#as ajak or as that cat

[grumpyumpyumpy]

today i’ve declared salma hayek as my milfiest milf <3

[softquietsteadylove]

you ever thought about writing a chapter about Ajak trying to push Ikaris and Thena together in the beginning, because of what their combined force can do? But she soon recognizes that her effort is useless and that it is no matter on which planet they are on in which lifetime, Thena and Gilgamesh will always be together, because they belong together.

Love your work, xoxo

"Well done," Ajak smiled as her two best Fighters walked back from the battle.

"You came in too early."

"Will you get off my back for one damned minute!"

And there it was. The two paragons of the Fighters were always at odds with one another. It was a wonder they were able to work together at all. And that was in the heat of battle, when their cooperation was crucial to survival.

Their bickering was even worse off the battlefield, and yet Ajak seemed to have them paired together at every opportunity.

Thena and Ikaris glared at each other as they separated, walking to opposite sides of the room as they settled in for a meeting after their battle. They seemed so much more equipped to be enemies than team leaders.

Ajak sighed. They were less than a month into their mission, and already they were at each other's throats. She had been hoping she might be able to encourage them to get along, but it seemed the harder she tried, the more they disliked each other.

"I think it went well," Sersi attempted to smile, hoping - desperately - to quell the discomfort in the room.

"Ikaris nearly let the winged one slip through his fingers."

"I had it under control!" he snapped at his other half across the control room from him. "You were the one who tossed another one into it!"

"Okay, okay, why don't we all just take it down a notch."

It was always Gilgamesh who was taking the most direct action to diffuse these types of situations. And it was always when voices were raised or fingers were pointed in Thena's direction.

Ikaris scoffed, throwing himself back down into his seat, "you always take her side."

Ajak had noticed. "Battles are not always going to go exactly how we might like, but what's important is protecting the human settlement and disposing of Deviant threats."

Thena stayed silent, turning her head away from Ajak as she spoke, which was as good as rolling her eyes, for the Warrior Eternal. When she opened her eyes, they met Gil's next to her. He smiled. She smiled.

"What's important is workin' as a team," Ikaris grumbled, although he had already lost the attention of most of them. He sighed. "Who's on watch?"

"Me."

Ikaris looked over at Sersi, who raised her hand up partially with a tentative smile. His usual deep set scowl lightened just a little, "I'll join you. Next shift is on when the sun sets."

The group dispersed, sounding less like Eternals chosen by Arishem and more like a group of teenagers being released to go do their chores.

"Ikaris," Ajak spoke up before he took his leave as well. She nodded her head at him, "talk to Thena."

He sighed roughly through his teeth. "She doesn't listen to me, Ajak. She's-"

"Talk to her," Ajak reiterated, not that she really thought it would do any good. She followed him out of the room, lingering at the end of the corridor where he floated over to the Warrior Eternal.

"Thena," he began with putting a hand on her shoulder, and already they were off to a bad start. She whirled around, hair flying, glaring at him just for touching her so casually.

She sighed at the look on his face, "what?"

"Look," he looked around him, trying to find the words for his teammate. "I know we're not always on the same page. But Ajak chose us to be leaders of this team."

"Just because we're strong does not make us leaders," Thena easily refuted, even if it meant denouncing herself to do it. "Gilgamesh is stronger than us both."

Ikaris opened his mouth to argue that point - eagerly - but clapped it shut. There would be no good to come from starting that fight with her (again). "Just...work with me--that's all I'm asking."

Thena's eyes travelled over him. He certainly was trying, she couldn't deny it. But she was so distrusting in her nature--of him, of the humans...even of Ajak, to a degree. "Have you ever thought that might be asking too much?"

"No," Ikaris frowned, his temper rising again now that he was finding himself arguing against a brick wall. "Because we're a team, Thena. Like it or not, we're here, together."

Her eyes followed his movement as he stepped in a fraction closer, his hand rising to grab her arm before she could turn away from him dismissively. She glared at him.

Ikaris held her eyes. He liked the challenge she gave him, in a way. His nature made him relish the battle for dominance they shared on a daily basis, no matter how much he complained about it. "Play nice."

Thena's eyes sparked, which Ikaris seemed to enjoy. And she knew he did--he liked the thought of getting to really have it out with her. They were both Fighters, the warrior and the soldier. It was in their nature for violence to be their language of choice. "No."

Ajak stood back with a sigh as Ikaris flew past her, blasted backward by Thena's shield tossing him away from her. She knew he was pushing it; it was only a matter of time before Thena decided she'd had enough of him.

Maybe the plan for them was a lost cause.

Thena didn't spare a second to check if Ikaris was okay. It wasn't her concern. She continued down the hall in her original direction, pausing when a hand brushed against hers.

It was Gilgamesh, the side of his hand meeting the side of hers like clouds passing in the sky. His pinky wiggled in her direction, "everything okay?"

"I can handle Ikaris," she said decisively, as she would to anyone on their team. She didn't move away, though.

Gil turned to face her first, offering his honesty as payment for her words. "I know, but that doesn't mean he gets to give you a hard time."

It was so slight, almost invisible to the human eye. But to an Eternal, Ajak was able to see the ever present tension in Thena lessen. It drained from her slowly, but eventually Thena looked at Gil. Her lips pulled up into a hint of a smile, "I may not leave much of him for you, at this rate."

Gilgamesh shrugged, giving her an impish smile that showed his more playful side. It seemed to encourage Thena's smile to grow. "So I'll clean up after you're done with him."

Ajak's brows raised as a completely new sound bounced around the Domo halls. She had never heard her Warrior Eternal laugh before. But by the look on the Strongest Eternal's face - and the lack of surprise - he had. In fact, he seemed quite enchanted by the sound.

Thena smiled more easily, completely loosened after her laughter. She turned and fell into a gentle pace with him in the narrow corridor, "he's Sersi's problem now."

"I don't know how she puts up with him," Gil mused, ruffling his hair as he walked with her.

Thena looked at him with what could almost be described as a playful expression, "you put up with me."

Gilgamesh took Thena's hand in his more fully--more deliberately. She showed no resistance. He held her eyes, giving the hand a squeeze between them, "and it's an honour and a privilege."

Thena's laughter rang out through the halls again.

Ajak smiled to herself; this form of the plan was always easiest to execute anyway. She would find a way to talk to Ikaris about things, regardless of how his relationship with Sersi progressed.

The relationship between Gilgamesh and Thena would grow itself.

[sebastianshaw]

so in Gaiman’s run, Sprite turns all the Eternals into humans and erases their memories of having ever been Eternals at all, but they start slowly remembering and getting their powers back and 1) There’s this bit where Sersi accidentally turns a cat into a dragon by thinking about it and it just flies off. Presumably a small dragon with the mind of a cat is just still roaming around NYC to this day. Probably someone’s pet. 2) Makkari’s human form is a brown-skinned guy. Not sure what race he’s intended as, but he’s def brown. When he gets his memory back and fully becomes Makkari again, he’s white again. I have no idea wtf to make of that. 

[redheadspark]

Milo

Summary: Druig finds a message from an old friend, and his heart breaks all over again

Warnings: Angst, mentions of death and grief

A/N: I HAD to write an angsty piece with Druig, and angst is not my forte! I hope you all like it :)

Druig was sitting on the edge of his bed, the view of space right outside his window and the scattered stars making the picture for him in what he was feeling inward: stillness, vast openness.  Loneliness.

Yeah, loneliness was kicking in.  

The last few days were nothing but a blur to him, having both mental and physical reminders of all that occurred.  It would be some time for Druig to really let things settle.  But the fact of the matter is that it was too raw, too much to just let go.  He knew the others were in the same boat as he was, if not a bit less or more.  Who knew, Druig never wanted to ask, he had other things to worry about or think about.  

Walking away from Earth for the first time since he arrived seemed like the best idea, given the circumstance he was in.  The village he created and looked after for the last 500 years would be fine without him, none of them were ever held captive or held against their will to stay with him.  He had no real home or a place to stay to call his own apart from the jungle, so the Domo was the next best option.  Makkari and Thena came on the Domo, wishing to find other Eternals that could be out in the universe and beyond.  Druig was pondering that same theory too when they all learned of their true nature and objective.  Of course, Druig had his suspicions of Arishem for some time, long before they all found out about the Emergence and that they were created to help destroy planets.  But now it was certain: Arishem was not to be trusted.  

Druig has dealt with loss more within the last few days than he ever thought he would, personally and intimately.  Although he has seen humans murder one another throughout the centuries and throughout his time on the planet, he grew a calloused shield in a sense.  It still pained him, mostly because he was told to never intervene and to never stop the actions since it was part of their evolution and their time on the planet.  But there was never a death that was close to him, almost part of him really, that shook him to his core.  Up until a few days ago.

The loss of Ajak and Gilgamesh was bad enough, and Druig was sad that he was never going to see them again.  He always had a history with Ajax, butting heads with her and never seeing eye to eye when it came to her allegiance to Arishem.  Yet the guilt of knowing that she loved the humans as much as he did, he wished she was alive to ask for forgiveness.  And for Gilgamesh, Druig always loved his joy and optimism about life and the people around him.  Seeing Gilgamesh be devoted to Thena and her well-being, doing anything he can to keep her safe and her mind intact, made Druig wish he had that with someone.  

He rubbed his fingers along his eyelids, feeling the tension all over his body and the grief weighing down on him.  There was still one mystery that Druig has yet to uncover, and it was eating him alive.  The seed was planted a few days prior, out in the small countryside in rural Scotland, back when Druig was going to be an old friend again.

That wasn’t the case.

He felt something rub against his foot, his eyes opening up again and looking down along the floor.  Next to his bare feet, an orange form of some kind.  Fur, soft and yet tough fur that was against his pale ankle, and a long tail curling around his ankle with ease.  Druig cocked his head, seeing the head of the animals finally perk up at him.

An orange tabby, wearing a unique collar.

“Hmm,” Druig hummed to himself, reaching down to touch the top of the cat's head.  The cat instantly purred and molded against his palm.  Druig was never one to be fully fond of cats, he tolerated them back in his village since they would help with the pest problems and be great alarms for night raiders.  But still, they were okay and hard to deal with at times since they were independent.  Yet now, out in the middle of space, he was giving love and affection to a simple cat.

A simple cat who belonged to someone he loved.  

The collar around his neck was one he’s never seen before, a small pendant on the front of the collar that was dangling and almost sounding like a bell.  Drug finally got down on the level of the cat, scratching the back of its ears to see the pendant there.  He’s yet to see it in full since getting the cat on the Domo was already a surreal moment to begin with.  Cats were never one to really trust a stranger, not how Druig remembered it.  But this one, in particular, took to him as if Druig was its master.  How strange.  

