#ITS FREE THE NIPPIE SEASON. !!!!!!!!

[hyunpic]

[blackbutlerfandomnerddomain]

Hello, for October prompts, 10 with Riddle please

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

10: Reading Nook

Riddle has always been a fan of the autumn season since he was a mere child. The colors, the weather, the changing or the world around him, the chill up his back as the hot air of summer flows to the nippy gust of breeze welcoming him to the land of dead leaves and sweet scents of nutmeg. And things have changed since he arrived to Night Raven Collage, in fact it only grew his love for the season.

The trees were no longer that beautiful green of the spring time or summer heat and are now many shades of reds and orange, the wind was colder, the skies were slightly gray thanks to the morning dew fog and colder clouds against the blue backdrop, the walls of the school were perfectly warm and toasty as magic tries it's hardest to maintain that calmness as students move about in varies ways.

Riddle Rosehearts, however, had a mission to maintain.

The library was rather calm on this gentle chilly afternoon, the scent of book and leather was a nice smell for those who are lounging about, and a certain red haired dorm leader onto onto his toe tips grabbing hold of a brown hard cover book with his gloved hands. "Gotcha!" He whispered to himself as he smiles in victory. Carefully, he settles his feet flat to the floor and hugs the book close, silently inhaling the scent of the yellow aged pages in his grasp. With a spin of a heel he makes his way North of the library to a little awkward corner of two bookshelves, away from others but not enough to be forgotten when the large wooden doors lock. Thanks to his petite size, a thing he always have hated ever so slightly more than failure, he managed to squeeze between the wooden beams to the entry way of a quant little reading nook perched perfectly by one of the larger windows of the room, the view perfect of the autumn weather as it stares down at the courtyard of the school.

It was a mere accident when chasing Floyd during a interrupted study session that Riddle found this little slice of peace and comfort in the library he's so familiar with. And since it's discovery, the boy spent plenty of his free time seated in the soft larger cushions with a book or four and just relax there with the library's fireplace making a calm music with it's gentle pops and cracks of the burning logs and coals and sometimes the rain that drums against the window. This was his escape of any harsh moments in life. With a flip of a page he dives into worlds of dreams and openly welcomes the sweet embrace of peace around him.

Riddle snuggles his body against the window and slipped his shoes off, a taboo for him mostly but it's allowed just once to get more comfortable. As if one cue, the rain began to drizzle slightly, making the red head sigh in bliss. He tucks a piece of his hair behind his ears as he snuggles deeper and opened is first book of the brief escape. . . "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “ “'Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door— Only this, and nothing more.”." Deeper did he sink as his eyes fluttered half lidded as a smile comes to his lips the further he reads, almost hearing the voice that speaks through the pages, feeling the warm sting of emotions in his rib cage once more... "Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore— For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore— Nameless here for evermore..."

[girl-next-door-writes]

I Really Can't Stay

Characters: Steven Grant x Reader

Summary: The holiday season may be ‘magical’, but can it give Steven the one thing he really wants this year?

Word Count: 1171 words

Prompt: #15: A didn’t like the holiday season, until they met B

A/N: Starting off my Steven Grant Seasons Greetings is the wonderful @sweetjedi who chose this prompt for the wonderful Steven Grant. It turns out, all my prompts seem to lend themselves to somewhat of a mini-series so feel free to follow this little adventure or read them as separate ramblings if you so wish.

 

People would have assumed that December would be one of Steven’s favourite times of year. The holiday season so full of joy and wonder, surely, he was the epitome of that, but they would be very wrong. Of course, he would smile politely and exchange seasons greetings, but he dreaded hearing the first strains of Christmas music playing in a shop as he passed by, indicating the start of the madness.

Memories of past Decembers haunted him. Everything was so loud, so bright, so manically happy. It was false and terrifying. Everyone grabbing to get their own needs met. Parties with people he didn’t know and who very obviously didn’t care for his conversation. The cold and the wet and the shoving and the crowds. It was all a little overwhelming.

It wasn’t that he hated the festivities, far from it, but it seemed like this time of year was for couples and happy families and with Steven being very much alone the constant reminder was taking its toll. In all honesty, he had been mad busy this year and just didn’t have the energy to be running around just because it was the done thing. He just wanted to be at home, with Gus, and some cheesy films and terrible vegan alternatives to Christmas treats.

Standing behind the counter of the gift shop, he watched a couple nervously exchange gifts and his mind drifted back to this time last year. It seemed to be happening more and more lately, the memory of a brief encounter, the echoes of what could have been.

He had been hurrying along the street, collar turned up against the cold because he’d lost his bloody scarf at some point. Deciding that he’d just have to replace it, he ducked into a nearby shop and frantically began searching their selection for something that wasn’t perfect for an eight-year-old girl. Sadly, their scarf selection appeared to have a very specific demographic.

“Hate to interrupt, you look very deep in thought there, but, erm, if pink with unicorns isn’t really your thing then there are a few other choices over towards the back.” A soft voice had brought him out of his thoughts and he turned quickly, his frown melting away as he blinked owlishly at a rather attractive stranger. “Not that you couldn’t rock the pink unicorn look, or maybe you’re buying for someone else and I should absolutely mind my own business and-“

“No!” Steven said rather loudly, startling both of you. “I mean, no, thank you. I lost mine you see, and it’s rather nippy out there.”

He had expected you to nod and then move away, not stay and engage him in conversation until the shop owner was practically kicking you out because it was closing time. You’d exchanged numbers. Steven Grant had actually been given a phone number by a gorgeous stranger who didn’t mind when he rambled.

He should have called but life got in the way. New exhibit came in, more stock to shift, Donna being a fucking nightmare on a daily basis. Okay, so maybe the longer he’d left it the more nervous he’d got about reaching out, but the life thing too, yeah?

Spring time arrived and as the daffodils bloomed so did Steven’s hopes. You had texted him, luckily you were far braver. A lunch date was arranged. Well, it was arranged and then rescheduled five times, and then Steven stood you up. Not on purpose! God, no, he would never have done that on purpose but somehow the days got away from him and what was once Thursday was now Sunday and he was left scrambling. You’d been lovely about it, had told him not to worry, another time perhaps. Another time that never happened.

Sitting in the park on a warm summer day, eating his sandwich and watching the pigeons, Steven was surprised when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He was even more surprised when he saw it was from you. He was completely astonished when he realised the two of you had been having a brief text conversation, he had no recollection of!

Flicking back up the screen and reading through the messages, it appeared that he had invited you to the beach. The two of you had apparently discussed which one and how to get there, even going so far as to talk train times. His heart was pounding as he realised that you had agreed on this coming Saturday, maybe he hadn’t completely screwed up. Well, maybe he had but you, being the lovely, lovely you that you were had given him another chance.

His smile faltered when he saw your latest message though. You’d had to cancel. Something had come up and you were really sorry, but you couldn’t meet up this weekend. There was no indication on time scale, no alternative offered, and so Steven figured you’d thought he might stand you up again, you didn’t trust him to show. In all honesty, he couldn’t say for sure that he would, what with all the blank spaces in his memory lately.

Pushing himself up off the counter, he kicked himself for the millionth time that year. He could have had someone. He could have shared the magic of the season with someone lovely, but he’s Stevened the whole situation. He didn’t deserve you.

The end of his shift came. He’d agreed to work til closing even though it was Christmas Eve, wasn’t like he had somewhere else to be. Grabbing his coat and his bag, he wrapped his scarf around his neck and tried not to think about you helping him pick it out.

Making his way down the cold and wet streets he suddenly remembered that he needed to pick up some milk. The shops would be closed tomorrow, and he had barely enough for a brew back home. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he kept his head down and headed towards the local shop.

He was standing in line at the cashier when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning to apologise, because surely he must have done something to deserve the tap, he was surprised to see you standing right there behind him in the queue!

“Hey stranger. Glad to see you’ve not lost your scarf this year.” The warmth of your smile made his brain melt a little round the edges and he stumbled to find any words at all.

“I’m on my own.” He managed, his face crumpling as he heard the words.

“Me too. This year has been so crazy. Back in summer I got the worst sunburn you have ever seen. My own fault really, fell asleep reading in the park like a total idiot. Anyway, how have you been?”

And just like that the two of you fell into easy conversation, as if the intervening year had never happened. Maybe the holiday season wasn’t all that bad, Steven thought. After all, it had brought you into his life twice now.

[thetoxicgamer]

Overwatch 2 Shop Item Mistakenly Listed as Part of Battle Pass

The Overwatch 2 shop is currently full of gear based on Greek gods as the Overwatch 2 Battle for Olympus event kicks off with an Grecian theme. However, one item included in an Overwatch 2 store bundle is listed in-game as being part of the season two battle pass, leading fans of the free-to-play FPS game to question whether it was initially meant to be part of the seasonal offering. The Hermes Lucio bundle is currently on-sale in the in-game Overwatch 2 store for 2,000 Overwatch coins, and it gives you a rather striking skin for the speedy support specialist themed after the notoriously nippy Greek deity. Also included in the bundle is a Winged Sandals weapon charm themed after the iconic shoes traditionally worn by Hermes. As per usual, there’s a slight discount for buying the pair together, as the skin would cost you 1,900 coins and the charm 700 coins if bought separately. However, when looking at the Winged Sandals charm on its own through the hero screen, the accompanying text says the item is “available in the battle pass.” This isn’t the case, as it seems to only be available to buy directly or as part of the aforementioned bundle. While it’s possible this was simply an erroneous addition it’s only added fuel to the fire, with some fans suggesting it’s “proof” of items being taken out of the battle pass and sold separately. One upvoted comment on the Overwatch Reddit reads, “This pretty much confirms (at least for me) that they gutted the Greek and cyberpunk skins from the battle pass to sell in the shop.” It’s worth noting, however, that there could be plenty of reasons for this to happen. The seasonal theme isn’t limited to just the battle pass, after all, and it’s likely that most of the items were made first and then later allocated to either the battle pass or shop as appropriate, leading to some shuffling around. Overwatch 2's in-game shop, showing the Winged Sandals weapon charm for 700 coins but with a note saying it is "available in the battle pass"There are, after all, items included at every tier on the battle pass. It’s easy to imagine – though of course this is pure speculation – that the charm was initially intended to be included there, but that when the Hermes Lucio skin was designed it made more sense to package the pair together, given their thematic consistency. Regardless, the debate around Overwatch 2’s monetisation rages on. Blizzard previously mentioned in November in a lengthy blog from executive producer Jared Neuss that “for season three and beyond, we’re looking at a mix of battle pass changes, more interesting challenges to pursue, and more exciting play-focused progression systems for you all to dig into.” It’s likely that we’ll see some things shaken up once Overwatch 2 season 2 draws to a close, though exactly what those changes will be remains to be seen. If you’re saving up to buy any of the goodies currently on sale, it seems Overwatch 2 Microsoft Rewards are actually a more efficient way to grind Overwatch Coins than playing the game itself. Check out our Overwatch 2 tier list for the strongest characters in the current meta, along with our guide to the best Overwatch 2 settings for your setup. We’ve also got more of the best multiplayer games on PC in 2023 if you’re looking to kick off the new year with some online action. Read the full article

[jolteon-rph]

WINTER / SEASONAL STARTERS.

A bundle of seasonal starters for winter, unrelated to any particular holiday.

Feel free to change the prompts and/or sentences as you see fit, or combine them to make a new prompt.

TW: Swearing/cussing.

Emoji prompts:

❄️: Our muses are caught out in the snow together.

⛸️: Our muses go ice-skating together (at an ice rink or frozen body of water).

🔥: Our muses make a bonfire together.

🏔️: Our muses take a winter hike together.

🛒: Our muses go winter shopping together.

🥾: Our muses go camping together in the snow.

✨: Our muses go stargazing together.

☃️: Our muses make a snow sculpture together.

🧥: My muse offers your muse their coat to keep them warm (add a ‘+’ for the reverse).

