#1. work was Easy Peasy today

[wetslug]

yayyyy im so happy today

[vulpinesaint]

did 90 pages of my reading for three different classes is everyone proud of me :) finished the chapter on judaism for my sacred texts class, read "an apology for poetry" by sir philip sidney for my lit theory class, and did my two chapters of reading from the truth about stories by thomas king for my folklore and mythology class. and wrote a summary paper on that sacred texts chapter. and did my little writing assignment for my french class. all while sick. who is going to kiss me on the forehead and tell me i did a good job

[misssmina]

Expanding UA: Support Course.

I have thoughts!!! Hear me out. I’m really trying to get us to flesh out these fanfics guys.

We do not know enough about UA as a school.

We know there’s the hero course, support course, and business course. But there is NO WAY they are as simple as they are made to seem, they literally can’t be if UA is supposed to be the top hero school in the country. I’m supposed to believe that the support course is exclusively focused on making gadgets? NO.

So we’re gonna focus on the support course today.

I’m gonna break it up into 3 branches.

Tech Support:

This is what we are shown in the show/manga. It almost exclusively shown to be working on support items and tech. Which is totally necessary for hero work, developing new technologies to accommodate heroes. Easy peasy, we know what this is.

Medical Support:

So this is the one I’m passionate about!!! There is NO WAY recovery girl is the only medical personnel in that school, and there’s no reason this wouldn’t be a specialty course. Obviously healing quirks are few and far between, but surely there’s at least a few people who could be trained to be Hero Medical Specialists. Teaching the students how to best support hero-grade injuries, how to be on site at a battle, and treat quirks based ailments. I would guess that this course would be small and probably more selective than the hero course but very important!!

Costume Support:

This one is also very important!! Obviously these would basically be fashion students, I’m sure designing the costumes would be the fun part. But having to learn about what fabrics and metals are durable and suitable for each hero is a very necessary part of having heroes. Imagine Kaminari’s clothes singed up every time he let out a shock? Useless and unhelpful. But if his clothes were conductive? Practical! Fashionable!

Now onto how I think this should work.

Hero students are assigned 1 person per support branch. So they’d have their own tech student, med student, and fashion student working with them as soon as they receive their provisional license. This is half of their school mandated team, the other half being the business students. This teaches the students to work as a unit with not only other heroes, but everyone involved in their hero career.

The medical student must learn how to deal with quirk based injuries then relay to the fashion and tech students how to best support the hero student in avoiding those injuries. The fashion and tech students will then take that information and use it to better their costume designs and support gear.

I had a two hour conversation with my little brother about this so it’s kinda long. Lmk what you think!!

[rosetterer]

bucktommy + being catcalled while working + turning around annoyed just to see it's your flirty husband

You can also read this on AO3: catcalling - rosetterer - 9-1-1 (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

But here we go:

Catcalling

Nobody ever talked about how boring being a firefighter could be. Now, Buck found every aspect of the job interesting as hell but there were days when all they did was check cars that had been part of a crash or help people get out of a broken elevator. It wasn’t anything that exciting, and genuinely, the calm days were sometimes the best.

While danger gave him the kind of adrenaline rush that he craved, it usually also meant that someone had to suffer. And Buck didn’t want that.

Sometimes he just wanted to stand under a tree and try to figure out how to get a cat to come down.

Just like today.

”And why exactly did you call us?” Hen asked the elderly woman who was staring up at the tree.

”Do I look like I can climb trees? I can barely climb stairs,” the woman said, rolling her eyes. ”Poor little Catrick… Loves to climb but never knows how to come down.”

”Catrick?” Buck barked out a laugh and turned to look at the woman, who didn’t seem amused. He forced a neutral expression on his face. ”Catrick, right. We’ll get C- Catrick down in just a moment. Easy peasy.”

”Are you going to climb the tree?” The woman asked, eyes now focused on Buck.

”Oh no,” Buck told her and nodded toward the firetruck. ”We’ll just use the ladder. Is… Catrick-”

Hen burst into laughter, which got her a good glare from the woman.

”Is your cat aggressive?” Buck reworded his question, trying his best not to look at Hen, who was now, thankfully, walking away.

”He scratches a little,” the woman said. ”But you’ve got thick gloves, you’ll be fine.”

”Alright then,” Buck said with another nod, turning to look at the rest of his team. ”So… Who’s going up?”

”Not it!” Hen called out immediately.

"I'm not going either. I'm going to stay on the ground and… lead the operation,” Buck told them. ”The last time I was up on that ladder, things didn’t go that well.”

”Don’t even joke about that,” Eddie told him as he passed him but shot him a small smile anyway. ”I’ll go. You tell me which way to go. The leaves are making it difficult to see where exactly that cat-”

”Catrick,” Buck reminded with a grin.

”Catrick,” Eddie repeated, sounding almost disgusted with the name. ”...Is hiding.”

”Alright, you go on up then,” Buck said, glad that he wasn’t going to be the one getting scratched today.

----

It didn’t take long for Eddie to be in position. The leaves of the tree were causing some trouble as Catrick seemed to be hiding somewhere right in the middle. Basically, Eddie couldn’t see anything and had to reach into the tree blind while Buck told him where to move his hands so that he could get hold of the cat.

”A little to the left,” Buck called out.

The whole tree seemed to rustle as Catrick decided that the last thing he wanted to do was to come down or to go into Eddie’s arms.

”Damn it,” Buck mumbled, hands on his hips.

”What now?!” Eddie yelled from behind the branches, a single leaf stuck to his helmet.

”I’m thinking!” Buck told him.

He really was. If the cat didn’t want to come down, it wasn’t going to come down. Scaring him wasn’t exactly a kind way to deal with the situation but if he kept running away, they didn’t really have any other choice.

It wasn’t like they could be here all day long. Buck would just get a stick from somewhere and poke-

A whistle broke him out of his thoughts.

”Looking hot!”

Now, they did get whistled at every once in a while. Usually by drunk women having a bachelorette party.

When Buck turned around, that wasn’t what he found this time around.

”Tommy?” He asked, watching as the man walked toward him with his hands in his pockets and a sweet smile on his face.

”Look at you saving the world, Evan,” he said.

”What are you doing here?” Buck couldn’t help but break into a smile at the sight of his man.

”I was on my way home from a shift. Noticed some familiar faces,” Tommy said, nodding in the direction of Hen who was waving at him. ”I’m guessing there’s a cat stuck in a tree, judging by the way Eddie’s struggling.”

Buck glanced up at Eddie, who was now trying to get to the cat without any directions.

”Yeah… Catrick,” Buck explained simply.

”Catrick?” Tommy asked, raising an eyebrow, and broke into laughter. ”That’s amazing.”

Buck stepped a little closer, bringing a hand to the hoodie Tommy was wearing.

”This is mine,” he mumbled, smiling, not letting go of the fabric.

”The last time you stole my hoodie, it was all ’what’s mine is yours’ and-”

Buck pressed his lips onto Tommy's, silencing him. Hen clapped excitedly, while Eddie cursed somewhere up above them and Buck could already imagine Bobby shooting a very disappointed look in his direction.

But he couldn’t bring himself to care.

”What was that for?” Tommy asked, smirking. His hand was still lingering on Buck’s waist.

”You look cute in my hoodie,” Buck explained with a shrug and leaned a little closer. ”Also, didn’t take you for the type to catcall.”

”Oh, I don’t usually,” Tommy said casually. ”I just noticed that you guys were here and that there was a cat stuck in a tree so I thought catcalling might be kind of appropriate for the situation at hand.”

Buck groaned at his joke but couldn’t help but smile wider.

"And also… There happened to be a really hot firefighter standing near the street and I just couldn't help myself," Tommy continued, his voice smooth, and right at that moment, Buck just wanted to go home with him.

”Yeah?”

”Yeah…” Tommy whispered.

”If you two are done flirting, I could use some help!” Came Eddie’s muffled voice from above. ”I’ve got Catrick!”

”I should probably go,” Buck told him then with an apologetic smile.

”Go on. I’ll see you at home,” Tommy said. ”I have to get going as well or my car’s getting towed. Not actually allowed to park here.”

He looked in the direction of his car, parked a little haphazardly on the side of the street.

”Tommy Kinard, breaking the law. Who would’ve guessed?” Buck couldn’t help but tease.

”Anything for you, you know that,” Tommy said and pressed their lips together once more.

God, Buck had missed this.

”Buck!” Eddie’s yell made them break apart.

”I guess I’m needed,” he mumbled against Tommy’s lips.

”I guess you are,” Tommy replied and started slowly making his way to his car by walking backward and keeping his eyes on Buck. ”Stay safe, Evan. I’ll see you later. We’re ordering in.”

”Sounds great!” Buck said, very aware of the dreamy smile that was on his face.

Tommy always made him feel like he was floating.

”Buck!”

With a sigh, he turned around and rushed to where Eddie was calling for him.

Maybe he shouldn’t hope for a calm day after all. Saving cats was all well and good, especially when others did all the dirty work but serious calls made the time pass faster.

And he just couldn’t wait to get home.

[nanowrimo]

10 Tips for Fast-Drafting

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Freewrite, a 2023 NaNo sponsor, is a dedicated distraction-free drafting device designed just for writers. Today, author Ashley Poston and the Freewrite team share some tips for completing a first draft of your novel quickly:

Hello from the Freewrite team! 👋 Here at Freewrite, we love a NaNoWriMo challenge, because we’re all about getting words on the page. We asked Author & Freewrite Ambassador Ashley Poston to share her best tips for fast-drafting and getting that first draft DONE!

No surprise, one of her secrets is her Freewrite. But what else does Ashley do to get those drafts done fast?

Here’s Ashley:

I have a confession to make: I hate drafting. It’s the bane of my existence. If I could reach into my brain and take out my story, fully-formed, and just work on the editing bit? I’d do it.

