

Word count: 2.2k

Author note; Now THIS is the longest one shot (part) I've ever written

Your life wasn't easy.

When you were just 8, HYDRA broke into your house.

A man, who you would later identify as The Winter Soldier, killed your grandparents who you lived with, then kidnapped you.

You were experimented on.

You were tortured.

You were shocked. Kicked. Slapped. Punched. You were bit one time for christ's sake.

Now why were they doing all this?

You have powers.

Pyrokinesis to be exact.

It was easy to control, for you at least. But you still screwed up sometimes.

They would stretch you past your limits until you physically passed out or collapsed. Even then, you'd be beaten for not being strong enough. You'd wake up with new bruises.

You were taught that the heros, the Avengers, those were the bad guys. You half believed it, but also half believed that HYDRA was bad. But how would you know? You hadn't been able to look anything up or anything like that.

As you got older, your hatred for this Winter Soldier grew and grew.

Years of training and torture passed by like pages flipping in a book.

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Then one day, everything changed.

The Winter Soilder had disappeared a few months ago, though that didnt mean you still weren't getting beat. If anything they upped the punishments to almost make up for him not being there.

December 4th. 5:17 a.m.

A crash.

Gunshots.

Foot steps.

"Grab the kid! We cant afford to lose 'er!" One guard shouted. Another yanked your arm.

You figured this was your chance. You burned the guard's arms and he drops you.

"SON OF A-"

You make a run for it.

You bolt out of your holding cell. You run and run until you bump into someone.

Shit.

Was your only thought.

You look up. You expect to see the face of an angry guard. What you see instead is the Black Widow.

You inch back a bit.

"Guys I found the girl." She says into an earpiece.

You continue to move back, fear in your eyes, "S-stay back-!" You manage to stutter out.

She bends down to your level on the floor, "Listen kid, we're here to help. We arent going to hurt you."

"B-but.. You.. I.." You stumble over your words.

"We're the good guys. We're gonna get you outta here. But if you dont let us help you, you'll blow up with the base, alright?"

You simply nod your head, too shaken up to talk.

You stand up and follow her as she walks off.

The two of you are about to round a corner, you pull her back.

"There are guards.. Uh.. Hiding in.. The v-vents.." You mumble, pointing to a large vent on the ceiling.

She takes out a gun and shoots through the vent a few times till a few guards drop out, dead.

"Not anymore."

She leads you out of the base and into a jet. There's a few others there too.

You quickly identify them as Captain America, Iron Man, The Scarlet Witch, Dr Strange, and Spiderman. And then obviously Black Widow.

You tuck yourself into a secluded corner.

Black Widow walks over to you and sits next to you.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Natasha, what's your name?"

"Y/n.."

"That's a lovely name. What powers do you have?"

"Pyro.. Pyrokinesis.."

"That really cool. We're going to arrive in about.. 3 and a half hours, so get some rest while you can, alright? I'll grab you a blanket."

"Wh.. Where are we... going..?" You mutter, your eyes growing heavier.

"The Avengers Tower." She says, a slight smile appearing on her face.

"M'kay.." You say as your eyes close, drifting off to sleep.

Natasha grabs a blanket and places it over you. You curl into it comfortably.

-

-

-

-

-

You wake up.

You groan, your neck stiff from being in a literal corner.

You're still in the jet. You hear some people talking.

"What do we do with her?"

"She could make a good avenger."

"Or we could-"

"Guys shut up she's waking up."

You curl the blanket around you and look up.

"Like the blanket?" Natasha asks, looking over at you.

"This is like.. The first blanket I've used in.. A lotta years.. So yeah.." You sigh, a slight laugh at the end.

You gain a few sympathetic looks.

"We're going to be there soon. We'll show you to your room, give you some clothes, then we'll.. Well we will discuss that after." Steve says.

You nod, then rub your eyes a bit, "That was the longest sleep I've had without being interrupted in a long time.." You say, a small smile appearing on your face.

"How long were you there?" Tony questions.

"Since I was.. Like.. 8.. So.. 12 ish years.."

You all talk for a bit, then eventually the jet lands at the tower.

"C'mon, I'll show you to your room." Natasha says, holding a hand out to help you up. You stand up and follow her into the tall building.

After going up a decent amount of floors, you step out of the elevator and are led to a room at the back of the floor.

"Here's your room. There's some clothes in there already, they might be a bit big though."

You step into the room and your jaw drops, "Woahhhh!" You say in awe, "This room is like twice the size of my cell! And there's an actual bed!" You go and jump onto the bed like a small child.

Natasha give you a sympathy filled smile, "Take a shower and get changed. We're going to have you meet someone soon."

You nod and Natasha walks out. You take a decently long shower, scrubbing every inch of your body. You wanted every dust speck from HYDRA off of you.

You step back into your room and find a pair of jeans and a baggy t-shirt.

You turn to a large mirror on the right side of the room.

You didn't recognize yourself.

The last time you had seen yourself in a mirror was when you were 8. In your house. With your grandparents. Before everything changed. Before anything happened.

You remembered it so well.

-

"C'mon Y/n!" Your grandma called out, "The party is starting soon! We're going to be late!"

"But Gramma, the party starts in like 3 hours! We still have time!" You sighed, but ran to your room to get ready.

"Little Flare, what should I wear?" Your grandpa asked. Flare was your nickname, taken from you powers.