✋: My muse puts their cold hands onto your muses back to surprise them (add a ‘+’ for the reverse).

🌨️: My muse throws a snowball at your muse (add a ‘+’ for the reverse).

♨️: My muse offers your muse a warm beverage (add ‘+’ for the reverse).

🧤: My muse catches your muse as they’re about to slip on some ice (add ‘+’ for the reverse).

🧣: My muse gives your muse their scarf (add ‘+’ for the reverse).

Sentence prompts:

“It’s colder than a witches tit out here. Should’ve brought a coat.”

“Your face is all red from the cold...”

“Feel how cold my hands are! Feel them.”

“Aren’t you cold in just that? I’m freezing in my coat!”

“Maybe it’s time we head back inside... I think I’m going to catch a cold if we sit out here all night.”

“The snow is so pretty when its freshly fallen. Shame it gets ruined by the time everyone’s trodden in it.”

“It’s a bit nippy. You’re gonna need a scarf, at least.”

“I don’t feel the cold. I just power through it.”

“Maybe we could get some hot chocolate from that cafe, over there?”

“Are you looking forward to the new year?”

“I have a... slush on you. Or does ‘I glove you’ sound better?”

“Quit playing in the snow. We’re not kids.”

“The star’s are so pretty in the winter. I love it when the sky is so clear.”

“You know what? There’s... snow way out of winter... hehe.”

“What if I pelted you with a snowball. Would you cheer up then?”

“I think you need to get some better shoes. You’re gonna slip and slide all over the place in those things, with all the ice around.”

“I can’t stand how dark it gets, so early, this time of year!”

[cuttoothed]

Getting this in just under the wire for day 1 of @jonmartinweek prompt “Comfy Jumpers”. I get so much joy from writing these two in s1 and thinking “lol you idiots are going to be in love some day.”

*

Martin knows that Jon doesn’t approve of the way he dresses.

It’s not exactly a surprise. Jon doesn’t approve of much about Martin: his report-writing, his Latin translations, even his very existence seems to irk Jon at times. Frankly, the feeling is mutual. Martin was perfectly happy working in the library, where his boss wasn’t an overbearing perfectionist arsehole, and if he’d been given a choice in the matter he’d still be shelving books and updating the filing systems, not getting glared at for his clothing choices. He’s well aware that Jon never wanted him in the Archives either, but they’re here now, so Mister Head Archivist is just going to have to live with it. They’re both going to have to.

Jon isn’t subtle about his displeasure; it’s difficult to miss his pointed scowls at Martin’s scuffed trainers and graphic-print t-shirts. And considering that Sasha wears jeans and t-shirts some days as well—though admittedly she tends to plain colors or muted prints, rather than retro video game characters—it’s pretty clear that it’s less about the clothes than it is the person wearing them.

Well, Jon can scowl all he wants, because everything Martin wears technically falls within the Institute’s dress code and there’s not a word Jon can say to him.

Martin has always run hot, so as winter closes in and other people are bundling up in heavy coats and jumpers, he throws hoodies over his t-shirts and zips them up only far enough that the bright graphic prints are still clearly visible to Jon’s critical eye.

Yeah, he thinks sometimes when he walks into Jon’s office, get an eyeful of Yoshi and see how you like it.

Jon, for his part, seems determined to outlast the winter in his usual dress shirt and tweed jacket combo. Martin knows that Jon isn’t particularly warm blooded—he’s seen the way the man huddles into his jacket like a tortoise in its shell until the central heating warms the basement up in the mornings—but he still refuses to add so much as an argyle sweater vest to his outfit in deference to the season.

The only concession Jon makes to the weather is a voluminous gray overcoat and a dark purple scarf, which he takes off the moment he gets into the office, regardless of how cold it is before the ancient heating system creaks to life.

And, well, it’s none of Martin’s business if his boss is too much of a pompous arse to dress appropriately for the weather. If he wants to freeze his backside off to maintain his academic dignity, far be it from Martin to intervene. Martin doesn’t feel sorry for him, when he sees Jon blowing on his fingers to warm them up, or briskly rubbing his arms while he waits for the kettle to boil and he thinks nobody else is around. Not in the slightest.

It’s below zero on the day in December when the central heating finally gives up the ghost. Even Martin can feel the chill in the Archives this morning, keeps his hoodie zipped up all the way even when he runs into Jon in the kitchenette. Jon looks miserably cold, his shoulders hunched and his movements stiff as he makes his tea.

“Morning, Jon,” Martin says cheerfully. “Bit nippy, isn’t it?”

“Just a bit,” says Jon sardonically. Somewhere overhead, there’s a metallic clanking as the heating system starts up.

“Finally,” Jon mutters, casting his eyes upward. The pipes creak and clank some more, and there’s an odd whirring sound that Martin’s fairly sure isn’t normal, and then a long, descending groan into silence.

“Oh,” says Martin. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Bloody hell,” says Jon, and storms off to his office. A while later, he sends an email to inform them all that he’s spoken to Elias and the heating is out for the whole building, and that they should all feel free to work from home for the rest of the day if they choose. Sasha and Tim waste no time packing up, but Martin lingers, agonizing over which notes and references he should take with him. He’s never before had a job where working from home was an option, and he isn’t Tim or Sasha, isn’t someone Jon trusts and actually wanted to work with. Martin needs to make sure he gets it right.

At last he thinks he has everything he needs, but still Martin is hesitating, fiddling with the strap of his satchel. Maybe he should just check in with Jon before he leaves, make sure there isn’t anything else he needs to do. Make sure Jon knows I’m going to be working today, not just skiving off.

The door to Jon’s office is standing ajar; Martin taps on it, and pokes his head in without waiting for a response.

Jon looks up as he walks in, his expression startled. He is wearing a jumper. A chunky knit jumper in a warm maroon color, with a Christmas tree and several reindeer on the front. One of the reindeer has a red bobble for a nose. The jumper is oversized, the ends of the sleeves falling past Jon’s wrists.

It’s...incredibly cute, which is not a term that Martin ever expected to associate with his arsehole boss. Attractive, in a severe, unattainable way, sure, but not cute. Yet somehow, here they are.

“Ah, Martin,” Jon says, looking flustered. “I, uh, I thought you’d left with the others?”

“I was—I just wanted to check in with you first, make sure you didn’t need anything. You should head home too, it’s freezing in here.”

“I—I’m perfectly fine.” Jon plucks at the front of the jumper, looking embarrassed. “This is, ah, I bought this for the Institute Christmas party, but it’s surprisingly warm—and quite comfortable.”

“Oh, that’s, uh, that’s not part of your usual wardrobe then?” Martin hazards a chuckle, and to his relief, Jon huffs an amused breath. He raises a hand to adjust his glasses, but his sleeve gets in the way; he pushes both sleeves up to the elbows, and oh no, that’s even cuter.

“No, not—not usually,” he says. Martin frowns, suddenly remembering.

“You didn’t wear it at the party last week, though?”

“No, it’s—it was from the previous year, when I was in Research. It-it didn’t seem appropriate this year, being in a management role. Fortunately I still had it in a box, though I, uh, I didn’t really expect anyone to see me in it.”

Martin feels a sudden pang of something that might be sympathy. He understands how it feels, the desperate pressure to be professional, to be taken seriously, the constant second guessing of what you’re doing, whether you’re giving away something you shouldn’t. It’s hardly the same, of course: Jon’s not likely to be fired for wearing a silly jumper. But...Martin gets it.

“Actually,” he lies, “I, uh, I have to meet with Sophie up in the library later, so I’m around for the day. I was just going to go out and pick up some early lunch. Thought I’d see if you want anything?”

“Oh, ah, where are you going?” Jon asks tentatively, looking surprised at the offer.

“I was thinking of that cafe just around the corner—maybe get some soup and a sandwich?”

“That would be...very nice, actually. If you’re sure you don’t mind?”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I did,” says Martin, and takes the ten pound note Jon offers him.

“Thank you, Martin,” says Jon, and it’s the probably the most sincere thing Martin’s ever heard him say. He finds himself smiling without meaning to.

“Not a problem.”

It’s too early for lunch, really, but Martin knows Jon never eats breakfast and he missed it himself this morning. He gets two portions of steaming tomato and basil soup and toasted cheese sandwiches from the cafe, and when he gets back, Jon’s found a small space heater to plug in, so his office is marginally warmer than the rest of the Archives. They sit on opposite sides of Jon’s desk to eat, talking about the case that Martin’s working on. It’s the first time Martin’s actually had the chance to properly discuss a case, rather than stumbling through his report while Jon watches expectantly; Jon listens, and asks questions, and even offers some helpful suggestions for Martin’s follow up. It’s...oddly nice.

(Jon also continues to look unreasonably cute in his oversized Christmas jumper, but Martin carefully ignores that.)

The heating gets fixed by early afternoon, and the Archives warm up to the point where Martin can unzip his hoodie. When he drops off his finished case report to Jon’s office, Jon is back in his shirt and jacket, the maroon jumper packed away out of sight. He looks perfectly staid and professional once again. I saw you looking cute, though, Martin thinks, and then tries to pretend he didn’t; he is not going down that route.

Jon glances up when Martin comes in, taking in the “Marvin the Martian” t-shirt that’s now visible beneath his hoodie. Instead of a disapproving scowl, however, he gives a small, hesitant smile.

“Thank you, Martin,” he says as he takes the report, and something flutters warm in Martin’s chest.

Oh no, he thinks.

[forlove2020]

Day 2 - No Vacancy

It is the last day of November and no one wants to buy any more pumpkins. 

Halloween has gone by, and Thanksgiving has blown past too. The people of Lebanon, Kansas have had their fill of the bright orange gourds - for more than two months they've displayed them on their front porches, carved them into jack-o-lanterns, and added them into every kind of dessert and frothy little drink imaginable.

And that is why, on November 30th, Dean decides his family is going on a field trip to the Lebanon Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch.

Things have been good lately. No, scratch that. Life has been freakin' awesome. It has been just under two weeks since he rescued Cas from the Empty and a week since Jack came home. Dean is over the moon; radiating happiness in a way he never has before. They're all together, alive, and no Big Bad hovers menacingly on the horizon. Dean's not one to believe in a 'best case scenario,' but hell if this doesn't feel just like it.

The farm is about a twenty-five minute drive from the Bunker, and Dean, Cas, and Jack pull up in the Impala at the same time as Sam and Eileen arrive in Sam's CR-V. 

(Dean had teased him mercilessly about his new ride until Sam looked him dead in the eye, placing his hand protectively on Eileen's protruding belly, and insisted "Honda gets really good safety ratings, Dean." Dean, wisely, had shut up after that.)

Claire and Kaia are already there waiting, leaning up against Claire’s car, hand in hand. Jack leaps out of Baby as soon as Dean puts her in park, barreling toward the girls so he can nag Claire about his latest obsession: TikTok. Even from a distance it’s clear she’s rolling her eyes at him, but smiling despite herself

Dean and Cas get out of the car at a more leisurely pace and survey their surroundings.

What had been a busy festival complete with a lush corn maze, vibrant pumpkin patch, and stalls selling kettle corn and caramel apples two months ago is now a dismal scene. The corn maze has dried out and shriveled up, and the stalls are unmanned. Technically, there are still pumpkins aplenty in the field, but they're the ones that have been forsaken. The remaining pumpkins are leftovers that were considered either too skinny, too fat, or just too misshapen and lumpy to have been picked as the cream-of-the-crop.

Dean looks over at Cas. He’s squinting at the scenery in the dim autumn sunlight, and the nippy breeze has swept through his dark hair, making it seem more tousled than usual. Not for the first time, Dean thinks that he is gorgeous.

But now, he can actually tell Cas what he is feeling in these moments. There are no more half-truths or lies between them, nothing secret. After years of pining for one another without any hope of reciprocation and hiding the pains of longing, they’ve finally broken down the walls that kept them apart. They love one another fiercely, and while their relationship is new, it is not tenuous. 

