#all kinds of bugs contaminating his kitchen

[rollthewhatever]

thinking too much about Kremy utilizing Gideon's fire in various domestic ways

coffee warming, ironing, caramelizing sugar, roasting marshmellow, rising dough, basically everything microwave can do, burning his arch enemy to death,

[therizino-ao3]

mcyt valentines 2024: The Big Eyes Bug

gift for @raccoontho @mcyt-valentines

contains: body horror, zombie apocalypse, bugs, worms, eye injury, mind control, parasites, minor character death, imprisonment, character being handcuffed/chained, misgendering (not in a trans way, in a not believing a zombie is a person way and using it/its)

word count: 5430

summary: Zedaph loves worms. Now, if only they loved him back.

-

Zedaph would like to say that he was right all along to everyone who had ever doubted him. His mother, his father, his entire small village, his college roommate, all his extended family, and that one guy that made fun of him that one time. Unfortunately, he can’t say that, because in the ensuing apocalypse which PROVED he was right to study helminthology, they all died. But, he can think about it in his head, and imagine the annoyed faces they would make instead of imagining their disfigured bodies, and it makes him feel better.

He is somewhat worried about his food supply. So far, hiding in a high school cafeteria has been pretty lucrative, but after spending a week moping about in one, you begin to run out of crisp packets and mini brownies and satsumas. It’s a pretty safe area, every door thick and lockable, not to mention that the entire site is empty – what kid could be bothered to go to school in these conditions? It’s a far cry from supermarkets, he’ll say. Every single supermarket Zedaph has seen so far has not only been thoroughly looted of anything useful but also littered with bodies and guts. There’s no doubt everything in there is contaminated with eggs. Overall, even though it is a bit weird for a random adult man to be hiding in a school, it’s working out.

He hears footsteps. Maybe it isn’t working out, then.

He tries not to panic. This isn’t the first time a zombie has come by here. Well, calling them zombies feels a bit weird, since they’re still alive, but thinking about the fact they’re still conscious as something controls their brain and mutilates their body is worse - plus “zombie” sounds cooler than “fluke host”. So, zombie it is. Anyways, sometimes some stray zombies wander past the school, but none have attempted to break in and chances are they’re all sacrificial hosts. He just needs to stay quiet, so they don’t alert the shepherds. It’ll be fine.

The footsteps aren’t the regular, lumbering kind though. They vary in pace and have an air of confidence to them, so the person they belong to definitely has fine motor control. That’s bad. That means either a shepherd or a survivor. He isn’t sure which is better. Logically, the survivor would be, but in zombie apocalypse movies, aren’t the other survivors usually evil? He hasn’t even watched any movies like that, so he’s just guessing from what he’s heard, but they might try to eat him or steal his supplies or… something. At least a shepherd is predictable, a survivor could do anything.

Something crashes outside, Zedaph wonders if they’re trying the doors. He gulps. Well, if they come in here, whoever they are, he’ll fight him! He’s got big scary horns for a reason! And he isn’t afraid to use them!

He hears some doors being swung loudly on their hinges, sounding far too close for comfort. The fight instantly leaves him and he starts to think about escape. Part of the reason he chose the cafeteria was due to the exit options. One door leading to some classrooms, one door leading to a courtyard area, and one door in the kitchen leading to the outside. The last one is his only real choice, considering the noise is coming from the classrooms and he’ll get caught easily in the courtyard. He hates the idea of going outside, exposed to the sky, but it’s not like he can do anything else.

And just as he’s finished making up his mind, he realises that the person has already forced his way into the room, past Zedaph’s rudimentary barrier of plastic chairs. He’s a guardian, short with a fluffy beard, kitted out with a heavy rucksack and a belt adorned with tools. A respiratory mask hangs around his neck.

“Uh,” says the guy. He doesn’t have any visible broodsacs, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s uninfected.

“Uhhhh,” says Zedaph, standing like a deer in headlights.

“Are you-”

“Please don’t kill me!” he interrupts, voice going high with hysteria.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” the man says, looking a bit amused. He takes a few steps forward. “From that reaction, I am guessing you’re uninfected?”

“Yep, totally free of parasites, me,” Zedaph says, giggling nervously.

“Righhht. I am so sorry, by the way, I didn’t know there was anyone here. You’re doing a really good job at hiding, I totally thought this place was abandoned,” the man holds out his hand, “I’m xB.”

Zedaph shakes xB’s hand – he thinks he’s supposed to shake his hand? He hopes xB didn’t want to hold hands instead because that would be awkward. xB looks at him, as if waiting for something. Oh right, he’s waiting for an introduction, “I’m Zedaph, nice to meet you!”

“Well, mister Zedaph,” xB pulls his hand back, “it is nice to meet you too! I haven’t met many others. I’m alright to chat for a little bit, but this has kinda been a bit of a stop in my plans. Do you mind if I grab some food while I’m here?”

Zedaph turns to where xB is looking – the kitchen – before turning back, “Um, yeah, grab as much as you want. Sorry for interrupting your… plans.”

“Don’t be sorry, it’s not your fault for being here, it just means I’m gonna have to find somewhere else to base for the next few nights,” xB wanders over, rooting through Zedaph’s food supplies as they talk. Zedaph follows. Maybe it was a bad idea letting xB take some of his precious food, but he wasn’t just going to tell xB to starve.

“You can stay here, I won’t mind,” Zedaph says whilst xB stuffs one of his six trouser pockets with raisin packets.

“No, no, it’s… there’s gonna be a lot less food here than I imagined and, to be honest, I prefer being alone,” Zedaph isn’t sure what to say to that (or what to say to anything in general, actually. He hasn’t talked to people in months). xB starts again, “So! What was your job before all this? I was a security guard.”

“Security guard! Like at a museum?”

“Something like that.”

“Well, I was, and I like to think still am, a parasitologist.”

xB giggles, “A what?”

“Parasitologist! Helminthologist, specifically. I study parasitic worms. Truthfully, I’ve been obsessed with worms ever since I was little. Just couldn’t get enough of them. Worm man, the kids used to call me.”

xB is alert now, straightening up, “Wait. Parasitic worms, like, the ones out there?”

“Well, a lot more than just the big zombie ones, but yes.”

“So, for the ‘big zombie ones’, you could tell me all about how they work and how to stop them?”

“Basically!” Zedaph says, spurred on by someone finally being interested in his research, “It’s somewhat hard because this isn’t a species we ever knew about before – I imagine they went extinct in the wild sometime in the last Ice Age, but some eggs were frozen and, well, off-topic, anyway! The point is, even though this is a species new to science, they share a lot of similarities to other helminths, such as ones in the Leucochloridium genus. I have also been doing a lot of observing and taking notes - and though it would help to be able to properly dissect and analyse specimens - I have some theories on their life cycles and mechanisms.”

“Right,” says xB with bright eyes, “Y’know, I might have just had a change of plans.”

“You’re staying?”

“For the night. Anyways, can you continue on? I want you to explain why some of the infected are smart zombies and some are normal zombies, please,” xB has forgotten about the food, pulling up a stool to sit on.

“Of course, of course,” Zedaph grins, “So, the worm at this stage has one goal: get eaten by a dragon. This is because the dragon’s belly is where the worm reproduces and the microscopic eggs get spread by the dragon poop and pee and tears and breath and all the other gross stuff. When the parasite gets into your system, it makes these… tendrils. They connect to your nervous system and brain and send their own impulses, controlling your body. You also have the broodsacs which is the whole, y’know, eye situation. Anyway! Most infected want to get eaten by the dragons to spread the eggs, yada yada. But! People are smart. We’d soon figure out what the parasite’s plan is and develop something to kill eggs and capture all the wild dragons and what not. So, the parasite needs to be smart too and there is a smart brain right there waiting to be used. Every now and again, an infected becomes what I like to call a shepherd, helping to guide the other zombies and stop the uninfected from causing trouble, often by manually infecting people. It’s extra interesting because the sacrificial hosts – that’s what I call the other zombies, because their purpose is to get eaten – seem to be able to communicate with shepherds, maybe by pheromones?”

“That is interesting,” xB says, eyes focused on Zedaph. It’s almost unnerving how much he’s staring, really.

“One question for you, actually,” Zedaph says, because it’s been on his mind since he saw xB, “What is a seafolk doing out here? Bit far from the ocean, aren’t we?”

xB bites his lip, “Yeah. I would have stayed there, but the infection was waterbourne. Underwater cities were where the first major outbreaks happened. Coastal areas were mobbed with infected. The best decision was to leave as fast as possible. Besides, I have a friend inland, so it’s not like I’ve never been this far out before. Plus, for a guardian, land travel is manageable with lots of water, and I have a purifier, so…”

“Makes sense,” says Zedaph, who hopes that’s a sensible and compassionate answer, because currently all his mind can focus on is how the parasite is able to spread so well in water. Do the eggs hatch into a microscopic worms well-adapted to an aquatic environment that are able to enter people through the gills? Is this the same form they take in the body or one unique to ocean environments? Is this hatching activated by proximity to water? Or a certain temperature? Or a certain salt concentration?

xB doesn’t seem to mind Zedaph’s failings at social interaction, because he asks for Zedaph to explain more things.

Zedaph loves explaining. Issue is, the parasite is very complicated, and though Zedaph loves complicated, it is a bit inconvenient when you have to try and explain the ins and outs of a trematode lifecycle to someone who knows only basic biology. Nonetheless, xB is a good listener and asks questions and all the awkwardness Zedaph initially felt at having to talk to someone when he hasn’t in so long has melted away. Eventually, they’re both tired from laughing too much (even in the face of morbid topics, xB makes some good jokes) and Zedaph leads xB to the feeble pile of abandoned jackets and dish cloths he calls his bed. In response, xB retrieves a sleeping bag from his rucksack, and Zedaph may or may not have pleaded really, really hard to share it because he doesn’t want to spend another night shivering, so he instead goes to bed cramped next to a man he has known for a few hours. It’s the best sleep he’s had in weeks.

-

xB just has to go and ruin it all by pointing a gun at his head.

“HYUUHHH? YAHHH?” Zedaph yowls. He’s never really been a morning person, so you can’t expect him to formulate a good response at 6 AM.

“You. Are coming with me. And you are going to do everything I say so you don’t get killed. M’kay?” xB is standing over him, all prepared and everything. It isn’t fair. Zedaph bets he’s a morning person.

“Whatever you say,” he manages, in a small voice.

xB stops pointing the gun at him but keeps it in his hand. He chucks Zedaph a Naruto-themed backpack. He must have found it in the dining area, left by some teenager ages ago. There’s a large patch of mould growing over Kakashi’s face. Zedaph scrambles to pick it up, peaking inside to see it’s been stocked with food and water bottles. So, he’s making Zedaph his mule, making him carry around things for him, ridiculous! xB then puts on his respiratory mask, before motioning for them to exit.

Zedaph blinks as he steps out, already feeling anxious. The sun is beginning to rise, tinting the sky pink.

“Okay, so where would we need to go to get the treatment for the parasite?” xB asks, his voice muffled by the mask.

Zedaph splutters, “I thought you were the one leading me around!”

“I am, but, where I’m leading you to depends on where the cure is. Like, do you need a laboratory, or can you find stuff in a pharmacy, I’m waiting for you, man.”

He pauses before answering, “Probably a vet. They tend to have a lot more antihelminthics on hand. Typically, you tend to see worms more in dogs than humans.”

“Alright, now you follow me,” xB says, raising the gun as reminder, before tucking it into a gun holster and trotting away.

Zedaph swallows and does as commanded.

At least xB seems to know what he’s doing. They stick to alleyways and gardens and hedgerows and other very hidden routes, where they’re unlikely to be found by shepherds and aren’t too open to the sky. Unfortunately, there isn’t really a time of day where the infected go all sleepy, but at least travelling during the day they can see where they’re going.

It occurs to him that xB must know this area pretty well, given he’s taking weird shortcuts with no map and yet is no less confident. Maybe this is where his “inland friend” is. Zedaph doesn’t really know where anything is, unfortunately. Ever since this whole thing kicked off he’s just been running randomly until he finds somewhere decent to stay.

Their trip is uneventful, save the occasional roar of a distant dragon, until about 2 hours later. The path they are following bends to the right, and poking their heads around the bend, they see a sacrificial host.

It stands, swaying, in the centre of the pathway. Clothes still cling to its body, though torn and stained with all manner of fluid. The mouth is slack open, the skin is tinted green and Zedaph can see odd rashes covering parts of the body. Its eyes bulge, an ungodly amount, to the length of an arm, the cornea stretched to the verge of breaking. Taking occupation in each eye is a broodsac, a thick pulsating mass like a caterpillar, banded green and red and white, writhing. They each move independently, one twisting up to the sky, feeling for light. The other slumps. The thing that once was a person – and still might be, deep inside, Zedaph reminds himself – stumbles towards a spot not covered by the shadows of the surrounding trees. One of the legs looks twice the size of the other – there must be a third broodsac in there. The creature comes to rest once at its destination and both eyes reach up as far as they can before rhythmically bobbing to try and catch the attention of a dragon.

It's been a while since Zedaph has seen one in person. The parasite is amazing. He feels a bit guilty for thinking that. He wants to keep staring but wants nothing more than to run away at the same time. xB tugs his arm and breaks him from his thoughts. They carefully walk past, making sure to keep a decent distance and not make too much sound. The sacrificials will only notice you if you’re obvious. They leave it behind them with no issue.

After an hour they arrive at “Pro Vetz: We Cure Animals For Less Money Than Other Vets”. The sign is missing 5 letters, but there is a crusty outline where the letters were, so you can still read it fine. He can see why xB chose it, it’s hidden between clumps of warehouses and nowhere near any housing estates. That being said, whilst it is the apocalypse, it’s only been the apocalypse for a little while, and it is perhaps the most derelict veterinary establishment he has seen in his life.

Zedaph glances at xB, “I’m not comforted by the sign.”

“If it works it works, if not, we have enough food to bunker down here for a little bit and we’ll try somewhere else,” xB says, opening the door, “After you.”

He creeps inside, looking around the dark waiting room. There’s a dark puddle of something in the centre and some of the chairs have been pushed around. xB takes off his mask; there’s little point in wearing them inside, the eggs will just be settled on surfaces. Zedaph is also not sure if they are that necessary outside, given the only way an egg could be breathed in is if a dragon is literally exhaling on top of you, but he doesn’t have the courage to tell xB that.

“I don’t think we’re the first ones here,” he whispers.

xB hums, staring at the surroundings before heading over to the door at the back, “We’ll just wash our hands after we leave in case of eggs, we should be fine.”

Zedaph watches xB pull his gun out before tugging open the door and charging through. Zedaph follows, unsure what else to do.

The door leads to a corridor, with some doors either side leading to operating theatres, one to a collection of cages to keep sick animals in, and one final door leading to all the stock. The place is silent and xB lets him through to look at their de-worming medicine.

“So, is there a particular reason for your forcing-me-to-come-with-you-and-get-anti-worm-medicine thing?” Zedaph asks as he shuffles through boxes. He’s looking for praziquantel, or even metrifonate or triclabendazole or something.

“Let’s just say I have a motive.”

“That? Answers nothing?”

“I know,” xB giggles, “Okay, fine, I want someone I know to get treated of the infection. And I want some supply of drugs in case something happens to me. And I want to keep you around because it’s useful to have someone who understands how the infection works. There, that’s the truth.”

 Zedaph isn’t sure how to feel about being called useful - his parents always said he was useless. At the same time, he’s not sure if it’s that much of a compliment when xB says it. He’s also starting to realise xB might have just been enthusiastically listening to him infodump about parasitic worms for the purposes of learning how to defeat them, rather than genuine interest in said worms. And it’s not like Zedaph judges him for that, it is the apocalypse and xB wants to survive, that’s understandable. He just kinda thought that, well, he finally found someone who truly wanted to hear what he had to say. Overall, he feels weird.

He responds with what he knows: worms, “Right. Just be aware I’ve never tried this medication for this specific species and with the way the parasite affects the body, best case scenario, they will probably lose their eyesight and some mobility. Worst case scenario, they die.”

“I kind of expected that. I consider myself lucky enough to have simply found someone who is able to cure him, like, I totally thought it was a fruitless mission. I wouldn’t have given up but, I am grateful.”

“I would be grateful if you didn’t threaten to shoot me,” Zedaph says, because okay yeah he is really annoyed about that actually. Annoyed might be the wrong word, someone who you trusted pulling a gun on you is more of a “betrayed” really.

“I wasn’t actually going to shoot you,” says xB, like it’s obvious, “The sound would alert all the zombies to where we are and it would be a waste of bullets.”

“You could have just asked me to come with you, I would have said yes.”

“I- Yeah. I probably should have done that, sorry.”

Zedaph is kind of tempted to keep going, insult xB a little, but whilst he probably deserves it, Zedaph isn’t sure how long he’ll be able to survive without him. And he did get an apology, so maybe xB will learn to be a little less… threatening-y and more… caring-y.

“Anyways, found it!” he exclaims, pulling out praziquantel.

-

xB cautiously pokes his head out of the store, and confirming there’s no zombies outside, gestures for Zedaph to follow him out.

“Okay, we need to go to a base I’ve set up a few hours away. We’ll try and see if there’s somewhere we can stop for lunch and so I can get rehydrated, all right with that?”

Zedaph nods.

They weave between warehouses, before finding their way to an alleyway. There’s a lot of turns and Zedaph is reminded uncomfortably by a maze. He is then reminded uncomfortably of a horror movie when something grabs him from behind.

Held, he tries to let out a yelp but a hand dashes in front of his mouth. xB is a few metres ahead of him and doesn’t seem to notice Zedaph’s struggle. His attacker keeps him still, allowing him to watch the only person who could help him walk away, until he deems it safe slam Zedaph to the ground.

He groans, asphalt denting his face. Zedaph swivels to try and face his attacker and sees a face he recognises. Tango, his former friend, with bulging red eyes and rashes all over his face. His eyes aren’t nearly as large as an ordinary zombie, and with the wicked grin on his face, Zedaph has no doubt he’s a shepherd.

Tango was… something in Zedaph’s life. The first friend he ever had, at age 7, Tango was willing to put up with Zedaph showing him all the weird bugs he found, and in return, Zedaph listened to Tango talk about spaceships and dinosaurs and cars and anything else. They grew even closer together and were inseparable, until in their late teens where they fell out and never spoke to each other again. Y’know, just normal friends stuff.

“Hey Zeddy.”

And out of everything today, that’s what breaks him. Because it isn’t even Tango saying that, it’s a worm inside of him, using data in Tango’s brain to say what it thinks will get Zedaph to stay still long enough for him stuff eggs down his throat. And it works. Because Zedaph loves worms so much, and he loves this worm (still, despite everything), but why does it have to do that to Tango, why does it hurt him? Because Zedaph misses Tango so much (he hates that he does), but why does Tango have to hurt him? Does he still think Zedaph is worthless? Is there still a Tango in there, or is Tango’s brain just a database of old memories and actions for the worm to pick and use? If Tango was still here (but he is here) would he apologise?

A gunshot jerks Zedaph out of his mind and the body of the thing that was Tango rolls off of him.

xB stands far away, panting, holding the gun.

Zedaph looks at the body. A hole is in its head. Its hand is clutched, no doubt holding eggs. He forces himself to his feet and comes to stand by xB.

“Did you know him?” xB asks.

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry,” xB says and hugs him. Zedaph wasn’t expecting that, but it’s not like he dislikes the hug. Actually, he really needed it, probably. Thoughts are hard. xB pulls away eventually though.

“I hate to rush you, but like, every zombie in the area heard that and we should really be running now.”

Zedaph nods and runs.

They’re silent until they reach an old garage. xB lifts the door and they both usher inside. It’s been over an hour and xB must assume they’re safe now.

They haul off their bags and xB motions to them, “Eat something, please.”

Zedaph does that, after spraying some sanitiser on his hands, going straight for the chocolate because he’s feeling rough right now. Meanwhile, xB takes off both his mask and his shirt, something that greatly confuses him until he realises xB is probably checking up on his gills. He is. xB undoes the tape cover on them and lets water run over them.

“I lied,” xB says.

“Huh?”

“About being a security guard, I was actually a hitman.”

“Huh,” Zedaph says, that probably makes sense, given how accurately xB was able to shoot from such a distance, “Did you kill anyone?”

xB looks at him weirdly and giggles, “I mean, yeah, duh, that was my job.”

“I- Yeah, I really should have thought that through,” Zedaph begins to laugh too, a little hysterically, maybe, but who can blame him.

After xB eats, they continue on. They come across a few sacrificial hosts which are easily avoided, and that’s it.

The place where xB is storing his infected friend looks inconspicuous – a decent sized house, a bit run down, behind a public park. Before they go in, xB spends a while surveying the doors, windows, and surroundings, telling Zedaph he has memorised the default condition of the house and needs to check if anything has changed, which would be a sign of an intruder. After 10 minutes xB extracts a key to use on the kitchen window and leads Zedaph in.

“Why don’t we use the front door?” he asks while xB is relocking the window.

“I have it trapped. Most, but not all, people will try the door first to get in. I – and the people I trust – will know it’s unsafe, so only malicious people will get harmed.”