“You’re odd one, aren’t ya?” Druig murmured, his voice heavy and still laced with tiredness and a hint of grief as he moved his fingers over to the pendant. Carefully and without disturbing the little cat, he took off the collar with a soft click, wishing to examine it better.  But once he had the collar in his palm, seeing how small it was and well worn, a light shined from the top of the pendant and Druig nearly dropped it.  The light morphed into some kind of image, the flicking of the light made Druig see what it was and he was shocked.

A face, a holographic face. Your face.

Druig dropped the collar on the ground, though your face stayed illuminated in front of him and hovering over the cat collar.  His eyes were on yours, seeing the roundness of your cheeks and the cool look of your bright eyes that always reminded him of the gray storms over the open ocean.  Your hair, the same shade of warm fall leaves on the ground, clenched at Druid’s heart and made Druig only wish to reach out and touch it with his fingers.  But the look you were giving in this message, it had to be a message, it was rather grave.  Or solemn.  He had no clue.  

“If you are seeing my face, that means two things happened:  One is that you’re an Eternal, only because of the energy an Eternal carries is linked to this metal that I conceived and carried.  No other energy, including human energy, can activates this message by touch, so I know this is in the right hands.  Secondly, it means I am dead.  Or about to die.  Either way, I’m already dead by the time this plays.”

Hearing your voice made Druig feel tears already along his eyelashes, the heaviness of his throat was felt and his fingers clenched in his lap so tight.  He knew this was merely a message, but in his mind, he wished it was real.  He wished you were there in front of him, with your warm tone of voice that reminded him of the summer sun, or your touch along his skin that felt like the first snowfall in winter.  It was both a great and sick feeling, seeing a here message of you and earring your voice that almost seemed real.  Almost.

“If you have this in your possession, then that means something happened and we are all together again.  I hope it’s something that you all can figure out on your own, and I wish I was there to see you again.  But this is a warning, and I want to warn you all before it’s too late.  Deviants are back….and they’re coming for me.”

Druig sat up from the mention of the creatures, his eyes going big from hearing that from you.  

“At first I thought I was imagining it, since the last time we ever had to deal with Deviants was back when e were all…..all together,” You paused in the message, almost grimacing from the memory of that night when you all split apart.  Druig did too, looking down for a moment and remembering all that happened.  Thena’s Mahd Wy Ry, Druig in a rage for not helping the humans that were being slaughtered in front of them, and leaving them all behind.  Leaving you behind.  Druig would forever remember your face in his mind, heartbroken and in mourning as he turned his back on you.  

Druig would forever regret it.

“But I know when I see the future, and I saw them coming here to my home.  I saw it first three days ago, and then two days ago, and now….now they’ll be here within 10 minutes.  There’s not much I can do on my own, and if what I saw in my prediction was correct: they are stronger than what we are used to.  Somehow they’re stronger and deadlier, and I saw my death happen.  I cannot change the future once it is set in motion, I know that.  So I’m…I’m ready to die.”

How could one be ready to die?  In Druig’s mind, it made no sense. It pained him to see how calm and collect you were on the message, there was no sign of fear or regret there within your eyes and along your lips.  You were merely at peace, at peace knowing that your life was about to end.

“I hope you all find this and take this warning to heart, be careful and mindful of these Deviants.  They’re not like the ones we have fought long ago, almost like they were engineered by something, or someone, else.  Either way, they’re coming for me and then they’re coming for you.  I can only hope you all are together again to fight them since we were better together than we were apart.”

You paused, looking away for a moment almost to collect yourself.  Druig watched hopelessly, wishing once again he could reach out and give you some kind of comfort.  He always hated it when you saw a future and there was no way you could change it.  Just in the way he couldn’t control the humans and stop them from bringing harm, you couldn’t stop the future once it was set in motion.  It was one of the first common traits you two shared together that Druig loved.  

“I wished I would have seen you all again,” You admitted, looking back in front of you and Druig seeing almost the tiniest hint of pain in your orbs, “We all went our separate ways, and although it was for the best, I still missed all of you.  Sersi’s kindness, Kingo’s humor, Sprites’s sarcasm, Phastos’s brilliant inventions, Gilgamesh’s gentle soul, Thena’s ambitious drive, Makkari’s smile, Ajak’s leadership, Ikaris’s assertiveness….. Druig’s love,” 

Druig pushed away a tear that was falling down his cheek from the mention of his name.  That tear he felt in his heart was getting bigger and wider, almost like a canyon instead of a small gap and he felt there was no way to make it short again.  

“I just want you all to know…I love each of you.  I would have loved to have gone back to Olympia with you all, and maybe I’ll see you there after I die.  Who knows, but I do know that I don’t regret being on this planet with you.  All I ask is for you to take care of this planet, it’s a good planet with good humans on it.  All we’ve seen and experienced here is good, chaotic at times, but good.  And…take care of each other.  We are family after all.”

The hologram went off instantly, the room going dark and leaving Druig again in the quietness of his room.

Druig sunk back against the side of his bed, replaying that message over and over in his mind as the orange tabby cat was now curled up around his foot, rubbing against his leg and falling asleep nice and content with Druig.  Druig felt like he was punched in the gut and stabbed in his side, beyond raw to say or do anything else.

How could he not have reached out to you after he left?  He was far too stubborn in his ways when he was in the village to even let the others know if he was safe and happy. You would have wanted to know, Druig knew that for a fact.  You two were thick as thieves, almost in tune with one another.  He was even bitter that you chose to stay with the others in the temple, thinking you two were closer than you were and that you would follow him.  Instead, he set heartbreak, maybe thinking he made the wrong choice.  

Not in going with his beliefs, but for not telling you his feelings towards you.

Druig looked back down at the cat, who was already asleep with the tail around his ankle and his put nice and loud in the room.  He had it chuckle, finding it a bit funny that he found this cat at your cottage.  Well, what was left of your cottage.  He looked at the pendant on the collar once more, turning it over to the backside, and the small engraved mark that was along the metal. 

D 

With a raised eyebrow, he touched the engraved D with the top of his finger.  Once again, there was light in the room as your face reappeared in front of Druig.  

“Druig, this message is just for you,” You said on the hologram, Druig’s attention was once again on high alert as you took in a long breath, “I wanted to give you a separate message because….because I have something I wish to tell you.  I know you’re with the others, and perhaps you’re watching this alone, and I know they had to convince you somehow to get back together since you’re stubborn in your ways.  But….but I hope you’re okay with your life,”

You grinned on the hologram, Druig tearfully grinning too.

“Makkari told me she saw your village about 100 years after you left us, and she told me your village is beautiful and thriving.  I wish I could have seen it, knowing you and how you care about the humans, it would have been a sight to see. I should have been braver and followed my gut, like you, but I was afraid to.  And for that, I’m sorry for not going with you into the jungle.  Just so you know Druig, I would have in a heartbeat,”

Druig drew his knees to his chest to rest his chin on top of his knees, feeling more like a child than anything with wide wonder and disbelief as he was hearing you say such things.

“Out of everyone, you were the one I was closest to. I saw your heart, no matter the callouses and how minty times you tried to hide it breaking from the humans, and I found it to be one of the most beautiful hearts I have ever seen Druig.  You had no pride in yourself, and sometimes I think the others would benefit from learning from you when it comes to not taking in any pride.  Especially Ikaris, him and his ‘Golden Boy’ Persona,” 

Druig chuckled, a tear grin on his face as you kept talking and grinned widely.

“My first regret is never following you to the jungle, and the second is….never telling you that I loved you.”

If time had the ability to stop, everything would have gone still in that moment when Druig heard those words.  

“Cowardice is a funny thing, it can keep a person from taking a risk or a leap.  Even an Eternal can sense and feel it, and I never thought it would be me. But love is another tricky thing to navigate, and I have suffered from it too.  Yet still, even after so many years and all of my time alone, I never regret falling in love with you.  Because loving you made me feel as though I could fly, that I could produce my own energy like the sun, or even just….just being profoundly happy,”

“But it was never my place to tell you, I didn’t think it was.  Our paths were never meant to be, and that had to be my reality.  But I know I have to tell you now before it would never be said because I know you had doubts about your worth and if anyone would ever love you.  Druig, you are more loved than you could ever imagine,”

Druig could think back to the plenty of times you two were together, long before Druig left you and the rest of the Eternals behind.  You two would chat together about everything and anything your heart desired, Druig wished to hear every premonition that you had and help you decipher what it meant, you would discuss his thirst to help humanity and keep the humans safe.  He enjoyed your company, far more than the others.  There was no doubt you had a special place in his heart, and now to have your own feeling be presented to him after your death, Druig felt as though, for a split moment, he missed his chance. 

He knew he missed his chance, and he was regretting it more and more.

“You don’t deserve to hear all of this though, Druig.  You deserve a long and happy life, on this planet or back home in Olympia.  I know you have doubts about Arishem and what you can do for the humans, but if you could be one favor while you’re still on earth.”

Druig would do anything for you at this point.  It didn’t matter if he never said goodbye, nor did it matter that he never saw your face one last time.  All that mattered was that you were thinking of him, in your very last moment alive before you would be murdered, and that was what broke Druig’s heart even more.  Druig merely wished to turn back time, to go back and stop himself from leaving you behind.  Or to even take you with him, and maybe you both would have a life together that would be bearable.  

When Druig and the other Eternals found your cottage, perched and nestled in the countryside and was halfway destroyed, it broke Druig’s heart.  To see all of the craftsmanship that you place in making that little house your home now almost reduced to rubble and dust along the green grass and the little river trickling by in front of your flower garden bed.  

He did love you, Druig was never to say he was never in love with you.  You brought light to his darker days, hope to his times of despair, and strength when he was weak.  Maybe he was oblivious to the fact that he loved you, and made he too was afraid to act on it like you were with your own love for him.  You both were afraid to jump, and now there was no hope of trying again.

“I want you to live, Druig,” You said softly, your voice the softest tremor in his room that float along the walls, “Not just live from morning to night.  But really live: go see the world that is out there beyond your village and out of the jungle.  The world is big and full of goodness, much more than you can ever imagine or you’re ever dared to dream.  All you need to do is go, go out there and see all that the humans have done”

Druig still felt his heart falling and yet flying at the same time.  Even while he left his village behind and save the planet, he still left as though he left behind on Earth when he walked up onto the Domo ramp and sped away into outer space.  You loved being on Earth, Druig saw it the moment you stepped foot on the surface for the first time.  He would have wished to see you those 500 years, exploring all that there was to explore.  Perhaps backpacking over the mountaintop, or going along the vass desert plains.  You would have drank it all in and have the thirst to see more.  And maybe, in some other life, Druig would have joined you.

