#snowday cool down

[viatafrumoasa-lifebeautiful]

Happy New Year!

[windona]

For Hedgi’s Birthday Prompt:  stargirl kids having a snowday hang out at the pitstop

Technically, they were supposed to all be staying home. The snow had covered the streets, with the winds howling outside. It was enough that it actually managed to cancel school.

But Rick, having dug out the porch, did not want to be stuck in an empty home. Beth needed some space from her parents. And Yolanda could not stand the burbling happy noise in a room she was not allowed to stay.

So by group chat, when Rick casually asked if Pat needed help shoveling the Pit Stop out, it had morphed into plans for a hang out.

Rick reclined on a chair, stretching from all the manual labor that day. Beth had brought blankets and hot cocoa, and passed it out. Yolanda brought cocoa fixings (”come on, try the chili powder in it, it’s good”) and a deck of cards.

Courtney shivered. “How are you not frostbitten?”

Rick huffed a laugh. “I keep on forgetting you’re from California. Not used to snow?”

She glared, covered in layers of sweaters and coats.

Beth shrugged. “Just make sure to dress warm, and don’t stay outside too long. Oh, and don’t wear stuff that traps sweat. My parents made sure I knew everything about cold weather.”

Yolanda ignored the whipped cream dotting her nose. “Or just do what Rick does and wear shorts in winter.”

“One year!”

“As always, planning helps,” Pat said as he walked up the stairs with Mike in tow. Mike was carrying a grill, and Pat a cooler. Both set their items down, and Mike scrambled to set the grill up.

“What do you have there Mr. Dugan?” Beth looked over and smiled.

“Barbara didn’t want to brave the roads, but she prepared some things for you guys. I just brought them and Mike over.”

Mike flashed a grin. “It’s going to be so cool. Barb made kebabs and vegetables for grilling- ick- but we also have s’more fixings.”

Yolanda dug through the cooler. “You really know how to pack for a party.”

“Well, it’s good for you kids to hang out without eminent danger. Plus, consider it a thank you for shoveling the lot and keeping an eye on things. I have plenty of blankets and sleeping bags if you want to stay the night.”

“Not staying?” Courtney looked up at Pat.

“Mike is, I’m not.” Pat smiled. “See you soon.”

[iffoundreturntosea]

January 10, Day 10

Day 10 2015

I'm calling it.

#goodnight #project365 #day10

This first year was really difficult to get through, especially this first month!

Day 10 2016

The Caribbean

#airplane #flight #familyfun #caribbean #ocean #clouds #sun #blue #shadesofblue #january #picoftheday #project365 #day10

If I could go back to this plane ride I totally would.

Day 10 2017

Looks like Spot may be in time out!

#spot #drsuess #stuffedtoy #circles #january #picofthday #project365 #day10

Day 10 2018

Ripples in the water at sunset

#lake #lakepatcleburne #water #ripples #sunset #colors #windy #nature #outdoors #outside #keyhole #cutout #january #picoftheday #project365 #day10

Lake Pat Cleburne was my getaway, some place I could pretend it was the ocean.

Day 10 2019

Book instead of Nook

#electricity #book #nook #pages #words #read #hand #point #blackandwhite #turnoffyourdevices #kingscage #victoriaaveyard #cutyourenergycostsday #january #nationalday #nationaldaycalendar #picoftheday #project365 #day10

Day 10 2020

The weather has been so hideous the bees are out!

#iwantsnow #its70andmuggy #eeww #dandelion #wildflower #weedsareflowerstoo #bee #buzz #honeybee #beeUtiful #nature #macro #yellow #color #roygbiv #rainbow #january #january10 #2020 #picoftheday #project365 #day10

I'm always wishing for snow!

Day 10 2021

This was a day of magic and I got to spend it with my snow buddy!

#snow #snowday #texas #winter #dream #magic #love #smile #joy #niece #snowbuddies #lessstressmorefun #whateverthehelliwant #january #january10 #2021 #picoftheday #project365 #day10

And some years I'm actually lucky enough to get snow. This snow was the most magical snow I've ever seen. It was perfect! We spent over 3 hours playing outside.

Day 10 2022

Feeling outta sorts

#art #create #justme #nosignal #outofsorts #january #january10 #2022 #picoftheday #project365 #day10

Sometimes the words just don't come out right. Sometimes they're ignored even if they do.

Day 10 2023

The waves console me during this warm winter.