So, Dean turns to him with a crooked grin.  “Hey, handsome.”

Cas blinks, and then a little smile curls the corners of his mouth. “Hello, Dean.”

Dean moves closer until their shoulders are brushing and he can feel the warmth of Cas’ body through both of their jackets. “You think Jack’s gonna be disappointed?” he asks quietly, watching their kid practically tackle Sam with a hug as Eileen signs something Dean can’t quite make out from the other end of the parking lot. “I mean, this isn’t exactly the ‘autumn glory’ we were promised on those fliers earlier this month.”

Cas doesn’t even hesitate. “No. I think Jack just appreciates having a normal...uh, sort of a normal life again. He’s excited to be here picking pumpkins, especially with Claire and Kaia, and Sam and Eileen joining us. This was a nice surprise you planned for him, Dean.”

It’s a simple compliment, and not even particularly saccharine, but Dean flushes from head to toe anyway. He’s working on believing the good things Cas says about him; he’s really trying, but it’s always been difficult for him to take a compliment about anything other than his good looks or hunting prowess. Instead, he meets Cas’ eye, and nods silently. And then, remembering he is allowed, takes Cas’ hand in his own, twining their fingers together.

They walk hand-in-hand to join Claire, Kaia, Jack, Sam and Eileen at the front gate. It’s hanging wide open, and no one is standing there to charge them an entrance fee. However, the sign does make a point to state that the maze is open until December 1st. Eileen shrugs, and so the seven of them wander down the path towards the pumpkin patch and the entrance to the maze. 

“Kaia! I’ll race you to the end!” Jack shouts, and laughing, Kaia chases him into the maze, dragging a grumbling Claire along behind her. 

“Let’s see if we can find anybody still working,” Sam suggests.

Eileen points at a worn down farmhouse tucked mostly behind a newly-painted red barn. “Someone must be home,” she signs pointedly, gesturing to plumes of smoke exuding from a grey chimney stack.

Dean ends up knocking on the door. He leaves Sam, Eileen, and Cas at a nearby picnic table, debating in Sign Language about the best flavor of cotton candy and whether or not the color of the dye changes the taste. 

 A minute or two later, an older man swings open the squeaky screen door to the house. He’s scowling, wearing muddy overalls, and chewing on a thick cigar. “Yeah?” he asks shortly. “Whaddya want?”

Dean raises his eyebrows at the farmer’s bluntness, but manages to respond politely. “My family and I saw fliers for this place a few weeks ago. We were hoping to buy some pumpkins and candy apples. What are you charging”

The farmer’s scowl grows deeper, and he looks past Dean to Sam, Eileen, and Cas relaxing on the bench, then narrows his eyes at the corn maze, where shrieks of laughter can be heard as the younger adults chase one another through the thinning stalks.

Getting impatient, with the man’s surly silence, Dean prods, “And…? It’s a yes or no question. Are you still selling pumpkins?”

The old man pulls the cigar out from between his teeth. “My wife and daughter run this hokey shit,” he grunts. “They went into town today ‘cause folks already came through here earlier in the month. They like customers. We haven't had anybody else stop by since before Thanksgiving.”

As his temper flares, Dean turns his grit teeth into a sharp smile. “Well, then it’s your lucky day! Here we are,” he says mockingly, sweeping his arms wide. The farmer mumbles something insulting and covers it with a hacking cough. Dean pretends not to hear him, “Fine. I take it from your sunny attitude that there will be no popcorn or apples today?” 

The man scoffs, “Enjoy the maze, boy-o. Free of charge.” He turns to lumber back inside, but Dean grabs the screen door before he can try to disappear.

“Hey!” the hunter barks. The farmer pauses, his body tensing for a fight. “Are you gonna sell me the goddamn pumpkins or not?” 

Cas has wandered to his side, either noticing the commotion, or simply because he wanted to be closer to Dean. Now, he interrupts casually, “You still have quite a few squash left in the fields and there’s going to be heavy frost two days from now, overnight. It’d be a shame if all of these pumpkins rotted, and you wasted the rest of your harvest.”

He has, quite deftly, snared the salty old farmer’s attention. Money is the man’s language; he might not enjoy having customers on his property so late in the season, but he certainly likes having the funds to maintain his land.

****************************************

“A hundred.”

“A hundred?” Sam sounds insulted. “You’re gonna pitch all of these in a couple days. There’s no way we’re paying a hundred. Try twenty-five dollars.”

The farmer rolls his eyes dramatically. He is in his element; the thrill of making a good deal and bartering his wares on the last day is an unexpected but welcome surprise that has put him in high spirits. “You’re cute, kid. I know my produce is worth more than that. I’ll go down to eighty-five, and you can take whatever you can carry in one trip.”

“Thirty-five,” Sam shoots back.

“Eighty.”

“Forty-one.” Once, Sam was going to be a lawyer. He’s got the upper hand in this situation and he’s going to crush his opposition. One more price reduction and they’ll have dozens of pumpkins to take home, way below the original asking price.

“Sevent…”

“Sixty-five, and we fill up all of our cars,” Dean interrupts, and Sam looks at him, utterly betrayed as the gleeful farmer shakes on the deal.

As Cas, Jack, Claire, and Kaia help carry the pumpkins to Sam and Claire’s cars respectively, Dean just claps Sam on the shoulder and tells his brother, “It’s still a cheaper family outing than going to Disney.” 

“Yeah, I guess,” Sam says mournfully, and sulks over to help Eileen, who is supervising the influx of pumpkins that are being loaded into their vehicle.

Dean chuckles, and scoops up a few pumpkins. He’s got some recipes he wants to try out, plus he’s excited to teach Jack to carve ‘Jack’-o-lanterns. The kid seemed to want to learn how to do everything the human way now, and Dean is more than happy to teach him.

One by one, Dean places eight pumpkins in the backseat of Baby. One is tall and oblong with lots of stringy stems, matched with the only short and well rounded pumpkin he sees in the field. Between those two he sets a teeny tiny baby-sized pumpkin. Then, there’s a pumpkin that is half-green half-orange. It seems like it must have grown too fast because it is still quite young despite its size. Next, he adds two medium pumpkins that are also young, but growing strong. And last but not least, he picks up two more pumpkins. They are both a bit damaged - one is bruised and discolored, the other looks like it might have grown sideways. But Dean picks them because they lean against one another in the field, steady despite their flaws, despite what they’ve been through. 

He sets them all up in a long line along the backseat, and when Cas sees what he chose, his eyes go soft and warm as he looks at Dean.

“Let’s go home,” he breathes out, and takes Dean’s hand again.

Everyone gets in their cars - Dean in the driver's seat and Cas taking shotgun, as before. Jack tries to get in the Impala, then looks in the back window, and starts laughing. 

“Dean! There’s nowhere for me to sit.”

Cas chuckles quietly beside him, as Dean grins. “Aw, tough break, kid. Guess you’re walking home.”

“Hey, no fair- Dean! C’mon! Cas! Tell Dean he has to -”

Dean starts to roll up the window, laughing loudly as Jack knocks on the window pane.

“Sorry! No vacancy!” he hollers. Jack is nearly doubled over, hilarity spilling from him in peals of laughter.

Claire honks her horn loudly, and throws open the back door to her car. Jack straightens, and scrambles to join her and Kaia, shooting Dean and Cas a bright wave goodbye.

Sam and Eileen also wave as they leave the parking lot, wheels sending gravel spinning in their wake. Claire and Kaia follow, and Jack rolls down the window as they pass, and calls across to Cas and Dean, “This was the best family trip ever!”

They too are soon gone, headed for the Bunker to drop off dozens of pumpkins which will decorate every room until they end up decaying or until Dean cooks them. 

Dean and Cas wait until the others have left, and then Dean leans over and kisses Cas, long and sweet. When he pulls back, Cas traces his cheek, and says thoughtfully, “We could take the backroads home today….”

Dean is so gone on him. He kisses Cas once, twice more, and then puts the Impala in drive, and they’re on the road, taking the long way home.

**********************************

I enjoyed adding a little Day 1 ‘Harvest’ flare to Day 2!

My goal is to make most of my Suptober fics one-shots that are in some way related to my multichapter fix-it that is still a work in progress (Dean/Cas, Sam/Eileen, etc, post 15x20).

Thank you for reading!

-V

[grumpy-zane]

((Had a ninjago fan season idea that takes place after s13 and semi centers around Kai ninjago. This seasons theme: Vacation gone wrong! I have segmented it into episodes for convenience. I uh, may or may not dedicate some time to drawing content for this thing, so I apologize in advance. ((also it is. a long post.

Episode 1 - Answering machine going off and its’ Ronins voice over the machine: 'Looks like I’m gonna run late.. ugh this whole thing is falling apart isn't it. But we'll make it work. I got you a ferry to take you there, one of the cruise ships. It was the least I could do for now... I'll meet you there, I promise.'     >Cuts to Dareth on the boat, taking him and the rest of the people to ‘Aves Isle’.    >While everyone is getting off, Dareth helps a naga lady with carrying some of her stuff because Dareth ninjago.    >Naga ladys' name is 'Olive', she is a semi native. She starts talking about the islands' history. 'there used to be a temple but we don't know what happened to it, but it sunk into the ground.    >two investigate the area because Dareth has time to wait on Ronin.    >Upon finding whats’ left of the area and entering, the atmosphere changes and inflicts a weird curse or whatever.    >Dareth starts getting progressively more pushy Episode 2 - After s13 Wu wants to do more adventures so the bounty is just flying wherever the wind takes it I guess w/e {{Also realized I didn’t write much for Wu this entire rest of the story so I am assuming he’s having a grand ol’ time being on vacation}}    >wow it is night time, the bounty is flying in    >The crew ask where they are and Zane starts to go on his normal informative spiel before getting cut off.    >Oh there’s a thing on the radar. What the heck is that thing flying towards us OH GOD THAT’S A BIG ANGRY DRAGON    >Bounty has two smaller 'runner' boats? I guess? marketing. Two of the ninja hop on those and fly off.    >Zane and Jay distract the dragon so the bounty can safely land but it turns out there are two dragons and Jay gets taken down first. Yay soft landing.    >Bounty makes it safely over the fences that are on the island    >Zane gets taken out.    >Cuts back to Dareth and Olive still rooting around. activates something and wow a lava fountain. the ground is glowing in weird markings!    >Dareth snaps at Olive and she wells up and runs away and Dareth snaps out of it temporarily like 'oh crud why did I do that I didn't mean to be so bossy' and goes after her    >Olive gets overtaken and now: pointy.    >Dareth tries to stop her but she jumps into the portal lava whatever? hole?? not sure.    >He, of course, jumps in after.    >Fire Dareth.    >Random golden-looking platform chained to the bottom of the hole they are in. ominous voice: hey how about you get these locks free and we'll rebuild the temple? nice.    >Temple platform rises    >Zane gets tossed into an area? park? fenced in something or another??    >oh hi Jay    >oh community service sorting trash from recyclables? can do.

