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banashee · 3 years ago

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Hi Folks, welcome to my first fic for the Archival Pride 2021 project! Look at their tumblr for more info :) @archivalpride

Archival Pride 2021, Week one (June 1-7) Prompts: friendship, pre-canon, self-expression, affirmation and sharing clothes.

The key words I've used here are mostly sharing clothes, self-expression, affirmation and friendship

Also, I'm late for week one! My Fucking WIFI broke so you'll get two fics for this week...

Content warnings: this is mostly tooth rotting fluff but just to be safe: - mentions of Top Surgery - hints at dead and/or unaccepting families but nothing explicit

"You mean, OUR closet"

It happens like clockwork. Ever since the four of them moved in together, as soon as the weather gets cold and the leaves outside start to turn golden-red, the usually sizable stack of woolen jumpers in Martin's closet seems to magically shrink. One day, they’re there and the next day, there are suddenly only a few left. Every year – it’s gotten to be a routine, and it makes Martin smile and shake his head fondly each and every time again.

Over the warmer months, the jumpers just sit there in the closet, carefully tucked away. Only a few of them are store bought at this point - Martin tends to knit them himself, and he’s spent weeks and months of his life making them. This is probably one of the many reasons why Jon, Tim and Sasha tend to steal them so much - they’re part of him, for one, and apparently they miss each other as soon as someone leaves the room or something. (Codependency issues? Them? Nah) the jumpers are also warm and big and they “feel like a permanent hug”, so what else is there to say? It’s adorable, really.

And Martin will say this as often as he can, if only so he can watch Tim go scarlet red (as smooth as he usually is, cute compliments like this get to him more than he cares to admit), watch Jon splutter and claim “I am not, nor have they ever been adorable!” – Unlucky for them, no one else agrees, and so they’re stuck with three partners who will tell them as much at any given opportunity. Sasha, on the other hand, is having way too much fun with this and will go “Aww, shucks.” Every time, just to see her favourite people blush even more.

The thing is, Martin owns plenty of woolen jumpers; he likes them because they’re warm and comfy, which is always a plus. To a certain degree, they’re pure self-preservation as well. The heating in the Archives breaks constantly, and oftentimes, it stays that way for days. They need to bundle up then, and drink more tea and coffee than any human should. Those days leave all of them freezing their butts off, and having something warm and cozy to wrap around themselves helps a lot. But their own woolen jumpers or even outdoor jackets aren’t nearly as warm and comfortable as Martin’s. His clothes are just the softest, and so, he knows to expect them to migrate to his partners when a certain time of year hits.

On a more personal note for him, the loose fit of the knitted jumpers helps him a lot on days when the body dysmorphia gets bad. Those days have gotten less now – especially since he’s had top surgery – but it’s still nice to have something comforting around. Just in case.

And then, of course there is the simple fact that he likes the aesthetic. “Retro-Aesthetic” as his partners tend to call it, and really, it is kind of accurate.

Right now, Martin is standing in front of the open closet in his underwear and is absolutely not surprised to find some of his jumpers already gone. There is no doubt that, as soon as he gets back downstairs he’ll find everyone else wrapped up in at least one of his jumpers. Sneaky, the whole lot of them.

The weather has turned quite rapidly in the last few days. That morning, they wake up and the cold wind has creeped in through the open window, leaving the entire bedroom freezing. If it wasn’t for the many, many blankets, they would wake up with their limbs frozen off, but by now, there are at least three or four blankets available at any given time. That is, because certain people tend to steal the covers in their sleep, but no one would look at Tim or Jon, oh no, of course not.

These two are frequently playing tug of war at night, which is why they often end up in the middle of their sleeping arrangements. That way, there are at least some chances to steal the blankets back for everyone else.

Martin has started to wrap one of the edges around himself in an attempt to keep the blanket there, while Sasha has threatened to staple the bloody thing to the floor on either side of the bed. There is no doubt that she is dead serious about the threat, even when it’s mostly mumbled at 2 in the morning, disgruntled as her face is smushed into whoever is currently closest to her.

But lucky for them, body heat is the best source of warmth, and there is plenty of it available in their family. Especially Tim and Martin run hot as it is, which is why Sasha and Jon lovingly call the two of them their Human Heaters on a regular basis.

Sasha is always happy for more warmth - she’s not cold very often, but she loves being close to the other three.

There are no romantic or sexual feelings from her side - it’s just not how she works. But her feelings towards those three people in her life are different from Just Friendship, and she loves them all dearly. Just… Not in a romantic kind way, but it is nice to share a life with people who know, understand and love her back just as much and just as she is.

It’s only when she wakes up in the middle of the night with no blanket anywhere to be found that she wants to strangle someone. Temporarily.

Jon, on the other hand, is pretty much always cold. They’re “made of nothing but bones and sharp edges” as Tim so eloquently put it, earning himself a jab from one of said sharp elbows into his ribs. It only makes him laugh, loud and carefree as he is, as he pulls Jon into his arms and smothers them in kisses until they laugh and complain half-heartedly. They don’t mind it at all.

So if they’re not currently stealing blankets, Jon clings. Like an octopus, to whomever they can reach easiest.

So this is how they wake up that morning:

There is a fresh, icy wind coming in through the window while under the small mountain of blankets, the four of them are wrapped up around one another, noses pressed into the warmth of each other's necks or into the chest of soft shirts. Hands that cling or seek warmth on bare skin under ancient T-shirts or pyjamas.

Sasha wakes up first, entirely uninterested in getting out of bed as soon as she realizes how cold the room has gotten over night. Only half awake, she moves closer to Tim and wraps her arms and legs around him. Her warm breath is tickling his neck, but he is long used to being surrounded by warmth and people - he loves it. Loves them, most of all.

Tim can’t move much. He’s got Sasha clinging to his back and he can tell that she is already dozing off again. While he wakes up to that realization, he does so with a face full of long, curly salt and pepper hair and a pair of arms wrapped around his middle.

Jon is still dead to the world, happily wedged in between Tim and Martin. Even if they were awake, it’s highly unlikely they would be able to move a limb at this point. Lucky for everyone else, due to the circumstances, they leave the blankets alone for once. They’re warm and dead asleep and Tim’s hands are busy holding both them and Sasha’s forearm around him. One of Martin's arms is stretched out in his sleep, resting near him as he provides another comfortable weight and source of heat.

Between their shared breaths and heartbeats, flailing limbs and two cats curled up by their feet, waking up is a comfortably lazy thing today. Neither of them needs to be anywhere - it’s a long weekend, and so they’re taking the opportunity to start their day out as slowly as possible.

And this is how Martin finds himself in front of his side of the closet, finding a small stack of his jumpers missing. The one on top is a jumper he knitted early in the year, after receiving several balls of really good wool for Christmas from Tim. Light blue, white and pink - more than enough for a jumper and maybe a scarf or gloves. Martin still has some of it left over, but the majority of this gift is now in his hands, in the form of a thick, woolen jumper in his pride colours. Needless to say, he loves the thing.

On his way down the stairs, Martin is joined by Crumpet. The tiny black void had been dozing in the mess of their unmade bed until recently, but as soon as Martin is on the way down, she magically wakes up with a small “mrrp?”, jumps off of the bed with light feline feet and is glued to his heels just a split second later. Maybe there is hope for some treats - as if there wasn’t a blackboard in the kitchen for this very reason.

“The sneaky bastards have been fed, DO NOT fall for their foul play.” is written on it in big bold letters next to shopping lists and lopsidedly drawn hearts, checked off with a bright green checkmark twice a day. To outsiders, it might seem excessive, but they have developed this system for very good reason. Especially at first, the pitiful meows and empty food bowls had been enough to convince whichever human was closest that it was time for food, the mistake only being discovered after a few days of rapidly shrinking cat food supplies and two fat and lazy cats rolling about in a cozy corner. Hence, the blackboard.

Now, Crumpet is making zig-zag-lines down the stairs, conveniently getting in the way wherever Martin is stepping until he scoops her up into his arms with a small sigh.

“Crumpet, my Love. You’ll make us both fall down the stairs. That is illegal in this household.” He tells her seriously and Crumpet meows, as if in protest.

“Yes, yes, I know. Cat crimes are what you do. The answer is still no.” Crumpet meows at him again, but then she proceeds to bump her tiny head against Martins, purring loudly as he scratches her soft chin.

Halfway down the stairs, Martin can make out the familiar sound of singing from the kitchen. Even after so many years, it makes him smile and wanting to stop in his tracks, just to listen for a bit. Jon has a beautiful voice. It’s one of the, if not the first thing that made Martin fall in love with them, and getting to hear them not only talk but sing on a daily basis is… Truly wonderful.

Martin may or may not be completely besotted, and he knows for a fact that he isn’t alone in that. And really, when he rounds the corner, he finds Tim and Sasha sprawled on the couch, Sasha on her back and with a book in one hand, Tim half-dozing with his head on her chest, but he is still awake enough to listen, judging from the small, content smile on his face.

Of course, two of Martin’s missing jumpers are to be found right here with them. Sasha has claimed one of the plain ones, dark green and with a neat Haskell stitch. It suits her really well, even though it dwarves her – which is one more reason she loves it. Sasha is not short at all - but there is still plenty of space for her to wrap up in, which she happily does whenever she can.

Meanwhile, Tim has put on what Martin calls his “scrap collection”. Frankly, he refuses to even call it a jumper, because what it is, technically, is a bunch of scrap wool in all different colours, shapes and bulk sizes, anything that was a leftover and too little to finish anything with, knitted together into… Something with sleeves. The main reason Martin hasn’t thrown it out years ago is that he spent a long time working on it, and besides, even the scraps were expensive once – wool is about the only thing he likes to splurge on for himself sometimes.

But then, Tim discovered this atrocity in the back of Martin’s closet one winter morning. Of course, he promptly fell in love with the garish colours and it’s kind of charming overall ugliness. Which leads Martin to put it into Tim’s closet after the next wash, but the Scrap Collection Jumper always finds its way back to where it came from, despite the fact that no one else ever wears it.

“Stealing it is half the fun!” Tim had shrugged when asked, and shot him one of his blinding grins.

Now, Sasha and Tim look up when Martin enters the living room, and he sets Crumpet down to the floor. Tiny Void that she is, she scrambles right off to jump onto the couch – or rather, on top of Tim, who has already been claimed by their other cat, Gandalf.

Gandalf is, just like his name suggests, a large, grey Norwegian Forest Cat, sprawled out over the length of Tim’s back. He looks like an old, wise wizard, with a huge beard and knowing eyes and everything. Gandalf is of gentle nature, and despite being impressively large, he is a big old softie. This is one of the reasons for his second, mostly-unofficial name, Professor Floof.

Crumpet wriggles herself into the tiny space between Gandalf’s front paws, turns on the spot until she happily settles down.

“I see you have been claimed.” Martin smiles, and he means both Sasha and Tim.

“Yep! I’m not moving today.” Tim tells him, and pulls on Martin as soon as he is close enough to do so and he bends down for a quick kiss. It is warm and gentle, still tasting a bit of tea.

“We’ve also got another private kitchen concert to listen to.” He points out then, and Sasha adds,

“It’s been Disney songs this whole time. I am so glad that you managed to talk Jon into watching those with us.” She smiles, and it only grows wider when the first lines of “I’ll make a man out of you” travel over from the kitchen. Not that anyone would blame Jon for having this particular song stuck in their head – it’s a great song from a great movie, for one, and besides, it’s not like it’s easy to get rid of once it is stuck in someone’s brain.

Martin settles down on the couch near Sasha and just listens for a bit. A small, happy smile is tugging at his lips. He is happy and content, knowing all of his family near and safe and happy – there really isn’t much more to ask for. Eventually, Sasha’s head finds its way onto his lap, and her book remains forgotten and face down on top of Tim’s head – it doesn’t bother him at all and he doesn’t even comment on it. .

“It was about time, too. Can’t leave someone in this household having such glaring holes in their cultural knowledge.” She continues from where she left off earlier, leaning back into Martin as she puts the book to the side, properly this time, so that her own hands can find their way to Tim’s messy mop of bright purple. In an instant, it is met with a happy, satisfied hum.

“Oh, of course not. Speaking of, any idea what they’re doing in there?” Martin asks eventually, nodding over to the half closed kitchen door. It happens sometimes, that Jon disappears in there for hours, doing their thing and refusing help when it’s offered. It’s nothing negative, the others have learned by now; it’s just something relaxing, some “me-time” so to say.

“Cooking. But they very lovingly kicked us out and didn’t want any help, so here we are.” Tim explains cheerfully, although he is getting slightly groggy from the head scritches and the warmth of two cats dozing on him.

“I’m sure you’re absolutely heartbroken, having to be all lazy and comfy on a day off.”

“Oh, how shall we survive this horrible fate?” he laments ironically, face pressed into Sasha as she just laughs at him.

“Drama Queen.”

Another song starts, and Martin makes his way into the kitchen. As much as he loves listening and hanging out with Tim and Sasha, he is curious as to what Jon is up to, and besides, he wants to spend time with them as well.

When he enters the kitchen, he is met with a mess that is very familiar to him by now. As particular as Jon is about most other things in life, cooking isn’t one of them. Or more precisely, they’re particular about the results – not how the kitchen looks after they’re finished being a whirlwind of chaos. Today, there are small mountains of chopped vegetables on several wooden cutting boards, about half the contents of their spice rack strewn about the counter, right next to bundles of fresh herbs and the giant pot on the stove. There is another, smaller pan on the stove, and this is where the heavenly scent comes from. It already smells like roasted spices, and there is no doubt that the mouthwatering smell will creep out the door as Martin opens it further.

Jon turns around when they notice movement out of the corner of their eye, without missing a beat or stopping their song, but there is a happy sparkle in their eyes that seems to get even brighter when they spot Martin.

Surprising absolutely no one, they are currently wearing a stolen jumper as well. It’s one of the older ones, one of the first jumpers that Martin ever made – it’s far from perfect and nearly falls apart at this point, but it is still warm and comfortable. Well worn – which is the reason Jon loves this one so much. They have to fold over the sleeves to be able to use their hands, and the whole thing – dark purple wool with black, white and grey flecks throughout – hangs off of Jon’s small frame and makes them look even smaller than they actually are. But they love it, and much like when Martin attempted to give the other jumper to Tim, he put this one into Jon’s closet. But much like their other partner, they’d put it back into Martins space with identical reasoning:

“Stealing it is half the fun, Love.”

Martin doesn’t even question it anymore – and really, he doesn’t mind. He doesn’t mind it at all. And if he notices his partners buying sleep shirts and such in sizes they wouldn’t usually wear, well. He recognizes it as his invitation to join in on the fun, and he does.

There really is something exciting about squirreling away something that’s usually worn by a loved one, even when it’s something they’d lend out with no questions asked. Especially then, because as the others have truthfully informed him, stealing the clothes from your partners is half the fun.

Right now, Martin is standing in the kitchen, surrounded by a hot mess that includes one of his favorite people in the world, and they only stop singing for a moment, wrapping themselves around Martin like the affectionate octopus they can be when the mood strikes them. Not like he is about to complain.

He happily hugs back, nose buried in the messy bun that Jon haphazardly piled up on top of their head earlier that day. The long familiar scent of shampoo and conditioner is still lingering, and Martin can’t help but kiss Jon right at this moment. They happily let him, and Martin rubs small, gentle circles on their back, aware of the soft, warm material of the jumper under his hands.

Another reason Jon loves this particular jumper so much, Martin knows, is because its colours resemble the Ace Pride flag. This isn’t even on purpose – it’s just how the wool looks. But there is no one in this household who isn’t happy about the smallest bit of affirmation of their identities, and as soon as Jon gets their hands on the jumper, well, you know how it goes.

Almost as predicted, Jon kicks Martin out of the room just as lovingly as they did Tim and Sasha, but only after more kisses and a brief but passionate duet as Martin makes tea for everyone, now that he’s here.

Back in the living room, Tim and Sasha thoroughly enjoy their private concert, snuggled up on the couch together and with their two fuzzy companions. Happiness can’t even begin to describe the feelings that bloom in both of their chests, as well as their partners back in the kitchen.

Later that day, the four of them are sprawled out on the couch, plates full with the Vegetarian Kadai that Jon prepared earlier. As secretive as they can be about their cooking sometimes, the one guarantee about it is that it’s always good. Today is no different.

Everyone tucks in, knowing that there will be plenty left still. More often than not, they end up freezing the leftovers, so they can have fresh, wonderful food whenever they want without the hassle – some days just are like that, and the energy can be low then. Everyone has bad days every now and then, but the knowledge that they are not alone, that they are loved and have a functioning support system, both at home and at work, helps a lot. Together, they always manage somehow.

They are family, the four of them, in any sense of the word. Neither of them has much of a family left that is related in blood – there are several reasons for this, and it hurts sometimes. Some days more than others, but by now, they have found one another and built their own family. They love and support one another, in so many different ways, but what it boils down to is just this. Family.

One Bisexual Man, one Pansexual Trans Man, one Biromantic Asexual Nonbinary Person and one Aromantic Asexual Woman – they’re a colorful rainbow mix, and they wouldn’t want it any other way.

#Archival Pride 2021 #tma fanfic #banashee writes #the magnus archives #fluffy and very very queer #season 1 polycule

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dancingkirby · 4 years ago

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The “joy” of garden parties

As soon as I read about Fire Nation garden parties in Shadow of Kyoshi, I knew I had to write about one in ATLA’s time!

WARNING: Implied underage sex and future incest.

On a hot late summer day, Fire Lord Ozai held the first garden party of his reign. Azula knew that he’d been putting this off as long as he possibly could; had heard him complaining about past garden parties while in the privacy of their villa. However, they were deeply-rooted in centuries of tradition, so Father had eventually been obligated to hold at least one this season.