#waves #water #gulf #cool #refreshing #mermaid #january #january10 #2023 #picoftheday #project365 #day10

I'm not likely to get snow here. sigh

Day 10 2024

Home sweet home

#h #dailytheme #home #homesweethome #homeatlast #timetorelax #january #january10 #2024 #picoftheday #project365 #day10

The 10th day of the 10th year down! Woo!

[nickelarrt]

Texas snow day

[everydayanth]

Academic Elitism: an institutional issue

Sorry for being so rant-y lately, but the elitism of university has been a problem for me from the exact moment I accepted my scholarship with a signature and a handshake in high school. (The scholarship was later revoked due to state up-fuckery, but that’s another story, and I was already in too deep by the time they told me).

My parent’s house was only an hour north, my younger sister had already claimed my room, but I was excited. I was in the furthest dorm building, because that’s where the scholarship kids went, it was like a poor kid diversity hall, every few doors was someone from a completely different background, but we were all poor except our Swedish RA, and there was an odd pride in that. We all had various scholarships: robotics, dance team, nerds like me, etc. (not the football or hockey athletes though, they had their own dorm next to the library for... reasons, lol).

But being the last hall, it wasn’t actually full, most of us had entire rooms to ourselves, often whole suites; our hall was co-ed, but rooms were only occupied at every-other, staggered down the corridor. Only the front two halls were used, the back two closed off for construction or codes or something. We had to hike up the hill for dining halls, which was fine until snowdays that shut the whole campus down (and I mean west Michigan ones, with 4+ feet of powder and ice underneath). I had an old computer my dad got me for graduation and I didn’t know it was old until my peers started calling it a dinosaur. I had to use the library computers to write and print papers, and most places I went, I ran into the other scholarship kids. We didn’t talk much, just a head bob here and there, awareness at our similarities and an annoyed spite at being thrown together this way. It was lonely for everyone.

I had a purple flip phone I’d gotten only that calendar year (2009) and was still learning to text with (abbreviations? instant messaging? what?). My roommate had come down from Alaska to live near her dad, we’d talked in the summer, but I never saw her. I moved my things in and her stuff was on her side, I texted her about going to turn in paperwork and when I came back, there was a note on my bed and all her things were gone, she couldn’t do it, had never been away from home for even a night. She left a few mismatched socks and a bag of junk pens that I resented for years. 

Social media was mostly a way to talk to people across campus and exchange homework and party times/locations. We posted over-edited photos of our food and still jogged with our mp3 players and ipods. But within two years, I had to trade in my computer three times and upgrade to a smartphone to keep up with the expectations of communication. Professors would cancel classes by emails an hour out, and if I was on campus, I simply didn’t get the message, running between classes with 19 credit hours and three jobs. Work would call in or cancel my appointments (tutoring) and I needed to be able to communicate at the rate of my peers, so though it wasn’t something we could easily afford, my parents let me get the smartphone and my dad helped me find computers that could keep up with writing papers and researching without having to go to the lab, which saved so much time. 

There was little understanding for my suffering. I didn’t have a car, I had to call my parents and organize a time to get home or take the train which was more expensive than waiting around on an empty campus. They were often things that even the wealthiest students had to deal with, but there were so much more of them for us, more stress, more problems, more solutions, more consequences, and in some ways, more determination.

I spent plenty of breaks holed up in my room, but when the swine flu/H1N1 outbreak happened, guess where they quarantined students?

In our hall. 

Not the back one that was closed. In the room attached to my suite. 

After half a semester alone, suddenly strangers shared my bathroom. I never saw them, I would just hear the formidable click of the bathroom lock followed by the shower. A week later I got a blue half-sheet note in my mailbox about quarantines. The other kids were as pissed off, as we watched kids escorted in with blue masks and were told to just get cleaning wipes from the front desk –they ran out in a week. 

We were the recyclable students, brought in to trade scholarships for university grade averages. Many of my friends were struggling with scholarship qualifications and gpas (which only encouraged my continual obsessive perfectionism and involvement). 

We were expendable. 

I didn’t understand the elitism then, or I did, but I’d twisted it in my head from years tossed between private and public schools. I was an invader, I wasn’t supposed to be there, but I wanted to be. I understood that I didn’t deserve it, that I had to work harder to stay. I completed Master’s coursework for my Bachelor’s degree, finishing two BA programs (anthropology and English: creative writing) and 2 minor programs in philosophy and world lit, lead several campus groups and volunteered with honor’s societies. I spent hours on campus every day, running home just to go to one job or the other. I slept about four hours a night and I still romanticize it because I loved it. And I was good at it. It was a closed system, easy to infiltrate, easy to watch and observe and follow, to feel protected from the world, but there were always ways that I came up short. 

