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atlanticcanada · 9 months

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It's possible July could be the hottest month in 120,000 years: climate scientists

July is likely to be the hottest month ever, according to just-released data from climate scientists.

A group of experts from around the world gathered Wednesday in a media briefing to report new heat data for July that suggests the month will break a record.

According to Karsten Haustein, a climate scientist at Leipzig University in Germany, projections show that July could be the hottest month on Earth.

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"Many of you will have heard about the daily record early on this month. We just exceeded 17 degrees (Celsius)," Haustein said, referring to the global average temperature. "And this is essentially what you're going to see here."

The average temperature is at least 0.2 C warmer than the previous record-breaking month of July 2019, and the current projections suggest that the Earth hasn't been this hot in approximately 120,000 years.

The July predictions follow a string of data experts are watching to understand the impacts of human emissions on the world and the natural disasters that come with it.

Among the data are smaller records that have been broken in recent weeks.

On July 4, the world soared to an average temperature of 17.18 C, making it the hottest day in at least 44 years. June also broke a record this year, when the global temperature climbed 1.05 C above the 20th Century average, the first time a summer month was more than one degree Celsius hotter than normal.

Although Wednesday's presentation, embargoed until Thursday morning, came days before the end of the month, scientists are looking ahead to what they expect the final data to show.

WHAT RECORDS COULD JULY BREAK?

According to Haustein's data, which combines information from multiple weather agencies, this month is expected to between 1.3 and 1.7 C above the average global temperature calculated before humans began burning fossil fuels.

This is likely to break the July 2019 record by 0.2 C, a 174-year-old observational record.

"Which begs the question: Is it the warmest July? Usually, you'll wait until the month is over, but then again, as you can tell, it's (already) quite above the old record," Haustein said Wednesday.

Haustein said a weather monitoring product combined historical observations from around the world with current temperatures registered by the Global Forecast System, to predict whether July would exceed the 2019 record.

"It's certain at this point already that we are in absolutely new record territory," he said.

Scientists said they knew this July is likely to be the hottest in recent times, so they then looked to see whether they could calculate if it will be the hottest in the Earth's history.

"To say, 'Is it the warmest for the last 100 years, or 1,000, or even 10,000 years?' It's a trickier question to answer," Haustein said. "Before 1850 we didn't have these observations, at least not enough to say something meaningful about the global mean."

Researchers have documented temperatures from millions of years ago through natural sources like tree rings, ice cores, coral and lake sediments. This is the study of paleoclimatology.

Haustein said that comparing data collected through paleoclimatology to the temperatures this month suggests July could be the hottest month in 120,000 years.

"There's a decent chance that this month essentially is the hottest known since the paleo records," he said.

EXTREME WEATHER HAPPENING

The consequences of the warming planet are playing out across the world not only in terms of the heat records broken but through floods, wildfires and severe storms, scientists say.

In Canada, 4,785 wildfires have burned through over 12 million hectares of land, some of which were caused by increased lightning and drier-than-usual ground.

Nova Scotia, which saw this year the largest wildfire in its history, is now dealing with flooding so severe it's been called "more than a one-in-a-hundred-year" event.

Wildfires and extreme weather events are becoming common enough that they're driving up insurance rates, some experts say.

Speaking at the presentation of the record-breaking temperature data on Wednesday, an executive with a Canadian organization that focuses on climate change spoke to what she's noticed in recent years.

"My Canadian family comes from Nova Scotia, which is currently in its fourth state of emergency in the last year," Catherine Abreu, executive director of Destination Zero, said at the news conference. "I think all of us can reflect on the terrible impacts that we and our communities are experiencing from the extreme climate change."

Abreu said the forecast from Haustein serves as yet another desperate plea from experts to take action to slow the warming of the planet. She highlighted renewable energy as one of the key ways to lower the reliance on oil and gas, allowing for what she called a more sustainable future.

"We need to unlock the level of ambition to address these impacts and to claw our way back from this runaway climate crisis," she said.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/SDNd0LU

#new brunswick #prince edward island #nova scotia #news #politics #canada #CTVAtlantic

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petnews2day · 1 year

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Nicole intensifies to a Cat. 1 hurricane – Action News Jax

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/pet-news/cat-news/nicole-intensifies-to-a-cat-1-hurricane-action-news-jax/

Nicole intensifies to a Cat. 1 hurricane – Action News Jax

Jacksonville, Fl. — The “Buresh Bottom Line”: Always be prepared!…..First Alert Hurricane Survival Guide… City of Jacksonville Preparedness Guide… Georgia Hurricane Guide.

STAY INFORMED: Get the * FREE * First Alert Weather app

FREE NEWS UPDATES, ALERTS: Action News Jax app for Apple | For Android

WATCH “Preparing for the Storm”

WATCH “The Ins & Outs of Hurricane Season”

READ the First Alert Hurricane Center “Survival Guide”

LISTEN & WATCH “Surviving the Storm” – WOKV Radio & Action News Jax

***** ALWAYS CHECK & RE-CHECK THE LATEST FORECAST & UPDATES! *****

REMEMBER WHEN A TROPICAL STORM OR HURRICANE IS APPROACHING: Taping windows is *NOT* helpful & will not keep glass from breaking.

Realize the forecast cone (”cone of uncertainty”) is the average forecast error over a given time – out to 5 days – & *does not* indicate the width of the storm &/or damage that might occur.

*** Impacts from Nicole including very high rip current risk at NE Fl./SE Ga. area beaches through Fri… folks living in or traveling to the Bahamas, Florida & east coast of the U.S. should stay up to date on the latest forecasts *** ….

The most anomalous (unusual/rare) part of this storm will be the potential for a relatively strong tropical system at a rather far north latitude for this late in the season in addition to a prolonged period – ~5 days of beach/coastal impacts…

For Jacksonville/NE Fl./SE Ga. specifically (given *current* forecast of ‘Nicole’ with improving conditions from west to east & south to north from Fri. afternoon through the weekend):

* Strong onshore flow will continue & become even stronger through Thu. with life threatening rip currents & dangerous overall marine conditions.

* Surf & breakers reaching double digits including 12-15+ feet Thu., only slowly subsiding Fri. Seas will be 20+ feet & extremely rough just offshore. All marine craft should remain in port & secure vessels & equipment.

* Storm Surge (water above typically dry ground at high tide) will average 3-5 feet along the coast & the St. Johns River through much of d’town Jacksonville to near the Buckman Bridge… 2-4 feet south of the Buckman through St. Johns/Clay/Putnam Co. If your property experienced flooding during Ian 6 weeks ago or Irma (2017), then flooding is probably going to occur in your area from Nicole. There may be a few spots where storm surge reaches 6-7 feet over especially Southern St. Johns & Flagler Co. where beaches & dunes have been heavily compromised by Ian. Surge values may be locally higher due to wave action, heavy rainfall &/or geographical/topograhical nuances.

* St. Johns River – Potentially significant dock & shoreline damage through Fri. Strong winds from the south by late Thu./Thu. night into Fri. morning will help push water northward up the St. Johns River into parts of downtown Jacksonville at times.

* Beach erosion will become heavy to severe – a critical facet of the storm considering the recent damage from Ian

* Winds – BEACHES/INTRACOASTAL/ST. JOHNS RIVER – Tonight: increasing to 20-35 mph with 40+ mph gusts… Thu.: peak at 40-50 mph with 60+ mph gusts becoming out of the south by late afternoon into the night… Fri.: shifting to offshore – out of the west at 20-30 mph with higher gusts… much lighter winds by Fri. night/Sat.

INLAND (NEAR/WEST OF I-95) – Tonight: 15-25 mph with 30+ mph gusts… Thu.: peak at 30-40 mph with a few 50+ mph gusts… Fri.: shifting to out of the west then northwest through the day at 20-30 mph, higher gusts in the morning, gradually diminishing through the afternoon/evening.

* Rainfall will average 2-3″(+) along the coast… 1-2″+ inland (near/west of I-95)

* Flooding will be a daily threat at the beaches, especially at high tide – becoming more significant with each day through this week. There will also be an astronomical boost due to the full moon phase (each phase of the moon is ~2 1/2 days in duration) which began Tue. Ponding & – eventually flooding – will also occur along the St. Johns River & its tributaries.

* As Nicole moves south then west of Jacksonville while turning northward, there will be a tornado & waterspout threat later Wed. night through Thu. across NE Fl. & SE Ga.

* Primary inland impacts are likely to be realized Wed. night through Thursday in the form of wind, rain, flooding & tornadoes BUT WILL BE DEPENDENT ON EXACT TRACK & STRENGTH OF THE STORM.

Low pressure – ‘98-L’ started to develop over the SW Atlantic north of Puerto Rico & was upgraded to subtropical storm “Nicole” early Mon., the 14th named storm of the Atlantic season which is right on avg. & close to the Nov. 19 avg. of the occurrence of the 14th named storm. Nicole transitioned to a tropical storm (purely warm core) by midday Tue. & then reached hurricane (Cat. 1) strength a bit before 6pm Wed., the 7th hurricane of the Atlantic season which happens to be right at the seasonal average which – on avg. – occurs on Nov. 15th. Given the very warm water from Fl. to the Bahamas in addition to an upper ridge building near & north of the storm while – at the same time – an upper level trough that helped spawn Nicole weakens & moves away, Nicole should manage to reach hurricane strength before the Fl. landfall. Nicole has turned more west & southwest & will veer more west then northwest & as the ridge to the north briefly becomes stronger. At the same time, another upper trough moves into the U.S. Lower 48 helping to create the alleyway from Fl. up the eastern seaboard as the brief ridge shifts east over the Atlantic. This interplay helps to dictate the longer range movement – acceleration to the north/northeast – as well as aiding some in the strength of Nicole by helping to create strong upper level outflow + enhancing the low level “baroclinicity” – the interaction of cold, dry, polar air vs. tropical warmth & humidity. In other words, the transition back to a post-tropical low could mean a slower decrease in Nicole’s intensity even though Nicole will be losing tropical characteristics & will no longer be over the warm ocean. Nicole should dissipate or become absorbed by another midlatitude nontropical low over the weekend.

In general, conditions are at least somewhat favorable for additional strengthening before the Florida landfall. There will still be some shear + only moderate mid & upper level moisture but sea surface temps. are warm including pretty significant deep oceanic heat content (warm water to a deep depth) not to mention Nicole will traverse the very warm Gulf Stream Wed. I’ve noticed multiple times over the last 20+ years that southwest moving/digging tropical cyclones often intensify.

Global forecast models continue to be in rather remarkable agreement (for a storm in its infancy & not yet well organized) with the low moving west/southwest… hitting Southeast Florida… then as far west as the far Eastern/NE Gulf or Fl. west coast to near the Eastern Panhandle… before feeling the effects of the strong upper level trough that will then finally pick up the storm & steer it north & northeast while accelerating. The GFS remains the farthest west with Nicole. The European & UKMET models are similar in strength & take Nicole a little farther east before a turn north/NE. All 3 models are similar on timing. As I previously mentioned, the approaching upper level trough late in the week should help to “ventilate” the mid & upper levels of the atmosphere over Nicole which should at least maintain the storm for a longer time than might otherwise be the case. In addition, increasing southwesterly shear will be in tandem with Nicole’s movement lessening the effect of the increasing shear of the front right quadrant of the jet stream. As Nicole gets “captured” by the trough & hooks up with a cold front, there will be a transition back to post (non) – tropical that will then accelerate the storm to the northeast moving up the U.S. east coast by the weekend. Dry air will quickly spread eastward “under” – to the south – of Nicole’s center bringing a quick end to rainfall with diminishing winds & clearing skies for NE Fl./SE Ga. by late Fri./Fri. night/Sat. In fact, the heaviest, most persistent rain for NE Fl. & SE Ga. should diminish by at leastThu. night followed by scattered showers & a few t’storms Friday ahead of an eastward moving cool front extending south from Nicole.

The forecast is for Nicole to hurricane strength between the Bahamas & Fl. should hit SE Fl./the east central coast as a Cat. 1 hurricane. Impacts are expected for all of Fl. – except for the Western Panhandle & the Mid & Lower Keys -… in addition to the Bahamas + parts of the Carolina’s to perhaps as far north as Chesapeake Bay & New England in the longer term. Heavy rain will cause potential flooding inland across Georgia, the Carolina’s, Tennessee, Virginia & Maryland & possibly parts of the Northeast though the fast movement will keep rainfall totals on the lower side.

REMEMBER: A skinny forecast cone only means higher forecasts confidence in the track NOT where the greatest impacts will occur. The wind field is wide. In fact, tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 460 miles (740 km) especially to the north of Nicole’s center.

NHC interactive potential storm surge flooding map (inundation) * here *.

N.W.S. Jacksonville:

Melbourne N.W.S.:

N.W.S., Miami:

Tampa N.W.S.:

Radar imagery courtesy S. Florida Water Management District (purple line is the forecast track for “Nicole”):

Spaghetti plots for Nicole – includes ensemble models (NOAA: address underlying uncertainties in the input data such limited coverage, instruments or observing systems biases, and the limitations of the model itself. GEFS quantifies these uncertainties by generating multiple forecasts, which in turn produce a range of potential outcomes based on differences or perturbations applied to the data after it has been incorporated into the model. Each forecast compensates for a different set of uncertainties):

Let’s do some “examinin’”:

Shear is currently strong across most of the SW Atlantic with speeds of 30+ mph. However, the upper level atmosphere is undergoing some significant changes that will include somewhat less shear & a building upper level ridge to the north of the low. At the same time, a strong upper level trough will be digging into the Central U.S. & eventually into the Eastern U.S. This strong trough will be critical to the eventual movement – including curvature to the north/northeast – & intensity of the storm. The added upper level ventilation from the trough may aid in intensifying the storm some… or at least maintaining the storm as it eventually accelerates to the northeast. Following this trough, there will be a serious invasion of cold air across the Lower 48 as the tropical system seems to be a catalyst for a pattern flip reminiscent of “Wilma” in 2005 which hit Fl. Oct. 24th & was followed/guided by a deep trough moving across the Lower 48.