Azula had been looking forward to attending her first grown-up event, despite Father’s dislike of them. After all, alliances could be forged or broken in them. It had been at one of these very events, more than four hundred years ago, that the Keohso clan had trotted out a beautiful and dainty fourteen-year-old girl by the name of Sulan, causing Crown Prince Chaeryu to fall violently in lust and abandon the woman who everyone had assumed he was going to end up marrying. Twenty-two years later, Avatar Kyoshi had almost started a full-out war at another party when she had mistaken the late Fire Lord Chaeryu’s bastard son for his legitimate successor, Zoryu…among other gaffes. Azula had no intention of making such a mistake. Although she wasn’t yet ten, she was confident that she could intrigue with the best of them.

However, she was to be sorely disappointed. This particular party had proven to be a huge bore. Father did not believe in mingling as many previous Fire lords had, so Zuko and Azula were stuck sitting on this fancy dais at his side. At least they had some protection from the heat this way, with the canopy shading them, servants waving huge fans, and plenty of cold drinks and ices on demand.

One thing was for sure…there would be no mistaking anyone else for this Fire Lord. There he sat in his outsized chair, which had been placed so that the canopy would shroud his face in shadow. Power radiated from him without him having to say a single word, and a slight toe tap was the sole sign of his impatience with this event. In stark contrast, Father’s favorite bedmate Shiza, who was seated on a cushion at his feet, looked almost incomprehensibly tiny and ethereal. She was obviously also quite uncomfortable from being outside in this stifling weather while pregnant. But all she really had to do was sit there and look pretty in her pale pink gown; Father’s own little Lady Sulan.

Zuko did not stay long. He got himself into deep doo-doo when he spotted Mai in the crowd and got up from his seat, waving at her and calling out. People at garden parties couldn’t do that; if they spotted someone with whom they wanted to walk, they’d have to slowly make their way to each other through the crowd. What was more, he had not gotten permission from Father to speak in the first place. An irate Father had had ordered him back to the palace. Zuzu didn’t seem to understand what he’d done wrong…but while Azula smirked at his punishment as expected, she thought that maybe he was the fortunate one after all for getting to go back inside.

Only the highest-ranking nobles had the right to walk up to the dais and address the Fire Lord directly, but not many among even them seemed to be able to work up the courage to do so. Soon after Zuko left, Lord and Lady Keohso had proven to be among the brave few who did approach them. They were of the same family that had had such success with Lady Sulan (yes, both of them…they were second cousins), and Azula knew they had a daughter of their own. If they weren’t plotting something, she would be shocked.

“Shoren. Mudan,” Father acknowledged after the pair rose from bowing. “May I introduce you to my daughter, the Princess Azula, and Lady Shiza of the Sei’naka clan?” He grasped Azula’s hand with one of his, and gestured for Shiza to sit in his lap, putting his other hand on her belly in case anyone somehow didn’t know of her condition yet. (She wasn’t quite properly showing yet; more just looked a little chunky from certain angles.)

Azula smiled politely, pretending that she didn’t notice Lady Mudan’s excessive amount of strong perfume. Shiza blushed deeply and seemed to be at a loss for words, shrinking away from Lord Shoren’s coolly appraising gaze. It was only after Father gave her a gentle prod in the ribs that she squeaked out a “Hi.”

“That is a beautiful hairpiece, Lady Mudan,” Azula lied. It was, naturally, in the shape of a peony, and so big that it looked ridiculous. Their family put peonies on everything, just like they were still in the days when they had ruled Shuhon more or less autonomously. Lady Mudan’s name even meant “peony.” “And Lord Shoren…I believe you have a daughter. Is she not in attendance today?” She might as well give them their opening now, to spare her and Father from having to listen to several minutes’ worth of them prattling on to lead up to it.

“We do, Princess,” Lord Shoren confirmed. “But Naoko just started her final year at the Royal Fire Academy, and was unable to attend today. Perhaps next year.”

“We believe that her education is of the utmost importance,” Lady Mudan added. Possibly with the connotation that Azula’s own schooling was lacking? Really, how much “education” did that girl need to know how to spread her legs and lie on her back? Because that was all she was going to do if her parents were successful in their ambitions. (Her dear mother would certainly have been shocked were she aware that Azula knew of such things!) Azula herself wasn’t quite ready for that yet, although there were some signs that she would be sooner rather than later. In the meantime, her mind was more than sharp enough for her to help Father in other ways. From her own limited interactions with Naoko at the Academy, she did not think that this would be the case for the older girl.

Naturally, she said none of this. Keeping her face and voice perfectly bland, she simply stated, “We will look forward to seeing her, then.” Just then, the wind shifted, giving Shiza a direct whiff of Lady Mudan’s perfume. All of the color drained from the poor girl’s face in record time, and she barely had enough time to get to her feet before she threw up into the nearest flower arrangement.

For a solid minute, everyone in the area was shocked into silence, even the people chatting on the grass nearby. Once Shiza was finally done heaving, Father sighed. Suprisingly, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he gestured to one of the servant girls fanning him and ordered, “Give her some ginger water and get her back to her rooms. And then see if we can’t end this party soon. It is not healthy to be in this heat for so long.”

Shiza looked longingly at Father, but he made no eye contact with her. What, was she expecting hugs and words of sympathy? Was it not enough that Father hadn’t given her a public scolding like he had for Zuko? As it was, Azula found it somewhat odd that her lady-in-waiting had gotten off so lightly; it appeared that her “delicate condition” had bailed her out. She even felt a little relieved, although had no idea why that might be the case. And now…as Shiza was discreetly tended to and the Keohsos began prattling again as if nothing had happened, she mopped at her sweaty forehead and thought that some people had all the luck.

#azula #ozai #fanfic #short stories about Azula

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trashfor-imagines · 5 years ago

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If There’s Light There’s Hope | 3

Bakugou x Fem!Reader (BNHA)

Summary: U.A. High School was your dream. You wanted to save people. You never expected how wild your journey would be and you certainly never expected a hot headed boy to play as large of a role as he would. Warnings: Swearing

[1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | [5] | [6] | [7]

Mr. Aizawa and All Might arrived at your parent’s home a few days later to discuss students moving into dorms on campus. It was a little embarrassing to have these Pro-Heroes over. Your parents weren’t very wealthy so your home was quite sparse and simple. Your mom was always worried about money, your dad was constantly overworked. To your relief, your parents didn’t put up any kind of a fight. They had been pissed that as regular civilians they couldn’t keep you from sneaking out and getting involved in that mess. Your parents figured that living under the watchful eye of Pro-Heros would be more affective in keeping you safe.

It didn’t take long to move in three days later. Bakugou hadn’t spared you a single glance since he arrived. In fact, when you took a step toward him to just say “hi,” he walked off, moving to stand further away. You had to meet with Aizawa and the rest of your class where you were given a terrifying speech about being on the verge of expulsion before being given room assignments. When Aizawa was done, you immediately headed in, not bothering to see why Bakugou pulled Kaminari aside after the meeting.

You were one of the first ones to finish unpacking and you were relaxing in the common room after having showered, dressed in black high waisted leggings and a super cropped peach colored hoodie with the kanji for PLUS ULTRA on your chest. You had slipped your feet into a pair of cute fluffy bear slippers your parents got you as a moving present. It was thoughtful and it wasn’t often they could afford to buy you things. Most of your money came from saving up on your birthday or other special holiday occasions; sometimes you sold little handmade items at markets and worked different odds and ends type of jobs. The slippers really meant a lot to you.

One by one, your classmates started coming in to the common area, joining you. Kirishima plopped down beside you and struck up conversation with the boys. Soon after, the girls arrived and Ashido made the suggestion that we should show off our rooms. It was interesting to see everyone’s personality shine in how they chose to decorate. Soon it was turned into a competition and you were instantly disinterested.

Last to show for the girls, you felt a bit burdened by having to do this, but it was too late to back out now. Opening the door, you took a step back, letting your classmates file in.

Your room had a white, peach, and golden color scheme. The most notable thing in your room when you first walked in was the large half-cork / half-whiteboard mood board you hung on the left wall near the door. It was filled with ideas and inspiration, motivational quotes, newspaper clippings, hand written notes and cards, pictures, and doodles; every item placed aesthetically. Below it was a low traditional white coffee table with a cute assortment of succulents and some magazines on top of it; plush pillows were tucked neatly underneath it for seating purposes. The walls had fresh white paint and on the floor you had taken a large light grey rug and pieced it carefully to act as a soft and fluffy carpet. Actual carpet would have been insanely complicated to get installed.

Past the coffee table on the same wall, your bed was pushed against the far left corner with the foot of your bed against half the large sliding glass window so you could still lay in bed and look outside if you wanted; you made sure it didn’t block the other half of the window that slid open so you could go out onto the shared balcony. You had hung soft white curtains so that during the day the sun could still light up your room.

Across from the bed, in the far right corner, there were cute succulents and little snow globes carefully placed on the very full book shelf and a comfy large velvety peach armchair close to the sliding glass door so you could read by the window. There were string lights strung up along the ceiling that gave your room that soft golden glow. Cute clips were used to attach polaroids of you with your family and friends to strings carefully draped and pinned to the wall above your bed in place of a head board and on the walls above your armchair and book shelf. Next to your reading area, since you had minimal clothing, your clothes hung on a fashionable garment rack with wheels and shelves for your shoes; you kept your underwear and other personal items tucked away in the sliding drawers under your bed. There was also a large full length mirror against the wall beside it.

After removing the rod in your original closet, you placed your desk in there, keeping the shelf for storage. Your reasoning for this was so that you could close the doors when you didn’t want to look at your work space. Sometimes studying gave you anxiety and you just wanted to relax after being at school all day. On the space above your desk hung a white board calendar and cork board, cute polaroids pinned to it. One of your favorite pictures was taken by Todoroki. At the end of your internship you submitted a written request to Endeavor for a photo with him. It had been pure dumb luck that his publicist had been there at the time and got him to agree with it.

“(Y/N) your room is so cute!” the girls squealed in delight.

“The string lights really make it romantic!” Uraraka chimed in.

The girls turned to the boys, waiting to hear their input. Mineta seemed to be sweating up a storm, but you refrained from asking if he was ok. That boy was certainly never ok.

“It’s lovely.” Todoroki spoke up plainly.

Kaminari and Kirishima slung their arms around each other and enthusiastically voiced in unison, “If we had girlfriends we’d hope their rooms looked like yours!”

Jirou and Hagakure quickly bonked them on the heads.

“It is certainly sweet,” Tokoyami agreed.

“How did you get so much done so quickly?!”

With a blush, you scratched your cheek, embarrassed. “Thanks, everyone.”

When it came time for voting you definitely voted for Satou. He’d been so sweet to make that chiffon cake for the whole class. Just as you headed for bed, Uraraka stopped you and the others who had gone to save Bakugou and led you outside to meet Asui. She made such a confession to you all and spoke from her heart about how she felt regarding the incident. It was touching and you all reassured her. You might not have been as close as you could be with your classmates, but you promised to keep out of trouble - for their sakes.

Time seemed to move on without much disturbance after everyone moved into the dorms. You developed a Super Move, upgraded your costume, and you were all off to the Provisional Hero License Exams.

Mr. Aizawa had a huge hand in helping you develop your move, Finale. Its goal was to focus the explosions repeatedly on the same spot instead of being so scattered. You also figured out a way to propel yourself through the air from being grounded by using your quirk, but because you had to use maximum energy stored up, it wasn’t useful in combat, just for retreating.

Your hero costume originally consisted of a weather and heat-resistant catsuit with light armor and accent panels. You asked the Support Department to see about developing a way for you to store the excess energy you absorb, that way you wouldn’t be stuck in a “use it or lose it” situation or having to carefully ration it ever again. Additionally, you requested the soles of your boots to be equipped with minimalist air thrusters to help you stay airborne if the occasion called for it.

During the Provisional Hero License Exams, despite how much the other schools were gunning for U.A., you gave it your all.

Reflecting back on the exams, you blushed, recalling when you all originally arrived. Yo Shindo from Ketsubutsu Academy was extremely charming, grasping your hands and being extremely forward with you.

“I remember you from the sports festival. You’re quite beautiful and strong too! I hope you don’t mind, but I’d love to talk with you more after the exams,” he confessed, smiling. There was something odd though. You had the feeling there was an ulterior motive. Before you could respond, Bakugou elbowed you, drawing Shindo’s attention to him. That was the first time in weeks he acknowledged your existence.

“And Bakugou, it must have been hard for you what with that whole kidnapping incident. You have an especially strong will don’t you? Today I’m going to do my best to learn from you. I really hope you don’t mind.” Shindo extended his hand.

His hand was met with a slap as Bagukou showed his disinterest and turned away. “Stop pretending. What you say doesn’t match the look in your eyes.”

Aizawa ordered us to go get ready and unexpectedly, Bakugou grasped your wrist, leading you into the building and away from the Ketsubutsu student.

There had been several other moments after that, encounters while surviving the exams that seemed to mean something more. You wondered if all those times Bakugou had stuck his neck out to help you impacted his own results.

Shaking your head, you took a deep breath to clear your mind. It wasn’t your fault he didn’t pass anyway. According to Kirishima and Kaminari he was sorely lacking in empathy and didn’t have that delicate touch necessary for saving bystanders. He really did need to work on keeping his temper in check; maybe if he had been more level headed he wouldn’t have fought Midoriya and gotten slapped with 4 days of house arrest.

Speaking of Midoriya, you smiled as he ran out the front door with Iida and Uraraka. Quickly, you packed up your lunch as well as a second bento and headed to class. You met up with Hitoshi and walked the rest of the way to school with him; the second bento was for him, which he gratefully accepted. Most of the conversation was spent chatting about the license exams and what happened. You smiled, observing him carefully. He certainly was dedicated into getting into the Hero Department and it was admirable. You couldn’t wait for him to join you.

When lunch time came around, the girls asked if you’d go to the cafeteria with them. Apparently Lunch Rush was trying something new for the menu today.

Laughing awkwardly, you waved them off. “Sorry ladies, maybe next time, ok? I brought lunch again.”

“Well if there’s a good dessert, I’ll be sure you get you one for after school!” Asui exclaimed sweetly.

“I’d love that, thank you.”

Opening the classroom window for some fresh air, you took a seat on the deep window sill, bento box in your lap, chopsticks in one hand and a book in the other. You wanted to get some extra studying in for the Heroics class. Despite it having been a couple of months, you still hadn't fully caught up on some things from transferring departments late.

Some point after eating, as no one else was in the room, you shifted to sit with your feet on the sill as well, knees bent to prop your book against. It was much more comfortable and it was easier to concentrate when your back wasn’t hurting anymore. The sound of the door opening disturbed your focus. Glancing at your watch, you noted it had only been 20 minutes. There was still another 25 minutes before you expected Midnight to show up and another 5 before students would return from lunch. Looking up from your book, you gasped, floundering slightly at seeing a pair of intense red eyes staring you down.

“Bakugou what-”

“What’s your deal? I don’t give a shit or anything, but you always turn down any opportunity to get to know everyone in class. They’re trying to be your friends. Or do you think you’re better than them or something?” His voice was rough as always, but there wasn’t that underlying threat or bite to his words you’d come to expect. Was he truly curious?

Slowly, you marked your page and closed your book, setting it aside. You shifted, crossing your legs and pulling your skirt back down. At the right angle anyone could have seen up your skirt and from the tinge of pink on his face you were pretty sure he got an eyeful just a moment ago. With a deep breath, you confessed, “I want to be friends, but I’ve got to focus on my studies more than anyone else in 1-A. I missed almost the entire first term and I’m seriously behind. I’ve spent the entire time playing catch up. It took an all nighter to score as well as I did on the first term final exams, but even then it’s not like I fully retained the material past exam day. U.A. claims it allows its students to overcome their placements and transfer into a different course. I can’t speak for the other departments, but General Education had only brushed on a lot of these topics that you guys have learned in depth. They’re set up for totally different playing fields. So yes, I do want to become friends, but I can’t mess up this opportunity.”

Stepping forward, he only stopped when the front of his legs pressed against your own. It was startling, but you refused to let him see how it affected you. Your breath hitched as he leaned forward, lowering his face to your own. The heat was unbearable as a flush bloomed across your cheeks and to your ears. As you leaned back in response, he followed until he hovered above you, his hands flat on the window ledge on either side of your hips. It was like a rubber band, the tension between you.

Stretching.

And then...

Snap.

Your leg shifted upward in an instant, kneeing him in the gut. Your goal wasn’t to hurt him, just to snap him out of it. The shocked expression on his face clearly said he hadn’t expected that reaction from you. It took him a moment, but he recovered. Instead of the expected reaction of lashing out physically, yelling, and explosions, he simply looked more pissed than usual, trudging over to his seat and plopping down. Your heart raced erratically. Whatever that was, it certainly was a close one. He ignored you the rest of the day and for that you were thankful.

After school, the girls caught up with you, walking back to the dorms together. Asui, as promised, got you a cute fruit tart from lunch. It was so sweet and you couldn’t help but think back to conversation you’d had with Bakugou during lunch about making friends. Another blush crept up your neck as you recalled the rest of that encounter.

“Ooh is that a blush?!” Hagakure and Ashido swooned.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Who are you thinking about?”

“Do you have a crush on someone?” Asui asked sweetly.

“Uh... I-”

“It’s Bakugou, isn’t it,” Yaoyarozu surmised, as if she’d suddenly solved a riddle. Jirou and Uraraka gasped before fawning over you.

“What?! You girls are crazy! Who’d like him?!” you expressed, speed walking your way out of that conversation as fast as possible. It wasn’t until you slammed your bedroom door shut that you grasped at your heart. There was no way. You did not like that short fused maniac.