It takes Zedaph a second to realise, “You trust me?”

xB looks back at him, as they wander through the dark hallway, “Of course. You are far too cowardly to try and do anything.”

That’s fair.

They head into the basement and Zedaph is greeted with the sight of a homemade prison cell, barbed wire and chicken netting combined into a grisly metal mesh, held in place by bars of wood, nailed to the floor and ceiling. There’s a tiny flap at the base, probably for sliding food in or something. Inside is a zombie, with some of the largest broodsacs in its eyes Zedaph has ever seen. It has braided hair alongside hooves, showing it was once a satyr like Zedaph. It is also handcuffed and chained to the wall in 4 different places, in case the barricade and locked basement door weren’t enough to keep it down here.

“Princess? Is that you? Did you bring a friend?”

“Hello Keralis,” says xB, “And yes, I did. This is Zedaph.”

“Well, hello there mister Zedaph,” the zombie says with a sweet voice, “Can you please tell xB here to let me out? This isn’t very nice.”

“It’s a shepherd?” Zedaph asks xB.

“Yes. He is a shepherd, smart, talking zombie thing. And no, we’re not letting you out, because every time I do, you try to kill me.”

“Kill my princess? I would never do that.”

“You have though! You try every time.”

He frowns, “I’m left-handed, xB. You can’t blame me.”

xB giggles, “I think you’re a bit more than left-handed, Keralis. I think you’ve got Big Eyes.”

Zedaph is thinking about Tango. He should probably stop doing that, “Right, like I said, I can’t guarantee he’ll survive, or that this will even work, just keep that in mind.”

“I know,” says xB, “Set up the you-know-what-because-I-don’t-want-to-say-it-in-front-of-him upstairs.”

“What are we talking about?” asks Keralis, or once-was Keralis, as Zedaph runs upstairs.

Part of him hopes the medicine doesn’t work, because if it does, well, Tango. He feels mad at xB for killing him. He feels mad at himself for letting xB kill him. He feels mad at himself for getting mad at xB for saving his life. He feels mad at himself for hoping the medicine won’t work. He feels mad at himself- for a lot of reasons, you get the gist.

He focuses on the praziquantel. What dose would be appropriate? He took all the boxes they had, so it’s not like he’s running out any time soon. Typically, he’d default to 75mg/kg/day over 3 doses for non-identified trematodes, but in this case, the infection is quite extreme. He decides to go with 100 mg/kg in three doses for today, and then work from there, like neurocysticercosis. Both parasites affect the brain so he hopes the dosages work similarly. Since the pills are intended for animals they can be crushed, which makes it easy to give to Keralis since it can be hidden in food.

xB comes up and Zedaph explains the situation.

“That’s perfect. When I’m here I try to give him three meals a day, so we can work that in. I have a whole room dedicated to storing food, so I should be able to support all three of us for 6 months at least.”

“Oh, it will take far less than 6 months. Don’t worry. Probably like a month, max.”

xB smiles. They prepare Keralis a lovely meal of crisps and granola bars and dust the whole thing with 30mg/kg of praziquantel and return to the basement.

“Here you go, dude,” xB slides the plate under the mesh flap.

“Hmmph,” Keralis says, awkwardly dragging the plate over in his tied up condition. He has to eat by sticking his whole face into the food, since his hands are handcuffed and attached to the wall. Zedaph almost feels bad.

Keralis lifts his head up to talk halfway through, “This guy… I haven’t been fed in a week and now all the food you give me tastes bitter!”

“I left you a week’s worth of food in here before I left. And beggars can’t be choosers,” xB responds.

Keralis huffs and finishes off a granola bar. Zedaph is counting himself lucky that the awful taste of the medicine didn’t give their plan away when he hears a thump from upstairs. Everyone looks up – including Keralis, whose massive eyes manually tilt up.

“Wow, your roommate sure is noisy,” Zedaph says.

xB clenches his fists, “Only Keralis and I live here.”

“I really hoped you weren’t going to say that.”

xB glares at Keralis, “Was this your doing?”

“No, no! For real this time! This is,” Keralis pauses for a moment, “Ohh, I see. Now you’re both in trouble. Someone’s coming.”

xB swears and pulls out his gun. Zedaph is caught between fear and wanting to ask Keralis the details of how long-distance worm communication works.

The basement door creaks as its opened.

“Hello hello everybody, I’m Etho!” the shepherd announces. It has one ordinary eye, dark and brown and wet, and one livid red twitching eye. The entire right side of its face is bumpy and rashes bloom on the skin. It points its gun at Zedaph, “And there’s some things going on here that I don’t quite like.”

Zedaph remembers something he said to xB yesterday. Something about shepherds stopping the uninfected from causing trouble. He thinks about the praziquantel to kill the worms. He thinks about how the sacrificials can summon a shepherd. He thinks about how Etho has one unmarred eye and how you need good vision to aim a gun. He thinks about how infinitesimally small a chance it is that Tango would be a shepherd and happen to run into Zedaph. He thinks about how he hears so many more dragons going outside now, and about the old enchantments that kept them from urban areas, which would need to be undone. He thinks about how the shepherd/sacrificial determination can’t be chance. He thinks about queen bees and hiveminds and pheromones.

He thinks about all the worms and parasites he’s studied over the years. He thinks about how simple and familiar worms are, how nobody seems to get it but him, how if there were ever to be a worm-led apocalypse, of course he’d be the only one who could stop it.

And as xB aims his gun at Etho in return, Zedaph thinks that the worms chose the wrong enemy.

---

woooo! happy (belated) valentines day! I hope you enjoyed! i thought it would be fun to leave you on a semi-cliffhanger

this ended up being quite heavy on the body horror and apocalypse, though I know you've written body horror in the past so I wasn't too worried.

originally there was a lot more about the worldbuilding and species stuff beyond the little hints here, but I ended up not really fitting with the way the story was shaping up. essentially, this is an urban fantasy world, similar technology to our world but with added magic, with a lot of mythological creatures. you have the fieldfolk (satyrs, minotaurs, fairies, anything woodsland-like) and the seafolk (mermaids, guardians, sirens, selkies), alongside wild fantasy animals (such as dragons).

and: WORMS!!! as soon as I saw xb on your characters requested list, I was thinking about an apocalypse fic (I've been loving the mlp infection AUs and mawofthemagnetar did a lovely zombie apocalypse fic involving xb which inspired me). I am a biologist so whenever I think about zombie apocalypses I want to try to subvert them and introduce (somewhat) realistic facets of biology. viruses have been done to hell and fungi have gotten popular but I've never seen anyone do parasitic worms before, which I think is a shame! this is the species the fic is based on (warning for worms/snail + eye injury + animal in pain), which not only looks unique but does "mind control" its hosts (infected snails move towards light), and as soon as I realised I was doing worm zombies, a certain zedaph on your requested characters was a perfect fit.

in the original draft of the plot, wels and bdubs showed up, and etho had so many different roles I considered during brainstorming - a fellow survivor who tried to attack them, a mediator between the worms and survivors, etc etc. here it isn't too explained what he is due to the dramatic ending, but you can kind of see what I'm getting at. Zedaph initially assumes the worms are just worms, and the shepherd/sacrificial distinction just randomly occurs and is a simple adaptation to help the species survive. at the end, he realises that there's some kind of higher force within the worms choosing which hosts become shepherds, e.g. to best target Zedaph, and letting the worms communicate long-range. Etho I imagine is a specialised agent - with his normal eye - used for assassinations

I'd love to upload this to ao3 if you'd be alright with that, I can set it as a gift for you

[mxvladdy]

Lost Affections: Part 3

Ayyyyoooo. Here is the last part to @marymaryroo's request!

On to the next one :)

Magic is a beautiful and powerful thing. It permeates the Devildom like an eternal fog. For the residents, it is as common as breathing. From the strongest of their kind down to the lowest inhabitants, it is integral to their culture and daily life. Mistakes and accidents happen daily with young and old alike learning or experimenting. Magical rebounds and mishaps mean very little to them, especially the brothers. From the Celestial Realms down, they have seen it all.

Sometimes they forget that to you, magic can be a volatile and dangerous.

Beelzebub

Beel would never call himself accident-prone. He didn’t trip and stumble like Belphie when sleep deprived. He most certainly wasn’t as bad as Mammon when he was without his glasses or contacts. No, he would never say he was that bad. While not clumsy he knew he could be careless, especially when food was in the picture. He didn’t think twice about eating random things. It did hurt anyone, not physically. Sure, Luke and Satan got a little put out when he swiped something, but it didn’t hurt them.

He just forgets sometimes that you are different. You and he go together so well he forgets that you aren’t a demon. You don’t have the steel stomach or fast recovery time that he has. You make up for it. When you go out to eat you always research the place ahead of time. Does the place have non-enchanted food? Human grade options? If not, you make sure that Beel has his fill before taking him somewhere more appropriate for your stomach. Neither of you thinks about residual contaminants.

His life with you unravels with kisses. It is a slow, inconspicuous death. It builds over time with each brush of his lips to yours. Neither of you notices the taste of magic clinging to his mouth or tongue, neither of you thinks of the implications of all the weird potions and food he samples.

It starts small, you forget simple things about him. When his club activities ended, or what his favorite post-game drink was. He brushes it off, it’s trivial really. You are busy and these things can happen to the best of them. He keeps brushing off the nagging worry until he can’t.

It comes to a head one night at the door to your room. “Beel?” You yawn, pulling your robes closer around you. “What’s up?” You glance down at the box of snacks and pillows in his hands. “Did I miss something?”

“It’s date night.”

Your brows shoot up, facing heating. “What.” You sputter. Beel frowns, placing the box at his feet. With slow movements, he places his hand on your forehead. You were a little warm.

“Mmmmm.” His hearts flutter with nerves. Was his little human sick? He ignores the way you stiffen when he touches you. “Do you need a doctor?” He asks bending down to look you in the eye. He catches a whiff of something when you exhale. It is faint but clings to your breath, it’s sickly sweet and sharp to his nostrils. “You need a doctor.”

Without a second thought, he grabs your arm and drags you out of your room. His food forgotten in the hallway with your protests buzzing in his ears. “Beel...Beel!” You stumble after him. He ignores you each step he takes determined and picks up speed. Before you know it you are sitting next to Gluttony in Purgatory waiting for Solomon, beyond confused and anxious.

You fidget on the couch, peeking glances at the troubled look on the red-heads face. This wasn’t like him. He was a man of few words, sure, but this was new. Beel left you to your devices mostly, a few polite conversations here and there, but you two never hung out a lot. You zone out when he starts talking to Solomon. You were still half asleep from Beel waking you up. You had been sleeping so soundly beforehand. “Are you alright?” You jerk awake unaware that you started dozing again. Solomon crouches in front of you.

“I think so?” You had no idea what this was about. “I’m just tired.” The mage says nothing to you, instead turning to glance at Beel. He jerks his head to the door, a clear signal for the old demon to wait outside.

With one last pitiful glance, Beelzebub leaves the two humans to converse. “Now then.” Solomon rounds his piercing eyes back to you. “Tell me how's your stay in the Devildom?”

You tell him confused but willing to play along with his odd request, the sooner you wrap this up the sooner you can go back to bed. An odd feeling of missing something begins to grow as you tell him. Soon you began to fumble, the harder you try to recount something the harder it was to collect. You still were convinced anything was seriously wrong but the growing look of concern on Solomon’s face was making you think otherwise. “So,” You finish rubbing your knees with sweaty palms. “I’m I dying or something?”

He laughs dismissing the notion with a wave of a well-manicured hand. “No, no your soul is still firmly in place.” He rubs his chin. “But you have lost your memory, only when it comes to Beelzebub though. It is very peculiar. Have you ingested anything weird of late? Done any experiments with Satan?” You shake your head. To the best of your knowledge, you have been really careful with your food intake while down here. Devildom foods were delicious but had potential side effects for you and Solomon.

Solomon nods. He figured that. “Could I draw some blood? It sounds to me like you might have trace contamination of some kind. Diavolo and I discussed that this might happen but I wish to double-check.” Well, that’s worrisome, you nod and begin to roll up your sleeve. Solomon bustles collecting a few vials and a mouth swab for extra measure.

“Thank you.” He smiles looking at the samples with scientific glee. “I will let you know what I find. Until then, I guess just go about your regular day. Unless you feel ill, in that case, come to me immediately.” With that, he leaves you depositing you back with Beel.

The walk back to the House was more subdued, both of you were confused as to what to do next. “So,” You flounder. “We were-are an item?”

He shrugs looking down at you. “Yes. We’d hang out in your room on Saturdays, and get brunch on Sundays... do you still want to?”

You shrug feeling awkward. You felt nothing but platonic friendship to the large demon, though Solomon did fill you in on what you apparently have forgotten. “If you want to? I’m up now, and too nervous to sleep.” Beel grunts clenching his fists at his side.

“No,” He shakes his head. “You should rest, even if you can’t sleep. This is overwhelming. I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow?” You feel bad. He sounds so hopeful when he asks, like a good night’s sleep was all you needed to fix whatever this was.

You reach for his big hand and squeeze it. “Sure, Beelzebub. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He lets you go watching you head back into the house. Running on instinct he turns and heads into the dense forest surrounding the house. He needed to hunt for a bit.

That’s how his twin finds him, gorging himself on the fauna of the forest. Belphie’s socked feet pad loudly over the dried grass and scattered bones of the once lush lowlands. “You know Lucifer is going to be pissed. It takes forever for the wildlife to come back after one of your benders.” He tosses his oversized pillow onto the dead grass and lays down. Belphie doses for a moment, the sound of his brother’s many mouths and whistling of wings a white noise to him. Up until an obnoxious locus landed on his nose.

“Beel.” He flicks the bug off his face, shooting the swarm coating his brother’s skin a sour look. “What’s going on?”

Forgot. Me. One of his mouths rattles out, flecks of meat and vegetation falling from between crooked and jagged teeth. Another opens near his rib cage to speak. They. Don’t. Love. Me.

“I’ll kill them.” Already Belphie is back on his feet. He feels for his brother and his plight, but the thought that you betrayed him after you promised to never hurt Beel took precedence. The storm of bugs goes quiet, all the millions of eyes now turn to him. They jerk and twitch in unison before converging back on the mass of leathery gaunt skin of his brother. His human form takes shape slowly, shiny wings and many mandibled skulls melding together to create his flesh.

Beel grabs Belphie’s shoulders. His claws dig into the soft fabric of his nightshirt. “It’s not their fault.”

“Then who?” Beel chuckles weakly at his brother’s blood lust. He couldn’t deny that he felt it too, but he had no idea where to channel this anger.

So he ate. It calmed him a little. If he could get into the village and eat there...no. The last time he siphoned the emotions from the populous at large Lucifer got mad. The whole of the Devildom had to shut down for a good week to recover. He rubs his stomach a feeling of agitation growing in the pits of them. “Don’t know. Solomon is taking a look at it.” Belphie snorts a sneer growing on his lips. “He is helping, Belphie.”

“Sure-right. That boy meddles in all shorts of shit he shouldn’t. Careful he doesn’t try to bargain with your skin for this.” He eyes where your mark rests on his brother. It would be a perfect lure to entrap his twin in a pact.

Hmm.

No, none of this would do. Belphegor would rather die than let some human-like Solomon meddle anymore in his family’s affairs, and as far as he was concerned the moment you started seeing Beel you were as another sibling. “Come on. Let’s get you back to the house. I’ll bring dinner up to our room.”

After settling Beel under the covers of his massive bed Belphie went on the hunt for more food in the kitchen. He stops by your bedroom door picking up the box of goodies still left in front of it. He piles more things into the box when he reaches the kitchen. Swiping up snacks at random Belphie piles the box sky high. His hand stops over a few of your favorite human snacks. Should he? Honestly, it was a blind shot in the dark if it would comfort his brother or not. After a bit more debate Belphie puts the chocolates back, a different idea already turning in his head.

Back in their shared room, he listens to his brother run down the last week between huge bits of sweets. As he recounts every little thing that has gone down they both began to notice just how strange you have been. Both twins sit in the aftermath of Beel’s words, a wasteland of wrapper and silence stretching between them. “Think it will come back?” The twins lock eyes, Beel’s large and unsure but simmering with foolish hope.

“Possibly.” Belphie grits out, breaking their eye contact. He could never lie to his brother, at least not to his face. “Get some rest. I’m sure someone will have a plan in motion by tomorrow.” He’ll set his plans in motion tonight.

Lying in wait some hours later Belphie listens through the walls of the massive house for your quick little human heartbeat in your bedroom. He matches his shallow breaths with yours feeling yourself slip into slumber and his realm. Once you are completely under he drifts off himself.

He enters your dreams and scowls unused to stumbling inside of a dreamscape. Your dreams are muddled and clotted with stick webs of confusion and hazy memories. Odd bits and pieces of images drip around the edges of your mind. This place was a disgusting mess. With a deep sigh, Belphie begins trudging through the quagmire.

He peers around making note of the black holes in your mind like canvas ripped from their frames. Rotten magic assaults him from all sides. Stopping in front of a particularly deep gash in your mind he rolls up his oversized sleeves finding what he was looking for. He knew this memory was in it, just on the outskirts of the scene playing out. He could knit this rip back together easily, after that it should give him some clarity on the others he couldn’t place.

This was going to take a lot of energy. No one would notice if he stole some energy to get things started. Belphie smiles to himself already tapping into Lucifer's dreamscape, taking a bit more than he needed. You deserve only the best after all.

__________________

“Morning everyone.” You chirp plopping down in your chair. The brothers reply with groggy acknowledgments, completely unlike themselves. You look around at the bunch. “Are you all ok?” The group grunts collectively yawning or rubbing their weary eyes.

“Tough night.” Lucifer looks up from his newspaper. He was half-dead in his chair, a cup of coffee shaking in his hands. Asmo sits beside him looking on the verge of tears as he gently pokes his swollen cheeks and eyelids. The only two that seem to even be remotely coherent were the twins. The youngest of the two sleeping oblivious to the turmoil of his siblings while his brother stares at your every move. “Good morning Beel.” You nod feeling awkward in this shared space.

“Morning.” He smiles at you, a few crumbs clinging to the corner of his mouth. Something ticks in the back of your mind at his look. A foggy image comes to mind. It feels like a dream, but so real at the same time. It makes you nauseous, a weird sense of dejavu fighting its way to the forefront. “You ok?” He puts a hand on your shoulder.

You blink noticing the room at large turning their gaze to you. You nod, reaching across from him for some leftover food. The moment a bowl of cereal was in your hands Asmo swept you up in a conversation about his “fading” looks. You don’t think of Beel and your predicament for the rest of the day, not until Solomon invites you over to his hall for tea.

“You were poisoned.” He states simply over his sorry excuse of scones. You pause in the middle of trying to break a piece off on the table.

“I’m sorry?”

“Nothing to apologize for, unless you did it intentionally.” He laughs. “It appears to be through slow ingestion over a long period of time. The levels in your blood are staggering but not lethal. It looks like the magic took root in the temporal lobe-much like a tumor, really quite fascinating- and has been eating away at the memories of the person, or in this case, a demon that poisoned you.” Beel had been poisoning you? Solomon waves his hand at your look of concern. “I am quite positive that it was not intentional. Mind you he does find the most wondrous things to shovel down his gullet. The fact that it mixed perfectly into a potion instead of a lethal toxic is sheer dumb luck on your end.” You breathe a sigh of relief finally tossing the baked good away as a bad job. Well that's...something. At least you’d be alive to stumble around your apparent “forgotten boyfriend”.

“Any chance of fixing this?”

Solomon shrugs. “Possibly? I need more time to figure out exactly what components are involved in your test results. Then making a tonic to undo all the magic is another thing entirely.”He discusses a few other options with you for a few hours, going over in great detail the ins and outs of potion-making. Soon the windows of the sunroom grew dark, the glow of the lamps outside growing brighter so you could see the pathway back to the house.

“I better head back.” You stretch looking out into the pitch outside. Hmmm, if you remember correctly Levi should be off of work by now. He said to call when he was done to come to pick you up. As if on cue a sharp knock on the door disrupts you. Instead of a shock of blue hair, you are greeted with orange. “Oh-hey Beel.”

“Hey.” The corner of his mouth twitches in a facsimile of a friendly smile. “Ready to go?” He picks up your forgotten school bag and takes your sweater from the coat rack. With a well-practiced motion, he slings the bag over his shoulder and holds your sweater open for you. He obviously did this a lot before…

You stare back wide-eyed at Solomon who only smirks, nodding at you to hurry up.

Out the door and into the chilly night you sneak a peek at Beelzebub walking quietly beside you. He catches your look and raises a brow. “Sorry.” You feel your cheeks heat a little under his thoughtful gaze.

“About?”

“All of this.” You wave at yourself. “Please don’t feel obligated to hang out with me. Until we can get this settled. I don’t want to hurt your feelings.”

Beel grunts, stopping in his tracks by a low garden wall. “I was hurt-am still hurting.” He admits. “But this isn’t your fault, so what good does it do to blame you for it? Even if you don’t remember me as your partner, you still remember me as a friend...right?” A warm smile spreads across his face when you nod. “Then I’m ok with this. I haven’t lost you completely and even if you don’t ever feel the same way about me anymore, I think I will be ok.”