I didn’t have leggings or Northface fleeces or Ugg boots or name brand anything (except a pair of converse I got in 8th grade from my Babcia). I had old high school sweats and soccer shirts, hand-me-down clothes from sisters and cousins that mix-matched a style I thought was unique but I now understand screamed I don’t really belong here. Example: I went to propose an independent study to a professor I really admired and I panicked about what to wear. I still cringe at the memory, gahhhhhh, but I pulled on what I thought was a decent dress because it had no rips or stains or tears and though I’d picked it up from a clearance rack, it was the newest thing and therefore the best. But in retrospect, it was definitely a “party” dress, I grabbed a sweater, hoop earrings that had always been beautiful in my neighborhood, and heels I never wore otherwise, and presented my idea. This old professor was just like “um...did you dress up for me?” Clearly spooked by red flags and I realized my mistake. Saved by quick thinking I clarified “no, I have a presentation later,” and being a familiar face in the social sciences department, I let him assume I was dressed up as something. I just went in my sweats and t-shirts after that, got a haircut that tamed the wavy frizz and learned the importance of muted tones, cardigans, and flats.

I made a lot of interesting friends in the process, people who also stuck out from the American Academic culture: exchange students, older (non-traditional) students, rebels, and other poor kids. But that also meant that we all evolved during our time there, so friendship was quick and fleeting as we adapted or dropped out or remained oblivious, lost in our studies and dreams of changing the world or our lives. 

I had no idea how to approach the dining halls because I could only afford the bronze plan that was included with my room+board scholarship. I could enter the hall ten times per week, with four included passes to the after-hours carry-out (this was an upgrade from the free high school lunch I was coming from). I met other kids on this plan and their dorm rooms had fridges and microwaves and shelves of ramen and mac’n’cheese. Mine was sparse, my fridge had jugs of water from the filtered tap in the common room, and though it had a shared kitchenette, it always smelled bad or was being used and the nearest grocery store was Meijers which was a 15-20 minute drive from campus. I used so much energy dividing up my meals and figuring out how to sneak food from the hall for later or just learn to not eat, which is another story involving malnutrition, broken bones, and the American Healthcare System.

We like to summarize the college experience with fond struggles. I went back to my old high school to watch my younger sisters’ marching band competition that first year (it’s MI, and they were good). My old art teacher (not much older than we were but she felt so much older at the time, also her maiden name was Erickson and so was her fiance’s so she didn’t “change” her name and that blows my mind to this day), anyway, she stopped me to ask how school was going, and I was not prepared to be recognized in anyway and stammered out something like “oh, yeah, stressful. Fun, cool, yeah,” like the eloquent well-educated student I was. And she said, “oh, I loved it, don’t you love it? Everything’s so charming, and being poor? Oh man, it’s hard for a while, but it’s so good to go through.” 

I was dumbfounded at her reference to poverty as a thing to go through when you’re a student. I again had to remember that I was infiltrating places where people weren’t just marginally more well-off than I was, but far beyond, in a place where they couldn’t comprehend an alternative, couldn’t conceive of surviving poverty, of not having a reliable place to fall if you mess up, parents who couldn’t support you if things went wrong, who couldn’t save you from having to drop out if scholarships were canceled because the money just wasn’t there.

Talking with my parents never worked, and I recently found this video by The Financial Diet about Boomer shame in being poor, where many Millennials were united by it and it was #relatable. But all this is to say that there are so many layers and ways we develop in higher education that are often overlooked by the romantic nostalgia of the elite expectation. What we demand from education vs. what it offers us in return is rarely equal for students coming from poverty, and it starts with that first sacrifice of looking at money and deciding it has to be worth it to do something bigger, and that education is a necessary piece of that goal.

Now I live near Brown University, I’ve been to Harvard when we lived in Boston and recently took a trip to Yale with bold expectations. I am friends with several people who work at these places and I hear the same things: so many students are in a place where their obsessions are considered more important than the larger world, an argument that Shakespeare is a woman is more important to prove than the greater issues of sexism in society as a whole, while others are trained to look at data and the world as a pocketable fact-book, going to conferences and  week-long summits and then off to D.C. to make important decisions about places they’ve never been to, for people they’ve never met, about problems they’ve never experienced.  

It’s not new. It’s not romantic. It’s not nostalgic. It’s just sick. 

