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songwriteoc · 4 years ago

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The Sims 4 Challenge - The Pack(age) Challenge - 10 Gen Version

Ever wanted to explore other aspects of the game, but never had the will to do so? Well with this challenge… you can!

You can use whatever mod you want – it is a fun challenge that you can add your own twists to if you follow the guidelines given!

Recommended Settings:

- Normal or Long (does not matter)

- MCCC (for certain generations if needed, but you do not really need it)

- Do NOT use the More Trait Slot Mod. I will update to add more traits once complete.

You do NOT need to stay with one pack for Create-a-Sim. I understand some of these may require other packs to fit the aesthetic :P

The generations will span over 10, however you can stop at ANY generation if you want to stop.

You can also skip a generation if:

1. You really dislike the Expansion/Game Pack

2. If you do not have the Expansion/Game Pack

Generation 1 – The Comedic Genius (Base Game)

You have always dreamed of becoming a comedian. Ever since that one knock, knock joke as a toddler. Your first sentence was even knock, knock! Your dream is become the best comedian in Willow Creek, Newcrest and/or Oasis Springs! You also wanted to create the best comedy household, wanting a large family full of kids to explore all the arts of comedy! Although you were not always down for marriage, you still wanted to act like a happy family even through the comedy home life.

Being raised in an orphanage and finally finding a home once you aged up into a young adult is where your story starts.

- Traits: Childish, Family-Orientated & Cheerful

- Aspiration: Joke Star

- Create Young Adult (YA) Sim of Any Gender!

- Reach Lvl.10 of Entertainer Career (Comedian Branch)

- Max. Comedy Skill

- Max. Mischief Skill

- Have a boyfriend/girlfriend, NEVER MARRY!

- Have 3 to 4 Children.

Generation 2 – A Serious Detective (Expansion Pack: Get to Work)

You hated the way your family made you do clown behaviour, forced to make jokes that did not even impress you, but made you mad! On a day like no other during high school, you helped a classmate get their money back from their bully, making you best friends till the end of time, with possibly more feelings later? (This is your choice). To get out of your home, you spent majority of your life of high school going to the gym on the weekends to get away from the chaotic life of a comedy home.

You never understood why your family gave you siblings, making you feel overwhelmed with the number of kids your parents naturally had, making you feel bad for the children put up for adoption and left alone with no parents.

- Traits: Hot-Headed, Ambitious & Athletic

- Aspiration: Professional Athlete

- Generation starts as Young Adult (YA)

- Reach Lvl.10 in Detective Career.

- Have One Best Friend Forever

- Max. Logic Skill

- Max. Athletic Skill

- Adopt One Child

Optional:

- Somehow with science, become abducted by an alien. (if it leads to a alien pregnancy, that is fine!)

Generation 3 – Cooking is the Heart (Game Pack: Dine Out)

As a child, you always enjoyed watching your parent cook you fabulous meals – making them as perfect as you could imagine. Even for your own birthday, you always asked for cookbooks to read upon them so you could learn the recipes to start your own restaurant and teach your children to cook and hopefully take over the restaurant empire you want to build for your family!

Due to how your parent raised you, you were always keen on marrying before woohoo, which is exactly what you will do!

As a Young Adult (YA) this is when your story starts.

- Traits: Foodie, Perfectionist & Creative

- Aspiration: Successful Lineage

- Generation Starts as Young Adult (YA)

- Gain 5 Stars in your Restaurant!

- Max. Cooking Skill

- No Woohoo before Marriage!

- Marry before you reach Adulthood!

- Have 2 Children! (If triplets, that is fine too!)

Optional:

- Max. Baking Skill (Requires Get to Work)

- Read Every Week (As if you are reading a cookbook every week)

Generation 4 – The Unflirty Critic (Expansion Pack: City Living)

You have seen people fall in love, hated that your parent spent more times cooking in the restaurant with your sibling than taking care of you. They may of gave you attention, but what was it for? So, you could critic the food they make? You seemed to also help your parent cook amazing foods with your own critical thinking. Was this a career path for you? Seems so!

In school, nobody wanted to be friends with you due to how brutal honest you were with their gifts and how they acted. Everybody hated you, and the only friend you had was your own sibling who stayed beside you, telling you to do what you can with the goals you want in life, making you flee to the city of San Mychuno! Yours was to be a food critic. With no friends, you never learned to love, apart from that one hook-up one night at a high school party your sibling brought you to after you graduated. You despised love. You despised the very thought of it. You were the Agnes Crumplebottom of love, whacking people with your clipboard of critic responses.

- Traits: Unflirty, Vegetarian & Loner

- Aspiration: City Native

- Starts as a Teenager (Teen)

- Lvl. 10 of Critic Career (Food Critic Branch)

- Max. Charisma Skill

- Never Marry!

- Become Pregnant at a Party As soon As You Age Up!

- Never Talk to Child till they are a Teenager.

Optional:

- You may use MCCC to get your sim pregnant as a Teenager instead of as soon as they age up! (Still at a party!)

Generation 5 – It is Nothing Like Twilight, I Swear! (Game Pack: Vampires)

Your parent always shoved you away. You always loved studying upon the supernatural and embraced the feeling once as a teenager, you befriended a vampire, only to have a teenager brain and ask to of been turned. Your now stuck as a vampire and need a way to find a cure for your offspring you want to produce.

You do not want your future child to live through the same fate as you, as you turn other sims into vampires like yourself, before falling in love with another vampire, making it a love for eternity. However, you always adored your grandparents cooking, its as if they gave you heaven for food.