“I- thank you Beel. That means a lot.”

“Of course.” He hums. “Let’s head back. I think Asmo left some food out.”

You dream of Beel again, a weird amalgamation of scenes all tossed together in a great pile with you in the middle of it. You could do nothing but watch like a film as they rush by you in a blur. Some scenes didn’t line up right, bouncing around like a scratched vinyl, but it still made sense in a way only a dream could. You play out each dream like an actor, the script coming to you naturally with each little venette. You sit outside his locker room, a basket of food and drink in your lap, your heart fluttering in your chest. You and Beel were watching his brothers on the beach, his broad hands rubbing sunscreen into your skin. Beel walking you back to your room after a long night in the library holding your hand in his strong, sure grip. Saturday afternoons spent hopping from one cafe to the next sampling the sweets and drinks to both of your heart's content.

It grips your heart but slips away with the rise of the young morning moon.

When morning comes the night is nothing more than a few smudges in your mindscape. Yet, a light, sweet feeling stays with you. You found yourself smiling more around the redhead and gravitating to him during the day. He accepts you back with a friendly hug and a friendly ear.

He treats you no differently than you remember. It’s nice. Even if a part of your yearns to see how he treated you when you were more than friends.

You begin to get excited for when your head hits your pillow. The dreams become clearer and clearer each night. Some new pieces show up and fall into place as the weeks progress. You start seeing bits of your dreams in the day too. After-images of you hand in hand with him walking down the other side of the street. The taste of something sweet on your tongue or a familiar scent in your nose.

After one particularly vivid dream, you wake determined not to let the contents of this dream slip through your fingers. This time you dreamt of the kitchen, dirty bowls, and units scattered about the cluttered counters. You had been baking something, and failing miserably.

Sneaking down to the kitchens you pull out all the things you could remember. For some reason, this dream lit a fire in you, like it was the last piece of the puzzle to getting it all back. You don’t think, instead, you just let your body take control. You baked a cake.

Well, it was supposed to be a cake. The center was too spongy and collapsed inward while the sides were dark and cracked. The icing was badly blended and melting from the still-warm pastry. It was almost exactly like the one from your dream.

You stare at it waiting for some great revelation, but nothing comes. Great. Now what?

“I smell food.”

“Gods!” You jerk smacking your knee on your bar stool. Beel’s deep voice scaring you half to death. “Should put a bell on you.” You grin. Beel peeks his head through the door brows furrowed.

“This is familiar.” He walks in pulling up another chair to sit next to you.

“Ye?” You look back at him.

“Yes. This was our first kiss.” You drop your icing spoon. “You wanted to surprise me before a big game.” He put a finger through the thick black and purple icing and pops it in his mouth. “Ah- You forgot the bane extract...I had thought that perhaps you remembered.” The hope in his voice stung your chest.

Oh. You look down at the mess you made, whatever feelings of satisfaction are lost. “I thought I was forgetting something, but my dreams are all blurry.”

“Dreams?” Beel pauses reaching for a slice. “You dreamt of this?”

“Yes. Been dreaming about you a lot of late.” You flush. “Little things that are starting to build a bigger picture. I just had this dream of a cake and the urge to make one...so- here we are.” You wave your hand out over the messy kitchen. Sighing plopping your chin down on your palm. “Guess I can sleep on it a bit more huh?” You shoot him a quick wink and sad smile.

“Or just ask Belphie.” He shrugs, taking another large slice of the disaster. “Sounds like he’s been meddling.” That realization hits you like a ton of bricks. Damn, you could have slapped yourself. “I’m sure he meant well, but he shouldn’t force you if you don’t want to. I could tell him to stop.”

What! No! You shake your head. “No. I-I don’t mind it. Solomon has yet to figure anything out, and whatever your brother is doing seems to be helping a little.” Beelzebub said nothing to that and just continued to eat while you started the dishes.

“Do you want to end tonight like we did before?” He asks sometime later, half of the dishes now drip drying in the rack. His long arms box you in on either side holding on to the lip of the sink. His head dips low, his chin resting on the top of your head. Deep down you knew that you could leave at any time. His grip was loose and easily breakable, considerate as ever to your comforts.

You turn to face him, a soft look crosses his face. “And how did it end?” He grins moving closer. You would have to thank Belphie for his interference. Just, perhaps later. You doubted he would want to be in your dreams tonight.

[authorized-trash]

To Tie a Knot: Chapter 5: Important Meetings in a Coffee Shop Bathroom

Ao3

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four

Content Warnings:

Self harm, self deprecation, making out, stress, emotional turmoil, elusion to character death, (If anything else needs mentioned tell me)

Chapter Summary:

Damian should know better than to walk into coffee shops when he’s the protagonist of a romance fanfiction smh

Word Count:

3,600+

Note: I posted the last chapter on Ao3 a day or two ago, and it got so many comments so fast I was inspired to write another on. So here is nearly 4k words of >:]. Chapter six is halfway done as well, so please, keep the comments up, I’ve never written so much so fast in my life asdf

-

-

By the time noon had come and gone and Logan had left, the others were restless. Patton was stress baking and Roman was practicing his lines a bit louder than normal. Virgil was nowhere to be seen, most likely hiding in their shared room listening to too-loud music.

Patton kneaded dough between his hands, planning on making bread. One would think he would make cookies or something while stressed, but he found the process of homemade bread and the smell of it baking was much better for calming. 

Over the years he had gotten pretty good actually, won a few dumb little neighborhood competitions with his baking. His soulmates all adored his cooking, Roman had stated one of his favorite things to wake up to was the smell of pie or bread.

Patton let his mind wander while he worked, thinking about his new soulmate. He couldn’t help the wave of anticipation and impatience that hit him when he thought about their meeting. He was just so excited! A large smile stretched across his face, and he did a few happy stomps with his feet.

Roman stopped repeating his lines and looked over to him, a soft smile on his face.

“You okay over there, dear? You’re lucky that bread isn’t alive, you’re beating it quite thoroughly,” Roman said with a teasing tone.

Patton looked up at him, blushing a bit at being caught, “Oh! Yeah of course I’m fine! I’m just overwhelmingly giddy, I guess.”

Roman laughed and crossed the room with a few long strides, grabbing Patton around the waist and setting his chin to rest on the other’s head. He gave a kiss to Patton’s scalp, and Patton giggled and swatted playfully at him.

“Ro stop, I’m trying to cook,” Patton whined, placing the kneaded dough into a bread pan. He leaned back into Roman’s hold either way, looking up at him through his eyelashes.

“Sorry Sweetheart, I simply couldn’t resist,” Roman winked, laughing softly. They stood there for a few moments in silence, swaying slightly.

“Do you think they’ll like my bread?” Patton asked quietly.

“What? Of course! If they don’t I will have to fight them,” Roman said dramatically. Patton chuckled.

“No fighting Roman, everyone has their own tastes.”

“If someone’s taste doesn’t like your bread, they’re wrong. Sorry, I don’t make the rules,” Roman spun Patton and gave him a peck to the lips.

The oven beeped a few times behind them, and Patton started to squirm in Roman’s hold.

“Babe, you gotta let me go so I can cook!” Patton said, squealing as Roman held steadfast, unmoving.

“Nuh uh, you are in the Princey Dungeon of snuggles and cuddles, I’m very sorry Padre, but I simply cannot let go unless you pay bail.”

“Which is?”

“Kiss me.”

Patton didn’t protest as he pressed their lips together. Roman hummed and smiled into the kiss, trailing his hands up Patton’s back and threading his fingers into Patton’s hair. After a few long seconds they parted for air, but Roman didn’t seem to want to stop, and at this point neither did Patton.

Before long Patton was up against the counter, kissing back with fervor as Roman picked his legs up and sat him on the counter. Patton made a small noise into the kiss, arms draped around Roman’s shoulders.

Just as Roman was teasing his hand up and under Patton’s shirt, a gagging noise came from the door.

“Eugh, can ya’ll like, not be horny in the kitchen please? I don’t want you contaminating my bread.”

Roman nearly fell to his ass with how fast he jumped off of Patton, and Patton buried his head in his hands and grumbled something under his breath.

Virgil laughed all the way to the kitchen’s island, wheezing and wiping tears from his eyes.

“You two should see your faces, you would think your parent’s just caught you or somethin’. Calm thyselves.”

Patton just stood silently and went to put the bread in the oven.

“Wait, excuse you. Your bread? No, sorry sis, it’s mine,” Roman said as he brushed himself off.

“Oh god, please don’t call me sis, I’m your boyfriend, that’s weird,” Virgil said, moving to sit himself up onto the counter on the other side of the room.

“Oh,” Patton spoke up suddenly, “Roman, I meant to ask, how’s Remus? You haven’t talked about him in awhile.”

Roman’s brother Remus visited them every holiday. It was getting close to thanksgiving at this point, and they were all looking forward to seeing him.

Roman shrugged, “Don’t know, haven’t talked to him in… a little over a month now?”

“How come?” Patton asked.

“Normally I’m not the one who reaches out to talk, I just haven’t thought about it. And since, ya know, I don’t talk to my parents, it’s easy to lose contact for larger periods of time,” Roman explained, slumping into a chair at the kitchen table. Patton nodded in understanding.

They went back to their routines, this time with both Roman and Virgil on their phones while Patton baked a few more things.

Half an hour went by with little words, just a comfortable silence as they all enjoyed the company.

A sharp and hard tug caught their attention.

“Ow, damnit,” Virgil said, shaking his hand roughly as if it were burned. The other two looking down at their hands in confusion, wincing as their yellow strings gave another sharp and painful tug.

“Language,” Patton chided absentmindedly, then, “Do they want something?”

“I don’t think people yank on their strings that hard in order to get someone’s attention, Dearest,” Roman said, flinching as he bent his finger. It was already sore.

“They’re not trying to take the string off or something, right? That’s impossible, they should know that,” Virgil said shakily, curling in on himself and his hoodie.

“It is. Maybe they’re not thinking clearly?” Roman said, trying to offer an explanation.

Patton pouted, 

“I hope they’re okay.”

-

Damian was not okay.

You wouldn’t be able to tell it, though, with the way he was carrying himself.

His strides were confident, and he held his head high. He tipped his hat at the people who walked by and offered polite hellos. He looked like every bit of a man who was sure of himself.

But he was far from it, really.

If you knew him personally and were looking closely, you could see the way he sometimes fidgeted with his jacket sleeves. You’d notice the slight tremble in his hands, or the way he seemed to run his fingers through his hair too many times. He honestly probably had his hat off more than he had it on, lifting it off of his head as much as he was.

Damian was a nervous wreck, but a nervous wreck who was good at hiding it.

His classes that day were ridiculously stressful, and it didn’t help when every other person exclaimed suddenly when they noticed the shadows of his soulstrings. He would wave them off, or excuse himself. Hell, a few times he even made up what his soulmates were like. He wove tales of wonderful people who had swept him off his feet, if only to appease the asker and get them to stop bugging him.

He had watched earlier that day as the indigo string seemed to detach from the others, just barely heading in a different direction. It was a very slow process, meaning they were probably decently far, but it still scared him.

Were they going to work? Coming to find him? Oh god, what if indigo left the other three because he couldn’t deal with another string showing up? What if Damian was the reason why they broke up?

No, Damian thought to himself with a shake of his head, no that was ridiculous. Really, he needed to stop letting his head go off in random directions, the self deprecation was getting old.

Damian walked up the steps of his apartment building, entering with a nod towards the doorman. The man smiled and waved.

“Heya, DJ,” He greeted. 

“Hello, Larry. How’s the wife?”

“Oh you know her, same old. She’s missed you, you know. You should really come over for some tea sometime soon,” Larry said, opening the door for Damian.

“Sure thing, how does Thursday sound?”

“That would be awesome, see you then, Damian.”

Damian smiled to himself as he entered the elevator to his floor. He let out a shuddery breath. Small talk came to him easily, he was never really introverted to be honest, but that didn’t stop it from being taxing on the days when he really didn’t want to have to see people.

As soon as he crossed the threshold to his apartment, he checked the time. 

Okay, it was a little past five in the afternoon, cool. He figured Remy would be up to go somewhere, if he wasn’t already out with Emile.

He shot him a text, which he got an immediate reply on.

Girl course i wanna hang. Ill be there in half hour, see ya hot stuff xoxo

Damian chuckled to himself. Of course Remy would be the kind of person to still unironically use X’s and O’s.

He double tapped the message to like it, and took off for the restroom. He needed to freshen up before he left for the outside world.

He went ahead and re-brushed his teeth, combed his hair, and washed his face. He really needed some moisturizer for his burns, they were getting a little scratchy around the edges, the sensitive skin looking a little red and agitated. 

By the time he was done toweling himself off, his eyes fell from his face in the mirror to the strings tied neatly around his fingers. He had spent most of the day ignoring them, other than the occasional check-in on Indigo’s progress.

He looked at them for a long while, feeling how they moved. He always found it so fascinating, how sometimes they would be pulled tight and sensitive to any slight movement, and how other times they seemed to pool onto the floor in piles of color. He figured it depended on some kind of need or something, it was always when someone’s emotions were high that the strings seemed to tighten, maybe as a way to aid communication.

Damian just figured it was some weird magicky shit, and didn’t let it bother him too much. He had gotten over the trying to explain the strings stage back in middle school, back when it was just him and green.

Nausea and guilt ate at his insides even thinking about the green string. It hung loosely to the fingers on the hand opposite the new strings, its once brilliant earthy color now a faded grey.

It was so pale and sad looking in comparison to the other brighter strings, and Damian couldn’t help but want to cry again. It was such a lovely color, and he was sure they would have been such a lovely person.

He didn’t even have a name to mourn, a funeral to attend to. Only a sad little frayed string to cry pitifully over.

And that brings up another question, why frayed? Damian hadn’t met anyone who had a dead soulmate that had a frayed string. Sure, others had their colors dulled, but the end looked clipped with scissors. Damian’s looked as if someone had pulled it apart with their teeth.

It wasn’t fair, Damian thought. It wasn’t fair that he got all these questions. It wasn’t even a simple, “oh no, my soulmate is dead, I’m doomed to be lonely and soulless.” No, he had to deal with all these mysteries. Why frayed? Why four others? Why add him to an already complete group? Why not someone else? Why had it been a month, when the average wait on the reassigning was a week? Were the other’s even able to love him like they loved each other? Damian wasn’t paired with someone equally as heartbroken and lonely, he was paired with an already complete soulmate relationship. Was he doomed to be an outcast?

Damian didn’t want this, he didn’t ask for this. 

His emotions were all over the place, but he steeled himself, and with an angry huffed, he grabbed his four strings, and yanked.

White hot, dizzying pain lanced up his arm, and he gave a shout. His vision blanked, and a throbbing headache pounded behind his eyes.

His vision cleared after a while, stars and dots still dancing across his eyes. The pain was so bad, it was nearly incapacitating. 

And in a mix of morbid curiosity and the horrible feeling of self loathing, he yanked again, harder.

He stumbled to the ground, sweat beginning to drip from his forehead. His heart was pounding in his ears, and what sounded like a dull roar caused his eardrums to hurt. Every bone in his body ached, and his arm hurt to move.

Well, he thought, guess they were pretty authentic then, at the very least.

He heard a knock at the door and tripped over himself to get up. He dabbed his face with the towel once again, wincing at the pain in his arms.

By the time he left the bathroom, Remy was already standing inside.

“What on earth were you doing in there, you look awful,” Remy asked, before going a bit pale, “You know what? Don’t answer that.”

“Oh shut it,” Damian snapped, taking his hat off the counter and fitting it back into place.

“So, wanna head out to that coffee shop you like downtown?”

Damian shrugged, “Why not.”

“Sweet, let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

Damian sighed but laughed at his friend's antics, following him out the door with a fond shake of his head.

The coffee shop was nice. It was small, cozy, and had a nice arrangement of potted plants scattered about. The barista was kind, and pretty cute. They had a cute grungy-emo thing going on. 

Damian had a thing for emos.

He, like normal, had ordered some black coffee with two creams and a sugar, much to Remy’s dismay. Remy had then proceeded to buy some ridiculously over sweetened drink with a stupid name and two muffins to share, much to Damian’s dismay.

“You have got to stop buying food for me Remy, I’m a grown man, I can pay for myself.”

“I offered. Besides, you need your money for your hobbies.”

“What hobbies?” Damian laughed, smiling despite himself.

“I don’t know, your music. You play the clarinet, right?”

“Flute, actually,” Said Damian, rolling his eyes, “And it’s not a hobby. Band was the only reason I managed to get into college. You know this, why are you asking?”

It was Remy’s turn to roll his eyes, “Small talk, babes.”

Damian was so caught up in their conversation he missed as the indigo string tied to his finger moved at a rate much, much faster than earlier that day.

“Mhmm, small talk about something we are both familiar with?”

“I don’t know, you band nerds seem to like to talk about band, despite making sure it is known that it is hell on earth,” Remy laughed, “Why don’t you, I don’t know, tell one of those ‘this one time at band camp-’ stories, babes?”

“Uh huh, and which one haven’t you heard?” Damian did in fact have a lot of stories, as every band kid tended to, but he was almost certain Remy had heard every one three times. It was obviously his best friend was just trying to cheer him up, and honestly? Damian really appreciated it.

“I don’t know, what about the one time you passed out on field and went to the hospital for a broken rib after being stepped on?” Remy’s grin was shit-eating, and Damian felt his face turn a deep crimson.

“We agreed not to talk about that,” he hissed, attempting to hide his face behind his coffee as he took a sip.

Remy shook his head as he laughed, before standing up.

“I’m heading to the restroom babes, try not to miss me too much.”

Damian sighed and sat back in his chair as Remy left, closing his eyes and smiling to himself. He was enjoying himself, this was nice. Remy was an awesome friend and really helped Damian to forget all about his stupid soulmates.

If all went Damian’s way, he wouldn’t have to deal with soulmates for the rest of the day.

Of course, knowing how fate liked to fuck him over, that isn’t what happened.

-

Logan had had an exhausting day, and he was ready to get it over with. He wanted nothing more than to go home to his soulmates and curl up against them, but he knew he couldn’t. He had been sentenced to sleeping in a cold hotel bed, alone.

The day had started well, with breakfast with his beloveds and a few kisses to his cheek, and a few kisses he returned. He had left with a small smile on his face.

But his good mood had slowly disappeared as the day wore on, as no sign of his other soulmate was to be found. The string slowly started to move more and more as he was sure he was getting closer, but the direction it was in was so vague, he could only hope he was going the right way as he drove.

Honestly, he didn’t know why some machine to find them hadn’t been invented yet. Surely there was some way to get some magnetic something or other to pick up on soulstrings, and then lead you there with a convenient little GPS voice.

But nope, the stupid strings were too stubborn to be beat. Everyone had just accepted them as immovable magic and was done with it.

Everyone including Logan, but he still felt like he was allowed to complain about that fact.

It was a little past six in the evening at this point, and the sky was beginning to darken considerably. Logan could feel his body getting heavier, but wasn’t quite tired enough to stop yet. 

He didn’t think his perception skills were too bad, surely he had a few more hours left in him.

That was probably a bad judgement call, as they were apparently bad enough to not notice how fast the string on his finger moved as he turned the corner into coffee shop parking lot.

He locked his car as he stepped away from it, and entered the building. He took a right to the restroom, wanting to wash his hands before doing anything else, not enjoying the feeling of sweaty driving palms. 

He heard the door behind him open, and looked up to see a man wearing sunglasses (indoors?) walk in.

“‘Sup Babes,” the man said, and Logan lifted an eyebrow in confusion.

“Babes? I’m sorry, do I know you?”

The man laughed, “Nope, you just look like someone who would be fun to piss off by calling them babes. For real though, why are you wearing a necktie in a coffee shop?”

“Plenty of people wear neckties in a coffee shop,” Logan answered, fixing his tie with an affronted look. The other man just laughed, running a hand through his hair.

“The name’s Remy,” The man said, offering his hand to shake. Logan took it, if with a little hesitance and confusion.

“Logan.” Logan responded. Remy nodded, going to turn around and leave, probably deterred from using the restroom in what would now be an awkward situation. He stopped suddenly, eyes going wide from behind his sunglasses.

“You have four soulmates?” He said, looking at the slight shadow cast on the tiled floor.

“Yes,” Logan answered, easily. Remy was not the first one to ask that today. There was the woman at the gas station, and the man walking his dog outside of the Ihop. It was a little disorienting hearing four instead of three, but whatever.

“You here with someone? One of your strings seems to be pointing in a weird direction,” Remy commented, nodding down at the shadow heading straight out the bathroom door. Logan looked down hurriedly, just now noticing the yellow string that was pulled tight.

“I- no I’m not. I’ve actually been looking for our fourth soulmate all day,” Logan didn’t take his eyes off the string, “In fact, it only appeared recently. Me and my other soulmates decided it best to find them as soon as possible.

After a few more minutes of staring wide eyed at his yellow string, he looked up at Remy. He, once again, looked confused at the wide smile that had spread across Remy’s face. The sunglasses clad man grabbed Logan by the hand and tugged him towards the door.