I was horrified at New Haven. I have read so many social science reports and papers and experiments and academic bullshit that has come from professors at Yale with a big badge of ivy-league validation. So much of this research was focused on homelessness and culture clash and socio-economics in America, as that was my “dissertation” that got me discounted master’s classes for my BA in Anthropology. Anyway, my point was that I thought this noble, proud university that put out so much research was going to be situated in something of a utopia, where their research is put into practice. Obviously, I was wrong, but I didn’t expect how wrong. (I had also started reading Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House, so... there’s another thing).

My observations were validated by employees of ivy-league schools, who have watched over the past 2 decades as they grow more and more reclusive, hiding away from the public except through a few, probably well-intentioned, outstretched hands that do little to contribute to the world outside the university itself. These ivory towers are built by poaching: environments, observations, resources, research, and yeah, even students.

I love academia. I will sit in a library for hours just pulling down tomes (and putting them back in their proper locations like a dork) and drawing connections just for fun. But right now, I’m a bit bitter and spiteful and angry. 

When something like Coronavirus sneaks up on us, we have a tendency to throw the most expendable people under the bus as quickly as we can, and all I can think about is my shadow of a suite-mate sneezing and coughing with swine flu for two weeks, at how I refused to use my own bathroom and listened to my hall-mates’ advice about showering at the rec center a mile away as we all collectively locked our bathroom doors and were left there by the university to get sick without insurance to help with any foreseeable costs.

It’s not the same now, they’ve rebuilt the entire section of the campus, it’s odd to see it, I wonder where they put the expendable kids. Or maybe they don’t accept them anymore. I’ve worked in college admissions since then, and it is a scary industry of politics and preference and hidden quotas and image-agendas. Not all schools are industry monsters, but when you’re expendable, they sure do feel like it, whether you graduate summa cum laude with two degrees, six awards, and five tasseled ropes around your neck or not. 

I wish I had a positive message. I wish I was in a place to help people who feel expendable or like they can’t keep up with communications because of technology or language or network or environment. But I don’t have much right now. For all its posturing and linear progression, academia needs to create profit. All I can do is yell about this existing.

If you are feeling expandable in university, I can tell you you’re not alone. I can let you rant about all the small ways your peers don’t get it, whether its an accent they shit on or ceremonies you don’t have the right clothes for or textbooks you share with a friend to cut costs but then they hoard them. I can relate to you about guilt and that sneaking panic that fills you with anxiety at night as you question yourself and wonder if it’s worth it at all, if it’s necessary, if it’s okay to be expendable to follow something that feels bigger. I can validate your doubt and tell you that you’re not actually expendable, you’re a bridge. 

I’m sorry it still works like this. I wish we figured out how to change it by now, I wish I had secret shortcuts to tell you about, that there was more accountability or hope, but I’m not seeing it lately. I hope you do. <3

[jacklynnfrost]

A Peaceful Snowday

NNT Flashbang “Snow” prompt Art by @thestarrynightgazer and Fiction by JacklynnFrost

Their breath mists as they exhale, the cold already nipped their noses pink and with each step snow crunches under their feet. The taller red headed lad sports a large smile, anticipation lit up his eyes and when he turns to his companion to share in the joy, he laughs at what he sees. Zeldris, with his black hair harshly spiked in one direction, has hunkered down in his scarf and his narrow eyes roam the frozen landscape with dread. 

“You act like I’m marching us to war.” Arthur beams, loving each opportunity he gets to tease him like this. His chuckle is deep and attractive, so much so, that the scowl on Zeldris face eases. His green eyes shift to look over Arthur and under his scarf a little smirk plays on his lips. He finds Arthur adorable, bundled up as he is.

“If I had the choice between this and war, I’d pick the fighting,” Zeldris mutters but he doesn’t mean it. “You know I’d turn around right now if I could.” This he does mean as a warm drink and a blanket sounds perfect. The trees around the couple sway as a gust of wind hits. The feel of it on their cheeks is almost painful and wafts of snowflakes fall from the branches the snow had clustered on. The white powder dances around the two before the gust fades to a breeze and the flakes settle with the bulk of the snow on the ground.

“Best wager I ever made.” Arthur boosts, pushing the unruly lock from his forehead but after another step, it falls back in place to frame the side of his handsome face. “This is going to be fun! Everyone is a beginner at something!”

“Well, it seems like you know a little about everything,” Zeldris complains more from his anxious tension than truly being upset.

“I’ll think of something you can teach me, then you can lead next time,” Arthur promises and this relaxes Zeldris as a few things come to mind that he would love to educate Arthur on. Violet eyes meet green and they both share an easy, flirtatious smile. The two crunch in the snow a while longer, each carrying their needed equipment over their shoulders. Zeldris reaches across the gap between them to take Arthurs mitten-covered hand.