Your sims story starts as a teenager!

- Starts as a Teenager (Teen)

- Traits: Kleptomaniac, Bro & Jealous

- Aspiration: Good Vampire

- Purchase Almost Every Vampire Perk!

- Be Turned as a Teenager (or early Young Adult)

- Have 1 – 3 Children!

- Find a Cure for Vampirism Before child(ren) reaches Teen stage(s)

- Marry Your Vampire Love

- Have HORRIBLE relationship with parent, but GREAT relationship with grandparent.

Optional:

- You can rebuild your relationship with your parent before they die, if your Sim wants to anyway!

Generation 6 – I will adopt one, no two… No, all six! (Game Pack: Parenthood)

Your grateful for what your parent did for you, creating a cure for the vampirism you were born with. Although, you feel as if you need to prove to your parent that you can be the best parent in the world! Unfortunately, you were born unable to have children yourself (can be edited in CAS, or through mods).

You make it your mission to adopt as many kids as you want and making sure to spoil them with your video game greatness and parenting skills! Making them feel loved and adored!

- Traits: Family-Oriented, Good & Geek

- Aspiration: Super Parent

- You Start Once they reach Young Adult (YA)

- Max. Parenting Skill

- Max. Video Gaming Skill

- Adopt 6 Toddlers Between Your Young Adult and Adult stage!

- Never Get a Job! (Paint, Write… etc. for money!)

Optional:

- You can marry if you want. Requirements: MUST share ONE trait your SIM has!

- Adopt to Max. Household Limit Between your Young Adult and Adult Stage!

Recommended:

- Youngest Child is Next Gen!

Generation 7 – Time to Meow to this Howling! (Expansion Pack: Cats & Dogs)

You were raised with a lot of adoptive siblings, making you feel tired of being surrounded by older siblings that rushed around you taking care of your parent(s). The only love you felt, was from that one cat you found on the streets on that one visit to Brindleton Bay.

Once you became a Young Adult, you moved to Brindleton Bay and decided to start your passion for having your own Veterinary and surrounding yourself with stray animals you found on the street or adopting cats & dogs from the computer and/or phone! Maybe also falling in love with your own co-worker you hired?

- Traits: Cat Lover, Dog Lover & Loves the Outdoors

- Aspiration: Friend of the Animals

- Max. Animal Training Skill

- Max. Veterinary Skill

- Own a 5 Star Veterinary

- Adopt any Number of Cats & Dogs! (e.g., 3 cats, 3 dogs… 2 cats, 3 dogs… etc.)

- Marry a veterinary co-worker!

- Have child(ren) with co-worker! (Does not matter on how many)

Generation 8 – Spring All Year! (Expansion Pack: Seasons)

With your family adoring animals, you adored them too! But there is something you always asked for winterfest and your birthday, and that was your own private greenhouse to grow your own flowers to build your own store to grow flowers and sell them!

Your own way of doing so, was getting yourself a job as a gardener, and helping to design flowers for your friends, family and customers that wanted their own flowers done as a hobby while you worked, which lead to your own romantic destiny… but was it a fling, or did you unknowingly become the serial romantic and had/got someone else’s child that wasn’t your lover’s?

- Traits: Loves the Outdoors, Non-Committal & Romantic

- Aspiration: Freelance Botanist

- Reach Lvl.10 of Gardener Career (Floral Designer Branch)

- Max. Gardening Skill

- Max. Flower Arranging Skill

- Marry Your Highschool Sweetheart

- Have One Child with Another Sim that ISN’T Your Lover!

- Get Divorced from your Highschool Sweetheart!

- Have One Child with your Highschool Sweetheart!

Optional:

- As a Teenager before gen starts, you can start with the Serial Romantic Aspiration!

Generation 9 – “You love me! You really, really love me!” (Expansion Pack: Get Famous)

You loved the silver-screen as a toddler, looking at the beautiful actors/actresses performing on-screen and knowing instantly that is what YOU wanted to do.

Always laughed at for loving the arts in the countryside, you moved out of Brindleton Bay with your family so you could start your dreams of slowly becoming the best actor/actress the sims world has ever seen and seeing them raise their children to be just as famous as them in Del Sol Valley! The generation starts once you are a teenager!

- Traits: Creative, Self-Absorbed & Snob

- Aspiration: World-Famous Celebrity

- Reach Lvl.5 of Acting Club (Teen)

- Reach Lvl.10 of Acting Career

- Reach 5 Stars as a Celebrity!

- Max. Acting Skill

- Max. Charisma Skill

- Befriend a 5 Star Celebrity

- Marry a Celebrity Same, or Higher Star Level

- Get Money Worth of: $300,000

- Have Three Children with Lover.

Optional:

- Max. Singing Skill (City Living Required)

Generation 10 – Mother Nature is That You?! (Game Pack: Strangerville)

A sudden village has recently come back into the news after centuries of being forgotten and put through protection. You were invested in wanting to figure out what was going on while balancing your own military career.

Before then being sent to Strangerville to see what was going on in the village itself! You got told you could bring one person with you for security, and safety. However, once your friend eats a forbidden fruit found in a plant – things suddenly go south, making you know what you had to do, but all this chaos has made you more paranoid and scared for what could happen if you fail.

- Starts as a Young Adult (YA)

- Traits: Athletic, Paranoid & Clumsy

- Aspiration: Strangerville Mystery

- Reach Lvl.10 Military Career (Officer Branch)

- Max. Fitness Skill

- Max. Charisma Skill

- Have One Child once The Mother is defeated (if twins or triplets, that is fine too!)