Deep oceanic heat content (OHC) is pretty impressive over the SW Atlantic though Nicole will generally stay north of the real warm deep water (with the exception of the Gulf Stream):

The upper level forecast for Wed. & Fri. respectively showing the developing alleyway from Florida N/NE up the east coast:

Water vapor loop shows pockets of dry air (dark blue) across portions of the Atlantic Basin along with a lot of “swirls” (low pressure) along with “bands” of higher moisture near & ahead of fronts – common as we get deeper into autumn. ‘Nicole’ will be surrounded by a good deal of dry air this week.

November tropical cyclone origins:

Averages below based on climatology for the Atlantic Basin through November:

Wind shear:

Saharan dust spreads west each year from Africa by the prevailing winds (from east to west over the Atlantic). Dry air – yellow/orange/red/pink. Widespread dust is indicative of dry air that can impede the development of tropical cyclones. However, sometimes “wanna’ be” waves will just wait until they get to the other side of – or away from – the plume then try to develop if other conditions are favorable. In my personal opinion, way too much is made about the presence of Saharan dust & how it relates to tropical cyclones. In any case, we’ve had several large dust plumes spread west to the Caribbean & Gulf with the peak of Saharan dust typically in June & July.

2022 names….. “Owen” is the next name on the Atlantic list (names are picked at random by the World Meteorological Organization… repeat every 6 years). Historic storms are retired [Florence & Michael in ’18… Dorian in ’19 & Laura, Eta & Iota in ‘20 & Ida in ‘21]). In fact, this year’s list of names is rather infamous with “Charley”, “Frances”, “Jeanne” & “Ivan” retired from the ‘04 list (all hit Fl.) & “Matthew” was retired in 2016. The WMO decided – beginning last year – that the Greek alphabet will be no longer used & instead there will be a supplemental list of names if the first list is exhausted (has only happened three times – 2005, 2020 & 2021). The naming of tropical cyclones began on a consistent basis in 1953. More on the history of naming tropical cyclones * here *.

East Atlantic:

Mid & upper level wind shear (enemy of tropical cyclones) analysis (CIMMS). The red lines indicate strong shear:

Water vapor imagery (dark blue indicates dry air):

Deep oceanic heat content over the Gulf, Caribbean & deep tropical Atlantic:

Sea surface temp. anomalies:

SE U.S. surface map:

Surface analysis centered on the tropical Atlantic:

Surface analysis of the Gulf:

Caribbean:

GFS wave forecast at 48 & 72 hours (2 & 3 days):

Atlantic Basin wave period forecast for 24, 48 & 72 hours respectively:

The East Pacific:

West Pacific:

Global tropical activity:

Cox Media Group

#Cats News

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equal360 · 2 years

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How to Select Best Personal Scale

With the new generation of bathroom scales, you can measure everything from your body fat and BMI to your heart rate. Just like smart watches, they can do more than just tell time. A few employers offer health monitoring systems that link to your smartphone and other devices so you can monitor all aspects of your health, such as bone density, hydration, and muscle mass.

You can even see the weather forecast on some smart scales - handy when packing for a run. Some people, however, will still prefer a simple weight scale.

You should look for scales that display clearly and are easy to use. It is also important to consider scale size, choose a scale that is big and sturdy enough for the person you are planning on using. Weighing accurately won't be possible with scales that don't have enough space for your feet, and we don't want scales that break after only one use, anyway.

Usability of Smart Scale

Healthcare can benefit greatly from body profile analysis. You can determine whether you are achieving your health goals by knowing how much fat, water, muscle, and bone your body contains. Consider the situation in which you are trying to lose weight, but your efforts have been frustrated. Maintaining your water weight and losing fat are reassuring while adding muscle mass.

Working of a Smart Scale

The device measures tissue impedance using a small, non-harmful electrical impulse. The body composition of your body can be approximated if you step onto the scale.

Accuracy of a Smart Scale

You can measure your body fat and density of bones using either old calipers method or very latest DEXA scanning technique. The average consumer can't readily access these because they're difficult to learn. It's important to note that high-tech health scales can give inaccurate measurements at first, but they can be logged, allowing you to see how you change over time.

Best Personal Scales Available

My own experience with EQUAL Body Analyzer scales has been positive. The fact that they are WiFiable and have an iOS integration has made them useful for me, as I can track my metrics by just walking on them every morning. By using them, I can keep track of my fluid intake and determine whether my efforts at the gym are worth it.

Some other Points to Consider

Size: When choosing a scale, make sure it is large and sturdy enough for you to complete the job. When it comes to scales, no one wants them to break after just one use.

It is also important to consider humidity resistance when choosing weight scales. It can get quite steamy in the bathroom where people keep their personal scales. Make sure the scales you choose won't stop working when they're exposed to extra humidity and heat. It is likely that bargain-basement options should be avoided in reality.

#personal scale #weighing scale #weigh machine

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newheart97 · 4 years

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Stress relief (Aziraphale x Reader x Crowley

A/N: Hi! It’s my first time posting here so I hope this works out. Do leave a comment if you have any advice or anything you’d like to share. If you leave aside that tha reader has a bra, then the gender is not specified.

Words: 3100-ish

It had been a really stressful week. Your colleague at your part-time job was sick so your boss had asked -more like, ordered- you to cover for her, which meant more shifts, which meant less time to study for the oncoming university exams, which meant that your anxiety and stress levels were rapidly increasing.

You just had a night shift, a stressful, long, boring night shift, waiting on rude and drunk customers and having to bear their behaviour with a smile on your face.

By the time you arrived at Aziraphale’s place, it was already 4 in the morning and your alarm was set to wake you up at 8, as you had to be at your university at 9.30 for the only oral exam you had this year. You quietly opened the door of the bookshop and tiptoed to the sofa in the backroom, not wanting to wake up the angel and the demon, if he had decided to spend there the night, and as soon as your head hit the headrest you fell asleep.

After barely four hours of restless sleep and almost none spent going through your notes, you entered the room where the exam was to take place and started exchanging a few words with your fellow students, some sharing information and some sharing your worries.

At 9.30 sharp, the professor entered the room with a colleague in tow to help him interview the large number of students. The problem was that, even though the number of students was high, the professor had the brilliant idea of NOT separating the exam in two different days and dividing the students between each day, so every student present was left wondering if they would even be able to get everything done that day or they had to come back the next one.

While waiting for your turn, you felt the phone vibrate in your pocket. You took it out and checked it to see a new text from Crowley.

C: Where are you?

(Y): At my university, I have an exam, remember?

C: Oh, yeah, that… When will you be done, again?

(Y): Wouldn’t it be great if I could answer you?

C: What?

(Y): I don’t know when I’ll be done, could be an hour, could be two, could be tomorrow for all I know.

C: What do you mean you don’t know?

(Y): It means ‘I do not know’.

You put your phone momentarily down to check how many students were left -way too many- and just listened to what kind of question were being asked, anxiety raising each time an answer that you should have known decided to flee from your head.

Your phone kept vibrating for a while as you kept trying to ignore it in favour of going through your notes for the millionth time, but in the end, you felt guilty and grabbed it again.

C: Well, tell me when you’re done.

C: Angel is upset he couldn’t see you off this morning.

C: Keeps saying how he wanted to wish you luck.

C: He’s been pacing for half an hour now ‘cause you’re not back yet.

Reading all his text made you relax a bit, stress and anxiety forgotten as you thought about your lovers, how you first met them at the bookshop, Crowley coming up behind you saying that you smelt strange -which initially greatly offended you-, how you found out that you were half demon and how they had helped you come to terms with it, all the ups and downs you went through trying to deal with the feelings you had for both of them until you finally confronted them, giving birth to your current relationship.

Your thoughts were interrupted again by the buzz of your phone. Thinking it was another text from your demon, you hastily opened it without checking the sender, the small smile on your face quickly disappearing when you read the content: it was from your boss.

B: (Y/N), I need you to take tonight’s shift.

You were not having it, today was your day off, he couldn’t just tell you that you had to come work out of the blue, especially when you had informed him that you had an important exam.

(Y): I am sorry, but I don’t think I will be able to come today as I do not know at what time I will be able to leave.

It seemed a quite reasonable excuse, as you really didn’t know at what time you would be done and even then, you would probably be too exhausted to remember not to be rude to customers.

You received another text and you quickly checked it.

C: You do know that you don’t even need to be there, right?

You sighed as you typed the answer, a bit annoyed since you had already had that same conversation at breakfast before your previous exams.

(Y): Do you really need an answer?

C: Just saying, you’re half demon, you don’t need a degree.

(Y): And as I always tell you, I’m half human, I’ve lived as a human for all my life and I’ll get this damn degree if it’s the last thing I do.

(Y): You can’t just expect me to throw away all these years of hard work.

(Y): Zira has his shop; you got your car. What do I have? I’m just an average student struggling to figure what they want to do with their future who just so happens to be half demon and who hasn’t had time to accomplish anything special.

For a while, the phone stayed silent and you turned your focus back on the professor and his assistant. It was almost 12.30, which meant lunch break, but just the idea of eating made you nauseous. As the time went by, you started regretting your little outburst, but you didn’t have the strength to apologize right then. The professor stood up and made his way out of the room after declaring that the exam would start again in an hour.

As you got up too, your phone vibrated again and you unlocked it.

C: You have me and Zira, love.

Your breath got caught in your throat. Where Aziraphale was quite the sweet talker, showering you with words of love, Crowley was more of a showing-through-actions kind of guy -well, demon- so it was rare for him to call you love. That’s why you knew that he really meant it and that’s why every time he said it your breath hitched and your heartbeat picked up the pace.

You slumped back on your seat and typed the answer.

(Y): I know and I am forever grateful to whoever decided to make you appear in my life. It’s just that this is one of my last exams, after that there’s graduation and then I can finally close this chapter of my life, my human life, and fully enjoy the new, incredible, amazing chapter that is you guys.

(Y): Sorry for the outburst there, I’m just a bit stressed, what with the exam and the lack of sleep. Let’s not forget my job!

(Y): I just can’t wait to be able to fully focus on my life with you. I love you guys, so so much. I can’t wait to see you after this.

You put your phone in your backpack and headed to the courtyard to get some fresh air and try to convince yourself that there was nothing to worry about as you did study, you did understand the subject and you would pass with a good grade.

It was almost time to head back into the room when your phone vibrated. You took it out of your backpack and stilled for a second: it was your boss calling, so, even though you really would have preferred ignoring it, you answered.

“Hello, this is (Y/N) (L/N).”

“You need to come in tonight.” he ordered with a harsh tone without even greeting back.

“I’m really sorry but, as I’ve already told you, I don’t think I can make it, they haven’t said when we’ll be done yet.” you answered trying to keep your calm.

“Either you come, or you’re fired.”

If finding another job was easy then you would have had no restraint and just let your mouth run without filters, speaking your mind without worrying too much. Unfortunately, it wasn’t easy so, with all the willpower you could muster, you tried to keep the conversation civilized.

“You can’t fire me for not coming in on my day off.”

“I can and I will if I don’t see you at 9 sharp.” he threatened and hung up.

“What?... ugh… I HATE him!” you half shouted, earning strange looks from the few students around you. You huffed and texted Crowley to let him know that you wouldn’t be able to join them for dinner and to not wait up for you. After that you turned off your phone and shoved it in the backpack, your mood completely ruined, hurrying to the classroom, not noticing the dark clouds that were gathering over your head.

It was 5 in the afternoon and you were still waiting for your turn. As you lazily glanced out the window, you finally noticed how dark the sky had become, darker than it should be at that time of the day. You started cursing the weather forecast guy for saying that it would be sunny and clear all day.

It was nearing the end of the day and the hope of being called was slowly disappearing, while the feeling of having wasted the day doing nothing but wait and worry began making its way to the forefront of your mind, along with the increasing anger at having to go to work when all you wanted to do was cuddle in bed with your angel and your demon boyfriends listening to the various situations they found themselves into, warm and safe in their embrace.

It was 6.30 and just as you were about to give up and leave, you heard your name being called. After the initial moment of shock and disbelief, wondering if you had heard correctly, you quickly made your way to the desk of the professor.

The questions seemed fairly easy, you answered all of them, but the never-changing expression of the man in front of you left you wandering if you had indeed answered correctly or not. After the last question, when you thought that the torture had finally ended and you would know whether you made it or not, the professor had another surprise for you.

“Very well. You will know your grade later this evening via e-mail.”

And with that, he started gathering his things and made his way out of the door, leaving a stunned you behind.

You stayed like that a few more seconds before recollecting yourself and checking the time.

It was 7 and soon the university would close, so you exited the building only to be met with so much rain pouring down that you wondered if God decided to drown humanity again.

You decided to head for your devilish boyfriend’s apartment, as it was closer, to take a quick shower and change your clothes. As you bravely took the first step out of the door, head tilted down to shelter your eyes, the rain that you expected to pour down on you never came.

You lifted your gaze to see a hand holding an umbrella over your head and finally the dark sunglasses hiding the yellow snake-eyes of the man the hand belonged to. The smile with which he greeted you made you want to crumble to the floor and just hug and keep him close.

“Figured you hadn’t an umbrella with you.” he told you with a small smirk.

Suddenly all words escaped your mind and you just hugged him, him embracing you with one arm and leaning down to place a kiss on your head. Relishing in his warmth, you whispered a soft ‘thank you’ and stayed there a few more seconds as he just kept hugging you, not forcing you to say anything.

When you finally pulled away, he smiled at you once more and led you to his Bentley. Once there you turned to him.

“Crow, can you take me to your place? I should still have some clothes there.”

Instead of answering, he just grinned like a child who knows they did something they shouldn’t have done, going the opposite way.

“Crowley, what are you doing? I have to be at work at 9.” you insisted.

“Not really.” he nonchalantly answered while narrowly avoiding a pedestrian.

You knew then and then that he had done something and that most likely you just had become jobless.