Arthur’s grip tightens over Zeldris’ fingers and there is comfort in the act. “You won’t let go?” Zeldris asks, biting his lower lip in worry as the frozen lake comes into view between the trees up ahead. Drifts of snow dance over the flat sheet of ice and with the trees blowing around the lake it is reminiscent of a snow globe. Clear blue skies are overhead, reflecting in his eyes as Arthur nods but doesn’t promise.

The two separate to take a seat at the edge of the frozen lake. Zeldris is fuming as he removes his snow boots to replace them with... of all things- ice skates. Arthur is opposite in so many ways, vibrating with anticipation and seemingly unable to switch his shoes quick enough. He is up and standing in front of Zeldris before the scowling man is finished lacing up his first skate. Arthur laughs, his head tilts back and Adam's apple bobs.

Zeldris pauses in his lacing to watch. Against the blue sky above Arthur’s hair shifts with his chuckles, his neck stretches and inside a great force in Zeldris’ chest starts pounding. All seven of his hearts race and when Arthur’s violet eyes meet his, sparkling with his delight, Zeldris cannot stop the smile that stretches across his lips. He naturally responds to Arthur. When his other skate is laced, Arthur offers Zeldris a hand and he takes it along with a very deep breath to accept his fate. The taller man helps Zeldris to his feet.

“It’s not like walking.” Arthur starts his instruction when Zeldris lifts his foot to get moving. He lowers it back down, feeling unsteady with only blades to stand on. The only thing that made this bearable is the man by his side.

“Blades are for wielding, not sliding on,” Zeldris grumbles. He looks down at his feet and he feels stable as long as he doesn’t move, which doesn’t last long. Arthur glides around to offer Zeldris his other hand and because he knows it’s going to happen one way or another, he reluctantly takes it. When both his palms are in his partners, Arthur pushes off and skates backward to tow Zeldris along.

He glides with minimal error under Arthur’s mirthful guidance. Zeldris is a quick learner, picking up more from the swing of Arthur’s hips and the shifting of his weight than his steady, encouraging words. Arthur holds Zeldris’ hands but after a few circles around the lake, Arthur knows its time. With a quick twist, Arthur releases Zeldris and spins too fast for the flailing man to do anything more than try to steady his balance.

“You promised not to let go!” Zeldris exclaimed, his arms spread wide to help him adjust his weight as he slides.

“How else will you learn?” Arthur jokes, his winning grin sparks the indignation on Zeldris’ handsome face.

“Arthur!” Zeldris wobbles as his right skate bumps over their previous indent in the ice and his skates jolt out from under him. With a solid thump, Zeldris’ rear smacks against the frozen lake and a rush of air is forced from his lungs as he groans. Arthur’s resulting laugh echoes around them and it only marginally cools Zeldris’ ire.

From the ground Zeldris watches Arthur. He refuses to rise and humiliate himself a second time. Arthur glides gracefully as if he dances in this way so often he does not need to think of his next move before executing it. Zeldris’ eyes roam. He is fascinated by Arthur’s legs dipping over and under one another, but when Arthur does it he is in complete control. Seeing his boyfriend in his element, using his body in such a beautiful way, it made Zeldris feel as if losing the bet hadn’t been so bad.

“You’re having fun!” Arthur accuses, having caught Zeldris’ not-grimacing expression. With the mitten, it was harder to point but Arthur attempts to and Zeldris crosses his arms, denying it. “I saw you! You like watching me.” Arthur grins, showing off his skills a bit more knowing his boyfriend appreciates his from. “I’m sure it's the same as how I feel when I watch you sparing or practicing your swordplay.”

“There is no playing when it comes to swords.” Zeldris condemns but flushes when he and Arthur share a knowing look.

Arthur glides to a stop before him and once again offers his hand. This time when Zeldris puts his palm in Arthur’s, he pulls him down rather than stand. Arthur loses his balance but Zeldris angles to catch his fall and their bodies collide. Zeldris’ laugh echoes in the trees this time as he wraps Arthur in his arms, truly having fun. He looks to his grinning boyfriend, with his cheeks and nose tinted pink from the cold and his light eyes twinkling with love. Zeldris dips forward and ever so gently kisses Arthur’s giving lips, smiling against his mouth.

“You’re right.” Zeldris whispers, flipping them so Arthur’s back is to the ice and his hips wedge between Arthur’s thighs. They both begin feeling warm for the first time since they entered the snow and Zeldris continues, “This is fun.”