Episode 3 - The remaining ninja visit the two who are in 'time out' before deciding to have a look around the island.    >They take a nice walk down the beach Cole reminisces about the time Kai was extremely afraid of water    >Kai frowns as a laugh track is played. Claims he has gotten better at it but screams when Nya splashes him.    >Zane and Jay are done with service and its like 'okay how about we try to get out again?’    >Zane suggests doing it in the broad daylight since the dragons went out at night and may be nocturnal    >they try    >they get taken out again    >another round of community service    >sees another aircraft fall out of the sky    >guard: wow more property damage.    >sundown. lloyd notices that something strange is happening with some of the residents randomly getting more nippy and then not. strange. (Ninja get into an arguments with the locals or whatever)    >Stop by community service area    >Jay is now frustrated    >rest recuperate at where they parked the bounty    >Nya: well nothing is really going on here we can probably leave once the two are done breaking the law     >Ronin shows up to the area and is greeted sourly by Jay ninjago

Episode 4 - The ninja are ready to leave when they notice a weird ominous structure that wasn't there before.    >Crew investigate    >oh its hot. you can go in, Kai ninjago    >kai enters    >oh frick fire dareth    >kai ninjago, walking out and is krispy: there is a problem.    >three get out of service    >ronin asks if the little runner ships are 'truly' important    >hekcin steals their engine or whatever    >regroup at the bouty    >Kai: hey uhh, Dareth is peeved haha, I don't get it though he and I hang out every now and then.    >Ronin, internally: oh god he's really mad I didn't follow plans to a T-    >the ninja exchange awkward glances of guilt    >decide it'd be best to talk to him tomorrow, or try to. Also, more people are randomly getting upsetti, Jay is still frustrated.

Episode 5 - jay still has a bad attitude. lloyd is also starting to get upset. Cole tries to diffuse the situation but it causes the two to point their noses up at each other in silent anger. great.    >Kai enters in the temple again, which is even more built than it was before.   >Dareth being snarky   >kai apologizes and tells him he wasn't aware of it, and that he thought the two were good friends, reminding him of the times they hung out outside of mission things.   >Dareth calms down a bit   >finds a reason to be mad again.   >Ronin shows up   >'ronin?'   >''Told you I'd meet you here, what didn't you believe me? not really much of a vacation. How about we get some fresh air?"   >Dareth approaches   >oh no he's really hot.   >cheek caress with the robotic arm. gae.   >two head out. Room is no longer unbearably hot. good!   >squad enters in. goes into one of the inner chambers   >oh look the towns people overtaken by rage are building. nice.   >oh no jay and lloyd are fighting again.   >grabs attention of workers.   >the ninja get their butts handed to themselves, and lose Jay and lloyd in the process. nice   >cuts to Ronin and Dareth walking on the beach.   >Ronin smooth talking, normal Ronin behvior   >Flames and whatever fade from Dareth and he snaps out of it completely and immediately starts pouring out how he feels bad about being rude to Olive and whatever the bad guy is and what the plans of the temple are.   >Ronin: maybe we should tell the ninja. I don't want us to get involved anymore.

Episode 6 - Ronin informs the ninja of what's up.   >Nya: oh no we gotta stop this !   >Dareth: I want to help.   >Ronin: no we are on vacation we shouldn't have to; leave it up to them.   >Dareth: no I started this, this is my fault, I have to make it up to Olive and everyone <:(   >Ronin: :/   >Zane: we should focus on. not making the locals angry because that seems to draw them towards the temple.   >Ninja proceed to do good deeds, while part of them break off to do research   >learn about the bad guy dunn dun dunn!

episode 7 - Kai ninjago somehow is the one keeping the most level head out of everyone here and things get tense again. is it potentially out of character? Well he's mad that lloyd and jay are overtaken but he's doing a good job at self control.   >cuts to lloyd and Jay   >lloyd: this is dumb! why are we helping!? We're supposed to be stopping this!   >Jay: we're helping because YOU dragged us into this with your plan!   >argue. great   >bad guy laughing or whatever, oh the voice has a physical form that's manifesting from the heat of the temple. 'Good, soon I will be reborn and reclaim the island!'   >Olive inform him that Dareth has broken the spell   >bad guy furious and confused but is also like 'whatever we have a lot more important things to worry about'   >Nya and Zane are stepping on each others' toes.   >ronin and Dareth relay what they learned.   >kai sitting in the bounty looking disheveled   >'Human pinata makes the kids happy'. Horrifying.   >story about how the bad guy was dispersed after 'other beings' landed on the island and taught he locals the importance of peace and not war or whatever. It was probably some Oni and dragons chillin.   >Cole: oh! I mean we have two 'other beings' and those are the dragons, but they seem really angry and territorial   >Kai: maybe they want something and just haven't gotten it? ((Id have to mention one of the festivals known as the 'laughing dragon' festival or whatever but it's fallen into obscurity due to the dragons not being happy. Mention that sometime during episode 3))   >investigation time part 3.   >learn that there's a fruit that the dragons like, but the recipee was lost on how to make the disk for them   >well gang, time to get cooking! thank goodness Zane is on our-   >just kidding Zane and Nya are gone now because they got too angry at each other and went to 'get space' but they're probably at the temple now.

Episode 8 - Gotta do the cookin by the book!   >the ingredients are gathered.   >Dareth insists that they used a very speicific brand of exctact.   >Cole has no idea how to cook well   >Kai starts putting things together.   >Cole: when did you learn to cook?   >Kai: Well I had to take care of my sister buutt.. I dunno I think being the master of fire, cooking comes easy. ;)   >Cole: if there's any way I can help just let me know.   >kai: oh, yeah, bust open those things.   >Cole literally smashes open the fruit sending bits everywhere   >good ol happy comedic moment.   >first try   >Cole: . looks. uh. strange.   >Ronin: I am afraid to taste it.   >Dareth: oh I'm sure it can’t be- -face scrunch-   >Kai: <:)   >Dareth: well... I swallowed it.. at least..   >cuts to temple again   >bad guy is like 'we need more people how come everyone stopped coming?? someone needs to go out and start beating people up >:('   >Olive reports that the ninja were gathering ingredients for something or another   >Bad guy is like 'okay send some people there and stop them'

episode 9 - after the 5th attempt it's much more palatable so they make a larger batch and stick it in a boat all fancied up and now have to deliver it   >oh god angry people   >why are they looking at us hhh   >fite   >Kai: we legit cannot let any of this spill otherwise I'm going to scream.   >only way to get it away from the people is to go by ocean   >Ronin: we'll do what we can but you gotta do this kai. You're tough.   >kai: ahaha I still don't like water but!   >boat on water   >gets to the part outside of the gate   >oddly silent.   >kai proceeds to put it on the beach and starts calling out for the dragons and starts making noise or whatever. "im gonna kick your sand! haha! what are you going to do about it??'   >Dragons emerge, ready to fight   >sees the offering. Kai: it's okay it's okay, this is for you.   >backs away from the boat   >lets the dragons have it.   >the smaller one is curious about him and approaches him after   >good ol’ kai dragon interaction. yay confidence!

Episode 10 - wow I sure do hate this sorting plant by now, thinks Ronin ninjago.   >tossed in the sorting plant Cole: this isn't too bad. Dareth: yeah I thought we were going to be burned by the stake, haha! Ronin: oh you'll hate it soon enough.   >Dareth and cole exchange glances. Cole: oh I know, how about we do a song, get a beat going? I'm sure kai has things under control! Dareth: good idea! Keep the spirits high, huh?   >Olive informs that the offering made it out into the ocean   >bad guy says 'no fear the ocean probably will swallow it', both unaware that kai was on the boat.   >temple is nearing completion.   >the angry ninja attempt yet again, to try to make a plan to stop him.   >everyone has a different idea   >they don't work together and go do their own plans.   >lloyd tries to go after him directly   >jay attempts to use his powers to get the workers to stop and go after him   >nya yells at jay   >Zane attempts to take out Olive, with mild success, kicks her out of the temple.   >olive decides to visit in on the captives   >glares at Dareth   >Dareth proceeds to apologize profusely   >Olive is stunned and snaps out of it, sorta. moment of clarity   >apologizes for stopping their plan about the dragons. gives more detail about the situation inside the temple before getting ready to head back.   >ronin. heckin. kidnaps her w/e He wants answers, and also doesn't want her relaying the information she gathered back to the bad guy. Dareth: oh my GOD did you KILL her?? Ronin: :B no messengers.

Episode 11 - The dragons fly overhead and do their little dance and show and yaay, the people are happy!   >people working on the temple stop and notice in awe and decide to go outside to have a look.   >bad guy takes notice and a n g r y, number of the workers stop and go enjoy the show. Some even going to their work areas and getting snacks and things like a festival. Bad guy: where is my messenger?! How did this happen?! steppin out. that's it, I'll deal with this personally.   >bad guy stands on his temple top whatever. Starts blasting fire balls.   >kai ninjago shooting fireballs back to deflect Locals: wow firework show!   >even more stop their progress.   >lloyd notices   >the rest of the ninja notice. lloyd: woah kai ninjago..! Nya: I don't know how long he can last doing that.. Zane: the power comes from the temple.. Jay: so we have to sink the temple!   >sink time   >as the temple starts to submerge again the fire balls become weaker   >bad guy adverts his attention to the ninja and decide to try to take them out   >Kai ninjago shows up and they have a fire bending battle not ripped from avatar at all Jay: kai you gotta get outta there the temple is collapsing! Kai: I will give me a minute!   >This is sparta kicks the dude into the portal thingy lava(?) and gets the heck outta there before everything falls in again.   >yaay, we won!   >mini celebration that's more like we gotta recover

Episode 12 - partially filler episode? w/e   >actual festival held   >good ol relaxing for real this time.   >Dareth: that was fun!   >Ronin: so much for a vacation, seems like trouble is always following you around.   >Dareth: thank god I have you to protect me from it all, huh?   >Ronin: wow gay   >Dareth: also why did you run late?   >Ronin: weeeeeell... that's a long story. B) I'll tell you on the flight back.   >Olive: how did you find the recipe for the thing?   >kai: I didn't I just... I mean, Well, when you have flare like me you tend to know how to make a good dish B)   >Cole: he guessed and messed up 5 times.   >Olive: oh-    >kai: >:( c o l e   >the ninja can actually leave now   >FFIV victory fanfare

[jack7432lew]

Towel Warmer

Warm showers and showers can be very quieting on disease fall and nippy environment days. Regardless, by then, all that radiance can sneak away when you get out—that is, in the event that you don't have a warm towel prepared to take care of business. Clearly, you can all things considered toss your shower towels in the dryer, yet beside if your pieces of clothing dryer is in your washroom, this most probable will not be a reasonable arrangement. That is the place where towel warmers come in.A towel additional blasting arrangements with this post-shower issue by keeping your washroom textures totally warm right where (and when) you need them. Thusly, there are various sorts open, which waver as for regard, style, size, and handiness. To figure out which is ideal for your home, look at our party of the best towel warmers under.

​ 1. Amba RWH-CP Radiant Hardwired Curved Towel Warmer

Warmed towel racks are honorably more unobtrusive with a prompt, momentous arrangement. That is the clarification the best towel seriously boiling all around is the Amba Radiant Hardwired Curved Towel Warmer (model RWH-CB). Made out of mechanical appraisal 304 treated steel, this towel additional smoking highlights ten wound crossbars and two vertical bars, all of which heat up when turned on. In only 15 minutes, the steel can reach up to 145 °F.Not basically will your towels heat rapidly, yet they'll comparatively dry a lot snappier than they would on a standard rack. This thing is proposed to warm two shower sheets rapidly, at any rate when you're not utilizing it to agreeable textures, it can hold more. You can utilize it to hang-dry dress, as well. The Amba Radiant Curved Hardwired Towel Warmer uses irrelevant power—apparently as much as two standard lights. Evaluating around 32 inches high and 24 inches wide, its smooth, moderate appearance will conveniently upgrade most washroom course of action plans. Moreover, this towel more sizzling goes with a simple to-introduce plan unit and mounting .

​ 2. Zadro Luxury Ultra Large Towel Warmer

The Zadro Luxury Ultra Towel Warmer (model TWB01) recognizes a substitute interpretation of towel warmers. Instead of warmed racks, the limited round compartment can be resolved to the floor all things considered, any place in your home. Surveying 21.25 inches high with a 12-inch distance across, the 8.5-pound Zadro has a lightweight and simple to-pass on game plan with a thin profile. In like manner, since it doesn't connect with a divider, you can move it around from space to room as needed.You can utilize this towel more smoking to warm shower materials, covers, and robes during the infection season. Fundamentally plug it in and set it to one of the preset clock settings, or just let it do its thing. At whatever point left on, it will as time goes on ordinarily shut off to frustrate electrical dangers. The Zadro is made out of plastic and metal and highlights ended up being away for its 78-inch string. It's besides more moderate than different other towel warmers open.