- Live with your Best Friend in Strangerville

- Find love once The Mother is defeated!

Optional:

- You can bring a co-worker to live with you in Strangerville if you don’t have a best friend!

Part Two: Not Released Yet

Other Information:

There is a 2nd Part of this challenge going to be available once it is complete, in case you want to continue the generation for another 5 or so generations! Depending on the packs that are released that have careers, or something interesting to add.

Have suggestions for other packs that were realised before Strangerville? Say and I’ll put them into the part 2 of this challenge!

P.S. This is the first challenge, and it is in trial run. So there maybe some problems. If there is, please message me through here, or through my other social media:

Twitter: /@SongWriteOC https://twitter.com/SongWriteOC

If you do the challenge, please use the hashtag #SimsThePackChallenge on all social media, such as Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr... etc. Even YouTube! <3

#the sims 4 challenge #the sims 4 #SimsThePackChallenge

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whentherewerebicycles · 4 years ago

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You seem to be really amazing at executing planned changes with food and exercise (and also generally better psychological habits) - can i ask for advice on this? I’ve finished up studying for now and realise my body has turned into a twisted up, pudgy, weakened wreck! Exercise hurts and sugar/processed food feels so cosy and I can’t seem to get through this part where i have to feel discomfort for a while before i feel better!

What works for you? Should i read that atomic habits book you mention? I saw another one recommended - the Kindness Habit - do you know anything about it?

(I tried journaling btw - but it didn’t get me anywhere)

hello!! i can share some things that have worked for me when it comes to implementing longer-term changes in diet and exercise. these seem really simple but i think that actually making big lifestyle changes is much less about summoning up colossal amounts of willpower and much more about making small but important tweaks to the way you think about/approach diet and exercise. here are five things that have been helpful to me.

(1) don’t think of diet changes in terms of restrictions (i.e., “what delicious cozy sugary things do i have to deprive myself of today to be Good”). instead, approach diet changes as a fun little game of adding in as many good things as possible (fruits, veggies, leafy green things, nuts of all kinds, whole grains, beans, etc.). every single time you are preparing a meal or looking for a snack, describe it to yourself as a chance to be creative and resourceful, as you think about fun ways to add in small good things every time you eat. especially in the early weeks, don’t restrict foods from your diet at all. focus solely on finding a creative way to add in something healthy and delicious every time you eat. (i really liked using the daily dozen checklist when i was starting out—they have an app and it’s very satisfying and fun to see how many things you can check off the list each day.)

(2) narrate this “adding-in” game aloud to yourself. for example: “oh—what if i eat a big handful of berries on top of that ice cream?”, or “i’m hungry—ooh, there are carrots in the fridge, aren’t there? i’ll eat three carrots with hummus before i switch over to pita chips”). and every time you figure out a creative way to add in a good food, stop and observe yourself doing it, and let yourself feel a little spark of delight at how clever and creative you’re being. this sounds silly, but i swear it works! part of changing your habits is changing self-talk & especially changing the kind of running narrative you have in your head about who you are and what you do. you can change that narrative in part by repeatedly reframing the way you tell it to yourself, ideally aloud (or aloud in your head) to help you can better “hear” and internalize the new story. instead of “ugh... i ate ice cream again. why don’t i have any self-control? why am i someone who just eats like crap?”, you’re offering your brain an alternate story, one that focuses less on things you perceive yourself as lacking, or on things you ‘failed’ to do, and more on the creative, positive things you did do (“i wasn’t going to eat any fruit today, but wasn’t it great that i remembered we had those frozen berries in the fridge? that’s pretty creative and resourceful of me, and plus it’s a good way to use up something i’d forgotten i even had”).

the “noticing and feeling delighted” part is just as important. to successfully change a habit, you need to find creative ways to make the new habit pleasurable in and of itself. the more pleasure you feel when you do it, the more self-reinforcing the habit itself becomes. you might not experience eating healthy foods as intensely pleasurable (at least at first, especially if you are comparing them with the intense brain-hacking pleasure that super sugary foods give us). so don’t try! instead, focus on making the choice a source of pleasure and delight. "look at how clever i was! look at how creative i can be! look at what a good choice i made! look at how good i am at this game of adding in!” that act of stopping, narrating, and letting yourself feel genuinely pleased with what you’ve just done makes the choice to add something in pleasurable, which in turn can help fuel your sense that this isn’t about having iron willpower or about cruelly depriving yourself of delicious things, but is about playing a fun little game with yourself, creating little challenges or puzzles for yourself throughout the day and then giving yourself positive reinforcement when you figure them out.

(3) manage your environment to set yourself up for success. to paraphrase the atomic habits book: the people who seem to have the best willpower are the people who have to exercise it the least. and they have to exercise it the least because they’ve very effectively managed their environment, arranging things so that the desired choices are easy and “frictionless,” while the undesired choices or habits are more inconvenient or introduce more friction (it’s harder to get to them).

the easy starter version of this (from atomic habits): put the things you want to eat in highly visible places and/or in appealing arrangements, and put the things you don't want to eat in places that aren't visible or that are inconvenient to access. ice cream goes in the very back of the fridge, buried behind all the other stuff. nuts go in a bowl on your desk so that you can idly snack on them while you work. apples and bananas go in a big brightly colored bowl right on the counter, so that every time you pass through the kitchen your eyes are drawn to them. chips go in the bottom cupboard, the one below eye level that you don't use very often, and when you get them out you pour some into a bowl and put them right back in there (instead of leaving the bag out on the counter). make the choice you want to make easy, and make the choice you don't want to make harder to get to.