"I'm gonna wear my favorite red dress!" You said, grabbing it out of your closet.

You walked over to your full length mirror and held it against yourself. Your face was clean, no bruises or scars at all, "Gramma, Grandpa, what jewelry should I wear?"

"Ooh, you should wear those cute diamond earrings I got you for your birthday!"

"I agree with Gramma, and your little blue necklace."

Then it happened.

The window smashed open. Your grandparents were shot right infront of you.

You were grabbed. Your adorable red dress fell to the ground and got stomped on.

-

Suddenly you were back to the present. You look closely into the full length mirror, just like the one you had in your home, staring at your unfamiliar face. You trace your scars with your fingers.

You take a step back, starring at your scar filled arms.

You take off your shirt and look at your body.

Bruises and scars.

That was all you saw.

A wave of painful despair washes over you. You begin to cry, still staring at your reflection.

Wanda walks into the room, "Hey, just seeing if you were almost ready for- Oh my stars!" She exclaims, running over to you.

You flinch as she puts a hand on your shoulder, "Darling, what's wrong?" She asks, taking on a motherly role with you.

"I just.." Your lip quivers as you hold back more tears, "look a lot different than i thought i would.." You meet her eyes in the mirror, giving her a not-so-reassuring smile as a tear falls down your cheek.

"Look at me," she says, turning her head to yours, you look at her, "you're so strong. You survived through so much. You look wonderful, kid."

You pull her into a hug, mumbling a thank you as you do. You take a deep breath and pull your shirt back over your head.

You and Wanda walk down to the common area of the tower. There's a new face, a man that hadn't been there before.

"Look who finally showed up." Steve joked, sighing as he looked up at you.

The man walks up to you, "Director Fury. Nice to meet you Ms. L/n." He holds out a hand for a hand shake.

You shake his hand. You're still very shaken up by the whole situation.

In the span of a day you had gone from being tortured to being greeted nicely.

You and Fury both take a seat, the rest of the people there watch the two of you intently.

"So, L/n," Fury starts, "You're a pyrokinetic, correct?"

You nod in response.

"On a scale of one to ten, how would You describe your control of those powers. One being no control, ten being total control."

"Uh.. Like an eight... I guess..?"

"Care to demonstrate?"

"Isn't that a bit.. Uhm.. Dangerous..?"

"You have decent control do you not?"

You simply nod, you hold your hand out and a small, flickering, shakey flame comes up.

Fury arches an eyebrow.

"She's had a long day." Steve starts, "A lot has changed over the last few hours for her. Give her some time to warm up." (Pun intended.) Steve continues, looking at Fury.

Fury nods and stands up, "I'll come back in a few days. I expect to be impressed." He says, then walks out.

You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding.

"You alright, kid?"

You just shake your head and close your eyes. You feel weak. The adrenaline that had been flowing through you this whole time was wearing off.

"You should get some rest, it's getting late. C'mon, I'll help you back to your room." Natasha says, getting up and then helping you up.

The two of you go up the elevator to your floor and walk back to your room.

"Once you regain some strength, we'll test out your powers, alright?"

You nod, going into your room and grabbing some pyjamas, "Alright.. Talk to you tomorrow.." You yawn and give her a tired smile.

Natasha walks out and shuts the door. You quickly get changed and lay on your new bed. The bed is so goddamn comfortable, you fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.

-

-

You wake up feeling more refreshed than you ever did. You check the time, 1:37 p.m.

You do a bit of quick math in your head.

God damn.

You slept for 17 straight hours.

You take a quick shower and get changed into a pair of black leggings and another baggy t-shirt.

You walk down to the common area.

"Look who finally woke up." Tony says, glancing up at you from one of his little inventions.

"That was the best sleep I've had in a LONG time." You smile, then go and sit on the couch next to Natasha.

A few other people were in the room too, Wanda, Bruce, and Steve.

"Guys, Buck is gonna be here soon." Steve says.

"Who?" You ask, it was a name you hadn't heard before.

"A friend of mine, he's also an Avenger. He's been on a mission for the past week."

"Oh, alright!" You don't know why, but the thought of this new person makes you uneasy.

After a bit you would find out why.

"Buck's here." Steve says, "He'll be up in a minute."

You stand up and walk to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. You hear Steve greet his friend and you walk back into the common area.

You see who Steve is greeting.

The man who tortured you for years.

The Winter Soilder

Your eyes meet his.

"Oh hell no." Is all you say.

Bucky's eyes go slightly wide.

"Buck? Something wrong?"

"Y/n, you alright?"

You walk up to him.

"So the Winter Soldier has a name."

The room goes quiet.

You make a flame in your hand and launch it at Bucky, he moves away just before it hits him.

"Aw how sad. I missed."

"Y/n, stop, what's going on?!" Steve shouts, stepping between you and Bucky.

"That man, no, that boy, tortured me for nearly 12 straight years. Can't I get some payback?" Your voice is unnervingly calm.

"Flare look-" Bucky starts, you cut him off.

"Don't FUCKING call me that!" You shout, tossing another handful of fire at him. This time you hit him in the chest.

Natasha grabs the top of your arms and pulls you back. It was just like the guards did.

Your mind goes back to HYDRA. You make yourself go limp. The guards didn't like struggle, going limp was always the best option.

Natasha didn't know what to do. She'd just grabbed you and you'd suddenly gone limp. She lets go of you.