[dandelion-doodles]

Change my mind

HItsukarin Non-shini Au. 

Prompt- Snowday

Toshiro frowns down at the street he was to meet up with Karin who stubbornly insisted they spend the day out side. Offering an extra pair of gloves as if it’d solve every problem with what was surely a terrible idea. He steps into the edge of the street on his toe trying to avoid the water pooling there as he awkwardly trots across.

Karin doesn’t understand the problem. She laughs and laughs and laughs some more. She can’t believe he doesn’t like snow. Most snow. City snow thats muddy and full of gravel. Its strange to think about how the mud in the snow bothers him when he spend a majority of summer with out shoes feet muddy and wet. Or thats how it had been the past few summers they spent together outside. Perhaps he grew out of it last summer when he failed on purpose so he could still spend it with Karin.

She waves the gloves in the air as she sees Toshiro work his way between the piles of snow toward her. “Over here!I got your gloves!” This particular pile of snow was fairly free of mud and rocks but of course it doesn’t make him like it anymore. Its wet heavy snow. The kind that soaks through his gloves when he holds. Wet snow that dampens the bottom of his folded jeans that are much too long for him and seeps into his shoes wetting his socks.

“Sorry it took so long.” He doesn’t sound sorry as he pulls on the gloves over the cheep pair he already wore. “Shoveling”

“s’kay” she pulls the hat she’s wearing off from over her earmuffs. Toshiro tries to duck away from her when she yanks it down past his ear. She pulls him back by his scarf. “If your going to wear a scarf wear it right”

“What’s the direly important thing you need me out her for?” He tugs his scarf loosening it back to the way it had previously been.

“Well,” she pushes him toward the snow. “It’s not gonna last for ever. The pile she’d been waiting by was by far the largest he’d seen since the snow had started falling that year.

Karins scoops some snow up near the base of the pile and tosses it toward but not at him. “And your doing?”

“I’m” she tosses more snow his way “going to prove to you how great wet snow is. Way way better than the stupid powdery aesthetic you like. Can’t make a fort outta that.”

Karin listens to him grumble quiet protest. It’s s more to himself than her and she can’t help but let out a little laugh as he crouches down and starts digging anyways.

Soon his socks are soggy and the only feeling from his toes are a sting as he wiggles them. “Can we go yet?” It’d been a bit over an hour and he’s shivering with hands pulled into his sleeves and tucked under his arms. “Aren’t you cold?”

She glances over at him when she hears the quiet concern. Karin bumps her should against him in an attempt to reassure him. “s’not that bad.” He crouches back down beside her pats at her knee trying to get her to look down and see how wet he pants were starting to get. “Sun going down” He stands back up poking his hand out of his sleeve and offering it to Karin. “We can go to mine?”

She takes his hand letting him pull her up off the ground. She pats as much of the snow off herself as she can. A big grin as she pulls him away from the tunnel they had been digging.

“You gonna let me stay the whole night?

Toshiro winces at the sound of Karins shoes colliding against the wall as she kicks them off. He collects her shoes after removing his own and places them neatly to the side. At the very least ahe wasn’t tracking mud all over the cream carpet that lined most the first floor and the narrow stair way of the small House.

After straightening up the shoes he peaks into the rooms of the house confirming what he already knew. That no one else was home if there was then they’d already would have scolded him about the energetic girl racing up the stairs. After the quick check he back tracks to the kitchen and immediately pulls out the double step stool. All the best snack we’re tucked in the top shelves including the marshmallows and cocoa which he scoops off the shelf and out of the cabinet. Leaving them on the counter Toshiro sets out to fetch a pair of frosty glass mugs, saucepan and some milk. He hums quietly as he stirs the milk watching carefully for any signs of burning. He stirs in the cocoa powder and a bit of sugar from the jar that rest on the counter. He taste and adjust the content until he’s satisfied and separates it into the cup. Topping Karin’s with a handful of mini mallows and cinnamon on his own.

Toshiro smiles as he trecks up the stair case to his room cocoa in hand and still quietly humming. He’s greeted by the sight of an open dresser and half its content on the floor. With the culprit no where in site. Toshiro turns back to the hall, curious or not He knows she wouldn’t snoop in any of the other bedroom especially when there was no sign that she’d dug through anything but his dresser.

“Karin,” he taps the wall by the bathroom with the side of his foot. “Yeah, I'm here” Toshiro hears the water as she shifts and the door handle rattle before clicking open just a tiny bit. He listens quietly waiting for the sounds of the water to settle before peaking in.