Grabbing a cropped tank and jogger pants, you quickly headed to the showers to clear your head. Thirty minutes must have passed by the time you emerged, feeling fresh, clean, and serene. Fluffy bear slippers on your feet, you made your way to your room without being noticed and sat down to study for a while. After an hour, you realized you weren’t going to accomplish anything. As soon as you stepped out of the shower thoughts began bubbling up to the surface of your mind, crowding up your headspace.

Friendship. It was decided then.

Picking up your phone, you sent out a group message.

(Y/N): If it’s ok, I’d like to make dinner tonight for everyone. Uraraka: That’s so sweet! Kaminari: Alright!! What’s on the menu?! Ojiro: Thanks (Y/N), can’t wait! Mineta: IT’S MY LUCKY DAY!!! A MEAL MADE BY A GODDESS! Sero: Mineta! Chill out before she takes it back! Kaminari: DON’T RUIN THIS MINETA!!! >:(

There were a series of other responses that made you chuckle. Well that settles that. Making your way to the kitchen, you pulled on a cute apron, tying your hair up into a bun on top of your head.

Kirishima and Bakugou soon arrived. With their sweaty demeanor you guessed they’d gone to the gym for a work out. That was usually the norm. Sometimes the other boys would go with them. The redhead spotted you and quickly shuffled up to the kitchen island.

“Hey (Y/N)! What did you decide to make?” he asked, grinning brightly.

Glancing up, your eyes briefly met Bakugou’s before connecting with Kirishima. Your expression seemed delayed, but you smiled honestly. “I’m making two types of gyudon: normal with beef and a vegan version for Koda.”

His eyes lit up brightly and he swooned, claiming he couldn’t wait and rambling on about how he loves meat. More boys started hovering around, making you nervous, until Iida finally appeared, yelling at everyone to get cleaned up and to study while you worked. You had never been so relieved before, silently thanking Iida. By the time 6PM rolled around, you’d just finished. For dessert you even made manjū that looked like cute bunnies.

“Wow, (Y/N)! You don’t look like you even broke a sweat!” exclaimed Sato.

Simply smiling, you fixed Koda’s bowl specially. “Here Koda, I know you don’t eat meat so I made you a tofu version. I hope you enjoy.”

“More please!” Kirishima and Kaminari chimed in suddenly, their bowls already clean.

“More? Uh, sure guys.”

“Yeah! This is so good!” Kirishima exclaimed.

“You’re a great cook! Better than my mom - but don’t tell her that,” Kaminari laughed nervously, a large smile on his face.

It warmed your heart to hear that everyone had something good to say - that is except for Bakugou who’d been silent the whole time. You noticed that he always ate spicy foods, so you made sure to add a spicy sauce to his. Maybe it wasn’t good. Glancing at him, you watched him eat before looking down to your own bowl, finishing your meal.

After dinner, you grabbed your Heroics class book from your room, returning to the common area. You curled up on one of the couches with a pen, some different highlighters, and removable adhesive tabs in multiple colors. For whatever reason, the background noise of 1-A chatting and hanging out seemed to help you study. Maybe you just had enough of the silence and needed this change of scenery. Soon enough, you moved on to history and then mathematics.

Time had passed quickly and you hadn’t noticed at all. You were thirsty and looked up to see that everyone had cleared out. Getting some water, you returned to your spot focusing on your math homework. This was definitely one of your weakest subjects, the worst being Chemistry. Luckily the questions on the handout were multiple choice so the answer was staring back at you...somewhere.

An arm reached forward from behind your head, pointing at the worksheet. Tilting your head back slightly, your face turned red, eyes widening. Bakugou leaned over you from behind the couch, his chest so close to your head that if you tilted your head back any further you’d make contact.

“It’s B.”

“I... Thanks,” you replied breathily. Seconds seem to tick by as you watched his face. His gaze was focused on the sheet in your hands.

“You’re not really good at math, are you?” he asked. If it wasn’t for the serious expression, you would have felt mocked.

Biting your lip, you shook your head. “Not really.”

“Get your shit,” he grunted, walking toward the girl’s dorms.

“What are you...?”

“Hurry your ass up. I’m not helping you if you take too long.”

Hesitating for just a moment, you quickly gathered your things and met him at the elevator. Hitting the button, you waited patiently, your hands feeling clammy. Getting in, you stepped forward to hit your floor number. Stepping back, it felt like electricity shot up your spine as you backed into Bakugou who grabbed your shoulders, steadying you.

“Oh, I’m... I’m sorry,” you managed out before a soft gasp escaped you as his hands gently ran down your arms, lingering, before dropping to his sides.

Ding!

Quickly, you headed straight to your room. You wondered if it was a mistake letting him in. Stepping inside, you sat down on a pillow at the low coffee table, putting your things down. Glancing up at him, you felt another blush crawling up your neck as he stood there, looking around your room. His gaze finally landed on you.

“Cute,” he grunted, dropping down to directly beside you. He leaned on the desk, head propped up by the palm of his hand. His body was shifted toward you and he inched a bit closer.

“Bakugou,” you started, not really sure what you wanted to say.

“Look, just solve the next problem and if you get stuck and don’t know what to do, tell me.” He seemed so bored when he said it.

Holding your breath, you turned to the work sheet and started working out the next problem. You got through the next two problems with no issue. As you worked on the third, your pencil stopped. The answer you came to wasn’t any of the choices. Furrowing your brows, you tried it again, this time managing to get yourself lost in the steps.

“I’m sorry, I messed up somewhere. Can you look at...” your voice trailed off as you turned to look at him, seeing how close he had managed to physically get to you.

His gaze moved from your face to the work sheet, pointing at the equation. He began carefully explaining each step to you, before pausing. “You’re going to want to write this down.”

With a silent gulp, you began writing everything he said, focusing on his voice. Biting your lip, your body seemed to become hypersensitive to his presence. The rumble of his voice felt closer and closer as he spoke until you reached the end of the equation and suddenly his voice stopped. The tip of your pencil snapped; you felt your heart leap into your throat and tiny colorful sparks emitted from your finger tips as his breath suddenly caressed your ear.

Snapping out of it, you shut your eyes tightly, pressing your hands to his chest and pushing away. His hand grasped your wrists, holding them to his chest firmly.

“Bakugou! What are you doing?”

Opening your eyes, you saw his expression was serious as he looked you in the eye. He didn’t speak until you relaxed.

“Why did you try to save me?”

#my hero academia #bnha #boku no hero academia #bakugou x reader #katsuki bakugou #fanfic #imagine #reader insert

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newstfionline · 4 years ago

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Headlines

Canada’s other health crisis (Washington Post) The novel coronavirus was on the march across Canada, but it was a different public health crisis that turned Shannon Krell’s world upside down. Her brother hadn’t shown up for work, which was unusual. She called the police to have someone check on the 46-year-old, but a friend arrived first and made the sad discovery. Ryan Krell had died of an accidental drug overdose—another life lost to a crisis that has killed more than 15,400 people in Canada since 2016. Their number has increased in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. British Columbia, the epicenter of the crisis, recorded its deadliest month in May—and then surpassed it in June. Nearly four times as many people in the province have died of a suspected overdose this year as have died of the coronavirus. Overdose deaths in the Yukon territory this year are double last year’s tally. Paramedics in the city of Saskatoon last month responded to a record weekly number of overdose calls.

Taller cubicles, one-way aisles: Office workers must adjust (AP) Bergmeyer, a design firm in Boston, has erected higher cubicles, told employees to wear masks when not at their desks and set up one-way aisles in the office that force people to walk the long way around to get to the kitchen or the bathroom. “The one-way paths take me a little out of the way, but it was easy to get used to,” said Stephanie Jones, an interior designer with the company. “It actually gives me the opportunity to see more people and say a quick hello when I might have just walked directly to my desk before.” Around the U.S., office workers sent home when the coronavirus took hold in March are returning to the world of cubicles and conference rooms and facing certain adjustments: masks, staggered shifts, spaced-apart desks, daily questions about their health, closed break rooms and sanitizer everywhere. Employers in some cases are requiring workers to come back to the office, but most, like Bergmeyer, are letting the employees decide what to do, at least for now. Some firms say the risks and precautions are worth it to boost productivity and move closer to normal.

Postal Crisis Ripples Across Nation as Election Looms (NYT) Each day, when Nick Casselli, the president of a Philadelphia postal workers union, sits down at his desk, his phone is full of alarmed messages about increasing delays in mail delivery. Mr. Casselli and his 1,600 members have been in a state of high alert since Louis DeJoy, a Republican megadonor and an ally of President Trump’s, took over as postmaster general in May. Overtime was eliminated, prompting backups. Seven mail-sorting machines were removed from a nearby processing center in West Philadelphia, causing further delays. Now, post offices are being told to open later and close during lunch. Similar accounts of slowdowns and curtailed service are emerging across the country as Mr. DeJoy pushes cost-cutting measures that he says are intended to overhaul an agency suffering billion-dollar losses. But as Mr. Trump rails almost daily against the service and delays clog the mail, voters and postal workers warn a crisis is building that could disenfranchise record numbers of Americans who will be casting ballots by mail in November because of the coronavirus outbreak. At risk are not just the ballots—and medical prescriptions and paychecks—of residents around the country, but also the reputation of the Postal Service as the most popular and perhaps the least politicized part of the federal government.

California power problems (NYT) A heat wave is scorching the Southwest and has forced intermittent power shut-offs in California. Thermometers are cracking 110 degrees Fahrenheit in some cities. Californians used so much electricity trying to stay cool Friday night that, for the first time in 19 years, the agency that oversees much of the state’s power grid shut off power to hundreds of thousands of customers for several hours to avoid a damaging overload. The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for much of the West Coast. The sweltering heat comes as coronavirus cases are on the rise in California, creating a dilemma for those who could not stay cool at home.

Bald Eagle Sends Government Drone Into Lake Michigan (NYT) A squabble in the sky over Lake Michigan left one bald eagle victorious and one government drone mangled and sunken. Hunter King, a drone pilot at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, was surveying an area of the lake near the state’s Upper Peninsula last month when the $950 drone started “twirling furiously” after it indicated that a propeller had been torn off. “When he looked up, the drone was gone, and an eagle was flying away,” said the department, whose name is abbreviated E.G.L.E. The department speculated that the eagle could have attacked because of a territorial dispute, because it was hungry “or maybe it did not like its name being misspelled.” Julia Ponder, executive director of the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota, said that it was likely because the drone had encroached on the eagle’s territory. “They’re the king of the skies,” she said.

National Debt To Surpass $78 Trillion By 2028 (Forbes) The coronavirus pandemic pushed the government into the proverbial corner, prompting it to borrow heavily from the future to ward off a serious threat today. Without this intervention, the U.S. economy would be in a much worse recession or possibly even a depression. Even though borrowing excessively may have been the lesser of two evils, the burgeoning debt will have ramifications in the future. With the debt approaching $27 trillion, and projected to rise to $78 trillion by 2028, it will present significant challenges.

French government pushes for wider mask use (AP) After France recorded its highest one-day rise in virus infections since May, the government is pushing for wider mask use and tighter protections for migrant workers and in slaughterhouses. But France still plans to reopen schools nationwide in two weeks, and the labor minister says the government is determined to avoid a new nationwide lockdown that would further hobble the economy and threaten jobs. France’s infection count has resurged in recent weeks, blamed in part on people crisscrossing the country for weddings, family gatherings or annual summer vacations with friends. Britain reimposed quarantine measures Saturday for vacationers returning from France as a result.

Lukashenko under pressure as rival protests planned in Belarus capital (Reuters) Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko was under growing pressure on Sunday with rival protests due to converge on the capital a week after a contested presidential election that has thrown his country into turmoil. Lukashenko, in power for 26 years, has faced down a week of street demonstrations and refused demands for a re-run of an election protesters say was massively rigged to disguise the fact that he has lost public support. Often emotional in state TV appearances, the 65-year-old leader has alleged a foreign-backed plot to topple him. Russia, which has had a troubled relationship with Lukashenko, is watching closely as Belarus hosts pipelines that carry Russian energy exports to the West and is also viewed by Moscow as a buffer zone against NATO. The EU is gearing up to impose new sanctions on Belarus in response to a violent crackdown in which at least two protesters have been killed and thousands detained. Protesters show no signs of backing down.

Campus-based Thai protest movement extends reach to streets (AP) Anti-government protesters gathered in large numbers in Thailand’s capital on Sunday for a rally that suggested their movement’s strength may have extended beyond the college campuses where it has blossomed. Thousands of people assembled at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument, a traditional venue for political activities. Hundreds of police were also present, as well as a small contingent of royalists opposed to the protesters. There was no reliable estimate of the crowd size, though it appeared to be one of the biggest demonstrations in several years. The student-led movement has three core demands: holding new elections, amending the constitution and ending the intimidation of critics of the government. Thailand has experienced a successful coup roughly every six years on average since the army toppled the absolute monarchy in 1932 and replaced it with a constitutional monarchy. But it has been under military rule for much of the time since then.

10 killed in Somalia in extremist attack on Mogadishu hotel (AP) A Somali police officer says at least 10 people have been killed and more than a dozen others injured in an ongoing siege at a beachside hotel in Somalia’s capital where security forces are battling Islamic extremist gunmen who have invaded the building, Capt. Mohamed Hussein told The Associated Press that the attack started with a powerful car bomb which blew off the security gates to the Elite Hotel.

#headlines #news

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gogreenarmy · 6 years ago

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“Hurricanes, floods and infrastructure failure”

Chapter 4 of Don’t Get Stuck On Stupid!, a book by Lt. Gen. Russel Honore’ (U.S. Army-Retired)

“There is nothing so stupid as the educated man if you get him off the thing he was educated in.” – Will Rogers

One of the big issues facing us in the late 20th century was the so-called Y2K problem, which was the potential for computers to go haywire when their calendars moved from 1999 to 2000. Computer codes were originally written with the year as a two-digit number, leaving off the initial “19.” As the year 2000 approached, experts worried that computers would think “00” was 1900 instead of 2000 and would therefore crash because the date would be off by 100 years.

The fear was that computers running banks, airlines, and even governments would cease to function and that widespread chaos would take over. Nuclear weapons would launch by themselves, ATMs would randomly spit out $20 bills, the stock market would crash, airplanes would drop out of the sky and governments would fail!

I was in Washington at this time, and we were working on the Y2K issue. I spent December 31, 1999, at the Pentagon, watching for signs of trouble around the world. We had forward deployed troops all over the world in strategic sites, and they were ready to go. We had practiced all of the drills to protect Washington, D.C., because we didn’t know what would happen.

Just like everyone else, we did a lot of work to protect all our computers and to make sure nothing happened with our nuclear arsenal. The solution, however, was fairly simple: change the year code to a four-digit number – but with so many computers and so much data, there was a possibility of missing something.

As it turned out, nothing happened, but it showed us how vulnerable we were to infrastructure failures – and that responding to a crisis takes much more effort, time and money than simply planning ahead.

A changing climate requires changing ideas

Other than Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the terrorist attacks in 2001, never before in our country’s history have we faced a crisis at home that is as immediate and important as the one we face today from our crumbling and badly managed infrastructure.

But it wasn’t the Russians or a terrorist network

that did this to us. We did it to ourselves by ignoring the warning signs and not making adequate preparations.

This crisis has been known about for many years, but it really became evident in the summer of 2017 when the triple hurricanes of Harvey, Irma and

Maria hit Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, respectively. Every day for several weeks on end, we turned on our televisions and checked the Internet for updates on the disasters that were unfolding in several major metropolitan areas and across the entire island of Puerto Rico.

Even after disasters like Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it’s frustrating to think that planning on the ground still hasn’t been implemented to avert disasters of this nature. This is something we are very capable of doing – just like we have done to improve hurricane tracking. We might be able to predict with a new level of accuracy where a hurricane may strike, but in general we are not using technology and scientific research nearly enough to help our people. It’s possible to use these resources so much better, but politics and various vested interests have taken precedence over the well-being of our country.

We are at a critical point in history – not just for our national security, but for our health and safety and the future of our country. That’s why it’s important to take a different approach, because we can’t depend only on the professionals and the politicians to make things better. In many instances, they haven’t even addressed the issues in earnest. Someone needs to raise the distress flag.

If our people aren’t safe, our country is vulnerable. The only one who can save us is us.

One of the greatest issues we face is that weather patterns are changing. This severely affects the way in which our houses, our neighborhoods, our cities, our states and our entire nation have to deal with such dramatic and immediate changes. This is not just a societal issue, it is a national security issue.

The weather and infrastructure may seem like separate issues, but they’re well connected. If our roads and railroads, for example, are not adequate in times of emergency, large sections of the population will be in even greater danger from the floods and hurricanes that we know will be coming.

Something needs to be done to defenseless areas to mitigate problems caused by severe weather events; many of these problems were exposed by Hurricanes Harvey in Texas and Maria in Puerto Rico.

An egregious example of how we have created our own problems is that we have allowed developers to build entire neighborhoods in known floodplains – in Houston, Texas, for example. About 90 percent of all natural disasters in the United States involve flooding, so most insurers no longer offer flood insurance because it is not profitable. As a result, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was introduced in 1968 to provide flood insurance to communities that otherwise might not be able to purchase such insurance.

The majority of the NFIP’s 5.5 million policyholders are in Texas and Florida, the very states that were pummeled by hurricanes in 2017 and two of the states that are most vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels. Before these hurricanes, the NFIP was already over $24 billion in debt, due in part to bad management and ill-conceived policies.

The NFIP debt is taxpayer money, so we’re subsidizing people to build in areas that we know will flood and will need to be bailed out. That’s crazy! In fact, just one percent of insured properties account for up to 30 percent of the claims and represent more than half the $24 billion debt, meaning that some properties flood multiple times and are constantly rebuilt, with our government knowing they will flood again.