Having accepted it as a reality you sighed and calmly asked

“What have you done?”

“Let’s just say the you won’t need to go there anymore.”

‘Well, what’s done it’s done, I guess’ you thought, but there was still one problem: you weren’t heading for the bookshop either.

“Where are you taking me, then?”

Not to your surprise, he didn’t answer your question and limited himself to raising the volume when Bohemian Rhapsody came along.

After half an hour of reckless and aimless driving, you finally parked in front of the bookshop. You were confused but before you could even take one step inside, the demon stopped you, mad you turn around and quickly blindfolded you.

“What are you doing, Crowley?!” you whisper-shouted even more confused.

“Trust me.” he whispered in your ear, sending shivers down your spine, your cheeks heating up a bit.

“Trust a demon? Now that’s quite the request, isn’t it?” you asked, trying to hide your embarrassment.

He just chuckled as a response and began leading you on the path to what your feet memorised as the room they had previously miracled for you. As you approached the room, you could hear the light shuffle of footsteps and feel the fire’s warmth enveloping you.

Crowley stopped you and took off your blindfold. In front of you, in the middle of the room stood your angel, a warm smile adorning your face. As soon as he opened his arms you jumped straight into his loving embrace, soon joined by the snake, sandwiching you between the two celestial beings, engulfing you in their love.

You all pulled back and Crowley made you sit on the blanket and cushions covered floor.

“Would you like a cup of hot chocolate, love?” Aziraphale asked while pointing at the two mugs standing on the small coffee table in front of you, next to a bottle of red wine.

“Yes, definitely, thank you Zira.” you thanked him, grabbing one of the mugs.

They then sat near you and for a while you just chatted a bit while sipping on chocolate, your boyfriends careful not to mention the happenings of the day.

When you finished the chocolate, your mood the best it’d been in a while, the atmosphere was momentarily interrupted by your phone ringing. You sighed and looked at your lovers, silently asking permission to go check. After they assured you that it was alright, you forced yourself to stand up and go. You did so silently and just as silently you put your phone back down after turning it off and turned around with an unreadable expression on your face.

Worried, your boyfriends approached you, sharing a look.

“What’s wrong, dear?”

Hearing the angel’s concerned voice, you snapped back to reality and after looking at the both of them you beamed.

“I did it! I passed!” you exclaimed before throwing yourself at them.

They relaxed and congratulated you, the serpent saying that he knew you had nothing to worry about while Aziraphale patted your head. You went back to the cushions you were sitting on previously with your angelic boyfriend while Crowley headed out of the room, claiming that he was going to get some more wine to celebrate.

“Love, don’t take it the wrong way, but may I ask you to remove your shirt?”

Now, that was an unusual request from the principality, but after looking at him with eyes wide in surprise and him explaining that it wasn’t what you thought with reddened cheeks, you complied with his demand. He made you lay on your stomach just as you heard Crowley make his way into the room again.

He set what you assumed to be the bottles on the table and passed one to Aziraphale, only that, from what you could see, it was too little to be a bottle of wine. As you were wondering, you felt warm fingers on your back as they gently unclasped your bra. You turned your head ready to ask what was going on to the demon, but when you opened your mouth you gasped at a cold liquid being poured on your back.

Crowley chuckled and watched as realization came across your features and when the angel’s hands began working their magic, he witnessed how you melted, relaxing completely. He soon tugged your pants, wanting to join in on the pleasure-giving work of Aziraphale.

And there you were, only in your underwear and with two pair of hands on your body releasing all the knots the stress had created, your mind in a stated in-between consciousness and dreamland. They kept up the good work until they considered their mission a complete success. Slowly, you felt their hands leaving your body, a small whine escaping your lips, making the beings above you chuckle a bit.

“Don’t worry.” Aziraphale whispered while helping you get up from your relaxed position.

As you were trying to clasp back your bra, Crowley leaned in, kissing you just below your ear.

“I know another way to release your stress.” he said, kissing along your neck and finishing with a bite that promised more to come.

“Well, I can’t wait.” you answered as you tried to stand up only to stumble back down again, your legs feeling like jelly.

“…though, I fear that you’ll have to carry me, your massage left me boneless.”

Your lovers chuckled, the serpent smirking a bit, and Aziraphale proceeded to pick you up and carry you princess style. As you reached your shared bedroom, he gently laid you on the bed.

Useless to say that you didn’t have much sleep that night either but, as you woke up between your lovers, you felt all tiredness leave your body, filling it with love for the ones who turned your life in a beautiful unpredictable mess.

“I love you.” you whispered softly to the sleeping beings.

“We love you too.” they answered back wrapping their arms around you.

#good omens #aziraphale x reader x crowley #aziraphale x reader #crowley x reader #stress #gender not specified #student!reader #caring crowley #caring aziraphale

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newstfionline · 3 years

Text

Monday, July 12, 2021

US economic recovery (WSJ) The U.S. economic recovery is unlike any in recent history, powered by consumers with trillions in extra savings, businesses eager to hire and enormous policy support. Businesses and workers are poised to emerge from the downturn with far less permanent damage than occurred after recent recessions, particularly the 2007-09 downturn. New businesses are popping up at the fastest pace on record. The rate at which workers quit their jobs—a proxy for confidence in the labor market—matches the highest going back at least to 2000. American household debt-service burdens, as a share of after-tax income, are near their lowest levels since 1980, when records began. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up nearly 18% from its pre-pandemic peak in February 2020. Home prices nationwide are nearly 14% higher since that time. The speed of the rebound is also triggering turmoil. The shortages of goods, raw materials and labor that typically emerge toward the end of an expansion are cropping up much sooner. Many economists, along with the Federal Reserve, expect the jump in inflation to be temporary, but others worry it could persist even once reopening is complete. “We’ve never had anything like it—a collapse and then a boom-like pickup,” said Allen Sinai, chief global economist and strategist at Decision Economics, Inc. “It is without historical parallel.”

Rent prices are soaring as Americans flock back to cities (Washington Post) Lauren Campos opened the door to her Phoenix apartment last week to find a note stuck in the door frame. Her rent was going up nearly $400 a month, the note said, a 33 percent increase. Rents are starting to surge in many parts of the country as the economy reopens and young people return rapidly to cities. Nationwide, rent prices are up 7.5 percent so far this year, three times higher than normal, according to data from Apartments.com. Analysts expect rent prices to keep climbing for the foreseeable future, a major burden for renters and a warning sign that higher inflation could linger far longer than the White House and Federal Reserve keep predicting. Rents for single-family homes are growing at the fastest pace in 15 years, according to data firm CoreLogic. Parts of the country that used to be considered affordable are suddenly experiencing the kind of rent frenzy with bidding wars and surging prices that had previously been exclusive to mega cities like San Francisco and New York City.

Heat wave blankets US West as fires rage in several states (AP) Firefighters struggled to contain an exploding Northern California wildfire under blazing temperatures as another heat wave blanketed the West. Death Valley in southeastern California’s Mojave Desert reached 128 degrees Fahrenheit (53 Celsius) on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service’s reading at Furnace Creek. The shockingly high temperature was actually lower than the previous day, when the location reached 130 F (54 C). If confirmed as accurate, the 130-degree reading would be the hottest high recorded there since July 1913, when Furnace Creek desert hit 134 F (57 C), considered the highest measured temperature on Earth. About 300 miles (483 kilometers) northwest of the sizzling desert, the largest wildfire of the year in California was raging along the border with Nevada.

Richard Branson and his Virgin Galactic crew are safely back from space, ushering in a new era (Washington Post) Richard Branson completed a daring, barnstorming flight to edge of space Sunday, rocketing through the atmosphere in the spaceplane he’d been yearning to ride for nearly 20 years. The suborbital trip gave the British billionaire, his three crewmates and two pilots a glimpse of the Earth from more than 50 miles up and a few minutes of weightlessness before the vehicle they were traveling in, SpaceShipTwo Unity, glided back to Earth and a landing on the runway at Virgin Galactic’s facility in the New Mexico desert. It was SpaceShipTwo’s fourth trip to the edge of space since 2018, and Virgin Galactic, the company Branson founded in 2004, says it will soon start flying paying customers regularly on similar jaunts, opening a new era in human space exploration.

For a $12.50 raffle ticket, the keys to drug lord El Chapo’s seized safe house in Mexico await (Washington Post) Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was naked and asleep with his mistress, Lucero Sanchez, when Mexican marines battered down his front door in 2014. Without time to put on clothes, the lovers ran to the bathroom, and plugged in a cord: causing hydraulics to lift up an unassuming bathtub. Concealed below was a web of secret tunnels leading to other hideouts through the town’s sewage system. With little time to spare, Guzmán and his lover escaped. Eventually caught for the last time in 2016, Guzmán is serving a life sentence in Colorado. Now the two-bedroom house in northwestern Mexico could be yours for the cost of lottery ticket. The Mexican government is raffling off the site of Guzmán’s dramatic escape, along with seven other houses, seven apartments, five lots, a ranch, and a 20-seat viewing box at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. The prizes—confiscated assets from various criminal operations and now owned by the government—are valued at a total of $12.5 million. Lottery tickets cost 250 pesos ($12.50). Winning tickets will be drawn on Sept. 15, the day before Mexico’s Independence Day.

The assassination of Haiti’s president has thrown the nation into disarray (NYT/Washington Post) Shootouts have erupted in the streets of Port-au-Prince, and terrified citizens have been cowering in their homes after President Jovenel Moïse was gunned down in his residence on Wednesday. At least 20 people—18 Colombians and two Haitian Americans—have been detained in the attack. The Haitian authorities have asked the U.S. to send troops to stabilize the country. But the Biden administration showed no immediate enthusiasm for sending even a limited American force. Some in Haiti quickly criticized the request, citing other foreign interventions that left a trail of abuses. Moïse’s assassination sparked dueling claims to power. Four men have staked claims to either the presidency or the prime minister’s post. Since the assassination, Haiti has plunged deeper into a complex crisis that risks creating a Somalia in the Caribbean—a failed state 800 miles off the coast of Florida ridden by violence, overcome by disease, inflation and deepening hunger and controlled by warlord-like factions and weak nominal governments.

Black Sea drills showcase strong NATO-Ukraine defense ties (AP) Ukraine and NATO have conducted Black Sea drills involving dozens of warships in a two-week show of their strong defense ties and capability following a confrontation between Russia’s military forces and a British destroyer off Crimea last month. The Sea Breeze 2021 maneuvers that ended Saturday involved about 30 warships and 40 aircraft from NATO members and Ukraine. The captain of the USS Ross, a U.S. Navy destroyer that took part in the drills, said the exercise was designed to improve how the equipment and personnel of the participating nations operate together. “We’d like to demonstrate to everybody, the international community, that no one nation can claim the Black Sea or any international body of water,” Cmdr. John D. John said aboard the guided missile destroyer previously deployed to the area for drills. “Those bodies of water belong to the international community, and we’re committed to ensure that all nations have access to international waterways.” The Russian military also conducted a series of parallel drills in the Black Sea and southwestern Russia, with warplanes practicing bombing runs and long-range air defense missiles’ deploying to protect the coast.

Pope appears in public for first time since surgery (AP) Pope Francis on Sunday made his first public appearance since major intestinal surgery last week, greeting well-wishers as he stood for 10 minutes on a hospital balcony, offering hearty thanks for the prayers for his recovery and calling health care for all a “precious” good. Francis, 84, has been steadily on the mend, according to the Vatican, following his July 4 scheduled surgery to remove a portion of his colon which had narrowed due to inflammation. But it hasn’t said just when he might be discharged. On the morning after his surgery, a Holy See spokesperson said his hospital stay was expected to last seven days, “barring complications.” In his remarks, the pope praised the “tenderness” of those who care for the sick, which he said was “like a caress that makes you feel better, eases the pain and picks you up.”

Thousands evacuated from floods in China’s Sichuan, more rain forecast (Reuters) Heavy rains and flooding have forced thousands of people to evacuate in China’s southwestern province of Sichuan, with authorities on Sunday urging citizens across the country to brace for more downpours. In Sichuan, torrential rain since Friday has raised the water levels of 14 rivers, swept away boats and bridges and forced the evacuation of more than 4,600 people, state media reported. While no casualties have been reported, state media said the rain and flooding have affected more than 120,000 people, forced the cancellation of some train services and caused more than 176 million yuan ($27 million) worth of damage. About 27,000 homes in the city of Bazhong, Sichuan were reported to be without power.

Netanyahu vacates prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem (AP) Benjamin Netanyahu and his family vacated the Israeli prime minister’s official residence early Sunday, nearly a month after the longtime leader was ousted from office with the formation of an alternate government. A family spokesman confirmed the Netanyahus left the residence on Balfour Street in Jerusalem shortly after midnight, in line with a deadline agreed upon last month with newly inaugurated Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. The Balfour residence had become a symbol of the Netanyahus’ scandals, and was the scene of weekly protests against Netanyahu for much of the past year. Demonstrators called on the then-prime minister to resign while on trial for corruption. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and refused to step down.

Syria’s president decrees 50% salary hike amid harsh crisis (AP) Syrian President Bashar Assad issued a decree Sunday giving hundreds of thousands of civil servants and military members a 50% salary increase amid a harsh economic and financial crisis and price increases for vital products. Assad’s decision came a day after the state doubled the price of bread, the country’s main staple, and increased by 180% the price of diesel fuel. The Syrian economy has been hard hit by a decade of war, Western sanctions, widespread corruption and most recently a severe economic and financial crisis in neighboring Lebanon. The last salary increase was announced in November 2019. The decree released by Assad’s office put the minimum monthly income at 71,515 Syrian pounds ($22). Nearly 80% of Syrians live in poverty, and 60% are food insecure—the worst food security situation ever seen in Syria, according to the United Nations.

#headlines #news

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a-fire-emblem-geek · 4 years

Text

The Incredible Shrinking Unlucky Student Part 1

Monodora feels like the killing game just isn’t interesting enough. He whips up an interesting new motive, which involves a peculiar thing happening to a certain unlucky student.