Even though it wasn’t the first time Toshiro was in the bathroom while she was taking a bath he felt odd stepping in. It’s not like he could see anything with the way she rest against the side, he never could when he sat in the room with her. Thus the only conclusion he can make is that it’s his bathroom that’s causing the odd feeling bubble up.

“Cocoa.” He crouches letting her grab the mug from his hand before setting his cup on the cool tile.

“Thanks” she pats his head when he seats himself on the floor with his back resting on the tub.

“Is my opinion on snow really that important.” He glances over his shoulder briefly.

“No. Just thought it’d be fun” Karin sets her mostly empty one on the floor next to his full cup. “You’re still in wet clothes.”

Toshiro looks down at his toes as he curls and uncurls them. Despite how long she’s known him and how many test he’d failed and how many assignments he neglected to stay with her, there were still new things about him everyday. She hoped the lack of a response, of some sort smack on the hand still twirling his hair or stumbling over some form of excuse, wasn’t a sign of some unknown boundary that she’d crossed.

“Is that...” Karin’s fairly certain she’s never seen him looking as confused as he did in that moment “is that an invitation?” he’s pulled her hand from his hair and cradles it against his cheek.

It takes a moment for her to realize that he’s asked a question, her focus held by his hand and the warmth of his cheek. It’s the change of confusion to concern draws her back and she tries to sort what exactly he means. It’s when she smiles and it’s not just one of the mischievous grins she tends to make. It’s the smile and the finger stroking his cheek that assure him that yes, yes it is an invite.

The concern is replaced with a smile as he pulls back to peel off his shirt up over his head. He hears the water slosh around while pulls of his jeans and everything else. Toshiro slides in next to her holding his barely warm mug. Their legs dangle over the side, water threatening to spill out over the edge.

Despite the temperature of the water he can’t help the warm feeling that swallows him replacing every other feeling in his body. Every strange piece of anxiety that being in the bathroom, his bathroom, had caused.

It’s everything but what he thought the day would be. It’s perfect and he knows there will never be another moment like it. A moment of peaceful bliss and Quiet warmth emanating from the touch of their shoulder. A touch that’s barely there.

      It’s a moment that makes it impossible for him to hate the snow.

[the-togepi-man]

What can't you wait to feel?

Like I’ve just walked back onto the beach soaking wet from jumping in the waves of the sea with someone, laughing because we both almost got taken out by the ocean, the sun is so warm, drying us off. We’re so small compared to this big beach and I love it. Friends are waiting for us in their chairs, drinks in hand and watching and laughing. The bright blue sky heats up my heart and my soul. I feel alive and shining.

Like I’m out walking and holding hands on a cool fall day, my errands are done and even though the sun is going down so early, the air feels magical all the same, Halloween is coming soon- and after that the holidays, Im stressed out because of all the family things, but you squeeze my hand tight and I feel good. I’m going to drink some cider and watch a cute show when we get home. I’m excited because I look so cute in my jeans and jacket, I’ll say something so you notice. I feel so cool and magical, fall is always so kind.

Like I’ve just built a big snowman with someone, it’s so goofy but we did our best. Its a lovely snowday, we explore it all and even made something to show off. Our fingers are cold but thats ok because I’ll head inside and make us some good homemade mac and cheese while you make mixed drinks. We had some friends stay over because we knew the snow would be crazy. We feel like kids enjoying this weather. I feel so happy to be surrounded by the ones I love.

Like I can finally open the windows on a spring day, letting the breeze flow in and rejuvenate the house. I’m singing poorly to some indie song I have on spotify and we’re laying on the sofa together instead of cleaning the apartment. The trees are coming back to life filling the windows with a lovely green. We have friends coming over tonight and I can’t wait. Everything feels right.

That’s what I can’t wait to feel

[homesteadhens]

Followed deer tracks and found these areas where they dug down and settled for a spell. Very cool! 🦌 #neohio #deertracking #winter2021 #snowday (at Portage Lakes, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ0jppMOPWD/?utm_medium=tumblr

[pushypushyupdowngo]

Happy #Caturday all ❤ weather's starting to cool down (not that it actually snows where I live...) and winter is coming. This is one of my new winter Fester cards and an indirect reference to Alien 😂 . . . . . . . . #pushypushyupdowngo #artist #illustrator #vectorart #digitalart #graphicdesign #greetingcards #postcards #holidaycards #caturdaycuties #happycaturday #christmascards #seasonsgreetings #winter #snowman #snowday #cats #catart #catantics #catsofinstagram #blackcats #blackcatsrule #blackcatsofinstagram #alien #stomachburster #moviereference #winteriscoming https://www.instagram.com/p/CV8VsCpPDwF/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thokage-archive]

Vicky for the name color thing :)

the green glow of a traffic light telling you to go, seen through the droplets of rain since passed still clinging to your windshield late at night. Driving by the beach with all the windows down as the twilight blue cool evening air whips your hair around your face, obscuring your vision. The feeling of putting on soft warm socks fresh out the dryer on a snowday. Watching cartoons on Saturday morning & feeling 10 again while the smell of freshly made pancakes fills your senses. The sound of acoustic pop-punk playing softly from another room.. 