eventually, the most effective way of managing your environment is just to exercise total control over what comes into your own living space. for me, if i don’t want to eat it, i don’t have it in the house. i typically also place a curbside delivery grocery order so that i don’t have to go into the store—anything that comes into my house is something i made a deliberate choice about ordering, not something i wandered by a shelf and added to my cart because i wanted a treat. something i’ve learned about myself over the years that moderation is just not in my vocabulary—i’m an all-or-nothing person, and it’s SO much easier for me to just not have stuff i don’t want to eat in the house. no ice cream in the house. no alcohol in the house. no fried things, no chips, no candy, etc etc. if someone kindly brings me baked goods that i did not ask for, i genuinely appreciate the gesture, but as soon as they leave i give them to my next door neighbor or dump them in the trash. (SORRY TO PEOPLE WHO BAKE FOR ME!) if it's in the house i'll eat it. if it's not, i won't, and i also won't miss it.

i did do this pretty gradually at first, though! when i switched to a primarily whole food plant-based diet, i focused on playing the adding-in game for a couple weeks, and then when i started getting competitive about it i decided to use my grocery order as a way of creatively boosting my fruit/veggie/etc consumption even more, and in the process i started winnowing out things that took away chances to add in a good thing. i would say it took about three or four weeks to get to my personal ideal state of Nope I Don't Have It In The House.

it takes time, but i’d say that within a month of having only things you want to eat in the house, your cravings will be gone, at least within your own managed environment (going to restaurants or traveling DOES require you to exercise willpower, but there are ways to prepare for this in advance). the good news, though, is that 6-8 months or so of eating like this usually brings with it such improved sleep, mood, energy levels, skin, hair, GI function, etc etc that you start to be like oh my GOD why would i want to eat that horrifying thing?? I KNOW HOW BAD IT MAKES ME FEEL!! I WANT TO POWER MY BODY WITH PLANTS!!!!! in other words, the pleasurable side effects of eating well becomes positively reinforcing in its own right, while the negative effects you experience when you reintroduce sugar or fried things tends to reinforce the idea that those foods Feel Bad.

(4) it's not exercise, it's movement. i too used to hate exercise and found it extremely painful and tedious and horrible. so instead of exercising i just started moving. i canceled my membership at the local dog bar, where i had been taking my dog almost every day to let him run off excess energy, and started talking short walks with him twice a day instead. if you don’t have a dog, offer to walk your friends’ dogs—trust me they will lose their MINDS with joy lol. i think that starting to build in regular walks is the best way to get active again, because walking is typically quite pleasant and it becomes positively reinforcing to like, wave at the same neighbors every day, and see the cute kids next door running around, and notice all the ways that the trees and flowers are changing, and so on.

if you do not find being outside inherently pleasurable (sometimes i do not lol esp if i’m grumpy about having to walk the dog), tie another pleasurable activity to your daily walk. i listen to about six hours’ worth of hockey podcasts a week and i am only allowed to listen to them on my walks, so i end up looking forward to the walk because i’m desperate to hear people talk about My Guys. you can also walk with friends, or call a friend while you’re walking, which is even better than podcasts!! social walks are so much fun and go by so much more quickly. i started out just doing daily 15 min walks, and over the past couple years have built up to walking between 60-90 min a day when i’m at home. sometimes i hate/dread my walk; sometimes i love it and look forward to it. but regardless of how i’m feeling, i do it every day and if i miss it once, i don’t miss it a second time.

as far as activity goes, i think it’s totally ok to just be a person who walks a lot! but i’ve found that becoming someone who walked a lot helped change my own narrative of myself—I started to think of myself as a walker, an active person who moved a lot every day. and that made it easier to pick up other forms of activity too, or at least to adopt a curious, exploratory attitude towards other forms of movement. also once you start tracking your active minutes you tend to get quite competitive about it! or at least i do, lol. i keep a note on my phone where i write down the date + type of activity + total number of minutes I did after every burst of activity, then at the end of the week i add it all up and compare it to the previous weeks. it makes me want to do more, to beat my own numbers—or it makes me want to keep up a streak (like, if i have a five-week period where i’ve consistently hit a certain level of active minutes every week, i don’t want to break it!!).

my biggest suggestion for exercise, though, is to figure out what kinds of things you enjoy and what kinds of things you don’t, and then to spend all your time doing things you like. i HATE structured fitness classes and workout videos. i hate them so much!!!!!!!! but i love being outside, i love doing solo activities (as opposed to group workouts), and i love doing any form of movement that doesn’t feel like a Planned Workout, capital w. also becoming a hockey fan got me really interested in skating, so i picked up rollerblades and found that to be amazingly fun too (something i can do outside AND something that feels like gliding around effortlessly AND something that makes me feel closer to My Favorite Guys!!!!). you may not have passionate feelings about hockey fandom as i do, but i think it’s really just about being creative—finding a creative way to link something you don’t love to something you do love, or find pleasurable, so that you can start forging those positive associations.

i spent my first couple years of being more active just walking walking walking, and then this past year during the pandemic when i really ramped up my movement i added in longer walks, hikes, and rollerblading, and i also looked for ways to “habit-stack,” ie attaching an activity i don’t much care for (running; exercise biking indoors; doing squats and lunges) to one i do enjoy (i take my tennis shoes when i go skating and then go for a run immediately afterwards, before i have time to talk myself out of it). there are still all kinds of things i don’t do—i really don’t love strength training + bodyweight exercises yet, and i hate stretching even though I Know I Should, and i know that if i want to get stronger and faster, or build up my endurance, i will eventually need to introduce some element of structured training into my daily movement.