More than 30,000 properties flood an average of five times every two to three years, and some properties have flooded more than 30 times. One home valued at $69,000 in California flooded 34 times in 32 years. Yet, after every flood, the NFIP rebuilt the property, spending nearly 10 times the property’s value.

What’s more, the average home that’s flooded has a value of about $110,000 but suffers over $133,000 in flood damages – and many of these homes are rebuilt multiple times. A significant number of these homes are also vacation homes, meaning that money to help rebuild primary homes for the less wealthy is potentially being diverted. It would often be less expensive to purchase a new home in a different location than to keep rebuilding in the same location.

We know the dangers and the expenses of living in flood zones, but little is done to help people move out of them. Apart from the insane policy of rebuilding over and over again, less than two percent of the money spent on rebuilding is spent on helping people move to safer locations. Unlike a nation such as the Netherlands – much of which is below sea level but which has not experienced a major flood since 1953 – we spend more money responding to floods than preventing them.

To make matters worse – or better, if you’re covered by NFIP – is the fact that the insurance policies don’t increase in price, even after multiple claims for the same property. When efforts are made to increase the rates, there is a huge cry from those whose premiums would increase because they rebuild so often. Meanwhile, we the taxpayers are footing the bill and literally encouraging people to build and rebuild in places that are not sustainable for housing.

After a disaster, many people are clueless about how to rebuild. How many more disasters will we have to go through before things are done right?

One of the issues we see in storms such as Hurricane Harvey is how to manage storm water. There is a normal function of the landscape and the way it deals with things such as excessive water, but that understanding has disappeared along with the natural landscapes that help the land deal with storm water.

The landscape is a huge mechanism for absorbing and purifying rainwater. Under normal circumstances, regular rains help cool the atmosphere; at the same time, the rain is soaked into the ground, where it is naturally filtered and becomes safe to drink. What we’ve done over the years is that we’ve changed this mechanism so that it is no longer functioning as it should.

Storms are ways of equalizing heat in the atmosphere, and one reason we get these huge storms now is the concentration of hot air and hot water. That’s what fed the storms in Texas and Florida in 2017. The atmosphere is heating up due to the reduced amount of plant material, which increases the moisture drawn into the air and therefore the amount of water that is dropped as rain. It’s a vicious cycle.

The energy in the atmosphere also plays a major role. The jet stream usually goes west to east in a fairly predictable pattern, but now it is waving up and down, more than likely due to man’s influence on the atmosphere. When the jet stream goes above or around a storm, it no longer pushes it. This is contributing to more extreme weather and making the extreme weather last longer.

One of the things that rain does is slow the wind, so with more rain we can expect slower-moving storms. We have already seen the effects of storms that sit for longer periods instead of moving along like they used to do. The floods in south Louisiana in 2016 and Hurricane Harvey in 2017 are examples of this new trend in storms.

Forests are one of the planet’s biggest cooling mechanisms, but we have replaced great swaths of forest with lawns. The lawn is now the single largest “crop” in the United States. More lawn is grown in our country than corn or any commercial crop, and in total it covers an area about the size of Texas.

The proliferation of lawns comes at a great cost, however. It takes a tremendous amount of water to keep grass alive, and in some regions as much as 75 percent of residential water is devoted to lawns. Naturally, this puts a colossal strain on water systems. The typical lawn uses 10,000 gallons of water per year, in addition to rainwater.

Unlike trees, which absorb carbon dioxide, lawns emit considerable amounts of carbon dioxide, which contributes to the warming of the atmosphere.

The greatest harm a lawn does, however, is as a result of their being treated with chemicals. After World War II, the chemical companies led us to believe that the best lawns were bright green, weed-free and insect-free, instead of being natural.

Each year, we dump about 90 million pounds of herbicides and pesticides on our lawns, with the result that many of these chemicals are now found in groundwater. Nitrates leeching into the drinking water can have the effect, as seen in some states such as Iowa, of turning babies grey-blue (the Blue Baby Syndrome).

What all this chemical action does is alter the nature of lawns. In a natural, organic lawn or forest floor, you could have four or five inches of rain with no runoff because the water is absorbed. A chemical lawn is denser and less able to absorb water, because the chemicals undermine the biology of the soil. It becomes saturated after only an inch of rain, and the rest runs off.

In a heavy rain, a typical sewer system can usually handle only a couple of inches of rain. After that, the landscape starts to flood. In an era when we are facing heavier and more sustained rainfalls, it makes sense to return to lawns that are organic and that can handle large amounts of water – or, better yet, replace lawns with other vegetation that is not harmful to the environment.

Another issue is trees. Tree roots are being starved by lawns, again because the rain is not being absorbed adequately into the ground. Instead of lawns around trees, it’s best to use other types of plant materials or no plants at all, like our grandparents used to do. Every person that owns property has the ability to contribute to the revival of healthy lawns and healthy trees, with the ultimate goal of being able to deal with storm water.

Insurance companies don’t like people to have trees near their houses, because trees have a habit of falling on houses in storms. However, trees almost always fall because of bad management, not because of wind and rain. Trees are valuable, because they cool the environment, provide shade that cools houses, and break the wind. Rather than getting rid of trees, we need to understand how to maintain our trees to encourage healthy soil and healthy roots.

Infrastructure is the foundation of our society

South of the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers at Cairo, Illinois, there are just five railroad bridges crossing the Mississippi River. Known as the Lower Mississippi, this is a stretch of about 1,000 miles.

One of the reasons there are so few railroad crossings in the Lower Mississippi is that about 90 percent of all railroad freight traffic across the nation – both east-west and north-south – passes through Chicago, in the North. This makes the entire nation’s railroad freight system vulnerable to a crippling weather event such as a snowstorm.

Chicago is known for its extreme winter weather, and the blizzards of 1967 and 1999 are particularly memorable. In 1999, a blizzard virtually shut down freight traffic across the nation for several weeks. Because each railroad company is privately owned and operates its own lines, they didn’t coordinate their snow plowing and they were on the verge of shutting down the nation’s freight system. Fortunately, the railroad companies worked out a solution by allowing train cars from one company to go from one railroad line to another.

That was an infrastructure challenge, and it was solved because people realized there was a problem and they fixed it. It didn’t address the crazy situation in which 90 percent of railroad freight traffic goes through a single hub, but it was a start.

The railroads are still all privately owned, but the roads and airports across the nation are owned by various governmental entities, so we have this matrix of transportation infrastructure that is a patchwork of business and governmental bodies. And this can sometimes be a huge mess.

This is just one piece of the infrastructure jigsaw puzzle that keeps our nation running, but if any part of it fails, it could have a devastating and cumulative effect. In any community, the citizens can point to crumbling bridges, roads that are inadequate for the amount of traffic, sewer systems that need to be upgraded, school systems with inadequate facilities and so much more. As our infrastructure ages, the need to upgrade and replace it increases – and so does the cost.

Infrastructure is the foundation of our society. Without roads, bridges, schools, power plants, hospitals, communication systems and so on, our quality of life would plummet and we would become a third-world country.

Politicians tend to want to take the easy way out. Often, this means ignoring the problem and leaving it for the next administration or proposing privatization for parts of the infrastructure. The United States, through Federal, State and local governments, spends about 2.4 percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) on infrastructure per year, which is much less than many other developed countries.

China, on the other hand, spends about nine percent. In dollar terms, it spends more on infrastructure annually than North America and Western Europe combined. China, like many other nations such as Germany and Japan, looks to long-term goals. Meanwhile, the U.S. generally has shifted away from long-term goals to short-term fixes.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower understood that solid infrastructure is a military weapon. One of the major rationales he used in support of the interstate highway system was that it would facilitate the efficient movement of troops and military equipment across long distances.

Today, one of the easy political solutions to failing infrastructure is to propose privatizing large parts of it, most notably roads and bridges. Private companies alone are unable to finance the huge costs of these infrastructure projects, so they are granted massive tax breaks and are allowed to collect user fees such as tolls to offset their expenses.

This may work for some high-traffic spots in major metropolitan areas, but it will never work for rural roads and bridges that see relatively little traffic but are equally essential to the livelihood of the local population. The other issue is that the roads and bridges are still built with taxpayer money (in the form of grants and tax breaks), yet the taxpayers are charged tolls to use the very things they have already paid for.

Overall, transportation needs to be looked at more closely, and we need a variety of options so that if one part of the system breaks down, there is a backup. Currently, there is no backup, which is why one small failure in the highway system, for example, can cause weeks or months of disruption. Thus, a major blizzard has the potential to cripple cross-country rail networks.

‘Houston, we have a problem’

The situation in Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017 was the “perfect storm” of infrastructure failures, environmental mismanagement and changing weather patterns. It was as much a man-made disaster as was Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans 12 years earlier.

One of the biggest issues in Houston was the lack of zoning and building codes, which are essential components for urban growth. Houston is the fourth-largest city in the U.S. in terms of population and the third-largest in area. More than 2.3 million people are spread out over more than 630 square miles.

Most cities have stringent building requirements. In San Francisco, which has a high population density because the city is confined to a small area, there are higher standards for buildings due to the threat of earthquakes. In addition, they don’t build where there could be floods, and residential and business areas are strictly separated.

In Houston, much of the city was built in known floodplains. Houston was planned by developers, apparently with little thought given to how the various communities would deal with the inevitable floodwaters. Houston is a concrete jungle that floods regularly: The first major flood was in 1935, and since 1994 it has flooded several times. There was a 100-year flood in 1994, a 500-year flood in 2001, and devastating floods in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

The 2017 flood was the worst, of course. With so much of the land paved over, with so many lawns unable to absorb more than an inch or so of rain and with Hurricane Harvey being bigger and slower than previous storms, there was simply nowhere for the water to go.

To make matters worse, the lack of building regulations meant that not only were thousands of homes built in floodplains, but when there was a plan to deal with excess rainwater it often involved simply moving that water to the next community via pipes, ditches, and so on. This total lack of infrastructure planning made the environmental disaster worse than it should have been – and completely predictable.

It’s not just Houston, of course, although we know that many of the problems faced by Houston could have been averted or lessened with sensible and proper planning.

Just weeks after Harvey hit Texas, Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, severely damaging the island’s fragile infrastructure and knocking out power to almost the entire population of about 3.5 million people.

Instead of doing all in his power, as quickly as possible, to help millions of American citizens who were without electricity and were running dangerously low of drinking water and food, President Trump belittled the island’s elected officials, calling them “politically motivated ingrates” who “want everything done for them.”

The inadequate Federal response in Puerto Rico was all too familiar. I had seen it before in 2005 in New Orleans – and here we were a dozen years later and we were still stuck on stupid.

Overall, we’re facing a national crisis that could affect 60 million people in low-lying and coastal areas. As a nation, we have no plan to protect those people. There is no Federal agency for planning a response. And the Trump administration is making matters worse by denying there is a problem, refusing to accept the scientific evidence.

One way to be better prepared for future hurricanes is to enlist the aid of the U.S. military – a “Ready Brigade,” a quick-response Task Force that could move in immediately after the storm has passed.

This Task Force would be made up of Army, Navy and/or Marines. It could be drawn from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, or the 101st Airborne Division, or the 10th Mountain Division.

The first of the military personnel could be on the ground in a matter of hours, assessing the damage, saving lives, helping people in distress. Such an operation would involve perhaps 15 to 20 ships, 100 helicopters, and a brigade of soldiers, including some who would parachute into the heart of the affected area.

I think Congress should authorize the funding in the Defense Department budget that would enable such a Task Force to be our nation’s first responders

for disasters involving hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher.

Now, the Task Force wouldn’t take the place of the various State National Guards and other first responder groups that have been at it for decades. It would supplement what’s already being done, and it would do so with extraordinary speed, the likes of which the world has never seen!

It would be easy to slip backwards into being a third world country. We planned our metropolitan areas to be densely populated, but we haven’t put enough thought into how to support that population in times of crisis.

How do they evacuate?

How do they survive if the railroads fail or if the electricity supply fails?

How do they deal with floodwaters?

Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005 was a learning experience. Mistakes were made, but there was no precedent. Katrina became the precedent and was the starting point for how to deal with future disasters. Houston, Florida, and Puerto Rico incorporated some of the lessons, but neglected others.

The compromised infrastructure across the United States is a serious threat to national security, and it’s made worse by changing weather patterns and cities springing up where they perhaps don’t belong.

We have vested interests in keeping the status quo, but the status quo is rarely favorable to the population at large. Human nature never changes, and those with power don’t want to relinquish it. Unless we learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it – and the failure to learn from Hurricane Katrina is already having serious implication for our ability to deal with today’s monster storms.

What we have to understand is that the price tag to keep Americans safe isn’t the main issue. Look at the amount of money we spend on overseas wars and defense contracts. If we spent just a fraction of that on being prepared for disasters at home, we would be better able to take care of our own people.

The fact that we are failing in our duty to protect our own people is not just stupid, it’s shameful and grossly negligent – but completely reversible if we can muster up the will to address these issues.

Calls to action

Accept the reality of changing weather patterns, and plan accordingly.

Build sustainable houses and rebuild in safe places, not in floodplains.

Don’t use chemicals on your lawns.

Help trees work with the environment, not against it.

Devote time and effort to building a strong infrastructure.

Don’t keep making the same mistakes … don’t get stuck on stupid!

1 note · View note

lovelylogans · 7 years ago

Text

both foul and fair

ships: could be read as logicality, but none outright

words: 6,723

warnings: hypothermia, cut hand, food mentions, excessive puns

read on ao3 here

both foul and fair

If the blame could possibly be pinned on any singular person, in Logan's relatively unbiased opinion, that person would be Roman.

There are several reasons as to why Logan has reached this conclusion, but primarily for this: it happened in Roman's realm, which Roman made. Ergo, Roman's fault.

....perhaps relative is the key word in the phrase relatively unbiased.

The "bonding time," however, was originally Patton's idea. The other three had been rather slow to warm to the notion, but Logan has found the outings mostly pleasant. There had been occasional conflicts of timing with Logan's very particular working schedule, and it was difficult to go through any period of time together without at least a bit of bickering and backhanded commentary, but it was still mostly enjoyable.

Patton usually had big meals they all cooked together (or tried: Patton would tactfully take over with quite a few side-quests that tended to result in an overabundance of charcuterie boards) and board game nights; Virgil would have movie or video game or music nights; Logan would have quiet evenings spent with coffee and book recommendations for the others and music in the background; and Roman, well. Roman was the wild card.

That particular day was Roman's day to decide what to do, and Roman entreated them all to join him in his realm. From there, the day would take its form based on whatever Roman had in mind: there had been an enjoyable day lounging by a lakeside, when the weather had been warmer, and a sleepy night spent stargazing during a meteor shower, among others.

"We're going on an adventure," Roman declares brightly as soon as Logan steps through the door, jamming something atop Logan's head. "Bundle up, Wall-E!"

"Cease and desist," Logan splutters, hands jerking to the hat as he took a step back—cozy, knit, wool, and oh, fantastic, a rather obnoxious decorative ball on the top hat, wonderful. The flaps over his ears would be beneficial in ensuring a decreased risk of frostbite, though, and he rather enjoyed an article on the history of the ushanka and other hats—

He shakes himself. "Clearly, I would be Eve."

"Logan's right, Roman," Patton says, busy fussing over Virgil, who is seemingly refusing to wear a coat atop his usual hoodie. Virgil and Logan take a moment to exchange a despairing glance, which Patton either doesn't notice or cheerfully ignores. "Logan would be Eve, and I'd be Wall-E, and Virgil could be that cute little cockroach—"

Logan straightens his glasses, as Roman's knocked them askew, in the midst of Virgil grumbling angrily about his role in the movie, and Roman's just trying to be a nuisance, but Logan knows better than to voice his frustrations so early in the day. He goes over to the table instead, as it's laden with winter wear.

"Tell Logan about your plan today, Roman," Patton says, now jamming a pair of earmuffs onto Virgil's head, ignoring Virgil's squawks about his bangs.

"Oh, it'll be wonderful," Roman says—somehow making a puffy red-and-white winter coat that went down to his knees look like the height of fashion. "There'll be hot cider, and we'll go through the Winter Wonderland to go sledding, and then we'll get back here to bundle up in front of the fireplace with some cocoa and we'll roast marshmallows—"

Patton claps his hands in delight. "Like a snow day! Now, everyone, we've got to get all bundled up—"

Logan reaches for a sleek, black athletic jacket, ideal for the innermost layer, cutting off Patton's words. He's researched the ideal methods of dealing with the cold, though Thomas lives in a warmer climate. He's already running over how to decrease risks of the less savory aspects of being cold—the repeated application of warm beverages throughout the day would be helpful.

He tugs on a similarly puffy jacket—black, blue detailing, with a cheery Logan!!! ☺ scrawled in Patton's handwriting on the tag. Next a blue pair of gloves, a blue scarf, and a cursory straightening of the cap Roman had forcefully bestowed on him.

Patton's decked out in sky blue and gray—Logan spies the cat hoodie beneath his puffy jacket, and he's wearing a hat that's a similar style to Logan's, in addition to a scarf and mittens. Virgil, finally having sulkily agreed to get on with the day, is all in purple and black, grumpily adjusting his earmuffs with en-gloved hands. If Logan's not mistaken, they're the model of earmuffs that double as headphones—and, yes, there's distant strain of Virgil's music.

Roman, after ensuring that everyone's put on their winter boots (blue for Patton, black for Logan, red for Roman, purple for Virgil—Roman often delights in whenever he gets to dress them, however indirectly, and therefore goes the extra mile whenever he gets the chance) flings open the door, sending a blast of cold air into the house. "Onwards, men!"