But, alas, that’s not how writing works. (Which is a real pity because I really do love editing. The way you go in with a fine-tooth comb and just torch the entire novel, then rewrite it for the third time. It’s truly majestic.)

Though after ten years, I’ve yet to figure out a way to pull a novel, fully-formed, out of my ears. So, instead, I like making the part of drafting as painless as possible… by doing the most painful, maddening, infuriating thing imaginable.

In other words: fast-drafting.

I’ve perfected the art. I can write a book in a week if I have enough caffeine and a death wish, and with these ten tips, so can you.

1. Find your characters.

Truly, the most important part of fast-drafting is knowing your characters from the outset. In a first draft, you usually find your characters in the middle of the second-to-last chapter. (Or is that just me?) So it often helps to know your characters inside and out from the start. Not only that, but know how they’d react in certain situations, know what would be on their Spotify playlist, know whether they’d have a repertoire of Your Mom jokes up their sleeve. How do they take their coffee? If faced with ten seconds to live, who would they call? Most of these questions you’ll never answer in the manuscript itself, but it’s important to know these people in your head on an intimate level.

2. Use your time(r) wisely.

Setting a timer can be a great way to increase your writing speed. Start with a short amount of time—maybe 15 minutes—and write like the wind, Bullseye! Then shake yourself out, set that timer to 15 again, and repeat. (This is SO easy on my Freewrite Traveler, because it has a feature that keeps time for you, making 15-minute sprints easy-peasy.)

3. Outline.

In addition to your characters, you really should get to know your plot, too, and a great way to do that is making an outline! There are a bunch of different tips and tricks to outlining—I personally use Susan Dennard’s 1-page Synopsis whenever I need to hash out a plot, and Rachel Aaron’s 2k to 10k Blogpost from Ye Olde 2011.

4. No distractions!

Writing is already hard enough, but it becomes almost impossible when you have a cat pronking on you every chance they get. Sometimes, life can just be that—distracting—and you can’t do anything about it. But minimize distractions wherever you can, especially if you’re sprinting. Turn off your phone! Disconnect the internet! And here is where I tell you my Freewrite has saved my butt countless times. I’m horrid at the whole “cut distractions!” bit, but with Freewrite, it’s easy as pie. It’s a lot like a typewriter, so internet? Never heard of her. iMessages? iThinkNot. It’s just you, your words, and the mounting existential dread of existence.  

5. Compression gloves. (No, seriously, especially if you write every day.)

This is gonna sound like one of those weird ones—and that’s because it is. But if you’re planning on writing every day for at least an hour, please do yourself (and your budding carpel tunnel) a favor and get some compression gloves. Learn some hand exercises. We don’t call writing fast “sprinting” for nothing.

6. Don’t look back.

It’s so easy to get caught up in trying to perfect the prologue, but this can absolutely hinder you. Take it from someone who loves to make the first chapter perfect—you never will. I promise. Instead, focus on getting your ideas down on paper and worry about editing later. I promise that sentence you didn’t like will be there when you come back to it. It’s not going anywhere. This is another area where my Freewrite helps me focus.

7. Use prompts!

Sometimes, your brain gets stuck. If you feel stuck, or in a corner, use a writing prompt to get the creative juices flowing again! Maybe you’ll never use the scene, but that’s OK. If it means you get going again? That’s what matters. 

8. Stuck? Hit the bricks! Real winners quit. But like… not forever.

Writing can be mentally draining, so it’s important to not push yourself too hard, and to take breaks when you need it. Take a walk, stretch, dance it out to ABBA—whatever helps you recharge. And then when you come back to the scene, you’re refreshed and rearing to go.

9. Chunk it up.

Breaking up your writing into smaller, manageable chunks can make drafting so much less daunting. Instead of making the goal finishing the novel, just finish the chapter. Finish this scene. Sometimes, it helps if people set a goal for a certain amount of words a day, but I find that this often just leads to burnout a lot faster. Instead of a word count, set a goal for a scene instead. Turn off the word counter. A first draft doesn’t have to hit a certain number of words—it’s called a first draft for a reason.

10. Practice makes more practice.

Like anything else you do, writing takes practice. I know I can easily hit 5k a day, but that’s because I’ve been writing professionally for a decade now. If you’re just starting out, don’t compare yourself to anyone else. (In fact, this is a great rule of thumb regardless.) Everyone writes differently, and everyone writes in their own time. No one ever asked Van Gogh how long it took him to paint sunflowers, did they? No one told Monet he was taking too long on his water lilies. Writing is an art, so let yourself enjoy it.

I hope this helps you, at least a little, write your next sexy dragon-shifter book! (Or whatever you’re working on.) Godspeed, and just remember: only you can write the idea in your head. Different writers can be given the same exact prompt, and every single story will turn out differently. Keep your eyes on your own paper, your heart full of joy, and chase that story only you can tell.

It’ll be worth it, I promise.

—Ashley

Reminder: Camp NaNoWriMo 2023 participants are eligible for a special Freewrite offer. Find all the details here. 

Ashley Poston is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of The Dead Romantics. After graduating from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s in English, she spent the last decade working in the publishing industry before deciding to pursue writing full-time. When not writing, she likes trying various arts and crafts (she’s currently addicted to building miniature rooms) and taking long walks as an excuse to listen to Dungeons & Dragons podcasts. She bides her time between South Carolina and New York, and all the bookstores between.

Top photo by Djim Loic on Unsplash  

[saiilorstars]

For Better Days | Ch.1: I Hate Camping

Fandom: MCU ○ Bucky Barnes x OFC

Story Summary: Chloe's forced to go camping with her brothers so Bucky decides to give her a few tips to survive...

Story Masterlist ○ Chloe's Masterlist○

Also available on Fanfic ○ Ao3 ○ Wattpad

Taglist: @ocappreciationtag​ @arrthurpendragon​ @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet​@averyhotchner @foxesandmagic @kmc1989 @caplanbuckybarnes​

[If you’d like to be a part of any OC’s works/edits, let me know!]

His head was always clouded. In fact, Bucky couldn't really remember a moment where his head wasn't fuzzy and at a loss for coherent thoughts. Even after escaping HYDRA and freeing himself of their brainwash, he only ever felt real clarity a handful of times. And there was always one common denominator across all the individual moments.

"If you stare any harder, she'll burst into flames." Sam was smirking from ear to ear when Bucky met his eye. "You know, with that cyborg stare of yours…it could happen."

"Shut up, Sam," Bucky muttered. And then to lessen Sam's point, he turned away from Chloe and Sam's sister Sarah. Unfortunately, Sam had followed him to the porch steps and sat down with him.

"It's really not that hard, you know. I would think that after everything you've been through, asking some girl out would be easy-peasy, you know." Sam's smirk had not diminished in any way.

"I don't need your tips, Sam," Bucky said quietly. As much as he fought, he wasn't able to resist the urge to gaze ahead of them again.

Chloe was talking to Sarah and seemed pretty chippy about whatever their conversation was about. Bucky wouldn't say it but he could stare at Chloe for hours.

In the next minute or so, Chloe and Sarah started heading towards the house.

"Anything you need from us, just let me know, alright?" Sarah had gone up the porch steps, narrowly missing Sam's attempt to poke her leg.

Chloe had stopped in front of the steps, slipping her hands in her back pockets. "I will. Thanks, Sarah."

"What are you two up to?" Sam asked suspiciously when his sister had gone inside the house.

"She was giving me camping tips," Chloe said, leaving both Sam and Bucky confused. She rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what they were thinking. "My stupid brothers want to go camping."

"And you stupidly said yes?" Bucky said with a much too innocent smile. She pointed a finger at him, warning him to watch his words. Bucky laughed lightly. "Sorry, I just don't exactly see you as the camping type."

"I'm not," Chloe agreed, flatly. "But since I've blown them off so many times now, there's no way out of it." She pulled her hands from her back pickets and crossed her arms. "Unfortunately, I think I'll be dead by the end of this camping trip. I know squat about camping, which they'll take full advantage of."

"That they will," Sam nodded. "We'll miss you."

"Be quiet, Sam," Chloe muttered.

"Yeah, be quiet Sam," Bucky said as he stood up from his spot. "Chlo, let me help you out. I can teach you a few things before you head out."

"Really?" Chloe raised an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you leaving too?"

"My flight was pushed back to tomorrow so I have all of today."

"Yeah, and he wants to take full advantage of it," Sam said with a wide smirk. Bucky looked over his shoulder in a rather murderous way.

Shut up.

Chloe was none the wiser of the brewing murder plot so she accepted Bucky's help. "Guess it wouldn't hurt but if you make fun of me, I'll shoot you."

Bucky smiled at her fondly. There was no way she could make the shot but he'd still let her take it.

With a few things from the Wilsons' shed, the camping 101 crash course started. Chloe reiterated how the whole damn thing was beyond stupid. Who needed camping anyways?

Bucky found it amusing the way she didn't run out of things to hate on in regards to camping. "Dollface, you were an Avenger — a fugitive at some point — and camping is what seems like a challenge?"

"Don't laugh, Bucky Barnes!" Chloe pointed a finger at him the moment his lips twitched. Said finger started glowing blue, giving Bucky a good idea of what was to come if she decided that he was laughing at her.

"Alright, alright, come here," he motioned her to follow him. "If you're going to do traditional camping, then you're gonna have to learn how to set up a tent."

"I hate tents," went Chloe flatly.

Bucky's back was still to her so hiding his smile, almost laugh, was easy that time. "Yes, but you're gonna want a tent if you plan to sleep. Unless you're doing sleep bags outside."

"There's no fucking way I'm doing that!" Chloe said, appalled. "I'll actually murder my brothers then."