You look back to Bucky.

"Go fuck yourself. And stay the hell away from me."

You storm up to your room. All eyes turn to Bucky.

"Buck, I need one hell of an explanation.

[thewritewolf]

DJ Wifi December Day 18 - Partners in Crime

I imagine that a big bonding exercise for Alya and Nino is plotting to get their best friends together, for all the normal reasons of ‘oh they’re so good together’ and ‘oh they definitely love each other’ but also because they want to do double dates real bad. Here’s how I imagine one such plotting session / date to go. 

@purrincess-chat

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

Nino stopped her on her way out of the classroom. She waved Marinette on after it looked like her best friend was about to hover nearby waiting for her. “Sorry, girl. I’ll head over to your place in a bit, okay?” Marinette glanced between the two of them before giving an awkward smile and nodding.

“We’re good for tomorrow still, right?” Nino asked after she had left.

Peering around the corner, Alya waited till her friend was out of sight before replying, “Yes, we still need to brainstorm for Operation: The Baker Girl and the Prince.”

“Plus the restaurant will be awesome.” He added with a grin.

“Well yeah. Plotting is better with a full stomach.”

“And the movie theater?” He asked as they began to walk out of the school.

“We’ll need that time to really think about what we’ve come up with,” she replied, with a faint smile undercutting her serious tone.

“No doubt about it, babe. Same time as usual?”

“Of course.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek as they parted ways.

---------------------------------------

The next day, they met at a new restaurant at noon. They began to talk as they waited for their food to arrive.

“Any new developments for my second favorite ship?”

“Dude, I want those two together also, but you really shouldn’t ship real people, you know?”

She fixed him with a Look. “Babe, have you seen the way they look at each other? Adrien just doesn’t know what an actual romantic relationship is like.”

“Hey, my bro-”

“-got his entire idea of romance from anime and manga.”

“So?”

She covered her face for a moment and took a deep breath. She loved this boy but sometimes he was dense.

“Okay. He thinks that love is all romantic gestures and dramatic emotions, right?”

“Yeah… And we have that, don’t we?”

“Yes, but that’s not all it is! Love is feeling secure with someone. It’s wanting to be near them all the time.” She held up a hand to stop Nino. “No way you can tell me he doesn't like her being in his space. Remember that dance? And that kiss for our movie?”

Nino held up his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, chill dude.” Their drinks arrived and as Alya took a sip, Nino said, “Plus, love helps you overlook people’s flaws. Like being far too nosy in people’s lives.” She glared at him, but he just smiled and stuck out his tongue.

“Not relevant since my girl is flawless.”

“Are we sure that you aren’t the one in love with Marinette?” He smiled at her indignant huff. “Anyway, there is all that stuttering around him she does. Have you seen how he looks at her when she stumbles her words around him? Totally adoring.”

“A lot like how you look at me when you think I’m not looking?” Now it was her turn to smile as he sputtered out a reply. “Relax, cappy. It’s cute.”

He groaned. “Cappy? Really? Do we have to stick with Nora’s nickname for me?”

The conversation drifted to other topics and they didn’t make any real progress on their plot. But then, they never did, always getting too distracted with each other nearby, too caught up in their own love to pull their friends together.

In the end, once they were each home for the evening, they couldn’t really regret how they’d spent their time together. One day, they knew that their friends would be happy like they were. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take being locked in an animal exhibit to bring them together.

[scrapyardboyfriends]

I've just read that the Whites arent leaving until January. I just can't see how they can possible drag them out that long. Unless theres possible some kind of custody battle about Sebastian. O joy of joys....

I mean, I’d love for them to all be gone in December too but we basically know what’s happening through the end of November. Then there’s three weeks till Christmas and they probably won’t be on for at least one of those weeks I would wager. Then we’ll get all the Christmas/New Years Robron related stuff. And then I think the stunt that involves them which will probably be or lead to their exit is supposed to be in early January, mid at the latest? I’m not 100% sure on that. 

I know it seems like forever, but it’s really not that long now. 

[theechoofadistanttide-blog]

Feeling like I’m having a nervous breakdown

Hey guys so ok this is gonna be a very long post ‘cause I’m having a nervous breakdown and I dont think I can keep going like this.

From where do I start? 

I’m listening to “Fuck you” so probably I should start by speaking about Federico. Federico was my ex boyfriend and we were together for about 4 months (you may think it’s not so much time but for me it is). So you know how we broke up? No? Well, me neither. I was just getting very annoyed by his attitude and he gradually stopped asking me to hang out. So one day I called him and he didnt answer. After that day we didnt see each other anymore. That sucks right? No it doesn’t because I am a fucking strange person that can’t prove normal feelings.

I just let it go. That’s the end. And when I see him around the city with his friends, I’m only able to complain about them being all FUCKBOYS! 

I FUCKING HATE FUCKBOYS 

You wanna know where my hate comes from? All the guys I meet in this fucking city (which is making me wanna throw up so bad) anyway, all the guys just wanna fuck me and I’m fucking fed up! I deserve love and emotions and all those beautiful stuff that you get when someone CARES. I feel like no one cares, so why should I?

I went on a therapy till december, then I had to stop taking ZOLOFT ‘cause it was giving me more anxiety. So I started another therapy. On my own. I started building self-confidence. And now I seriously believe that I’m worthy and that I am unique and that no one can put me down. I SERIOUSLY believe that I’m an amazing creature with all the right stuff in the right place. So where’s the point?