He could imagine it all: you two traveling the world together and seeing all that the humans have done.  Druig would have had you drag him from continent to continent, trying all the food and cuisine that would expand your taste pallets, Seeing all the colors of nature, and the humans.  The humans filled with joy, the humans filled with hope.

The humans and their love for their planet.

“The cat that carries this message is special to me, please take good care of him,” Druig looked down at the now sleeping cat, the tail still wrapped around his ankle and his paws under his head, “His name is Milo. Such a funny name for a cat really, but he was the runt of his litter when he was born in my barn.  I didn’t have the heart to give him away, so I kept him and he’s been nothing but good to me.  He’s a good cat, and he reminds me of you because he loves food and he scowls whenever he has the chance.  But he also knows a good person when they come along, he can read into them and sense if they have a good heart.  So I think you two will be perfect together,” 

Druig, on instinct, reached down to touch the top of Milo’s head and rubbed the fur, Milo mewling softly in his sleep and stretching out very slightly from the contact.  

“Druig, just remember these two things for me,” You finally said to him, Druig looking from Milo over to your face now as he knew the message was about to be over, “One, don’t be afraid to live here on Earth and see all that there is to be seen.  And two, you are more loved than you can ever imagine.  Don’t ever forget that, ever.  I hope we met again in Olympia, I think we will, and I can’t wait to see you again. Goodbye Druig, and take care.”

The hologram was now done, the room going dark again and Druig was left in stunned silence.  

Everything was coming over him like an ocean wave: anger, sadness, defeat, remorse, grief, heartbreak.  It all felt too much and not enough at the same time, perhaps it was because all of those two minutes of hearing you talk to him as if you were in the room was overwhelming him.  Maybe also It was because he never thought he would see you like this again.  

Druig freely cried on the floor in his room, letting the tears fall and just take over for a few moments.  There was nothing else for Druig to do.  You were gone, even before you were dead you were gone since you two were never together.  He was mentally kicking himself for not fighting harder for you, for not acting on his feelings, and for letting you know he loved you more than reason.  But then again, the sick way that time worked, he would have to go on. 

So as he went to bed that night with the galaxy in front of him through the window, he dreamt he was with you again.  That you visited him in his Amazon Village and all was well.  Milo was curled under his arm, purring away and content with his new owner and new human, somehow knowing that Druig needed his love.  He did, and he vowed to protect the little cat with all his might.

The one last piece of you there was left in his world.

The End.

Tagged: @a-lumos-in-the-nox @basicrese @heartofwritiing @virtueassassin @hottpinkpenguin @botanicalbarnes

[maseive]

"kiss your friend for fun and find out"

I did. I did kiss my friend and I found out how it felt.

Suatu sore tanpa rencana yang matang seseorang mendatangiku atas keinginannya untuk mencari tahu bagaimana rasanya night drive. Aku menyetujuinya, dia menjemputku di dekat rumah sebab mobilnya terkepung jalanan ramai namun sempit. Andai aku tahu seberapa pengecut ia hingga tidak menghampiriku tepat di depan pagar yang siap menyambutnya.

Aku mempengaruhi adikku agar dia mau mengantarku ke lokasi di mana temanku memarkirkan mobilnya, dengan iming-iming bahwa itu dekat hingga adikku sampai hati mengantarku. Hari itu kali pertama Ibu mempersilakanku pergi tanpa banyak tanya sebab aku mengenakan baju santai yang berarti aku tidak akan pergi jauh. Ibu tertipu.

Membuka pintu mobil bewarna putih yang aku kenali, beberapa kali aku duduk di kursi penumpang prioritas. Di sebelahnya. Tidak ada bau mobil yang terkadang membuatku mual, hanya sekelebat harum dari parfumnya. Harum, tidak cukup membuatku untuk jatuh hati.

Perlu digarisbawahi; aku pernah jatuh hati namun ditolak dengan segelintir alasan untuk kebaikannya, kebaikan kami berdua, katanya.

Tentu aku menyetujuinya untuk menjadi teman saja. Kami akrab, tidak pernah ada perseteruan yang sampai menarik urat. Kami sudah sama-sama melalui banyak hal dari masa lalu, jadi masa kini bukan hal yang terlalu penting untuk meributkan perihal memberi dan menerima kasih.

"Hai! maaf lama ya kamu nunggunya?" Sapaan pertamaku saat membuka percapakan sembari memasang sabuk pengaman. Seingatku air wajahnya bahagia menerima kehadiranku di sebelahnya.

Kami bertukar kabar setelah hampir satu bulan tidak bertemu, bulan bulan sebelumnya kami beberapa kali pergi bersama sampai dipisahkan oleh jarak seratus kilo meter.

Aku menunjukkan rambut baruku yang ku cat hitam beberapa hari sebelumnya, terakhir kali dia melihatku, rambutku masih berwarna oranye. Pada hari itu juga kali pertama dia melihatku mengenakan kacamata.

"Bangs? kamu cocok deh dengan rambut yang sekarang!" Dia mulai memperhatikan kanan kiri sebelum mobilnya masuk ke jalan raya, waspada apa ada kendaraan lain di belakang kami.

Sepanjang perjalanan kami berbicara dengan aku yang berceloteh menyebut tempat yang menarik ketika kami melewati jalan-jalan yang sudah aku hafal di luar kepala, dari lampu merah mana saja yang memaksa kami menunggu lama sampai orang berseragam transformer yang kami sapa. Tujuannya aku yang tentukan, seperti yang aku bilang dia tidak memiliki rencana tapi aku selalu punya ratusan bahkan ribuan rencanan di kepalaku yang belum terwujud satu-persatu.

Pasar Santa.

Aku mengenali tempat tersebut karena beberapa kali semesta menunjukkan video yang lucu tentang tempat itu. Jadi, aku ajak dia untuk berbagi kelucuan dan keseruan.

Ketika sampai di Pasar Santa, temanku itu menolak ajuan bayar parkirku, uangnya lebih banyak. mungkin. Di dalam Pasar Santa kami disambut beberapa lorong yang sepi ada juga yang masih buka, tujuan utama kami salah satunya. Tempatnya tidak begitu ramai namun cukup membuat temanku menghela nafas sebab tidak ada pendingin ruangan yang memadai seperti di rumahnya.

Aku merasa tidak enak hati dan kerap menanyakan keadaannya serta menawarkan untuk pindah tempat supaya tidak hanya aku yang menikmati hari itu. Matahari telah tenggelam dan digantikan bulan yang tidak timbul, hujan melanda. Beruntung kami naik mobil.

Pindah ke tempat yang lebih cocok untuk temanku, namun tidak cocok untukku. Subway terlalu dingin, kami memesan chicken wrap dengan rasa yang berbeda dan aku memesan mushroom soup sebagai ekstra untuk menghangatkan tubuhku yang hampir dimakan oleh dinginnya ruangan.

Lupa aku sebut, aku hanya mengenakan kaos abu-abu tipis dengan jaket yang tidak berhasil menghangatkanku. Kami makan dengan tenang sesekali bertukar rasa, kue yang juga dia beli rasanya enak. tidak terlalu manis, cocok dengan seleraku. mushroom soup yang aku beli juga menurutnya cukup enak walau tidak memberi banyak rasa kaya. Matanya teduh sekali, jantungku hampir loncat setiap kali pandangan kami bertemu. Pun saat memilih menu aku memberanikan diri bersandar pada bahunya, dia lebih tinggi tiga centi meter.

Setelah usai dengan makanan, kami bergegas keluar berharap bisa menghabiskan waktu lebih lama. Aku bilang aku masih ingin mempertahankan nikmat waktu bersamanya dan dia setuju. Sepanjang perjalanan ke arah yang bukan Ibu kota, dia memilih lewat jalan tol guna menghindari kemacetan. Jalan tol begitu sepi sehingga aku pikir ini tanda bahwa kami dipersilakan bercengkrama dengan khidmat.

Kami memainkan permainan saling melempar pertanyaan dan jawaban, dari makanan kesukaan sampai bagaimana kami melihat dunia dan isinya. Tanpa aku duga dia menginisiasi pertanyaan baru.

"Apa harapan kamu sebelum tahun baru, apa yang mau kamu lakukan?"

Tentu sebagai seseorang yang gemar berkelana aku menjawab ingin pergi ke Bali, aku lupa bahwa tahun baru tinggal hitungan jari. Ia menyadarkanku bahwa harapan itu terlihat mustahil untuk dilakukan. Aku tanyakan hal serupa padanya, jawaban dia benar-benar membuatku termenung.

"I want to kiss someone other than my ex, it has been a long time. I crave to be kissed by someone else."

Aku sadar persis yang dia maksud adalah aku. Bukan manusia jika aku tidak bisa mengendus maksud di balik kalimatnya itu. Kepalang kaget, aku mengalihkan pertanyaan takut suasana kami menjadi canggung.

Menyusuri jalanan yang terbalut sedikit angin canggung kami tetap bercengkrama tanpa henti, mengitari malam yang mulai dingin. Aku mendekapnya lebih lama di dilam celotehan-celotahanku.

Tiba di penghujung waktu bersama, dia menawarkan tangan kirinya untuk ku genggam dengan senang hati aku menerima. Belum pernah ada yang menawarkan tangannya padaku, dia kali pertama setelah sekian banyaknya aku yang memulai duluan. Putaran lagu sedih yang dinyanyikan oleh Nicole Zefanya merengkuh kami berdua, andai aku lebih dulu tahu makna lagu On The Drive Home. Harapan yang takkan pernah terealisasikan. Hubungan kami sebatas teman.

Tangan yang mulai berkeringat ini enggan melepaskan, aku menolak keras kebaikannya untuk menurunkanku di depan rumah. Sudah terlalu larut sehingga batas keamanan dia mulai kuperhatikan. Dia menurunkanku di Cafe dekat rumah.

Sebelum kami berpisah aku menawarkannya mimpi akhir tahun, sebuah ciuman di bibir. Bodoh memang, bukan pahlawan bukan siapapun namun berani hati bertanya, "Can I kiss you?"