"Then let's practice setting up a tent." Bucky had done them the favor of taking out the tent pieces from the shed and left them on the ground. "It's a good thing the Wilsons love their camping too."

"Mhm…" Chloe eyed the pieces with disdain. "So where do I start or whatever?"

"Well, first you would want to make sure the area you pick to put your tent in is flat, alright?" Bucky looked back at Chloe, dead serious now. She nodded with him.

"Flat ground, got it. What's next?"

"A tarp on the ground before you set anything up." Bucky pointed at the folded tarp next to her.

"Why?" She reached over to pick it up.

"Keeps moisture out."

Chloe's nose crinkled with disgust. "Moisture? Eugh, what did I get talked into doing!" She groaned and slapped the tarp against her face.

Bucky chuckled then, and to his surprise Chloe didn't try to shoot him. He gently took the tarp off her face and assured her that it wasn't that bad.

After putting the tarp down on the ground, Bucky showed Chloe the tent poles they had to put up. Chloe felt her head spin when he started showing her the corresponding flaps in the tent. She had to slid the poles into the right ones or the whole thing would be messed up.

Bucky showed her how to do the first one then let her do the second one. She nearly ripped the fabric from frustration.

"Eugh, I hate this!" She was shoving the tent pole through the flap but it kept getting stuck so she had to pull it out and try all over again.

Bucky came around beside her and stopped her altogether with a hand over her wrists. "Let me show you again," he said, absolutely calm and patient.

Chloe let go of everything and watched him redo what she'd been trying and got it done so easily. "You're good at this stuff," she said with a faint smile on her face. "And you're a good teacher."

Bucky pretended to be solely focused on what his hands were working with because the alternative was looking at Chloe and therefore revealing the stark red blush on his face. "It just comes with experience," he said after clearing his throat. "The days of a soldier — the good one."

Chloe didn't miss the way he was quick to clarify what side of himself he spoke about — the urgency, really, like she would automatically assume that every part of his past was the Winter Soldier. She often hoped that one day he wouldn't feel compelled to always have to clarify his "good" and "bad" parts of life.

Eventually, the tent was built and although Chloe knew that she could've helped more, Bucky assured her that she had done it in the end. A pure lie since he was the one who set it up but there was no winning against that guy.

"Now taking it apart—"

"Will be my brothers' jobs," Chloe said decisively. Feeling Bucky's side-glance, she met it with a smirk. "I'm the little sister. They gotta do something for me, right?"

With that face, anyone would do everything for you. Bucky's face warmed at his thoughts. He quickly moved onto a different skill. Campfire set-up.

For that, they ventured a little further from the Wilsons' residence. On their walk, Bucky explained to Chloe what she needed to look out for.

"You're gonna want to find dead, dry wood. Nothing bendy and definitely nothing moist which means fresh wood us out too, got it?"

"Got it," Chloe affirmed and helped him find the right pieces of wood.

They started making a small pile of woods with the intention of lighting it when they were done. Bucky went into deep details about how to set the wood properly and how to light it.

"I hear you, I do," Chloe started, bringing her hands up from her sides, "But I could also just do this." She shot a ray of a psionic blast at the logs and started the fire.

Bucky deadpanned her grinning face (which was kind of cute). "That's not proper camping," he pointed at her.

"But I got the fire going," Chloe retorted. "Isn't that what we wanted?"

"You're cheating!"

"But is it actually cheating or is it me working smarter not harder?"

"Chlo, c'mon…" But Bucky was chuckling, which made Chloe start to do the same…which just meant the seriousness of the situation was gone and that she was ultimately right.

After properly learning how to put out the fire — without the use of powers — the two started heading back to Sam's place. Bucky still had some tips to hand out, like what she should bring, the things she shouldn't bring, what she should wear…

"I'm only going for a few days," she reminded him. "Any more than that and I'd personally hang my brothers."

Bucky chuckled at her. "So how'd you even get roped into this? You don't strike me as the camping type." She wasn't at all.

"It was my brothers' idea. Bonding or whatever," Chloe shook her head. "As if we couldn't do that at a restaurant or something. Even like a proper cabin and stuff. Ever been to Big Bear in California?"

Bucky gave a shake of his head. "Not really."

"That's my kind of camping, not sleeping-inside-a-tent shit." Chloe continued to complain all the way back to the Wilsons'.

She plopped down on the porch steps and motioned Bucky to do the same with her. He of course had no protests against the idea.

"I would much rather help you and Sam out on your missions. Aren't you guys headed to, like, Quebec?"

"I think so, yeah," Bucky said then laughed at Chloe's put-out reaction. "No need to get all grumpy, doll. It's not like we're going out there to have fun. You're the one who gets to go and relax, so have fun."

"You and I have very different ideas of what having fun is," Chloe said dead seriously, leading Bucky to laugh again.

"If your definition of having fun is going on a mission in the middle of nowhere, then I fear we do…"

Chloe shot him a look but in a few seconds it dissolved and she was smiling at him…which then made him do the same. Her smiles were always infectious.

"I would still rather be with you — and Sam!" Chloe's face flushed immediately as she heard her own mistake. "With you and Sam on your mission, I meant…" She cleared her throat and looked straight ahead. What she would give for the ground to open up and swallow her whole right now…

Luckily, Bucky didn't seem to notice her 'grave mistake'. He reiterated that a nice camping trip was still the better choice. Chloe agreed to disagree and before she could make a fool of herself again, her phone rang in her pocket.

"I'll leave you to that," Bucky said and stood up from the steps. "Hungry?"

Chloe nodded at him. "A bit."

"I'll see what they have going on in the kitchen. Don't be long — it's getting cold out here."

Chloe chuckled. Bucky didn't feel cold the same way she and the others did, what with the serum and all. Still, he was always attentive to the weather for their sake — for her sake. She was no stranger to his sweaters and jackets when they happened to be outside in a chilly moment. She loved his attentiveness, making her feel quite the special girl…not that she would ever say it out loud.

"Hello?" Chloe answered the phone before her thoughts got away from her too much.

"Hey! I was just about to hang up. You took forever to answer!" Seren Soul was on the other line and much like always, she was very cheery.

"Sorry, I was, uh, getting some camping 101…" Chloe looked back at the house and saw the front door was shut. Bucky was long gone.

"Ah, so you couldn't get out of it then? You'll be camping with your brothers?"

"Horrific, I know," Chloe said with a sigh. "And me, the worst camper in history. I'm sure they'll be ganging up on me. It's what brothers do, especially older ones."

"Times like these, I'm glad to be an only child!"

Chloe smiled dryly. "You want one? I have two so I can definitely spare one."

Seren laughed. "No, no, I'm good. I like my life just the way it is."

"Mm, I bet you do," Chloe smiled. She could hear the faint hollering of kids in the background. "Sounds like you have a show going on over there…"

Seren hummed. "Oh, you know. With a five year old and a toddler in the house, Steve and I barely get a moment of peace. What you're hearing right now is a rendition of Frozen. For the third time today."

It was Chloe's turn to laugh. "Record and send please. You know I love my God-children."

"Will do! So I was just calling to see if you still need me to pick you up at the airport?"

"Yes, if you still can of course. I need to get packing asap. Sort of left it for the last minute."

"Of course you did. What about Bucky? Steve said he had a mission in Quebec or something? Is he not coming back to New York first?'

"He's flying out tomorrow instead. Apparently, his flight got delayed. But the mission's still on. Wish I could join them instead of this camping stuff."

"Right, and it totally has nothing to do with the fact you'd be spending the whole week with Bucky instead of your brothers, right?"

Chloe could hear the smirk on Seren's face. "You don't know what I'd rather do than camping. Don't underestimate my hatred for camping, Seren."

"Oh, I don't, but I also know you'd rather be with Bucky 24/7."

"I'm gonna hang up now."

"Oh c'mon! All I have at home right now is Let It Go and a stupid snowman going 'I've been impaled' on repeat. Give me something, Chloe!"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "There's nothing to give, Seren. We've been over this many times."

"Yes, so I don't understand what keeps getting lost in the conversations. It's quite simple, really. You like Bucky. Bucky likes you. See? Simple."

Chloe snorted. "I know you of all people are not telling me about having feelings for someone when you literally spent how long denying your feelings for your current husband?"

"Well take it as someone with experience, then," said Seren. "You should tell him. I mean, you guys are at this secluded place, right?"

"You mean Sam's family home? Where Sam and his sister and his nephews live? You see the problem, right?"

"Yes, okay, but truthfully there's not gonna be a right moment and I feel like you're just prolonging this. Bucky too. It's so obvious that it's painful to watch."

"Goodbye, Seren." Chloe was prepared to end the call right there when Seren shouted at her to wait.

"I bug you with the best intentions," she said as a weak apology. "I'm your best friend. I'm just trying to help you out. Sorry."

"I know you are," sighed Chloe. Seren would never do anything malicious. Chloe wasn't even sure Seren could do something of the sort. "But it's a lost cause."

"Mm, I wouldn't be so sure, Chloe. But I'm gonna have to put a pause on the conversation. One of my kids is making eyes at my bookshelf…"

Chloe chuckled. "Good luck with that."

"Ditto! Gotta go!" Seren hung up shortly after, leaving Chloe to dwell on the conversation and her thoughts.

Eventually, Chloe gathered herself up and went back inside to have her last dinner with the Wilsons and Bucky. She struggled to take her mind off Seren's words whenever she glanced at Bucky. He was damn cute when he interacted with Sam's nephews. He was clueless around them but that was the charming part. She liked watching him trying to be him — carefree and simply trying to live. He deserved the opportunity and much more. Which was why she often re-decided to keep her feelings to herself. She didn't want to add any kind of stress to his life and his new journey to build himself up again. What she wanted most was to see him happy and if she had to do it as his friend, then so be it. It was a small price to pay for his happiness.