The day had started out average enough.

Ayumu woke up, the morning announcement blaring in his ears.

“Good morning, everyone! Please meet in the cafeteria for a very important announcement!” Monodora spoke.

Ayumu grumbled, mustering what little energy he had to get out of bed. He didn’t sleep a wink last night. The thought of a killing game was far too scary for him to sleep like a baby. But no one here looked like that they could be a potential murderer, right?

Right?

He slipped into his outfit, briefly taking the time to attempt to get the one tuft in his hair to just stick down. When that attempt proved to be fruitless, Ayumu stepped outside, only to be greeted by Seishi.

“Ah, Mr. Fujimori, good morning!” Seishi greeted.

“Hey, Seishi! Are the others at the cafeteria?” Ayumu asked.

“Only a few people. Come on, we shouldn’t keep Mr. Monodora waiting,” Seishi responsed. The mystery novelist and the unlucky student walked down the hallway.

Once they got to the cafeteria, they saw that Misuzu, Kazuomi, Kasumi, Mitsunari, and Narumi were already there.

“Good morning, Seishi. Good morning, Ayumu,” Misuzu greeted.

“Hey,” Kasumi grumbled.

“I wonder what Monodora fucking wants...” Kazuomi growled, the karate practitioner resting his head in his hands boredly.

“Hungry? I’m about to start breakfast!” Narumi chirped.

“Why did Monodora wake us up so early?” whined Mitsunari as he spoke for his puppet, Uma.

“Uma, you always wake up at 11 am!” objected Mitsunari as he spoke for his other puppet, Shika.

“Hey, I need my beauty sleep, you know!” Uma yelled.

“Now, children, we shouldn’t fight!” Mitsunari himself repremanded sternly.

“Sorry, daddy...” both puppets chorused.

Soon enough, more people started piling in. First came Aruma, who looked rather... aroused.

“Sorry, everyone! I was having the most... hot dream ever...” Aruma spoke. “It involved-.”

“Enough of that shit!” Kazuomi growled. Nevertheless, the purple-haired animal trainer went to sit by Kazuomi.

Next came in Saiji with Nico and Maiko at his heels.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone,” Saiji apologized with a polite dip of his head.

“You don’t have to apologize all the time, you know!” Maiko repremianded.

“So- Never mind,” Saiji stopped himself before he could be reprimanded again.

“I didn’t sleep. The thought of a killing game hung over my head like a hawk over a field of chickens...” Nico murmured. The poet, the undertaker, and the dancer sat together at their own separate spot at the table.

Marin and Kego came in a few seconds later.

“Good morning, everyone! Big sis hopes that you all had lovely dreams! Poka poka! （＾ω＾)” Marin beamed. Ayumu’s mood brightened upon seeing the cheerful weather forecaster.

“I was hoping that I could practice my sick beats before Monodora said that he needed to see us...” Kego mumbled.

Lastly, Mikoto came in the room with Akira not too far behind.

“Let’s see what Monodora wants now...” Mikoto grumbled. The mysterious girl sat next to the open chair near Ayumu.

“Eh, it’s probably for no good reason...” Akira concluded. The NEET took his own spot near Aruma.

Not too long after Akira sat down, Monodora popped out of literally nowhere.

“Goooooooood morning everyone!” The disembodied cat plushie head spoke. No one spoke. “Oh, come on! You youngsters are so rude!”

“You are literally keeping us here...” Akira pointed out. Monodora continued as if the dark blue-haired NEET hadn’t spoken at all.

“Anyway, I noticed that no one here was going to kill each other-!” Monodora started.

“That’s because we refuse to do that!” Seishi interrupted.

“Will you all STOP INTERRUPTING ME?!?” Monodora yelled. Once the room was completely silent, he continued. “I noticed that no one here was going to kill someone, sooo I concocted a little motive for that to happen!”

“We are not going to fall for it, Monodora!” Ayumu shouted.

“Ooooh, I think you will! Speaking of which, Ayumu... come here!” Monodora ordered. Seishi protectively wrapped his arms around Ayumu.

“He is not going to follow your orders!” The redheaded novelist yelled.

“If he doesn’t come up, I’m just gonna kill you all right now!” Monodora cackled. Ayumu gently pried himself out of Seishi’s grasp.

He got up, his legs shaking as if they were supported by jello instead of bones. Ayumu hesitantly stepped towards Monodora, his heart thundering in his ribcage like a boxer punching rapidly at a punching bag. Once he was close enough to Monodora, Ayumu found himself barely able to speak because his mouth was dryer than a desert. That was when a Monodora did something completely unexpected. He took out some kind of gun and shot it at Ayumu. The unlucky boy cringed as a tingling sensation encased his body and... nothing. Ayumu opened his eyes to see his body briefly encased in a yellow aura, which then disappeared after a bit.

“Well, that’s enough of that! Bye for now! Upupupupu!” Monodora promptly left.

A moment of silence filled the cafeteria. It was so quiet that you could easily hear a crumb drop. Finally, it was Kazuomi who broke the silence. “Hey, Ayumu? Do you... fucking feel okay?” the SHSL Karate Practitioner asked.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. I’m just... shaken up, that’s all...” Ayumu mumbled.

“Big sis hopes that nothing serious happens to Ayumu-kun... poka poka... (☍﹏⁰)” Marin muttered worriedly.

“Someone should just keep watch of Ayumu, just in case...” Mikoto suggested. “We don’t know what that beam did to him.”

“If anything at all, really,” Akira piped up. “It could just be a trick to make us think that something happened to Ayumu...”

“Guys, seriously, I feel fine!” Ayumu objected.

“I agree with Mikoto. Someone should watch Ayumu just in case...” Saiji pointed out.

“I’ll do it, Mr. Rokudou,” Seishi offered. “I hope you don’t mind, Mr. Fujimori.”

“N-not at all!” Ayumu stammered, his cheeks going as red as his eyes. Wait, why was he getting so flustered? Seishi was just a really good friend! Friends shouldn’t make other friends flustered. Ayumu shook off his romantic thoughts as he walked alongside Seishi.

The rest of the day continued as normal. Ayumu was always with at least one student: he was at first with Seishi, then with Saiji and Maiko, then with Marin and Kazuomi, and lastly with Mikoto. They never left him alone for a second. Once nighttime struck, Ayumu went back to his room, not feeling too different at all. He changed into his pajamas, got ready for bed, and crawled under the covers. For the first time since this killing game, Ayumu went into a deep sleep.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The next day came surprisingly fast, but Ayumu found himself not wanting to leave his bed. The covers had a comforting grip on him, for they felt somewhat heavier than usual. The morning announcement broke him out of his tired stupor, and Ayumu climbed out of the covers.

Although it wasn’t obvious, Ayumu could tell that something was off. First of all, he found himself having to bend his legs a little less in order to get out of bed. Okay, nothing too strange. When he went to change clothes, he noticed that his clothes felt a bit... looser on his body. Maybe he lost weight? He hasn’t really been eating much since the killing game, no matter how delicious Narumi’s food was. But then as he could hear someone knock on the door, he noticed that the doorknob was a bit closer to his face last time.

Seishi was at the other side of the door, and he was immediately struck speechless the second he saw Ayumu.

“Uh... greetings... Mr. Fujimori...” Seishi sputtered out, still eying Ayumu up and down.

“Hey, Seishi...” Ayumu murmured awkwardly. The two boys left together.

As they walked towards the dining hall, Ayumu felt Seishi’s gaze heat up on him. Why was Seishi staring at him? Was it something on his face?

When Seishi and Ayumu got in, it became everyone who was staring at Ayumu. Some were scanning him up and down, others were whispering to the person next to them, and others gazed at him worriedly. He got his plate of breakfast from Narumi... noticing that the fork was slightly bigger.

As everyone ate, people kept glancing at Ayumu every now and then. That was when the unlucky boy snapped.

“Why is everyone staring at me?” He asked, nervousness in his voice.

“It’s nothing against you, Ayumu, it’s just that...” Saiji trailed off mid sentence.

“Something seems different about you,” Kego finished.

“Nothing really feels-.” Ayumu was cut off by a yellow aura encasing his body. A brief pulling sensation encased his muscles, and then the aura wiped away. Ayumu noticed that he could no longer touch his heels to the floor.

“W-what the fuck?!” Kazuomi stuttered.

“Is it just me, or did Ayumu get shorter?” Narumi asked, finishing her toast.

“No, Ms. Osone, we all saw it too,” Seishi replied.

“Did an evil spirit do this?!” Kasumi gasped.

“Calm down, everyone! Big sis is sure that it’s just a one time thi-! ⊙﹏⊙” poor Marin was cut off by the yellow aura encasing Ayumu’s body again, knocking him down a couple of inches.

Now everyone was freaking out.

“Is Ayumu just going to keep shrinking?!” Aruma yelled.

“D-definitely not! He has to stop eventually-!” Saiji stammered, rudely cut off by Monodora entering the room.

“Hate to tell ya this, prayer boy, but Ayumu isn’t gonna stop shrinking!” Monodora laughed.

“But if he keeps shrinking...” Akira mumbled, showing his own form of unease.

“Then he’s going to get too small for us to even see!” Misuzu finished.

“Correct!” Monodora cackled. “And he’s just gonna keep shrinking... and shrinking... and shrinking...!”

“Tell us what we could do to fucking fix this right now, you monochrome piece of shit!” Kazuomi yelled, seething with rage.

“Woah, woah, no need to get hasty!” Monodora laughed. The yellow aura encased Ayumu’s body yet again, which shrunk him down even more. “And the answer is simple, KILL SOMEONE! Bye for now! Upupupupu!” And with that laugh, Monodora disappeared.

“This is baaaaad!” Maiko yelled, looking at Ayumu.

“Oh, puh-lease, we are not going to give in to that c*cksucker’s motive!” Kasumi yelled.

“But... Ayumu...” Nico started. The yellow aura struck again, shrinking Ayumu down by a couple of more inches. Seishi looked lost in thought.

“Wait!” He spoke up. “There is a way! Mr. Monodora said that there is a chemistry room!”

“How’s that going to help Ayumu?!” Mikoto hissed.

“There are certain chemicals that Mr. Fujimori needs in order to stop the shrinking!” Seishi spoke.

“Then what are we fucking waiting for?! Let’s get them!” Kazuomi yelled.

“Wait, someone should stay with Ayumu! If no one watches him, we could step on him by accident!” Saiji pointed out, worry overtaking the voice of the typically cool and refined undertaker.

“I’ll do it,” Mikoto volunteered. “The rest of you, go!”

The other 13 students nodded, running off, leaving Mikoto alone with Ayumu.

————

Mikoto knelt down next to Ayumu, wincing as he shrunk further. Something in the back of the girl’s mind wouldn’t stop nagging her.

She failed.

She failed to protect Ayumu Fujimori, the Ultimate Unlucky Student.

Now he was going to shrink into nothingness if her classmates don’t hurry the fuck up.

“Uh... thanks for watching over me,” Ayumu spoke in an attempt to make conversation. Mikoto just nodded. Ayumu’s chest now lined up with the bench. “Mikoto? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Ayumu...” she mumbled, clutching her leg in worry.

“It’s not your fault, Mikoto, in case you were thinking that,” Ayumu spoke.

“It kind of is. I was supposed to protect you,” Mikoto hissed. That’s when she realized her error.

“Protect... me?” Ayumu echoed. He was knocked down a couple of more inches. Mikoto’s heart raced. He was now about the same height as Kego.

“I wasn’t planning on telling you this, but... my Ultimate talent is the Ultimate Bodyguard,” she spoke. Ayumu shrunk down more.

“A bodyguard?!” Ayumu echoed, still shrinking.

“Exactly. And as a bodyguard, I failed.” Mikoto grumbled. Ayumu placed a hand on Mikoto’s, which was now about the size of her entire palm.

“Hey, Seishi is gonna fix this! He and the others should be back anytime soon!” Ayumu reassured her. Mikoto gave a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it smile.

“I hope so,” she mumbled, staring off into the distance.

—————

Seishi straight up wasn’t having a good time right now.

Ayumu Fujimori, the boy he grew to care for, was now in severe danger. He didn’t know how small he was going to be when the other 13 students came back, or if he was even going to be visible to the naked eye.

Was this... all part of his plan?

‘No, don’t think about that!’ Seishi reprimanded himself, approaching the chemistry room.

“What chemicals do we need?!” Misuzu barked out, immediately rushing inside.

Seishi told them the chemicals that they needed.

“Hey, Seishi, how do you even know this?” Kego asked, currently rummaging through the supplement shelves.

It had been when they were kids. Zen thought it would be a good idea to shoot himself with a mysterious gun to scare his brother. However, Zen wasn’t counting on the gun being a rapid-shrinking gun. They had managed to stop the shrinking with those chemicals, but Zen now currently stood at an inch tall. Serves him right.

Seishi hoped that Ayumu would at least be bigger by the time the chemicals were obtained.

Saiji had gotten the first chemical, handing it to Seishi who responded with a ‘thank you’. Mitsunari had found the second, which Seishi immediately took given Mitsunari’s puppets being on his hands. Lastly, Kasumi had gotten the last chemical. Seishi immediately mixed them together, his heart racing in his chest.

The 13 Ultimates ran out of the classroom. Seishi’s stomach churned with nervousness. ‘Hopefully, we’re not too late...’

#gtronpa #danganronpa rebirth #tiny!ayumu #giant!literally everybody else #kudos to whoever knows what movie the title is spoofing #the-littlest-geek... posting about something OTHER than giant Saiji? It’s more likely than you think.#in this story Zen and Seishi are different people #the incredible shrinking unlucky student

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jaefluenza · 4 years

Text

Mellifluous | Mark x reader

genre: fluff/slice of life

pairing: Classmate!Mark x you

other characters: Jaemin, Renjun, Jeno, Chenle, Jaehyun, Lami (ex SMrookie)

summary: you tried to forget music after you failed your first audition with a misunderstanding. But Mark Lee, your new classmate, helps you finds your desire to love music again.