Dia terkejut aku mengetahui mimpinya adalah bibir ranum yang aku rasa rasa manis adanya. Aku telah mempersiapkan diri sejak pertanyaan itu keluar dari mulutnya. Kepalanya mengangguk tanda setuju. Dalam hitungan kurang dari satu detik aku merengkuh pipinya dan mendekatkan wajah. Aku menciumnya, menyapa lidahnya yang hangat dengan dia yang juga melakukan hal yang sama. Menyudahi mimpi sesaat itu jantung kami berdua memukul-mukul dada. Aku menjauhkan diri dan menutup wajah yang disemprot warna merah malu.

Tidak sampai merutuki diri, kami benar-benar terkejut. Setelah mengambil beberapa nafas dan menenggak minuman yang aku sempat beli, aku berusaha terlihat baik-baik saja sampai satu kekehan dilayangkan, "Kamu keliatan baik-baik aja."

Tidak. Sama sekali tidak. Aku menyanggah itu dan membalasnya dengan "No, i am freaking out, too!" kami berdua membiarkan kecanggungan terbang ke angkasa, aku pamit keluar dan mengecup bibirnya sekali lagi beserta meninggalkan ucapan terima kasih atas hari ini.

Mobilnya mulai hilang dari pandanganku, yang tersisa hanya aku dan jantungku yang berdegup kencang. Gila.

Aku segera pulang ke rumah dengan memesan ojek online, sesampainya di rumah aku masih dimakan dengan suasana di dalam mobil itu, suara decakan bibir kami tertanam di tulangku.

Kami melanjutkan percakapan yang terputus karena malam memisahkan, jantungku kembali berdetak setelah sekian lama beristirahat di dalam kubangan yang aku jaga. Kami bahagia selama dua hari. Dia terbang ke negara Transkontinental bersama perasaan bahagiaku. Meski kembali setelah sepuluh hari. Bahagiaku benar-benar hilang. Dia tidak pernah siap dengan harapanku yang mencuat.

Mimpi yang aku beri menjadi kenangan, kami kembali berteman.

[lovedefinedbyme]

Hi, prettiest and loveliest lady I’ve ever met.

Pas baca ini, gimana perasaannya Inka? Lagi baik kan? Gak ada yang bikin sebel kamu, kan? Kalau ada, lapor ke Kara ya. Nanti kita basmi satu-satu yang nyebelin itu, tapi kita julidin bareng dulu (kayak biasa hahaha).

Anyway, Kara di sini mau kasih list hal-hal yang mau dilakuin sama kamu. Sesuai janji kemarin, kamu pengen dibuatin list panjangnya. We have accomplished some of them, I know, tapi ada beberapa poin lain yang mau diomongin. Intinya, biar kamu tahu, oh, ini yang Kara mau dari kita. Gak sekedar ngobrol terus udah.

Rulesnya cuma sedikit. Bacanya pelan-pelan, ya? Jangan scroll sampai ke poin terakhir. Harus baca dari poin 1 sampai 10. Gak ada jumpscare, gak ada plot twist, isinya beneran harmless buat bayi kucing kesayangan Kara ini (mana coba ngeong lucunya? Hehe).

Yuk mulai, bacanya boleh sambil makan sama minum, ya. Tapi gak boleh sambil ngantuk. Kalau ngantuk nanti pak gurunya marah. 🫵

1. Mau ajak kamu jalan-jalan.

I know this sounds so cliche, tapi kita pernah planning mau jalan-jalan ke Praha kan? Nanti kita juga sekalian ke Edinburgh, Budapest, atau ke mana lagi yang kamu mau? Aku jabanin. Kita sambil dengerin musik lokalnya, lihat view kotanya dari atas bukit, atau malah melipir ke cafe-cafe cantik di sana. Kalau perlu kita tinggal di sana sekalian gimana? Haha.

2. Mau nonton banyak film sama kamu.

I’ve listed a lot of good movies for us to watch together someday, most of them would be non-horrors (bcs I’m a scaredy-cat wkwk). Tapi apa pun itu filmnya, kalau kamu pengen nonton bareng, bilang aja ya? Let’s watch a lot of nice movies and discuss each of them after that. Nanti kita rate dari tiap film yang kita tonton, siapa karakter paling memorable sama paling nyebelin (kamu pasti jago ngelist yang ini HAHAHA). Kita juga bisa nonton anime bareng, atau pornoan bareng? Boleh. Gak ada yang engga buat kamu. :p

3. Mau dengerin lagu bareng kamu.

Sesekali mau coba spotify session? Tapi kalau kamu gak bisa jangan dipaksa ya, we have tons of activities we can do together other than that. Kalau bisa, aku pengen dengerin lagu-lagu yang kamu suka. Pas kita konser bareng di rave, selera musik kamu gak beda jauh sama aku. The Weeknd, Lesserafim, itu aku juga suka. Kadang juga dengerin taylor swift, tapi aku bukan swiftie jadi cuma dengerin yang populernya aja. Kita dengerin lagu jelek juga ayo, gak cuma kamu yang bisa bikin aku sebel sama meme jelek kamu. Aku juga punya list lagu jelek biar kamu terngiang-ngiang.

4. Mau bikin cerita sama kamu.

You know well how I really love writing, right? Walaupun gaya penulisan aku masih kentang, ide nulisnya juga kentang, penulisnya juga kentang. Tapi sekali-kali kita nulis bareng, yuk? Bukan yang asal-asalan, tapi kita atur alurnya juga. Mau drama-dramaan di timeline juga ayo, selagi ada temennya aku bisa ikutin. ☺️ Minusnya aku gak bisa plotting nsfw di ranah publik, karena: 1. Kosakata porno aku di plotting gak bisa seluwes di imagine; 2. Nanti ada yang naksir sama kamu, bisa-bisa aku amukin orangnya.

5. Mau jadi reliable personnya kamu.

Katanya, kalau kita dibutuhin orang lain, rasanya kalau gak ngerepotin ya nyenengin. Setiap sama kamu, konteksnya nyenengin. Aku seneng kalau kamu mau cerita banyak ke aku. Tentang kamu, temen kamu, cerita sial kamu hari itu, bahkan cerita happy kamu yang simpel aja aku gak masalah. I love knowing that you have either a good day or a bad one, and am willing to know every single thing you’ve encountered every day.

6. Mau melihara kucing atau pet bareng kamu.

Haha ini sebenernya sama aja sih kayak nulis bareng kamu, kan kita berandai juga ya? Tapi aku kepikiran, lucu kali ya melihara kucing sama Inka? Nanti kita caritau jenis atau ras kucing yang gak nyebelin kayak meng oren, terus kita pelihara, sayang-sayang, kita bawa jalan-jalan bareng. Aku tugasnya ajak main, kamu yang mandiin. ☺️ Haha canda. Tapi gak cuma kucing. Banyak opsi lain kayak anjing, kelinci, hamster, bahkan kura-kura. Nanti aku namain Imol, Inka smol. Biar keinget kamu terus. 🤏

7. Mau sering dikasih pap cantik kamu.

Hehe. Heheheheheh. Hehehehe. Ini sih mintanya tiap hari gak sih? Tapi boleh deh, sekalian. Kamu kalau pap tuh cantiknya awur-awuran, mengguncang dunia, rasanya pengen bilang “woi secakep ini seriusan dikasih ke aku? Secantik-cantik ini fotonya eksklusif buat aku?” saking excitednya. Artinya apa? Iya, keep on showing off your beauty exclusively to me, ya? Lebih sering lebih baik. Aku pun pasti kasih pap ke kamu kalau minta, kalau engga.. pasti aku kasih juga (kalau inget ahahaha).

8. Mau dapet petnames lucu terus dari kamu.

Asli, kamu jago banget ya bikin aku salting? Ini kadar salting aku yang terlalu receh apa emang kamu semanis itu tiap sama aku? Emang serba bisa wanita sangar dan pamberani yang satu ini. Dipanggil sayang sama kamu bahkan masih bikin aku mesem-mesem sendiri, apalagi kalau udah dikangenin pas aku laterep (disclaimer dulu, aku gak ada niatan sengaja bales lama biar kamu spam). Sekalinya dipanggil selain sayang, lucunya malah kebangetan. Entah dipanggil bubbu, hubby, apa pun itu yang kamu sebut kayaknya aku bakal gemes sendiri bacanya. Please don’t ever stop calling me that way, ya? Aku seneng kok kamu panggil pakai nama (asal bukan Bas atau Aska), tapi to be called as something cute from you is another thing for me. Rasanya kok dunia baik banget ya ngasih kamu yang sebaik, semanis, selucu, bahkan seasik ini buat aku?

9. Mau jadi penampung meme kamu.

Kayaknya, aku udah sekebal ini sama meme-meme kamu yang aneh bin ajaib itu. Tapi gapapa, aku suka kalau kamu kirim meme (biarpun jelek). Artinya kamu lagi baik-baik aja, lagi seneng, atau lagi misuh-misuh jadi sekalian keluarin uneg-uneg kamu sampai lega. Mungkin bakal drained out dikit lihat hal traumatis (becanda muah). Nanti aku akan lawan kamu pake meme yang baik dan benar, gak jelek, lucu (kayak kamu).

10. Mau jadi... baca dulu deh.

Gini, pernah gak, kamu sesayang itu sama orang sampe kamu pengen bareng dia terus? Mau nonton bareng dia, ngobrol ngalor ngidul sama dia, sedih bareng dia, seneng juga bareng dia, mau apa-apa ke dia? Itu aku ke kamu sekarang. I fully understand I should make it clear about us, and this is the time I realized I have to do something about it. Aku cerita sedikit, ya? Bukan sekali dua kali kayaknya aku ngegantungin orang di hubungan tanpa status, dan kebanyakan emang gak berakhir bagus kecuali aku yang emang pengen pertahanin dia.

Terakhir kali aku begini, orangnya udah capek nunggu kepastian sampe setahun. Meskipun dari awal aku udah jujur gak bisa jadian, karena status kita beneran cuma kayak fwb, dateng pas “butuh” doang. So that also... didn’t end well at all. Until I met you. Entah di awal aku emang denial atau gimana, tapi aku udah wanti-wanti ke diri sendiri, jangan suka orang di sini. Berulang kali ngomong gitu.

Pas ketemu kamu, aku juga gak kepikiran apa pun selain kamu itu asik diajak ngobrol, bahasannya luas banget, gak pernah mutus obrolan, dan ada aja yang bikin ketawa omongannya. Dari situ, aku udah ngerasa nyaman. Nyaman buat temenan, tepatnya. I see you as an amiable person, someone I’m lucky enough I can meet through very nice environment and the right time. I was unstable and not that ready for any kind of commitment back then because I rarely can express myself.