~ 0 ~

The following week, Bucky counted each day that passed by like his life depended on it. Never had time gone by so slowly. Despite the fact he spent half the week in Quebec on a mission, time still managed to pass by so damn slow. He knew why, he just didn't admit to it out loud…not that it stopped Sam from teasing him about it. The fact that Chloe was camping and completely away from technology wasn't supposed to hit him that badly. It was like a dry spell.

Time was when he lived in Wakanda, he had to go days — weeks even — without contact from Chloe (and the rest of their friends). Now he was so used to having Chloe at a simple call away that it seemed outrageous to have gone almost a week without hearing from her.

On the day that she was supposed to be back in the city, he got a message from Steve in the evening. He was supposed to go to some bar down in Manhattan. Bucky didn't think twice. For once, it looked like Steve was playing the wingman.

When Bucky stepped inside the bar, his eyes immediately scoured the area for his — Chloe. He scoured the area for Chloe. It didn't take long for him to spot the gorgeous blonde sitting at the bar counter with their friends Seren and Steve. She looked so happy, not to mention crazy beautiful. She was wearing a dark dress hugging her body so nicely…

His feet walked before he even thought about it. It was Steve's voice that broke him out of his trance — he was greeting.

"You and Sam didn't kill each other!" He clapped Bucky on the shoulder.

"Don't sound so sad about it," Bucky mumbled. His eyes barely left Chloe when he greeted Steve and Seren. "How was the camping?" He asked Chloe, who immediately snorted.

"Peachy," she said, raising her glass up at him. "I should have gone to Quebec with you."

Bucky half smiled at her. "That bad, eh?"

"Get a drink, it'll be a long night by the time I've finished telling you everything my dumbass brothers did to me."

Bucky's smile spread. He would've laughed had Chloe not been so serious. That, however, didn't stop Seren and Steve from laughing.

"Shut it you two," Bucky warned the couple.

"I think we're no longer needed here, honey," Seren whispered to Steve. He agreed with a hum and took out a few bills to cover their bill.

"We'll be seeing you two," Steve said, slipping out of his stool. He took his wife's hand and walked away.

Neither Chloe nor Bucky seemed to mind — they barely noticed them leave.

"So," Bucky sat next to Chloe, "how bad was it, really?"

Chloe had a tight smile on her face when she answered. She hated camping before, but now she detested it. Camping was useless to her. Pointless.

Bucky let her go on until she literally ran out of things to say. He thought the whole thing was funny. Chloe was a bit of a drama queen — he loved that about her and he would never change that — so he knew the camping couldn't have been that bad. Sure, her brothers may have messed with her but not to the extent that she swore up and down by.

After a few more drinks, Bucky decided it was time to cut her off. She didn't seem drunk but it was better to quit while they were ahead. She didn't mind, especially when he asked if he could walk her home.

Screw the drinks, Chloe immediately thought and was getting up from her stool before Bucky even offered to pay for their drinks.

They were soon on the street heading for Chloe's apartment. Bucky shrugged off his jacket and draped it over Chloe's shoulders, earning a soft smile from her in return.

"Thank you," she said and held the jacket closer around her.

"So how bad was the camping trip really?" he asked her.

"Bad," Chloe groaned, making him laugh. "I'm being serious. I got a ton of bug bites! I'm pretty sure I touched something I was allergic to because I got a wicked rash on my foot!"

Bucky laughed again. "What, were you walking barefoot or something?"

"Ha, ha," Chloe mimicked his laugh before shooting him a sharp glance. "I'll have you know that I saw a spider and I bolted."

"So you were walking barefoot?"

"Running, if we're being technical."

"You're lucky all you got was a rash, then. You never walk barefoot in the woods!"

"Don't you think I know that!? I got scared!"

"Of a spider?" Bucky teased her. "You have been through hell with missions and you are still afraid of spiders?"

Chloe couldn't take his laughter. She pulled his jacket off her shoulders and used it to smack him with it in the middle of the street. Bucky's laughter actually got louder instead.

"Alright, alright, I surrender!" He said with his hands covering his head. Chloe was smug at her victory and stopped hitting him. "So much for all the Winter Soldier training…" He mumbled under his breath and gazed at Chloe fondly. She was still semi-glaring at him but a little smile was trying to overshadow it. He reached over and took his jacket from her and placed it over her shoulders again. "Okay, I'm done now. I promise."

Chloe still did her best to keep glaring at him. "I could shoot you right now…"

"And I could take it…right now," he copied her with a smug smile. She rolled her eyes. He chuckled. "I'm done." He tugged his jacket closer around her, and in the process her body to his. "You know I'd let you win any day."

"This doesn't sound like you're 'done' to me…"

"I had one more, sorry."

"You're still taking me home?"

"You know it." Bucky let her go and instead took her hand in his. He didn't often touch her and when he did, he always tried to do it with his flesh hand. Especially these days and nights when it was colder, he didn't want to add on to the coolness. Chloe never said a thing, though. She loved any of his touches, no matter how minimal they were (and they usually were).

They walked the rest of the way without bickering and hitting. Chloe finished telling Bucky about the rest of her camping experience and declared that she would never, ever, go back to such a horrid thing.

"Think I've never heard someone hate camping so much," Bucky said with a chuckle.

Chloe reached her apartment door first and searched for her keys in her purse. "There are just so many other great things to do, Bucky. Why would I ever want to go back to the dirt and sleep on the ground?"

Bucky rolled his eyes and watched her unlock the door. "I guess I'll leave you to it, then…"

"What?" Chloe looked at him quickly. "I thought…I mean — do you want to come in? You haven't told me about your mission in Quebec."

"I haven't…" Bucky agreed. He would take any excuse to spend more time with her. He let Chloe tug him inside the apartment like he didn't have super strength. He'd let her lead him any time and anywhere.

Chloe took his jacket off and handed it back to him. "Oh, you know what? I have something of yours here too. Give me a sec!" She hurried off into the hallway, disappearing for all of two minutes before coming back with another familiar jacket in her arms — a few of them. "Think I've been making you a spot in my closet or something."

Bucky hadn't even realized she'd been accumulating his things but he remembered each and every one of his jackets draped over her shoulders. Every time they were out somewhere and he thought it was chilly, he would give her whatever he was wearing to cover herself up.

"Anyways, thanks for letting me borrow them," Chloe put the jackets on the table for the moment. "Don't worry. They've all been washed."

"Doll, you did not have to do that," Bucky said, making her chuckle. He wouldn't mind having some of his things smelling like her.

"I know, but what kind of friend would I be if I returned everything all dirty?"

He watched her set his pile of clothes on the table for him. His heart was yearning for her. "Well, why don't I thank you for the gesture? Maybe some dinner tomorrow somewhere nice?"

Chloe heard the question and for a second wondered if she was jumping to conclusions because it very well sounded like a…

"Like a…a date?" She had tried saying it boldly but her voice had shaken in the end. She tucked some hair behind her ear and looked at him nervously.

Bucky gave a firm nod of his head. "A date." Why not? He already made a fool of himself plenty of times before, so what was one more time if it meant he could go out on a date with the prettiest girl in the world?

"Okay," Chloe nodded, smiling with an even darker blush on her face. "Yeah, I'd love that. Um, yeah!" She bounced excitedly and threw her arms around Bucky, laughing with him.

He loved hearing her so happy and he wanted to keep being the reason for it. He passed his flesh hand on her cheek, taking the moment to gaze at her. "You're real pretty, doll."

Chloe smiled from ear to ear. Even though her nerves were making her heart race intensely, she couldn't be any happier. "And you're very handsome…" She retorted, reaching for his other arm — the metal one — and brought it around her waist. Her sharp look was that of a challenge in the face of Bucky's hesitance. "I like you all," she said bravely and after a few more seconds of boldness, she added: "And I love you all."

Bucky blinked a few times at her. His lips parted several times but each time he was unable to say a word. How could she be more brave than him?

His metal hand gripped her waist and sighed. "I love you but you are way more than I deserve."

"No," Chloe said, still smiling, "We are exactly what we deserve." She leaned forward, touching noses. "Now I know you're all about being proper but what's it going to take to get a little kiss from you before the date?"

Bucky chuckled lightly. "Not much if I'm being honest."

"Ooh, I like that answer…"

"Yeah?"

Chloe chuckled with him. "Yeah!"

"Already off to a good start then…" Bucky mumbled and pressed his lips against hers. He could hear Chloe's giggle against his own lips and by God, it felt even better reverberating against his skin.

[silver-ink-iron-words]

Thanks for the requests! I love this hobby so much, and you guys are a huge part of that

I think this'll be the end of the story. Feel free to ask for an epilogue if you want :)

---

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

The Sunny Side, Part 6

“Be careful,” the hero said into their earpiece. “Security’s extra heavy tonight.”

“Worried about me?”

The hero could see the villain across the large banquet hall, disguised as a party guest. Whenever they spoke to the hero, they turned their head in just the right way so that nobody saw them supposedly talking to themself.

“I just don’t want to have to break your sorry ass out of jail again.” The hero moved through the crowd with their head down, offering drinks as they went.

“Well, then I suggest you work your magic.”

With a put-upon sigh, the hero began to subtly shift the mood of the room. As they handed out hors d’oeuvres, guests became more cheerful and relaxed – much less likely to notice anything amiss. Once the room had eased enough, they gave the signal, and the villain left to execute phase two of the plan.

The hero slipped through the side exit and into a small hallway. They let out a little breath of relief. Now all that was left was to change out of their waitstaff uniform, meet the villain upstairs, and incapacitate the guard. Easy peasy.

The hero started to move towards the bathrooms. Only for a hand to shoot out and grab them. The hand yanked them into a supply closet, and another one muffled the hero’s scream.