BUT the idea of making those changes seems kind of cool to me now, instead of Horrifying and Dread-Inducing! i feel like all the positive associations i’ve forged have made me more curious and open to ideas i would’ve resisted with my whole being not all that long ago. i found a way to make movement pleasurable, and then (thanks to sports fandom + my tendency to go down research rabbitholes) i found a way to get myself intellectually and emotionally engaged in the general concept of being a highly active person. for me, that combination of real pleasure + intellectual/emotional stimulation is what i personally need to build & maintain good habits.

(also, just shoehorning this in at the end because i like it: the “it’s movement, not exercise” mindset shift was also really helpful to me because it stopped me from thinking of exercise as like, this highly structured, regimented, torturous thing you forced yourself through for a set period of time each day, and helped me instead think of movement as something that humans are designed to do & to naturally enjoy. instead of Forcing Myself to Exercise, i looked for more natural-feeling forms of movement that didn’t feel so artificially divided from my “real life.” i think that helped with reframing my self-narrative, too! it made being active feel more integrated into my daily life, which in turn made it easier to think of myself as an active person, someone for whom movement was just a normal part of daily life and not a thing i had to psych myself up to do every day.)

(5) it takes time to build good habits, but not nearly as much time as you might think, and eventually you stop thinking about how long you’ve been doing something and you just start enjoying it (ie it becomes a genuine change in your lifestyle/thinking, not an artificial thing you have to work hard every day to maintain).

i am not yet AN ATHLETE and may never be, but i often remind myself that it took me a little under 30 years to build up a PROFOUND aversion to exercise, so it’s actually kind of miraculous that in just two years i’ve become someone who genuinely, earnestly, enthusiastically enjoys being active and feels antsy/weird/restless when i can’t get out of the house and move. every small stride i’ve made has strengthened my trust in myself and helped me reframe the narrative i tell myself about what kind of person i am and what i do/don’t do. every time i do the thing (whether it’s exercising or making a delicious healthy dinner) & happily notice myself doing it, i reaffirm to myself that i’m the kind of person who takes care of my body and mind by eating well and spending lots of time moving outside. (as a side benefit, when i spend a lot of time happily noticing things and speaking encouragingly to myself, i also reaffirm to myself that i am a happy person who treats myself kindly and who is always eagerly seeking out experiences that feel joyful and life-affirming.)

plus, the more often you do something, the more opportunities you have to have positive experiences while doing it! not every walk is AMAZING, LIFE-CHANGING, DEEPLY FULFILLING, but like, if i am walking seven days a week, that’s seven opportunities for something cool or fun to happen on a walk (not to mention seven opportunities to reap all the physiological & emotional well-being benefits of exercise!!). and if i am really conscious and intentional about noticing and actively delighting in those positive experiences, i help wire in those positive associations more deeply, and my brain/body increasingly comes to associate movement with happiness, joy, and fulfillment. as the habit of being more active becomes fulfilling in and of itself, i don’t have to expend as much energy tricking or cajoling or bribing myself into doing it.

i hope this helps!! i am literally always happy to write extremely long essays in respond to simple anon questions, lol, so if you want to talk more about your own ideas for building better habits please do share!! i can also rec you specific books that i’ve found really useful—both for just like, helping me figure out how to make big changes, and also for providing that intellectual stimulation that gets me more engaged in wanting to eat well & be more active.

(also, on the extremely slim chance that you are also a hockey fan: over in my fandom sphere, we are organizing a fun summer thing inspired by one of our fave hockey players, where we’ll be planning lots of fun fannish community things to get ourselves moving this summer. it’s going to be a good time!!)

#food #movement #mw

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cathygeha · 4 years ago

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REVIEW

The Vineyard at Painted Moon by Susan Mallery

Emotion laden, deeply moving, intensely poignant, well crafted – this story grabbed me and didn’t let me go till I finished at 3am. I felt so much and at times wanted to jump into the pages to “fix” things knowing that the author would bring things right for at least some of the characters by the end of the book…or at least I hope she would! This is a story of love, loss, growth, endurance, values, goals and family. It is a keeper and one I would reread in the future.

What I liked:

* Mackenzie: dedicated, focused, interesting. She has been stymied for a while and may need to move on from the safe haven she has lived within for over a decade and a half. She has a rough time of it but comes through rather brilliantly in the end.

* Catherine: sister-in-law to Mackenzie, loving, kind, in tune with the earth, grounded, warm, creative…really liked her.

* Stephanie: sister-in-law to Mackenzie, divorced, mother of two teens, stuck in a rut and trying to move forward but it isn’t easy for her to do so. She is Mackenzie’s best friend and has been since college.

* Bruno: wealthy, attractive, investor, wine distributor, and intriguing. He is warm, a good friend, caring, communicates brilliantly and is perfect for the woman he ends up with.

* Kyle: a good father, professional, a bit selfish…divorced from Stephanie and father of her children

* Rhys: not a bad guy, married to Mackenzie, wants what is best for both of them, a bit heavy handed at times and sometimes rather clueless…and also selfish, perhaps.

* Georgio: a good man, loving, kind, generous, and perfect for the right woman – the boyfriend of Barbara (mother-in-law of Mackenzie)

* The close relationships that were friendly, warm, and caring.