The point is that I’m fed up of being forced to separate sex from emotional commitment: SEX IS EMOTIONAL COMMITMENT, YOU STUPID HYPOCRITES, IF YOU DON’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THE OTHER PERSON IS LIKE YOU’RE MASTURBATING WITH A DOLL YA KNOW.

But that’s not the end of my relationships’story: ever since I lost virginity I only ended up with guys who wanted to have sex without using fucking condoms. That’s thei point of view: OK YOU KNOW GIRL YOU’RE AMAZING BUT I CANT TAKE ON COMMITMENT CAUSE I’VE LOVED TOO MUCH IN MY LIFE SO JUST LET’S HAVING SEX! AH BUT SWEETIE I DONT USE CONDOMS: I CANT FEEL YOUR VAGINA, YA KNOW. BUT DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT: I CAN CONTROL MYSELF!

YOU KNOW WHAT? NO YOU CAN’T CONTROL YOURSELF! NOBODY CAN! Your fucking penis produces seminal stuff even BEFORE and DURING sex!

What about getting sick??????????? Syphilides? HIV??? FUCK YOU ALL!

This year I had to take 3 (THREE) day-after-pills... Which is like killing your uterus.... I was stupid but what else could I do? Ya... maybe being more conscious and force them to use condoms... But you know, when you fucking hate yourself you don’t care much about future and consequences... You’re just not able to think critically. You do the bad things, you choose bad. 

All I thought about ever since a while was being high...

So now we get to another big point of this overwhelming situation: PARENTS... Ya it seems like I got the perfect family: mum’s lawyer, dad’s a doctor... What could be wrong with ita? Just another bored girl complaining about not getting enough attention. NO

I mean, I’m aware of the fact that my life is not SERIOUSLY bad, but anyways: my parents are divorced, my dad is still a fuckboy. He got used to living alone so he does whatever he wanna do, he goes wherever and whenever, without caring about two daughters’ real problems. What if my mum wants to leave for a weekend and leave my little sister with him? She couldnt because “HE’S GOT PROGRAMS”. FUCK I GOT A PROGRAM TOO: I WANNA GETAWAY FROM HERE RIGHT NOW!

Anyway there we get to the other big problem: MY MUM... She’s been developping anorexia’s mentality since a couple ago, she doesn’t eat (like 1 coffee and half of a zucchini during all day, when she gets really depressed)... Oh, depression... Ya, a single mum with two problematic daughters, a private career (which is falling into pieces) and other shitty problems CAN GET DEPRESSION. It’s easy, though... But the bigger matter is that she denies it and she gets worse everyday ‘cause her situation gets worse (my grandma is sick, one of my mum’s best friends got cancer and she cant sleep because of worrying too much)... And when I told my father, he said I was wrong after she immediately denied.

Ah, my little sister gets mad with me when I tell my mother to eat. She’s like: “stop telling her what to do she’s an adult, she can take care of herself”

FUCK NO SHE CANT STOP SAYING THAT! SHE’D DIE IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS! SHE SUFFERS OF HEART RATING PROBLEMS! IF SHE DOESNT EAT AND KEEP GOING THIS HARD ON THINGS SHE WILL DIE! FUCK YOU STUPID TEENAGE GIRL

So I’m under pressure. I’M UNDER PRESSURE OK! MY MOM IS NOT ABLE TO GROW MY SISTER UP LIKE SHE DID WITH ME! SHE DOESN’T GET ANY RULE! I DON’T GET ANY RULE! Ok I’m 18 so I can understand when it’s time to stop a little back but SHE CAN’T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHEN IT’S TIME TO TIDY UP HER BEDROOM! She never does it cause nobody tells her! Nobody ever told her! And that’s a stupid example.

Ok, so I’m 18 right? And I got no rules ok? Yeah... cool... I can avoid sleeping, eating and going back home and living properly... I got sick for a week this summer and had to stop smoking.. But then I got better and kept smoking and drinking. Yeah maybe it’s not because I got no rules but because I like it and because it’s the only way to have fun and enjoy your time out in this fucking deserted city full of fucking bastards.

Maybe smoking and drinking arent an issue apparently. But what about taking care? That’s the issue. Here nobody teaches you how to take care of yourself.

So I feel like falling down... And it’s a fucking fast fall. And I get fucking blamed for this.

“You don’t help enough. You’re never happy. Everything someone does for you is shit. You always blame others for your faults. Don’t you think that maybe I’m so tired and depressed because of you, do you? You make me worry so much.”

That’s what my mom keeps repeating. And I keep feeling terribly guilty. For what? For being an adolescent and for having my mother tired to death... I’ve always paid attention to other’s feelings and conditions... I can’t help with this.

I CAN’T HELP WITH THIS OK. STOP. SAYING. THAT I AM. A. FUCKING. MESS. ! Cause you know what, mother? I’M NOT! I’M SUPER COOL AND I NEVER DISAPPOINTED YOU! I WAS PERFECT AT SCHOOL, I GOT THE BEST GRADES IN MY CLASS AND EVERY FUCKING TEACHER COMPLIMENTED! WHAT DO YOU WANT? I’M ONLY 18 AND I’VE ALREADY WRITTEN A COUPLE OF BOOKS! I GOT PLANS FOR MY FUTURE!