But when I’m with you, I feel like it is more than easy to become myself. Kadang kalau ngobrol sama orang, aku susah buat gak jaim. Karena mereka juga jaga jarak, alhasil aku juga jaga jarak ke mereka. Tapi, sama kamu rasanya beda. Mungkin kamu gak ngerasa, tapi aku lebih sering cerita segala macem, lapor ini itu, bahkan ngetawain video receh sama kamu doang.

Sekarang, nyamannya aku udah lebih dari sekedar temen. I don’t think being friends with you is enough. I’m starting to crave for more. Mau jadi tempat curhat pertama kamu, mau jadi tempat kamu ngeluh apa pun, mau jadi tempat julid bareng kamu, mau jadi tempat ketawa bareng kalau kamu nemu hal lucu di sekitar kamu, mau jadi tempat gemesan bareng kalau kita ketemu foto kucing lucu, mau jadi tempat angenya kamu (hehe). To become all of them, I have to be your boyfriend first, right?

Then, without any further ado, am I allowed to fill that position, specifically, your one and only boyfriend? Can I have you as my girlfriend, my princess, my queen, my long-term sweetheart and sunshine, Lavinka Jovana?

Kamu bisa jawab kapan aja kamu mau, tapi jangan beda hari ya? (Orangnya gak sabaran) I really hope your answer is the one I’ve been waiting for.

Oh iya. Ada satu lagu yang aku suka puter akhir-akhir ini, terus tiba-tiba keinget kamu. Have a listen first before responding to my confession, okay? This song suits you so well. The only constant thing in my world.

— G, B (2024).

[doglok]

Mobil Baik Hati Ajak Aku Main 🥰✨ #cat #流浪猫 #集合吧光合创作者 #satisfying #funny #shorts #cute #goodthing via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=152w5_SsKqI

[nusaindahku]

Perayaan Tahun Baru yang Kece

Sob, persiapkan dirimu untuk perayaan tahun baru yang kece abis! Buat malam pergantian tahun jadi momen yang nggak terlupakan, mimin punya beberapa ide yang bisa bikin tahun baru kamu makin seru.

Pesta Tema Glow-in-the-Dark: Bikin suasana penuh warna dengan tema glow-in-the-dark. Lampu-lampu neon, cat wajah berpendar, dan benda-benda bercahaya akan menciptakan atmosfer yang kece dan futuristik. Semua orang bisa berdandan kreatif dengan aksesori berpendar, dan tentu saja, pesta ini bakal jadi pesta yang penuh kejutan!

Pesta Tahun Baru di Pantai atau Kolam Renang: Jika kamu berada di daerah yang memiliki pantai atau kolam renang, kenapa nggak rayakan tahun baru di sana? Suasana outdoor dengan angin sepoi-sepoi dan pemandangan malam yang indah akan memberikan kesan yang tak terlupakan. Bisa juga tambahkan kembang api untuk menyemarakkan malam.

Acara Karaoke Marathon: Bikin pesta karaoke yang seru dan ajak semua teman-temanmu untuk nyanyi sepuas hati. Buat daftar lagu-lagu yang hits sepanjang tahun dan jadikan malam tahun baru sebagai ajang karaoke marathon. Pastikan ada hadiah seru untuk yang bisa membawakan lagu dengan penuh semangat!

Pesta Kostum: Bikin tema kostum yang kreatif untuk malam tahun baru. Minta semua tamu untuk datang dengan kostum yang unik, bisa tema film favorit, tokoh-tokoh sejarah, atau bahkan karakter dari tahun yang baru saja berlalu. Ada hadiah untuk kostum terbaik, pastinya!

Pesta Outdoor dengan Api Unggun: Ajak teman-temanmu untuk berkumpul di luar ruangan, bisa di taman atau halaman rumah. Pasang api unggun, siapkan marshmallow, dan nikmati malam tahun baru dengan suasana yang hangat dan bersahabat. Gitar dan lagu-lagu akustik bisa jadi pelengkap yang pas.

Pameran Kembang Api Sendiri: Jika memungkinkan, kamu bisa bikin pameran kembang api sendiri. Pastikan kembang api yang digunakan aman dan sesuai dengan peraturan setempat. Pameran kembang api ini bakal jadi highlight yang nggak terlupakan di malam tahun baru.

Dinner Mewah di Rumah: Siapkan dinner mewah di rumah dengan menu favorit. Suasana yang lebih intimate dengan keluarga atau teman dekat sambil menikmati hidangan lezat bisa jadi pilihan yang nyaman dan kece.

Jadi, sob, pilih ide yang paling sesuai dengan selera dan suasana yang kamu inginkan. Yang penting, pastikan semua orang senang dan terlibat dalam perayaan tahun baru yang kece ini. Selamat merayakan, dan semoga tahun baru membawa kebahagiaan dan sukses untukmu!

[produsenbajumuslim]

Pentingnya Mainan Anak Perempuan dalam Perkembangan Mereka

Mainan anak perempuan bukan hanya sekadar hiburan, tetapi juga alat untuk memfasilitasi perkembangan fisik, mental, dan emosional mereka. Dalam artikel ini, kita akan menjelajahi pentingnya mainan anak perempuan dalam mendukung perkembangan mereka serta beberapa jenis mainan yang dapat merangsang kreativitas dan pemahaman dunia sekitar.

Peran Penting Mainan Anak Perempuan:

Pengembangan Keterampilan Motorik: Mainan dapat membantu anak perempuan mengembangkan keterampilan motorik kasar dan halus mereka. Melalui mainan seperti boneka, sepeda, atau permainan luar ruangan, anak perempuan dapat melatih koordinasi tubuh dan kekuatan otot.

Stimulasi Kreativitas: Mainan memberikan platform untuk ekspresi kreatif dan imajinasi. Boneka, peralatan memasak mini, dan permainan membangun memberikan anak perempuan kesempatan untuk membuat cerita, berperan, dan mengeksplorasi berbagai peran dalam kehidupan sehari-hari.

Pengembangan Keterampilan Sosial: Mainan yang melibatkan bermain bersama, seperti permainan papan atau mainan kelompok, membantu anak perempuan mengembangkan keterampilan sosial. Mereka belajar berkomunikasi, berkolaborasi, dan menyelesaikan masalah bersama-sama.

Pembelajaran Nilai: Mainan juga dapat menjadi alat untuk mengajarkan nilai-nilai positif. Boneka yang mengajarkan empati dan permainan pembelajaran tentang kerjasama dapat membantu membentuk karakter anak perempuan sejak dini.

Mengembangkan Keterampilan Kognitif: Permainan teka-teki, permainan memori, atau mainan konstruksi dapat merangsang keterampilan kognitif seperti pemecahan masalah, analisis, dan pemikiran kritis. Ini membantu anak perempuan mengembangkan keterampilan intelektual mereka.

Jenis-Jenis Mainan Anak Perempuan yang Mendukung Perkembangan:

Boneka dan Mainan Berperan: Boneka merupakan mainan klasik yang tidak hanya memberikan kesenangan, tetapi juga membantu anak perempuan mengembangkan keterampilan sosial dan emosional. Mainan berperan seperti set dokter, peralatan dapur mini, atau mainan rumah-rumahan juga memberikan kesempatan untuk berimajinasi dan berkreasi.

Mainan Konstruksi: Set mainan konstruksi seperti Lego atau blok bangunan membantu memperkuat keterampilan motorik halus dan kreativitas anak perempuan. Mereka dapat belajar merancang, membangun, dan berpikir ruang secara tiga dimensi.

Permainan Pendidikan: Mainan yang menyediakan elemen pendidikan, seperti permainan papan atau mainan interaktif, membantu anak perempuan belajar dengan cara yang menyenangkan. Ini bisa mencakup permainan matematika, permainan kata, atau mainan sains yang dirancang khusus untuk perkembangan intelektual.

Mainan Seni dan Kerajinan: Pensil warna, cat air, dan kertas dapat membuka dunia seni untuk anak perempuan. Melalui kegiatan seni dan kerajinan, mereka dapat mengekspresikan diri secara kreatif, memperbaiki keterampilan motorik halus, dan mengembangkan ketekunan.

Mainan Olahraga dan Aktivitas Luar Ruangan: Sejalan dengan pentingnya aktivitas fisik, mainan olahraga seperti bola, sepeda, atau loncat tali memberikan kesempatan untuk bergerak, mengembangkan koordinasi tubuh, dan membentuk kebiasaan hidup sehat.

Permainan Pemecahan Masalah: Permainan teka-teki, permainan papan strategi, atau mainan logika dapat membantu anak perempuan mengasah keterampilan pemecahan masalah dan pemikiran kritis. Ini adalah mainan yang merangsang otak dan membantu mengembangkan kecerdasan intelektual.

Tips untuk Memilih Mainan yang Tepat:

Perhatikan Minat Anak: Pilih mainan yang sesuai dengan minat dan hobi anak perempuan. Hal ini dapat membuat mereka lebih bersemangat untuk belajar dan bermain.

Variasi Mainan: Berikan anak perempuan berbagai jenis mainan untuk merangsang berbagai aspek perkembangan mereka. Kombinasi antara mainan pendidikan, kreatif, dan fisik dapat memberikan pengalaman holistik.

Ajak Anak Terlibat: Libatkan anak dalam proses memilih mainan. Ini memberikan mereka rasa tanggung jawab dan membantu Anda memahami preferensi mereka.

Perhatikan Usia dan Tahap Perkembangan: Pastikan mainan yang Anda pilih sesuai dengan usia dan tahap perkembangan anak. Ini membantu memastikan keamanan dan relevansi mainan untuk perkembangan mereka.

Mainan anak perempuan bukan hanya alat hiburan, tetapi juga sarana pembelajaran dan pengembangan. Dengan memberikan anak perempuan kesempatan untuk bermain dengan berbagai jenis mainan, kita dapat mendukung perkembangan fisik, mental, dan emosional mereka secara holistik. Dengan perhatian dan pengawasan yang tepat, mainan dapat menjadi mitra belajar yang menyenangkan dan bermanfaat dalam perjalanan pertumbuhan anak perempuan.Top of Form

[softquietsteadylove]

Okay I’m glad we can cry about the vow au together, because if Thena’s going to keep remembering things when her sweet and precious Gil makes her a treat I might just never stop asking for it 😭 would love to read more, whatever you think comes next i’m happy to read!!!

"Sweetie?"