* That there was growth in a number of characters.

* The dynamics between various individuals and groups.

* The way verbalization of feelings, thoughts, and insight into the characters

* Learning a bit more about the winemaking business.

* The setting – love that area of the world!

* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:

* Barbara: I won’t give details but if you read the book you will probably feel the same

* Lori: daughter of Barbara and quite a bit like her, I fear.

* The sadness I felt as I empathized with Mackenzie.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequen (HQN) for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

MacKenzie Dienes's life isn't perfect, but it's as close as she could ever hope to get. Her marriage to Rhys, her best friend's brother, is more friendship than true love. But passion is highly overrated, right? And she loves her job as the winemaker at Bel Apres, her in-laws' vineyard. So what if it's a family business and, even after decades of marriage and incredible professional success, she's still barred from the family business meetings? It's all enough...until one last night spent together leads to an incredibly honest—and painful—conversation. Rhys suggests that they divorce. They haven't had a marriage in a long time and, while he wants her to keep her job at Bel Apres, he doesn't think they should be married any longer. Shocked, MacKenzie reels at the prospect of losing the only family she's ever really known...even though she knows deep in her heart that Rhys is right.

But when MacKenzie discovers she's pregnant, walking away to begin a new life isn't so easy. She never could have anticipated the changes it would bring to the relationships she cherishes most: her relationship with Barbara, her mother-in-law and partner at Bel Apres, Stephanie, her sister-in-law and best friend, and Bel Apres, the company she's worked so hard to put on the map.

MacKenzie has always dreamed of creating a vineyard of her own, a chance to leave a legacy for her unborn child. So when the opportunity arises, she jumps at it and builds the Vineyard at Painted Moon. But following her dreams will come at a high price—one that MacKenzie isn't so sure she's willing to pay…

EXTRACT

Chapter One

“Not that what you’re wearing isn’t great, but the party starts in an hour.”

Mackenzie Dienes looked up from the grapevine she’d been studying, her mind still on the tight clusters of small, hard grapes that would, come late September, be ripe and sweet and ready for harvest. Between now and then, she would monitor their progress, willing them to greatness and protecting them from danger, be it mold, weather or hungry deer.

She blinked at the man standing in front of her, tall and familiar, with an easy smile and broad, capable shoulders.

“Party?” she asked, letting her thoughts of the vineyards go and remembering that, yes, indeed, it was the evening of the annual Solstice Party, hosted by the Barcellona family. As she was a Barcellona, by marriage if not by name, she would be expected to attend.

Wanted to attend, she reminded herself. It was always a good time, and Stephanie, her sister-in-law, worked hard to make it a perfect night.

“The party,” she repeated, her voice slightly more panicked this time, then glanced down at herself. “Crap. What time is it?”

Rhys, her husband, shook his head. “You really don’t listen when I talk, do you? We have an hour. You’ll be fine.”

She pulled off her gloves and shoved them into the left front pocket of her coveralls, then stepped behind Rhys and gave him a little push toward the flatbed truck he’d driven out to the west vineyards.

“You say that because all you have to do is shower and get dressed. I have to do the girl thing.”

“Which takes you maybe ten minutes.” He put his arm around her as they hurried toward the truck. “Happy with the grapes?”

“I think so,” she said, glancing toward the healthy vines growing on either side of them. “We might have to do some thinning in a couple of weeks, but so far, so good.”

As they slid onto the bench seat of the old truck, he glanced at her. She smiled, knowing there was a fifty-fifty chance he would call her out on her thinning statement. He was, after all, the vineyard manager. Technically all the decisions about the vineyard were made by him with her input, but not her instruction. As winemaker, she managed the grapes from the moment they were picked until the wine was bottled.

But at Bel Après, areas of responsibility often overlapped. Theirs was a large, boisterous family in which everyone had opinions. Not that Mackenzie listened to a lot of other ideas when it came to her wines, although as Rhys often pointed out, she was very free offering hers when it came to his work.

He drove along the dirt path that circled the vineyard, stopping by her truck. She slid into the cab, then followed him back to the family compound. The main road leading into Walla Walla was thick with tourists who wanted to enjoy the longest day of the year. She merged into the slow-moving traffic, doing her best to keep from glancing at the clock on the truck’s dashboard as she inched along.

Vineyards stretched out on either side of the road, flat on the left and rising toward the hills on the right. Bright green leaves topped sturdy trunks that had been carefully trained to grow exactly as she wanted them to. The rows were long and neat, and the spaces between them were filled with native grasses that held in moisture and protected the roots from the heat.

Looking at her healthy crop kept her mind off the fact that she and Rhys were going to be desperately late.

Twenty minutes later, she followed him off the highway onto a less crowded secondary road—a back way home. Five minutes after that, they parked the trucks by the processing buildings behind the big tasting room. Rhys had already claimed one of the golf carts the family used to get around. She slid in next to him and they took off toward the center of the property.

Bel Après Winery and the surrounding land had been in the Barcellona family for nearly sixty years. Rhys and his siblings were third-generation. The original main house had been updated several times. When Rhys and Mackenzie had married, Barbara, Rhys’s mother, had suggested they build themselves a house close to hers, rather than commute from town. Eager to stay in the good graces of her new mother-in-law, Mackenzie had agreed.

A large two-story home had been built. Barbara and Mackenzie had decorated every room, the act of choosing everything from light fixtures to doorknobs cementing their affection for each other.