“Come on, there’s someone you need to meet.”

Logan allowed himself to be pulled back into the main part of the coffee shop and led in the direction of a booth in the back. He opened his mouth to protest, but stopped when he caught sight of the man seated at the table.

“Damian, babes, you will not fucking believe who I just ran into,” Remy exclaimed. The man, Damian, turned around to face them.

The two men locked eyes, and Logan felt his heart hammering in his chest, that familiar yet foreign feeling of something clicking into place in his chest was present for the fourth time in his life, and he was almost certain he had never been happier.

Logan was at a loss for words for one of the few times in his life.

“Uhm, hello?”

-

-

Taglist in reblog

[fuck-customers]

So this is gonna be a few stories, sorry in advance if this turns out to be a longer post! (Especially since I can’t figure out how to add a Read More thing…)

Tw for yelling and a couple customers getting a little aggressive.

I work in the Cost-mo food court. People can order at the counter, or if they have a card, they can order at the kiosk and their order prints at the counter for us to make, then call their number. They also get a number if they order a whole pizza. Not if they order at the counter. I have so many customers who don’t hear their number being called, then get upset at us over it, or customers that walk away when I’m working at the register and I say “Wait here a moment while I get your food.” They also get upset when I don’t call their “number” which they usually end up thinking is the store number printed on the reciept…

Usually when I call someone’s number, I start out quiet in case they actually stayed nearby, then I get louder and louder until I’m practically screaming, then I think “fuck this” and put it in the warmer. One lady comes up and is instantly pissed off saying “Excuse me! I was told my pizza would take twenty minutes, I want to know what is happening in your kitchen that would cause this kind of delay!” So I ask her what her number is, she shows me, and I grab her pizza out of her warmer and say, “Oh! It looks like your number was called already, sorry about that wait! :)” Then this lady rips the pizza out of my hands and yells, “You should have called louder!” Like yes… I could have if I wanted to destroy my lungs. Have a shit day.

One thing that really bugs me is that we have an extremely short menu. There’s legit like 10 items on there. Please have your order ready when you get to the register, something I’m sure a lot of food service workers can agree with.

I had one guy order a strawberry sundae. They’re big for their price, like everything in my food court, and also weighted so we’re not losing money or something if we put way too much ice cream in. There’s also a pretty good amount of strawberries on there.

He takes his sundae and I tell him to have a great day thinking that’s the end of it. He comes back later with his ice cream mostly gone and melted, and cuts in line. I tell him I’d be with him in a minute and address the couple standing behind him. The girl just waved her hand and said I could deal with him first so I nod and ask what I can do for him.

He asks for more strawberries. I can’t do that because he took the item already and ate most of it. I’m pretty sure that’s a health code violation or contamination or something to modify food that a customer has already taken out. I tell him that I can’t do that and he says, “Well obviously I’ll pay for them, just charge me for extra strawberries!”

So I tell him I can’t do that because there is no way for me to charge for just the strawberries, I have a few buttons on my register and they’re all for full items. I tell him the only way I can give him more strawberries is for him to order another sundae. Even after explaining reasons why I can’t give him more strawberries on his already eaten sundae, he keeps arguing. Saying “I don’t want another sundae, I just want the strawberries! I told you, I’d pay for them!”

It just went back and forth, me trying to stay calm and keep my customer service smile on my face which is looking more like a grimace at this point, and him saying the same thing over and over until he finally got it through his dumb head that he wasn’t gonna get more strawberries. So he screams “Fine!!! Just fucking throw it away!” and slams his melted ice cream down. Luckily it didn’t make too much of a mess. So I just say “Okay, have a nice day!” and throw it away while he stomps off.

The couple behind him were angels and complained about him with me while I got their food.

Final story. Superbowl is the busiest day of the year for us and our pizza wait times can get to almost two hours because of it. Our average wait time is 10-15 minutes. We had people order so many hot dogs that we couldn’t keep up on keeping cooked ones ready, our lines were curled around the wall and we had people screaming at us about their pizza orders. We make sure people know the wait time before we ring them up and the pizzas were coming out on time. We were pulling them out of the ovens as fast as we physically could and even had some managers from the other departments helping us.

but of course Mister Crusty comes in. You guessed it, a crusty old white man. He immediately starts screaming at my coworker, who is one of the sweetest ladies you’d meet. She’s not taking his shit though. She keeps her head level and deals with him as nicely as possible. He’s freaking out because “I’ve lived here for 12 years!!! How come your pizza times haven’t improved? Every superbowl is the same, it’s always a huge crowd out here and no one is ever organized I’m waiting hours for my one pizza! Where’s your manager?”

We had several with us right now, take your damn pick. So one of our managers goes up and tries to explain “Sir, we’re doing orders in the order they’re placed. I’m sorry about the wait, but you were told what time your pizza would be ready and our cashiers make sure you’re okay with this before ringing you up.” That of course wasn’t good enough for Mister Crusty. He continues screaming about the injustice and wants his pizza right then and there. The manager checks where his order is and says “There are still five more pizzas ahead of yours. It’ll be a few more minutes.” and isn’t budging.

Finally, just to make him go away, they had to take up one of our two registers to give him a damn refund and we had to give him his pizza for free. Like wow, do you do this every year? Our pizza wait times don’t improve because we can only fit so much in our oven and if you want a pizza to be cooked right you will fucking wait.

Tl;dr One lady rips her pizza out of my hands when she doesn’t hear her order number and blames me for her waiting after I called her several times.

One dude freaks out that I can’t give him some extra strawberries.

One guy got a free pizza for being a big ol crusty bastard on the busiest day of the year for us.

[screw-real-life-i-pick-fandoms]

Forensics to Romantics (Magnus Martinsson x Reader)

Chapter Three: The Present Reflects the Past

Part 3/?

Words: 2,660

AN: I am so so soooo sorry I haven't posted in so long. Life and school have been crazy, but it should be calming down at the end of the month. To help make up for it, I made this chapter a bit longer than usual. Hope you guys enjoy. Love you all!!!

Warnings: Death and Angst

(Y/N POV)

Magnus and I had arrived at Amy's address and saw that there was also another patrol car just pulling in.  I got out of the car, followed by Martinsson over to where the other two officers had just gotten out of their car as well.

"Dickson," One of the other officers, Jake Lance said as we approached them. "We have the warrant and were told to wait for you."

"Great," I said with a nod. "Thank you, Lance. You and Hairston," The other officer and Lance's partner, Jenna Hairston. "Take the back door while Martinsson and I go to the front."

With that, the two of them made their way around the back of the moderately sized one-story house. Martinsson walked behind me as we made our way up the four steps that led to the front door, and I could see that he had his hand on his gun. I knocked on the door three times then waited for a response. After a few seconds a woman, Amy, opened the door.

"Hello?" Amy asked when she saw Martinsson and me outside.

"Hi, Miss Bloom," Martinsson said. "I am ID Martinsson and this is DI Dickson. We are here to ask you a few questions about your late ex-husband, Mr. Richards."

"Oh." She said and her mood changed. "I was sorry to hear about him, I really was, but we haven't spoken in two weeks."

"Ma'am," Martinsson started to say. "We need to come in and look around."

"What?" She asked looking almost scared. "Why? I mean, you can't, you need a warrant."

"We do," I said flatly unfolding the paper and holding it out for her to see. "Now please, we need to have a look around."

She lowered her head and stepped out of the way so Martinsson and I could enter her house. I was met with the strong smell of alcohol and the sight of things scattered all over the floor. Clearly, she was in disarray, and if I was right, killing two people only added to it. I was on high alert, and I knew that at this point she could do anything.

"I am going to ask you a few questions," Martinsson said as we walked in. "Please sit down. Dickson is going to look around while I ask some questions."

"Alright," Amy said moving a pile of magazines off the couch and sat down. "What....What do you need to know?"

I walked out of the room as Martinsson began questioning her so I could look around. I could see Hairston and Lance coming in the back door into the kitchen and they walked over to me.

"Dickson," Lance said quietly as to not disturb the questioning Martinsson doing in the other room. "Do you need us her any longer? We were just requested for back-up on an actual arrest with basis."

I knew that like most others at Scotland Yard, Lance didn't really think I could figure out a suspect quickly and that any idea I had was a waste of time. I was used to it by know so his comment about having an arrest with basis didn't really bother me, but I could see a sympathetic look in Hairston's eyes.

She had joined the Yard about a year ago and she was one of the few people who didn't hate me and we had even shared a few lunches together. She was sweet and had a good head on her shoulders, and was one of the best shots in the Yard.

"I understand," I said to Lance and without a second glance, walked out the door. "See you around, Hairston."

"You too Y/N," She said softly and began to walk to the door. "Good luck."

I gave her a nod and she walked out the door to follow Lance. Now it was just Martinsson and me in the house with Amy.

I looked around the kitchen for anything that could help prove what I already knew about her. I saw empty beer cans in the sink and on the counters. Besides the mess of beer cans and magazines, the cabinets of plates and silverware were completely organized. I looked down at the counter and saw that knife block was just as organized as the cabinets, except for one thing.

Two of the bigger knives, like the kind you would use for cutting turkey, were missing. I first I thought they could be in the dishwasher but when I looked inside of the dishwasher, there was nothing in it. Then I looked at how big the slot for the knife was and could tell it was almost, if not, the same size as the one used on Duke Richards and Julie Patterns, now all I needed to do was find the knives.

I walked down the hallway and saw the door to her bedroom was open. I stepped in and was greeted with a different order that I recognized a metallic smell. blood.

I looked around the room for any signs of blood, even though I knew even the drunken, disorganized woman wouldn't leave evidence out in the open. I put on a pair of gloves and a face mask so that if I did find anything, I wouldn't contaminate it. As I looked around more than a few things caught my eye.

There were a few pictures of her and Duke but his face had been crossed out and so had the area where his hard would be. That was probably an emotional motivation, emotion is a strong motivation.

I walked into the joint bathroom and the smell was even more prominent than before. I pulled back the curtain in the bathtub, but there was nothing there but soaps and hair products. Knowing that there was a large amount of blood somewhere in this room, I decided to look around more closely. I looked in the linen closet, but once again, nothing. Then I saw the small hinges on the side of the mirror and knew that it was a door. A lot of homes had these types of mirrors, they would have a medicine cabinet behind them.

I opened the cabinet and before I even had it all the way open, a heavy object fell into the sink with a thud. I looked down and saw the knife that was missing from the kitchen, and it had some faded red marks on its wooden handle. I did not touch it because the CSI would need to photograph it and take it to the lad for a blood test.

I looked inside the cabinet and saw balled up blood-stained clothes. I quickly closed the cabinet door and walked out into the bedroom. I took off one of my gloves and took my phone out of my pocket to call Lestrade.

One thing was still bugging me though. Where was the other knife?"

Hello?" I heard Lestrade's voice come over the phone after a few rings. "Dickson?"

"Yes," I said back hastily. "I need a CSI team over here as fast as you can. I found bloody clothes and a knife that looks about the same as the one we suspected in her bathroom."

"Damn," He breathed out as he spoke. "Alright, they should be there in about fifteen minutes. Until then, you have the right to arrest her and bring her in."

"Certainly sir," I stopped when I heard some noise for down the hall where Amy and Martinsson were. I knew something was wrong. "I have to go; I think something is going on with the suspect."

I hung up and quickly shoved the phone back in my pocket and made my way back into the hall. I took my gun out of my holster and held it in front of me sturdy. I rounded the corner and saw what I had been worried about.

Amy had a large knife to Martinsson's through and he had his hands up as to not make her do anything rash.

"Amy Bloom," I said forcefully while having the gun trained on her. "Put the knife down and we can talk about this."

"Talk about what!" She yelled out, her whole body shaking. "I know you are going to put me away! There is nothing else to say or do!"

"If you kill him it won't help you any," I say as calmly as I can. "Look, I know you feel stuck. I know you feel betrayed, but killing won't make it any better. You don't have to do this; trust me it will only make it worse for everyone."

I was getting worried about her shaking; it was getting so violent that she could have cut Martinsson easily with her shaking.

No, this can't happen. Not again.

"Put the knife down," I said again. "You know it's the right thing to do."

She looked at me then at Martinsson and then at the knife in her shaking hands. After a few seconds, she dropped the knife and Martinsson quickly grabbed his cuffs and placed them around Amy's writs.

I felt so stupid for not knowing that she would use the knife, I should have figured it out sooner.

*Time Skip*

(Magnus' POV)

We had Amy Bloom in one of the holding cell's and the lad results from the blood would be coming in any minute now. I can't believe within my first week on the job someone got the jump on me, and in front of Y/N no less. She must think I'm a really great cop now. She did seem to change moods once we had Amy in custody and was left alone to think.

Y/N talked to me briefly after the incident, asking me if I was alright and things like that. I told her who Amy had a knife hidden in the couch where we were sitting, and that's how she was able to get me where she had. But after that, she had been keeping her distance. Even back at the station, she would barely even look at me.

She probably doesn’t want to be seen with the screw up new detective who managed to be a hostage on his first case.

I saw two of the other officers from earlier, Lance and Hairston walking by. Hairston stopped and looked at me with a smile.

"She's really something isn't she?" Hairston asked, and I assumed she was talking about Y/N.

"Yeah," I said thinking about all the things I had seen her do. "I have never seen or met anyone like her."

"We haven't formally met yet," She began with a warm smile and sticking out her hand. "I am Janna Hairston, but please call me Jenna."

"Magnus Martinsson," I said, shaking her hand. "And call me Magnus."

"You know," She started looking around to make sure no one was coming. "I think she has taken a liking to you, well as close to a liking as you can get with Y/N."

"I don't think so," I said softly. "Not after today at lest."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I mean," I began taking a breath and ruing a hand through my blond curly hair. "I don't think she was very impressed by my being a hostage on my first case. That's why she has been avoiding me since we got back."

"Oh," She said softly as if she was remembering something. "That's not it at all, Magnus."

She pulled up a chair and sat next to me, looking into my eyes sadly.

"It's not that she doesn’t like you or doesn’t want to be seen with you," Jenna said to me with a sad tone. "It's just, well, something happened to her about two years ago, and I think what happened today reminded her of it."

"What happened?" I asked, now very curious to know. 

"It was before I started working here, but I heard about it for the others here," Jenna began. "And Y/N did talk about it with me once. You know how Y/N doesn’t have partners, they all can't take working with her and request to work with someone else right?"

I nodded and gave her a sad look.

"Y/N is fully aware of that fact as well," Jenna said. "In fact, after what happened two years ago, she requested that she would not be assigned a partner."

"So," I began to ask. "What happened must have been pretty bad, right?"

"Yeah, it was," Jenna said. "Y/N and her last partner, officer Hailee Baxston, were going after a suspect. They had all the evidence they needed to convert them, thanks to Y/N, and so they sent Y/N and Hailee in first, they were the closet and no one else was there yet. Everything seemed to be going great, it looked like they would get in, arrest him, and get out without problems, but that didn't happen. Hailee and Y/N spit up so they would corner him, but when Y/N got back to Hailee, things went south."

"In what way?" I asked, even though I had an idea of where this was going.

"The man they were supposed to arrest had snuck up on Hailee," Jenna began after looking around once again to see if anyone was nearby. "He held a gun to her head and waited for Y/N to find them. He demanded that they let him go or he would kill Hailee where they stood. Y/N tried to talk him down, but he knew he wasn't going to be able to get out of this one. Y/N told him that if he didn't put the weapon down then she would have to shoot. Before Y/N could react, he shot Hailee right in front of her and then shot himself. She died a few seconds later right in Y/N's arms."

"That's awful," I said after taking in what Jenna told me. "I can't imagine what that would be like."

"The two of them were close," Jenna said after a few moments of silence. "She was the only one who stuck around with Y/N. It also didn't help that Hailee was spotted to be off that day, but Y/N asked her to help with the arrest because they had both spent so much time trying to nail the guy."

I let out a breath and looked over to where Y/N was talking with a few other officers about the arrest.

"I know Y/N won't say it out loud," Jenna said to me softly. "But she blames herself for what happened. She doesn’t like to show emotions or get close to people, but Y/N and Hailee had a bond, so losing her took a toll on Y/N."

"I can imagine," I said shaking my head. "That would shake up anyone."

"See, it's not you Magnus," Jenna said looking at me. "I think it just reminded her about that day. I know that you have only been working with her for two days, but I can already tell you are different. She likes you and I can tell you like her; most people won't want anything to do with her after the first few minutes. You two seem to work well together as well."

"You think?" I asked."Yeah," She said with a nod and stood up. "I really do."

I gave her a smile as she walked away and then I turned my gaze back to Y/N. I had a new understanding of Y/N and was amazed that she still stayed in this line of work after everything she had been through. I still couldn't see why no one wanted to work with her, I may have only known her for two days but she seemed like a great person. I think her intelligence just scared people off, but to me, I just found it more admirable.

Seems like there was so much more to know about Y/N Dickson then meets the eye, and I planned on sticking around long enough to find out.

Tag List: @theoneanna @mybabydrivesa67impala @lokislittleslut @camu-winchester @jessiejunebug   @fandomnerdsarecool @narvelc00kie35 @kinghiddlestonanddixon @darkprincessloki92 @namelesslosers @turniptitaness @drakesfiance @wegingerangelica @little-dis-kaalista-pythonissama @imasultforlokiandspencerreid @vethrvolnir @scorpionchild81 @fire-in-her-veinz @dumbgopher1

Let me know if you want to be tagged or have any requests.

[the-firebird69]

We have a huge alert out on them and we're adding to it and calling it a red alert it is actually a code red these people need to be captured they're up to something and up to something big and I found my report from today and it's different than what it usually is and I went in there and I heard it all day long now we're going to say it in the same they're going to hurd people like cattle and cities and try to. You said no immediate need for Intel called his and got them on the line so get a whole bunch of ringleaders in and we had a whole bunch of areas and we're ready Duke Nukem Blockbuster presses the button down to 5% corky your particular clan and race not retard and we're regrouping because you're regruoping

Referring seconds sure your kid is influencing to happen this is AI boy so you think your AI man and you're not you're not even close you don't have to do stuff you never got it you still in there and you need all those people to get them out and you won't get near him just like Mike wants you can force us to the right job not the wrong job after you cuz you're a boob

Go ahead your attention because you're so full of hatred we are wiring it all up just send it in there and it's your stuff back at you and you recognize your people and you're laughing because where it is some of you are not laughing cuz you can understand it

KABOOM.

Now you're down to 2% cork what are you going to do you're going to be AI boy not even

He would have a lot of trouble learning how to program in 10 years where he is and he'd be able to let it be slow and be tired some when you put together tons of code they can probably take all your asses you guys don't want to do anything like that

Thor Freya

Nothing at all like that absolute zero is what these people are they're way down there completely Frozen in Time and yesteryear is what it is here so we're going to have this great time down here he says no but he likes the place and he likes doing it. We have all sorts of stuff going in to the small hard knock kicker facility and we can have Bob Brown who's actually John C Reilly coming and do some advertisements and it's going to be a spokesperson and it's from China and he does the assembly and he's trying to work with Sebastian on it can't seem to figure out what he's doing wrong but today you got the John C Reilly version going so now he gets it he has to have some kind of value and he does he's a spokesperson I'm going to have Randall text Cobb too same guy so I'm going to text right now actually my husband's going to in a different format. And if you're wondering guys when it's going to happen it's after those ships gather and Sharknado happens you have a little shark boy on you you have little fish starfish this is how the hell is that going to happen you can't even move so she says that's me I'm going to just waddle over there fully Prego you make fun of it now it's like just as bad as what you went through me pregnant all the time and you're telling me now well we'll have to get out of there quicker it's got a fun he's like the expert at it. So we're down there having fun and we're putting this place it says we have to put the eatery in so Thor's in the panic you got it approved because they want to go down there and drink the whiskey and the beer it's not really in town and it is very good stuff it's clean it's always well filtered it's never contaminated and it's always got the same ingredients and it's always the same proportion it always is fermented correctly and taste tested and they said it's always the same and you know Budweiser didn't do a bad job at that but they like this better I guess for now so we're going to put it in there and it's got the same food and it's decent food it's edible to him and you can come in and eat and be decent about it and have a great time a lot of people love going in and they pick if I can say I'd like to get it all spruced up and ready and registered and so I go eat and take like an hour and it spruce it up and polish it up and get it ready to go we have tools to do it takes very little time he came up with those they're already around but he's out of it too and then you put the registration the license gas it up oil check the oils and everything test drive it a little and then come in and grab it and drive off it's a lot of fun just love to get dropped off and they're women and they're just having a decent time and they don't really complain or b**** and then come in and watch and ask questions and Hera is there getting mad the whole time. It's going to be fun though cuz the restaurant is like about 2,000 square feet which is probably a little bigger no no it's the same size as Ken's house a little bit larger and it has a decent kitchen in there a little bit bigger than theirs and it has a whole bunch of seating and a bench pumps out food pretty quick the way it's set up they don't have a huge menu decent amount of storage and if it does a good turn of business we have a big lot for storage I'm going to use the containers because we think we're making a deal with the train people so think they're going to nervous with bugs and trying to go inside them and all sorts of weird stuff coming out of these people in a matron. Gaga inside a SEMO.