“[Hero], it’s – ” the stranger began, before the hero elbowed them in the stomach.

Then, the hero paused. “Lightheart?”

The hero’s old acquaintance coughed and smiled through her pain. “Good to see your reflexes are still good.”

“What on earth are you doing here?”

Lightheart had been part of the hero’s security detail, back when they’d first escaped from the villain. She’d been one of the ones to last the longest, before the onslaught overtook her.

Now, she shot the hero a grin. “I’m here to save you, obviously.”

The hero’s stomach bottomed out.

They’d never exactly told their former colleagues about their adjustment of allegiances. How could they? Instead, they’d figured it’d be best to just disappear, and let everyone else draw their own conclusions.

They should’ve guessed that “the hero was kidnapped by the villain” would be the first conclusion in everyone’s mind.

“Listen, now isn’t the best time . . .” they started.

“I know [Villain] scares you, but you won’t need to ever worry about them again after today.”

“Wait.” Dread gripped the hero. “What are you going to do?”

She took their hand and squeezed it. “We failed you once, and I’m so sorry for that. But we are never, ever going to fail you again.”

What hurt most was the utter sincerity in her voice.

“I’m really sorry about this,” the hero said.

They tried to leave her unconscious body in a comfortable position, before sprinting out the door.

---

The hero sped down the hall, their heart racing, their breath painful in their throat.

They turned a corner and saw the villain.

The villain flashed a smile. “[Hero]! I was starting to think – ”

The hero waved their hand, and the superhero just behind the villain fell to the ground.

The stranger let out a cry of pure agony.

The villain turned to see what had happened. Their eyes widened. They opened their mouth to say something.

“No time!” The hero grabbed the villain’s hand and put the superhero to sleep.

---

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

The hero fiddled with the security panel, adjusting the settings.

“You haven’t said anything since we escaped.”

The controls weren’t working. The hero began pushing more and more buttons. The screen buffered. The hideout was going to be vulnerable.

“[Hero], how about you take a break from that and – ” The villain put a hand on the hero’s shoulder.

The hero struck it away.

They blinked at each other for a moment, as the hero struggled to find words.

“You must be happy,” they said eventually. “You got what you wanted.”

The villain shook their head. “No. I didn’t.”

The hero shoved away. “I turned. I fucking turned. Just like you said I would.”

“[Hero], you are as far from a supervillain as they come.”

“I hurt that person!” The hero rounded on them. “I could have just put them to sleep. I should have just put them to sleep!”

Why hadn’t they?

The hero’s mind offered no answers. It only produced a sharp spike of fear, just like how they’d felt seeing the villain in danger.

They felt the prick of tears in their eyes.

The hero wrapped an arm around themself, and said, in voice almost too soft to be heard, “I hope I didn’t kill them.”

The villain grasped the hero’s shoulder. “You didn’t.”

“You don’t know that. They – ”

“I saw them move, [Hero]. And I saw their teammates rushing to them. They’re going to be fine. I promise.”

The hero couldn’t help it. They started crying.

The villain pulled them into a gentle hug, and rubbed their back. “Truth be told, I gave up the notion of your villainy a long time ago. It was never in the cards for someone like you.”

The hero let out a sob.

“[Hero], you’re the bravest, gentlest, kindest person I’ve ever known. I’m so incredibly lucky to have you.”

After that day, the villain never asked the hero to switch sides again.

[princemick]

I’m obsessed with your coloring, sharpening and grain. Do you mind doing a tutoral or sharing your settings?

hell yea I can! I haven't done an updated gif tutorial in ages so here is

kyle princemick's 2024 gifmaking process!

alright class, sit down, shut up, raise your hand if you have questions and I might answer them. today we're going to be making this gif together!

there are a few steps to this

record settings

import and timeline

sharpening

basic colour

export

for this tutorial you need the newest version of photoshop but previous knowledge of giffing is not needed

record settings

I use OBS and screen record. my video settings are:

and output is:

if I live gif I change the 'common FPS values' to 30 as it makes it easier/faster to export but for now we're gonna use a recording of 60 fps where the thing I recorded is of higher quality.

2. import and timeline

importing your recorded video is easy peasy you just drop your video into your photoshop homescreen. after you do that, this should be your view

if you dont see the bottom blue timeline go to window and make sure 'timeline' is selected.

now, because this is recorded w high quality n 60 fps the frames that are in our fimeline rn go real fast, to slow it down we're gonna go to the little play button on the side of our blue timeline and change the speed to 50%

after this we're going to change the length of our gif.

because we recorded at 60 fps it works best to keep the eventual gif at 60 fps. on the timeline this means 2f. for most gifsets I like 2/3 gifs so I either make the full timeline 4f or 6f.

for this we're just going to make it one gif so with the little arrows on the side im going to slide it down until it's the length I want.

then I'm going to play the timeline and put my marker when I want the gif to start. I move my 2 frame selection tool to the start of the moment I want to gif.

then you have a bunch of timeline still left that you wont need so I'm going to delete that part by making the video smaller.

in the end I will have a single 60 frame video left on my timeline.

3. sharpening

so, sharpening is all personal preference and I highly recommend taking mine or other people's settings and playing around with it until it works for you!

now for my settings and proccess.

we're going to convert our video layer to get ready for smart filters, you do this by making sure your layer is selected and then you go to filers -> convert for smart filters

now we're going to crop it. this is again, all personal preference BUT tumblr prefers 5:7 or 1:1.

if you go to the little crop icon on your toolbar you have a bunch of size presets all ready for you

for this gif I'm going to use the 5:7.

now atp I do smth a lil different then a lot of other people tend to do and I dont know how much I recommend doing it either bc it makes the process a lot longer but it makes me like the way my gifs look the most. so I have stuck to it for the last 2+ yrs.

we're gonna go to imagine -> image size and then I like making my with size 900.

540 is what tumblr likes most, it's smaller and when you export it like that tumblr will read your full gif so there won't be need for the 'click for higher quality'

but for me it makes the gifs really low quality so I export and make my gifs at 900 unless I am live giffing bc when I export at 540 it exports quicker.

anyway, so the gif is 900 by 642. we're gonna go to sharpening now. my process is pretty long but the steps go like this

(all these smart filters are under the filter -> sharpen tab)

1: smart sharpen

2: gaussian blur

3: add noise

4: smart sharpen

5: smart sharpen

I tend to play around with the amount and radius of the last smart sharpen layer all depending on what I prefer for that gifset specifically.

now your gif layer should look like this

now your sharpening is done. you can keep it like this or add colouring.

4. basic colour

my colouring is...complex a lot of the time and it changes with every gif I make but there is some basic stuff I always stick to.

colouring itself is a bunch of adjustment layers which you can find at the bottom of your layers here

for colouring steps one of the first things I tend to use is 'curves' to up the contrast of my gif

then I use 'color balance' to neutralize the colours, I personally like it when my gifs are a little more on the colder side.

then I add a layer of 'exposure' to make the contrast even heavier.

then for my personal colouring I always go into hue/saturation to play around w lips/blush.

and lastly I always go into selective colour to change the colour more specifically.

there's a bunch of different stuff you can add and change but that's all personal preference but the only thing you have to keep in mind is skintone, especially when it comes to poc. (which is y u see the massive colour change in the selective colour one, that's me trying to neutralize his undertones again)

you have to make sure that you dont make someones skin to light or overplay someones red/yellow undertones. (which I am personally also still working on and learning abt)

here is a really good tutorial on how to colour black skin

5. export

and now, the easiest part, export. if you go to file -> export ->

then this window will show up. you're free to copy my settings, most of these things don't really matter that much to know anything.

the only thing semi important is the top right one that says colours: 128. that is the amount if colours the gif will read, I tend to export on 128 instead of 256 because tumblr won't accept gifs bigger then 10M and the more colours the bigger the gif.

now if you just click on export while your gifset is 900 x 642 your gifset will deff be over 10M. I make it smaller by changing the width of the gif by the 'image size'

I tend to starts w the W: at 700, it most of the time makes the size small enough, down at the bottom left is where you have to look to check until your gifsize is under 10

if you make your gif 700 and it's still bigger then 700 just go smaller until its under that 10m. I dont make my gifs smaller then 500 though, then the quality will truly suffer.

obviously the gif quality will be the best the bigger it is.

thats it! youre done, a gif is made and coloured.

hopefully this was understanable if it wasnt you're very free to ask questions abt anything else in my process!!

good luck and have fun ! <3

[charklenee]

Im bored here is chase x y/n [house md] part 1

I have clinic duty today and I've never felt more exhausted. Working five to nine is already hard, but in addition to the headache I got from my hangover, it's a new kind of hell. I knew I shouldn't drink an excessive amount of liquor during a week day but what more can I say? I was in a state of absolute vulnerability and had a rough time processing an end to my two-year relationship, with my now ex-boyfriend. My head ached tremendously and I could feel a beating pulse on the back of it. I closed my eyes and relaxed my shoulders and sat calmly on the chair in House's office.

He walked in his sneakers with his cane towards the coffee pot and poured a glass for himself.

Currently, I'm still closing my eyes and ready to pass out any moment. I had enormous eyebags in dark shades of brown and black. Slightly smudged mascara and eyeliner was still visible because I haven't washed my face since last night. My hair was scuffed in a bad way, but I managed to clip it so it wouldn't be unbearable. I looked like a mess, I sound like a mess, my hair looks like a mess, and I have clinic duty today. This day couldn't not get any worse, right?

"Patient is in a severe state of comatose," House said while sipping his coffee.

"And?" Cameron replied.

"What is the word "severe" implying?" Chase said with furrowed eyebrows.

"It means she is half-dead and in a state of comatose "

"Great.." I say. "Just put her on the IV and wait for her to emerge from her beauty sleep three decades later, easy-peasy."