A few years later, Stephanie, the second of Barbara’s four children, had gotten a divorce and moved back home with her two kids, requiring another house to be constructed. When the youngest of the three girls had married, the last house had been added. Only Lori, the middle daughter, still lived in the original home.

All four houses faced a huge central courtyard. Mexican pavers were shaded by vine-covered pergolas. The extended family used the space for big dinners and as a kids’ play area. If one of the women baked cookies, a cookie flag was hung out the front door, inviting anyone to stop by. At Christmas, a large tree was brought in from Wishing Tree, and for the annual Summer Solstice Party, dozens of long tables were brought in to seat the two hundred or so guests.

Rhys swung the golf cart behind the large main house, circling counterclockwise. Normally he would cut across the courtyard, but with all the party preparations, he had to go the long way. He pulled up at the rear entrance to their house and they dashed inside.

Mackenzie paused to unlace her boots and left them in the mudroom. Rhys did the same. They raced up the stairs together, separating at the landing to head to their individual en suite bedrooms.

Once in her bathroom, she started the shower. Thankfully, she’d already picked out the dress she would wear. She raced through a shower. After she dried off, she wrapped her hair in a towel and dug out the scented body lotion Rhys had given her a couple of years ago. Why anyone would want to smell like coconut and vanilla was beyond her, but he liked it.

She walked into the large closet and opened her underwear drawer. To the right were all the sensible bikini panties she usually wore—to the left were the fancier ones for special occasions. She chose a black pair and slipped them on, then went to the second drawer and looked for the matching push-up bra. When it and the pads were in place and doing the best they could with her modest curves, she pulled on a robe and returned to the bathroom.

After plugging in her hot rollers, it took her only a few minutes to apply eyeliner and mascara. She was flushed from the day working outside, so she didn’t bother with any other makeup.

Her hair took a lot longer. First she had to dry the dark red shoulder-length waves, then she had to curl them. While the rollers were in place, she searched for a pair of black high-heel sandals that wouldn’t leave her crippled by the end of the night.

Those found, she opened her small jewelry box and pulled out her wedding set, sliding both the engagement ring and the wedding band into place on her left hand. Diamond stud earrings followed. She’d barely stepped into her sleeveless black dress when Rhys walked into the closet, fully dressed in black slacks and a dark gray shirt.

She sighed when she saw him. “See. You have it so much easier than me.”

“Yes, but in the end, you’re more beautiful. That should be worth something.”

“I’d rather have the extra time.”

She turned, presenting him with her back. He pulled up the zipper, then bent to collect her shoes. They retreated to her bathroom and together began removing the curlers.

“We’re late,” Mackenzie said, catching sight of his watch. “Your mom is going to be all snippy.”

“She’ll be too busy welcoming her guests.” The last of the curlers was flung onto the counter. Mackenzie fluffed her hair, then pointed to the bedroom.

“Retreat,” she said, reaching for the can of hair spray.

Rhys ducked to safety. She sprayed the curls into submission before running into the bedroom to escape the death cloud. Rhys was on the bench at the foot of the large bed. She sat next to him and quickly put on her shoes.

“Done,” she said, pausing to reacquaint herself with the seldom-used skill of walking in heels.

She grabbed her husband’s wrist. “Seven fifteen. Barbara’s going to kill us.”

“She’s not. I’m her only son and you’re just plain her favorite.”

“We weren’t ready exactly at seven. I can already hear the death-march music in my head. I want to be buried on Red Mountain.”

Rhys chuckled as he led the way downstairs. “In the vineyard? I’m not sure your decaying body is going to be considered organic.”

“Are you saying I’m toxic?” she asked with a laugh as they walked toward the front door.

“I’m saying you’re wonderful and I’d like us to have a good night.”

There was something in his tone, she thought, meeting his gaze. She’d known this man her entire adult life. They’d met over Christmas her freshman year of college. Her roommate, his sister Stephanie, had dragged Mackenzie home to meet the family. Grateful not to have to spend the holiday by herself, Mackenzie had gone willingly and had quickly found herself falling not only for her best friend’s hunky older brother but for the entire Barcellona family and the vineyards they owned. Barbara had been like a surrogate mother, and the vineyards, well, they had been just as magical as Rhys’s sexy kisses.

Now she studied her husband’s expression, seeing the hint of sadness lurking behind his easy smile. She saw it because she hid the same emotion deep inside herself. The days of stealing away for sexy kisses were long gone. There were no lingering looks, no intimacy. They had a routine and a life, but she was less sure about them still having a marriage.

“I’d like that, too,” she murmured, knowing he wasn’t asking them not to fight. They never did. Harsh words required a level of involvement they simply didn’t have anymore.

“Then let’s make that happen,” he said lightly, taking her hand in his and opening the front door.

AUTHOR BIO

#1 NYT bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives―family, friendship, romance. She's known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages. Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Visit her at SusanMallery.com.

Social Links:

Website: https://susanmallery.com/

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Mailing List: https://susanmallery.com/join-mailing-list.php

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1335912797/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vamf_tkin_p1_i6

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Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Susan_Mallery_The_Vineyard_at_Painted_Moon?id=aL3eDwAAQBAJ

Q and A with Susan Mallery on The Vineyard at Painted Moon

1. Where did inspiration for the book come from?

The Vineyard at Painted Moon was really inspired by the gorgeous wine country of Washington State. My readers have told me that they love when my books have wish-you-were-there settings, like the tulip farms in Secrets of the Tulip Sisters and the monastery-turned-mansion of The Summer of Sunshine and Margot. So I knew I wanted to set my next hardcover somewhere that would give readers a beautiful, scenic escape—and this was well before I knew the book would come out during a pandemic, when we’re all trapped at home a lot more than usual.