SO WHAT? I’M DEPRESSED? I SMOKE? I DRINK? I AM NOT EMOTIONALLY BALANCED? I AM NOT GOING TO APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. NEVER.

IT’S NOT MY FUCKING FAULT! I DIDN’T CHOOSE TO BE CONSTANTLY SAD AND TIRED! ! IT’S NOT MY FAULT.... 

(My mother doesn’t eat at all when I don’t want to eat... I can’t help with this... Sometimes I just cant think about eating...)

AND FUCK YOU NEVER APPRECIATE MY GOOD MOMENTS AND PERIODS! Like when I’m on top, when I feel like I can do everything.... You never get that.... FUCK YOU!

So being in this fragile situation gives me a lot of stress and anxiety... Luckily I finished school so now I can focus on things I like (and even there, when I wanna do things that I like, there are always problems)..

FUCK THIS CITY FUCK PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE FUCK MONEY PROBLEMS FUCK FAMILY FUCK MUM FUCK EVERYBODY I WANNA SET YOU ALL AND MY FUCKING LIFE ON FIRE 

So you’re reading a lot of anger in my words.. Your’re right, but anger is the only true feeling for me... Sometime I imagine really bad things (like tonight I started thinking about me being raped by my ex’s friends... with my ex being there knowing everything) just to check whether I’m still able to feel sorrow or not.

I often imagined my parents dying... Just for curiosity.. So I think about my feelings: how would I feel? How much would I cry? Would I cry??? What about my sister??

And sometimes I can’t answer, like if there was absolutely nothing in my soul...Just darkness and perdition.

I know it sounds so stupid and pathetic but that’s how I currently truly feel.

Lost.

I used to be really sensitive and cry for everything but then I stopped. Now I am just disgusted. DISGUSTED.. By humanity, first of all.

Lost and disgusted: is there any remedy? 

Maybe being high and drunk all tha way. 

I fucking hate this place and wanna go away.. Still have to wait for october for university... but actually I just wanna getaway.

The most important thing for me is living a pleasant life and never regret anything.... This city and this situation and the people surrounding me are making me regret a lot. They are making me live with anxiety etc..

SPLEEN. ok? Maybe spleen is my problem.... That’s all.

Fuck. Thank you guys for reading 

I just want to let you know that if you read all this you’re my super-heroes. 

Thanks, seriously

xx

theechoofadistanttide

[gymnasticcrazy-blog]

The Basics on Getting a Bigger, Stronger Back https://ift.tt/2UqrlNn

Hey everyone! I wrote this up in a deleted post on /advancedfitness and didnt want it to completely go to waste, so thought that Id post it here.

The question asked was specific to using Barbell Rows to get a bigger back, but I went on a little bit of a rant about back training in general, so here it is!

Ok, so, idk what your specific goals are, but if youre looking to develop a big back, then heavy bent over rows and heavy deadlifts should be incorporated into your program.

Some questions that you probably have: What type of bent over row should you be doing? What is the ideal torso-floor angle? Where should the bar be touching my torso?

The answer: yes. Whatever works best for you, but remember that variety/variations in a movement (as in purposely varying the movement, not just performing it with shitty form) is going to help target all intended muscles and lead to a fuller, more mechanical efficient back.

Some places to start/tips: first off, you should be able to row the same, or greater than your bench, period. If you cant, that means that your chest is way too developed/your back is under developed and this can lead to a whole host of mechanical issues and potential injuries.

Types of rows: i do three "types" of rows in my powerlifting routine (normally done in super sets, but they arent necessary) .

Bench Press/Supinated grip, relatively upright row supersets: right after I do a bench, I do a row with an underhand grip in a relatively upright position (maybe at a 70 degree angle from the floor) with the same weight and for the same reps as my bench. The bar ends up hitting just below my belly button and activates my biceps, upper back, and traps (they hit lats aswell, but I dont feel them as much there due to the relative upright position of the row). Quick note: these are the only rows that I do with a supinated grip (underhand grip, facing away from your body), all others are pronated (overhand) grip

Military press (or OHP) and Pendlay Row supersets: I put these two together because when Im MPing or OHPing Im cleaning the bar off the floor (the more explosive work in your routine, the better), so its nbd to just throw some more weight on and hammer out some rows. With these, Im close to parallel with the floor (hip is hinged, hams and glutes are loaded, back is in a neutral position, etc, kind of like a starting deadlift position). Your ripping the bar straight off the ground, hitting your torso (higher than your belly button, for me its maybe 2-3 inches below my sternum), and lowering the bar back to the ground. The key with these guys is explosiveness. You want to really be engaging your lats when you rip the bar off the ground, and if that means a little body english, then so be it. You dont need to maintain a 100% rigid torse through this movement, you should be doing each rep with intent. Just remember to maintain proper posture throughout the movement and dont round your back.

The "deadlift" row: I follow Cailer Woolam alot because Deadlifts are the best lifts and he is Dr. Deadlift (seriously, the guys a fucking freak at DLs) he does a modified bent over row where he incorporates a lot of body english into the movement , and honestly, these are fucking amazing for back development. Ill typically do these with barbell shrug super set (cailer style where you generate force with your legs. Theres a vid of him explaining somewhere on youtube), and I go heavy with both (like 3+ plates for reps). I cant recommend these enough, as they not only develop a great, strong back, but by using your legs to help drive the bar up, youre engaging your whole body, and developing explosive power (which translates into all other rows and deadlifts).