He traipses cheerfully out into the snow, and with a sigh, Virgil follows, hunched over himself. Patton happily claps Logan on the shoulder, and with a sigh, Logan follows after him.

They're barely five minutes into the walk when Logan has to admit that he is (grudgingly) impressed: Roman's truly outdone himself this time. It rather looks like they've stepped into a postcard. They've set off down a plowed path in the midst of woods. The air smells of pine, and cold, with the faintest whiff of mint on the slight, nippy breeze. Fat, fluffy flakes fall gently from the clear white sky. There's already an even, undisturbed layer of snow over everything, making the world seem incredibly quiet.

What was that line he'd read? Ah, yes, Sarah Addison Allen—“It was magical, this snow globe world.”

Logan takes a moment to turn slowly in a circle, to witness this artificial form of winter mimicked to near-perfection, the world's faults smoothed over so professionally it almost wasn't noticeable, to breathe in and feel the burning cold as acutely as if he's in an actual forest—

"Keep up, four-eyes!" Roman shouts.

Moment of appreciation broken.

He sighs, and hastens after them—they've turned a corner, and a frozen-over river cuts a neat ribbon between the trees. On their side is an abandoned wooden stand, where Patton's helping Roman hoist what looks like a steaming cauldron before them. Logan's sense of smell is overtaken then—apple, most predominantly, and cinnamon, and possibly nutmeg, or cloves—

"Here you are, Lo," Patton says, cheerful, pressing a lid onto the paper cup before pressing the cup into into Logan's hands. "Careful, it's hot!"

Logan curls his hands around it, enjoying the way the heat seeps into his hands, even through his gloves. Patton hands a cup to Virgil next, who tips his cup at Logan in a sarcastic toast (it has been a mystery, most of their lives, how nearly everything Virgil does has some kind of sarcastic slant to it) and then Patton waves Roman off and ladles a cup for him next before getting one for himself.

Virgil's eyes narrow at the cauldron. "Seems dangerous to take a drink from an unattended cauldron in the middle of the forest."

Leave it to Virgil—though, in the real world, Logan would be inclined to agree with him. As it is—

"My imagination, my rules," Roman says happily, waving a hand so the cauldron vanishes. "The witches are all holed up in their cottages, they hate it when I make it snowy. We can get refills at the sledding hill, we're nearly there."

Logan takes a second to survey the environment. It seems like a very pretty river, even frozen—in fact, he might have come close to following this exact path when the whole of Roman's realm had been decidedly more summery, back when the other three had been close to napping in their post-picnic stupor.

"Roman, were there those nymphaea candida specimen right around here in the summer?" Logan asks, now he's wondering.

"Nympha-what? Nymphadora? I didn't peg you for the one to start the Harry Potter talk, but if you insist—" Roman says, lowering his cup, glancing away from where Patton and Virgil are making mini snowsides.

"The river lilies," Logan says with a sigh. "White petals, yellow centers?"

"Oh, yeah, I suppose," Roman says. "There might have been."

Logan disguises his sigh by taking a sip of the admittedly delicious cider. Relying on his own memory then, he supposes, however unreliable that may be.

"Could we ice-skate on this river, Roman?" Patton gasps, looking up from what Logan thinks is snow-Patton, though it could also be snow-Logan.

Roman says, "No, this wouldn't do! We could go back to that lake we went to in the summer, though, that would be a nice rink for us. The ice on the river would probably be too unreliable."

Virgil shifts uncomfortably at that. "Couldn't you make it, you know. More reliable?"

"If we were going to ice-skate on it, certainly," Roman says, though without the bite that might have been in the statement a year prior. Virgil tilts his head, conceding the point, and Patton busily affixes a pine-needle-sash to what must be snow-Roman, mittens off, eyes narrowed in concentration. "The lake would be our best bet, though. No crumbling bridges or uncomfortable stopping points. We can go ice-skating next time."

Logan tries not to shudder. Lots of falling onto cold, hard surfaces, and Roman can probably secretly figure skate like an Olympian. He hopes Roman gets distracted by whatever idea takes him next.

Roman and Logan wait for Patton and Virgil—mostly Patton, Virgil seems to be in charge of snapping little sticks and pine needles to appropriate sizes for props—to finish making their snowsides, finishing their cider. Logan hangs onto his cup—if there'll be refills at the hill, he's disinclined to make waste, even imaginary waste.

Patton pauses, before he adds a little snowman in the middle—Thomas, Logan realizes, and Patton carefully adjusts the arms of snow-Thomas and each of the snowsides to go over each other's shoulders, like they're posing for a picture. Patton nods in satisfaction, and moves to stand, yanking his mittens back on and shaking out his hands.

"A wonderful facsimilie, Patton," Roman enthuses, crouching to snap a picture with his phone, and then a selfie with them, because of course.

"Good job, Pat," Virgil adds, and Logan echoes, "Indeed."

"Aw, thanks, guys," Patton says. "Let's go get some more cider, though, my hands are freezing!"

Roman laughs and claps him on the back, and off they go—Patton and Virgil, then Roman close behind, and Logan trailing after him, the pair of them trying to take his steps in their footprints—they're off the plowed path, now, and he doesn't want snow to get into his boots and wet his socks.

The snow grows thicker and thicker, and Logan loses sight of the river. The snowfall has stopped, leaving them with snow that must be half a foot deep—Logan would measure if he had an implement with him, but he doesn't, so he's left with an estimation. The trees have thinned out, and the world is blindingly white—the only way they all know where they're going is to trust Roman, a horrifying thought.

They've resorted to a single-file procession—a line of Patton-Virgil-Roman-Logan, Roman calling "It won't be long now!" and "Just past this bend!" as they plod along.

Logan is about to ask if this is the fastest they can go when they all hear it.

Crrr-crrrr-crrrrr.....

They all freeze where they're standing, Virgil wobbling—he'd been about to put his foot down where Patton's foot had just been.

Patton himself had frozen, arms held out away from him for balance, and he swallows enough that Logan, as far away as he is, can see his Adam's apple bob.

"Patton," Logan calls, trying to infuse a sense of authority into his tone, but a thread of fear works its way in anyways. "Virgil, if you'd just bring your weight down and distribute it evenly along the ice—"

Crrrrrrrrr—

And then, all in one movement, Patton moves faster than Logan's panic-ridden mind can track—he swings his arms from where he'd been holding them out, and shoves at Virgil's chest, hard, sending Virgil sprawling away from him, away from the river, and with the loudest, angriest CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—

"Patton!" Logan shouts, and his voice seems to harmonize with the final crack—because Patton looks up enough to meet eyes with Logan, arms pinwheeling, when he's suddenly swallowed up by the water.

It boggles him—Patton there one moment, gone the next, as if this is some kind of magic relevant to Roman's realm, vanishing in less than a moment, and he's frozen to the spot, arms reaching as if he'd have been able to grab Patton and haul him back to safety—

Later, when Logan's reviewing the events in his mind, this won't surprise him, but at the time it does—Virgil is the first to react, throwing himself onto his stomach—distributing his weight evenly across the ice, Logan thinks dimly—and looking down into the crevasse that's swallowed Patton up, only black water greeting him.

"Spread out!" Roman barks, and Logan rushes to oblige, the pair of them throwing themselves onto their stomachs and sweeping aside armfuls of snow, squinting through the ice, to the dark water below, eyes scanning the depths below, until—

—a faint pale hand, he's lost his mitten—

"HERE!" is torn from Logan's throat, almost too desperate to be described as a scream, and he waves a hand desperately at Roman, who seems to understand what he needs immediately because in the next second there's a hammer in his hands, and he slams it down on the ice as close as he can get to Patton without hurting him, and again, and again—

Logan's barely thinking when he shoves his arms into the water, the cold hitting his arms so hard it hurts, and it's taking too long, every second one they might lose sight of Patton, and he closes his hand around an arm and pulls—

Distantly, he's aware of someone's hands holding at his legs, his waist, to make sure he doesn't fall in after him, and they hasten forwards to help haul Patton up, out of the water, onto his back, and what he sees terrifies him.

His face is too pale, and too still—Patton is their emotion, he should be laughing or listening earnestly or smiling or frowning, not this blank thing—

Logan's about to bend, plant his ear over his mouth to see if he's breathing, but Patton beats him to it—he lets out a cough, barely turning to keep himself from spluttering on the water, and Logan hastily shoves his hands under his head, to tilt his head to the side to keep him from choking on the water again.

"Right," Roman says, looking uncharacteristically ruffled, eyes wide, "Logan, what do we—what do we—?"

"Home," Logan says, and the word's barely out of his mouth before they're all crouched in Roman's living room, Patton still coughing weakly.

"Right," Logan says, taking a moment to draw his hand over his face, and then, "Right, Roman—start a fire—Virgil, get some blankets, as many as you can, and something warm for him to drink—"

There's the sound of two different sets of boots thumping off, doing what they're assigned to do, and now Logan has to fix it, he has to fix it—

He's struggling to undo his own coat zipper with his burningly cold hands, but he manages it and throws off the puffy coat before he sets in on Patton's, ridding him of his puffy coat and his singular mitten before there's more thudding and Virgil drops the blankets on the ground and sets in on the cat hoodie, allowing Logan to get to work divesting himself of his soaked clothes.

"Logan," Virgil says, voice threaded through with, well, anxiety, jostling Patton with his desperate attempts to get off his wet clothes as fast as possible. Patton barely even stirs. "What are we doing here?"

Logan's struggling to get off his inner jacket before he finally manages it, leaving him in his short-sleeved shirt. He grabs a blanket and wraps it around himself, and picks up three blankets, draping them over Patton, trying to ensure that all of his previously exposed skin is covered as he talks.

"We need to get these wet clothes off and make sure he gets dry. His body's lost heat faster than it can produce it, so we need to help warm him up."

Thud thud thud, yes, that's Roman running flat-out, juggling a variety of things, slamming down to his knees before the fireplace as Logan wraps Patton in blankets up to his ears.

"Water's unfortunately good at conducting heat away from your body, so he's lost heat much faster than if he was exposed to the elements the way we were. We need to make sure he can sustain a healthy core temperature, so that means blankets, a fire, and warm liquids—"

Logan has no idea what he's doing, he has to fix it, he has no idea what he's doing, he has to fix it, he has no idea what he's doing, he has to fix it—

He grabs another blanket, barely managing to throw it over his own shoulders before he wraps the rest of his blanket around Patton, pulling him close, holding Patton in his lap.

"Virgil, get him that something warm to drink," he says, terse, and Virgil hesitates before he scuttles off, Roman cursing as he fumbles with a matchbook.

He notices Patton's eyes are drifting shut, and Logan pokes him angrily in the ribs, once, twice, three times, before Patton's eyes open a little more, gaze unfocused, still so expressionless—

"Patton," Logan says, and pokes him in the ribs again, until Patton's head manages to swivel towards him, as much as it can when they're in such close contact. "Hey. Hey, Patton, what does a dinosaur wear when it's cold?"

Patton blinks. Once, twice.

"A Jurassic Park-a," Logan blurts out, too nervous to let him finish his thought. "Get it, Patton? Like the movie? And the segment of the Mesozoic Era? Get it?"

Patton blinks at him more, and Logan pokes him again, desperate. He needs to keep Patton's attention, and he needs to keep Patton from falling asleep. He's talking about the only thing that's coming to mind, something that would captivate and keep Patton's attention, and those are the awful jokes that come on the back of the chips that Logan likes to eat to fuel a late night brainstorming session, the jokes Patton love and Logan never understands but memorized anyways.

"Where does Frosty the Snowman keep his money?" He presses, and Patton's head dips worringly. "Mo." Another hard poke to the ribs, and Patton rests his head on Logan's shoulder with a shuddering breath. "Where does he keep his money?"

"A s-s-snuh," Patton mumbles into Logan's neck.

"A snow bank, that's right," Logan presses on, voice tight, why isn't there a fire, and he tucks his hand against Patton's cheek, keeping him upright, keeping him awake. Patton blinks at him again and again. "You're so smart, Patton, that's exactly right. Keep those guesses coming. What kind of math does Hedwig like?"

Finally, finally a fire starts up in the fireplace, and Roman swivels towards them as Logan bites out, "Owl-gebra, Patton, she likes owl-gebra, see? Because she's a snowy owl?"

Yes, there, the slightest twitch of a lip. That's a good sign. He thinks.

"What do chefs call Baked Alaska in Alaska?" Logan asks.

"Whuh," Patton mumbles.

"A baked here," Logan says, and there's a little huff of air from Patton, so close to a chuckle. Logan wriggles them closer to the fire, so Patton's closest to it, Roman throwing in old newspapers as fast as he can crumble them, building the fire high.

"Which side of an Arctic Tern has the most feathers?" Logan presses.

Another twitch of the lip. "Ousside," he sighs.

Logan laughs a little, giddy with it. That sounded like a word! That's even better! "So clever," Logan says. "Okay. Um—"

"Why do seals swim in salt water?" Roman picks up, and Patton sways towards him, only Logan's arms around his waist keeping him upright. Roman looks—a little nervous, a little scared—but it's gone in a flash as he grins and does jazz hands and declares, "Because pepper water makes them sneeze!"

Something that could conceivably be related to a snort.

Virgil crashes in from the kitchen, somehow hauling four mugs and a steaming kettle without dropping anything.

"Patton," he pants, and Logan doesn't even have to help Patton move his head that time, "What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire?"

Roman stands to help Virgil fill up the mugs as fast as possible, and Patton's chin settles on Logan's shoulder. Logan pokes him in the ribs again, sharp, and Patton mumbles incoherently.

"Frostbite!" Virgil says, fingers threading together, biting his lip.

"Good," Logan says, and pokes Patton again. "Did you hear, Patton? Frostbite!"

"Goo'ne," he slurs. "S'good."

They keep them coming as Virgil and Roman work on making cocoa for all four of them—why don't mountains get cold in the winter? they wear ice caps! what do arctic hares use to keep their fur looking spiffy? hare spray! what do you call a cold ghost? casp-burr!—and Logan has to keep poking Patton, even as Logan feels more and more like a person. Control over fire, he thinks—there is a reason that it was the most revolutionary discovery and invention in human history, spurring mankind to progress to the point they are at today.

But Patton is still shivering hard enough that his teeth clack together, even with the extra blankets, and his back to the fire. He's still barely responding to the jokes—more slurred mumbles, huffs of air, smiles that look more like winces. Virgil, visibly worried, lifts the mug to Patton's mouth so he doesn't have to disentangle from the blankets, and Patton flinches back, spitting.

"Burns," he chokes out. "Too hot—"

Virgil's brow creases in concern, and Logan can see why—he'd barely waited for the kettle to heat, so the water is only a few steps above lukewarm. It would be a fine temperature for any of them to drink, except—

Logan's busily wracking his brain for the article he'd read years ago—handle the person gently, limit movements to those that are necessary. Move the person out of the cold, remove wet clothing, cover the person with blankets, monitor breathing—but what else, what else, they're missing a step—

So how would Logan get warm on a cold day? Wear blankets, stay dry, what else—

And it hits him so suddenly that he barely resists smacking himself on the forehead.

"Roman, Virgil, would you two come over here? I think I know something else we need—"

Logan's loath to leave Patton in this state, but Roman and Virgil seem to both understand—with a bit of bickering, Patton's laid down on his side, as curled up as he can be, with Roman pressed up against his back and Virgil against his front, Virgil keeping a close eye on Patton to ensure he doesn't go to sleep. Logan discards the blanket he'd had around his shoulders, and he hears a sucked-in breath.

"Logan, your hand," Virgil says, almost getting up but remembering himself at the last moment. Logan stares at his hand—still bleeding sluggishly, and he sees the slight stain on the dark fabric of where his hand had been resting on the blanket.

"I'll bandage it up," he says, standing. "Roman, your first aid kit's still in the bathroom—?"

Roman nods, and Logan sets off to gather his supplies, setting a quick pace. Now that he's aware of the injury on his hand—must have been cut on the ice—it pulses more and more, notifications of something wrong to his brain, something to fix. But pain is a message he can choose to ignore—it is more important to get Patton back to a healthy body heat that he can sustain on his own. A cut hand is hardly the priority.

When he comes back, first aid kit tucked under his arm and a variety of makeshift warm compresses in his hands, he crouches beside Patton, placing one on the back of his neck. Patton makes a squeaky noise, trying to move away from it, but Logan presses it into place.

"We're heating your major arteries, Patton," Logan says, "so that it'll help provide better internal heat. Neck for the carotid, armpits for brachial, the groin for your femoral. I don't want to unwrap you from your blankets, so could you place them for me?"

"They're too hot," Patton mumbles. Logan forces himself to take a breath—Patton responds best to pathos, not logos. Appeal to his emotions.

"Patton," Logan says, tempering his voice, making it softer. Patton's eyes took too long to focus on him, and Logan takes note, tries to inject the concern into his voice as best he can.

"It would make me feel... very relieved if you would put these where I tell you, all right? We're all worried about you."

Patton blinks again, and there's something familiar in the way he shifts in his blankets. Something that makes him think sulky, or perhaps—self-conscious.

In the next moment, his eyes slide to where Virgil is curled against Patton, who seems to be ignoring the way Logan is imploring Patton, and Logan realizes. The way Patton shifted, just then—it's the way Virgil fidgets in his hoodie whenever there's too much attention on him. The similarity between them is jarring, in that moment. Patton lost his glasses in the river, and the cold brings out the blues and purples in his face. If Virgil would discard his hoodie and they stood side by side—Logan would be hard-pressed to distinguish between them.

For some reason, that makes something in his chest tighten. For once, he doesn't particularly analyze why.