​ 3. ANZZI Eve 8-Bar Stainless Steel Wall Mounted Electric Towel Warmer Rack

As for warming towel racks, the ANZZI Eve 8-Bar Stainless Steel Wall Mounted Electric Towel Warmer Rack (model TW-AZ012CH) stands isolated among the opposition. As the name proposes, this divider mounted tempered steel mechanical get together highlights eight stepping stool style bars and an obliging top rack for towels and other washroom materials. The rust affirmation tempered steel satisfies Rhino Alloy quality guidelines for strength and worth. Moreover, the flickering chrome finish is both smooth and versatile.At 39 hauls in height, this towel more sizzling is taller than the Amba model. It's additionally incredibly lightweight, weighing only 12 pounds. With a force controlling on/off switch and 93-watt yield, the ANZZI Eve is an energy-effective thing. In around 20 minutes, it warms materials securely and thoroughly—even thick, rich towels and shower robes. This more smoking goes with mounting and isn't difficult to introduce. It's moreover kept up by a lifetime guarantee.

​ 4. Salon Sundry Professional High Capacity Hot Towel Warmer Cabinet

The Professional High Capacity Hot Towel Warmer Cabinet from Salon Sundry (model SPA-CABI-507) is a top tier division seriously blasting. While it's typical for use in spas, rub studios, burger joints, and other expert settings, it's additionally absolutely reasonable for at-home use. Evaluating around 14 inches high, 18 inches wide, and 11 creeps down, this warming position marches a 72-towel limit. Notwithstanding, since it was made to hold uncommonly little spa towels, you ought to anticipate that it should basically oblige a couple of full-size shower towels.This 120-volt towel more boiling has a cool-contact composite passage with an engaging catch and a 5.25-foot power rope. The entryway is twofold fixed to diminish heat difficulty and advance capacity. While it keeps a customary inside temperature of 176 °F, it's CE-guaranteed for thriving and security. It comes completely amassed with removable chrome wire racking for towel putting away, which you may need to take out on the off risk that you're utilizing it for more prominent materials. In like way, the stream plate can be scrubbed when it piles up with amassed improvement.

​ 5. WarmlyYours 10-Bar Infinity Towel Warmer

In the occasion that you're free to going over the edge on a towel more steamy, consider the WarmlyYours 10-Bar Infinity Towel Warmer (model TW-F10BS-HW). This top tier warming rack is created utilizing brushed treated steel with a cordless, divider mounted game plan. It's proposed to associate with a 120-volt circuit. With a 10-pound weight limit, it can reliably give sufficient warmth to warm two sizable towels or bathrobes.The clean lines of the WarmlyYours Infinity offer a smooth and limited appearance that can upgrade any washroom plan and warm up the climate. It's 32 inches tall, basically 24 inches wide, and effectively mounts to a divider with the included. The on/off switch makes this towel really boiling simple to work. Furthermore, with the programmable clock, you can fix it to warm your materials when you experience out of the shower or shower. That, yet your theory will be maintained by a two-year creator's affirmation.

[daisy-constellations]

Il Me L’a Dit, L’a Juré Pour La Vie - Part 24

Marinette didn’t think inviting Chat Noir in for milk would lead to this.

The heroes were 20 years old, in university, and it was now time to trust each other better than they ever did.

CHAPTER LIST

Rating: Teen/ Mature.

Angst and fluff, and all that good stuff.

Il Me L’a Dit, L’a Juré Pour La Vie - Part 24

Snow

Marinette let out a content sigh as she pushed the doors opened. She stepped into the cold winter air and stretched her arms high above her head. She finally finished her last project for the semester, having just handed it in. She managed to create the golden dress that she designed inspired by Adrien. She felt proud about this piece and hoped it was enough to give her the grade she wanted.

However, she was more relieved to be done with the semester now.  The last few weeks had just flown by as she spent a lot of her free time at school finishing her work. Adrien was undeniably kind and understanding, easing her during her stressful time. Luckily, there weren’t many big akuma fights; she and Adrien were able to defeat them quite quickly, allowing her to get back to her studies.

Marinette’s favourite kind of nights were when Adrien would come over to keep her company, always falling asleep somewhere nearby. If she was working with patterns on the floor, he was passed out on the ground, head in her lap. He constantly made an effort to see her as much as he could, even with his own busy schedule. He spent many of his days modelling, usually showing up with his hair styled in different ways.

Some days, she would surprise him, sneaking into his apartment as Ladybug, scaring the living daylights out of him.

When they patrolled, Adrien was lively, jumping from one rooftop to another as Chat Noir. Sometimes, he would yell how much he loved her into the Paris night and she was quick to pull him back with her yo-yo, scolding him intensely. That never seemed to stop him anyway; he always grinned down at her, kissing the top of her nose.

The air outside that late afternoon was especially nippy as the wind picked up, chilling her straight down to the core. She buttoned up her long grey jacket and tightened her pink scarf around her neck. She pulled out her black beanie from her tote bag, her favourite one with two fluffy pompoms on the top, and slipped it on her head. She made her way to the métro as fast as she possibly could.

She felt Tikki shifting around in her pocket inside her jacket and smiled fondly at the familiar feeling.

Upon arriving at Adrien’s apartment building, he was already waiting for her in the lobby.

“Hey,” Marinette said to him softly as he enveloped her in a deep embrace.

“Hi,” he leaned down and pecked her lips. “Ready to go?”

“Of course,” Marinette raised her shoulders in anticipation as he guided her down to the garage for his car.

He was taking her on a date to celebrate the end of the semester, he didn’t exactly specify where, but Marinette was excited nonetheless. She tried to hold Adrien’s hand the entire ride, however, she scowled when he let go to turn the wheel. The drive wasn’t long but as the days were growing shorter, the sun was already setting in the distance. A thick shade of purple was trickling down, dark clouds covering the vibrant golden rays setting in the distance, masking what could have been a beautiful sunset.

Adrien paralleled parked into a small spot and grabbed a bag from the trunk. Marinette gave him a questioning look. He responded with a smile and laced his fingers with her, leading the way to a building.

The building looked like any other – nothing about it was any different from a regular old Parisian apartment. She looked around to see if maybe there was something else that she was missing – a sign explaining what this was.

“We’re almost there,” Adrien glanced behind him at his girlfriend trailing. He knew she was getting antsy trying to figure out the surprise.

Adrien punched in the passcode before pushing open the heavy set wooden doors into the courtyard. It was quiet, a couple of iron wrought tables in the middle; white paint peeled off of them, the dark grey metal peeping through. There were flowers and vines creeping up the sides, completely covering the brick, only the balconies peeping through the wildlife.

Adrien guided her through another door and started marching up a set of stairs. Marinette silently challenged him to a race and the duo started taking the steps two by two, hands gripping the railing.

They laughed between pants once they reached the top, Marinette accusing Adrien’s long model legs for his win.

“Oh yeah,” He reached for his side, the thick bag swinging as he hunched over, “That’s definitely the reason.” His tone of voice was dripping in sarcasm.  He chuckled before straightening up and walking down the hallway to a door.

“If this is where you’re planning on murdering me, just know that you’re at a big disadvantage,” Marinette sized him up.

“What, you think I can’t handle Ladybug?” He cocked his head to the side, teasing her.

“I know you can’t handle Ladybug,” Marinette leaned up and kissed his cheek.

Adrien felt the tips of his ears begin to burn and swallowed thickly, “Well, I would never murder you anyway,” he mumbled as he reached for the door to open it.

Marinette stepped out, smiling to herself. She opened her mouth to respond but a gasp escaped her lips instead.

The vines that were climbing the side of the building were spilling over the edges of the terrace. A wall of evergreen bushes adorned with small glittery lights covered the left side and lanterns were placed along the ledge of the rooftop. Soft music was playing, wisping around in the air calmly.

She felt Adrien place a hand on the small of her back and guided her out even further.

There was a small loveseat facing an obviously artificial fire pit, but it was still keeping the area warm. A few potted trees were placed in the corners but they were barren – the sad reality of the winter season. Nonetheless, the area was stunning. It looked as though they had just stepped into another world.

Marinette walked over to the side, gazing at the view – though she had the privilege of seeing Paris from beautiful heights as Ladybug, the view was breathtaking nonetheless and was something that she could never get tired of. To the right, Marinette could spot the Montmartre standing proud on its hill – to the left, the glittering Eiffel tower welcomed her. This was her home. This was where she belonged.

Suddenly, she realized the song that was playing. Her heart jumped to her throat. She closed her eyes and listened to the melody of ‘La Vie en Rose’. This song – this beautiful, charming song, was the reason she was able to be with him.

“Adrien,” she turned around. Paris was her home, but so was he. Paris would not be complete without him.

He was sitting on the loveseat pulling out two plastic glasses from his bag, a bottle of champagne already waiting on the ground.

“What is all this?” she whispered as she approached him, unable to hide her smile.

“Do you not like it?” He asked as he scooted to make room for her to sit next to him.

“Yes,” she covered her face shyly. “I love it,” she said peeking through her fingers.

Adrien chuckled and pulled her hands away, “I’m glad.”

Marinette leaned over and kissed him. She loved him – she really truly loved him. Everything that he did for her was so selfless; she would give him the world if she could. “Thank you.”

She glanced around her surroundings and sighed, “How did you find such a beautiful place?”

“I know some people,” He winked at her. The young woman grumbled at her boyfriend, hating whenever he pulled a cheeky answer like that. She would get him to spill the details another time, deciding to savour the moment instead.

The plastic fire pit was small but the heat it emitted was comforting. The sun was gone, the stars starting to wake up behind the shifting clouds, constellations seemed to shimmer along with the rhythm of the tune.

Adrien brought the champagne bottle up, his thumb ready to pop the cork. “I wanted to celebrate,” he began. “I wanted to celebrate the end of your semester. You worked incredibly hard.”

“As did you,” Marinette poked his arm. “You applied to school. And you work harder than anyone I know.”

Since they were young, Marinette watched Adrien balance school, modelling and being a superhero (not that she knew at the time anyway), but it still baffled her to see him still striving for the best and he was still like that in the present. He motivated her to work just as hard as him.

“Did you hear back from any of the schools?” Marinette continued.

“Well actually,” Adrien trailed off.

“What?”

“I wanted to tell you this later but…” Adrien shifted uneasily; he began fiddling with the bottle.

Marinette’s eyebrows furrowed. Did he not get accepted? She started to worry, her grasp tightening in a small fist.

“… I got accepted to ESMOD.”

Marinette jumped up from her spot, “What?! That’s amazing! Holy shit!”

Adrien laughed happily as Marinette excitedly shook his arm, showering him in praises and kisses. Her eyes were ignited; Adrien would do anything to see her eyes like this all the time. He found out that morning but didn’t want to tell Marinette right away, hoping to celebrate her accomplishments separate from his own to not overshadow her, but based off her reaction; it didn’t matter and his insecurities were washed away.

They were a team.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, “I’m so happy. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks Mari,” He kissed her cheek firmly.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s have some champagne!” Marinette picked up the glasses.

Adrien pressed into the cork until it popped off, the sound exquisitely echoing through the air. He carefully poured the bubbly drink in the glasses Marinette was holding before placing the bottle back on the ground. They clinked the plastic together and Marinette happily took a sip of the delicious alcohol.

Adrien finished his glass in a fast swig, held up his finger before reaching down in his bag and pulling out a familiar box.

“You didn’t,” Marinette eagerly grabbed his arm.

He chuckled and handed her the pink box, her parents’ bakery name beautifully scrawled in cursive on the top. She carefully opened the lid and all her favourite macaroons were there, glowing, calling her name. Adrien laughed at the sparkle in her eyes.