So those are your rows, but what else could you be doing?

Fucking. Dead. Lifts. Deads, all the deads: conventional deads, sumo deads, stiff leg deads (great for lowback, hams and glutes), Romanian deads (similar to stiff leg but a little more low back), box deads, w.e. just do them. All of them, and do them heavy, amd do them often. Even if youre just a body building broseph, heavy compound lifts (specifially deads and squats) trigger the release way more growth horomones than any isolation excersise possibly could. You get the most bang for your buck with these, and theyre worth it. Personally, I deadlift two days a week, one is purely conventional deadlifts and the other is purely sumo deads. They are similar, but they emphasis different areas of the body during the lift: Sumos hit the legs and hips a bit more, Conventional hits the back a bit more (especially low back).

Proper form chin ups/pull ups: you want wings? Do some fucking pull ups. Most people dont do them for a single reason: theyre hard (ego hits to the bros). Typically, Ill do chins/pulls between each of my sets for a couple of excersises. These dont need to be till failure, but if youre doing 3 pull ups per set of squats (or w.e) and you do 6 sets of squats, well, youve now done 18 pull ups in that work out. Progressively overload this as you see fit. If you cant do a pullup/chin up right now, learn with assistance bands (dont use the machine), there are plenty of tutorials on youtube.... Just be sure not to bag yourself lol. One more thing to note, Pull ups vs Lat Pulldown machines: Pull ups are a true multi-joint compound excersises that you cant cheat on (with proper form), while the Lat Pulldown machine is a much more isolated movement that you can easily "cheat" on. Generally, Pulls ups > Pull downs and the Pull have high muscle activation (through EMG readings) than Pull downs.

Hanging highpulls and/or hanging cleans: these may be a little difficult if youre not use to doing more explosive movements, but they're both amazing back exercises. A key to them is not letting the weight touch the ground between reps, which means more time under tension, which translates to more gains and greater strength. Honestly, these do more for my upper back than any other excersises (while hitting mid and lower back too), as youre really ripping the bar up to your shoulders.

Squats and front squats. How the hell do you expect to squat heavy if you dont have a strong enough back/core to stabalize the weight? (You cant). These will indirectly work your entire back (front squats engage your core and upper back, I find, more due to you fighting with gravity from flopping forward).

Fuck, I went on a rant. Call this one Road Rage Rob Random Rant.

Remember: chest and arms make you look strong, but legs and back actually make you strong.

Ill see myself out lol

Edit: accessory exercises to consider.

Face Pulls: learn to love them as they are one of the best isolation movements for the upper back (I super set them with Arnold Shoulder Presses for added masochism).

Inverted body weight rows: set a bar up in the rack, and maybe a bench outside of it to put your legs on (creating a parallel row or even a decline row). Super set these with push ups to get a nive even push-pull work out.

Back flies: same idea as a chest fly, but for your back, I find they really hit the center of my mid- upper back.

SO, what are some of your favourite back exercises?!

submitted by /u/RoadRageRob666 [link] [comments] December 10, 2018 at 04:57PM

[homeimprovementsone]

Six Home Improvements That Just Aren’t Worth It

As someone raised and born and central Indiana, I have been spoiled with real estate all my life. The first house we ever purchased (and we still possess as a rental property) set us back a whopping $102,500 and came with three bedrooms and 2 baths. Our house payment, and oh has been less than $700 per month!

Ever since that time, we bought a 2nd three-bedroom, two-bath leasing property for under $100,000, also our second house for $155,000 (that we sold later for $160,000).   Even our present residence, which we intend to reside in forever, just set us back $187,000. Before the housing market roared back into life — back in 2013, it’s around feet, also has been one of the very expensive homes in our community when we purchased it.

Home Upgrades and Repairs I Simply Won’t Make

Since we bought our house, we have put in a great deal of hard work to bring it up. We knocked out a wall to start up the downstairs floor plan, laid wood flooring (performing the bulk of the grunt work ourselves), and painted this place from the top to bottom.

We replaced several non-matching kitchen countertops that purchased new carpet for our upstairs made no sense, also re-stained our kitchen cabinets, that are 30 years old. In total, we have spent $20,000 upgrading our house over the four years we have lived here.

There’s plenty more to do, however, at a certain stage, you need to understand when to stop. While some updates are worthwhile since they truly increase the value and utility of your house, you need to understand where to draw the line — or risk over-improving and losing money in the long run.

While I am all about dolling up my primary residence, here are some repairs and upgrades I am not willing to make:

#1: Replacing Ugly Peel-and-Stick Floors

Had an interesting sense of style. When the master bathroom was remodeled by them, they chose flooring that looks great from a distance but insanely cheap. The strangest part about it, nevertheless, is the simple fact the floor pieces actually move sometimes since they are literally “glued” into the floor planks with adhesive.

But, do I take action? Not actually. The matter about our master bathroom — and the reason I won’t replace this flooring — is that it is not seen by anybody else. I can not think of a single person who has been aside from our children in our bedroom over the last few years.

We might need to replace the flooring if we wanted to sell our house, but it’s perfectly good to our eyes. Rather than paying1,500 to $3,000 in an nobody will ever see, we have chosen to pocket that money instead.

#2: Replacing Kitchen Cabinets

Our kitchen cabinets are first to this house, so they are 32 years of age. They had been in great shape when we purchased our house, albeit somewhat dated with country theme and a light oak stain.

