#firehydrants

[jefkphotography]

Fire hydrant.

Photography

[the1beardedgent]

I've never been sure why they do this to the fire hydrants, but there must be a good reason. Every time they do this, our parking lot becomes a fast flowing river that ya need wellies to get through. #titusville #spacecoast #brevardcounty #florida #firehydrant #firehydrants (at Villager Apartments) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClD6Y5kLMhp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[primalmagic]

stars in the noon sky

linh's coming over, marella's room is a mess, and she's just a little bit stressed about her mom.

──────────

Marella tightens the red bow in her hair for the one millionth time, humming softly to her favorite song. It'd been playing on repeat for an hour now, but she hadn't been paying attention- her mind was occupied with... something else.

Finally satisfied with how she looks, she closes a cabinet door. As she wipes a suspicious stain off of her mirror, a sharp knock echoes across the bathroom walls.

"Marella, darling, what have you been doing in the bathroom for so long?" Caprise's clipped and unfocused voice floats through the door.

Fuck.

"Nothing, Mom! Do you need anything?"

"I want to take a bath."

"You alright took two baths today," she frowns, nearing the door.

"I want to take a bath," Her mother repeats stubbornly.

She unlocks the door and lets her mother in. It was one of her mom's good days anyway, and the last thing she wants to do is make things worse. See, ever since she had manifested and started throwing fireballs everywhere, something had shifted between the two of them. Because yes, she'd stood up for Marella, but now she was more... skittish around her. Maybe she was reading into it too much, but it made her feel sick. It wasn't her fault she was a pyrokinetic.

"Just be out by the time Linh comes, okay? I'll see you then." She kisses her mother's cheek and leaves the bathroom, ignoring the confused look on Caprise's face- she either forgot Linh was coming over, or forgot who Linh was.

She spends the next two hours tidying up her room, which was saying something, because Marella Redek absolutely hates cleaning up her room. It isn't just a chore, it's absolute torture. Plus, it's not like anyone has ever bothered to remind her to clean it. Her dad barely interacts with her anymore, and her mom... well, her mom was her mom. So, after months of throwing things around, her room was beginning to look like a dumpster fire.

She isn't proud of it, and she's damned if she'd ever let Linh come over to this sort of mess. So now, for the first time in forever, she's cleaning up.

And look, she's nervous. Linh is, well, amazing. She's kind, and talented, and funny, and all the things Marella has ever wanted to be. Plus, she's gorgeous. And not just in looks- but in action. Watching her around water was one of the most fascinating things Marella has ever witnessed. She was elegant, and graceful, and-

"Marella?"

She looks up from the ground, hands on a textbook from years ago. "Oh, hi Linh," She manages weakly, "I was just... studying?" She gestures towards the book in a rather awkward manner.

And Linh, ever the sweetest, smiles at her and asks "Anything I can help with?"

"No, uh, I was just finishing up. Sorry." She thrusts the book into a nearby closet and stands up. Idly, she looks at Linh, only then realizing that damn, when had she grown this tall?

Marella has always been taller than her, it was a fact. One that she'd tease the older girl about relentlessly. Now they are practically eye-level, and she doesn't really know what to feel about that.

Linh blinks, "What?"

For the love of mallowmelt, she'd been staring, hadn't she?

"Nothing, I just realized that we're almost the same height," She frowns, "It's a pity. I won't be able to see your hair anymore."

Linh scoffs, "You'll see my face. Isn't that better?"

"Yeah," She looks her in the eyes, smiling slightly, "It kind of is."

That didn't seem like the response she'd been expecting, and Linh turns a light shade of pink and looks away. "Anyway... uh, your mom let me in and said there were cookies in the oven, want to go grab them?"

At the mention of her mom, her smile dims slightly. She walks past Linh and grabs her hand, dragging her down to the kitchen.

The cookies are not in the oven, in fact. They are sitting unbaked upon the kitchen counter.

Linh frowns, "Oh well, we can put them inside, and come back later?"

At that, Marella giggles. "I know it's really easy to forgot, but I'm a pyrokinetic, darling. I'm like, a living, breathing, oven. Except I get things done a hundred times faster." She waves her hands around dramatically as if it emphasizes the point.

"Oops," Linh laughs, "Sorry?"

Marella watches her hand, willing the smallest spark to answer her call. A tiny flame begins to lick her hand, swelling and waving as it hits the air. She puts the cookie tray on top of her hand and watches as the cookies slowly turn harder and form a clear shape.

"Damn." She hears Linh mutter.

"What?" Had she done something wrong?

"I don't think I could ever get used to you doing that."

Unease curls in the bottom of her stomach, fear pulsating and whispering in her head. She hates you. She hates your fire. You're an idiot. Fuck, you're such an idiot.

Linh's eyes widen, "Shoot, that came out wrong. I mean, like, it's really beautiful. The flames, and the way you control them. It's- it's really cool."

Marella stands there a while, partially in shock and partially basking in the warmth of her friend's words.

"Marella?"

"Marella?? You alright?"

She blinks, then sees Linh point at her hand. The cookies, now a harsh charcoal black, lay in ashes upon the slightly-bent tray. Flames dance upon the edges, high enough to reach her face.

"Sorry," She mumbles, "Sorry. Somehow my fire ends up messing everything up."

"I don't blame you," the older girl shrugs, and after a moment, adds: "Or your fire."