House turned his head from the whiteboard and looked at me straight in the eye, "oh yeah, I thought of the same thing, well obviously - are you hungover, Dr.?" House said it in the most sarcastic tone he could possibly say and I was about to tip over the edge of my seat listening to his rambling.

"Yeah. I am, House. I'm going to literally faint any minute now -have you done a tox-screen on the patient, might've been drug related."

"Patient's tox screen was clear, no sign of anything related to drugs." House said.

"Organ failure? Kidney? Or maybe cardiac arrest?" asked Foreman urgently.

"So you meant to say that half-dead meant bruised and butchered?" Chase replied to House.

"She's full of scars head to toe and has nasty fleshy wounds, my guess is high blood sugar is an underlying cause of all of this." House said.

"Hyperglycemia as an underlying problem?" I said with my eyes closed and palms covering my face.

"Yes, three points to the alchoholic." House pointed.

Chase was looking at me all concerned but I honestly don't need that kind of attention. I need something like a rebound, alchohol could get me far, but not far enough to forget. Memories of him linger, linger so dearly, hauntingly.

Chase said coldly, "Wake up, House told you to draw blood." He tapped my back whilst I was covering my face.

"Yeah..I'll do it." I said, in a breaking voice.

"Damn, what did this guy do to make you look like this." He left to check up on the patient.

He stopped and looked at me before he went out of House's office.

After a few minutes, I got the sample and I did some tests. I was looking through the microscope at the office and examining the patient's blood culture. There he was, he walked in. He slided the door and tried to not make it obvious he was there for me, but I could tell the opposite from his glare piercing through the back of my mind.

"Yeah, I'm here for you. Are you okay? I brought some juice for your hangover. I know we don't get along and I hardly know you but please just take the juice."

I stood up and stray away from the microscope. I folded my arms, "it's nice to think that somebody is here for me during times like these, but I don't quite enjoy being somebody else's guilt. I don't want your pity, Dr. Chase. But I will accept this juice, thanks."

He handed me the juice and glanced down, this somehow made me guilty for treating him like I did. I keep blaming my shitty behavior because of a break-up. I guess it's somehow true that it did lead up to this behavior but it is also my fault I don't take care of myself.

"Chase. I'm sorry I was acting all bitchy, I-"

"Yeah, I get it. I did pity you, from personal experience I felt a need to help, I guess."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks for the juice."

"Hey.." Chase said softly.

"Yeah?"

"Do you need a rebound, I could help you. It could ease the pain. No alchohol, no meds, just you and me. We could talk your feelings out. I don't want to smell your vodka scent anymore."

"Sure, whatever you say." I initially was thinking it would lead up to this but when I heard the words I just gave up and followed to his sayings because I think something like this could bring me some sort of rejoicement.

"I have clinic duty. I'll be at your place at seven."

"Deal."

[gamerbearmira]

GIRL I LOVE BALLET TOO!!! I always daydream myself doing ballet on a big stage but anyway, Chapter 1?

-

Today was…a day in encanto of course. The sun was shining brightly, which meant Pepa was “happy” so to speak. The flowers in town were beautifully blooming, which meant Isabela was around. The crowds were laughing, so Camilo must have been doing something wacky. And the townspeople looked healthy and well, so Julieta’s food stand was up and working. 

Everybody was doing their part in Encanto to keep the Miracle burning. All except Mira, who was busy in her room with a new book to distract her from…things. The book she had was a Ballet book, it was a new type of dancing she never knew of. And hey, nothing wrong with learning a new dance right? 

She opened it and looked at it, the first page showed pictures of basic steps and poses;

“Feet position”

heels together, toes pointed outwards to the side

“Arm Position”

arms held out in front of the body with rounded elbows in an oval shape, sloping down from the shoulders

The arm position wasn’t a hassle at all, easy peasy. It was a little hard with the feet position part, she couldn’t really keep her heels together without almost falling (I’ve tried it, it is hard). With each time she almost fell the more she got frustrated. But what she didn’t know is that someone was admiring her from the sidelines. 

Alma loved Ballet, with every fiber of her being. Ever since she was a young girl, she was on time in her ballet classes, never missing one. The feeling of leaping in the air or doing simple pirouettes was euphoric to her. 

She knew that if…terrible things didn’t happen she may have been a famous dancer by now. But she tried her hardest not to think about those things, tried not to think about ballet at all for that matter. She was too tired or too busy mostly to even do a first position, so she just didn’t do anything about it. 

But now, seeing her granddaughter trying to do it just like she did at her age brought something back to her that she thought was long gone. 

“GAH” 

Was heard from the little girl’s room. Mirabel had fallen backward trying to do the first position, but what did Mira always do when she was down? She got right back up again. Alma could see she was frustrated but kept going anyway. That reminded her of herself the very first time she tried. Alma couldn’t have been any older than Mira, who was six. That’s when Alma thought, why is she letting mira do it alone? Sure she’s a little older but she knows she can still do it if she wanted to. So, with a deep breath, she knocked on Mira’s door. 

“Mira, can I come in?” Alma softly asked as she knocked. 

A tumble and an “ouch” could be heard before Mirabel quickly came up to the door, looking a little nervous. The door was fully open so there was no need to open it, Alma was just knocking out of respect.

“Oh, hola abuela! How can I help you?” Mira nervously questioned 

“I um…well, I would like to help you” A small kind smile creeped along Alma’s face

“Help me? With what?” Mirabel asked with genuine curiosity. 

“Hmm, can I come in?” 

“Suuure” 

Alma stepped inside and walked over to the book that was perched on the toy chest. She picked it up and looked at it. 

“Abuela?”

“I…can help you with ballet” Alma said blatantly, turning around to look back at Mira. 

“R-Really?” Mira said with shock and curiosity spread across her features. 

“Si, I…come with me” 

Alma held her hand out for Mirabel to take, and Mirabel gladly obliged. They both walked to Alma’s room, where she held something that was 2nd most precious to her. 

The elder woman led Mira to her closet and she opened it. She dug for something for a few moments until she found it. In her hand she held a magenta colored box, it was a little dusty so it’s clear it hadn't been open in years. 

Alma got down on her knees next to Mira and opened the box. There, a pair of satin pink pointe shoes sat perfectly together with the ribbons inside them. Keep in mind, Mirabel has never seen shoes like this. 

“Oooooh” Is all Mirabel could say as she eyed the beautiful but odd looking shoes. 

“Si, I used to do Ballet in these” Alma took the shoes out, seeing all the memories she had in them flash before her eyes. 

“You used to do ballet?!” Mirabel asked

“Yes, and oh how I loved it” Alma held the shoes close to her chest with a smile. She closed her eyes to get a few glimpses of more memories. 

“Wow, can I try them on” Mirabel excitedly asked

Alma chuckled but handed them to her. Seeing Mira’s little feet in them made her giggle but it was a cute sight after all. 

“I think they’re a little too big for me” Mira giggled

“Whaaat? No” Alma joked, earning a laugh from Mirabel. 

“Now, would you rather from a book or your abuela?” Alma knew darn well what the answer was

“*gasp* You’ll really teach me?!” Mirabel's little eyes glimmered with hope and excitement. 

“Ye-Oh” Before she could get a word in, Mirabel quickly hugged her. It was the first hug they really had in a while, in a year. Alma gladly hugged the girl back, but what she wasn’t expecting was to hear a few sniffles. 

“Mirabel, are you alright?” Alma looked her granddaughter with worry and concern

Mirabel, after a long while, looked up at Alma with a small smile. She wiped her tears away and laughed a little. 

“I’m ok Abuela, really” Mira smiled up at her

“mi nieta, you can tell me anything” Alma cupped the girl’s face and held the truth in her eyes, as well as her own.  

What’s one lie gonna do? 

“I’m ok Abuela, I promise” Mirabel assured her

Alma knew there was something but didn’t want to press further. And deep down, she already knew what the problem was. So, she stood up and held out her hand for Mirabel to grab once more. 

“Come on, let’s get you some proper clothes for your first class.” 

YUH YUH‼️‼️ THEY’RE SO CUTE IM SOBBING 🤧

No but Alma showing her the box. The box likely no one else has seen. I might start crying more than I. Already have. Love that Alma immediately offered to teach her, she obviously saw herself in Mirabel, and she wanted someone to continue what she used to love doing.

Course I had to draw 👹 I think for like the first week Mirabel. Refused to take off her ballet clothes. Someone had to wrestle them off of her in order to wash them and she was moping and mean mugging the whole time until she got them back 😭

Love this AU <3

[prkwook]

CUPID 💌🏹

IN WHICH our cast plays cupid for their loser (endearingly) friends who can’t seem to take their own relationship advice.

CHAPTER 002. sneaky little tax evader (smau + written) 🎧

“HI!” you greet the boy that you’ve been not-so-secretly eyeing for the past hour and a half.

“Hi!” he smiles. you internally melt and almost don’t notice the hands belonging to the boy in front of you that are giving you a book to check out. He doesn’t break eye contact once. Usually, that would be a little odd and would kind of sketch you out but there’s just something about his big brown eyes that makes you feel safe.

“Will that be all for you today?” you ask. You’re the one to finally break eye contact, but only to quickly look down so you can locate the barcode and scan it. Your eyes graze over the cover, “The Crisis of the 3rd Century? Interesting choice…” You must have a quizzical look on your face because he laughs and it’s the most beautiful sound you think you’ve ever heard. 

“I know. It's one of my favorite things to whip out at trivia night. No one ever sees it coming! First, it’s the Quadratic Formula … easy peasy … and then Boom! It’s the near collapse of Ancient Rome! Well, that and the fact that Henry David Thoreau committed tax evasion. Multiple times.” 