[eninhn]

I don't know how I feel right now. I want to be happy and I can't tell if I am. I also want to be sad. I want to lay here in bed with the flu and think about everything I should be doing right now, and I want to lay here in bed and remember the simpler days. I miss having nothing to do and don't get me wrong I appreciate where I am in life right now but I just want a break some times. I got the flu, cant play hockey for a couple more days, which means I probably won't play for the rest of the season, and I'm kind of hoping I don't. I don't know where I am right now. I mean, I'm in maine at home in my bed, but I don't know what I'm doing. I have so many things to do. I'm lucky though, I've been home all week, and only missed two days since tuesday and thursday and probably friday are snowdays. I still have work from last week to complete, and I have no motivation to start it. I have like a lot of work though not just a little bit and its weighing me down. I've been smoking a lot, and hiding it from my team because I know its wrong. Two weeks ago I smoked almost every day before school started just to get me through it, and smoking before school isn't just dumb because I go to school stoned, its dumb because I wake up earlier than normal when hopefully nobody is getting to school yet and I open my window all the way and stick my head out there just for everybody to see, if there is anybody. No harm done so far, just lazy school days and I can't complain about getting a hundo on a quiz while I'm high as shit lol. I've been on edge lately, I'm living in a different room since my roommate wanted to switch after that incident, my girlfriend has been doing dumb shit that I feel responsible for, and every once in a while I think about Audrey. I'm not too fucked up over any of that, I enjoy my own room and privacy, but I miss having my friend talking to me about his problems. I just feel out of the circle now but thats fine I guess. My girlfriend is another story I cant talk about. Audrey isn't that big of a deal, sometimes I think about her and miss her a little bit but I don't love her anymore I think. I know you might be reading this and don't take that to offense because I'm sure you feel the same way. I think after all that time all I needed was a relationship, I always said I couldn't get into one because I loved you but I think it was because I just couldn't get a girlfriend. But now I did and I'm happy and she's coming home with me for spring break so thats cool. I dont think I should feel sad anymore, I should be happy and continue to appreciate all that I have going for me. I'm going to keep smoking too, it makes me feel good and I'm not ashamed of that. I love maine. I love that I came here.

[elecmon]

woolfenneacle replied to your post “IM JUST GONNA KEEP ADDING/EDITING THAT POST TOADD MORE LMAO”

okay but the stream was such a good time??? everyone was super cool and i just felt rly good and happy having a bunch of the comm together having a fun time :''> i hope we can do more fandom/snowday stuff in future!!!!

honestly im so happy over how well it went!!!!!!!!!!

we should do more streamage of things! (The two ideas I loved most was savers/data squad streams and tri streams tbh!!!)

my schedules about to get super busy balancing two jobs, so in like maybe a month when things settle down, torta and i can work on arranging more fun things like that!!!!

[coolspringswinesspirits-blog]

WE ARE OPEN!!!! Slide on down too @CoolSpringsWine & stock up for a warm weather weekend :) #snowday #WednesdayWisdom WTG #Preds #Nashvillepreds (at Cool Springs Wines & Spirits)

[peregrinethevan-blog]

Guys it snowed!! ...Again. I've determined that spring in Maine is like traveling the Rockies in a really old truck. It's a long slow climb, you're constantly stopping to cool back down, until you finally make it to the summer summit. Not that I'm complaining, I've still not had my fill of winter yet. . . . . #snow #snowdays #snowday #maine #endlesswinter #spring #butnotactually #cometomywindow #windowshot #insidelookingout #igers #igersmaine #newengland #igersnewengland #instamood #instapoop #hashtags #lmao #hashtag100emoji

[coolspringswinesspirits-blog]

WE ARE OPEN!!!! Slide on down too @CoolSpringsWine & stock up for a warm weather weekend :) #snowday #WednesdayWisdom WTG #Preds (at Cool Springs Wines & Spirits)