She wills out a large droplet of water and plops! it on top of the still-burning cookie tray. She looks up and grins, "There you go! Problem solved."

"Thanks," Marella laughs lightly, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Linh nods, "I take my job of being the only one that can put you out very seriously."

"You mean, put my fire out." Marella snorts.

"No, I mean you. You and your fire aren't different people. It's your ability, and a part of who you are." Linh looks at her curiously, "Why do you always act like it's on its own?"

It's not accusatory, but it causes the blond to look away. "Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," She steps closer to Marella, "Are you alright?"

The truth spills out of her before she can remember to keep her mouth shut. "My mom does it, a lot."

"Does what?"

"She's a flasher. Whenever you ask her to use her ability or just... do something, she'll always just frown and say her light 'doesn't want too'. It's... I think I know why she does it, honestly. It's so much easier to pretend that it's not my fault that my ability did something wrong. Especially when everyone's so goddamn set on calling me the villain because I'm not Talentless, but somehow, I'm ten fucking times worse!" She yells, not sure what the hell she's doing anymore. But she's started, and she's definitely not done.

"And my mom... they say she's getting better. They say she's learning and she's going to be okay but I know her, and I know she's not. And it sucks, because I love her, and I need her, but maybe I'm wrong and I don't know who she even is anymore. I'm constantly walking on broken glass around her now. It's like- it's like, before we would be able to do things together and now... now it's like we have nothing in common at all."

Linh interrupts, looking at Marella with an expression she can't quite pinpoint, "You have her freckles."

"Sorry?"

"You have your mom's freckles. They aren't super noticeable but they're still there. One right next to your nose and the others on your cheek. Your mom has them in the same places. Not that it matters or anything, but uh, you know, just an observation." She mumbles, turning away.

"Oh." Marella blinks, willing her blush to go away. "You've got a good eye for details."

She shrugs, "Not really? It's just, easy, when it comes to you, I guess?"

"How come?"

"They're like stars," She leans on the countertop and looks up at Marella, "Like the really small ones you can only see during the dead of night. The ones that have always been there, but you just don't notice 'cause you haven't been looking close enough."

Marella opens her mouth to speak, but closes it when she realizes Linh isn't done.

"They're like stars in the midnight sky. But you're not midnight, you're the freaking sun. Stars in the morning sky? What's the opposite of midnight?" She frowns and scrunches her eyebrows (it's not cute, Marella thinks).

"...Noon?" She supplies.

Linh snorts, "Sure, noon. Stars in the noon sky."

"My freckles... are the stars in the noon sky." She blinks again, because she doesn't really know how to reply like that.

"Yep!" She laughs.

The silence that follows isn't awkward, but it's not quite comfortable either. Marella grasps for something to say, and eventually speaks.

"Hey, Linh?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a really awesome friend."

She beams, "Thank you!"

"Want to go grab mallowmelt?"

Linh's smile never disappears, "How could I ever say no to that?"

[the-green-bucks-fire-hydrants]

Canada Valve Century. Downtown Stratford, Ontario, Canada. May 2024. Photo by the green buck.

[whirltherescuebot]

guess who bought back blind Hotshot for a doodlepage

this is my finally Hotshot design i swear i wont change him again (lying)

[dacoolestloser]

FIRE HYDRANT

(An indie Comedy no one asked for)

[anbi-group]

KP pressure switches are also used for starting and stopping refrigeration compressors and fans on air-cooled condensers.

SHOP NOW!

[gatecrashing-corneas]

[davidwfloydart]

she's beauty, she's grace, she's gonna spray you in the face… #firehydrant #streetart #firehydrantpose #sprayyourvibe #sprayyourface (at Catalina Foothills, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf4QhmQp9nFv7lKzstsq9MxlKNIzPpw79Nxj2I0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[nopebunny]

[jefkphotography]

Fire control, fire hydrant, close up.

[no-rice-panda]

But oh wait, there's more animatronics because I've now looked through all of Robotronics current entire online catalogues

Also they all can play MP3 files so like I would frankly have a blast with them if I was were so lucky (and wealthy)

Some of my other 'favorites' in no particular order:

Daren the D.A.R.E Lion to teach kids to that Drugs are rad and cool (yes that is Bucklebear poking out)

Or KC and the Cruiser, or as I prefer to call him, Deputy Nightmare Fuel who should see a vet

And finally, Sparky the Fireplug

Which.... he's a choice. (the cheapest choice by alot tbh)

Anyways I'm just gonna go queue these pics up as scheduled texts to send to my SO throughout the coming year

[the-green-bucks-fire-hydrants]

Mueller Centurion Fire Hydrant. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. April 2024. Photo by the green buck.

[whirltherescuebot]

DOOMED YURI *says while sobbing in the corner and slamming my fist into the wall*

[harshini-fire]

HAPPY MAHA SHIVRATRI pRAYING TO LORD SHIV FOR EVERYONE…. #firesafety #fire #firefighter #fireprotection #fireservice #fire #safetyfirst #safetytraining #safetyofficer #safetytips #firehose #firehydrant #FireHydrantSystem #firehose #firehosecabinet #FireHoseReel #firehosebox #fireextinguisher #fireextinguisherservice #fireextinguishertraining #fireextinguishing #firefighter #fireequipment #firesafetyawareness #firedept (at Hfpes fire safety vellore) https://www.instagram.com/p/Coye9j-ojT3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=