He has to make himself softer, gentler. Logan widens his eyes a little, leans in a little closer, moves his uninjured hand from the compress to let his fingers scratch lightly at Patton's scalp. He makes himself look as entreating as possible. "We just want you to feel warmer, and better, and happier. And these would help warm you up faster, so we can all feel better." He takes another breath, sets his pride aside, and adds, "Please."

Another shift, and then Patton's hands snake out of the blankets, tugging in four of the compresses, and Logan lets out a breath of relief. He runs his fingers through Patton's hair again.

"Thank you. You just need to keep them there for about ten minutes, but they'll make you feel so much better, Patton, I promise."

"Hand," Roman says pointedly, as soon as Patton's adjusted for the compresses, and Logan nods, sitting back and opening up the first aid kit.

From there, it's almost comforting to focus on a more straightforward injury. Logan tucks his bottom lip between his teeth, and sets to work. Disinfect with a careful, measured inhalation through his nose to keep himself from making any less-than-distinguished noises from the pain. No stitches necessary, thankfully—it's a long but shallow cut, running jagged from the space between his fourth and fifth metacarpals, down the carpals, and jerked suddenly to the side, fortunately away from any important veins.

He places clean white gauze over the wound, and then wraps his hand and wrist in an elastic bandage, to ensure the gauze would stay in place. He flexes and clenches his hand, to ensure it would stay in place, and then it's time to ask Patton to pass the compresses back. He does that with remarkably less of an argument.

Logan decides to reheat their abandoned kettle so they can all have some cocoa, and he's just pouring them new mugs when Patton sniffles.

The other three focus on him with laser-like intensity, and then Patton coughs, and then he says, "Wh-what'd'you c-call a P-patton that falls through th-the ice?"

"What?" Virgil asks, voice soft.

"P-popsicle," Patton stammers out. "G-get it? B-because I'm the dad? And I'm c-cold?"

There's a moment of strained silence that stretches like a rubber band, and then Logan laughs, a bit too hysterical, but he can't bring himself to care—he's too relieved. Reasoning, a joke—marked improvement from Patton's previous state. They're practically out of the woods. Roman joins in next, laughter loud and booming, and Virgil snickers, shaking his head.

"Awful, Padre," Roman says, but he's grinning and hooking his chin over Patton's shoulder. Logan would wager a hug happened under the blankets, where he can't see. "Truly. I love it."

And they're off again, puns galore as they all sit up and drink their cocoa—what eight letters can you find in the arctic ocean? h to o! why is slippery ice like music? if you don't c sharp, you'll b flat! why did the snowman want a divorce? because he thought his wife was a flake! where can you find an ocean without water? on a map! where do penguins go to see movies? the dive-in!—and it's so much better, now that Patton's aware enough to laugh along.

By the time he's drained his cocoa, he isn't shaking anymore, and the temporary stammer's vanished. He even pops in with a couple more, to Logan's chagrin. ("How is a baby bird like its dad? It's a chirp off the old block!")

Roman goes to get the supplies for roasting marshmallows, at Logan's urging (carbohydrates and sugar would be good for boosting Patton's energy) and they all gather in front of the fire. Virgil takes over fussing for a while, from there—he makes sure none of the blankets are within the flames' reach, and takes Patton's stick if he thinks his hand's been outside of the blankets for too long, and makes sure Patton won't burn his tongue on any of his marshmallows.

Roman would either bluster off any such attention or play up any such injury to get more attention, and Logan would strain under such care. Virgil would brush it off with a scoff. Patton, though—Patton just smiles indulgently, occasionally hugging Virgil or thanking him, usually with a sport or champ or sunshine tacked on at the end. Each time, Virgil ducks his head and mumbles something like "whatever." Because that's what Virgil needs at the moment: to reassure himself that things are okay, that Patton is okay, and that the worst of it is over now. And Patton must know it; that must be why he isn't squirming under the attention. Patton has always been the most gracious of the four of them. He's much more observant than they give him credit.

Logan turns back to his own marshmallow, only to find Roman looking over at Virgil and Patton, too. It seems he isn't the only one to have that realization. Roman clears his throat when he realizes he's been caught, and drives a nearly-friendly elbow into Logan's ribcage, before swiftly spearing another marshmallow on his stick.

Logan scowls (nearly, the key word in that phrase) and elbows him back, before popping his own marshmallow into his mouth.

They work their way through the plate of marshmallows, and Patton's eyes seem to focus on Logan's bandaged hand for the first time with a small noise of dismay. Logan decides to take a page out of his book, and sits still, unprotesting, when Patton takes Logan's hand gently between the both of his.

Patton carefully turns Logan's hand over, inspecting the bandage, and then back over again.

"It's not very serious," Logan says. Distantly, he's aware that Virgil's pulling Roman to his feet, to go make something a bit more substantial to eat and to top off their drinks, but he's too ensnared by this: the heat of the fire, and Patton's cautious touch, like Logan's made of glass. "It should heal up just fine."

Patton hums, and settles for cradling Logan's hand, tracing his fingers along the bumps in the bandage, the protruding squares of gauze. Gently, with such a soft pressure it, bizarrely, makes Logan think of bugs crawling up his arms.

"You were very brave, Logan," Patton says instead. "I'm sorry that you got hurt while you were saving me."

He isn't looking up from Logan's hand, so Logan can only hope that he doesn't see the slight flush to Logan's cheeks. Logan clears his throat.

"Yes, well," he says. "Acceptable loss, a bandaged hand. You... it would be much less so."

A potential future too terrible to even think of, so he sets the thoughts aside.

"Still," Patton says, and his brow is furrowed. It's very odd to see Patton without glasses. He wonders distantly if there's an old pair gathering dust somewhere, or if Roman can materialize a pair, before an idea occurs to him. "I hate that you got hurt."

"I didn't notice it until Virgil pointed it out," Logan says truthfully. "The cold may have been helpful, numbing it."

He reaches up with his free hand, taking off his glasses. He narrows his eyes and blinks, adjusting to the blurry vision, before he reclaims his hand from Patton to tilt up Patton's chin, directing him to look at Logan straight on. He holds up the glasses in explanation. Patton blinks at him, a little confused, and in answer Logan carefully slides his pair of glasses onto Patton's face.

"Our prescriptions are the same, if I recall correctly," Logan says, and fiddles with them so they sit correctly on Patton's nose.

Even without his glasses, he's close enough that he can see the faint dusting of freckles across Patton's cheeks and nose, the way his lips are slightly parted, the look in his eyes—like Logan has done something extraordinary, revolutionary, amazing, instead of just handing over a pair of glasses. Logan's fingers brush over the tops of the shells of Patton's ears, and he clears his throat, letting his hands and gaze drop.

Except Patton picks up his injured hand again, and Logan blinks, looking back at him. There is a look of determination in Patton's eyes.

"Well," Patton says, "clearly, you've forgotten the most important part of treating an injury."

Logan blinks. "Impossible. I disinfected and cleaned the wound and bandaged it properly—"

But then Patton's spinning his hand over, palm up, and dropping to kiss it with an obnoxious smacking noise, and Logan's mouth drops open, just a little.

"You forgot to get someone to kiss it better!" Patton declares, and then leans forwards and kisses Logan's cheek with an impossibly more obnoxious smacking sound, the mwah! seeming to echo around the room.

??????????????????????????????

Patton leans forwards, and gives Logan a short, sweet hug—a squeeze round the shoulders, really. Logan has frozen up, arms trapped awkwardly between them. His cheek is a little wet from where Patton's lips had been. What—what exactly—what?

Virgil and Roman choose then to walk in, and Roman declares loudly, "Has Logan had a malfunction?"

All at once, Logan's face burns, and he moves to adjust his glasses, except there's nothing to adjust, so he ends up poking himself in the nose.

"Now, Roman," Patton says, "Logan just did something very nice, and I was thanking him, is all. What'd you make?"

Roman and Virgil exchange a slightly sheepish glance, and present the plates—quesadillas, if Logan's not mistaken, that were made in the microwave. He supposes that, at least, it isn't burnt.

Roman builds up the fire more while they all eat in relative silence. They've just finished their meal when Virgil says suddenly, "Pat, do you want me to get you some actual clothes?"

Patton's just arranged a blanket vaguely like a toga over his bare chest, with another wrapped around his shoulders. "That'd be great, kiddo," Patton says. "How about some pajamas for everyone? We'll do a slumber party!"

"I'll handle this, Virgil," Roman says, looking excited, and snaps his fingers before anyone can protest.

Logan looks down at himself, prepared for the worst. But it isn't actually all that bad—a navy shirt, and a fuzzy light blue pair of pants with a unicorn print on them. Roman's outfitted in a Prince Charming shirt and a pair of checkered pajama pants, and Virgil's picking at his thick tank top straps—Logan suspects he's secretly pleased with the Nightmare Before Christmas theme. Patton's is the most eyesearing combination of colors—his top is a very bright rainbow tie-dye t-shirt, and his bottoms are patterned with... some kind of reference, Logan supposes, in a shade of happy purple.

Logan also drapes a blanket over Patton's shoulders. Just as a precaution. Patton gives him a look that Logan would describe as "fondly exasperated." But he does cuddle into it, wrapping it around himself, and Logan counts it as a victory.

Patton gets to pick the movie, and all three of them groan when Patton reveals "Frozen" with a mischievous smile ("get it? because I was frozen?") but they all settle in—Logan suspects some quirk of Roman's realm, because the floor feels much more like a mattress than an actual floor, now. In any case, there are plenty of throw pillows and blankets sprinkled on the floor, and Logan picks up a blanket at random, resigned to restraining himself from pointing out the holes in reason. And, of course, to Roman's performances, and Patton's acting along, and Virgil's commentary.

By the time Anna is climbing the impossibly formed ice stairs to her sister's impossibly formed ice castle, all four sides are struggling to suppress yawns. He blames Virgil entirely for yawning the first time, and he'd caught it then, and the pair of them had made swift work of Patton and Roman. Besides, it had been a long day. Sleep would do them all good.

Logan's about to admit defeat, curl up under his blanket and go to sleep, when Patton clears his throat. All three of them turn to him, alert, and he spreads his arms.

"We should all cuddle together," he says decisively. "I got to cuddle plenty, but I didn't get to snuggle with all of you. I mean, if everyone's. Comfortable with that."

Patton. Hesitant. Abnormal. Logan doesn't like it.

"Certainly," he says, a little stiff. "Close physical contact increases oxytocin levels."

Roman, not to be outdone, proclaims, "Of course! That sounds wonderful!"

Virgil shrugs a little, plucks a little more aggravatedly at his tank top straps. He looks oddly bereft without the hoodie. "Sure, I guess," he grumbles.

It doesn't materialize perfectly from there, of course—they have to go and brush their teeth and wash their faces, jostling each other at the sink. And there's a bit of arguing about configuration, and who would be on their back or their side, and gathering and placing of blankets and pillows, and then shifting in their place, getting comfortable. Logan's-now-Patton's glasses are settled safely on the coffee table.

When Logan will wake up, there will be twin wet spots of drool on his shirt. Patton will be sprawled halfway over Logan's body with his hand on Virgil's back, Virgil curled up with his head on Logan's shoulder. And Roman will be the cause of Logan's feet falling asleep, tucked up between Virgil and Logan's bodies as he would be, with his dead weight on Logan's legs and his arms enclosed around Patton's waist. Logan will be sweaty and overheated, and most of his body will have its circulation cut off, and he will have to lay awake, alone and more than a bit uncomfortable, until the others stir from their deep sleep.

But for now, there is only the fluffy state between consciousness and unconsciousness, and the slowly evening breaths of the sides setting rhythm with the troll's song, and Logan—

Logan is secretly grateful for each and every one of them.

#text #sanders sides #sanders sides fic #hypothermia #cuddling #logicality #puns #my fic

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marie1-kersaint · 3 months ago

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Extreme Weather: Moderate risk of unhealthy heat in one of your places

  The New York Times Aug 19 at 10:21 AM www.nytimes.com August 19, 2024, 10:21 a.m. Eastern time

There is a risk of extreme weather today through Wednesday in a place you said was important to you, with some days reaching a moderate-level risk. I recommend you pay attention to local forecasts for the next few days and plan accordingly. In places with some risk of excessive or unusual heat, temperatures could be very taxing on the body, possibly causing heat exhaustion and cramps. Heat stroke is possible after spending too much time in or exercising in the sun. When this kind of heat is forecast, air quality may also worsen. We are monitoring this heat and mapping the latest information about its intensity and duration. — Judson Jones, reporter and meteorologist  P.S. We’ve added heat risk to this newsletter. We’ll let you know when there may be a health risk associated with abnormal or excessive heat in the locations you have chosen, based on the National Weather Service heat risk forecast. You can always change or add places to track here.

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Moderate risk of extreme weather today, including unhealthy heat. View detailed outlooks and maps

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Flash Floods Sweep Part of Long Island Floods swept Long Island early Monday, briefly closing highways. The same storm system dumped as much as 10 inches of rain on Connecticut a day earlier. 

The Dark Side of Shen Yun The popular Chinese dance troupe has toured all over the world. But young performers described a culture of untreated injuries and emotional manipulation. 

Hurricane Ernesto Brings High Swells and Strong Rip Currents to the East Coast Ernesto was creating dangerous surf conditions that were expected to continue for several days, forecasters warned. 

Sources: The risk levels shown are derived from categories used in the outlooks issued by the National Weather Service, including those for severe weather from the Storm Prediction Center and excessive rainfall and winter storm conditions from the Weather Prediction Center. Some of these categories have been combined to create a clear, consistent language across multiple weather hazards. For more information, see the “About the data” section of the detailed outlooks page.

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mcccleaningomaha-blog · 4 years ago

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Best Railroad Snow Removal Services and Cost in Omaha NE | MCC Cleaning Omaha

More Information: http://www.greencleaningomaha.com/railroad-snow-removal.html

Railroad snow removal services near Omaha NE: Looking for Railroad snow removal services near Omaha NE? MCC Cleaning Omaha is the source for railroad operators are disassembling their snow-removal equipment, assessing how well that equipment functioned and whether repairs or replacements will be necessary for next winter. Cost? Free estimates! Send us a message or call us today. Best Railroad Snow removal Services around Omaha NE. We serve Omaha NE and other areas. Get a Free Quote Now!

RAILROAD SNOW REMOVAL SERVICES OMAHA NE

OMAHA EMERGENCY SNOW REMOVAL

Metro Railroad & Island Rail Road

Railroad snow removal services near Omaha NE: Snow-fighting equipment is winterized, tested and positioned strategically throughout both railroads to start operation as soon as snow accumulations begin. Protective heat circuits are verified to be operational, air brake lines are purged of any moisture to prevent them from freezing, and electric trains are fitted with special third rail shoes to prevent snow from accumulating. Metro Railroad covers exposed couplers to keep snow out, treats exposed shoes with deicer, and sprays door panels with an antifreeze agent.

Long Island Rail Road has the following snow-fighting equipment located at various yards around the system ready for deployment:

● Spreader/Ditcher

● Cold Air Blowers to clear main track, yards and third rail

● Stabilizer/Brooms used to clear excessive snow from rails

● Rail-bound Jets and 2 hi-rail jets (total 9 jet snow blowers)

● Pickup Truck Plow/Spreaders

● Snow blowers

Metro Railroad has the following snow-fighting equipment ready to go, located at various yards around the system:

Front-end Loader with thrower

● 5 Backhoes

● 6 Cold Air Blowers

● 3 Rail-bound Jets

● 2 Tractor Blower/Spreaders

● 70 Pickup Truck Plows

● 216 Snow blowers

Railroad Maintenance of way: Snow and ice removal products and services

Railroad snow removal services near Omaha NE: Freight and passenger railroad managers might still be catching their breath after digging out from this past winter's record-breaking snowfall. But it's not too early to start planning snow- and ice-removal strategies for next winter.

Taking stock now of what will be necessary to keep trains running and on time during cold and severe weather conditions will help snow and ice removal equipment suppliers ensure they have the products and services that railroads demand.

The winter was unusual not only for shattering snowfall records in cold-weather states, but also for the amount of ice and snow that fell in normally warm-weather states in the South. Railroad managers who planned early and adequately handled the severe weather without major glitches, Noble and other supplier executives said.

Now that spring has arrived, railroad operators are disassembling their snow-removal equipment, assessing how well that equipment functioned and whether repairs or replacements will be necessary for next winter.

I've heard a lot of railroads tell us that they will do a fair amount of replacement this year because of so much inefficiency in existing equipment, which manufactures hot-air blowers, crossing gate arms, battery chargers and remote asset monitoring and control systems.

Following is a summary of 10 suppliers' latest snow and ice-removal products and services, and the other steps they're taking to address railroads' winter weather needs.

RAILROAD INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY

Railroad snow removal services near Omaha NE: Customers have been requesting anti-icing and de-icing products and solutions that are safe for the environment, according to Midwest Industrial Supply. So, the company has been offering the Ice Barrier in a couple of limited markets with great success, Noble said in an email. The product can be used on transit systems' overhead power lines as well as on third rails to control ice. Ice Barrier features a glycerin-based agent, which is safer for the environment, said Noble. Midwest Industrial also offers an Ice Free Switch, an anti-ice that can be applied before snow falls to prevent track switches from icing over. The anti-ice is produced from renewable resources.

In response to customer demand, the company seeks to improve its application equipment, as well. Transit agencies look to us to design equipment to apply the chemicals we sell, Noble said.

One such design, which was brought to MCC Cleaning Omaha' attention by a customer, is a spray-system modification that applies product to the undercarriage of trains to prevent ice build-up.

Masses of snow or ice can fall from the undercarriage, many times in very inappropriate areas such as switches or road crossings, causing safety concerns, Noble said. The spray will minimize the ability of snow or ice from building up and will act as a release agent so snowpack releases at quicker intervals.