I thought hard and long about everything to do with our cabinets before we decided to sand and then re-stain them ourselves. In the end, I couldn’t actually justify replacing our entire kitchen when the cabinets seemed okay, functioned fine, and had the capability to be even better.

At this point, I doubt we replace our kitchen cabinets. Not purchasing new cabinets is easily a savings of around $ 20,000, because the previous counters were mismatched while we spent about $ 200 on our cabinets and materials to sand and an additional $.

#3: New Windows

Our windows are first to this residence, which is part of the rationale they’d be expensive to replace. Being 30+ years old, how they’re made from timber frames that match our inner wood moldings and trim.

We’ve got 18 dividers, and 16 of them are still ideal. Two of them have noticeable openings to the exterior (which I’ve fixed temporarily with insulating material), and one of these two features a compromised seal. Fortunately, the window with the endangered seal (that is always slightly cloudy) faces the backyard and not the front.

We’ve thought hard and long about replacing our windows a few times, even going so far as obtaining a quotation from two different businesses. $ 18,000 was wanted by the other company, while one wanted around $ 15,000! I really could get more economical windows, however I know I would not be happy together. So, why bother?

Either way, we can not really justify the cost. Our windows work good and also our utility bills have been low. Because I doubt replacing our windows would result in any savings on gas or electricity, this can be.

#4: Replacing an Old Fence

Our house came with privacy fence that encloses our yard. This is a real advantage in our own eyes because we have two children, and the fence has continued to serve us well ever since we adopted a shelter dog in December.

The fence looks great from a distance. When we took down part of the fence to bring in our new drop before this summer, we found that our fence is not nearly as sturdy as it looks. My husband needed to do some repair work merely to set the thing!

After that, we got an estimate for fencing: $8,000. We knew that it would not be economical, but we’re surprised it’d cost that much for a fundamental shadowbox style. Obviously, till it falls down we’re likely to continue accepting our fence as-is.

#5: Repaving Our Driveway

It is not happening any time soon, while we have to repave our drive in the future. Our neighbors recently repaved their driveway and I’ve discovered that can not cost more than the job.

Our driveway isn’t broken it worn down and lacking the perfect black surface of driveways on our street. We’ll have to live with it the way it’s, and for now, and will they. I can not justify spending $8,000 to get a update when we have other important, aims to save for.

#6: Guest Bathroom Revamp

There are really so many things wrong with our hallway guest bathroom to count. Among those dual sinks is overlooking its own “plug” or stopper completely. After a piece of art was knocked off the walls, some of the tile near the toilet was broken.

The shower enclosure is original not exactly the latest style. The bathroom cabinet is over 30 years old, and the countertop is made of Formica, and each of of the hooks and hardware are all mismatched.

This is but it’s not happening any time soon. Considering that the bathroom needs a re-do, the project could easily cost $10,000 to $15,000. We could do some of the work ourselves, but I bother if it’s not likely to be exactly what I want. Like our master bathroom, people see this bathroom anyway.

The Most Important Thing

While I love this home and attempt to make it as amazing as you can, I also know that some house repairs and upgrades won’t ever pay off. If I did all the upgrades and repairs with this list, we would easily pay $50,000 or even more without including over a couple thousand dollars in value to our house.

Sooner or later, you need to understand where to draw the line — or danger over-improving into the detriment of your financing. For the time being, we’re going to continue to keep our additional cash and to be happy with what we have.

Holly Johnson is an award-winning personal finance author and the writer of . Johnson shares her obsession with all frugality, budgeting, and traveling at .

Are there any home improvements or updates you refuse to make? What are they?

See Also:

Recommended For You

A Fantastic Way to Pay Off Debt With A No Interest Credit Card

Eliminate high interest debt with a 0 percent balance transfer credit card

Buy a Complimentary Trip This Summer by using the Proper Card

Earn credit card things to travel

Avoid Foreign Transaction Fees with All These Best Picks

Save money and expand your travel funding

6 Credit Cards That Can Not Be Performed in 2016

A comprehensive guide to maximizing rewards and getting paid

from Home Improvements http://home-improvements-one.com/six-home-improvements-that-just-arent-worth-it/

[homeimprovementsonecom]

Six Home Improvements That Just Aren’t Worth It

As someone raised and born and central Indiana, I have been spoiled with real estate all my life. The first house we ever purchased (and we still possess as a rental property) set us back a whopping $102,500 and came with three bedrooms and 2 baths. Our house payment, and oh has been less than $700 per month!

Ever since that time, we bought a 2nd three-bedroom, two-bath leasing property for under $100,000, also our second house for $155,000 (that we sold later for $160,000).   Even our present residence, which we intend to reside in forever, just set us back $187,000. Before the housing market roared back into life — back in 2013, it’s around feet, also has been one of the very expensive homes in our community when we purchased it.

Home Upgrades and Repairs I Simply Won’t Make

Since we bought our house, we have put in a great deal of hard work to bring it up. We knocked out a wall to start up the downstairs floor plan, laid wood flooring (performing the bulk of the grunt work ourselves), and painted this place from the top to bottom.

We replaced several non-matching kitchen countertops that purchased new carpet for our upstairs made no sense, also re-stained our kitchen cabinets, that are 30 years old. In total, we have spent $20,000 upgrading our house over the four years we have lived here.