“Your parents are great,” he said.

Marinette’s head snapped up, “They didn’t say anything weird, did they?” Though they already did meet him properly as her boyfriend, she still didn’t trust them to not embarrass her. The relationship was too new.

He shook his head, “No, but they did invite me to Christmas dinner.”

Marinette’s face twisted into a grimace and Adrien snorted, “Okay, okay, I guess I won’t come.”

“No! I mean, yes! Do come! I was just hoping to invite you myself… rather than my parents…” She thought about calling her parents the next morning to scold them for beating her to it.

“It was nice that they invited me. It’s all very… welcoming.” He smiled fondly, picking up one of the hazelnut macaroons. Marinette could sense the sadness behind his voice. She placed her glass on the ground and held her boyfriend’s hand.

He squeezed hers, “I’m sorry my father hasn’t been around lately.” Despite all of Adrien’s efforts in Milan and picking the right school, his father was still as distant as ever. Sometimes, he caught a glimpse of pride wash over his father’s features, but he could never truly tell.

He wanted his father to meet Marinette – he truly thought his father would like her.

“Ah,” Adrien glanced up to the sky, “it’s fine. Honestly.”

She waited for him to continue, knowing that sometimes his thoughts took a second to manifest.

“I want to invite you over for dinner too. I could ask to have dinner at my dad’s place for New Years?” Maybe he could ask when he told him the news about the school.

“We’re not missing Alya’s party, right?” Marinette raised her eyebrows.

“No, of course not. She will never let us miss it,” He rolled his eyes, smirking.

“Either way, I would love to.” Marinette brought her lips to the top of his hand, gently kissing the skin.

“Okay.” Adrien flipped their hands and brought hers over to his own lips, “my lady.”

Her heart skipped a beat for a second; he hadn’t done that in a long time. She actually missed it, and all his other silly nicknames for her.

Adrien finally bit into his macaroon and melted at the taste – Marinette took her own and followed suit.

The night was getting colder by the minute, the heat from the small pit not being enough anymore. Adrien reached behind him and pulled the blanket that was draped over the love seat, wrapping around Marinette. It was peaceful – they had their own space away from the world. A place where they didn’t have to think about anything except each other.

Their struggles made everything worth it – the trust that they had built over the years was stronger than ever. Nothing was going to be perfect, and they both knew that, but they knew that they were always going to be together for the hard parts too now.

Unexpectedly, snowflakes started to whirl down sporadically from the navy cloudy heavens. Marinette perked up, her eyes watching the crystal flakes float around. A smile crept up her lips.

“Snow,” she whispered.

“Great,” Adrien answered quietly. He lightly pulled Marinette’s scarf; she looked over at him questioning. He leaned forward and pressed his mouth on hers. She gladly kissed him back, the giddy feelings still sprouting in the pit of her stomach like it was the first time.

When he pulled away, Adrien grinned, “I’ve always wanted to kiss you in the snow.”

Marinette gasped. Thick snowflakes rested on his eyelashes and in his hair, his nose was pink from the cold, and he sent her the most dazzling smile.

“You…” Marinette tried to formulate any kind of sentence, but nothing could spill out, her face was completely flushed.

He leaned forward and nudged her nose with his before kissing her again, wrapping his arms around her tightly. He would never let her go.

Everything was going to be okay. This is where they belonged, together in this city, their home. They loved each other for who they were, though it took some time for them to get there, they were glad they were able to reach each other.

Adrien pulled away, breathlessly. He stared down at Marinette.

“Thank you for all this,” she gave him the sweetest smile.

He shrugged, “It was no problem.”

---

The snow that fell that night did not last very long, already melting away the following morning, but the weather stayed chilly nonetheless. Unfortunately, Adrien had gotten sick that morning; the combination of the cold air and his stress finally diminishing all caught up to him. He was stuck at home, sneezing.

Marinette had gone to his place to take care of him; both she and Plagg gave him a good scolding, Tikki having to intervene to allow Adrien to rest properly.

Adrien hadn’t left his house in a week now, and insisted on coming over.

She heard a knock on her window. She smiled to herself before closing her sketch book and opened the glass carefully. There was her boyfriend, perched on his silver staff, covered in his leather suit, his piercing green eyes staring at her in the darkness. Marinette’s smile formed into a deep grin and pulled Chat Noir by his bell for a kiss.

“Someone is happy to see me,” He smirked. She rolled her eyes, despite the eagerness written all over her features, before backing away to let him climb into the room. They closed the window, and Chat Noir’s body relaxed into the warmth of the area.

He wrapped his arms around Marinette, pulled her close to him. She snuggled into his touch, leaning up to kiss his jaw.

“What are you up to?” He asked sitting on the side of her bed, pulling her down next to him.

“I was just designing stuff,” she nonchalantly waved in the direction of her sketch book. She was actually preparing his Christmas gift but she obviously couldn’t tell him that.

“Wow, my talented girlfriend…” He nuzzled his nose into her neck and pulled her into his lap.

She giggled, “Keep it down,” her voice dropped to a whisper.

“Fine, we won’t talk then,” He murmured, his lips keeping busy on her exposed skin.

Marinette hummed in response, her hands snaking up the side of his toned arms.

She softly pulled his face towards hers. Her hands rested on his cheeks, his green eyes stared deeply into hers the mask contrasting against his warm skin, his mouth slightly apart.

He didn’t say anything; he didn’t need to, but she wanted to hear him say it.

“I love you,” She whispered.

“I love you too,” He watched the corner of her lips turn up, pink dusting under her freckles.

“I wish we could stay like this forever,” Marinette’s lips grazed over his.

“I promise, we will,” Adrien’s gloved hands rubbed circles on her thighs.

And that was a promise they were sure to keep for life.

[cthonicathenean]

Top 25+ Recipes to Cook This Month

Welcome to April, a month that is constantly crossed with logical inconsistencies, yet never more so than this year. It for the most part blows in nippy, however with the guarantee of sun, daffodils, and open ranchers markets. This year my neighborhood is in blossom, however shockingly peaceful, as we keep to our homes and hold up out the covid-19 emergency. What is there to do however cook? I think nearly everybody I know is heating brutally, yet in addition getting somewhat fatigued of isolate cooking.

Soba Noodle Broth Bowl

So how about we start crisp today, with 30 plans to involve your hands and kitchen this month. From spring moderate cooker chicken to pasta with a pile of greens, and breakfast deviled eggs to the best potato serving of mixed greens for spring, here are 30 thoughts and plans to assist you with anticipating cooking in the midst of the peculiarity of now.

All of these thoughts is expansive(- ish) with a couple of explicit plans as alternatives, contingent upon what you have and how you're supplied at this moment.

Plans for a Holiday at Home

April is a month of both fasting and devouring, as three of the world's incredible strict conventions hold consecrated festivals. Passover, Easter, and the principal seven day stretch of Ramadan all fall in April. Clearly none of us will celebrate with loved ones this year, yet even more motivation to stick to the flavor of customs and make the nourishment we love. So we should commence with some motivation for these special seasons you might be watching.

Kitchn Cooking School is in meeting! Join whenever to get 20 exercises every day to help you on the excursion of turning into the cook you've for the longest time been itching to be. Everything begins the Monday after you join, so be watching out for your first exercise!

Step by step instructions to Make Honey-Glazed Ham in the Slow Cooker

An entire ham!

Truly regardless of whether it's simply you, or you two, or a little group of four. An exemplary nectar heated Easter ham is an extraordinary thing to get this April (here's our manual for purchasing ham). Coating it, heat it, and afterward slash up all that meat you don't eat for capacity in the cooler. Bundle into holders or sacks with only enough for breakfast dishes, pan-sears, and other future cooking.

The most effective method to Make Honey-Glazed Ham in the Slow Cooker

The most effective method to Bake a Honey-azed Ham

5 Easy, 3-Ingredient Glazes for Easter Ham

Sweet Braided Czech Bread with Almonds and Raisins

A rich, expound bread venture

On the off chance that you haven't saw, everybody is by all accounts heating at the present time. Regardless of whether you float towards the moderate development of sourdough bread or the speedier delight of no-manipulate bread, this is the month to truly put it all on the line. Easter has a terrific convention of twisted, excellent breads, as well; I will make a tremendous Czech-style houska for my little family one week from now.

Sweet Braided Czech Bread with Almonds and Raisins

The most effective method to Make Challah Bread

The most effective method to Make Brioche

Exemplary Easter Cake with Coconut and Jelly Beans

An incredible Easter cake

Regardless of how you observe Easter, it's an incredible reason to prepare a cake. Meghan our Associate Food Editor says. "We will be proceeding with the custom of preparing our yearly rabbit cake for Easter this year." You can go all cushy and adorable with a retro exemplary light, fluffy cake, or tasteful with our most idiot proof bundt cake.

Exemplary Easter Cake with Coconut and Jelly Beans

The most effective method to Make the Very Best Foolproof Bundt Cake

Gluten-Free Sticky Lemon Cake

Matzo ball soup (for Passover and past!)

Not only for Passover! Matzo ball soup ought to be on your hit list these early, nippy long periods of April. A definitive solace nourishment, and one that utilizes every one of your pieces and bits to make juices. On the off chance that you need to step up, Leah Koenig's shallot-shiitake matzo balls are one of my preferred things I've at any point tried for the site.

Vegan Matzo Ball Soup

Chicken Soup with Shallot-Shiitake Matzo Balls

Slow Cooker Brisket and Onions

Brisket (go with the moderate cooker)

See, I realize you may as of now have a brisket formula revered in family custom. Provided that this is true, disregard me. Be that as it may, for anybody all alone with brisket this year, may I recommend this moderate cooker formula, one of my untouched top picks (swap genuine for Passover tamari for the soy sauce).

Slow Cooker Brisket and Onions

Delicate, Melt-in-Your-Mouth Instant Pot Brisket

Medjool Date and Apple Charoset

Charoset, to improve

This nut and natural product blend is a basic piece of the Seder plate, yet in addition a succulent and splendid taste of Passover to the individuals who celebrate. Make a twofold bunch and, on the off chance that you need to get wild, go Ben and Jerry's and make dessert with it.

Apple Walnut Charoset

Medjool Date and Apple Charoset

Charoset Ice Cream

Step by step instructions to Make Creamy, Crunchy Matzo Brei

Matzo brei for breakfast

A definitive solace breakfast nourishment for the morning after Passover Seder and all through Passover.

Matzo Brei with Bananas and Pecans

Step by step instructions to Make Creamy, Crunchy Matzo Brei

Moment Pot Kacchi Lamb Dum Biryani

Biryani for breaking the quick

Ramadan begins the night of April 23 and in numerous societies, biryani is a customary dish for breaking the quick. By and by I would take any reason to eat biryani and I particularly suggest right now Pot sheep adaptation from Urvashi Pitre.

Moment Pot Kacchi Lamb Dum Biryani

Slow-Cooker Chicken and Rice Biryani

Vegetable Biryani Rice

Down to earth Dinners (But Make Them Spring)

While I intend to eat off my vacation ventures for at any rate a week (and my Easter candy for seven days after that!) April is likewise an opportunity to revive our formula records. Here are down to earth yet at the same time crisp thoughts, that break with winter's soups and bean stews yet fit in your extra-bustling haven at-home life.

Slow Cooker Spinach and Artichoke Chicken

Spring chicken (in the moderate cooker!)

Kelli, our Associate Food Editor, cherishes this moderate cooker chicken. "This moderate cooker chicken is my outright most loved supper at the present time. I mean simply take a gander at it, between the artichokes, lemon, spinach, and white wine, it shouts spring. The formula calls for boneless chicken bosoms, however I typically swap in boneless thighs."

Slow Cooker Spinach and Artichoke Chicken

Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken

Slow Cooker Chicken Piccata

Soup, made rich with an egg

Spring soups need to take a break from overwhelming winter bean stews and I love spring soups improved with eggs rather than a great deal of meat. Lauren Masur our Staff Writer particularly cherishes Greek-style egg and lemon soup: "This is my preferred soup ever when I'm feeling debilitated," she says.