You walked into the empty classroom, feeling glad that you’re early. You put your bag onto the desk and lay your head on it. The breeze swaying some of your hair put you to a short nap. Minutes later, you’re being awakened by the noisy loud boys. You look up and glance at the clock. It’s 10 minutes away before the class starts, so you decide to get a drink from the vending machine.

You walk through the hallway, avoiding another student’s glance as you walk towards the vending machine. Well, one thing you hate about the vending machine is it was placed besides the music room, the only room you hate in the school. You ignored the piano sounds from inside, inserting the coin in. Once you get your drink, you flinched at one certain face in front of you.

“You scared me, Jaemin! Don’t do that again, please.”

Jaemin snorts, “Why are you in front of the music room?” His eyes lit up. “Are you going to be interested again in music-” You hurriedly close Jaemin’s fussy mouth as you glare at him.

“Stop it, Jaemin. I’m not doing whatever is in your mind now. Let’s just get back to class, it’s almost starting.”

You literally dragged Jaemin back to class. “You know what, y/n. There’s always another chance you know.”

You ignored him as you let go of his hand, leaving him to go to your own desk.

You stare at the window as you reminisce your bitter past with music.

You worked part time in order to obtain your own pocket money without bothering your parents. You got plenty of money from it, and you used them to apply for vocal and music courses. You were in love with music. You discovered your nice voice since junior year, when your friends forced you to sing at a birthday party. Your friends applauded and told you to join the music club at school. So, you did. And to work up your skills, you attended vocal and music courses. You also bought a guitar with your own money. Everything went great and you fell in love with music everyday.

“Why don’t you participate in an audition?” Renjun asked you who’s playing a piano across him. You stopped your finger play.

“Hm, I don’t know. My vocal skill is still average and I don’t have the confidence to compete with hundreds or maybe thousands of talented people.”

Lami chimes in, “You call that diamond voice average? Then I must be a dying goat then.”

You chuckled, “No, you’re just exaggerating that.”

“Believe me, y/n, you have a beautiful talented voice. And your music skills are superb. You deserve a chance to do an audition.”

You couldn’t believe that Renjun would say that about you. He has been a playful savage in the club, but now you could feel his sincerity.

“Yeah, I totally agree. I heard MBK is arranging an audition in our school next month. You should totally join it.”

You looked at Lami, Renjun, Chenle, and the others.

“Maybe I should do it.”

So you spent your times practicing for the upcoming audition. You were so sure that you’ll rock the audition. A day before the audition, you hurried your way to your workplace, forgetting your umbrella. You’ve watched the weather forecast and they said it’s gonna rain. You didn’t care though, all you wished was to finish your work and then prepare yourself for tomorrow.

And they were right. 10 minutes before your shift completed, heavy rain started to pour down and it was quite stormy. You sighed, regretting how you didn’t give a fuck about leaving your umbrella at class. So your day ended with you walking home literally drenched from the heavy rain.

The next day, Renjun and Jaemin were waiting for you to in front of the hallroom, where the audition was held. “Where do you think she is? She should be taking her number by now!” Jaemin panicked.

“Do you think I don’t know that? I’m not stupid, Jaemin. I am clearly as worried as you right now- there she is! Y/n!” Renjun spotted you weakly walking to the hallway.

Your pale face changed their excitement into worries. “Are you alright? Why are you so pale??”

“I forgot my umbrella yesterday so I walked home like a wet cat.” You said before you sneezed. “Geez, I don’t think I’m gonna make it. I’ll just give up and join another one someday.”

“No. An open audition like this rarely goes to our school, so you still have to take it.” Renjun convinced you.

Jaemin nodded, “Yeah, besides, you have practiced for a month long. You can do it.”

You sigh, “What if my voice cracks? To tell them I am sick doesn’t make any sense though.”

Jaemin shakes his head, “No, y/n. You can do it. Now, take your number and sit down in the applicant section.” He put his hand on your shoulder, assuring you that everything will be alright.

So you ended up sitting as an applicant. You keep hearing students around you practicing, while you only busy clearing your throat and drinking water to make sure your hoarse voice won’t crack. Jaemin, Renjun and some of your clubmates sit on the audience section, anticipating your turn.

You watched proudly as Lami finished her audition with positive reactions from the judges. You give her hearts and smiles as she smiled excitedly at you.

After an hour, you heard your number being called. You nervously walked towards the front, the stage, reminding yourself that this is an open audition and a lot of students are watching you right now. You bow as you hold the mic in your hand, smiling at the judges. You introduced yourself before they ask you to sing.

You start off with a nice tone, until you feel your voice straining a little bit at the refrain. You keep your tone stable until you have to reach the highnote in the end.

That’s where your voice cracks poorly, and you heard people cringing. You stopped singing, shocked at how your efforts for the last month becoming useless because of a freaking cold. You bowed as an apology and you looked down, waiting for what the judges will say.

“Woah, I’m sorry, student y/n, I don’t understand why you joined this open audition just to embarrass yourself.”

“I’m sorry, but you sounded like a strangled cat.”

“I don’t think we can accept you, maybe you have to practice for a few more years.”

You feel disappointed in yourself, but in the tiny deepest corner in your heart, you still wanna fight for it.

“I’m sorry, but I am having a cold. Can I have a second chance? I’ll do better-”

“Using cold as an excuse? This is intolerable. We are sorry but you don’t have another chance. Please leave. Next, number 124!”

You leave the stage while holding your tears. At the moment, you feel like the entire world crumbles upon you, you feel embarrassed and disappointed in yourself. How could you believe you can succeed an audition while having a cold? Are you Taeyeon or IU? Negative thoughts circles around your head, until someone yells your name across the hallway.

“Y/n, wait! I-” Renjun couldn’t finish his words as you snapped at him.

“I told you I couldn’t make it, Renjun! Why did you both push me into embarrassment like this? I told you my singing skills are average and now I discovered that I sing like a strangled cat.”

Jaemin feels guilty as he looked at your tears, wanting to erase them off your cheeks.

“No, y/n, I don’t mean that. Please-”

You cut him off, “Enough. I told you I’ll join another audition but no, I guess I won’t attend one anymore. And please leave me alone for awhile.”

That’s how you leave the music club, your vocal and music courses, and also your beloved guitar in your room. You packed the guitar in it’s bag and put it in the stockroom.

The teacher’s entrance cut off your flashbacks and you straighten your position. The teacher is not alone, he brings someone with him too, that you assume is a new student. The girls in the room squeals, well, it’s a boy and he’s quite charming, you thought.

“Good morning, everyone. Let me introduce a new student that will joining us in this class. He is a transfer student from Hanlim Art School. So, would you introduce yourself?” The teacher turns at the black-haired boy as he nod politely.

“Ah, yes. Hello everyone. I am Lee Minhyung but everyone calls me Mark. Mark Lee. I grew up in Canada, but I moved back to Korea to be a trainee in SM entertainment. Yeah, that’s all from me.”

You heard everyone wowed at him. Well, you found out why he looks so charming, he’s a trainee from a big and popular company.

“Okay, thank you Mark. Please have a sit there, in front of y/n. Y/n, please raise your hand.”

You lazily raise your hand and he makes an eye contact with you. You put down your hand and awkwardly look away. You feel his steps coming towards you. You look up to meet his smile back, as he take his seat in front of you. You return his smile with a small grin.

At recess, you planned to sit alone while enjoying your lunch, but that seems to wouldn’t happen because the minute you put your tray on one of the empty tables, Na Jaemin and Lee Jeno also put their trays on the same table as you. You looked at them both.

“I planned to have lunch by myself today, though.”

“That’s too much.” Jaemin pouted.

“Yeah, let us eat with you, okay.”

Jeno gives you his signature eyesmile as he put his hand on your shoulder. You shrugged and proceed to eat your lunch.

“You know, that new student, he was in Hanlim. Y/n’s dream school!” Jaemin exclaimed excitedly. You shake your head slowly, “It was my dream school, but not anymore.”

Jeno looked up from his meal, “But you used to like that school a lot. Well, why not liking it anymore?”

“I think you both knew well what was the reason.” You scoff.

“Well, Y/n. We care a lot for you as your friends, I just want to say, you can’t give up your dream like that-”

“Ah.. our dreams can change as time passes by, yeah, uhm.” Jaemin chimes in as you thank him with your eyes.

Before Jeno gets to reply, another tray was put gently on the table. The three of you looked up. It’s the new student, Mark Lee.

“Hey guys, can I sit here?” He asked with an awkward smile.

“Well, there’s no reason why you can’t sit with us.”

Jeno looked at you with an odd look. “What the hell? You weren’t like that to us awhile ago.”

Jaemin snorts, “I know right. Yeah, sit here Mark. I am Jaemin and this is Jeno.” Mark nods as he sit down next to you.

“I didn’t tell you to sit beside her though..” Jaemin scoffs.

After some minutes of awkward silence, Jeno decided to open up a conversation.

“Hey, Mark. You transferred from Hanlim. Why?” Jeno asked.

“Well we recently move to our new dorm so this school is the nearest one so yeah. This school seems pretty nice, though I have yet to tour around, can someone tour me around?”

“Yeah, sure. Y/n can tour you around.” Jaemin said calmly.

“What? W-why me?” You look up in panic. “You don’t like it?” Mark frowns.

You feel another panic, “N-no. It’s not like that. I mean... urgh okay. I’ll tour you around after lunch.” You agreed. “I’ll go first.” You stand up and bring your tray.

Mark smiles as he finished up his lunch, somehow feeling excited about touring the school around with you.

“Yo, a little advice, she might seems to act cold around people, but you only need to approach her gently, don’t bring her pressure. She’s actually very sweet and charming, you just have to know her well.” Jaemin explains to Mark.

“Thank you, guys. Well, she’s indeed charming though.”

So you ended up with Mark, walking around the halls side to side. And there you are, walking towards the room you never walk into anymore.

“This is the last room I’ll show you. The music room. The music club members practice and hang out here everyday. If you want to join this club, you can reach Na Jaemin from our class or Huang Renjun from 3-1.” You explained boringly to Mark.

“I’ll definitely join this club. Thank you for the tour, y/n. Anyway, what club do you join?”

“Uhm, I was- well, I’m joining the broadcast club.” You replied. “Let’s go back to class, shall we?”

You befriended Mark. He’s a gentle boy and he takes care of you a lot. He also got so close with the other guys from the music club. You never hang out with them since the audition accident but with Mark, he easily make you go out with them whether it’s going to the theme park or simply going to a cafe. He makes you feel comfortable without being pressured.

Today, you decided to invite Mark to your house. He said he missed home cooked meals so you asked your mom to cook for him. He visited your house often so your mom knows him, and he adores him. She loves to cook for him as he eats so well.

“Well, you’re lucky my brother is home. He just got discharged from military last week. You can play fortnite with him when I’m working on some work.”

“Really? Woah, why do I feel so nervous to meet your brother?” Mark touched his chest, signaling how his heart is beating so fast.

You laugh, “Are you in love with my brother or something? Why are you so nervous to meet him, you silly..”

“Haha, I don’t even know why.” Mark blushes. The red shades on his cheeks are so cute that you proceeded to squish them.

“Ouch! That hurts! What are you doing?” Mark asks shyly.

“You’re so cute, Mark. I can’t resist it.”

Your mom cooked a lot of delicious foods you can feel your stomach about to explode. After dinner, your brother asked Mark to play fortnite with him and Mark gladly answered yes. So you cleaned yourself and spend your time working on the broadcast material you need to finish until thursday.

Meanwhile, downstairs..

“So, have you heard?” Jaehyun looked at Mark.

“About what?”

“Y/n’s last audition. The reason why she quit music.”

Mark nodded, “Yeah, I’ve heard. The guys told me, but I’ve never brought it up in front of her. I know it’s a sensitive topic to talk about so I managed to never ask her about it.”

“You did great. But, as her brother who just got discharged, I wish you could push her into music again. She was really passionate about music and singing. She used to send me a lot of recording of her singing, or just her playing the piano, and I loved them. I know deep down she still has the desire to do music again, to sing again, but I just can’t figure how to help her yet.”

Mark frowned as he listens. “I just want to make her feel comfortable around me. I don’t know if I help her with music, she will avoid me like she tends to avoid others.”

“Man, you don’t know how much she talks about you. Don’t tell her you hear it from me, she will get mad. But I think she’s really comfortable with your presence. You should try.”

Mark’s eyes blink with embarrassment. He somehow feels nervous after hearing that you talk about him often. So, he decided to give it a try.

You finished your writing before you heard a knock on your door. It must be Mark.

“Yeah, come in.”

A second after, he entered the room with a bowl of apples in his hands.

“Your mom told me to bring it to you. Did you finish your work?” He asks gently as he put the bowl on your table.

“I just did.”

Mark nodded. He then sighed as he sit down on your fluffy carpet.

You joined him with the apples. “What’s wrong, Mark?”

He looks into your eyes, “There is something I want to bring up to you, but I’m not sure if you’ll be comfortable enough to talk about it.”

You know where this is leading to, but you shrug as you look away.

“Just spill. I know you’re gonna be curious as well, and because we’re close enough, you deserve to know.” You replied softly with a smile.

“Well, y/n. I spent half of my teenage life as a trainee. I came here as a foreigner, but luckily I was a quick learner, so I worked really hard to become the way I am now. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about failure. I failed twice on my piano lesson. I used to hate myself because everyone is good at piano, why couldn’t I? So I worked really really hard to learn the damn instrument and I made it.” He paused to look at you. You fell into a deep silence.

“The thing is, I heard about what happened to you. The guys told me, but I really want to know your side of story. I wanna hear it from you, I want to know more of you, y/n. How did you feel.. that day?”

Hearing the sincerity from his words make you broke into tears. He flinched in panic, and then holding you closer to him as he soothes you with words.