Thena looked up from her pillow. She looked particularly miserable, which made sense; she had never done well when sick. "Hm?"

Gil stepped into the guest room with his tray in hand. He nudged the door closed before setting it down on the dresser, "how are you feeling, hon?"

Thena blinked her glassy green eyes at him, "I'm sorry to make you take care of me like this."

Gil just shook his head. She had no memory of him nursing her back to health when a flu took her down hard after their first trip together. Her first cold with him as a couple when she kept insisting he couldn't see her with her runny nose and blotchy fever skin. Even when she had some bad periods that could make her growly.

She thought of herself as a real lioness, but he couldn't help but think of a plush, ragdoll cat who kept hissing at him.

He leaned forward, kissing her clammy forehead. "I think your fever's broken, at least. Did you get a little rest?"

Thena just nodded, pulling up her knees under the covers so he could sit on the edge of the bed. "Did you apologise to Ajak for me?"

"Hey, come on, people get sick, it happens," he chuckled as he patted her knees. "I have some time off to use, and she understands. They can do without me for a few days."

"I don't know how true that is," she muttered as he retrieved the tray. She straightened her legs again so he could stand it up over her lap. "Your customers will be missing out on your perfect croissants."

He grinned, offering her the mug of tea first. "And my seasalt vanilla fours?"

Thena's smile turned soft and a little shy. He was elated, though--ever since their first date and their kiss, he had been excited to see how they would continue to progress their relationship.

"Here," he whispered, adjusting the platter he had brought with him. "I made you some homemade chicken soup, nothing too heavy. I boiled the chicken in the broth, like Hainanese chicken rice. I gave you a little side of rice if you wanna dip it in the broth, but don't force yourself. Some cucumbers, but they're not pickled because I don't think it's good for you if you're sick--I guess I don't really know."

Thena tilted her head at him, her hair rustling against one of the many pillows propping her up. She kept insisting she looked awful, but he thought she looked as beautiful as always. "Thank you."

He sighed a little, trying not to make it obvious that he was mourning a time when this would be natural for them. But he adjusted the little cilantro flower he included on her napkin, "in sickness and in health, right?"

Thena's expression changed, but she gave him one of those gorgeous smiles that used all her teeth and picked up her spoon, "I suppose you're right."

Gil looked around the room, standing to pick up the extra blanket she had picked off in her sleep, as well as some pajama changes. It was hard to tell how messy she could be at times based on the polished appearance of his wife, but he liked picking up after her (most of the time).

"Gil?"

He looked back at her as he folded up the blanket. She had her big sad kitten eyes on again. "What's up?"

"You're not going to sit with me?"

His face split into a grin, even if she seemed a little sheepish about it. He knew it wasn't something she would ask easily, and obviously she had kind of just let it slip. But he all but dropped the blanket and threw himself onto the bed again. "Of course I am."

Thena settled against the pillows again after he gave her knee a squeeze on his way to lying on his side to face her. "Did you eat?"

"I grazed while I was cooking," he excused easily. He'd had some rice and a few pieces of chicken, mostly concerned with getting the flavours right for Thena's weakened state.

Thena eyed him, nudging the dish of rice he had specifically described as optional, "I won't eat it all anyway."

That was true, she tended to eat less in terms of the starch of any dish. Gil chuckled, "okay."

Placated by him picking up the rice and using the chopsticks, she continued using the spoon to sip the broth. She was delicate about it. It reminded him of the first time they'd gotten ramen together--she'd held her hair back while taking delicate little bites the whole time. He'd found it unbearably cute while he'd guzzled his back in minutes. Of course he ordered another bowl so she wouldn't have to eat alone.

Thena's eyes watered a little, but he squinted. Was it just the general sickness, was it her fever coming back, was there too much ginger? She sniffled, putting the spoon down. "I know this taste."

Ah, his sweet wife. He put the rice down gently before reaching for her hand. "I make it for you every time you're sick. You know how to make it too."

"I do?" she asked, staring at him as if he'd suggested she knew rocket science. "Me?"

"Yes, you," he reached out to tap her nose, but she leaned away from him. "All you do is add the aromatics to the pot with the whole chicken, even you can do it."

"Hm," she remarked quietly, staring at the meal she couldn't believe she would be capable of replicating.

"I made it for you the first time you were sick when we were dating," he continued, picking up some cucumber for himself. "I surprised you with it, showed up at your doorstep--very romantic, y'know."

She gave him a look, definitely knowing that she - in the story - hadn't appreciated being ambushed.

"You told me I shouldn't have and that you looked awful, but I couldn't have been more in love with you," he sighed, fluttering his lashes at her. She rolled her eyes, but he could see her smiling just a tiny little bit. "I delivered this dish and we hung out a little. You told me I would get sick, I said I wouldn't, and you were totally right, I got sick the next day."

She tilted her head the other way and raised her eyebrows at him, unimpressed to say the least.

He shrugged though, still grinning. "But I didn't want to admit it, so I told you I was healthy as a horse and couldn't make our date that week because of a work emergency."

"Deceitful," she murmured, pursing her lips at it.

"Come on, just a harmless little lie, y'know," he pursed his lips right back at her, even hitting her with his own sad puppy eyes.

She looked back into the bowl and took a loud sip. He would take that as him being forgiven. "I remember you coming over."

"Really?" he sat up straighter.

She nodded, taking another, slower, quieter sip. "No one had ever done that for me before. I was so astounded. And the food was so good it made me want to cry."

"No crying," he whispered, keeping his eye on her now, watching for tears. Not that it wasn't a chef's dream to have people cry from their food, but this was different.

"Kari called me to ask how I was doing," she smiled more at the memory as it came to her. They were coming more often and at greater length. It was nothing if not encouraging. "I told her that this very sweet guy I was seeing brought me some homemade chicken rice. She practically slapped her phone in her hurry to tell me to 'lock it down'."

Gil made a face, stroking the hair on his chin, "she's wise."

Thena shook her head at him again, but he could tell she was falling for his charm all over again. "I suppose I followed her advice, didn't I?"

So much came to mind, but Gil leaned forward to kiss her forehead again, which continued to feel cooler to the touch, "I'm lucky you did."

Thena leaned into his affection. She had gotten more used to it as they continued to explore their relationship, and he really had the feeling that she was looking for more sometimes. He would save that for a time when she wasn't ill.

"You keep eating," he encouraged, moving the rice closer to her again in hopes of tempting her.

"But-"

"I'll get a bowl for myself and come right back," he promised, sealing it with a wink and everything. His wife gave him another look of feigned exasperation, but she was already waiting for his return, preciously clutching her rice to eat with him.

[punyainyow]

Rencana nikah

Curiosity killed the cat That's what they said.

Akibat kepo ngintipin layar laptop cewenya pas cewenya lagi kasih kucing makan, Ino shock berat menghadapi kenyatan bahwa sedari tadi cewenya sedang mengelompokkan gambar design undangan, design baju, design dekor nikahan di pinterest. Pantas saja sepertinya seru sekali, dia pikir itu hanya ide DIY implusif yang sering cewenya lakukan, bulan lalu merajut tali, minggu kemarin origami, siapa yang menyangka hari ini rencana nikah dan resepsi.

Malamnya, keadaan semakin pelik, dari belakang punggung, dia bisa dengan jelas melihat kekasihnya serius menonton video tiktok rating rekomendasi alternatif engagement ring pt.2 (hal ini mengimplikasikan cewenya telah menonton pt 1!) disimpan dan didownload pula itu video.

Buat apa cewenya liat-liat itu semua kalo bukan untuk berharap dirinya untuk segera melamarnya?

Ketika Ino masih memikirkan enaknya malam ini makan soto atau sate ya, cewenya ternyata sudah berpikiran jauh ke depan untuk menikah?? UDAH NYIAPIN DEKOR NIKAHAN MALAH. EMANG BOLEH?

Ya, memang sih tiap weekend adaaaaa saja undangan dari temen-temen mereka. Lamaran lah, nikah lah, hamil lah, eh ketos SMA dulu malah udah punya anak dua loh! tapiiiiiiiiiii itu kan orang lain, sedangkan ini hubungan Ino dan pasangan, kenapa harus ikut-ikutan?

Sepemahaman Ino, keduanya sepakat bahwa hubungan ini dibawa santai saja. Waktu untuk semua itu pasti akan datang, pasti, namun bukan sekarang. Jadi aneh gak sih? kok malah mikir untuk nikah, santainya dimana? Ia tau betul MBTI cewenya! She is the planner type!! J banget mempersiapkan semuanya jauh-jauh hari, ya bagus sih, tapi ini kejauhan! Siapa tau trennya sudah berubah?

Ino tertidur dengan pikiran penuh pertanyaan, bahkan ia sampai terbawa mimpi suara sales live mbak-mbak tiktok jualan batu-batu berharga, tidurnya tidak nyenyak dan ia bangun dengan perasaan gusar.

Kini waktu luang Ino dihabiskan menonton video macam-macam perbatuan, dari batu berharga hingga batu akik penyembuh segala penyakit (dia sempat terdistraksi menonton orang membuat tumbling stone, seru juga)

oke fokus kembali mencari batu!

Pencarian batu ini tiada habisnya, ini masih batu loh, belum cincinnya, belum izin orang tua, belum rencana buat acara lamarannya betulan? Haruskah di restoran bintang 5? Ajak liburan ke Labuan Bajo? Naik helicopter? Nonton konser Taylor Swift The Eras Tour, lamar saat Love Story? AAAAAAAAAAAA kepala Ino hampir meledak. Ia tidak siap. Ia benar-benar tidak siap. Apa ia curhat saja ke teman-temannya? Siapa tau mereka ada kenalan yang paham perbatuan? Koneksi terdekat yang dapat ia pikirkan adalah teman SMAnya yang anak tambang batu bara, agak jauh dengan batu yang ia cari tapi batu bara gak kalah mahal kok, saham batu bara untuk mahar lumayan tuh wkwkwk

"Kamu kenapa ketawa-ketawa?" Cewenya menaikan alis, memutar diri menatap Ino yang sibuk sendiri di sofa dari kursi kerjanya

"kepo” Kilah Ino, layar ponselnya segera ia tutup, bisa gawat jika rencananya ketahuan, sudah payah menghayal sampai Labuan Bajo, malah ketahuan di kamar ini, kan gak lucu. Ingat curiosity killed the cat, tho satisfaction brought it back.

"Udah semingguan kamu kaya orang gila."

"Masa?" Ino berpura-pura tak acuh

Wanita itu diam sejenak mengamati skeptis Ino dari ujung kepala hingga kaki  "itu kenapa hapenya ditutup-tutupin, selingkuh ya?"