“Oh my gosh, no way… no one ever knows about that! Every time I reference it, my friends think I'm some sort of nerd. Not that you’re a nerd or anything.” you could’ve rambled on and on but a thought pops up and stops you in your tracks. “I'm sorry, I just have to ask. Exactly how often do you think about the Roman Empire, and I’m not talking about The Gladiator (2000) with Russell Crowe all oiled up Roman Empire. I’m talking like actual Roman Empire?”

“Trust me … you don’t want to know. “ the pretty, brown haired boy replies while trying his best to look serious. It doesn’t work though because a few seconds later, he bursts into the same laughter as before and you swear your world stops for a second. All you can do is pray that he doesn’t hear your heart about to beat right out of your chest. In an attempt to hide your rosy cheeks, you look away from him and towards the register which now displays his total. 

“Your total is going to be $15.89 today, cash or card?”

He pulls out a $20 from what seems to be an off-brand Lightning McQueen wallet and hands it to you. You take it, put it in the register, and give him back his change. He takes it from you with a smile that you’re convinced could bring world peace and drops all $4.11 into the tip jar sitting on the counter in front of you. He says “Have a good evening.” to which you reply “you too.” and watch him walk out the door, bag and cup in hand.

“Woah, your cheeks are redder than a tomato. Be honest, on a scale of 1 to 10, how down bad are you?” Taerae, your best friend, questions as he walks over from his post at Bluebird, the in-store cafe that sits right by the checkout and also happens to give him the perfect view of what just went down.

You sigh and dramatically place a hand to your forehead as if you’re swooning. “I fear I’m in love and I don’t even know his name.”

🔭 ★ mlist. previous. next.

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want to join? -> taglist form . 🫀

[notthewriteryourelookingfor]

I am at my fucking limit so buckle up:

Because I have adhd and anxiety and depression, I need to take melatonin to get to sleep at a reasonable time otherwise I'll be lying in bed for literal hours until I can fall asleep, doubly so if I take my adhd meds that day.

So I live in Australia and if you live in Australia you can't buy melatonin over the counter if you're under 55 (idk why I'm too tired to look up why) and I'm 29 so fuck me I'd need to get a prescription and then a months supply is like $30.

So I've been ordering melatonin from this place in the US which is about 5 months supply for about the same price maybe a lil extra for shipping like $50 for 150 tablets.

So when I realised I was getting low on them I went to the sight and ordered again.

Easy-peasy right?

Well it turned out that I had enough to get me to the last day of their delivery window (about the 27th of Feb) and I was like " ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ they're usually pretty quick with delivery so I should be ok" but then the 27th rolled around and no delivery.

So I checked the tracking and it hadn't been scanned since the 17th. It was in my country, in my state, but hadn't moved in 10 days.

So I looked and the company was using a new 3rd party delivery company and they Sucked. It was a continuous problem that they just didn't deliver packages, lost them, took months and months and months to deliver something to next door the facility.

So I got in contact with the American company and they're gonna send me a refund (more on that in a sec) and til then i was like "dear God ill have to order from Amazon 🤮) so I did.

Shipping cost more than the product but the delivery time was about a week and I'd found 2 of my old diazepam that I could take if I really needed to.

To note: I usually only take my meds for work, I can generally get by without them when I'm not working but now not taking them for work makes me feel like I am not being as useful/productive/etc as I could be and as a supervisor who is often the one in charge I need to be on the ball.

Amazon package was meant to come today.

I did get an Amazon package today but was it my desperately needed melatonin? No it was a fucking Christian self-help book:

Like does this look like medication to you?!?!?!

I get that mistakes happen but this is the 2nd issue I've had with this 1 thing.

Also as a queer satanist/witch it feels a lil insulting even tho it wasn't probably wasnt intentional at all and some Christian who wanted a self help book has been sent sleep medication like oops.

But that is not the end of the saga.

Luckily Amazon is on the ball about refunds and I was able to reorder the item (& a 2nd brand so we'll see who comes first) and paid extra for fast shipping. Even then it will take another week for it to arrive.

I have my supervisor shift on the weekend, I cannot be unmedicated for it but I will be running on 2 hours of sleep if I'm lucky.

If I didn't take the adhd meds I'd be on maybe 4 hours sleep so it's not much difference tbh.

But on top of all that: the refund from the 1st company (that I will never be going back to after this) was pending in my bank account. It had the amount ($95 cuz I ordered 3 bottles of 2 different strengths plus shipping) with a "this is pending" label.

It has now vanished from my account.

It is no longer pending but I also do not have the money.

I am giving them the 10 business days they said it'll take and if it's not in my account I am raining hell.

I work retail minimum wage, I live paycheque to paycheque, I cannot be out $95 with nothing to show for it.

10 business days is the 15th

My new order is meant to arrive on the 14th

We'll see what I get first, a refund from the person I ordered from in January or the replacement items I ordered Wednesday last week.

(Also the express shipping isn't much faster I just need it literally as soon as possible I am so tired)

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #87

I'm still going to procrastinate talking about ACEs. Though it's not because I'm too terribly frightened of writing about it at this moment; I have a vague plan about where I wanna start. No, today I'm procrastinating because Br is visiting my house for today!!! And this is the greatest thing ever all by itself, but!!! She brought over a thing called "Cream of Rice"!!

It is basically a box full of rice that has been ground into a fine powder, with vitamins and minerals added. I had never seen anything like it before!

Br prepared the cream of rice on the stovetop in my trusty wok with milk, salt, and butter! Then we put almond butter, blueberries, and sliced bananas in it! And I gotta say, the resulting stuff was SO AWESOME that we ate it all up before I even thought to take a picture for you. I'm sorry. I'll work on that.

At my house, we tend to get giant 50-pound (22.5-ish kilograms) bags of medium-grain rice (it's almost, but not quite like short-grain rice, which is the typical rice in Japan), which has a different texture and consistency than the typical rice that is available in the United States; I assume if I grind up this rice into a fine powder, it will have a slightly different consistency than the ground rice in the box.

…Oh right. You probably have no idea what my world looks like, so words like "United States" and "Japan" likely mean nothing to you. That probably doesn't seem very fair, given that I know very well what yours looks like by now. Here, let's fix that; you can use this to see how my planet is shaped:

I live somewhere around here…

...And Japan is over here:

…Unless your planet is comprised mostly of massive, giant oceans, I think your planet must be a lot smaller than mine. It seems likely that this would also mean that your gravity is weaker than ours. And since your planet still has stunning sunsets (despite the fact that your atmosphere is probably a lot smaller, if your planet is smaller, which means the light gets bent/filtered less), I assume your atmosphere must be a bit more dense than ours, too. And these factors combined might explain why you all can have such crazy-looking flying machines that would absolutely not be possible in my world. But I digress…

Anyway! So sometimes I like to make rice pudding in my handy-dandy rice cooker with regular ol' medium-grain rice; it's got a stickier consistency than the usual rice that's available here, which makes for AMAZING pudding! But with this new "discovery" (haha!) of powdered rice and knowing full well of its deliciousness, my mind filled with ALL SORTS OF POSSIBILITIES, oh my goodness!!

…So I took my medium-grain rice and used my handy-dandy spice grinder (got it as a prize at an old job I had!) to grind it into very fine powder! Here…

So then, I went and measured out two cups of the rice powder with my handy-dandy rice cup!

Then I filled the rice cooker with milk, up until the "2" line for white rice. After that, it's 1 tbsp of butter for each cup of rice! Easy peasy!

Once the rice is done cooking, you're supposed to add heavy cream and sugar - 2 cups of heavy cream and half a cup of sugar, in any case. But… well… it got weird:

It seems like the increased surface area of the rice, combined with the sticker consistency of short-grain rice, yielded a kind of… weird sort of rice cake? I broke it into pieces, but it's still pretty clumpy. It's not ready for sugar and heavy cream yet. After tasting some of it, it was pretty good, but I concluded that it was still a bit undercooked. So I added a bit more milk (I didn't measure; sorry...) and stirred it until it stopped being absorbed, and then added a little more milk after that, and I am putting the heat on it again as I'm writing this; hopefully that should soften any remaining clumps, but we'll see! I've never worked with powdered rice before, and I have no idea what to expect! Kitchen adventures! Now we wait for the rice cooker to beep!

That said, I am wondering if the nature of powdered rice makes it necessary to stir it continuously while cooking so that it doesn't clump like this. I imagine a wok and a whisk might be the thing to do for future iterations of "Cream of Rice Pudding". Also, Br brought some masala chai teabags in addition to the cream of rice, so I wonder what it would be like to cook the powdered rice with brewed masala chai and a little bit of honey instead of just milk or just water. I'm eager to find out!!! But not today! Next time!

...Okay! So the rice cooker beeped and is done, so I stepped away from writing to check it out, and!! Oh!! It turned out REALLY WELL. So I added the cream and sugar, and this was the result:

So, I think due to chemistry, physics, and surface area, next time I'll need to fill the rice cooker to the 3 line, or maybe even to the 4 line, for 2 rice cups full of powdered rice. From there, it's business as usual - 2 cups of heavy cream and half a cup of sugar. At Br's suggestion, I sprinkled in just a pinch of pink salt into my bowl (pink salt has iron in it!), and the result was EVEN BETTER. I wanna eat another bowl because it was THAT GOOD, but I know that if I do, I'm gonna end up feeling sick, so I'll make use of my impulse control skills and delayed gratification skills instead, even though that's really hard.

It's very tasty and VERY filling; I wish that I could give you a bowl of it. The fact that I cannot give you bowls filled with delicious things continues to be a source of very real grief for me. But it is what it is. I can only hope that my intentions reach you somehow, and that through this you can learn about all the awesome snacks and make them for yourself someday, as impossible as that probably is...