There’s plenty more to do, however, at a certain stage, you need to understand when to stop. While some updates are worthwhile since they truly increase the value and utility of your house, you need to understand where to draw the line — or risk over-improving and losing money in the long run.

While I am all about dolling up my primary residence, here are some repairs and upgrades I am not willing to make:

#1: Replacing Ugly Peel-and-Stick Floors

Had an interesting sense of style. When the master bathroom was remodeled by them, they chose flooring that looks great from a distance but insanely cheap. The strangest part about it, nevertheless, is the simple fact the floor pieces actually move sometimes since they are literally “glued” into the floor planks with adhesive.

But, do I take action? Not actually. The matter about our master bathroom — and the reason I won’t replace this flooring — is that it is not seen by anybody else. I can not think of a single person who has been aside from our children in our bedroom over the last few years.

We might need to replace the flooring if we wanted to sell our house, but it’s perfectly good to our eyes. Rather than paying1,500 to $3,000 in an nobody will ever see, we have chosen to pocket that money instead.

#2: Replacing Kitchen Cabinets

Our kitchen cabinets are first to this house, so they are 32 years of age. They had been in great shape when we purchased our house, albeit somewhat dated with country theme and a light oak stain.

I thought hard and long about everything to do with our cabinets before we decided to sand and then re-stain them ourselves. In the end, I couldn’t actually justify replacing our entire kitchen when the cabinets seemed okay, functioned fine, and had the capability to be even better.

At this point, I doubt we replace our kitchen cabinets. Not purchasing new cabinets is easily a savings of around $ 20,000, because the previous counters were mismatched while we spent about $ 200 on our cabinets and materials to sand and an additional $.

#3: New Windows

Our windows are first to this residence, which is part of the rationale they’d be expensive to replace. Being 30+ years old, how they’re made from timber frames that match our inner wood moldings and trim.

We’ve got 18 dividers, and 16 of them are still ideal. Two of them have noticeable openings to the exterior (which I’ve fixed temporarily with insulating material), and one of these two features a compromised seal. Fortunately, the window with the endangered seal (that is always slightly cloudy) faces the backyard and not the front.

We’ve thought hard and long about replacing our windows a few times, even going so far as obtaining a quotation from two different businesses. $ 18,000 was wanted by the other company, while one wanted around $ 15,000! I really could get more economical windows, however I know I would not be happy together. So, why bother?

Either way, we can not really justify the cost. Our windows work good and also our utility bills have been low. Because I doubt replacing our windows would result in any savings on gas or electricity, this can be.

#4: Replacing an Old Fence

Our house came with privacy fence that encloses our yard. This is a real advantage in our own eyes because we have two children, and the fence has continued to serve us well ever since we adopted a shelter dog in December.

The fence looks great from a distance. When we took down part of the fence to bring in our new drop before this summer, we found that our fence is not nearly as sturdy as it looks. My husband needed to do some repair work merely to set the thing!

After that, we got an estimate for fencing: $8,000. We knew that it would not be economical, but we’re surprised it’d cost that much for a fundamental shadowbox style. Obviously, till it falls down we’re likely to continue accepting our fence as-is.

#5: Repaving Our Driveway

It is not happening any time soon, while we have to repave our drive in the future. Our neighbors recently repaved their driveway and I’ve discovered that can not cost more than the job.

Our driveway isn’t broken it worn down and lacking the perfect black surface of driveways on our street. We’ll have to live with it the way it’s, and for now, and will they. I can not justify spending $8,000 to get a update when we have other important, aims to save for.

#6: Guest Bathroom Revamp

There are really so many things wrong with our hallway guest bathroom to count. Among those dual sinks is overlooking its own “plug” or stopper completely. After a piece of art was knocked off the walls, some of the tile near the toilet was broken.

The shower enclosure is original not exactly the latest style. The bathroom cabinet is over 30 years old, and the countertop is made of Formica, and each of of the hooks and hardware are all mismatched.

This is but it’s not happening any time soon. Considering that the bathroom needs a re-do, the project could easily cost $10,000 to $15,000. We could do some of the work ourselves, but I bother if it’s not likely to be exactly what I want. Like our master bathroom, people see this bathroom anyway.

The Most Important Thing

While I love this home and attempt to make it as amazing as you can, I also know that some house repairs and upgrades won’t ever pay off. If I did all the upgrades and repairs with this list, we would easily pay $50,000 or even more without including over a couple thousand dollars in value to our house.

Sooner or later, you need to understand where to draw the line — or danger over-improving into the detriment of your financing. For the time being, we’re going to continue to keep our additional cash and to be happy with what we have.

Holly Johnson is an award-winning personal finance author and the writer of . Johnson shares her obsession with all frugality, budgeting, and traveling at .

Are there any home improvements or updates you refuse to make? What are they?

See Also:

Recommended For You

A Fantastic Way to Pay Off Debt With A No Interest Credit Card

Eliminate high interest debt with a 0 percent balance transfer credit card

Buy a Complimentary Trip This Summer by using the Proper Card

Earn credit card things to travel

Avoid Foreign Transaction Fees with All These Best Picks

Save money and expand your travel funding

6 Credit Cards That Can Not Be Performed in 2016

A comprehensive guide to maximizing rewards and getting paid

from Home Improvements http://home-improvements-one.com/six-home-improvements-that-just-arent-worth-it/