"GAK LAH!"

"Bercanda kali, panik banget"

"Nanti gak surprise" lantang Ino, ia memang panik dan jelas tersinggung, bisa-bisanya dituduh selingkuh, heyyy pacar kesayanganmu ini sedang memilih batu terbaik dari seluruh macam batu untuk diberikan ke cewenya, Ino memaknai ‘ku berikan dunia seisinya’ secara harfiah, Ino akan memastikan untuk memberikan batu yang tidak hanya terbaik di dunia tapi juga yang paling sesuai untuk cewenya.

"Surprise? Wah aku boleh ngarep dong?"

Senyum wanita itu mengembang, senyum Ino memudar

Realita itu kembali menghantam dirinya, tidak ada yang lebih berat dari menanggung harapan orang lain. Tekanan itu makin bertumpuk, lupakan Labuan Bajo, ini bukan hanya masalah batu dan lamaran saja, semua itu hanya distraksi dari masalah yang sesungguhnya.

Ino bukan tidak sayang kekasihnya, bukan ia tak ingin menikahi kekasihnya, bukan ia tidak ingin menjadi suami kekasihnya. ia hanya belum siap. Ia belum siap mental berurusan dengan hukum dan tanggung jawab, pernikahan tidak hanya tentang cinta, namun juga tanggung jawab, mengikat keluarga dan pemberkasan resmi negara. Ia akan memberikan batu terbaik dan dunia seisinya, ia akan berikan pernikahan terbaik tapi semua itu mustahil jika dirinya sendiri tidak siap. Ini bukan waktunya, ini bukan saatnya. IA BENAR-BENAR BELUM SIAP.

"Sayang maaf-” pelas Ino Kekasihnya menatapnya pias, sekilas wanita itu kira jantungnya berhenti berdetak karena mengira Ino benar selingkuh dan meminta maaf, tapi lanjutan kalimat Ino seperti mencabut kasar setengah nyawa wanita malang itu “-aku belum siap nikah"

"HAH?" Lengkingan tinggi menggema di ruangan

"Hah?" Ino balas tak kalah bingung

"Nikah...? Kamu... dijodohin...?" Tanya wanita itu pelan mengkonfirmasi, mencoba memproses ucapan yang baru saja pasangannya lempar

"Kok dijodohin sih?"

"Terus..?"

"Nikah sama kamu lah?"

"KITA MAU NIKAH!???"

Keduanya menatap satu sama lain tidak percaya, Ino di tanduk krisis, wanita itu seperti ditusuk keris

"Maksud kamu apa kita nikah? Ini suprise yang kamu maksud? Kita nikah? Tapi terus tiba-tiba kamu gak siap nikah?"

"kamu mau nikah sekarang kan?!"

"Kenapa aku mau nikah sekarang!?"

"Kamu udah rencanain nikah"

"Rencana apa!? Bukannya kita udah setuju hubungan ini mau dibawa santai aja"

"ITU YANG AKU MAKSUD! kita udah setuju ini dibawa santai, tapi kamu malah udah siapin dekor resepsi, aku bingung, aku maunya cuma sama kamu tapi gimana kalo kamu tiba-tiba ninggalin aku, milih yang udah siap nikahin kamu sekarang, kamu jangan buat aku panik"

"Kok jadi aku yang punya rencana resepsi? Mana ada aku punya rencana resepsi pake ninggalin kamu lagi? Dari mana kamu dapat ide itu?"

"Itu depan mata, pinterest kamu, tiktok kamu"

Wanita itu melirik layar, lalu menutup mata setengah mati menelan kembali emosi yang meluap, ia menarik dan menghela nafas panjang sekali, akhirnya menyadari asal muasal konflik ini

"Ino... Kamu gak lupa kan? pasanganmu ini kerja di creative industry? coba tebak project aku bulan ini apa :)"

OH ANJING.

[asrisgratitudejournal]

Nangis mulu

Ini jam 19.07pm terus tadi sebetulnya udah nungguin bis pulang di bus stop, cabut dari dept jam 17.30pm-ish setelah ngirim draft abstract buat Goldschmidt ke Tamsin dan Joost. Terus tiba-tiba Joost nge-reply email dan berhubung si keyboard laptop bodor ku tahu banget kalau udah sampe rumah gaakan balas email. Jadinya melipirlah saya ke Radcam buat buka email di PC dan bales email Joost. Baik banget Joost huhu sangat sayang.

Nulis ini buat ngerefresh memori aja karena seperti yang kita tahu sendiri belakangan ini lagi sedih banget terus time fleeting aja gitu tanpa kerasa. Terus ku jadi ngerasa perlu nulis supaya punya patokan terhadap waktu.

Terakhir nulis apparently 9 hari yang lalu beres kelas hari 1 Pelatnas IGEO ya. Setelah hari itu sudah terjadi 2 kelas IGEO lainnya. Dan juga diskusi terkait next step for the manuscript yang rejected dengan Tamsin dan Joost. Joost ngirim contoh bikin respon to the reviewer (yang sampe sekarang belum w kerjain samsek saking sadnya), tapi betulan jahat banget reviewernya Joost yang membuatku berpikir si reviewerku ternyata sangat baik (this is why putting your stories in context would be helpful). Kamis malam minggu lalu juga datang Graduate High Table di Exeter with supervisor jadi ku ajak Tamsin terus curhat banyak lah di situ. Yang paling berkesan adalah pas Richard (supervisornya Mas Felix) komen kalau dia pun masih dapet rejection paper, orang se-kaliber dia. That means a LOT tbh.

Terus udah kayanya gaada yang special lagi, selain Sabtu bantu outreach di Brookes (sangat seru, ku suka banget doing outreach). Terus Minggunya jadi MC di ulang tahun Aisha – basically cuma ngebuka acara aja sih. Malemnya ada formal dinner sama anak-anak IC (sangat senang juga). Ternyata ku sangat senang ya ketemu orang (sangat unexpected dari introvert seperti aku ini). Terus paling bodor adalah jadi ku lupa banget malam ada formal dinner, dan dengan pinternya ku dari acara Aisha ke Westgate beli tiket nonton Antman jam 16.45pm (yang technically baru mulai 17.10pm) yang selesainya jam 19.10pm while formal mulai 19.30pm. Kenapa ya w pikun banget.

Minggu malam pulang dari formal akhirnya ngepost story lagi di IG (kayanya efek ketemu banyak orang jadi pengen makin cerita dan open up ke orang-orang) terus curhat lah Panjang lebar kalau ku lagi felt sad bikin duolingo super ga produktif dan juga cerita ke Tamsin kalau lagi berantem sama my parents etc2 yang membuat ada 20 dm masuk??! Dan 1 call dari Mba Nufis yang ga kuangkat. Dari sini syok dan kaget aja sih apparently masih amat sangat banyak orang yang care sama w HUHU.

Terus udah kan tuh Senin dan Selasa pagi ad akelas kebumian DD. Minggu malam dichat Bang Reybi buat dimintain tolong nemenin Medina karena mereka berdua missed kalo Medina masih libur half term jadi gaada yang nungguin. Akhirnya ke rumah Bang Reybi deh Senin nemenin Medina ngecat pake cat air terus tiba-tiba dia ngajak jalan-jalan akhirnya ke playground yang ku gatau di mana??? Tapi Medina sangat pinter jadi dia yang nunjukkin jalan. Dari situ diajak ngobrol sama Bang Reybi juga terkait berantem sama Mama Papa dan ku pun menangis di jalan.

Senin pagi sebelum ke Bang Reybi Bu Yani ngechat ngajak lunch bareng terus akhirnya di-pickup lah saya di Bang Reybi habis Bang Reybi selesai meeting. Makan di Branca. Sama Bu Yani ditanya lagi “Are you okay?” terus nangis lagi.... Imejin in public... Apa ga pusing berteman sama saya...

Tadi pun ngopi di Santa Nata Cornmarket St. sama Selly terus Cuma ditanya “gimana non masih sedih nggak?” aja langsung nangis lagi???!! MasyaAllah. Ente kenapa Non....

Anyway, iya w kenapa ya... Booking appointment konseling lagi kali ya… (sudah 3 minggu dan tidak dikerjakan imejin).

Yaudah terus ada apa lagi ya. Oh Senin itu belum selesai ceritanya. Abis ketemu Bu Yani (dan menangis in public), ku di-drop di Cohen Quad karena ada Subject Family Dinner malamnya. Ada pre-drink talks dari 17.30pm dan dari situ baru pindah drink in the chapel 19.15pm dan mulai makan jam 19.45 pm. Paling spektakuler adalah habis makan ada post-dinner talk jadi baru selesai semua-muanya itu pokoknya jam 22.45pm-ish dan ku baru sampai rumah 23.30pm. OMG. Betul-betul a long day.

Sebelum datang talk, ku sempat merevisi surat rekomendasi LPDP buat Iqbal dan ngeprint lalu TTD basah dan nge-scan lagi. Jujur bingung banget sama persyaratan TTD basah, like....buat apa...??? Paham sih kayanya saking banyak peminatnya, si LPDP ini harus masang filter yang BUANYAK banget untuk bisa nyaring kandidat sebanyak-banyaknya di depan. Cuma... yaelah... bro. Udah konsekuensi lo jadi pemberi scholarship terbesar di negara, ya optimise SDM-nya dong?

Terus kemarin yang seru lagi adalah habis main filter disney prince di tiktok. My ultimate result adalah Hans.... Nggak unexpected sih. Tapi yang jadi pertanyaan besar adalah how I chose Hans over Prince Eric?? Tapi fair enough gaksih, I don’t feel like I know enough Prince Eric enough aja gitu. Personality dia sangat tidak shown through the movie. Atau ku yang lupa ya. Intinya ku merasa Hans lebih humane aja.

Udah sepertinya itu dulu aja yang mau di-update. Ku masih ada hutang coffee walk Jardine sama Kak Kaca tapi hari ini dia ga keluar rumah jadi kami janjian besok jam 5 pm. Terus Sunday ini juga adalah ulang tahun Kak Kaca. Nanti Jumat ku jadi narasumber di acara ngobrol-ngobrol informal PPI Oxford di Linacre tentang writing and submitting to a journal LOL semoga tidak mental breakdown tiba-tiba aja Non.