MCC Cleaning Omaha recently added a machine-rebuilding service to its product line, which includes the M-7 snow plow for mainline and yard clearing,

We are able to take machines that are 20-plus years old and upgrade them with new cabs, engines and hydraulic systems to bring the units up to a like-new condition, he said.

The M-7 is designed for dual purposes as a snowplow in winter and a ballast regulator in summer. As a snowplow, it's equipped with snow wings and a snow blower, and can remove snow at speeds up to 30 mph. Because snowplow operators spend so much time outside, a heated cab was added to protect drivers from the elements.

RAILROAD SNOW REMOVAL COST

It might be tough to think about the winter especially since Omaha NE is under a heat warning right now but city councilors are preparing to do just that.

A report going before the Civic Works Committee next Tuesday says it'll cost about 1.6-million dollars, plus another $163,000 to the Omaha NE Transit Commission, to enhance the level of snow clearing service across the city.

That means lowering the snowfall threshold to seven centimeters for road plow deployment, five centimeters for sidewalk plow deployment, and prioritizing school area sidewalks.

This is exactly the kind of thing that people see value for, because they see the difference on their streets in the winter, helped push for the report at the start of the year, after hearing people complain regularly about snow clearing while campaigning last fall.

Adding $1.6-million to the city's snow clearing budget would equate about a .3 per cent increase in property tax, Lewis explained.

Are we prepared to go the whole way? I think that's a discussion council needs to have as a whole.

According to the report, deploying snow plows at lower snow accumulations would require more frequent passes through road and sidewalk networks.

London's head of roadside operations, MCC Cleaning Omaha Parsons, said prioritizing sidewalks around school zones will also necessitate need for more equipment.

Just so we're getting in there early enough, to make a difference, The city currently upholds the provincial minimum standards for clearing snow, which means deploying road plows when there's 10 centimeters of accumulation, and clearing sidewalks when there's 8 centimeters.

The report notes that conditions across the city can vary, with snow accumulation on January 10, 2019 reaching 5.3 cm in the east end, and 16.9 cm in the west.

The report says it would cost the city $500,000 to lower the snowfall threshold for road plow deployments from 10 centimeters to 8 centimeters, $760,000 to lower it to 7 centimeters, and $600,000 to lower the threshold for sidewalk snow clearing from 8 centimeters to 5 centimetres.To prioritize school area sidewalks, which means clearing schools' main entrances earlier, would cost $280,000.

The report is set up like a menu of options, you can pick one or the other, you don't have to pick them all, you can pick one independently, if that is the choice of council, explained Parsons. The recommendation from staff is simply that the civic works committee reviews its options, the report says the optimal time to make changes would be during 2020-2021, when the road plow and sidewalk plow contracts expire.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can the City remove the snow they put in my driveway and sidewalk?

When you consider the large number of driveways and the amount of sidewalks within the City, it is just too costly and time consuming to use additional people and equipment to perform this service. Our primary duty is to maintain the roadway system so that traffic flow may continue.

Why not plow to the center of the road?

Piling snow to the center of a street can create a very hazardous situation as traffic flow is restricted by eliminating a portion of a lane. The freeze-thaw cycle creates additional problems when the melting snow freezes on the road surface each evening. This practice can also create sight obstructions for low vehicles and cause problems for residents entering and exiting their driveways.

Can I park my car on the street?

Yes, but when the snow begins to accumulate, we ask that you find an alternative place to park. Vehicles will only be towed when a snow emergency is declared on designated streets where parking is normally allowed. If you are parked on a street designated with "no parking" signage, you may be towed without a declared emergency.

My car has been towed. Where can I find it?

When the City has towed your vehicle, you may call the Police Department for more information.

What are my responsibilities as a resident?

Snow can be beautiful, but it also can create hazards. When residents fail to clear their sidewalks, the result can be a dangerous ice patch. We need your help to protect pedestrians from possible injury.

CALL FOR US:

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usedcarmania · 4 years ago

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Whether you just got a car, looking at cars for sale Midrand or have been driving one for long, following certain car maintenance tips can help your car be at its best. If you need some guidance or a checklist of tips for your car to be in its optimal condition, this is a useful read.

Here’s a comprehensive list of car maintenance tips and checklists for every car owner

Inspect your vehicle regularly Take a walk around your vehicle at least once every week. While you take a walk, inspect your car and look for body damage. You should also inspect your tyres for any wear, punctures or cuts and test every lock, window and even the sunroof.

Check your air filter A lot of car problems arise when your air filters are clogged or if they fit loosely. Air filters block dust, pollen and other contaminants to keep your engine healthy. But when dirty, the air filter can reduce the airflow into the engine, robbing your vehicle of power, reducing performance and fuel economy. It’s recommended that you replace your air filter every 12,000 miles.

Check your tyre pressure regularly Tyre pressure can impact the fuel economy. It also affects the comfort and handling. Your car’s owner manual will have the recommended tyre pressure mentioned on the owner’s manual. Generally, the tyres pressure check should be done every week.

Clean your engine’s exterior It’s equally important to clean your car’s exterior engine as much as it’s important to keep the interior engine clean. If not cleaned properly, even minor debris in the wrong place can do damage to your engine. For example, while checking your brake fluid, some grease might fall into it. Due to this, there can be damage to the brake. Thus, ensure you check your brake fluid levels at least once every month.

Protect your headlights Turn on your headlights once a month when you park in front of a flat surface to check if both headlights are working properly and well-positioned. Visually inspect both turn signals by walking around your car and see and your parking lights. You can even ask a friend to stand behind the car while you engage the brakes to be certain that your brake lights are functional.

Check your battery Your car battery is one of the most important components required for it to run. The car’s battery is responsible for providing a large amount of electrical current for the starter, engine and other electronic accessories in the vehicle. Extreme temperatures affect the performance of the battery so regular battery testing will ensure that the battery will perform when you need it to.

Change your spark plugs Spark plugs could affect the efficiency of your car’s engine. They’re responsible for igniting the gas and air mixture that ultimately powers your vehicle. Thus, when the spark plugs don’t function properly, it causes the engine to lose power and it won’t function at its optimal capacity. So get a professional to check your spark plugs so that those plugs are replaced if faulty.

Get your tyres rotated and balanced Tyre rotation is important to maintain the safety and performance of your vehicle. It gives your vehicle a quicker steering response and a smoother ride of course. Rotating your tyres gives them a chance to even out their wear and helps extend the life of the tyres. Ensure that you check the tyre pressure of your car once every month and even before you take long trips or when you carry an extra load in your car. Your car’s manual will tell you how much air pressure the car tyres require.

Ensure your cooling system works Your car’s cooling system and radiator need to be clean to work efficiently and effectively. Your car’s radiator builds up a deposit with normal wear and tear, which can disrupt the cooling system. With a radiator flush, you can keep your cooling system in shape quickly and inexpensively. You can take a look at your car’s manual to find out if you need to flush the radiator once a year or after every two years.

Know the meaning of different warning light indicators Almost all cars have elaborate systems of sensors and warning lights that tell you everything from whether you forgot to replace the gas cap to the fact that one of your tyres is low on air. Learn what each of your car’s warning lights means and how to fix it. Your owner’s manual can be of great help here. If any light flashes and you can’t immediately pinpoint and fix the problem, take your vehicle to a trusted mechanic right away.

Clean the brake dust off your wheels The brake dust on your car doesn’t affect the full functioning of your brake but it does make wheels a little unpleasant to look at. When you apply the brake, a mix of materials that come in contact from the brake rotor and brake pad which is the brake dust. 92% of the dust is iron. The remaining 8% will be grime, dirt, carbon content and other particles. If these are exposed to the sun along with your wheels, they can leave severe stains on your wheel. So, it is important to clean the dust off your wheels and with a damp sponge. As dust typically clings to your wheels via static electricity, you’ll also require cold water.

Protect your car interiors Avoid eating food inside your car as much as possible. A good way is to cover surfaces as much as possible. Keep floor mats, which will keep you from tracking in mud or dirt and grinding it into the carpets with your feet. Add seat covers, which can protect your car seat’s upholstery. Cover can also help aid your posture and even help customize the look of your car. Make it a point to vacuum the car regularly. If you live in a hot region ensure that you keep your windows slightly open. The hot air inside your car has the potential to dry and damage your car’s interiors if it can’t come out.

Check drive belts Your engine produces power so that other parts and accessories run including the power that your vehicle requires to run. The drive belts shift the power from your cram or crankshaft to the car’s alternator, air conditioning compressor, power steering pump, air pump, water pump and any other device that relies on mechanical power. Modern cars use a single belt which is also called a serpentine belt to connect and rotate from the crank pulley. As these belts are typically made of rubber or other polymers, they wear a lot even with normal use. So it’s important to check these belts regularly to inspect for visible hairline cracks or any change in their integrity. You’ll need to look at the integrity of both your serpentine belt or V-belt and your timing belt unless your engine is chain driven.

Check oil levels There are a lot of mechanical moving parts in your car’s engine that creates friction as they brush against each other. This friction generates heat and can lead to a significant reduction in engine performance. This is why minimizing if not eliminating friction from these parts is crucial to ensure smooth operation. Else, you might hear loud noises from your engine and a substantial reduction in fuel economy can occur. Check your engine’s oil level as an integral part of your basic car maintenance routine. It’s also critical to look at the color of the oil. It shouldn’t be black. The dark color usually indicates the presence of contaminants, excessive heat, the addition of chemical additives or even worse, sludge. Your owner’s manual tells you the frequency of oil change. You’ll also need to check the correct viscosity grade for your car and the environment upon which it normally operates.

Drive better Your way of driving reflects the condition of your car. If you’re hard on your car and have a habit of fast takeoff, quick braking, sharp quick turns, riding over bumps at high speeds, hard shifting, etc. then your car will wear faster and there can be damage. When you drive smartly and safely, there’s not only less wear and tear on your car but you also can save on fuel costs. So start today by taking a look at your acceleration and braking habits. If you’ve got a habit of taking off quickly and applying brakes suddenly, then remember that each smooth transition saves money on gas. When you drive below the speed limit and avoid sudden stops, it will help you stay safer, save money, and help your car last longer.

Carry automotive tools at all times A good tip is to carry some basic tools, so you can use them to maintain your car on the go and work with those tools in case your car faces different problems. For example, if you delay fixing a leak, it can cause potential damage to your engine. Either you’ll need to get your car towed or use your tools to work on the problem. After that, driving might not be an option. A few tools that can be helpful are thick gloves, heat resistant waterproof silicone tape, electrical tape, wire cutters, screwdrivers, tongue and groove pliers, a flashlight and a knife. You can carry a tool kit. A set of tools can come handy and will give you choices that you wouldn’t have otherwise. They’ll be useful in other situations as well.

Keep your car covered Keeping your car away from the reach of sunlight, trees and birds can help your car’s paint and interior remain in good condition. Extreme weather, harmful radiation and nature can take a toll on your vehicle. You might wash your car regularly and use a protectant on plastic and rubber parts but a car cover is important too. It will keep your car looking its best for years to come so a car cover is a good investment. So keep your car covered when not in use and try to keep it in your garage.

Clean your windshield and replace the wipers A dirty windshield will not let you see clearly and thus create inconvenience. They can cause visual impairments if not cleaned regularly and can result in accidents at times. For safe driving, the driver must have a clear view of the road. If you don’t clean those windshields, the dirt and particles will accumulate and can scratch the windshield when you use the wipers. Check your wipers when the rainy season is approaching and get them replaced if needed. Your car’s glass can get scratches and obstruct your view if you use damaged wipers and it might lead to the need to replace your entire windshield.

Inspect your fluids regularly Get into the habit of checking car fluids along with the tyres. When the engine cools down, open the hood and remove the oil dipstick. Clean the dipstick thoroughly and put it back again. When you pull it out now, you’ll notice the oil is up to a certain level. Check and see whether the oil is at the correct level. Also, replace the oil at regular periods. While doing so, also check the fluid level of your power steering, the hoses and belts for any signs of wear. Also, check the transmission fluid level after warming up your car. Get your tyres and fluids regularly inspected for the best performance of your car.

Check engine coolant level While there’s oil in your engine to help reduce the friction between moving parts and help it prevent from getting heated at a much faster rate, your engine will also need a system that will help it get rid of this generated heat. That’s where the function of your radiator is required and the fluid supplied to it is your engine coolant. If the coolant in the reservoir is running low or if it’s not there, then heat from the engine won’t get dissipated into the environment. This can lead to your car’s engine to overheat. Before you start rolling out of your driveway, you need to check your engine coolant levels as a part of your car maintenance checklist. Today, most cars possess coolant reservoirs that are somehow translucent and have appropriate level markings on the panel. Without even opening the lid of the reservoir, you should be able to visually inspect whether it’s running low or not. Read your car manual to look for the engine coolant reservoir in your car.

Wax your vehicle Waxing your vehicle every six months after car washing will not just keep it shiny but also help reduce the chance of rust and keep the paint in good condition. Irritants such as dust, sand, and salt can build up and environmental factors like ozone and ultraviolet light can cause microscopic damage. But waxing can help extend your paint’s life and minimize this by forming a protective seal.

Only use superior detailing supplies Using the right kind of supplies and detailing tools for your car makes it look like it just got out of the showroom. It also helps provide a protective barrier against the elements and keeps it shining like new. The key is to use superior quality car detailing products.

Don’t touch the glass bulbs when repairing Make sure you only touch the metal bulb holder located at the bottom of the lighting fixture whenever you have to replace the bulb on your headlight. If you have to touch the glass, you can wear clean mechanic’s gloves or use sterile surgical gloves. These gloves will help prevent the transfer of oils, grime, dust and dirt from your fingertips to the specialized coating that’s there on the bulb’s exterior surface. The dust particles, grease or oil can affect the special coating present in the bulb’s surface. So when you turn your headlights on, the part of the bulb with dust will heat up a lot faster than the rest of the bulb and cause the bulb to crack.

Replace your car’s cabin air filter If you’ve got a family member who’s quite allergic to dust and other airborne particles then you might want to replace the cabin air filter of your car. It’s one of the easiest ways to keep everyone safe and comfortable inside your car’s cabin. It’s recommended to replace your cabin air filter after every 12 months or 12,000 miles whichever comes first. You can refer to the owner’s manual to know the recommended schedule of air filter replacement.

Check your AC’s refrigerant level Before starting any A/C related task, it’s important to know what refrigerant you need. It’s important for the air conditioner to have a proper level of refrigerant which is the cooling agent that keeps your vehicle running efficiently. If your car’s air conditioner isn’t blowing cold air or there’s a clicking noise coming from the engine then most likely the unit needs to be recharged. A properly working AC will not only make a vehicle’s occupants more comfortable and it’s also a good maintenance tip to follow.

Take it to the experts Although there are some things that you can fix in your car yourself, there are times when the car’s condition demands professional expertise. So at times like these, take your car to an authorized car service provider without any delay. It’s a good practice to keep the receipts from any repair service. When you sell the vehicle, accurate maintenance records can increase the value of your car to potential buyers. So when it comes to car maintenance, things aren’t very difficult. Your car just needs to be taken care of the right way so that its life gets extended. Moreover, you get a higher resale value for its condition. After all your car is your favorite travel companion, isn’t it?

Article source: https://www.carcility.com/blog/general-car-maintenance-tips-every-car-owner-should-know/

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newstfionline · 3 years ago

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Thursday, July 8, 2021

California braces for another heat wave (Yahoo News) The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning Tuesday for much of California that will last from Wednesday through next Monday, the third potentially record-breaking heat wave over the last two months in a state racked by a drought made worse by climate change. Temperatures are forecast to reach 116 degrees in the valleys of San Diego over the weekend, and even higher in desert portions of the state. In the Central Valley, where much of the nation’s food is grown, temperatures are forecast to reach 111 degrees on Sunday, and Yosemite National Park could see temperatures of over 108 degrees for several days in a row, the National Weather Service warned.

Haitian President assassinated (BBC/AP) Haitian President Jovonel Moïse, 53, was killed in his private residence at 1 a.m. local time by armed assailants, amid political instability in the impoverished Caribbean nation. First Lady Martine Moïse was injured in the gunfire. Moïse had been ruling by decree for more than two years after the country failed to hold elections and parliament was dissolved. Prime Minister Claude Joseph assumed leadership of Haiti with help of police and the military and decreed a two-week state of siege following Moïse’s killing, which stunned a nation grappling with some of the Western Hemisphere’s highest poverty, violence and political instability. Inflation and gang violence are spiraling upward as food and fuel becomes scarcer, while 60% of Haitian workers earn less than $2 a day. The increasingly dire situation comes as Haiti is still trying to recover from the devastating 2010 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016 following a history of dictatorship and political upheaval.

Dutch journalist shot who exposed the mob (Washington Post) It was evening in Amsterdam when Peter R. de Vries stepped out of the television studio and into the downtown streets. Decades investigating cold-case killings had earned the silver-haired 64-year-old accolades and a reputation as one of the most famous journalists in the Netherlands. His career in crime reporting had also earned him death threats, but friends said he laughed off the danger. Shortly after leaving the TV studio on Tuesday, de Vries was shot. “He was seriously wounded and is fighting for his life,” Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema told reporters. “He is a national hero to us all. A rare, courageous journalist who tirelessly sought justice.” The Netherlands has one of the lowest violent crime rates in Europe. But its long shoreline, numerous ports and excellent infrastructure has made it a major hub for drug trafficking, and de Vries had been working against them.

Russia’s pandemic response (Foreign Policy) Russia is firmly in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic’s third wave. Every day, there are about 22,000 reported new infections—twice as many as during the peak of the first wave in May 2020—and more than 600 deaths. The new delta variant of the virus, which Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said is responsible for 90 percent of new infections in the Russian capital, has caught Russia almost completely unawares. Now, the campaign for parliamentary elections in September could make fighting the pandemic even harder, since the ruling United Russia party may be even more reluctant to impose unpopular measures like lockdowns.