Well. My being here to begin with seemed like an impossibility at one point. So maybe I'll try to keep an open mind. Maybe I'll imagine that all these wonderful flavors and all these wholesome feelings can reach you and move you, somehow...

...Somehow...

Hey Sephiroth? I'm glad you're here, even if I can only know of you in an abstract sense. I'm glad you're here, even if you're just an art form. Even though you've been through so much stuff, and even though your heart and your mind probably hurt a lot right now... still I'm glad you're here. So please keep trying to learn about the kind and gentle things. Please keep seeking out the beautiful and loving things. And please try to make good choices so that no one else has to get hurt.

I love you and I'll write again tomorrow, so please stay safe out there.

Your friend, Lumine

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Ruggie Bucchi New Year's Attire Personal Story: Part 3

"You can only try it here!"

(Part 1) (Part 2) Part 3

[Beside Mister S's Mystery Shop]

―After opening

Ace: I wonder if there's any good deals going on for today's New Year's Sale―

Deuce: Hm? There's some kind of crowd in front of the shop...

Ace: Wh-What's that!? There's a bunch of snow heaps in by the shop!?

Deuce: Oh, there's a hole in those snow heaps. And hey, there's people inside!

Ace: You're right! And they're totally just lounging around. Looks kinda cold, though...

Ruggie: You'd think. But it's actually pretty warm inside.

Ace: Ah, Ruggie-senpai! What's with those snowbanks? There's so many of them...

Ruggie: Those are called ＫＡＭＡＫＵＲＡ.

Ace/Deuce: ＫＡＭＡＫＵＲＡ?

Ruggie: Yep! Think of it like a little house made out of a dome of snow.

Ruggie: You pile up the snow while pouring water on it here and there, then make a huge hole in the center of it, and you're done. Easy-peasy, don'tcha think?

Deuce: Ah, now I see a lot of the other guys carrying around shovels. Guess they're all making these ＫＡＭＡＫＵＲＡ.

Ace: There's people eating stuff inside those ＫＡＭＡＫＵＲＡ too. Eh, is that... marshmallows and... mud?

Ruggie: NO, IT AIN'T MUD!!

Ruggie: That's a super tasty treat. Look at how they all like it.

Epel: What's this 'ere food... IT'S DELISH!!!

Rook: Pairing together this chewy dango with this rich and sweet soup... Aah, how très bien this is!!!

Ace: You're right, they all look like they love it. But it still looks... I mean, the color of that broth is weird, man.

Ruggie: That's called "oshiruko" and it's a dish from a country in the East.

Ruggie: The soup's made out of these red beans that's been stewed in sugar, and you eat it with these things called "dango."

Ace: Eh, stewed with sugar...? So it's sweet beans!? And that color is super black... Don't think it's for me.

Deuce: Me neither... But Epel and Hunt-senpai look like they're really enjoying it, so I kind of want to know how it tastes.

Ace: I mean, I guess I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit curious too...

Ruggie: Oh, and by the way, only people who make a ＫＡＭＡＫＵＲＡ get to buy the oshiruko. That means...

Ruggie: YOU CAN ONLY TRY IT HERE!! NOW!! THIS LIMITED-TIME ACTIVITY!!!

Ruggie: It'd be pretty cool to chow down on a unique dish in a unique setting like the ＫＡＭＡＫＵＲＡ, huuuh～?

Ruggie: There's a limit to how much we're sellin' each day, so I don't think you can afford to pass up this opportunity.

Ace/Deuce: Gulp...

Deuce: I'd like to try it!

Ace: Guess I'll try it out too. Bet the others'll be jelly when they hear about this.

Ruggie: Okaaay, a setting for two coming right up～ And you'll be ordering the oshiruko as well, right?

Ace/Deuce: Yes!

Ruggie: Shishishi, thank you very much～!!

Ruggie: Here, you can use this shovel. If you need help on making your ＫＡＭＡＫＵＲＡ, you can come ask!

Ruggie: Once you're done, I'll bring some hot oshiruko over to you. Have fun～!

[Mister S's Mystery Shop]

―After closing

Sam: Good job today, my little imp crew!

Sam: Thanks to all your hard work, that was the busiest we've been recently.

Sam: I truly appreciate how you improved on the ＨＡＧＯＩＴＡ battles, as well as the idea to sell the oshiruko!

Sam: Let's all keep up the good work tomorrow!

Vil/Sebek: Yessir!

Cater/Ruggie: Yeah!

Sam: So, there's still a little bit of the oshiruko that Ruggie-kun made, so let's eat some together.

Sebek: Huzzah! I would like a large helping!

Ruggie: Sebek-kun, you were eyeing the oshiruko earlier while you were working, but I didn't realize you wanted to try it that much...

Cater: But hey, Ruggie-kun. That was amazing that you knew how to make the oshiruko.

Ruggie: Remember how I told you this morning I once worked part-time at a ski resort?

Ruggie: There was this staff member who came from an Eastern country who taught me the recipe.

Vil: You came up with the suggestion for the ＫＡＭＡＫＵＲＡ too. Your previous experience really did come in handy today.

Ruggie: Yeah, man, it's great that I've done a ton of things to draw ideas from!

Ruggie: And also... Shishishi.

Ruggie: Thanks to all the customers makin' their ＫＡＭＡＫＵＲＡ, all the snow around the shop was completely cleared away!

Ruggie: The customers all got to have some fun, and we didn't have to do so much manual labor. It was super brilliant, if I do say so myself!

Ruggie: ...But hey, Sam-san. About that other thing...

Sam: I know.

Sam: You're talking about my promise to give you "30% of the oshiruko sales amount" in exchange for giving me the recipe, right?

Sam: Don't worry, I'll give it to you later.

Ruggie: Awesome, Sam-san! I can't wait!

Sam: You're really a shrewd little imp, aren't you?

Sam: Well, I guess you put all that initiative into teaching everyone how to make the ＫＡＭＡＫＵＲＡ, so...

Sam: And the oshiruko was a big hit, too. I'm really grateful.

Ruggie: Glad I could help!

Ruggie: Since I helped increase the profits this much, that special bonus is as good as mine.

Ruggie: Shishishi, this is gonna be the best start to a new year!

(Part 1) (Part 2) Part 3

[captawesomesauce]

Thoughts at 2pm...

Today was a good day :)

But good days take work and effort, and boy... today was a day!

I've been having some additional trouble sleeping lately where for no reason at all, my stomach starts feeling really sick around 1 or 2 am. Has nothing to do with laying down... I lay down a lot! It has nothing to do with my meds, because they're the same meds I take during the day. Something is the trigger, and I just don't know what... but oh god it's awful to lay there feeling nauseous and just sick. So I took some pepto and that helped for a few hours.

Mostly I just laid there, rested, tried to sleep, drifted in and out for much of the night until the alarm went off at 6.

I wanted to take my cameras and stuff, but I couldn't.

Last week I really hurt my hip. I don't know if I tore something, or what but over 7 days later and it still burns and hurts bad when I walk, sit, or move.

Add to that pain the fact that it was cold/drizzly and all of my joints and my back were FLARED up bad. Let me tell you... I hurt. I was hurting then, I'm hurting now. Pain is high on the scale, and ain't nothing gonna help.

But we got up early, W did her meetings, and then off we went for the long drive in morning traffic down the coast to the boat. Found great parking, and hopped on the boat.

We found good seats, and had a great view the whole trip. We saw SOOO many whales and dolphins it was nuts! Last time we went, we didn't see shit. This time we went just 1 mile out of the harbor and were surrounded by them! The boat capt and guide said he's been doing this for a lot of years and maybe sees 1 or 2 a trip…. but we saw close to 7 or 8… his exact words "If this is your first time… never do it again… you'll never see as many, up close, and all at once like this ever again!"

I'm glad I got the two videos that I was able to share with y'all... it's a good memory and it was so nice out on the water. I love to be out there, and I love to see the coastline, the boats, and just feel the swells and the water. It's awesome that W and I get to do things like this together and have these fun day trips and make all the great memories.

I love that we can go out for a whale watching trip and be home at noon. It's not like we have to pack up the car and it's this big ole thing. Nope, just a quick hop and we're there!!!

I grew up not far from here, and the main selling point was centrality. Everything is accessible.... san diego? not far. Los Angeles? Not far. The beach? not far. The mountains? The desert? Catalina island? not far!

Where I was living before this, man, talk about isolating. Traffic was so bad, it was a huge deal to go anywhere or do anything. You'd go 20 miles but it'd take 3 freaking hrs! That messes with your head. 3 hrs there, 3 hrs back... 6 hrs of your day gone. We never went anywhere or did anything because that traffic would kill it, and we're not talking rush hour... even at 2am it was still congested.

Here? We can get 18 miles away in 20-30 mins. Easy Peasy. There are so many places we can do, so much we can do... and even with my bad health, we still do it!

From whale watching, to the beach, catalina, to the aquarium, amusement parks and lakes and so much more. Gotta love it.

[soysaucevictim]

Did the dishes awhile ago.

Just got in (the rest of) my exercise. (Counting that walk home in for this.)

Popped on POF - granted a lot of the start of of this episode is so angsty as backdrop. :,D

Today's DD was 1' arm scissors. Done in one go, easy peasy.

Day 6 of the VP, was done at Level 3, 30" rest in between sets. Flexibility work, as is the case every 3rd day in this program. Personally liked the calf raises and chest squeezes the best.

Day 6 of the AoS:CE, flat levels. Oof, that was intense for my digitorum muscles. Holding up my arms for minutes at a time is easy - spending the hold time un/clenching fists is brutal (def had to slow-up for sustainability after the the first bit). Fun! But brutal. :,D

That last part is making it a lil hard to type, while I let those muscles recharge... pffft.

After POF, I may watch "The Sword in the Stone" for writing research. (And maybe "Sleeping Beauty", we'll see.)