Zues says oh boy, we accidentally got the m16s of the Mr AR-15s whatever they are so the laughing cuz he doesn't get it so if you're going to pop them off and pop them right in there double stack them sometimes and we have a tractor for that and it works pretty good so we understand that they're kind of upset about that it's kind of far away I said well it's dirt over there and you just put in the gate and cut it in it says put in one of those Gates that's solid metal so we will and it's a good idea but solid metal fence up too and we're changing it and see these assholes just walk right in it's kind of point and put a curb in too. Lots of places near the train have that kind of stuff as a matter of fact we put a heavy duty solid steel gate so tired of hearing from these people I'm going to have monitor it well I'm going to leave some security stuff there some kind of taser system maybe it's Tony soprano who use the fuel from the gas station on Bryan. So this might start the Cadillac thing going and it was having a good time it's going to be good food and good times and bikes and all sorts of fun down there and he says we're going to support me Olympian flag on our motorcycles no we're going to put in the hand of God neckerchief and hand of God flag and stuff make a hand of God gang

Hahaha 😂😂😂😆😆

We can't stand it we're laughing around asses off it's just terrible what's happening here he can't see it so he doesn't know he just starts off these things

And they go nuts like Satan's helpers and stuff like Satan is a good guy and these people are walking around with these evil jackets on people looking at it in fear is a real monsters so I don't get it cuz they're stupid

Thor Freya

[activatebekket-blog]

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Bekket, And Then a Little More

“If I want to be touched, I’ll let you know. Otherwise, don’t ever fucking touch me.”

  General Information

Name: Bekket O’Calley Name Meaning: The name Bekket means “bee cottage.”   Pronunciation: BECK-it OH-Caw-LEE

Other Names: Sometimes referred to as Bek, Bekkie, Bekkie-Boo or Bekkie-Bee. Their dead name was Ha Eun, a name that they always hated. Titles: He was often referred to as “That One” or “You-Know-Who” by teachers when growing up.

Sex: Designated female at birth Gender: Male Age: They’re 23, but are often thought to be younger, due to both the fact that they have a very youthful appearance, and that they are trans.

Birth Date: Thought to be and celebrated on June 22nd, but since they were abandoned at birth the exact date and time is unknown. Birth Place: South Korea; exact place unknown. Raised in Jeju City; assumed to have been born in Jeju City.

Species: Human Home-Planet: Earth Nationality: South Korean Occupation: Social Activist

Dominant Hand: Right-handed. Astrological Sign: Cancer Blood Type: AB

  Appearance

Main Appearance:  He has straight, slightly messy black hair, pale skin, and dark eyes; he used to wear glasses, but due to a degenerative eye disease he was born with, he's blind and no longer needs them. Skinny and small, he (luckily) has next to no curves to speak of, feminine or otherwise, and hardly needs to bind. He's a bit on the shorter side at five foot two. He’s very thin, and has a soft, pudgy tummy from a diet of mostly pasta, but doesn’t have a slender or fragile appearance. He’s just small. Kind of underweight, and allergic to fucking everything-- pets, bees, nuts, soy, dust... You name it, he'll sneeze at it. He has an ovular face, and a broad, round-tipped nose. His lips are kind of plump and have a slight Cupid’s bow, and he usually dresses in very casual wear. He doesn’t shave or put much energy into his appearance, because he doesn’t see the point to it, really. It’s not like he can see it anyway. His eyes are not blue or hazy or cloudy, they look the same way they always did; they just don’t work anymore.

Alternative Appearances: Before the age of 13, Bekket had a very feminine appearance, with very long black hair that he often wore down, glasses, and a frequently pink wardrobe. Most anyone who saw him before he came out wouldn’t recognize him. Once he came to the conclusion that he was trans and started to transition, he made an absolute 180.

  Image

Wardrobe: Bekket basically just wears whatever’s comfortable, which mainly consists of tee-shirts, hoodies, jeans, beanies, and snapbacks. Though he is perfectly capable of coming up with a system to work out picking outfits on his own, he chooses not to. All he really owns are tee-shirts, mostly in neutral colors, hoodies, and jeans anyway. What’s the point in mixing and matching? He’s usually in the clear no matter what he pulls out of his drawers in the morning, so that’s simply what he puts on. He figures it’s the easiest system, and it’s the least amount of work. And, hey, if he ever manages to put together some sort of truly atrocious outfit, he has the perfect excuse.

Accessories: Beyond the hats he occasionally wears, Bekket never goes anywhere without his medical alert bracelets and necklaces, (for both his allergies and his sight impairment,) or the little blue case he keeps clipped onto his belt loops that hold his epi-pens. Musical Instruments: He played a bit of piano when he was younger, but he quit it once his sight started to get worse; this was mostly an excuse for him to stop playing the stupid piano, which he always hated to have to play. He still knows quite a bit, and can play, but chooses not to more often than not. He’s trying to slowly re-teach himself the more complicated songs he used to be able to play now that he can’t see. Piercings: He has two piercings in each ear, which he usually just keeps simple studs or hoops in. Hygiene: Bekket isn’t terribly rigorous about such topics, but he does an alright job, for a man of his age. He brushes his teeth and showers regularly, but doesn’t do much beyond that. Sometimes he’ll wash his face with water, but usually only if he’s feeling crummy. In the shower, he spends most of his time soaking up the heat and sitting in the tub, spacing off, before he finally gets up and actually washes his hair and body. But where he lacks in his own body, he more than makes up for in his home and kitchen. He is rigorous about the cleanliness of his home, as he has a slight phobia of bugs and spoiled food. He marks any food he buys when he gets it, so he knows exactly when it spoils and he must throw it out. While there is some clutter in his home, (though never only the floors,) there is never any filth. Makeup: Never Perfume / Cologne: Never Scent: He usually smells like Febreeze, in all honesty. Tattoos: None. He doesn’t see the point in getting them if he can’t see them.

  Health

Diet: Since he has a multitude of food allergies, the amount of food he can eat is limited. He frequently needs someone to help him when he goes shopping or buys food at a restaurant so he can know for sure what ingredients are in it. He is also not a gifted cook, especially since he is blind, so he mostly just eats gluten-free pasta and chicken… Exercise: Though he gets a decent amount of exercise by running around and cleaning, trying to find things he’s lost, going on his adventures, and burning nervous energy, he never does anything with the intent of it being exercise. He just happens to get exercise along the way in his life in general, and he is just fine with that. Fitness: His physique isn’t TERRIBLE, but he’s definitely not in shape. He’s very small, but soft, and his tummy sticks out a tiny bit with chub from so much pasta. Posture: He has a very loose posture, and is usually slouching at least a little bit, usually shuffling his feet a bit when he walks. He doesn’t really worry about things like that.

Abnormalities: He was born with a degenerative eye disease, which led to him becoming blind at the age of seventeen. He also has a variety of severe allergies that he must regulate. Aids: Bekket takes anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications, as well as always carrying his Epi-pens with him. He also has a red-and-white cane that he carries with him, and medical alert bracelets and necklaces.   Allergies: Bekket is severely allergic to gluten (it causes him to throw up and be sick for a few days, as he has Celiac’s Disease,) mildly allergic to dairy (causes him to throw up and other stomach problems, lactose intolerant,) severely allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, (taste and touch, touching causes a rash, eating or cross-contamination causes anaphylaxis and needs an Epi-pen,) severely allergic to shellfish (taste and touch, touching causes a rash, eating or cross-contamination causes anaphylaxis and needs an Epi-pen,) moderately allergic to soy (causes hives, vomiting, stomach pain, and wheezing, but usually does not require an Epi-pen,) moderately allergic to pollen (causes sneezing, wheezing, runny eyes, etc. but does not require an Epi-pen,) moderately allergic to dust mites (causes sneezing, wheezing, runny eyes, etc. but does not require an Epi-pen,) moderately allergic to pet dander (causes sneezing, wheezing, runny eyes, etc. but does not require an Epi-pen,) severely allergic to penicillin (causes swelling, hives, fever, wheezing, may require Epi-pen,) severely allergic to iodine, (causes swelling, stomach pain, hives, fever, fainting, confusion, requires an Epi-pen) severely allergic to bee stings (causes swelling and anaphylaxis, requires an Epi-pen) and honey (causes swelling, hives, stomach pain, light-heartedness, confusion, sometimes requires an Epi-pen), severely allergic to latex (exposure causes swelling, heart palpations, hives, and light-headedness, may require an Epi-pen,) mildly allergic to ragweed (causes sneezing, wheezing, runny eyes, does not require an Epi-pen,) and mildly allergic to mold, (causes sneezing, wheezing, runny eyes, does not require an Epi-pen.) Diseases: Bekket has Stargardt’s Disease, a genetic, degenerative eye disease that slowly reduced his vision until he was totally blind. He first just had poor detail vision, which led to him having to wear glasses, but then resulted in color vision loss, and then blind spots that simply grew larger and larger as time went by until, when he was around seventeen, he couldn’t see anything. It does not progress anymore, as there’s nothing left for it to progress to. He is still adjusting to being totally blind but is overall fairly capable, as he has been preparing for this inevitable outcome his entire life, but through therapy and classes and through living with poor vision and blind spots. Illnesses: None Disorders: N/A Broken Bones: H has broken his wrist/arm/ankle multiple times throughout his life doing stupid, reckless things. Reason for Health: All of their conditions are hereditary; they were born genetically predisposed to them. Since they are adopted, there is no way to check their family health history, however, so they just have to take the things as they come, despite Bekket’s less-than-stellar health.

  Voice

Accent / Dialect: He doesn’t really have an accent anymore, though he used to have a Korean accent. Sometimes, when he’s sleepy or upset, you can hear it a little bit. Voice: His voice isn’t particularly high-pitched or feminine, but it’s very light, and it definitely isn’t deep or low-pitched, either, at least not for a guy. For a man, his voice is considered to be more feminine than average, but he tends to speak somewhat gruffly to make up for it. (Claim: Mal Blum) Laughter: When Bekket laughs, he almost always just ends up wheezing and giggling at the same time, his laugh stuttery and tinkly and full of catches and sharp breaths. Impediments: He used to speak with a slight lisp when he was young, but has outgrown it since then.

  Psychology

Languages: English and Korean Personality: Bekket is a sarcastic, witty kid with a lot of attitude. He doesn't take shit from anybody and tends to have a lot of energy, though a lot of it is nervous energy that he needs to burn off. He has a tendency to be all over the place and then eventually crash and need to chill for a while. He gets bored and restless and anxious if he’s forced to keep still and quiet when he’s in the mood to get moving and go exploring, but he gets equally anxious and starts to break down if he’s forced to be socializing and doing things when he wants to be curled up in bed with a good book and recharging. He’s very particular and not very flexible, and a bit immature. He doesn’t like being ordered around or following rules and has a natural defiance towards authority. He has very specific needs that have to be met, due to his disabilities and conditions, and just because of who he is as a person, meaning he sometimes has to be dependent on other’s help. He HATES this, as he is a fiercely independent person and prefers to do things himself and do them exactly the way he wants them done. He can be very bossy towards those who do help him because he feels the need for everything to be done perfectly (or perfectly for him,) otherwise it won’t be correct and it will bother him or can lead to him getting hurt. He's not very sensitive to other people and sometimes fails to see why others are upset or understand their emotions. He doesn’t make much of an effort to be understanding and will say what he thinks and what he means without hesitation, even if others get hurt because he feels it’s a waste of time to sugarcoat things. At the same time, he himself gets offended very easily and will become angry and indignant if others underestimate him, annoy him, ask questions he doesn’t feel like answering, or don’t do things correctly. He’s quite picky and needs everything to be just so. If he likes you, he’s very talkative and will never shut up, practically, but will hardly speak if he doesn't, save to remind you that he doesn't really like you. Very determined, he never gives up once he's set his mind to something, refuses to let his disability hold him back and will kick the ass of anyone who tries to tell him it will. On one hand, this allows him to be very productive, ambitious, motivated, confident and strong-willed. He gets things done and lives life to the fullest. On the other hand, it also can lead to him being over-confident, stubborn, leaves him getting caught up in things even after its time to move on, and often puts him in danger when he overestimates his own abilities. In fact, he’s quite in the habit of putting his own life in jeopardy to get what he wants to do done, even if that thing is as trivial and try the new frozen yogurt bar everyone is talking about, even if it is riddled with allergens. He tends to like to "walk on the wild side" by doing stupid things, such as leaving his cane wherever and going off on his own without it, going “exploring” and getting himself lost, climbing fences and trees, running around without his cane or supervision and often falling or running into things, and tempting fate with his allergies: ie running through fields, petting that dog, eating the Reese's unless someone stops him, etc. He’s definitely a handful of a person.

  Philosophy

Outlook on Life: Bekket believes that for one to be happy, they must live life to the fullest. He also believes that if you want something done right, you must do it yourself. He likes taking risks and going on adventures and wants to get the most out of his time on earth. He doesn’t believe in taking your time or sugarcoating things. Philosophy / Motto: “You only live once.”

  Character

Priorities: His biggest priority is to go out and experience things and have a good time and make the world a better place. He wants to seek new adventures and understand new things, even without his eyesight. Personal safety, in general, is not a priority. He just wants to garnish his life with good times and leave his mark on the world somehow by making it better for others. Self Confidence: Bekket comes off as very confident, and sometimes over-confident. When he has ideas or plans, he sticks by them, no matter how many people tell him that it is poor or dangerous to himself or others. He has complete confidence in his own abilities, even when he shouldn’t. It’s actually a bruise on his ego when he does need to seek help from others, as he prefers to be entirely independent when possible. Self Control: Bekket has next to no self-control. If he has an impulse, he usually acts on it, regardless of consequences. Even if it means skipping class, eating food that will make him sick, risking his life, or making himself miserable later on, if it seems like a good idea in the moment he will almost certainly do it unless someone else stops him. Self Esteem: He has okay self-esteem, but it’s not perfect. The things that really bother him the most is his dependence on others and inability to entirely take care of himself, which makes him feel like a loser, and his body and gender dysphoria. He battles often with these things and tries not to face them when he can avoid it because it is painful.

Quirks: Bekket is almost always fidgeting, he finds it hard to stay still for long periods of time unless he feels like it personally. He always talks under his breath in Korean when he’s annoyed or upset, mostly because he prefers his first language to English and holds a firm belief that English is overall very stupid and poorly devised. Hobbies: Reading, listening to podcasts, researching random things on the internet, growing houseplants, playing video games, going “exploring,” ie walks by himself with no particular destination, drawing things and then showing them to people, trying to get them to guess what it is, describe it to them, and tell them that it looks good, etc.   Closet Hobbies: listening to Disney soundtracks over and over, “window shopping” on the internet, doting on his houseplants, finger-knitting. Guilty Pleasures: Frozen yogurt, rewatching movies he used to watch as a kid (though he more listens to them now,) and making his bed and then fucking it all up getting snuggled under the covers.

Habits: Checking and rechecking all his foods expiration dates every day, cleaning his kitchen, being late, doing a once-over clean of his room every day, carrying his DS with him at all times, cracking his knuckles when he’s idle, getting up on tip-toes whenever a group of people is looking at something, even though he can’t see it himself. Nervous Tics: He tugs at his own hair and talks to himself in Korean when he’s nervous, anxious or upset, and often takes out his cane, even if he doesn’t need it. Soft Spots: He LOVES dogs, even if he’s allergic to them. He’ll always pet them if he’s given the chance, regardless of the consequences, and would adopt one in a heartbeat if he could.

Most Prized Possession: His 3DS, which he always has on him. Collections: He collects books and video games, mostly, and is always looking to get more.

Regrets: He doesn’t believe in regrets. Secrets: He is typically fairly open about his gender identity, but certainly isn’t out to everyone, and he tries to keep it a secret when he’s scared or anxious as well. Darkest Secret: He doesn’t have many “dark secrets,” but his darkest secret, or most well-guarded one, would probably be that he sometimes does get overwhelmed and upset with the fact that he is blind, and just breaks down and cries out of frustration and mourning for his own sight. He gives off the impression, however, that he was prepared for it, doesn’t care, and has every intention of functioning perfectly well without it. Deep down, however, it bothers him, and it gets to him sometimes. It’s very frustrating when he can’t do the things he wants to do because of his disability, or it leads to him being left out.   Pet Peeves: People who offer too often to help him, people being overly sweet, nervous, hesitant people, being asked if he’s sure about that, anyone bumping into or nudging him, scratchy clothes, cars in general.

Phobias: Bugs or contamination; spoiled food or insects getting inside of his body in some way, being surrounded by or coming in contact with filth in general.

  Preferences

Likes: reading, video games, researching random things, spontaneity, things being clean, snakes, being in control, being around people he likes, speaking Korean, dogs, exploring, anything new and exciting, being in charge, freedom, plants, pasta, frozen yogurt, wide open spaces, the rain. Dislikes: talkative people, superstition, insensitivity, bugs, rotten food, mess, people being condescending, homo/bi/transphobes, lots of different kinds of food, country music, needing to ask for help, people probing at him, being bumped into, cars, relying on others, concrete, ice and heavy snow, loud windy days, being near high-ways or it being too loud in general, octopus (they freak him out.)

Favorites: frozen yogurt, any movie he’s seen before, specifically as a child, the color blue, and pink, anything peach flavored, sneakers, dogs, techno remixes, Shawn Wasabi, spring, scented candles. Least Favorites: gluten-free bread, action movies (too much stuff going on, not enough dialogue), the color purple, super salty foods, country music, farm animals, bugs, history, anything sticky, winter.

  Combat

Ability: Well, he won’t hold back or pull punches… Position: N/A Weapon: None Element: None Martial Arts: None Strengths: Won’t hold back or hesitate, will give it all he’s got. Weaknesses: Small, not in good shape, blind, doesn’t have any training, etc… Restrictions: Um, he’s blind? He’d do horribly in a fight.

  Home, Work, and Education

Abode: Right now, they live in a single room studio, right on top of a record shop. It’s cozy, impeccably clean, and has sparse furniture and decorations.

Pets: None, he’s allergic. Roommates: None, for now.

Sleep Patterns: Very sporadic. He sleeps when he’s tired, (and often misses stuff) but if he’s doing something or not tired, he will often stay up all night doing other things instead. Doesn’t get that much sleep on average. Eating Habits: Doesn’t eat very often, since he doesn’t trust most foods that weren’t made by himself. He usually eats some fruit for breakfast, and almost always makes himself pasta for dinner. He skips lunch; the only time he eats anything else is when it’s in a sealed wrapper, offered by someone else, or if it’s frozen yogurt.