Taliban Try to Polish Their Image as They Push for Victory (NYT) In June, when the Taliban took the district of Imam Sahib in Afghanistan’s north, the insurgent commander who now ruled the area had a message for his new constituents, including some government employees: Keep working, open your shops and keep the city clean. The water was turned back on, the power grid was repaired, garbage trucks collected trash and a government vehicle’s flat tire was mended—all under the Taliban’s direction. Imam Sahib is one of dozens of districts caught up in a Taliban military offensive that has swiftly captured more than a quarter of Afghanistan’s districts, many in the north, since the U.S. withdrawal began in May. It is all part of the Taliban’s broader strategy of trying to rebrand themselves as capable governors while they press a ruthless, land-grabbing offensive across the country. But the signs that the Taliban have not reformed are increasingly clear: An assassination campaign against government workers, civil society leaders and security forces continues on pace. And in areas the insurgents have seized, women are being forced out of public-facing roles, and girls out of schools.

Iran nuclear worries (Foreign Policy) Iran has begun the process of making enriched uranium metal, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Tuesday, a move which the United States called “an unfortunate step backwards” while France, Germany, and the United Kingdom said the process fulfilled “no credible civilian need.” Development of uranium metal was banned under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal due to its use in the core of a nuclear weapon. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s representative at indirect U.S.-Iran negotiations in Vienna noted Iran’s breach of the deal on Twitter while offering a reminder that Biden’s failure to lift Trump-era sanctions on Iran also constitutes a breach. Ulyanov said another round of Vienna talks and a full restoration of the deal was the “only way out of this vicious circle.”

Vietnam’s biggest city sees panic-buying over virus lockdown fears (Reuters) Anticipation of stricter movement curbs triggered panic-buying in Vietnam’s economic hub Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday, the epicentre of its coronavirus outbreak, while media reported unrest at a city jail where dozens of inmates were infected. The health ministry said outbound travellers from the city of 9 million people would be subjected to a week of quarantine and testing at their destinations, a day after dozens of flights were suspended to control the spread. Shelves at the supermarkets were being emptied since late Tuesday, witnesses said, in preparation for tighter measures, as the country reported more than 1,000 daily coronavirus cases for the first time.

Australia’s largest city Sydney locks down for third week (AP) Sydney’s two-week lockdown has been extended for another week due to the vulnerability of an Australia population largely unvaccinated against COVID-19, officials said on Wednesday. The decision to extend the lockdown through July 16 was made on health advice, state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. The extension of the lockdown, which covers Australia’s largest city and some nearby communities, means most children will not return to school next week following their midyear break.

Ever Given: Ship that blocked Suez Canal sets sail after deal signed (BBC) A huge container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March—disrupting global trade—is finally leaving the waterway after Egypt signed a compensation deal with its owners and insurers. Witnesses say the Ever Given weighed anchor shortly after 11:30 local time (09:30 GMT) and headed north towards the Mediterranean escorted by tugs. The ship has been impounded for three months near the canal city of Ismailia. Terms of the deal were not disclosed but Egypt had demanded $550m (£397m). The vessel, with an Indian crew, is still loaded with about 18,300 containers. It is due to undergo safety checks at Port Said before sailing to Rotterdam in the Netherlands and then to the UK port of Felixstowe where it will offload its containers, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Khalid bin Salman Gets Quiet Washington Welcome (Foreign Policy) Prince Khalid bin Salman, the son of Saudi King Salman and brother of Crown Prince Mohammed, meets with State Department officials today on a trip to Washington that the White House would rather not talk about. Prince Khalid’s visit was not publicly announced by either U.S. or Saudi officials, and is the highest profile visit by a Saudi official since the Biden administration declassified an intelligence assessment surrounding the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by a Saudi hit squad in Istanbul in 2018. On Tuesday he met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. As Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister, there is nothing unusual about a representative of a U.S. regional partner meeting with U.S. officials. However, the lack of fanfare underlines the Biden administration’s wariness in dealing with a government that then-candidate Joe Biden promised to treat as a “pariah” for human rights abuses, chief among them the killing of Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and critic of the Saudi government. Biden initially held true to his promise that “America will never again check its principles at the door just to buy oil or sell weapons,” when he announced a pause in proposed weapons sales to the kingdom; the decision will likely be watered down to a suspension in the sale of air-to-ground offensive weaponry.

South Africa’s ex-leader turns himself in for prison term (AP) Former South African president Jacob Zuma turned himself over to police early Thursday to begin serving a 15-month prison term. Just minutes before the midnight deadline for police to arrest him, Zuma left his Nkandla home in a convoy of vehicles. Zuma handed himself over to authorities to obey the country’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, that he should serve a prison term for contempt. Zuma, 79, was ordered to prison for contempt because he defied a court order for him to testify before a judicial commission investigating widespread allegations of corruption during his time as the country’s president, from 2009 to 2018.

#headlines #news

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annesellspdxhomes-blog · 5 years ago

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What Do You Need To Know Before Buying A House in Portland OR?

Buying a house is pretty much like buying a secondhand car. You ask questions, look under the hood, test-drive, and see what happens. You can’t just make hasty decisions when buying a house, especially if it’s your first time.

But while navigating the home buying process can be challenging, it becomes so much easier if you have a clear path forward. In this article, you will learn everything you need to know before you buy a house so you don’t regret your decision in the long run.

There is more to purchasing a home than just picking your preferred listing, signing a check, and moving in. There are steps to buying a house, and these steps include determining what to look for when buying, asking the right questions, understanding the hidden costs, and more.

What are the things you need to consider before buying a house?

Since buying a home is one of the major financial decisions you will ever make in your entire life, it’s important for you to consider these things before you close on your dream home:

· Your personal finances

Like I said, buying a home is a major financial decision. You can’t just decide to buy a house unless you are sure you can afford it. As you prepare to buy your first home, keep track of your credit score and try to improve it as much as you can. This is because the better your credit score is, the easier it will be for you to get approved for a loan.

· The local market

Before you put an offer on a home, monitor the condition of the market in the area where you plan to make your purchase. Pay special attention to the length of time that homes in your price range stay on the Portland real estate market and if there are big shifts in the asking price.

· Your priorities

It’s always a good idea to keep your priorities clear to ensure that you know what to look for when searching for a home. Before you begin your search, write down the list of features you want your future home to have and make sure you revisit them as you begin looking for houses for sale Portland Oregon.

· Your lifestyle

Before you buy a house, do not just dream of the kind of home you want to live in. Instead, think about the type of house that will fit your lifestyle. As you visualize homeownership, consider what type of life you are looking to lead and how long you are going to be there. You’ll never know, the house you are dreaming of may not be the one for you.

· Your real estate agent

With your list of priorities and credit score in hand, start looking for a buyer’s agent in Portland who can help you find a home that fits your budget and criteria. Don’t miss this part. While some homebuyers choose to buy directly from the seller to save on commission, buying a home without a professional agent to assist you is a risky move. You need the help of a real estate agent who can facilitate negotiations between you and the seller and show you properties that meet your needs.

· The location

Sometimes, a great location is all it takes to make you want to buy a home. Some homebuyers can live with almost any flaw in a home if they love the location. If you’re buying a home, however, remember that you cannot change your home’s location so consider all the things you need to deal with first before making a decision. Is the home close to your work? Does it offer easy access to schools, parks, shopping centers, and public transport?

· The neighborhood

Just as the location should meet your expectations, the neighborhood should meet your expectations, too. As you decide whether you should buy a home or not, drive around the neighborhood on weekdays and weekends, during the day and in the evening, and observe if that’s the type of neighborhood you will love to have for your future home.

What should you watch out for when buying a house?

As you start looking for a home, come up with a list so you can get your search off on the right foot. Commonly, house hunters look at the number of rooms, the size of the yard, and the condition of the kitchen when searching for homes, but remember that there are so many other things you need to think over before making an offer. Don’t be too focused on the size of the yard or the square footage of the garden, because there are other attributes to a home that are even far more important than them. Here are some of the items you must watch out for:

· Roof condition

Ideally, a traditional shingle roof needs to be replaced every 20 to 25 years. Since this is a significant expense, it’s something you would not want to be stuck with right after purchasing your home. Make sure that before your purchase, the roof is still in good condition. Don’t hesitate to ask the seller about its age.

· Signs of foundational issues

While small issues like faded paint and broken light fixture can be easily remedied, foundational damage is not. If the foundation of a home is damaged, then you are looking at thousands of dollars in repairs. Before you buy a home, look for signs of cracking near its foundation and pay close attention to the grade of the floors for red flags.

· Energy efficiency

It pays to make sure that you are aware of the condition of the home’s insulation, especially if the property you are looking to buy was built several decades ago. This is because the better the insulation of a house is, the less you will have to spend on utility costs, particularly when it comes to heating and cooling.

· Water damage

Before you close on a home, watch out for signs of mold growth around pipes. If you spot mold growth, that’s a warning sign that something’s wrong with the house’s plumbing system or ventilation. Musty odors and peeling paint are also signs of excessive weathering, which may cause you trouble in the future.

What are the questions you need to ask before buying a house?

You’ve probably been dreaming of buying a house for years. You may have already considered how many bedrooms you want your future home to have, what kind of neighborhood you want to live in, or how you’re going to spruce up your garden. But like I said, buying a house is more than just about picking your favorite listing and moving in. Since home buying is a major investment, it’s better to take your time finding the house that’s right for you than being forced into something less-than-perfect just because you are pressured to make the purchase now. Know everything you need to know before you buy a home so you don’t regret your purchase in the future.

Here are the key questions you need to ask before you buy a home:

1. Can you afford it?

When buying a home, it does not really matter how much money the bank is willing to loan you. What matters is the amount you are comfortable to pay each month. Remember, the bank or the loan officer shouldn’t be the ones telling you your affordability. Instead, you tell them your affordability.

2. What is the neighborhood like?

Checking out the neighborhood is crucial before buying a home. When you look at the other houses on the block and check out the amenities within the community, it will be easier for you to judge whether the location of the home you are looking to buy will be good for you and your family in the long run.

3. Are there ongoing maintenance issues?

Find out as much as you can from the current owners of the home if there are ongoing maintenance issues. If the water heater tends to stop working or the kitchen sink has a slow leak, you’ll want to know about it before you close on a home. Factoring in these maintenance issues, small or big, is crucial when making your buying decision.

4. Are there upcoming replacement needs?

There are a lot of hidden costs in buying a house, so it’s imperative that you ask the current homeowner if there are appliances or features that are already nearing the end of their lifespan. Ask about any upcoming replacement needs and watch out for signs that something might need to be replaced in case the owner fails to disclose it to you.

Working with a real estate agent will help you a lot in ensuring that all the aspects of your home purchase are under control. Your agent will guide you throughout the home buying process and ensure that you make wise decisions along the way.

If you are buying a home in Portland and are looking for an agent you can trust, call me, Anne Stewart, at 503-804-1466 today.

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In case you can not view this video here, please click the link below to view What Do You Need To Know Before Buying a House in Portland Oregon? on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/uwRchgazH9c

#Anne Stewart #Portland Homes for Sale #Real Estate Agents in Portland OR #Homes for Sale in Portland #Real Estate in Portland

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ericfruits · 5 years ago

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Greenhouse-gas emissions are increasing the frequency of heatwaves

EXTREME HEAT is ruinous to productivity, particularly if you are a criminal. Several American police forces posted messages to their social-media accounts last weekend declaring a moratorium on crime. “It is just too hot to be outside committing crimes,” wrote the Park Forest Police Department in Illinois, on its Facebook page. In some cases, it seems to have worked. “We have had zero customers stay the night at our ‘hotel’, so we appreciate all of the criminals adhering to the heat advisory,” tweeted the Malden Police in Massachusetts on Sunday.

The messages came as scorching temperatures swept across America, placing more than 100m people under excessive-heat warnings. Temperatures hovered either side of 40°C on the east coast. On July 18th Mitch Petrus, a well-known retired player of American football, died of heatstroke after working outdoors all day. At least five other deaths have been reported.

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Europeans have also been sweating, for the second time this summer. A month ago, warm air from the Sahara contributed to making it the continent’s hottest June on record. At the top of Mont Blanc, western Europe’s highest mountain, instruments recorded 7°C (the normal June temperature would be below freezing). At Gallargues-le-Montueux near Nîmes, in France, temperatures peaked at 45.9°C. The previous record anywhere in that country was 1.8°C lower. Linked to these temperatures, in Alaska (see article) and Portugal (pictured), forest fires are raging.

If your hunch is that this kind of extreme weather is more common today than it was once-upon-a-time, you are correct. When, in 2003, tens of thousands of people in Europe died prematurely as a result of a two-week heatwave, it was deemed to be a once-in-1,000-years event. Twelve years later, a study led by Nikolaos Christidis of the Hadley Centre, the climate-research division of Britain’s Met Office, found that heatwaves of this severity had become once-in-100-years events, and would be commonplace by the 2040s.

The question on many people’s minds is whether these changes, and specific events like this week’s temperatures in America and Europe, are caused by greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere. For years, the semi-official line was that no single weather event could be blamed on climate change, only trends. That began to change in 2004, with the publication of the first “attribution” study. This focused on the European heatwave of 2003, when average summer temperatures broke through a threshold until then unbreached in 150 years of records. By comparing simulations of a world with and without greenhouse-gas emissions, Peter Stott at the Met Office and his colleagues found that climate change had made the record-breaking heatwave at least twice as likely as it would otherwise have been.

Since then, research of this sort, intended to study how climate change is already promoting extreme weather, has grown rapidly. A recent, extended drought in California has been linked to greenhouse-gas emissions, as was the extreme heat southern Europe experienced during the summer of 2017. That event was made at least ten times more likely by climate change according to work published later that year by World Weather Attribution, a collaboration between experts in these sorts of analyses.

Shortening odds

Attribution work does not concern itself only with heat. Floods, storms and cold spells also carry a climatic fingerprint. When Hurricane Harvey hit America in August 2017, it stalled over Texas, delivering huge quantities of rain, which caused heavy flooding and more than 80 deaths. On that occasion, World Weather Attribution found that climate change was responsible for intensifying precipitation levels by between 8% and 19%. Since 2012, the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society has published an annual compendium of attribution studies. Roughly 70% of events scrutinised show some influence from climate change.

One challenge has been to do the analyses faster. Findings connected with the heatwave of 2003 took a year to appear, by which time public interest had mostly moved on. The goal today is to offer a verdict on the influence of climate change on particular meteorological events more or less as they are happening. Here, the Met Office has been leading the way, with its Dutch, French and German counterparts close behind. But many other places do not have the capacity to carry out the onerous computer-modelling required. As a result, a European Union project planned to start before November will seek to provide contemporaneous weather-attribution analyses for the continent.

An inadvertent early test of how this could work took place last month, when many of Europe’s attribution scientists gathered at a statistical-climatology meeting in Toulouse, just as the June heatwave hit. Within days they published their conclusions. Accumulating greenhouse gases in the atmosphere had made the event at least five times more likely than would otherwise have been the case.

Such statements help show that the danger posed by climate change is clear and present, not just something for future generations to worry about. Heatwaves, for example, sometimes kill by the thousand—and can cause more casualties than other meteorological extremes, such as floods and hurricanes. But attribution also provides useful guidance to policymakers.

For instance, information about how much more likely an event is today than it was 50 or 100 years ago can assist decisions about building and adapting infrastructure. If what were thought of as once-in-a-millennium heatwaves now come once a century and will soon become so frequent as to be normal, then public-health systems need to be designed to cope with an influx of people suffering from heat stress. Likewise, if big floods are more frequent, water-handling systems need to be expanded and flood defences raised. Insurance and reinsurance companies are paying particular attention, because these calculations help them reassess risk levels.

Conversely, some people blamed climate change for a drought in south-eastern Brazil in 2014 and 2015, in which water levels in reservoirs around São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro fell to between 3% and 5% of capacity. But a study published in 2015 by Friederike Otto of the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University found no sign that greenhouse-gas emissions had raised the risk of drought. Dr Otto concluded instead that a quadrupling of São Paulo’s population since 1960 had put pressure on scarce water supplies.

Attribution science is also playing a role in courtrooms and human-rights hearings. A study published in 2015 showed that climate change contributed to the high wind speeds of supertyphoon Haiyan, which blew through the Philippines in 2013, killing more than 6,000 people. Those stronger winds created a much bigger storm surge. The matter was raised during hearings held by the Philippine Commission on Human Rights last year, which sought to explore the question of whether fossil-fuel companies could be held responsible.

Clear, present and lethal?

Others have sought to pin companies down more specifically. In one widely reported lawsuit, Saúl Luciano Lliuya, a Peruvian farmer, is suing RWE, a German energy firm, for contributing to the melting of a mountain glacier that threatens to sweep away his village. Mr Luciano Lliuya’s counsel, Roda Verheyen, has said that the case “was mostly made possible by the advancement of...attribution science”. Lindene Patton, a lawyer with the Earth and Water Law Group, a firm specialising in environmental law, has written that “the science of event attribution may become a driver of litigation, as it shifts understanding of what weather is expected and, relevantly for law, foreseeable.”

To a layman, however good attribution science has become, trying to use it to link an event in the Peruvian Andes to a particular firm in Germany looks a bit of a stretch. But whether or not Mr Luciano Lliuya wins his case, the fact it is even being heard is a straw in the wind—and a sign that global warming can change metaphorical weather patterns as well as real ones. ■

This article appeared in the Science and technology section of the print edition under the headline "Climate blame game"

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