“Oh, I’m sorry y/n. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“No. I-i.. I just feel so.. amused that you asked about how did I feel about it. No one has been listening to me. No one wanted to know how did I feel to be humiliated in front of so many people. To be told that you cannot sing, and you don’t have any talent. Well, it could be true but.. somehow I felt like what I worked hard for was useless. I felt useless.”

Mark nods as he continue to listens.

“I avoided everything about music, because I feel like I don’t deserve to do it. Getting cursed on stage somehow had me hypnotized that I shouldn’t do it anymore. I don’t want to go on another audition, so I don’t need to do anything involved with music anymore.”

“You don’t have to go on an audition to be involved with music, y/n. You can do it for yourself. If you want to play music, do it. You don’t have to do it for others to see. But I do believe that you have the talent for others to see. You have your own charm with music, y/n.”

“How are you so sure about it? You have never heard me sing.”

“Oh, do you think I would ignore every humming sounds behind me? Even they sound beautiful. How I wish I could hear you sing.”

“Well, your wish will be granted. I will.. try to sing again, unless you’re gonna be the one watching.”

“Good deal.”

So, the next day, you and Mark sneak into the music room. It was the day when Mark received a message from the music club groupchat that there were no meeting that day. Everyone’s busy preparing for the upcoming final exams. So after waving goodbye to Jaemin and Jeno, you both made an “eating-bingsoo” excuse to go to the music room.

While Mark open the door, you hesitate to step in. You stare around the room. Somehow you miss practicing here, playing around with the guys, harmonizing with Lami and Koeun, and playing tag with Renjun and Chenle. You sigh, looking back at Mark who waited for you to step in.

You enter the room without pressure, remembering Mark’s words to just relax as if you only come to play. You walk past Mark towards the grand piano across the room, the one you used to practice with. “It’s been so long since I touch this piano.”

“I bet you’re still great at it.” Mark reassures you.

You looked at Mark before finally sit down to play. “I-i..”

Mark nods, “Go on, I’m listening.”

You play the intro of your favorite song, “Baby Baby” by 4MEN.

“I don't know the reason why I changed..

I've been thinking for a long time

After you and I met

It seems like I changed

Quite a lot

Can you hear this song?”

Mark stares at the way you sing. He’s very mesmerized by the way your fingers dancing on the piano. He’s also very stunned by your voice.

“Oh, thank you so much.. oh baby..

You are so pretty

I can't take my eyes off of you

My eyes only see you

I only want to keep looking at you..”

You closed your eyes and sigh, you finally sing again. You glance at Mark with teary eyes. He clapped proudly before walking to give you a hug. You gladly wrap your arms around his body, letting out a satisfied sigh while he pat your head.

“That was beautiful.” Mark whispered. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you Mark. Thanks for helping me find my hope.”

Months after finding your passion in music with the help of Mark, you grow to be a lot happier. You open yourself to your friends, and they gladly welcome your old self back. They decided to respect your choice no matter what happens, as long as you’re happy. Of course you didn’t join the music club back, you told everyone that you’re gonna enjoy music to yourself, to have fun.

While Mark is nearing his debut, you sometimes help him relieve his stress by helping him with his music. You help him write his rap or sometimes you make guitar samples for him.

And now, here you are on the prom day, wearing a beautiful white short dress, waiting for your date in front of the hallroom. After greeting some of your friends with their date, you finally see him coming.

Mark walks towards you with a bucket of flowers in his hands, smiling charmingly. “Hey, you look beautiful tonight. I- I mean, you always look beautiful everyday, but tonight you look.. uhm, different. Urgh, I don’t know what I’m saying,” Mark rumbles.

You receive the bucket and smell it, “Thank you Mark, you look handsome too, you know.” You smiled.

Mark reaches for your hand, and offers you to go with him. “Shall we?”

You nod and take his hand in yours.

“Sooooo! Tonight is a special day! And we also have our dinner and now our stomach is really full of good food! But the special thing is not here yet! So, now we will proceed to see a performance from our dear friend from the music club, he will be performing a song with a secret featuring. Mark Lee, y’all!!!” Donghyuck screamed into the mic as he nods at Mark who’s ready with his mic.

Meanwhile, you stand behind Mark, hands shaking from nervousness, as you grip your mic tightly. Mark notices your nervousness. He put both of his hands on your shoulder as he looks directly into your eyes. “Are you alright?”

“M-mark, I don’t think I can do it.”

“Listen, y/n. Just pretend that the kids aren’t there. Just see it as if we’re only having fun, serenading each other. You know we love to sing together, right? It’s gonna be okay, I’m here with you.”

You look into Mark’s eyes to search for any sincerity and reassurance from his eyes, and that’s it. You find them. You quickly gain your confidence as you nod frequently.

He holds his guitar in his left hand and uses the other one to hold your hand, leading you to the stage. Everyone screamed in surprise, not believing that you are gonna sing at the stage again.

Renjun sends a look to Jaemin and Jeno, “Did they told you about this???”

Jaemin shakes his head, “No! I’m literally shook right now!”

You ignored all the hollers and looked at Mark with a smile, before closing your eyes to focus.

Mark started his intro, focusing in his fingers as he plays delicately. He started his first verse,

“She is the sweetest thing that I know..

You should see the way she holds me when the lights go low

Shakes my soul like a pot hole, every time

Took my heart upon a one way trip

Guess she went wandering off with it

Unlike most women I know

This one will bring it back whole.

Daisies, daisies perched upon your forehead

Oh my baby, lately I know..”

He smiled at you, reassuring you for the last time that it’s gonna be alright.

You look at him dearly as you start to sing,

“That every night I'll kiss you you'll say in my ear

Oh we're in love aren't we?

Hands in your hair, fingers and thumbs baby

I feel safe when you're holding me near

Love the way that you conquer your fear

You know hearts don't break around here..”

That’s when Mark keeping the eyecontact with you, as you both start singing the last part together, harmonizing beautifully.

“yeah yeah yeah,

yeah yeah yeah yeah..

Yeah yeah yeah yeah.”

Mark put down his guitar as the audience clapping and screaming for both of you.

He takes your hand as you both proceed to bow for the audience. You looked at your friends cheering loudly for both of you, and you waved at them before going back with Mark to the backstage.

You scream into Mark’s shoulder as he laughs with you. “I did it! We did it, Mark! We both did so well!”

He caresses your shoulder gently, “I know right. You did so well, y/n. I’m so proud of you!”

You let go, and smile at him dearly. “I could never thank you enough Mark.”

“You can, right now.”

“What? How?”

“By being my girlfriend. Will you be one?” Mark asks, it becomes his turn to be nervous.

You blink, “I- of course.. Mark, I.. will.”

He shows you his big happy grin as he pulls you into a big hug.

Indeed, that night is a night for you both to remember.

#i literally had writer blocks while writing this smh #nct 127 #nct scenarios #nct imagines #mark lee #nct mark #mark fluff #jaehyun scenarios #nct dream #nct angst #nct fluff

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curvesandcorners · 5 years

Text

SLOVENIA

Slovenia 5/12/19 – 5/19/19 Republika Slovenija. The country is about the size of New Jersey but ever since I first visited in 2006, it left a big impression on me and I have always wanted to return. And especially with a bicycle. After a trip to Norway didn’t pan out I had committed myself to the idea of another bicycle trip and after a short think, Slovenia was it. Quite a bit of flight itinerary option analysis later, I had a free flight via American Airlines miles to Venice. I had about a month to plan out the trip so wasn’t too stressed. Then work got crazy, then I ended up in LA for the week before the trip, and then all of a sudden I was leaving the next day and I still had a route to plan and accommodations to book. That all somehow comes together no matter how unprepared I am and it would this time as well. So a long flight to Madrid, a short flight to Venice, and a 2 hour train ride later I was at the border town of Gorizia, Italy where I had the day before booked a hotel for the start and end of the trip. The hotel room turned into a bike shop and I re-assembled the Rick Jones that night and would leave the travel case with the hotel for the week. The following morning I pedaled across the border to Nova Gorica in Slovenia and started on my clockwise loop around western Slovenia.

The first day was grey and a little wet, which would prove to be a theme for the trip, but the riding started out pretty good, riding over one Italian hill before unknowingly crossing the official border at some unmarked spot and onto a bunch of small Slovenian farm roads.

Just before the town of Plave I hit a ripper of a descent and satisfied myself with my brakes ability to stop me, and then the Soca River first came into view. I had been waiting to see this river for 13 years, and it did not disappoint with amazingly clear turquoise blue water.

My route for the day would follow small roads along the Soca River valley, hitting small towns, and transitioning between perfect pavement, gravel, and jeep track. The weather shifted from threatening to very threatening but luckily never rained more than a spitting. But what the weather lacked in rain it made up for in gusting wind, and blowing the wrong direction. I stopped for a picnic of leftover pizza from the night before, and though I was exhausted from the travels and jetlag, and despite the wind, made it to the town of Bovec to check in to the friendly hostel I booked. A good meal of trout, in the somewhat humorous and cartoonish Bovec style, and a couple glasses of local wine and I was out like a light.

The next morning my body still wanted to wake up on NY time so I got a late start but when I got intel on the route I had planned I found out my intended one-way foray up to the Mangart Saddle was not going to be possible as the road was closed because of snow. I thought about trying it out anyway, but it is a one way road 30 miles out and back, with 5000’ of climbing, and I’d have to return right back to where I started in order to continue on the overall route. So it was not hard to decide to skip that part and I now had a short 20 mile day. This worked out swimmingly as these 20 miles were stunning and provided reason to stop and take photos almost every 50 feet. The wind was back and working against me and I cursed not following the general advice of doing this route in counter-clockwise direction. I took a wrong turn somewhere and then coming back for a ½ mile with the wind sent me sailing along at 30 mph without a pedal stroke. The Soca cut through a limestone gorge and my path followed more small roads and easy mountain bike trails, with a few river crossings over these lovely bridges.

The mountains I had been pedaling towards started getting closer and closer and pretty soon I found myself at my destination of the Koča pri izviru Soče mountain hut.

The hut is part of the Planinska Zveza Slovenije aka the Alpine Association of Slovenia and I had become a card carrying member the day before my trip, which meant I could sleep in the hut dormitory for a friendly 10 euro fee. It was early so I went on a rainy hike for the afternoon and I was glad I had packed my non-cycling shoes as the hike had me scaling some vertical faces before finding the source of the Soca river, a fissure in the mountain with a bottomless blue hole. The host of the hut fixed me up nicely with a wild mushroom stew, a delicious cottage cheese struklji, and a glass of wine. I climbed up the ladder into the loft dormitory and tucked in with my kindle for a good night of rest.

On the morning of Day 3 I breakfasted with my host again and discussed my cycling plans. She did not like my plan to continue up and over the Vrsic pass. The same snow that had closed the Mangart Saddle had apparently unofficially closed the road over Vrsic, unless your vehicle was equipped with snow chains. My bike was not. She called a hut-friend up on the mountain who confirmed her fears and told me I should not make an attempt. The detour was just not an option I would consider and I had been daydreaming about this pass for weeks so I thanked them both for their worry, but I’d be going up, and walking the bike if I needed to. As I stepped outside in the morning it was cold and grey again but I started pedaling and immediately climbing. Not 30 minutes later I was blessed with bright blue sunny skies that came out of nowhere and I knew I had made the right decision. The Vrsic Pass road is a military road built by Russian prisoners of war during World War I and has 50 numbered hairpin switchbacks, 26 going up on Trenta side and 24 (cobblestoned!) descending on the Kranska Gora side. The road was also absolutely stunning and a pleasure cycling up. The feeling was incredible. I looked behind me to see the valley from where I had just came, the sharp bends of the road getting smaller and smaller as I climbed higher and higher, and the surrounding mountains getting closer and closer and just could not believe this was reality.

Somewhere around switchback 20 or so, I was nearly at the summit and the warnings came true. The temperature plummeted and the road surface was covered with a few inches of snow over a sheet of ice. I ran into an older Austrian couple I had spoken with the day before in their SUV as they were turning around because their vehicle couldn’t make it up the road. Despite the snow we shared this moment of excitement because of the beauty of the mountain peaks and the encouraging sunshine. They asked how it was cycling in the snow and I replied “it doesn’t matter. it’s beautiful” to which they replied in charming Austrian accents “IT IS SO BYOOTTEEEFULLLL”. I pedaled when I could and pushed the bike when I couldn’t and put on all my layers and both pairs of gloves and made my way across the 4 or 5 km of snow covered summit. A well placed hut provided a hot tea to warm myself back up before making the descent. The north side has cobblestones on each of the 24 hairpins which was not ideal for a bicycle moving way too fast, but maybe that extra caution kept me from flying off the road and off the mountain. In any case, the descent was over before I knew it and I paused at Lake Jasna to admire the morning’s accomplishment.

From here I would enjoy 25 miles of picture perfect solitary riding along a tiny perfectly paved road/path through the Triglavski National Park, all the way to Lake Bled.

And somehow this cycling utopia of a road provided me with my only puncture of the trip.

A quick lunch in Bled and a lap around the lake and I continued on my way. After a few km I turned off the paved road and onto a mountain bike trail and started on the 2nd big climb for the day. A much smaller one at 580 m, but a much harder one thanks to the dirt and varying 8 – 15% grade.

But the top would reward me well with this alpine meadow and a view the whole way down the other side of the mountain to Bohinjsko Jezero.

I was further rewarded with freshly paved and absolutely perfect tarmac which allowed me let the bike sing down the swoopy descent. There were a few shouts of excitement as I was having so much fun and my bike felt so good. A few minutes later I was down at the lake (Bohinjsko Jezero).

A quick pedal to look around town and then I had a 5 or 6 km ride back up into the woods to another Alpine Association hut where I planned to stay. I approached a closed looking hut but was happy to see there was a woman doing some work around the back. But unluckily she informed the hut was closed until the weekend. The day was too good to let this setback annoy me so I quickly turned around and another trip back down to town and I managed to find a lovely little hotel lodge to call home for the night with an excellent “Foksner” burger and great selection of Slovenian craft beers. I toasted to an unforgettable day on the bike and was drunk in one pint and asleep in two. The next morning I woke up high on the euphoria of such a good previous day. I didn’t have any epic alpine passes planned for the day but overall it was the biggest day of the trip I had planned. I looked out the window and saw a miserably grey sky and rain pouring down. I checked the forecast and it did not look good.