Instructions to Make Greek Egg and Lemon Soup (Avgolemono)

Soba Noodle Broth Bowl with Miso-Butter Mushrooms

Gingery Poached Egg Soup

Smoky Roasted Vegetable Hummus Bowl

Hummus as a supper

Only an update: hummus can be the base of an awesome supper. It's not only a plunge, not only an a hors d'oeuvre. Heap simmered vegetables and a smidgen of extra meat or cheddar on a bowl of hummus and ta-da — an exquisite, fulfilling supper. (Here are five all the more smart thoughts as well.)

Smoky Roasted Vegetable Hummus Bowl

Mediterranean Hummus Bowl with Chickpeas and Soft-Boiled Egg

Broker Joe's Shawarma Chicken Hummus Bowls

Lemon Braised Chicken and Beans with Mint Pesto

Dried beans, spruced up

There's been such a sudden spike in demand for beans during this across the country shutdown; odds are acceptable you have some in your wash room as well and might be becoming somewhat ill of them. However, don't abandon beans; they can change perfectly to spring. I love this lemon and mint number, to begin.

Lemon Braised Chicken and Beans with Mint Pesto

Green Pea and Chickpea Falafel

Slow-Cooker White Beans in Parmesan Broth

Fresh Pan-Fried Beans with Wilted Greens

Bacon and Egg Fried Rice

Singed rice, livened up with your extras

Singed rice is a fantastic method to go through small amounts of extras; far beyond the aggregate of its parts. Bacon and Egg Fried Rice

Singed Rice with Thai Basil and Tofu

Step by step instructions to Make the Best Chicken Fried Rice Without a Wok

Simple Sheet Pan Chili Garlic Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli

Spring sheet skillet suppers

Sheet skillet suppers get a spring makeover with these three, one a fiery and garlicky shrimp and broccoli circumstance that Sheela says is as yet the most loved in her home. Or on the other hand attempt a salmon supper or this game-changing approach to cook gnocchi.

Simple Sheet Pan Chili Garlic Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli

Firm Sheet Pan Gnocchi and Veggies

Sheet Pan Crispy Salmon and Potatoes

Prepared Risotto with Peas, Asparagus and Pancetta

Prepared risotto (hands-off, all solace)

Risotto is a go-to dinner for us all year yet the effortlessness and solace of prepared risotto is actually what I need at this moment. These three truly feel directly for spring.

Prepared Risotto with Peas, Asparagus and Pancetta

The most effective method to Make Easy Oven-Baked Risotto

Prepared Mushroom Risotto with Caramelized Onions

Simple Lemon Bundt Cake with Fresh Lemon Glaze

Sweet Treats

You've heated banana bread, chocolate chip treats, and an excessive number of dish of brownies. Time to switch things up! Start with the no-prepare stuff at that point gradually work once again into pies.

Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats

Rice Krispies treats (however extravagant)

On the off chance that this preparing flood conveys into April allows all guarantee to take a brief break and do a no-heat spell with these MOST astounding darker spread Rice Krispies treats.

Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats

Red Velvet Rice Krispies Treats

Treats and Cream Ric

[greatdaysoutuk]

Where must you experience with your dog in the North East?

Northumberland is home to some must visit spots for dog-lovers, and we have collated a short list of cafes, restaurants and listed manor houses to relax and enjoy some quality time with loved ones and furry friends, for the perfect staycation or days out.

The North East also has a lot to offer in terms of nature, and the region has an award-winning array of natural landscapes which celebrate this…

Hog’s Head Inn

If you’re looking for a dog friendly hotel in Alnwick, this traditional spot was recently a silver award winner in the North East England Tourism Awards.

Both the pub and restaurant of this hotel is appropriately named after Hogsmeade from Harry Potter. It is the perfect place to reside whilst you explore everything the town has to offer, including the nearby Alnwick Castle Gardens or the town square. With 53 spacious en-suite bedrooms couples, families and well- behaved pooches to explore England’s most northern National Park.

The Kingslodge Inn

This spot has a really rustic cottage feel to it, complete with foliage decorating the exterior walls. This Durham bed and breakfast is still very much within the confines of the flaneur-esque sleepy streets of the city centre with plenty of Durham restaurants and pubs to enjoy.

The semi-concealed retreat allows dogs and their owners to saunter back and enjoy a night’s rest after a day of exploring the nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site of Durham Cathedral and Castle. Serving up homely but restaurant standard pub grub, with an impressive selection of local ales and wines for the connoisseurs out there.

Beamish

Beamish offers a unique historical experience and it is a firm favourite with North East natives, plus it is the perfect place to discover how life was before we all relied on mobile phones! You and your dog can stroll through one of Britain’s most visited open “living museums”, finding out about the rich history of the area and its surroundings. A fictional yet functioning town, with a pub, sweet shop and bakery amongst others, visitors and their pets can experience first-hand what life was like in the North East over a hundred years ago.

The Tyne Bar

This quayside pub is a focal point on the Ouseburn valley and it has been since it opened in the 90’s, revolutionising the cultural atmosphere of the area. With an impressive selection of beers, local ales and spirits, it’s a great place to sit amongst the laid-back atmosphere and watch the sunset over the river with their free live music events on a Friday blasting out from under the bridge.

Seaton Lane Inn

This spot makes a perfect base for exploring County Durham and Seaham, nestled a short distance away from Lord Byron’s Walk and only five minutes in a car from the coast. It boasts some seriously impressive food credentials, including the Inn’s famous Sunday dinners which can be enjoyed in their recently refurbished quirky, bohemian interior. It’s known as one of the best places to eat in Seaham!

Wylam Brewery

There is a lot of hype surrounding Wylam Brewery, home to a range of interesting ales and a variety of events such as ‘Battle of the Burger’ and ‘Celebration of Disco’. Don’t let its name put you off – it isn’t the loud, pungent brewery you’re probably thinking of. The eye-catching dome-topped Grand Hall lets streams of natural light shine down onto the many ale taps Wylam is locally known for, such as the infamous Jakehead IPA. Your dog will enjoy the vast grounds, and you can take your pick from numerous street food vans parked up on the grounds.

The Battlesteads

This building was originally a farmstead, and it has been around or centuries., it was recently converted into a Northumbrian Inn, with a secret garden and conservatory for the sunnier months. Flying the flag for the greenest hotel in Northumberland, being the first hotel to install a carbon neutral heating system. Nestled in the sleepy village of Wark, this is a great location to explore the surrounding Hadrian’s Wall area.

Riley’s fish shack

This venue has really soared in both popularity and quality in recent years, and Riley’s Fish Shack is a must-visit if you want to sample some street-food inspired fish dishes. The shack is busy all year round, even in winter, with the help of blankets and heaters, with a canopy sheltering from the rain. As soon as you venture down the steps from the main road, the mouth-watering smell of seared sea food grilled in the wood-fire oven will entice you in.

Eshott Hall

Northumberland won UK Holiday Destination of the Year in 2017, and rightly so: since then, more tourists have spent time uncovering its underrated natural beauty. Eshott Hall fits neatly within the themes of nature and heritage, concealed behind trees and claimed by ivy. The manor house has maintained its Grade II Listed status with its professionalism and grandeur hospitality, where dog owners can bring along their furry loved ones to meander the grounds.

Barter Books

Book worms rejoice! A roaring fire in the winter, a homely café churning out all the seasonal goods from paninis to the nations favourite sausage and mash, as well as a perpetual pot of coffee brewing in the foyer. Dog’s can wander freely between the aisles curiously sniffing the pungent aromas from the first editions of the 19th century onwards, whilst their owners debate which of Hemingway’s poems was his best.

The Salt House Kitchen

The Salt House Kitchen is a reflective mirror of the beach it sits opposite, and its namesake is inspired by the area’s rich history. The beach that it overlooks is where locals used to extract salt from the sea water and dissolve it in salt kitchens. Its canine enthusiasm is so prominent that they’ve even conjured up a menu just for dogs, so their pleading eyes and whimpers will not be in vain. Their outdoor area is designated solely for dogs, so best to bring a jacket in the colder months, as the open sea air can get quite nippy!

The Commissioners Quay Inn

You simply can’t miss this building, the Commissioners Quay Inn is the centerpiece of Blyth’s historic quayside functions as an impressive pub, restaurant and bed and breakfast that sits snugly on Blyth’s historic quay area. With beautiful views of the marina and out towards the sea, you can wake up to the sound of the morning waves from your own personal balcony. If you’re looking to explore the town of Blyth, the Inn allows easy access to all local shops and pubs, despite itself being on the edge of the town’s perimeter.

[paigenotblank]

A Tongue Tied Trip to the Shops

Pairing: Eleven x Rose (Human AU); Human!Eleven

Rating: light Teen

Written for @doctorroseprompts 31 Days of Ficmas (prompt: shopping); inspired by a scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

AO3   TS

John Smith, or ‘the Doctor’ to his friends, glanced around Henrik’s department store floor for his cousin, Amy. She was late, as usual. He rolled his eyes and bent over to look in the glass case in front of him. He blushed when he realised he was standing in the women’s lingerie department. How did that happen?

“Can I show you something?”

The Doctor startled at the husky voice and looked up from the lace knickers and suspenders he’d been eyeing to find a gorgeous salesgirl - near his age, blonde, with whiskey-colored eyes and pink plump lips. He felt his mouth open, but he couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Sir?” He watched her teeth as they bit down on her lower lip. He dragged his eyes back up to her own wide ones. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it.

Her lips quirked. She really did have a beautiful smile.

“Sorry! I...I was just leering- Looking. I mean blousing- Browsing!” His eyes dropped to her blouse and noticed her name tag. Rose. It was a lovely name. And Rose had the top two buttons of her shirt undone. He could see a hint of pink lace from her bra. Was he staring? He felt like he was staring. Once again he dragged his gaze upward and met her amused eyes.

She smirked. “For your girlfriend?”

Girlfriend? She was saying words, but he didn’t understand them. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Wife?”

He shook his head.

“I hope your not shopping for your mum then.” Her eyes dropped to the lingerie he’d been examining. “Or your boyfriend.”

“No!”

Her smile widened and she poked her tongue out of one side.

His brain short circuited at the first sight of the pink organ. “What? What happened?”

Rose giggled.

The Doctor stood up straight and started flapping the lapels of his coat. “I guess it wouldn’t be any...wouldn’t be the Christmas shopping season if stores were less hooter- Hotter! Hotter than they are. Ooh. Is it warm in here? Why do I feel so warm?”

“You do have your coat still on.”

The Doctor nodded. “Yes.” He looked down and frowned. “Oh, do I? How did that happen?”

“Probably because it’s cold outside?”

“Right. Yes. Yes, it is! It’s a bit nipply out. I mean nippy. Did I say nipple? Oh my god, why can I not stop talking?”

Rose raised a hand over her mouth to hide her mirth.

It was like his brain and his mouth weren’t connected. He just couldn’t stop the words from pouring out of his mouth. “There is a nip in the air though.” The Doctor was blushing brightly by this point and he dropped his head to his hands.

Rose took pity on the adorable young man. He had a gob on him, but seemed otherwise harmless and he was cute. “Is there anything you’d like to see?”

“You.”

Rose blushed and squeaked, “What?”

“Oh, not...not in the sense that you think I said. Not right now, I mean I can see you right now. I have two working eyes. But I wasn’t talking about ogling your person. I’m not a creeper. I don’t think? Although I did ogle you a bit earlier. Sorry. I’m so sorry. I can see why you don’t want to go on a date with me.”

“A date?”

“Right. I never actually asked did I? Can I see you sometime? Outside of your job? Just the two of us. You know, like a date?”

The Doctor was ringing his hands while Rose considered him.