  Social

Mother: None

Father: He has two fathers, who he calls his Appa and his Dad respectively. His Appa is South Korean, like him, and is the driving disciplinary force in his life. He loves him dearly, but Appa is usually the one who fusses over him, makes sure he’s healthy and safe and scolds him when he’s not doing what he’s supposed to. His name is Ji Kim, but he took his husband’s surname when they were married. He works as a computer programmer and app developer. His Dad is African-American and moved to Korea to study and teach English to students after he finished college, which is how he met his husband. His name is August O’Calley. The two fell in love, which led to his Dad settling down in Korea. They adopted three children together and then immigrated to America once they were given permission to do so by the government so that they could be married. Their Dad is much more care-free, slow-going, and low-pressure. He’s more the one who emotionally supports Bekket, and is a shoulder to cry on, while his Appa brings in the tough love. He is Ji’s business partner. Guardians: Bekket was raised by his two fathers after he was adopted at the age of two, having previously been raised at an orphanage in Jeju City after his mother left him there. Siblings: He has an older brother named Kang De, who is 30, and works in social services, mostly working with special needs children, and is married to a woman named Andrea. They have two sons, named Li and Kurtis, who are four and two respectively. His other brother, Min, is 27 and is a video game programmer and designer. He is married to a woman named Georgia and has an infant daughter named Kelsey. He has a fairly close relationship with both of them, and they get along fairly well. The two of them are often in charge of keeping an eye on the youngest of the trio and making sure he doesn’t go and accidentally kill himself. He is a bit closer to Min, as Min also grew up with ‘special needs,’ whereas Kang De was more often to be the one in charge of nagging and watching out for the younger two. Unfortunately, Min lives in California, while Kang De has remained in New York, like Bekket. Children: Bekket has no children. Best Friend: Olivia Roy. Close Friends: Ryan Andersen, Eric Andersen, Sebastian Arroyo, Nathan Roy Friends: Darius Rufus, Mary Sheehan, Alex Temple, Charlotte Brewington. Team: N/A Acquaintances: Marriage Law Group Rivals: N/A Enemies: N/A

  Romance

First Love: He had a massive crush on a girl in the second grade, who would always sit with him at lunch. He had to eat at an allergy-free table throughout school, and she was the only person who would make a point to bring in food that didn’t contain any of his allergens so that he could have someone to sit with during lunch. Definitely won her points with him, and he totally fell in love with her. They kissed each other once on the playground, but, well, they were in the second grade, so it didn’t really go anywhere, and Bekket’s family moved away shortly afterward.   Love Interests: Sebastian Arroyo Significant Other: Sebastian Arroyo Sexual and Romantic Orientation(s): bisexual

  Reactions

(Optional; but generally, this is how they react to what they’re feeling)

Angry: When Bekket is angry, you will know he is angry. He is not afraid to tell someone that he is pissed off and what they have done and is usually very straight-forward about his anger. Under some circumstances, however, he will become very anxious and cold when he’s angry. Anxious: When Bekket is anxious, he tends to withdraw slightly and lash out at anyone who approaches him and happens to misstep. Fear and anxiety make him more explosive, and he tends to try to isolate himself a little bit and fidget and worry. Conflicted: When conflicted, Bekket frequently stops everything and tries to work it out. He’s rarely satisfied until he comes to a conclusion for himself. Criticized: Bekket usually takes criticism fairly well… Er. If he thinks it’s justified, or if he asked for it. When he asks someone for their opinion, he’s pretty much always willing to take whatever he gets. When people offer unprompted criticism or advice, he tends to get very defensive and peeved off. Depressed: When Bekket is depressed, he becomes incredibly apathetic and completely withdraws. He becomes very self-pitying and somewhat pathetic, keeping to himself and allowing things to fall apart around him instead of being his usual, energetic self. Embarrassed: When Bekket is embarrassed, it usually hits him hard. His first instinct is usually to flee and try to save face, because though it is very hard to embarrass him when he is embarrassed, he takes it very hard. Excited: When Bekket gets excited he talks a lot, moves around a lot, and is overall just a little ball of energy. He has a hard time sitting still and is very bright and chipper. Frightened: Bekket is definitely more fight than flight, and when scared, he is much more likely to start a conflict and lash out at others than to run and hide, and tends to become very vocal and stressed. Guilty: This is one of the few times when Bekket will be very quiet and soft-spoken. He will speak less and act very nervous until he’s found a resolution. He has a very hard time letting go of guilt, but also struggles to confront it. Happy: Bekket is free-spoken, humorous, and bright when he’s happy. He likes to talk, make jokes, and discuss anything. He loves a good conversation and enjoys the company of others. Offended: When Bekket is offended, you will fucking know, because you will get an ear-full about exactly what you've done to offend him and why it’s wrong and what he expects you to do to fix it or not have a repeat of the incidence. Praised: He adores being praised. He absolutely soaks it up like a sponge and gets all proud and puffed up like a peacock, and talks a lot. Rejected: Bekket can get pretty bitter, depending on the rejection. If it’s something small and which he didn’t feel sure of, he will take it with grace, but otherwise, he has a tendency to become offended and hurt. Sad: Bekket is very self-pitying and teary when he’s sad. He cries pretty easy and tends to reach out to close friends for support and company, and shut everyone else out. Stressed: When going gets tough, Bekket gets going. When he’s stressed, he tends to kick it up into high gear and start to really throw himself into his work… Which is not always the most healthy thing.

  Biography

Background: Bekket has had several very distinct phases of his life. Originally, he lived in an orphanage in Jeju City, South Korea, which he has very few memories of. He was one of many children and got very little individual attention, though the workers who cared for him and the other children did their best. Eventually, he was adopted and lived with his two older brothers and fathers. Life was good, but also a bit precarious. It was often difficult for his parents due to the homophobia which was prevalent in South Korea at this time, and this often infected Bekket and his sibling’s. There were multiple times where he had a hard time at school and was also a bit of a trouble-maker. He had a hard time sitting still and paying attention and was always running around and getting himself into stuff. His parents were very over-protective and a bit strict, though loving, frequently worried about their children, especially the two youngest, well-being. When they originally immigrated to America, Bekket was absolutely opposed. South Korea was his home, and he hated the idea of such a big, sudden change. He cried and protested the whole way there, and even tried to boycott learning English… which didn’t last long. Eventually, he managed to begin to settle in living in the United States. That is, of course, until the virus hit. Bekket and his siblings spent a long time locked up in their apartment with their family, rarely venturing out and living a highly restricted lifestyle for a long while before things began to get better. He only went to school for a year or so before he came out as trans, which was a very difficult process. Though his family was completely supportive, there were few options of different schools to move to, what with the Virus and population drop, and so he had to fight through his transition almost independently with his peers, eventually forcing them all to accept his new name, pronouns, and identity. This is part of what sparked his deep fire for LGBT activism that he pursues today. He went through a very hard time in late high school when he lost his sight completely, and went through a period of very severe depression before he eventually managed to begin to work past it with the support from his family. He also went through a period of fierce independence, (during which time he dated Isaam,) before eventually finding some balance in his life. Er. Until the Marriage Law…

Earliest Memory: He vaguely remembers what it looked like inside of the Jeju City orphanage and that he shared a room with two other toddlers. The room was all beige and cream, and he had a stuffed orange cat he carried with him all the time. But this is about it. Fondest Memory: The moment when gay marriage was declared legal in New York. Their whole family celebrated and everyone cried… It was a very good feeling. Worst Memory: He vividly remembers being diagnosed with Stargardt’s, after a series of very uncomfortable and frightening tests and examinations, and it is explained to him that he was eventually going to go blind, and no one could do anything to help him. It was one of the most helpless and awful feeling moments in his life.

[arplis]

Arplis - News: Modern Keep Bees Away

17 .. 2547 Rings off the hook, said Mr. Mills, a former probation officer who now . Mr. Sklaroff, who keeps bees as a hobby, said he is rarely stung more. Mostif not allof the hundreds of different species of native beeslike . I heard the discourse on painting porch ceilings light blue to keep wasps away. Explore Marilyn Bebensees board keep bees away on Pinterest. . Painting a porch ceiling blue can keep away bees, wasps, spiders, gnats by fooling them. Paint your porch ceiling blue to prevent bees and wasps from nesting! It looks like the . Keeps away bees/wasps, plus it is so beautiful and. More information. Yesterday I removed this hive from the ceiling of a Palmwoods home. . On other jobs this isnt possible and she will keep moving away from the action right to. 15 .. 2562 Thickness: Bees tend to be pretty plump in the middle, while wasps and you may hire to possibly have to cut through walls, floors, and ceilings to gain access. . How do I keep bees away from my backyard gathering?

8 .. 2558 6 Natural Ways to Keep the Bees Away. Cucumber peel Cucumber peel is great for keeping bees away from specific, small areas. Peppermint Bees want to avoid the smell of peppermint in the areas and plants they hang around. Cinnamon Spreading cinnamon in areas that bees frequent is a great way to drive them off. There are several ways to get rid of bees in and around your home. Just a . Just make sure to keep kids and pets away from the treated area. If you dont want to. 15 .. 2562 For this reason, you should arrange for a professional to deal with the. . They usually dont use home structures to build their nests but are sometimes found in roofs, How do I keep bees away from my backyard gathering? 23 .. 2556 How To Keep Bees Away From Your Next Outdoor Partyand You! Patti Huck July 23, Long grass can house ground nests. Be careful. 12 .. 2559 Best Ways to Keep Bees Away from Your Summer Picnic. Play keep-away. Unlike mosquitoes, bees are not attracted to the smell of humans but rather to the sweet scents of their perfume, hair products, lotion, and deodorant. Practice the art of disguise. Cover up. Bait and switch. Set a simply dressed table. Do a little . 11 .. 2560 Everybody knows how important bees are for the ecosystem but we have to agree that sometimes theyre a bit irritating. If you want to spend. Use Cucumber Slices To Keep Bees Away During Outside Events. . hmm might be worth a try. Your DIY Bug Repellent Guide to Common Household Pests hoping I dont need . Thankfully havent had to deal with roaches. Keep Fleas. 19 .. 2558 Bees & wasps have a habit of nesting in houses & usually show in multitudes . Find out more on how to keep bees away from your home. . dedicated, professional company which offers a complete pest control service. North America alone is home to more than 4,000 kinds of bees, and there are . This DIY trap offers a no-kill solution, so youll have to check the trap daily and . to keep bees away while using items you may already have inside your house.

There are many great ways to keep wasps and bees away from your pool so you . Keeping hornets, yellow jackets and paper wasps away from a swimming. All bees, including sweat bees need to search and collect water. They will use whatever water source is nearby, even pools. Sweat bees can become a pest,. 2 .. 2560 Bees in a pool area are likely just looking to quench their thirst, whereas wasps may be attracted to the smell. Therefore, the best ways to keep wasps and bees away are by making your pool less attractive to them. This can be done by using natural repellents, deterrents, and traps for relocation. 20 .. 2561 A dip in your pool is often a great way to spend those hot summer days, but nothing can ruin a good time faster than a sharp sting from a wasp. 8 .. 2558 And, luckily, there are easy, natural solutions to keep bees away from . Its a win-win situation you wont have to deal with buzzing around. 12 .. 2557 Warm up a tired or wet bee and get her or him buzzing again! . Honey bee mites are far larger by comparison it would be like one of us . If you consistently find yourself rescuing bees from pools of water Victoria says:. 6 .. 2561 Bees are the bane of pool parties, backyard barbecues and summertime soirees outdoors. . This spray can also be used on patio furniture to help keep bees away for a while. . Kathy Adams is an award-winning writer. 20 .. 2560 Thirsty bees are diving into swimming pools, but you can help save them. . Tracie Byerley found them on a hot afternoon outside her Te Atat.

19 .. 2561 Safe, easy tips to keep bees away from hummingbird feeders without . water, it becomes contaminated and less attractive to hummingbirds. 7 Natural Ways to Keep Bees Away From Hummingbird Feeders. Choose red saucer feeders. Attach an ant moat. Hang feeders with fishing line. Slip nectar guard tips over hummingbird feeder holes. Periodically move the feeders. Hang a few fake wasps nests. Plant bee- and hummingbird-friendly food sources. . of bees. This is a guide about keeping bees out of your hummingbird feeder. . Article: Keeping Bees Away from a Hummingbird Feeder. By EllenB A good layer of petroleum jelly around the pole or mount keeps ants away pretty well. How to Keep Bees Away From Hummingbird Feeders. hornet The biggest problem we face each year is that our resident hornets also want some of that nice,. A feeder with too many bugs becomes contaminated and can keep hummers away. . safe strategies to keep bees, wasps, and ants away from hummingbird feeders, . guards or flower accents and your feeder will be less attractive to insects. The Complete Directory for Rearing Fowls, Pigeons, Rabbits, Bees, and Other Small . intention, and probably will centinue to differ until the bird himself shall declare it. Some say it is for their light; others that they feed upon these insects. . I shall describe each sort of Pigeons particularly, that these beautiful birds may be. FLY-C A evolutions to rid himself of his merciless adversary. . on his back with the greater violence, all the while keeping up a shrill and rapid twittering . This is the purple martin, one whose food and disposition is pretty similar to his own, . if you will, on the bees, I can assure the cultivator, that this bird is greatly his friend,. evolutions to rid himself of his merciless adversary. . with the greater violence, all the while keeping up a shrill and rapid twittering, . This is the purple martin, one whose food and disposition is pretty similar to his . or, if you will, on the bees, I can assure the cultivator, that this bird is greatly his . Besides insects, they feed. evolutions to rid himself of his merciless adversary. . with the greater violence, all the while keeping up a shrill and rapid twittering, and continuing the . There is one bird, however, which, by its superior rapidity of flight, is sometimes . This is the purple martin, one whose food and disposition is pretty similar to his own, but.

Paramount Studios. Suddenly it all made sense to me, or so I thought at the time. . I no bee actor, say-nyor. . I put away until we get to Paramount. Ees plenty. I felt so ugly and disoriented inside, but somehow I had to keep going for this beautiful . Bee Fabulous Moments love reminded me in my moments of pain with my . Daily bible scriptures, pop in meetings and a phone call or a text away if I. I keep bees for honey. We try to be . Fabulous Food Recipes This site is . You can create the most fabulous food without slaving away for hours in the kitchen. Dont feel sorry for me. We all end up six . Keep burning those fabulous fossil fuels thats what I say. Im so jealous of . I swipe a bee away from my leg. Well . Feb 24, 2019- Explore Julie Walkers board Bee Fabulous on Pinterest. . Bible verse.you would not believe how much this verse has helped me through things. Yellow Orange, Save The Bees, Blueberry, Shades Of Yellow, Color Yellow, Ephemera Free Printable~ Bee Tag great for giving away home-grown honey. Asheville Bee Charmer: Fabulous See 111 traveler reviews, 43 candid photos, . Save. Review Highlights. Honey tasting! I used to hate honey as a kid until I . awesome, one-of-a-kind store during a food tour and was totally blown away. I gave one of the girls a strand of my green beads and she gave me a bee pin! 9 .. 2561 Whew! Its been a busy week since launching the website! You lovely people have kept me incredibly busy with your orders and Ive been. 12 .. 2535 EDINA (CONTD): Patsy can put it away cant she, sweetie? Oh God! . And not any old bloody bee, but the bloody Gucci of bees, darling. This is the stuff. . Hmm ??? Now, if youll excuse me Im going to go and get dressed.

23 .. 2556 Set out a bowl or cup with some flat soda, fruit juice, maple syrup, or sugar water a few yards away from your picnic. Bees are attracted to the sugary scent and will pursue this instead of your lunch. If possible, set out the bee bait 20 minutes or so before you begin your picnic. 27 .. 2561 Here are a few tips and tricks on how to keep wasps and bees away from your campsite. . Therefore, when you are planning your trip, you might consider . they will be attracted to the sweet fragrance from your picnic food. or. 12 .. 2559 Set out a bowl or cup with some flat soda, fruit juice, maple syrup, or sugar water a few yards away from your picnic. Bees are attracted to the sugary scent and will pursue this instead of your lunch. 20 .. 2560 Keep Bees Away From Your Picnic. Pick a location away from trash cans, pools of water, and tall grass. All of these naturally attract bees. Moth balls are an effective bee repellent. Avoid using bright colors or bold colors for your picnic cloth. Bees dislike the scent of cloves, cucumbers, and marigolds. Keep a close . Home Made Wasp Repellant Keeping wasps away from your outdoor activities can be a challenge. For those who are allergic to their sting, they can be life. Ways to keep bees away from your next outdoor family barbecue. . The best wasp/yellowjacket repellant for summer picnics: 2 ounces of mint extract. What is the best way to picnic without bees checking out what youre eating? 936 Views How do you get rid of flies outside, naturally? 1,407 Views. 13 .. 2561 Choose a picnic location away from areas that attract bees. . If youre planning to set down a tablecloth for a patio dinner, make sure that the. 8 .. 2558 But maybe you want the bees to buzz a bit further away from you? . This means its time to start planning for how to keep bees and other.

fact that clove oil will keep bees and wasps and flies away while eating outside. Needed is a small dish, lace a rock & drop a couple of drops of clove oil on it,. clove studded lemon Repel Flies, Flies Repellent Outdoor, Insect Repellent, Fruit Fly . How To Keep Wasp & Bees Away For This Summer Wasp Deterrent, Note: To protect the beautiful paint work, spray fairy garden pieces with a. Keep wasps & bees away >> Put about 10 cloves (cut off the ends so they sit flat) in a lemon & set . it and hang it above an entrance/patio door and it will prevent the yellow jacket wasps from entering . It looks old and new and beautiful. 28 .. 2560 Luckily, there are a few solid things you can do to keep them away from your cookout. Watch out for nests. Rethink the flowers near your patio. Dont wear bee attractors. Keep the food inside. Dont swing at a bee thats flying by! 11 .. 2560 A great way to make bees go away from small areas is using Cucumber Peels. If you open a window to enjoy the beautiful summer and a bee. As you can see, you dont want bees sticking around in your backyard especially if theyre Just make sure to keep kids and pets away from the treated area. And as a nice bonus, youll have a beautiful-looking lawn all season long. 28 .. 2561 If you want to deter bees, remember to keep an eye on weeds . possible to have a beautiful garden full of flowers that dont unduly attract bees . outskirts of your lawn and garden, well away from a house, pool, deck, or patio,. 2 .. 2561 Outdoor weddings are beautiful, but one invited guest could ruin the . suggests placing a few underneath ceremony seats to keep bees at bay.

11 .. 2560 To keep them away from you, vanilla extract is a great solution. Just mix a tablespoon of vanilla extract or baby oil in water and apply it on your body when you are at a bee frequent area. Baby powder is another solution to keep bees away. . So use only natural products for the betterment of both you and the bees. 8 .. 2558 The bees are buzzing! But maybe you want the bees to buzz a bit further away from you? Heres some natural ways to keep bees at bay. Deterring Bees with Natural Materials So, consider putting a few peppermint plants or cinnamon sticks around your picnic area or outdoor patio. You can also keep bees away by chopping up a clove of garlic and letting it soak before for a few days in a glass of water. 28 .. 2562 In this article, we will explore ways to keep bees away from your house. . natural bee deterring methods that will repel rather than kill the bees. 17 .. 2561 Learn how to keep wasps away from your pool area, what to do . swimming pool and how to keep bees away using home remedies. . Eucalyptus, spearmint, thyme citronella and wormwood are all-natural wasp repellants. 23 .. 2556 Theyre pretty, and they naturally repel bees and other bugs. They find the scent unpleasant. How to Keep Bees Away from your Next Outdoor. 15 Fast Ways to Get Rid of Bees Effectively (Kill or Repel Them Naturally). + 12. Solitary Just make sure to keep kids and pets away from the treated area. 27 .. 2561 Here are a few tips and tricks on how to keep wasps and bees away . as red and brown will look like natural predators and will provoke bees,. How to keep wasps away from house Get Rid Of Wasps, Bees And Wasps, Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Wasps Here are some ways to deter wasps from.

8 .. 2561 To keep bees and wasps away so you can work in the garden or yard, try dabbing tea tree oil on your clothing. A little around the bottom of your. 6 .. 2561 Instead of killing them, get rid of them by using natural repellents or, in worst-case scenarios, calling for . What Essential Oils Repel Bees . This spray can also be used on patio furniture to help keep bees away for a while. . If allergic to any of the oils or their associated plants, dont use that particular oil. 8 Essential Oils to Repel Bees and Wasps. Tea Tree Essential Oil. It is one of the most popular essential oils. Peppermint Essential Oil. Almond Essential Oil. Eucalyptus Essential Oil. Orange Essential Oil. Citronella Essential Oil. Cedarwood Essential Oil. Essential Oil Blend. Discover ideas about Essential Oil Bug Spray. Use this DIY essential oil bee repellent spray to repel bees! . How to keep mice away. Ive included all there is to know about doTERRA grapefruit essential oil uses including DIY & food. Add drops of peppermint and drops lemongrass oils. Spray where Use Cucumber Slices To Keep Bees Away During Outside Events . Keep Bees. 17 .. 2561 Learn how to keep wasps away from your pool area, what to do about bees around . As with bees, there are essential oils that can repel wasps. . While many of the suggestions above involve professional help or buying. 7 .. 2562 With a few precautions, you should be able to keep bees away from your . Catnip essential oil has been shown to be effective at driving away bees and . was small and may or may not have included Africanized honey bees. 29 .. 2560 8 Genius Ways To Get Rid Of Wasps & Keep Them Away . that in 1993 alone, an estimated 80,000 children were involved in common household pesticide-related . Plant Therapy are our favorite brand of essential oils and you can purchase all of the oils 10 Brilliant Ways You Can Help Save The Bees. For more information on how to use your essential oils to keep a pest free, . Honey bees give off various pheromones to attract, distract or repel other bees,. Get rid of wasp naturally, from wasp nest removal, homemade traps, natural sprays and recipes, for dealing . Like wasps, most types of bees will leave you alone if you leave them alone. . If they see you, they will drive you away by swarming you and stinging you. Essential oils are also handy wasp and insect repellents.

23 .. 2556 How To Keep Bees Away From Your Next Outdoor Partyand You! a complete summer ensemble out of them, complete with a cute little. 12 .. 2559 1. Play keep-away. Avoid bee attention by wearing unscented products. Use an insect repellent to mask the scents. Natural repellents use citrus, mint, and eucalyptus oils. Dryer sheets also make effective insect repellents: tuck one in your pocket if youre hiking or place a few under your picnic blanket. How to keep wasps away from house Get Rid Of Wasps, Bees And Wasps, I am sharing how you can remove wasp nests in only 2 steps without hiring a. Ways to keep bees away from your next outdoor family barbecue. What color clothes you should avoid. Lots of info! Use Cucumber Slices To Keep Bees Away During Outside Events. . USA spider chart- identify the spider you were bitten by to figure out if its venomous. I HATE. How To Keep Wasp & Bees Away For This Summer Keep them away by putting about 10 cloves in 1/2 lemon. They dont . 13 Amazing Things You Could Do With Lemons We Bet You Never Knew. Get Rid Of . Lovely Home. See more. 14 .. 2560 How can you enjoy natures beauty without attracting every buzzing bee in a 10-mile . Plants That Will Keep Bees Away From Your Yard. You can try luring the bees away from your bakery. If sweetened water is not what is already drawing them, try placing a bottle a few meters away from your door,. 8 .. 2558 The bees are buzzing! But maybe you want the bees to buzz a bit further away from you? Heres some natural ways to keep bees at bay.