I reviewed my planned route and saw I had quite a bit of climbing and a lot of it was on mtb trails. This just did not sound fun in 40 degrees and rain all day so I decided to call an audible and re-routed myself to a more direct route on mostly pavement. This cut the day down to a more manageable 95 km. The rain never stopped aside from one hour of respite, and it was indeed cold, but I layered up, put some house music on my Bluetooth speaker on my handlebars, and got into a groove with my cadence and pedaled instinctively. It was great and miserable at the same time. The route would take me along some beautiful roads and some average ones, and eventually I reached my somewhat arbitrarily selected destination of Trojane.

From Trojane I had picked out another Alpine hut for my accommodation. This was about 10 km outside of town and seemed doable from my review of the maps. My confidence was shaken though, by the previous day’s surprise closed hut. I continued out of town towards the woods and the hut. I got to the last remnants of a village before entering the woods and saw a woman outside and asked if she had any idea if it would be open or not. She didn’t speak a lick of English but grabbed her son who did and he knew the hut and was fairly confident it was only open on weekends so would be closed. I knew that would be a pretty terrible thing to trudge up to this hut only to come right back down, all in the cold pouring rain, at the end of a long day, and I also really liked the idea of a hot shower at that point (no showers at the Alpine huts) so I accepted defeat and headed back to Trojane for a hot tea and to figure out accommodation for the night. I met Melita in the Trojane café and we made friends and she was thrilled that I chose Slovenia for my cycling trip. We took a photo on her ancient digital camera. I took advantage of the wifi and successfully booked another cheap room at the wonderfully Soviet-esque meets mid-century modern Hotel Trojane. The hot shower made it worth every single euro (not that many!) and I cranked the heat and used my bike as a drying rack to try to dry off my thoroughly soaked clothing.

After an excellent night’s rest, I had an easy route planned from Trojane to Ljubljana for two day’s in the city. But I wanted more bikes so I planned a big epic murderous ride up to the Austrian border, across three mountain passes, and then back down to Ljubljana. Then I checked on road closure conditions and two of the passes were closed because of snow so I settled for something in the middle with one mountain pass. But before that I had to go see Hut Dom dr. Franca Goloba na Čemšeniški planini, which was supposed to be my destination the night before. I headed back out of town, passed the woman and son whom I had spoken to the day before, and then started to climb up into the woods. I soon realized I had very much made the right choice as the roads up to the hut went from

And they got stupid steep. But eventually, after a couple miles that felt like an a couple hundred, I came to the hut.

What an amazing place. The host was there doing some sprucing up and though she spoke no English I was at least able to confirm she was there the night before. I didn’t regret my decision but I sure was glad I still came to see the hut. The view off the mountain and across the valley below was breathtaking and the grounds of the hut were charming as possible. Picnic tables covered in snow with the sun shining and an incredible view meant I had to enjoy a morning beer.

I enjoyed my beer and went back in the direction I had came but took another trail I thought might be more bike and less hike. It was not. But it eventually spit me out onto another dirt road which was a very fast way back down off the mountain.

I passed through Trojane one last time, grabbed a few snacks, and then quickly turned off the pavement and onto a forest road which was one of my favorite sections of the whole trip. I had the whole forest to myself and enjoyed beautiful and tranquil dirt roads in great shape as I climbed up and down the undulating hills. This heavenly dirt road brought me to another secondary paved road, a small mountain pass, and through a few small villages. I made a friend, enjoyed the rolling hills and perfect pavement, and soon found myself at the base of the Trobelkski Vrh climb. At 460 meters the climb was not insignificant but with grade hovering around 15% it was a worthy challenge, especially on my loaded bike. Luckily it rewarded my effort with another set of amazing views of my surroundings.

At the summit I turned onto a paved main road and had a thrilling 7 mile long descent back down to the Kamnik River. The asphalt was freshly laid and I raced a Subaru WRX down the hairpin turns. Towards the bottom there was a section of road work and the roadworkers were working on laying more of that sweet glass smooth asphalt. I yelled as I passed :chef kissing fingers: “IT’S BYOOTIFULLL” pointing the asphalt and they loved the appreciation and cheered me on with a round of ALLEZ ALLEZ ALLEZ. It was a great moment and made my already ear to ear smile stretch even bigger. I followed my route on into Ljubljana and easily found my hotel and settled in for two days of espresso, beer, and great food. Ljubljana is a lovely little European gem. The River Ljubljanica runs right through it with beautiful buildings and cafes running along it. The food is good, the beer is good and cheap and plentiful, the good espresso is really good, and everyone seems to be happy and friendly. It was a lovely little rest off the bike for two days.

After two days of relaxing, eating, and drinking, it was time to get back on the bike. I called ahead this time to make sure the Alpine hut was open and promised the host I would be there by late afternoon. Then I loaded all my belongings back onto the Rick Jones and headed west out of the city.

After 25 km of flat, boring riding I turned onto a dirt road and climbed a few hundred feet. Then another stretch of flat riding before I started up a really great 400 meter climb to the village of Podkraj. It started to rain along the way which put a bit of a damper on the long and fast descent, especially the -17% portion. I managed that ok but wished for disc brakes and cursed my luddite-ness. I entered into Slovenian wine country and cycled up and down and alongside numerous vineyards.

And then shortly after the village of Dolenje I was gingerly descending around a series of hairpin turns and all of a sudden I was on the pavement with a painful thud. I’m not sure what happened but my tire slipped out from under me as I was making my way around the curve, even though I was doing so really slowly. I crawled off the road and lay out in the grass moaning and groaning. I checked my bike and had to push the brake lever back into position and do my best to re-align the bent derailleur hanger. As I was laying there a car or two passed by, veeerryyyy very slowly and both checked to see that I was ok. A couple came cycling by on mountain bikes in the opposite direction as me and stopped to check on me and we chatted for a while. They were locals and told me everyone knows that road and especially that turn are dangerous and extremely slick.

Once I collected myself I had no choice but to continue on. From there I had 25 km to get to my hut. Luckily my bike worked well enough, even without perfect shifting. The rain started to come down hard with about 20 km to go so I gritted my teeth and pushed on, up into the woods again. The last 8 km or so were really gorgeous but there was no time for photos with the rain so I pressed ahead, anxious to make it to the hut and looking forward to a hot meal and a drink. Some time around 4 pm I got to the Hut Stjenkova koča na Trstelju and looked forward to drying off and going to sleep very early.

As I entered dripping wet I saw two men and a beautiful but terrifying German Shepherd. Then a third man bolted up from behind a table. He was the host, Bostjan, and I had just woken him up from his afternoon nap. “YOU! NEW YORK!?” he yelled out and I confirmed. He commanded I sit down and placed a beer in front of me straight away. From there it would turn into absolutely the most fun night of the trip. Bostjan, and his friends Dragan the casino craps dealer and Miha the former motocross champion of Yugoslavia and the beautiful blue-blooded lineage purebred German Shepherd called Siri welcomed me into their Saturday night party. The beer flowed non-stop, I fortified myself mid-way with a hearty stew, and then again with a late night pancetta party, Bostjan brought out home-made grappa from his fellow communist (“NO, SOCIALIST”) comrades, Dragan brought out his homegrown Slovenian mountain kishkish, we toasted to Tito’s portrait multiple times, and some time around 1 am we had drunken 20 L of Laško beer and the keg was kicked. I couldn’t have asked for a better last night in Slovenia. I will never forget those guys and the fun time we shared.

I woke up the next morning in a haze and hurting just as much from the crash the day before as from the drinking. Bostjan stumbled to the kitchen and prepared me a breakfast of scrambled eggs with beer, along with more pancetta and then I had a short last day to finish out the trip and return to Gorizia.

I was able to enjoy the mountain roads without so much rain this time and after a quick 50 km I was back in Italy and the whole town was closed since it was Sunday. I checked back into the hotel I had started the trip at, went through the tedious process of disassembling and packing my bike back into the s&s case, wandered aimlessly on foot until I eventually found something open ending up back at the same pizza place I had visited 7 days previous (very good pizza!), and got a night of rest before waking up early for the long travel journey of a train to Venezia, bus to the airport, 13 hour flight to Philadelphia, 6 hour layover which worked out perfectly for a happy hour reunion with friends, and then a one hour flight back to LaGuardia where I and thousands of other people would deal with the hell that is LaGuardia construction and transportation. At 2 am I walked back in the door of my Brooklyn apartment, dropped all my things at the front door, and collapsed into bed for a few quick hours of sleep before waking up for work and re-entrance into the real world.

Before I sign off, what sort of bike nerd would I be if I didn’t nerd out on my bike and gear selected for the trip. I wanted this to be a non-camping inn-to-inn or hut-to-hut in this case tour to keep the bike relatively lightweight and make the riding more fun. My Rick Jones has served me well for 7 years now and did not fail on this trip.

-Even with the front rando bag, frame bag, and saddle bag adding on about 15 or so lbs, the bike was spry and handles like a dream.

-Braking is, well…its as good as you can expect from cantilevers I suppose. Pretty decent when dry and alarmingly inadequate when wet, which happened to be most of the trip.

-I refreshed the drivetrain a couple months ago with new 11 speed Ultegra which proved as reliable as expected. I changed out the compact gearing for 46/30 sub-compact chainrings mounted onto my White Industries VBC cranks and really appreciated that choice at many times throughout the trip, both going up the alpine passes in the 30 tooth and cruising along on the flats and downhills in the 46.

-The way-too-complicated electrical system, yes electrical system, consists of the SonDelux dynamo hub powering an IQ-X front headlight, as well as a taillight, and a Sinewave Revolution usb charger. The setup got complicated when I had to make it demountable for packing into the S&S case with quick-disconnects all over the place. One ripped out as I was taking the bike apart, requiring a last minute solder and leaving me not all that confident in the system holding up to the travel and the trip. But it turned out to not be an issue and worked the entire time and survived the disassembly and trip home with no problems or re-soldering required.

-Tire selection was the do-it-all goldilocks of a tire Compass aka Rene Herse Bon Jon Pass 700c x 35 mm. Everything is tubeless compatible but I ran tubes due to the packing wheels tightly into a suitcase a little smaller than the wheels are round. Aside from that sudden crash which probably can’t be blamed on the tire, they were great and gave me the road and gravel performance I wanted, while still being able to handle some rough stuff when the route turned more towards mtb trail.

-Navigation was handled with my Hammerhead Karoo which is enormous but works very well and a great tool for touring and especially good when re-routing on the fly becomes necessary. Between my trip to Oaxaca in December and this trip to Slovenia, I have confidence in the Hammerhead to get me wherever I want to go.

-Bags consisted of a Swift Ozette rando bag out front, a Porcelain Rocket frame bag, and an Oveja Negra saddle bag. It looks like a generous amount of storage but it fills up pretty quickly and I needed all the space they provided for this trip. -Inside the bags I packed: (1) pair bibs + jersey + socks (rotated daily between the set I was wearing), an insulated Rapha gilet, a Search & State rain jacket, arm warmers, knee warmers, toe covers, a pair of full finger riding gloves, a pair of glove liners, and a merino wool neck gaiter. I was very glad to have every last piece of riding gear that I did as the temps and constant rain necessitated wearing everything on several occasions. I treated myself to the luxury of a pair of pants, a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and a light wool sweater. Being able to change into dry normal clothes and the end of each long, wet day was a treat. And the most luxurious item packed was a pair of sneakers, which although they took up more than half the saddle bag they were also a god-send at the end of the day when I just wanted to take off the cycling shoes and for the couple of short hikes and the two days spent walking Ljubljana. Add in my Fuji XT1, a Kindle, a Bluetooth speaker, a headlamp, two water bottles, phone/wallet/passport, framepump, two tubes, tools, and a daily supply of snacks and that was the bike packed. I was happy with everything packed, and there was not a single item I regretted lugging around by bicycle for a few hundred km.

If anyone has actually read this far. Thank you for reading and now go visit Slovenia. Tell them I sent you and say hello. I am already scheming on a return trip next year with cycling and fly fishing combined.

Nasvidenje!

#bicycle touring #slovenia

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pixie-unger · 5 years

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Neighbours - 2

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Fred answered the knock on the door promptly at 10am. She tried not to grin since she could hear them out in the hallway for the last five minutes. She opened the door and stared.

Despite her elvish ancestry, Fred wasn’t tall. She was a perfectly average 5’4. At six feet, Tianda was a perfectly respectable size for an orcess. “Uncle Frank” was not just the tallest male of any species, Fred had ever seen, he was also the biggest. If he had been human, she would have diagnosed anabolic steroid use, but his physique wasn’t totally unheard of among Orcs. On the other hand, it wasn’t exactly common, either.

The man had to duck to fit through the doorway.

Fred’s mind temporary boggled at the idea that HE was dating Mac’s teacher. The woman was shorter that Fred! How did they even...Nope! No! Not her business! Reroute that train of thought right now.

Frank’s nose twitched and he grinned at her.

Fred forced herself not to frown and offered everyone a coffee.

Frank excused himself downstairs to go visit his girlfriend. Tianda and Fred made awkward small talk where neither of them talked about the kids’ fathers. That was, until Brayden asked Mac, “Is your daddy in jail, too?”

Mac gaped at him, “Yeah! Is yours?”

“Yeah. For armed robbery. How about yours?”

“He tried to kill Mum with a baseball bat before I was born. Are you ‘lergic to peanut butter?”

“No.”

“Mum! Can I make peanut butter toast?” Fred and Tianda shared an awkward glance. Fred shrugged. Tianda nodded. Mac whooped and bounced over to where they kept the bread. “I love using the toaster,” she confided in Brayden.