“What’s your name?”

“John. John Smith, but most people call me ‘Doctor.’”

“Doctor? Are you a Doctor?”

He shook his head. “I could take you for chips,” he blurted. “Do you like chips? I like chips. Fried bits of potato. What’s not to like?”

Her lips twitched. “I like chips.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. And I’d really like to know why people call you ‘Doctor.’ I’m Rose, by the way. Rose Tyler.”

She stuck her hand over the display for him to shake. He smiled and a bit of hair flopped over his eye.

“Nice to meet you, Rose Tyler.”

She noticed her manager, Cassandra, watching the exchange with narrowed eyes. “Can you pretend to be shopping? My manager’s watching.”

He leaned against the glass case and pointed at the first thing he saw. “What do these do? Do they clip on here? Down there?”

She nodded. “Would you like to see this one?”

“Sure.”

As Rose pulled out the racey undergarments, Cassandra turned and walked away.

Rose let out a deep breath and her customer service smile turned mischievous. “They’re cut really high on the hip. Look, I’m wearing something similar.” She raised her skirt up her leg. “See? You can’t see the line.”

“You can’t see the line.” The Doctor was aware of someone coming to stand next to him. He recognized his cousin’s husband out of the corner of his eye. “Can you, Rory?”

A hand clapped him on the shoulder. “Nope. No line.”

Rose dropped the hem of her skirt as the Doctor turned to his friend. “Rory!” A tall, redhead tapped him on the other shoulder and he spun around. “Amy! What’re you guys doing here?”

Amy rolled her eyes. “We’re meeting you, you moron.”

“Oh, right! Erm. Can you give me a mo’?”

Amy leaned over the display case toward Rose. “This idiot’s not bothering you, is he?”

“Amy!”

“No. He’s fine.”

The Doctor pushed Amy toward Rory who at least had his back and offered to take Amy to look at shoes.

He turned to Rose and pushed his hair back. “Sorry. That was my cousin, Amy. She’s…”

“Yeah.”

“So…”

Rose took the Doctor’s hand and ran her fingers along his until it was spread it open. She grinned a tongue touched smile and grabbed a marker to jot down her number. “This way you can’t lose it. I’m free tomorrow.”

“Brilliant!”

Rose leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before pushing him toward his cousin and her husband. “See ya tomorrow, Doctor.”

[restorepipesystem]

How to Prepare Your Plumbing for Fall

WE CAN FEEL THE AIR TURNING NIPPY, THE LEAVES ARE STARTING TO CHANGE COLORS, AND EVERY ONE OF THE STORES HAVE DECORATIONS OUT FOR ALL THE APPROACHING HOLIDAYS. THIS WILL ONLY MEAN ONE THING, FALL IS COMING. BUT BEFORE YOU PULL OUT YOUR SCARVES, PREPARE FOR HALLOWEEN, OR PULL OUT THE NUTMEG, IT'S IMPORTANT TO FORM SURE YOUR PLUMBING IS AS READY FOR AUTUMN AS YOU ARE!

Here are some tips to form this fall the foremost comfortable for you and your home:

Insulate Your Pipes

Just like you're taking the time to bundle your family up for the cold, you should do an equivalent for your pipes. A frozen pipe can happen overnight and cause thousands of dollars of injury to your home. Installing pipe insulation is that the best thanks to keep your pipes warm and avoid a plumbing emergency.

Inspect your hot-water heater

There’s nothing better within the fall and winter than coming home after a long day and taking a pleasant, hot relaxing bath. To enjoy such simple pleasures, your hot-water heater will be got to be fully operational.

Your hot-water heater may have some extra TLC within the winter to permit it to produce the right amount of predicament your home needs. Before the weather gets too cold, inspect your hot-water heater for signs of wear and tear and tear or degradation. Rust, water puddles, and scaling are all symptoms that your system is failing the water heater must be inspected professionally.

To prevent your unit from exploding, make certain to pay close attention to your unit’s pressure safety valve. Additionally, your unit should be flushed once annually to get rid of any unwanted sediment that would have piled up, so if you haven’t made a meeting yet, you'll want to know!

Turn Off Outdoor Plumbing

Close the hoses and turn off the sprinklers! Outdoor plumbing can be extremely helpful during the summer months, but it's little-to-no use during the autumn and winter. If a hose is left attached to an outside faucet, water can freeze within the pipe and cause tons of injury. You may want to see leaking hose bibs to organize yourself for the subsequent season and prevent wasting any water.

If you've got pipes outside your home, confirm to hide them with heat tape to assist them to work more effectively and stop your pipes from freezing.

Fix Any Leaks

During the summer months, we just want to spend the maximum amount of time outside playing and enjoying the nice and cozy weather.

Don’t Forget Your suction pump

If you’ve never had a drag with it, you'll be wondering what your suction pump even is and where it’s located. A suction pump eliminates water that has pooled, and it's what keeps your cellar from flooding during heavy rainfall. Check your suction pump and therefore the pit where it’s located to form sure it’s operating correctly. This will help avoid any flooding brought on within the fall or winter.

You can make sure that your suction pump is obvious and free from debris by inspecting its discharge line. If you’re noticing a drag with the road, be sure to call a plumber as soon as you'll to repair or replace it.

Check Your Fixtures

While you're checking your home for any possible plumbing problems, it’s best to offer your fixtures a once-over. Plumbing fixtures, like faucets and drains, can become clogged, causing water to copy. Make sure the traps in your sink aren't corroded or deteriorated, your washer hoses are in good functioning order, and your toilet is operating normally.

NOTE THAT IF YOU THINK YOUR FAUCET NEEDS REPAIR, RARELY DOES THE WHOLE FIXTURE NEED REPLACING. HERE ARE SOME SIGNS THAT A FULL REPLACEMENT COULD ALSO BE NECESSARY:

I. You discover obvious cracks in valve bodies.

II. Significant decline in older fixtures has led to repeated and unpreventable leaks.

III. You deal with ordinary issues with water stream and tension.

IV. The faucet pours out funky-smelling water—though this might be deeper.

V. internal issue.

In any case, if you have any plumbing emergency or just need to check your sewer system in Logan (UT), contact Restore Pipe Systems!

[campingswags]

The Camping Swag Versus the Sleeping Bag, Which Is Better for Your Camping Trip

Camping gets better when you have the right kind of gear with you. And since there is a huge range of accessories available, it could be quite confusing to choose the appropriate thing.

But that’s when Camping Swags comes into the picture. We solve the problems of seasoned as well as inexperienced campers with products that are crafted to perfection. We don’t just make camping easier, we make this activity feasible and joyful for everyone.

What should you choose, Camping Swag or Sleeping Bag?

The first and foremost thing that you need to think about in camping is your ‘night stay’. As hinted above, we will discuss the differentiation between camping swag and sleeping bags. So let’s hash out the pros and cons for both of them in detail.

Sleeping Bag

It’s a highly useful accessory for every camper and is especially very useful in the winter season or in places where nights are nippy. It covers your entire body while keeping your clothes and skin protected from harsh surfaces. In case you are staying in rocky or scruffy terrain, then it is a really big help.

While tents remain a nostrum for all the problems you face in camping, sleeping bags take the level of comfort a level above. These lightweight accessories are very useful when you frequently go to places different places. They are also very useful for people who are travelling on a shoestring budget.  

Pros:-

It’s highly portable and consumes very little space in your bag.

It’s multipurpose too, you can wear it when sleeping in public places

It rules out any chances of theft of your personal belongings since all your pockets get thoroughly covered.

Cons:-

It is made for individuals so if you’re camping in a group, each person has to get one of their own.

If you’re sleeping in open, you’re are not protected from rains, storms, animals, and insects.

Camping Swags

Now here’s a product that combines two different camping solutions. Camping Swap is a unique product that blends tents and sleeping bags. These are small yet spacious structures that can accommodate individual or multiple people based on its size.

Furnished with high-quality material and smart features, camping swags offer much more portability than tents. They give you total protection against rains and other inclement weather while occupying lesser space and being very easy to install anywhere.

As the name makes itself quite clear, Camping Swags are made to bring more ease and style to your camping. These mini tents are not just more adaptable, they are built to give you exceptional results in terms of comfort while occupying very little space.

They are bigger and more inclusive than sleeping tents while being smaller and more hassle-free than tents. This ingenious solution makes your wildlife easier than ever. It has been engineered to take lesser time to set up, lesser hassles to deal with and lesser space too.  

Pros:

Highly portable and easy to set up.

Easy to set up and occupies very little space.

Gives a safe and ergonomic setup for sleep.

Usually contains inclusions like carrying bag, mattress, assembly kit, etc.

Cons:

If you’re planning to camp with more people, then large-sized tents should be your choice.

Want to make your camping a memorable experience? Talk to us!

[wave-grease]

Best Electric Shaver Affordable

Electric Shaver Affordable

Electric shavers are regularly connected with a high forthright expense. Also, that is valid on account of most top of the line, highlight pressed models.

Another significant viewpoint that is additionally regularly dismissed is the cost of the substitution foils and edges. Generally the more mind boggling and progressed a shaver is, the higher the expense of the new parts will be.

These things can make a thrifty purchaser avoid electric shavers through and through. best electric shaver affordable

Furthermore, all things considered — no one needs to spend a huge load of money on something when there are less expensive options free.

Fortunately, there are a few economical electric razors also that offer brilliant execution and do as such at a sensible cost.

Panasonic Arc 3 ES8103S

The Arc 3 models from Panasonic are as I would like to think the absolute best spending electric shavers as they truly offer phenomenal execution at the cost.

In case you're keen on getting an exceptionally close and quick shave, I don't figure you can track down a superior choice for a similar cash.

There are many models in the Arc 3 line, yet the more seasoned ES8103S is generally the best pick because of its lower cost.

The Arc 3 ES8103S is fitted with a nippy 13 000 CPM (cycles each moment) straight drive engine, just somewhat less amazing than the reach beating Arc 5 models from Panasonic that accompany 14 000 CPM units.

Braun Series 3 ProSkin 3000s

While the Arc 3 models are especially acceptable at giving close shaves, the Series 3 are more agreeable and really sympathetic, particularly during a dry shave.This makes the Braun Series 3 a superior choice in the event that you have touchy skin.

They are likewise better at catching those more drawn out, level lying hairs contrasted with an Arc 3, despite the fact that not close to the same as the further developed Braun models.The current Series 3 age incorporates a few varieties, appropriate for wet/dry and dry just operation.Some of them even accompany a programmed cleaning and charging station, similar to the Series 3 3050cc or 3090cc, however those are a bit expensive and we're basically keen on the reasonable ones.

Braun Series 3 ProSkin 3040s

The previously mentioned 3040s from a similar Series 3 ProSkin line actually is a strong pick.

Its fundamental benefits over the 3000s are the incorporated hair trimmer and the capacity to be utilized in the shower or with shaving cream/gel.

The wet/dry activity likewise implies that it won't work with the rope connected.

On the off chance that that is not a major issue for you and you would prefer to have the slide-out trimmer and wet/dry activity, it's very a strong choice.

All the other things with respect to the shaving execution is indistinguishable from the 3000s introduced previously.

Value savvy, it's imperceptibly more costly than the 3000s and it utilizes similar 32b tapes, so the expenses of proprietorship will likewise be low.

Braun Series 5 5018s

In mid 2020, Braun delivered three new lines of shavers (at first just in the USA and Canada).

Luckily, they are presently additionally accessible in Europe and different pieces of the world.

Among those recently delivered models, there's another Series 5 too which is likewise the most sensibly evaluated of the 3.

While it's a finished takeoff from the current Series 5 shavers, the new models are much less expensive and offer nice execution.

No, they're not as great as the old Series 5 like the 5190cc or 5145s, however for the cash, they're certainly sufficient.

The Series 5 5018s is the most reasonable model and the one I would really suggest (in Europe, the model name is Series 5 50-B1200s).