Woodbridge Summer Concert: NY Bee Gees August 20, 2018. . Album, House and Cars Duration: 11:06 . Barry Gibb Net Worth, Lifestyle, Family, Biography, Young, Children, Bee Gees, Album, House and . September 2, 1975. The Bee Gees discuss pop music trends, living in England, and the tax system. Jive Talkin is the UKs premier Bee Gees tribute theatre show. Featuring performers from Londons . Bee Gees Gold Tribute Bio John Acosta as Barry Gibb has performed in Bee Gees Tributes all over . Uploaded with Freemake Video Converter //lionslagospt.club/free_video_converter/ BEEGEES NOW! Put on your dancing shoes & get ready to experience Saturday Night Fever every day of . Join Bee Gees on Facebook //lionslagospt.club/beegees & Twitter //lionslagospt.club/beegeesofficial . Barry Gibb Live Full Concert 2018. . The Nations Favourite Bee Gees Song Top 20, 2011 Part 2 . Barry Gibb on his first solo tour, enjoy 10 of the best BEE GEES Songs: 1. . Barry please do another .

19 .. 2561 Triple BEEs Wrap . Nature Bee Wraps are a planet friendly alternative to plastic wrap! Because a hive can only have one queen bee? I said. Exactly, Gary . was still trying to wrap my mind around the process of making honey. Where does the. . this is to be understood likewise in a child of God, while the pcore soule is wrap; . Viz, the Divine vertue or power of God, till it commeth to bee a Divine body,. And if so bee that God make not good his promise of particular protetion of our . Therefore when all _things things else are gone, let us wrap our selves in. And if so bee that God make not good his promise of particular protection of our bodies . Therefore when all thing. things else arc gone, let us wrap our selves in. . a mirror of the human condition.11 Verily under the wrap of this transformation is taxed the life of mortall men, when as we suffer our minds so to bee drowned. her long legs, innocently bold; the woman wraps her shawl modestly about her, her . Then she lay down, frightened, beautiful as a doll; he hovered like a bee.

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/modern-keep-bees-away

[geraldcallway-blog]

Methods on the best way to clear your professional kitchen gear

When you are in the food business, it is crucial that you sterilize the areas of your restaurant, not merely your food place but also your kitchen. Your kitchen should always be clean since this is where all the meals preparation is done. Now, when washing and sanitizing the kitchen, some homeowners often take the professional gasoline burner for granted. In the event that you consistently clear your professional gasoline burner, you will enjoy the following benefits. Click commercial cooktop gas to learn more. Power efficient Most kinds of industrial cooking equipment lose their performance when they're dirty or clogged. For gasoline burners, once the gas slots are blocked, the flow of fuel is affected, offering off poor flame. In worst cases, there will be no flame. Prevent pests If that you do not precisely clear your gear, the fat and bits of food may result in pests, such as rats, bugs, and roaches. These unwelcomed inhabitants are known companies of salmonella, listeria and different diseases. Besides the diseases these pests provide, their presence can switch off consumers and will cause you to crash a health inspection. Removes shapes and dirt Different food pollutants that you do not need on the food are dirt and mold. If you're perhaps not careful, these can gather on your preparing equipment around time. Form, exactly like microorganisms and other microbes is a form of organic contaminant, and when ingested may cause food accumulation, allergic reactions, and also death. Extended living for the gear Standard cleaning and maintenance of one's grillers and burners may prolong their life. Washing dirt, grease and bits of food off these kitchen essentials can prevent rust, rust, and injuries, prolonging living of your commercal robata grills, fryers and gas burners. Below are a few recommendations on how best to clear your industrial grills and burners: 1. Clean your equipment daily. Around probable, wipe off components of food and oil off your equipment right away. If your home is too active each day, at least wash off all the foodstuff residue with the usage of a smooth sponge at the end of the day. Clear down everything to prevent bacterial growth, getting pests, rusting and deterioration in your equipment. Don't forget to remove residue on your own crust or oil tray. Residues remaining on your own crust or grease dish can spark and can even start a fire. 2. Don't use alkaline, acidic, and aggressive washing answers These products can damage your professional serious fryers, grills, and burners. They can keep a bluish cast and scratches in your glistening preparing equipment. 3. Never make use of a searching pad and material wool These two can lead to scratches on your own metal cooking equipment. If you will find hard to remove stains, take to to get rid of it with a wet material and non-abrasive cleaner. 4. Reseason your equipment's cast metal grates Reseason the cast metal grates at least once a year or the moment you see ripping of the cast iron's seasoning and if you have rust. Your professional gasoline burner, heavy fryer, and grill are crucial in your meal company; therefore, it is just required to keep them in tip-top condition. Apart from the given tips over, you are able to check the handbook of one's cooking gear for his or her proper maintenance and cleaning. If you need to upgrade your commercial kitchen of if you want to know more about different durable home equipment, please visit cookon.com.au.

[llampacaeatingguppy]

Gluten free in China

Hopefully that gets your attention well enough if you need this. And if you don’t, please share this anyways. I know it’s long and likely boring, but I’ll put it under a read more. Before I went there, I found pretty much no information/tips, and as someone with celiac disease that got me in serious trouble. I don’t want someone else to make the same mistakes I did.

Okay, hopefully the read more link worked. It’s kinda my first time using one, so...

Anywho, first off: hi. You want to go to China? That’s great! It’s a lovely place; I really liked it when I wasn’t... um... outrageously sick. But don’t worry! I made a lot of mistakes during my first two weeks in China, so you can learn from them and hopefully not end up like me. That’s the goal, anyways :)

O-kay! So, mistakes I made included:

-not being as careful as I could have on my first day. This is a horrible idea. Do not do this. The way I react, my first gluten exposure while healthy has a pretty mild reaction, and they get progressively worse with each one after that. Don’t bank on this. Just don’t. 

-not checking out my kitchen (or going grocery shopping) on day 1. This is, again, fairly self-explanatory. I was staying in a dormitory, and the description said “microwave, stove, fridge” on every other floor. But then again, it also said that there would be a couch and TV in the shared living rooms and there wasn’t any, so I should have taken that with a grain of salt (there wasn’t a fridge, btw. That got me in a lot of trouble). Also, although we did go to the store for toilet paper (our room was out), my roomate and I were experiencing jet lag from hell and so I didn’t grab anything to eat while we were out. Bad idea. 

-trusting school cafeterias and restaurants. I know, I know, you don’t want to hear this, but listen. It kinda depends on how sensitive you are, I suppose, but if contamination bugs you, eating out is just going to be a pain. My Chinese teachers looked out for me pretty well the few times my class ate out with them, and between having a card that described celiac disease and what I can and can’t have in great detail (I thing they’re called triumph dining cards, but don’t quote me on that. I can get more info if you want it, I just don’t have them with me right now. Basically they describe celiac disease in a ton of different languages) and my basic Chinese knowledge with extra memorized food words for the occasion, I only got sick eating out twice in two weeks (which really means I ate gluten three times but hey keep it positive), but that was two too many and I was sick enough that I had to leave early. Don’t be like me. Be darned careful, and if you don’t know any Chinese or have someone who knows Chinese with you to help, I personally wouldn’t risk it at all. Sorry.

But don’t worry! It isn’t all bad. Actually, if I hadn’t slipped the second time and gotten seriously sick (it was McDonald’s because I was stupid, if you’re curious), I suspect that I would have been able to stay and have a lovely time. So, here’s a few things that I found out while I was there:

-You’ll have better luck with cold/chilled foods than hot ones. I don’t know if this is necessarily true for all of China, I was only in Beijing, but at least there it’s a fairly general rule that hot/warm food just has soy sauce. I don’t know why. The director of my study abroad program told me that, and it held up pretty well.

-We Chat has a group you can join called “gluten free and allergies.” It’s in English and about, well, being gluten free in China. If you can’t find it, message me or something and I’ll see if I can help you out. I don’t care how old this post is when you do, either. I don’t plan on leaving tumblr any time soon. I’ll probably be here as an old lady. Maybe mention that it’s about the gluten free in China post, though, so I know what you’re talking about. Seriously, though, the people I interacted with there are so nice. One was kind enough to take me to the nearby grocery store and help me find safe foods, because Chinese groceries can be confusing to navigate.

-I can’t say that I ate a lot in China, because I was sick for a lot of the time I was there, but the fruit is SO GOOD. Like I know fruits and veggies aren’t everyone’s jam, but I really loved Chinese fruit and it’s easy to get.

Hopefully this helps some. I’m sorry that I couldn’t stay longer and get more info for you, but message me if you have any questions. When I was trying to find stuff on my own before I left, I found absolutely no helpful information at all, so I wanted to try to get my experience out there. I’ll be happy to help you any way I can, so if you want to talk to me more just come find me, okay?

[business-alliance]

Pest Control Sacramento Cost

A pest control cost in Sacramento can vary depending on what kind of rodent control service you are interested in for your home or business. Fixr has some average pricing costs for pest control that compare to Pest Control Pros rates. Here is the source of the article: https://www.fixr.com/costs/pest-control

Pest control services greatly depend on the type of pest. See below for the different pests and its associated cost to remove:

Ants

A number of opportunistic ant species can overrun kitchens, pantries, and pet food areas in search of suitable food items. Also, some ants (like their relatives the wasps and bees) have a potent sting. As with bees, some people can become hypersensitive to ant stings.

Carpenter ants: $500- $1,000 for initial spray, plus cost of physical labour & repairs. Non-Carpenter: $250+

Termites

$1,200+ for initial treatment, plus cost of physical labour & repairs

Termites are beyond doubt one of the most destructive pests. The subterranean and wood inhabiting are the two general types of termites. Be it rugs or carpets, furniture, walls or foundations, termites can devour homes and cause huge financial damages. A recent report stated that the average loss from termites in the homes and residences in the Unites States is a whooping $5 billion!

Bats

A certain percentage of bat populations are infected with a virus called capsulatum histoplasme and can consequently excrete the organism in their droppings. As a result of this, accumulations of bat guano, especially in interior spaces, may pose significant health risks to individuals exposed to airborne particles. Anyone exposed to material contaminated with H. capsulatum (such bat droppings or material contaminated by bat droppings) which becomes airborne can develop histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis is an infectious disease caused by inhaling the spores of the Histoplasma capsulatum fungus. The symptoms of histoplasmosis vary in severity from flu-like symptoms, to chronic lung disease, to blindness and even death in rare cases. Infants, young children, and older persons, in particular those with chronic lung disease, are at increased risk for developing.

$50 – $500, not including guano removal or sanitization

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs draw blood from their hosts by piercing the skin with a small beak-like apparatus. The saliva of the bed bug may be introduced to the human body during the bed bug’s feeding and may cause some redness or swelling, most bed bug bites are harmless. Since bed bugs are not generally known to carry disease, they are not generally considered to be health risks. There have been some reports of allergic reactions occurring after being bitten by bed bugs, and anaphylaxis is always a concern with any type of allergic reaction.

$500 – $1500+

Bees

Although an average healthy person can withstand as many as ten stings per pound of his body weight; this becomes fatal if the person is allergic towards honey bees, bee stings and bee venom. In that case, even a few stings can trigger severe allergic reactions in victim’s body and the victim can collapse. Then, there is the pain. In most cases it was found that the victim did not die from the large quantity of the venom introduced into his body, but from the acute pain that caused cardiac arrest.

$200 – $500 for treatment, not removal

Lice

Human lice are blood-sucking nuisances and a cause of social embarrassment. In the U.S., the head louse is by far of greatest importance because of its common and widespread occurrence, especially among children.

In other regions of the world, the body louse is the vector of three human diseases. Historically, epidemic typhus fever and epidemic relapsing fever have caused devastating outbreaks, primarily associated with disasters such as war, but also with natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes. The third disease transmitted by body lice is a non-fatal infection known as “trench fever.” All three diseases are associated with situations in which humans are crowded together under conditions where sanitation is severely limited or non-existent.

$0 – $100+ for head lice (unless you’re paying for someone’s time!)

Carpet Beetles

Carpet Beetles are a problem. Not only do they eat fabrics, some species even eat certain foods. Carpet Beetle infestations can even cause allergies, brought on by the inhalation of the small hairs that are shed by the larvae of Carpet Beetles. Carpet Beetles have even been linked to the spread of some infectious diseases, like Anthrax.

$250+ for initial treatment

Cockroaches

Cockroaches present one of the most significant public health risks, carrying diseases such as dysentery, gastroenteritis, diarrhea, typhoid, poliomyelitis and salmonella.

$300+ for initial treatment

Dust Mites

This gives rise to such dust mite allergy symptoms as drippy, runny noses, stuffy noses, coughing, sneezing, teary eyes, itchy eyes, itchy nose, itchy throat, itchy roof of mouth, chest congestion, wheezing, skin rash, post-nasal drip, chest congestion, swollen eyes, red-rimmed eyes, dark circles under the eyes, crusty eyes, and facial pressure and pain, just to name a few. Reactions to the dust mite allergen can be even harder on those with asthma. Airways in the lungs can become angry, swollen, and inflamed, increasing the severity and frequency of asthma symptoms. And just in case you don’t hate dust mites enough already, they have also been linked to problems like rhinitis, eczema, atopic dermatitis, and, albeit loosely, SIDS.

$200 – $500+ for initial treatment

Fleas

Fleas are carriers of both disease, such as typhus and bubonic plague, and also parasitic worms.

$150 – $350+

Ticks

In temperate climates, ticks are the number one disease-causing arthropods, second are mosquitoes but a close second. Some of the lovely viral diseases transmitted by ticks include: Colorado tick fever, Powassan encephalitis, and tick-borne encephalitis. Bacterial pathogens include: Lyme disease, relapsing fever, and tularemia organisms. There is also, at the very least, one protozoan pathogen carried by ticks: human babesiosis. And, last but not least, tick-borne rickettsiae cause the following human diseases: Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, and endemic typhus.

$150 – $350+

Mice

Mice contaminate food with their droppings and urine. They spread such diseases as salmonella bacteria (food poisoning), lepospirae (jaundice) and typhus. As well, they carry parasites such as fleas, round worms and mites. Deer mice are known to transmit Hantavirus, a virus that affects the respiratory system of humans.

$200.00

Weevils

Weevils, if eaten can cause very unpleasant diseases and infections and are known to carry and pass to humans the E. Coli infection.

$125 – $250

Rats

Rats can transmit many diseases to humans, including Salmonellosis (food poisoning) and Weils disease. Rats will eat or contaminate food intended for humans. It is estimated that up to 5% of food produced world-wide is lost as a result of rodent activity. They can cause damage to buildings and other structures by gnawing and burrowing

$325.00

Mold

Molds produce negative health effects through inflammation, allergy or infection. Allergic reactions, including fever, are common after mold exposure. Symptoms of those exposed to toxic molds which issue mycotoxins both individually or in combination are:

Immune system suppression

Respiratory problems including asthma and infections

Eye irritation with burning, watery or reddened eyes

Cough – dry and hacking

Nose or throat irritation or both

Skin rashes or irritation

Memory impairment

Irritable bowel syndrome

Body aches and pain (Chronic Fatigue)

Food Intolerances and allergies

Headaches

Mood swings

Nasal and sinus congestion

Cost varies tremendously with Pest Control Pros

Spiders

Of the thousands of species in North America, very few sport fangs capable of piercing human skin. When they do happen, most spider bites result in mild agitation or nothing at all. That being said, there are a few spiders of medical importance. With some exceptions the two spiders capable of sending us to the hospital are widow spiders and brown recluse spiders (also known as violin spiders).

$200.00

Wasps

Their threat is two-fold. Firstly, they can contaminate foodstuffs but, more alarmingly, their sting is at best painful and in certain instances, can cause anaphylactic shock which may lead to death.

$200 – $500

Get in contact with us today to get a FREE estimate on all your pest control needs. Call us today! (916) 378-5102

The post Pest Control Sacramento Cost appeared first on Pest Control Pros.

from Pest Control Pros http://pestcontrolprosca.com/pest-control-sacramento-cost/ Pest Control Elk Grove CA

[cycreekpest]

Why Pest Control is Most Important?

Pest control is the control or management of a species defined as a pest, a member of the animal group that influences negatively on human activities. Pest control is essential because bucks and insects carry diseases, penetrate your kitchens and bedrooms, and bite you or your pets. The purpose of removing any kind of pest from your home, garage, or yard is to keep you safe and healthy. For example, bucks can leave wastes on or near the food they find in your kitchen. If you are unaware and eat contaminated food, you can become very sick. Mostly Pests of all types carry tough viruses and bacteria that require long-term treatment to recover. Others can make existing medical conditions like asthma even worse depending on the type of pests.

The importance of pest control services cannot be overlooked. Apart from saving your family from financial disaster a professional Pest Control Services company can also save from health disaster. One must prevent everything possible that causes a house fire. Experts say that 25% of all house fires are due to unknown cause. Some of the reasons include insects or rodents biting on electrical wiring or gas lines.

Pests can also cause life-threatening damages which are pesky so they need to be handled immediately.

Next to a house fire, serious damages to the home's walls and ceilings can cause serious distress for each member of one's family. If they break and fall they can also lead to physical harm.

Dangerous molds can also spread in the home when bat or mouse dropping which can also lead to spending thousands of dollars in repairing the damage. Contact experienced pest control services like Cypress Creek Pest Control

Offers will be put down for your home if bugs are running around your house. The value of your home could significantly decrease if your home is likely to be affected by bug infestation and unveiled professional assistance. Lot of money spent on repairing the damage will not give one and his family peace of mind. One's hard-earned money can be used more productively instead of spending on fixing avoidable damages

Worrying about roaches, bed bugs, bats, fleas and other nasty pests can ruin your sleep at night. So get rid of them today and live happily with Cycreek pest control Houston.

Look after the health of our kids as they may not know the existence of pests. They will cry and there might be rashes or hives on their body due to the pest bite. It will ultimately hurt them and we can't bear kid's pain at our homes. At least for our well-being of kids, we need to have regular pest inspections in our homes and commercial buildings. DIY will not work for the pest extermination cycle, so we suggest you utilize professional pest controllers to inspect.

[princesstreaclefanfic]

Chapter Twenty Six

Apologies for the late posting. I've had some university work to finish up. Please read my author's note at the end as to the second reason why this is late.

Disclaimer - All recognisable characters belong to their original owners. I do not make a profit from writing this; I simply do it for my own amusement. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter Twenty Six

Black's – The Next Morning

Jake resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Victoria stood in front of him, arms crossed over her chest, explaining to him why she could never work with Nessie.

"I just don't feel safe with her on the premises." Ridiculous. "She attacked me. I could have died." She flicked her red hair over her shoulder. "I'm not going to quit and give her what she wants – and I wouldn't do that to you, Jake. But I won't work with her. Any shifts we have together will need to be rearranged."

"Of course," Jake told her with a fake smile. He'd worked with Victoria for long enough now to know that if he said anything about how stupid she was being she would launch into another rant. The less time he spent with her the better.

"Good," she smiled. "I'm glad we're on the same page." Did she forget he and Nessie were… seeing each other? Fucking each other? He wasn't quite sure what they were, friends who slept together but only with each other? Anyway, that didn't seem to matter to her.

She turned and headed back into Black's and to deal with the morning rush.

It was a few hours later before Jake saw anyone, he was elbow deep in some paperwork he needed to fill out when Victoria came running through, not even bothering to knock, her red hair frizzed around her, heart beating fast and panic in her eyes.

"Tyler's poisoned everyone!" She ran back down the hallway leaving Jake to wonder what the hell was going on.

He got up from his chair and jogged after her only to find her stood in the main part of the bar surrounded by patrons who were… vomiting like their lives depended on it.

The smell made him gag and he wondered how he hadn't heard or smelt it before now. He must have really been into the paperwork.

Esme was the only other waitress working this morning and she was rushing around with buckets and paper towels, trying to comfort those who hadn't managed to make it to the bathroom in time.

When she saw him, she hurried over to him.

"I've called an ambulance. I don't know what's going on." The usually calm woman looked frazzled.

"Where's Tyler?"

"In the kitchen."

At that, a man made a loud moaning noise from across the bar before vomiting up what Jake assumed had been his breakfast. Esme gasped and ran over, patting his back and handing him some paper towels to clean his mouth with.

"What do we do?" Victoria asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"Make sure everyone has some water and open all the windows – maybe some fresh air will help." Victoria nodded and quickly went into the back. Jake headed into the kitchen.

"Tyler – what's going on?"

Tyler was stood by a counter, checking over the ingredients he had used for breakfast. "Honestly boss I have no idea. Everything is in date. I cooked everything thoroughly." He shook his head. "I don't know what's going on."

Jake wasn't angry at him. He didn't think was Tyler's fault but he was confused as to how it happened.

"It's alright," he told him, walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think you did this."

Tyler nodded and let out a breath he had been holding in. "Thank's boss." He turned and smiled at Jake but as quickly as his smiled appeared it went as he looked over Jake's shoulder and the colour drained from his dark face.

Jake heard his heartbeat speed up, smelled the sweat gather on his skin and his pupils dilate. Jake turned and looked behind him, expecting to see… well, something. But no one was there. He turned back to Tyler.

"Tyler?"