While the kids were making mostly a mess, but as a byproduct, peanut butter toast, Fred awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, so there’s that.”

Tianda considered this. “When does yours get out?”

“Next year. We got divorced shortly after Mac’s birth. Left him off her birth certificate and he didn’t contest it; I might have lost child support, but it means he’ll never get visitation rights. He had a slightly stronger defence at his trial - there is a permanent restraining order against him, though.”

“Wow...” Tianda breathed. “Those don’t always work, you know.”

Fred shrugged. “Nah, but skipping the country and not giving a forwarding address generally does. Convicted felons can’t enter the US.”

“Well, shit.” Tianda said. Her kids both giggled at her. “Right! Sorry. Bad word. You don’t get to say that, understand?”

All three kids nodded.

From then on, Tianda and Fred spent the morning commiserating about raising kids as a single mom. Tianda rubbed her belly and admitted that her husband’s brothers were being incredibly helpful. “I don’t know how I would manage without my family to help out.”

Fred dropped her gaze to stare at her lap for a moment. “Yeah,” she said quietly. “But he knows where my parents live and, like you said, restraining orders don’t always work.”

Tianda hauled herself out of the chair. “We need to go organize some lunch and get Frank to take us for groceries, but… Look, there’s a Fogtooth party next week. Do you know what that is?”

Fred shook her head, “Fogtooth is the local clan, right?”

Tianda nodded. “There is a barbeque in the afternoon, it’s great for families. Everyone is welcome. Why don’t you and Mac come by and I can introduce you to some of the other moms in the school.”

“That sounds great!” Fred gushed, hoping for good weather.

----

Saturday started out great, but rain was forecast for that evening. Fred hoped it held off until she was safely home.

The barbeque was hosted by the community association and the Fogtooth clan, which Kate had been clear to point out was most definitely not the same as the Fogtooth gang. At least not on paper. In reality, most of the male clan members belonged to both. By all accounts, the block parties were strictly demilitarized. Even the local humie gang, Altamira was invited.

Hell, America’s first orc cop even turned up with his partner, his partner’s wife and their kid. Fred vaguely recognized the woman as one of the Emerg nurses from the hospital. They were all very polite, even if Officer Jakoby was smelling her. At least he didn’t comment.

It was the kind of hot out that promised thunderstorms later. Fred didn’t own a pair of shorts, but she dug out a long sundress that came down to mid calf on her.

She had a burger and a beer and met a bunch of moms from Mac’s class. It seemed like the split was ⅓ orc, ⅓ human, ⅓ other. Kate from work had a nephew at the school. Mac’s teacher wasn’t there, but Frank was. Fred wondered about that, but didn’t ask.

She rather got the impression that all the moms already knew about her ex-husband, but at least no one asked if he had been an elf. Elves don’t go to jail. Not really. Not often.

Fred could feel the storm coming, but she toughed it out until Mac started to yawn at seven, then said her polite goodbyes. The nice thing about being hanging out with the orc crowd was that no one tried to talk her into staying. There were some perks to being around people who could smell your pain, namely she had never had to have the spoons discussion with anyone who wasn’t human or elf.

They made it to the front entrance of the apartment building before the rain hit, but by then Fred could hardly walk. The nice thing about everyone being at the party was that there was no one to witness how she nearly had to crawl up the five flights of stairs to her apartment. She gave Mac a bath and tucked her in, then took some painkillers and had a soak in the tub herself.

Ugh. She needed to find a ground floor apartment.

That was one nice thing about this building. Unlimited hot water that was very nearly hot enough to burn. Getting out of the tub was hard. Fred let the water out, then flopped, inelegantly over the side. She wrapped up in a towel and made it to her room by leaning heavily against the walls. She dug out a clean sleep shirt and panties without turning the lights on.

Fred was in bed before nine. She left the window slightly open and enjoyed the sound of thunder outside. After a particularly loud crash, Mac woke up and came screaming into bed with her. Fred rubbed her back.

“Go to sleep, sweetie. I’m gonna need your help tomorrow, alright?”

“ ‘es, mama.” Mac mumbled.

And with that, Fred felt another wave of guilt. Mac shouldn’t need to help her as much as she did, but neither of them could do it alone.

----

Zarfu had spent the afternoon flipping burgers and keeping an eye on the new doctor. So far, she had a good rep in the community. Hell, Tamra said she was the first doctor she had taken her boys to who understood that sometimes boys just play rough. A scuffed knee and three stitches didn’t immediately require a call to child protective services.

But he didn’t understand why she was here. She stank like pain, with an undercurrent of fear and that faint hint of lust that seemed to always follow hume females. As he watched her, he noticed she wasn’t moving around very much and she was slightly favouring her right leg. Not enough so that a person would notice if they weren’t paying attention, but enough that it was obvious if you were.

She disappeared in the crowd and Zarfu forgot about her.

Until he met her in the local bodega the next morning. Today she was walking with a cane. She was buying breakfast for her and the kid. He was buying Red Bull for his hangover.

She frowned at him.

Zarfu was not in the mood. “What you looking at, bitch?” he snarled.

She blinked in surprise and replied honestly and without fear, “A man in need of a gatorade. Tell, you what. You pick out your favourite flavour, I’ll buy it and if you drink it before the Red bull you will feel better.”

Zarfu just snorted, then huffed to try to blow the smell of her pain out of his nose. “You think so, huh?”

“Yeah,” she said. The kid handed him a clear sports drink.

Zarfu glared at her. That worked. The kid squeaked and hid behind her mom. Now he felt bad and when Zarfu felt bad, he shared. “You want make me feel better? Suck my dick. That’ll make me feel better.”

The woman just sighed and didn’t say anything, she just looked tired. When Zarfu snorted again, she smelled like hurt. That was when he remembered that she was a doctor and might not be completely full of shit. He snatched the gatorade out of the kids hand and stormed out out of the store without paying.

She was right though. He felt quite a bit better by the time he got to Dorghu’s

----

Mac watched the orc, who was easily a foot taller than her mum, storm out. Fred ran her hand over Mac’s head and said softly, “It’s okay, baby girl.”

“He was really scary, mum.”

“Yeah. But he’s gone now. Look, we will either figure out how to fit in, or we will move again until we find someplace we do fit it.”

The Dwarf standing on a box behind the counter, waved off Fred’s attempt to pay. “You fit here, Doc. We have a hard time getting good health care in this neighbourhood. I heard how you fixed my mother-in-law’s ingrown toenails. Not many would want to tackle that job. Said you were proper respectful, too. Not many of your kind would be.”

Fred winced at the “your kind” comment, then she insisted on paying anyway. “I want to keep my money in the community. I pay you, you buy something from the guy up the street, this neighbourhood gets a little better off.”

Mac noticed the teenaged orc in the corner listening to the whole exchange, but her mum didn’t.

#orc boyfriend #monster boyfriend

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mid-lat-cyclones · 5 years

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Valentine’s Day around the Country

Valentines day’s Around the Country

In Rome in the mid-third century there were one or two saints that would secretly gather with lovers and preform marriages. Around the world people celebrate this day on February 14. So where you’re a Valentine’s Love or Valentine’s Hate it’s this Thursday! So here is your Valentine’s Day forecast around the country.

The Golden Triangle

Valentine’s day will start off chilly in the mid to upper forties. Partly cloudy skies will allow for a nice warm up with maximum temperatures will warm into the upper fifties with some areas hitting sixty! By the time your dinner around the time for reservations are rolling around, clouds will increase with some passing showers and temperatures in the mid-fifties. After supper and a possibly a nice late night stroll, showers will be out of the area with temperatures in the low fifties finishing up a fairly nice day.

Atlanta, GA

This Georgia Valentine’s Day will very chilly in the mid-thirties. Skies will be partly cloudy leading into an afternoon with temperatures maxing out around sixty. Showers will stay out of the area thankfully into the evening hours. Dinner time temperatures will be around fifty. After dinner leading into some cuddle time with your love bug temperatures will be in the upper forties, perfect for wrapping the night out indoors.

New York, NY

Cloudy skies will be over the city that never sleeps but thankfully no precipitation for this Thursday. However, there will be a fairly cold start to an average day. Morning temperatures will be in the mid-twenties. Temperatures will warm into throughout the day and actually hit the forty and cool into the upper thirties for dinner reservations. There will be remain in the mid-thirties into the night.

Miami, FL

A beautiful day will in Miami for a romantic night out. Skies will be scatter with broken clouds with some passing showers into the afternoon. Morning temperatures will be warm in the low sixties but quickly max out in the muggy mid-seventies with some areas settling in the upper seventies stretching very close to that eighty degree mark. Into the evening hours, temperatures will fall slightly and hang around seventy degrees. Temperatures will be in the mid-sixties and perfect for a moon-lite walk across the beach to finish up the day of love.

Huston, TX

Huston’s Valentine’s Day shapes up to be fairly nice day. Morning temperatures will be in the mid-fifties and with cloudy skies. Temperatures will warm into the low seventies and steadily cool into the mid-sixties into the evening hours around dinner time. After dinner there temperatures will cool off into the low sixties. Thankfully there will be no precipitation around the area for this Thursday.

San Diego, CA

Sadly San Diego will have a pretty poor Valentine’s Day weather wise. Skies will be cloudy and rain throughout most of the day. Morning temperatures will be around sixty and honestly flat line for most of the day. Temperatures will stay around sixty throughout the afternoon and into the evening time. Into the night rain will slack and temperatures will fall into the upper fifties. Accumulation will be around an inch and a half making it a great day to spend indoors with your honey.

Denver, CO

Throughout the day clouds will increase but precipitation will hold off. Temperatures will begin in the upper thirties and warm steadily into the mid-fifties. To kick off a romantic evening temperatures will be hanging right around forty. Throughout dinner temperatures will begin to fall and by the time to settle into bed, temperatures will be in the low thirties just hanging on to the thirty degree mark.

Overview of the whole country

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respectingthedistance · 3 years

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Week 2: Training reflections

August 3rd (6am) — Easy 50 mins in my new Brooks. What a happy little plod along the canal this was. To feel that sweet cushioning again was like running on tiny little clouds.

August 4th (5.20 pm) — Intervals. I already have an aversion to intervals and this was a tough session with 10 mins easy, followed by 90 secs fast and 90 seconds jog. Repeat that 10 times, and then 10 minutes cool down.

I’ve been trying really hard to warm up and cool down from all my runs since I started my training plan but as I came in from work I tried not to exclaim too loudly at our soon to be 8 year old son had tipped his brand new 1,500 piece Lego set all over the floor and was rather diligently sorting it all into colour specific bags. So the lounge wasn’t an option for me to do my usual YouTube warmup session.

It had also been a rough day at work. Mentally I wasn’t 100% there for a solo interval session. I also can’t seem to programme my Versa 3 with multi stage interval sessions. Regardless of my mood and tech strife I bunged on a random upbeat Spotify playlist and got it done. My heart rate chart demonstrates I did the job by dropping down to a walking heart rate then zooming into near peak. I appreciate that intervals are meant to be your hardest effort of all the different types of runs and this definitely was. A lot of respect for all my speedy friends which have training that revolves around these types of sessions.

August 6th (7.30am) — Tempo run. 10 mins easy then 2 x 12 minute tempo (with a 3 min jog between) and 10 mins easy to finish.

It was chucking it down. I was meant to be running part of it with a friend at 7am but we decided the rain was too much. However, I didn’t have much option other to get out and get it done, as we were travelling to the Lakes after work to start our week long holiday.

Due to the rain I went out a little fast — I just wanted it done. I’m still working out how best to get an accurate average pace reading on my watch. Perhaps setting laps is best? I just had to trust that my perceived rate of effort (PRE) was higher during those 12 minute tempo sessions. I was kind of proud that I got out there in the rain, even if it meant my running stuff needed to be put into a plastic bag ASAP, thrown into the car boot and washed at my parents’ house later on.

August 8th (9.13am) — 22km long run (DNF)

So we’re in the Lakes now, my parents took the kids across to York on the Saturday morning and I excited about this long run on Sunday (as per the schedule). Now let me be clear: our week in the Lakes was planned before I decided to train for a road marathon. My husband and I love hiking the fells, so the idea of having to find flat road to run in when in the Lakes seemed completely bonkers and blasphemous to this incredible place. The weather forecast for the next seven days featured that staple feature of this landscape, rain. I was stressing on whether to hold off, refreshing the online weather forecast every 30 mins, but in the end thought I just needed it done.

Knowing it would be wise to avoid elevation on these training runs I thought naively that a trip around Buttermere and Crummock Water (a flat lakeside path) would do the trick, and it would be a total bonus that I’d still get all the mountain views. I had assumed rather wrongly that the path around these Lakes would be a flat established path, such as round Derwent Water.

The rain and the wind picked up as soon as we (Adam and I) left the car. The ‘path’ was undulating, rocky, slippy and strewn with large tree roots. I was angry at myself for not googling the exact terrain, and felt as though I could be risking injury very easily by trying to run here. We soldiered on for 5km, the ‘path’ opened up and we were being battered by the wind. Bogs appeared and paths had turned into fast flowing streams. My new Brooks were squelching. I don’t have a fully waterproof fancy running jacket and I was getting cold.

We called it and made our way back to the car with some fast walking and spurts of running where possible. Adam gave me a piggy back at one point when the path was up to past ankle height and he was trying to lift my spirits.

As I said in a previous post, I love a training plan and this was the first time I’d failed. I was beating myself up left, right and centre. On reflection there was fairly humorous parts and we must of looked like prize wet turkeys. The total for our wash out of Lakeside run was 11.5km, it took one hour 34 minutes with the treacherous ‘path’. I desperately wanted to redeem myself the following day but the wind and the rain stayed. My parents (where we’re staying) live in a very rural village in the Cumbria. There’s isn’t event a Post Office or bus stop here. One of the roads out is a main B road and the country lanes aren’t used to accommodating runners, more like heavy farm traffic. I was very disappointed that week two failed to end with a long run.

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