Oh terus sedih banget deh, barusan juga ku habis me-reply email dari salah satu anak yang ku lupa banget kenal di mana, soalnya di Instagram dan di linkedin nggak ada convonya(?) tapi intinya dia udah jadi awardee Jardine-ITB tapi nggak keterima program master Cambridgenya… ☹ ku berusaha lift her up by saying emang susah banget apply master program pasti competitive banget. Pasti sedih banget sih. Ga kebayang.

Udah sepertinya itu dulu aja, nanti sampe rumah mau dinner sambil nonton Milo Thatcher. Oh iya ku juga lagi contemplating should I pulang Indo dari awal Agustus jadi bisa bantu-bantu IGEO, atau nggak usah. Ku pengen banget sih ke Bandung. Barusan jadinya nge-WA Pak Samsul buat nanya terkait hal ini wkwkw. Sebetulnya enak sih ya, ku bisa pulang dari tanggal 5 Agustus terus balik Ox tanggal 27/28 Agustus. Hmmmmm.

Yasudah itu dulu saja.

Radcam 19.57pm 22/02/2023

[dynstory]

Menembus Waktu (3)

Semester pertama untuk tahun ajaran ini telah berakhir. Murid-murid SMA Mangun Karsa sudah tidak ada kegiatan mengikuti pembelajaran di kelas. Mereka masih masuk sekolah untuk mengikuti kegiatan classmeeting yang diadakan oleh OSIS sekolah tersebut. Banyak kegiatan yang bisa diikuti oleh murid-murid SMA Mangun Karsa. Ada berbagai perlombaan olahraga seperti voli, basket, sepakbola bahkan ada pentas musik yang diselenggarakan jam 1 siang nanti. Suasana sekolah terlihat ramai, sorak-sorai suara pendukung pertandingan basket yang sedang berlangsung antara kelas XII IPS 1 dan kelas XI IPA 2 terdengar hingga ruang kelas Arina. Ruang kelas itu terlihat sepi hanya ada empat orang siswi yang sedang duduk berdempetan dengan posisi kepala menghadap ke satu titik yang sama yaitu laptop yang sedang menyala. Keempat siswi itu adalah Arina, Tia, Mita dan Rani.  Arina beserta ketiga sahabatnya memilih untuk menghabiskan waktu dengan menonton film di Disney Hotstar menggunakan laptop ASUS milik Mita.

“Hah? Jadi ending cerita filmnya seperti ini? Bapak Rini juga ikut sekte pengabdi setan?” tanya Rani setelah film Pengabdi Setan 2 yang mereka putar berakhir.

Mita menurunkan jaket yang sedari tadi menutupi wajahnya  “Aku sih enggak tau, Ran”.

“Yeeee…. Kowe awit mau pancen ora nonton film, Mit” Tia menyenggol bahu Mita yang duduk disebelahnya.

“Lah piye yoh film e medeni tenan. Aku wedi”.

“Hahahahahahaha…..” Rani dan Arina tertawa  mendengar jawaban Mita.

Diantara mereka berempat memang hanya Mita yang takut menonton film horror. Dari awal film Pengabdi Setan 2 diputar, Mita hanya menutup wajahnya dengan jaket hingga film usai. Sesekali dia mengintip dan bertanya kepada teman-temannya tentang alur cerita film tersebut.

Mita mematikan laptop dan memasukkan ke dalam tas ransel miliknya. Jam sudah menunjukkan setengah dua belas siang. Mereka berempat masih asyik mengobrol sembari makan keripik pisang coklat yang tadi Arina beli dari kantin sekolah.

“Makan yuk? Laper nih” ajak Rani kepada ketiga sahabatnya.

“Makan dimana, Ran?” timpal Arina.

Rani sejenak berpikir. Terbayang mi ayam ceker dengan kuah coklat kental favoritnya ditambah sambal cabai rawit rebus sehingga menghasilkan perpaduan rasa pedas dan manis yang menggugah selera. Rani menelan ludah membayangkan semangkok mi ayam itu.

Tiba-tiba terdengar suara celetukan Tia “Gimana kalau kita makan mi ayam ceker Pak Manto?”.

“Ayooookkk…” ketiganya menjawab dengan kompak tanda mengiyakan ajakan Tia.

Rani berkata sembari membuat tanda saranghae dengan jarinya “Aku tadi lagi mikirin mi ayam ceker itu juga loh, Ti. Hahahah ternyata kita memang sehati”.

Mereka berempat mengemas barang-barang, memasukkan ke dalam tas ranselnya dan berjalan beriringan menuju keluar kelas. Melewati koridor sekolah yang penuh dengan siswa-siswi duduk di bangku-bangku panjang yang ada di setiap depan ruang kelas. Dari kejauhan terlihat lapangan sepakbola yang masih ramai dengan penonton, menandakan pertandingan tersebut belum selesai.

Mereka berempat telah sampai di depan gerbang sekolah. Persis di sebrang jalan tempat mereka berdiri, terlihat sebuah bangunan dengan cat warna biru. Ukuran bangunan tersebut tidak terlalu luas dan terpampang sebuah papan nama “Mi Ayam Ceker Pak Manto”. Warung mi ayam tersebut terlihat penuh dengan pengunjung yang juga berseragam putih abu-abu. Ada juga beberapa orang yang memilih makan mi ayam di depan warung dengan beralaskan tikar karena di dalam sudah tidak ada lagi tempat duduk.

Jalan raya di depan SMA Mangun Karsa tidak terlalu padat tetapi lumayan ada beberapa motor dan mobil berseliweran. Arina, Tia, Mita dan Rani bergandengan tangan, bersiap untuk menyebrang jalan tersebut.

“Arin, iku tali sepatumu ucul” Tia menunjuk ke arah sepatu Arina.

Arina melepaskan gandengan tangan Tia dan buru-buru jongkok untuk membetulkan tali sepatunya yang terlepas.

“Kalian nyebrang duluan aja. Aku benerin tali sepatuku dulu” ucap Arina.

Ketiga temannya akhirnya menyebrang jalan terlebih dulu sesuai permintaan Arina.

“Riiiiiiinnnnnn, nggon mu nganggo sawi ora?” teriak Rani dari sebrang jalan.

Arina menjawab dengan anggukan kepala.

Jalanan terlihat lengang, Arina bersiap melangkahkan kakinya untuk menyebrang ke arah warung mi ayam. Terlihat tiga temannya duduk lesehan di depan warung itu, Arina berjalan perlahan sambil melambaikan tangan ke arah mereka.

“Braaaakkkkkkkkkkk” terdengar suara benturan yang cukup keras.

Sebuah motor melaju dengan cukup kencang dan tanpa sempat Arina menghindar, tubuhnya terhempas oleh motor itu hingga Arina jatuh tidak sadarkan diri.

Ketiga sahabatnya reflek langsung berteriak “Arinaaaaaaaaaa”

 ****

Arina perlahan membuka matanya. Dia memperhatikan sekelilingnya, terlihat tirai berwarna abu-abu mengelilingi tempat tidurnya. Ada infus yang terpasang di tangan kanannya. Kepala Arina terasa nyeri, dia memegang pelipisnya dan terasa ada perban yang menempel di area itu. Mata Arina tertuju pada sosok perempuan yang sedang duduk sambil membaca sebuah buku di sebelah ranjangnya. Wajah perempuan itu tidak asing bagi Arina.

“Ibu…” Ucap Arina

Perempuan berseragam putih abu-abu itu terkejut mendengar suara Arina. Dia bangun dari kursi dan mendekati ranjang Arina.

“Ibu….” Arina kembali mengucapkan kata itu sambil menatap wajah perempuan yang ada dihadapannya. Wajah perempuan tersebut terlihat kebingungan mendengar Arina memanggilnya demikian.

[dyahaysesworld]

Cemong, The Cat

Hai, Cem? Apa kabar? Kok aku kangen banget yaa..

Tadi pasti sakit banget yaa, maaf aku nggak sama kamu tadi, nemenin ataupun cepet cepet kasih pertolongan. Bahkan hari ini kita belum sempat ketemu, semalem aku cari kamu juga ga ada. Kayaknya terakhir kita ketemu kemarin sore yaa, pas aku kasih makan kamu dan elus kamu terakhir kalii.

Maaf yaa udah kurang lebih seminggu ini aku jarang ajak kamu main, ga bolehin kamu masuk rumah, jarang elus-elus, ataupun gendong-gendong. Maaf yaa, aku sempat lupa di kesempatan pas pagi, siang, atau sore hari saat jadwal kamu makan, harusnya aku rajin kasih biar bisa ketemu kamu lama-lama.

Duh, aku nangis ik Cingg.. kok kamu tega ninggalin 😭

Tapi aku yakin kamu pasti paham kan, kenapa aku jadi jarang bolehin kamu masuk rumah. Karena Cemong kucing terpintar dan tersopan yang pernah aku kenal.

Baik-baik yaa di sana sayang, nggak boleh nakal sama Allah. Tungguin aku, jangan lupa berdoa dan minta sama Tuhan supaya nanti di sana kita bisa tinggal bareng lagii, nanti aku juga berdoa yaa.

Dahh, Allah jaga kamu lebih dekat sekarang, temuin aku lewat mimpi yaa. Sekalii aja gapapa, say good bye ke aku yaahh.

I ❤️ u Cemong 😽

RIP 21/4/2021 - 18/8/2023

[olafsepcot]

1.7.22 + 1.15.22

[fbfh]

Thinking about Druig being completely and totally whipped for you. Utterly whipped. He starts dragging you along to meetings with the other eternals because having you by his side makes them possible to suffer through. They're expecting the usual Druig, snarky and snide, a little mean. But he enters with his hand low on your back, you following him like a puppy and greeting everyone with a sweet smile. He introduces you to everyone, eyes glowing in a warning when Phastos tries to tell you that this is eternals only business. Ajak lets you stay, seeing how much better Druig seems to feel around you.

"I thought you didn't like humans." Sprite says, holding back a laugh at how much attention he pays you even when you're doing nothing.

"I like this one." He says defensively. And he does. He likes you a whole lot. Especially compared to other humans who always seem to be so easily swayed by greed and fear and a hunger for meaningless power. The first time he saw you, you were feeding tuna to alley cats, giggling when they purred and rubbed against your legs. He watches you close like that for the whole meeting, a special kind of smile on his face when you laugh at his jabs, immediately releasing the tense atmosphere before Ajak can even interfere. They knew it would be hard to get him to agree with the plan, but as soon as you say "oh, that sounds like fun!" quietly to him he suddenly has no complaints, totally on board. He's still mean to everyone but you, but you soften his rougher edges a little. He's happier with you. The rest of the eternals are happy to have you around too.