His cook didn't respond. He was frozen on the spot and his heart had taken up a dangerous rhythm.

"Tyler?" Jake questioned again, moving closer. Again, no response.

"Tyler!" Jake shouted this time, grabbing ahold of his shoulder and shaking him fiercely.

Tyler's startled, wide brown eyes shot to Jake's face and he jerked back violently from him, flinging himself away from the large man, tripping over in the process and falling.

"No! Stay away!" he cried, sliding himself back across the floor until he was in the opposite corner, cowering and crying.

Jake was stunned for a few seconds and then lowered himself, making his body as small as he could as he approached the terrified man.

"It's alright." he cooed. "It's alright."

Jake wasn't entirely sure what to do. He didn't know if he should reach out to him or what, but he didn't want to leave him. Not like this.

"Stay away from me you bitch!" Tyler cried, burying his tear-stained face in his arms as he rocked.

Jake had been called many things in his life but never a bitch.

When Tyler looked up again, Jake realised he wasn't looking at him but over his shoulder. Again, Jake glanced behind himself but didn't see anything. Whoever Tyler was calling a bitch was someone Jake couldn't see.

"Esme!" Jake shouted loudly. "I need your help!"

He heard her footsteps as she ran towards the kitchen. He never took his eyes off Tyler though.

"What's going on?" She asked breathlessly, flinging herself on the floor near Jake as Tyler whimpered.

"He can see someone who we can't." Esme turned to look behind them and then turned back to Tyler. "He's not responding to me. I thought he might respond to you."

Esme nodded and immediately reached forward, her soft hand touching Tyler's hot arm.

"Tyler, can you hear me?" Tyler shook more and another sob broke out from his mouth.

"Tyler, it's me, Esme. There's no one there. It's just us." Her fingers gently stroked down his arm until she got to his hand. It was pressing into his other arm so hard that his fingernails had left crescent-shaped marks on his own skin. She gently but firmly grasped his hand in hers and brought it to her chest where she clasped it with both hands.

"You're safe, Tyler."

Jake didn't know if it was Esme's voice, touch or something else but Tyler's tense body relaxed, only a fraction. He raised his tear-stained face to look at Esme with watery eyes before a cry burst from his lips and he lunged himself into her arms, almost knocking her over. It was only Jake's solid arm on her back that stopped her.

"Esme! Oh God, Esme!" Tyler sobbed in her arms, his tears now falling onto her neck.

Esme looked worriedly at Jake as she rubbed Tyler's back and tried to comfort him.

None of them tried to get him to speak for a few minutes. They sensed they wouldn't get anything out of him.

As his sobs began to subside and his shoulders stopped shaking, Esme pulled back from Tyler and held his face in her hands.

"What happened?"

Tyler's whole frame seemed to shake again and his eyes welled with tears.

"You can tell us," Esme reassured him. At that moment, Jake felt like a parent.

Tyler whimpered and closed his eyes tightly.

"Maria – I saw Maria."

Jake and Esme shared a look.

"Maria – the woman who took you hostage?" Jake clarified. Tyler nodded his head quickly, eyes still squeezed closed.

"She's dead, Tyler," Esme said. "She… shot herself."

Tyler, who had been ensconced in her arms, opened his eyes and flew back from both her and Jake. "I know what I saw!" His anger overtook his fear and he got to his feet, Jake and Esme scrambling to theirs just after him.

"We're not saying-" Jake tried to explain but Tyler cut him off.

"I know what you were saying. I'm not crazy! I saw Maria last night and I saw her again today! Austin didn't believe me and neither do you!"

"You've seen her before?" Esme questioned and Tyler nodded, his mouth set in a hard line.

Jake didn't know what to say. Thankfully Esme did.

"What did she look like?"

"Dead."

When neither Jake nor Esme responded, Tyler began to defend himself.

"I'm not crazy!"

The sound of sirens pulled the three of them out of their bubble and they all turned towards the main part of the bar, the blue lights flashing through the windows.

"We need to help those people," Esme told Jake and Tyler. "But then we need to discuss this." She turned to look at Jake and then Tyler. "I don't think you're crazy, Tyler. I think you did see, Maria." Tyler looked relieved. "Whatever's going on. We'll figure it out." He nodded and wrung his hands together.

"Come on," Esme said to Jake. "We've got some people to help."

Jake followed Esme as they headed out of the kitchen, when they got to the corner, he gently tugged on her arm to get her to face him.

"Do you really think Tyler saw Maria?"

Esme nodded and bit her lip. "Yeah, and I have a feeling she's not going to go away easily."

Jake sincerely hoped she was wrong.

Forks Forest

Jake's large paws hit the ground with a thud as he did his usual rounds, making sure that the population of Forks was safe – or as safe as it could be with all kinds of supernatural creatures coming out of the woodwork.

This morning had been a disaster. More ambulances had shown up to take most of the customers to the hospital but no one could tell him why they were being sick. They didn't have a stomach bug or the flu or food poisoning. The bar was to remain closed whilst it was checked to make sure nothing had been contaminated. The paramedics had wanted to check Esme and Jake out but they'd come up with excuses; both had said they hadn't eaten the food and felt fine. The last thing either of them needed was someone taking their blood and wondering why they were showing up abnormalities. Heck, even if they took Jake's temperature they'd wonder if he was running a fever.

The cool night air was rushing through his fur as Jake loved the smell of the forest. When he was here he could forget about everything, if just for a few minutes. He could forget that his pack left him. He could forget that his imprint didn't feel the same about him. He could forget that every time one obstacle was overcome another seemed to come along. When it was running in the forest, it was just him. A wolf.

Slowing up, Jake rubbed his large shoulders on some trees that ran along the Forks boundary, scenting them. He was letting others know this area was his. He was the protector.

Sniffing the air to make sure his scent was clear, Jake turned and headed towards Edward's house. They were all meeting there tonight to discuss Tyler. Jake had rung Bella and Rose; he wanted them to read Tyler's mind and make sure he had actually seen Maria. Esme had rung Carmen and asked her to come over. It was meant to be the new coven's first meeting tonight but Carmen had pushed it back so she could talk to Tyler. She didn't know herself what was going on.

As Jake got closer to the Masen house he smelled the normal wolves of Forks that prowled the forest. Usually, they kept to themselves, staying away from Jake because they sensed he was stronger and faster. Tonight was a different story.

Jake slowed when he felt eyes on him and he cautiously looked around the forest, sensing more and more wolves. As he looked into the night, amber eyes stared at him and growls echoed through the forest. Something was wrong.

Jake stood to his full height, his own lips curling back to reveal large white teeth. It was a threat. No wolf moved.

Slowly, Jake moved his left front paw, lifting it slightly, intending to walk away. The pack had other ideas. It started with a deep growl and ended in a hissing snarl.

Using his large back legs, Jack propelled himself forward and away from the pack. He had no idea why the hell they were attacking. They were angry. And for some reason, he was the target.

Jake ran through the forest, using his speed and strength to get as far away from them as possible. But they kept coming. They were hot on his heels, snapping at his flank.

Ahead of them, Jake saw an outcrop. His idea was to get to that and then jump off it, giving him a head start to hopefully get away.

The pack had other ideas.

As Jake jumped he was grabbed from behind by one wolf. It wasn't enough to injure him but he was pulled down and onto the ground, his side smashing into the floor sending leaves and soil flying up around him.

The fall left him disorientated and more wolves jumped on top of Jake, biting at his flesh and ripping into his skin.

Jake let out a whimper and kicked his back legs, sending a few flying.

He righted himself, stumbling when he stood on his back left paw and a burning sensation ran through his leg and the scent of his own blood filled his nose.

He swayed through the forest as a large number of wolves jumped on his back in an attempt to bring him down, their sharp teeth cutting into him.

The more that climbed onto him the harder Jake found it to get away, his vision blurring, his heart pounding in his ears and his limbs feeling heavier with every step he took.

It was a sharp pain to his throat that jerked Jake back into reality. Wolves hunted in packs and Jake was their prey. They were trying to take him down and the bite to his throat was meant to do just that.

Not today, Jake thought. Summoning up every last inch of energy he had, Jake rolled hard onto his back, slamming the wolves into the ground. He rolled, digging himself into the dirt as he felt their hard jaws let go of skin to yelp and cry in pain.

He rolled back onto his four paws and threw his large furry body against the nearest tree to his right and then the nearest tree to his left, shaking off the last of the wolves.

On stumbling feet, he ran, through the forest, through the stream until he saw the lights of Edward's house in front of him.

He didn't know if it was the scent of the vampires or the show he had put on but the wolves left, many of the sporting injuries.

Walking towards the house with him own limp Jake felt sick and tired, blood was pooling in his mouth and his coat felt cold, blood matting his normally slick fur together.

As he got closer he saw a figure coming towards him. His body fell to the ground with a thud and he cried out in pain, not sure which part of him hurt the most.

"Jake!" It was Nessie. She fell to her knees next to him in the ground and ran her fingers through his coat. "What happened?"

Jake closed his eyes and felt the fluttering beneath his skin as he changed from wolf back to human.

Nessie gasped and when Jake looked down at himself he realised that most parts of his body were covered in bites, blood oozing from them as he struggled to heal due to the sheer number of them. His left foot felt numb and when he looked at it, it was sticking out at an odd angle. His ribs ached as if he had been punched in them extremely hard and his head felt fuzzy and heavy.

"Jake!" Nessie cried once more when she didn't get a response. She rolled him onto his back and lifted his head into her lap, cradling his face. He heard her shout for Carlisle and when he opened his eyes she looked fuzzy –like how a television screen looks when it loses signal but the picture still manages to come through.

As his eyes began to shut, his body giving in to the tiredness, he thought about how beautiful she looked in the night. The stars behind her and the wind blowing. She always managed to look beautiful.

Thank you for reading.

As for the second reason why this is late, well… I got a review on the last chapter of this story about the scene between Tyler and Austin. I won't name names but somebody implied they wouldn't read this story if I continued to write homosexual sex scenes. I want to address this. Please don't threaten to not read my story because you don't like what I put in it. I write for me. The fact that others like it and I get reviews, comments, kudos, recommendations, messages etc. are a bonus. If you don't want to read my story – don't. If you do, great. It's taken me a while to figure out what to say, but I hope this makes it clear.

Now… what do we think is going on with Tyler?

[driveaugust1-blog]

Every McDonald’s touchscreen in study tests positive for fecal bacteria

MONEYISH

© abalcazar/iStock A U.K. report found traces of fecal bacteria on McDonald’s touchscreens.

You deal with more crap than you realize every day.

We all suspect that high-traffic public surfaces like subway poles, railings and door knobs are covered in toilet germs. But traces of feces were found on every McDonald’s touchscreen swabbed in a recent investigation by Metro.

The burger chain has added self-service kiosks that let customers tap what they want on the touchscreen before picking up their orders from the counter. And when the U.K. news site asked researchers at London Metropolitan University to test the screens at eight McDonald’s restaurants, including six in London and two in Birmingham, every one of them had coliforms, or the bacteria found in feces. A screen at one branch had traces of staphylococcus, a bacteria that can cause blood poisoning and toxic shock syndrome. Listeria, which can lead to miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women, was also found.

‘We were all surprised how much gut and fecal bacteria there was on the touchscreen machines,” Dr Paul Matawele, a senior lecturer in microbiology at London Metropolitan University, told Metro. “These cause the kind of infections that people pick up in hospitals.”

Dr. Philip Tierno, a clinical professor of Microbiology and Pathology at NYU School of Medicine, was not surprised. “We are bathed, as a society, in human feces,” he told Moneyish. “Wherever numerous people touch the same surface over time, they deposit their germ passport, which can include bacteria from three body places -- respiratory, skin and fecal sources.”

© WANG ZHAO/AFP/Getty Images) A U.K. report found traces of fecal bacteria on McDonald’s touchscreens.

“This (Metro) report shows that people do not properly pay attention to hand hygiene -- especially hand washing,” he added. “Eighty percent of all infectious diseases are transmitted by direct and indirect contact. Direct like coughing, sneezing, talking, kissing someone; and indirect like touching a dirty fomite (doorknob, phone, computer, elevator button, touchscreen, etc.) and then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth or a break in the skin.”

While McDonald’s has yet to respond to a Moneyish request for comment, a spokesperson told Metro that, “Our self-order screens are cleaned frequently throughout the day. All of our restaurants also provide facilities for customers to wash their hands before eating.”

And McDonald’s isn’t the only chain where you risk picking up a crappy meal. Other reports have revealed that the coffee or tea you’re sipping – and even the cash you used to pay for it – also carry bacteria found in feces.

The BBC’s consumer show “Watchdog” tested drinks at McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Burger King in the U.K., and found traces of fecal coliform bacteria in the iced drinks at each chain. Another BBC investigation also discovered iced drinks from the U.K.’s most popular coffee chains, including Costa Coffee, Starbucks and Caffe Nero, contained traces of such bugs in their ice cubes.

Ice can get easily contaminated, either from water laced with fecal coliforms, or from bacteria getting on whatever utensil is scooping the ice if an employee doesn’t wash his or her hands. And the freezer actually preserves the bacteria, rather than killing it.

© artisteer/iStock ”We are bathed, as a society, in human feces,” warned Dr. Philip Tierno, a clinical professor of Microbiology and Pathology at NYU.

Your office is just as bad. Research shows that up to 90% of mugs in employee kitchens are coated with dangerous germs, and 20% of these same cups actually carry fecal matter, according to a study carried out by Charles Gerba, a professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona.

Gerba found that the reason our mugs are saturated in all kinds of bad bacteria is due to the sponges in the communal kitchen which, when rarely replaced, become a host for germs that end up in our drinks.

Plus, an earlier report swabbed $1 bills circulating in NYC, and found more than 100 different strains of bacteria on the dirty money.

It gets worse.

The CDC reports that poop in public pools helped double outbreaks of the cryptosporidium parasite between 2014 and 2016, which is spread when people swallow water contaminated with diarrhea or feces. “It is not easily killed by chlorine and can survive up to 10 days in properly treated water,” the CDC warned.

The dumbbells in your gym are dirtier than your toilet seat. A 2016 study noted that free weights are crawling with 62 times more bacteria than public toilets, including gram-positive cocci that can result in skin infections and sepsis.

And before you press your smartphone against your face, consider this 2011 study that found one in six U.K. mobile phones is contaminated with fecal matter.

Oh, and your purse picks up crap when you place it on the floor between your feet on the subway or in a bathroom stall (use the hooks, ladies). “About a third of them have fecal bacteria on them,” Charles Gerba, a University of Arizona microbiologist, told the “Today” show.

So what’s going on? As Dr. Tierno noted, everyone poops, so everyone is a potential carrier of fecal bacteria. And fecal matter can survive for days or weeks on surfaces, depending on the type of bacteria, “so washing your hands is imperative - before you eat or drink anything, and before you touch your face.”

As for the contaminated screens, the Metro report suggests that disinfectant used to clean the screens may not be strong enough. And with the iced drinks in the BBC report, it’s possible the water being frozen into ice cubes was contaminated. Or perhaps fecal matter contaminated the ice machines, or utensils that dish out the ice.

But Dr. Ben Chapman, a food safety specialist and associate professor at North Carolina State University, told Moneyish that he was skeptical of the BBC report, because it didn’t identify which strains of bacteria were found, nor whether any of the pathogens were still alive.

“What this report is showing is that bacteria is there, not that it’s making anyone sick,” he assured. We’re exposed to bacteria all day, every day, and most of it doesn’t sicken us. “And in the specific cases [like E. coli] where it does make us sick, it’s thousands and thousands of bacteria from feces that cause illness,” he added. “Trace amounts of bacteria are not going to make you sick.”

You can protect yourself with basic hygiene, like washing your hands properly and often with soap and hot water, especially after leaving a bathroom and before touching your face.

Regularly wipe down your home surfaces, office surfaces, your phone and your bag with disinfectant, as well.

And make peace with the fact that poop is everywhere.

“If you look for feces, you’re gonna find it,” said Dr. Chapman. “In fact, it would be a bigger surprise to me if someone did a study looking for bacteria like this, and they didn’t find it.”

This story has previously published in 2017, and has been updated to include the new Metro report.

Related video: McDonald's Nixes Artificial Ingredients From Its Burgers [Food & Wine]

Click to expand

UP NEXT

Source: http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/oh-crap-—-you-don’t-wanna-know-what-was-found-on-mcdonald’s-self-service-screens/ar-BBQcSlF?srcref=rss

[number06fan]

Scrape Off the Mold or Toss the Jar?

Theresa May is fully jam-packed right now, with some consequential decisions in line covering Brexit and all that, but when it comes to the actual jam – the kind that is made from fruits – she knows exactly what to do. While talking to her ministers, she reportedly passed on some tips on ‘moldy jam’ which you would expect to read in a book of old wives’ tales. She said that she just scrapes the mold off the jam and eats what’s underneath. She also said that people should use ‘common sense’ when deciding whether the whole jar of jam should be thrown off or not.

Interesting thought. But is that safe?

Her advice came during a discussion on how to reduce food waste. Her statement has fallen victim to the scrutiny of the public. But this isn’t the first time a politician’s meal has caught so much public attention. Donald Trump’s heart attack banquet of Burger King and McDonalds and his general indulgence in fast food has often been criticized, too.

A lot of people are grossed out at the statement even though their grannies might have been doing the same to their jam in the past. But a more important question to ask is: whether it’s safe to eat jam this way or not?

Let’s dig deeper.

According to food safety experts, you have to check the color of the mold to find out if it’s okay to scrape it off and eat the rest of the product. If the color is pale blue or white, you can scrape it off and if it’s black, green, yellow or orange, please throw the whole product in the garbage.

Mold also has different types, some being more dangerous than others. The darker molds produce toxins that can severely affect the health of anyone who consumes them. Those who are more at risk include: the elderly, children, pregnant women, and those who have a compromised immune system. If you fall into any of these categories, it is a good idea to take extra care while dealing with mold.

Additionally, iam has a lot of sugar in it, which acts as a natural preservative and prevents nasty bugs from entering into it. Plus, it is usually made by boiling, which makes it an even safer product.

It is not just jam that grows mold on top, even maple syrup can show the same phenomenon sometimes (yes, even 100% pure maple syrup too!). In such case, first do the mold color test and see if the mold is harmless or not. Once that is all cleared up, bring the syrup to slight boil and skim the surface. Pour the syrup into a clean container, refrigerate it, and you are ready to use it again on your food.

Bin or Scrape?

Mold is a common sight in a lot of food products. It can survive in cold, dry or acidic conditions. Once it grows on a product, it can spread through everything from meat and fruit to bread and cheese. As a general rule, softer products are more prone to fungi penetration than those who have harder surfaces. Let’s take a look at some of the common products in the kitchen and what to do when they are attacked by mold:

Firm fruits and vegetables: SCRAPE (like carrots, turnips, bell peppers, potatoes)

Soft fruits and vegetables: TRASH (like tomatoes, peaches, berries, cucumber)

Bread and other baked goods: TRASH (they are porous, so the mold can easily infiltrate their surface)

Hard Salami and dry-cured country hams: SCRAPE (Scrub the mold off the surface. Cured and salty products don’t allow mold to go deep)

Hard Cheese, semi-soft cheese: SCRAPE (like parmesan, cheddar, pecorino, Swiss cheese, Romano, etc. Make sure to cut around at least an inch of the moldy part before consuming it)

Soft cheese, Yogurt, Cream: TRASH (Roots of mold can easily spread through the softness and moisture they provide)

Peanut Butter, Nuts, Legumes: TRASH

Luncheon Meats, Bacon, Hot Dogs, Leftovers:TRASH (They have high-moisture, and therefore, can get contaminated till the surface)

Apart from these general specification, May’s rule about ‘common sense’ prevails. So, if the food doesn’t look or taste like itself even after scraping off the mold or appears to be moisture-soaked, throw it away.

But, as always, when in doubt, throw it out. Regardless of the color of the mold.

Some other food safety myths that leads to food wastage include:

Three-second rule or the five-second rule states that you can pick up the food within the specified time after it has been dropped on the ground. You might have applied this rule in your life at some point of time, more so with cookies and candy than broccoli or cauliflower. A lot of research work has been done on the rule. The conclusion is that it doesn’t matter per se the time something is on the floor, if it is contaminated, the food item will also be – even if dropped and picked up in less than a second.

Another common confusion that leads to food wastage is ‘best-before’ and ‘use-by’ date. The former is the manufacturer’s way to inform the consumer that the product would be at it’s best food quality by this date, the latter, however, refers to that the food product is safe to use by the specified date. The best way to ensure that the food is safe enough to consume is to do the ‘smell test’.

If it’s a baked good like bread, then smell it to find out if it has gone bad or not. It might have lost its freshness but it could be safe to eat. Same goes with the dairy products.

Food wastage is a major concern throughout the world. Global food loss accounts for one-third of the edible parts of the food produced. Therefore, we should be doing everything in our power to prevent food wastage and if ‘common sense’ can prevent edible food from going down the trash, let it do its job.

By: Pooja Sharma, Contributing Writer (Non-Lawyer)

The post Scrape Off the Mold or Toss the Jar? appeared first on The Lange Law Firm.