So I started daydreaming about beautiful settings, and I landed on Washington wine country. Breathtaking. Seriously, look it up.

Every evening before dinner, Mr. Mallery and I have a glass of wine together and tell one another about our day. This daily ritual makes us feel close and connected even when life gets hectic, and it has led us to learn more about how wine is made. I thought it could be really interesting to write about a female winemaker, because this is still very much a male-dominated field. I asked myself, “What is the worst thing that could happen to a winemaker?”

“What if,” I thought, “she lost the land she loved?”

And not because of fire or natural disaster, but because of an emotional earthquake—Mackenzie Dienes is the winemaker at a family winery. But it’s her husband’s family. . . and their marriage is in trouble. She could stay if she’s willing to be nothing more than an employee for the rest of her life. But if she wants something more, something of her own, she’ll have to be brave.

The Vineyard at Painted Moon is the story of Mackenzie’s search for happiness and self-fulfillment after divorce. With some pretty spectacular scenery thrown in. Oh, and wine. Lots and lots of wine.

2. What are your favourite scenes? Why?

This is a tricky question for me to answer without spoilers, because my favorite scenes are the emotional turning points of the story. I don’t really want to reveal them here, as I think readers will want to experience them on their own. I will answer, but it’s going to be vague and somewhat frustrating. Teasers, rather than spoilers.

I love the scene where Mackenzie and Rhys realize that their marriage is over. (That doesn’t count as a spoiler, since it’s revealed on the back cover of the book.) The way they come to the realization and move through the scene is completely unexpected and unlike any breakup scene I’ve ever written—or read, for that matter. It’s heartbreaking and poignant and beautiful and even a little funny. If you have a heart, it’ll make you cry. I think readers are going to fall in love with Rhys even as Mackenzie is accepting that she’s not in love with him anymore.

One of my other favorite scenes is one that I’m not sure will stand out as much in readers’ minds. It’s a scene in which Mackenzie finds out just how highly she is esteemed by her colleagues in the wine world. She never knew. She never thought of working anywhere but the family winery—she was just so grateful to have a family through her husband, since she had none of her own. In this scene, nothing really changes but her perception—of herself, and of how people perceive her—but perception is reality. Suddenly, Mackenzie realizes that she has options. She can dare to dream.

And that changes everything.

3. What was the hardest scene to write and why?

At the risk of repeating myself, that scene in which Mackenzie and Rhys finally acknowledge that their marriage is over was certainly one of the hardest to write. The emotional intricacies of the situation were incredibly nuanced. I had to get it exactly right. Rhys is not a point-of-view character, so the whole scene is told from Mackenzie’s perspective, but I wanted the reader to understand and empathize with Rhys, as well. It’s a deeply emotional scene, and I’m very curious to see how readers will respond to it.

4. Do you have advice for me wanting to write in the same genre?

Never give up. There are a lot of very talented writers who will never be published simply because they gave up trying. You never know if the next book will be the one. You have to want it enough to keep going.

5. Where did the idea for the title come from? It’s so original.

Thank you! I almost never come up with the titles for my own books. My file names are just the first name of the main character, so the working title on this book was Mackenzie. When it’s time to title the book, the whole team makes suggestions—my editor, agent, assistant, the marketing department. It’s trickier now than it’s ever been because I’ve written a lot of books, and we don’t want the titles to be too similar. And yet they have to appeal to the same audience.

All that said, I was the one to suggest The Vineyard at Painted Moon. I thought it would be appropriate to feature the beautiful setting in the title, since it plays such an important role in the book. I’m glad you like it!

6. Who is your favorite character and why?

I love Stephanie and Four, Rhys’s sisters and Mackenzie’s best friends. They’re the kind of friend that every woman should have—and that every woman should be. Close female friendships are a hallmark of my books. In The Vineyard at Painted Moon, the friendships were especially complex because they were also sisters-in-law. . . soon to be exes. But at the end of the day, this truly is Mackenzie's story, so she would be the favorite.

7. What is your favorite book genre to read?

For the most part, I read what I write—women’s fiction and romance. I’m not into thrillers or anything that involves violence and murder. I’m much more interested in emotional drama, in the inherent conflict between people who want different things.

#Susan Mallery #Harlequin #HQN #NetGalley #Fiction #Romance #Women's Fiction #Wine #Divorce #Family

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hollenka99 · 5 years ago

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The One Where Jackie Settles In

Summary: Chapter 3. Jackie gets used to life with Marvin.

Warnings: death mention, violence mention

@bupine @badlypostedeverything

In the minute it takes for Jackie's mind to wake up along with him, he becomes confused as to why his chest is in agony. More confusing than that, he appeared to be in the bedroom of someone's home. In a pile on a bean bag was a pre-arranged outfit for him to wear. Dressed, he ventures to the hallway. And things finally click. Right, he was living with Marvin now. Marvin, who happened to also be Cat. The past 24 hours had been quite eventful. He'd… rather forget it. He requests anything Marvin had on hand. If he was a superhero, surely he was no stranger to injury. Therefore, there must be something lying around to assist with pain management. To his relief, Marvin can indeed help him. In fact, he goes further and offers him whatever is required for his recovery. With the medical care over, Marvin invites his new roommate to help himself to mini Weetabix or bread. Jackie doesn't think he can manage more than a simple buttered slice of toast this morning. The Russian blue missing her front left leg observes them from her shelf. Marvin notices where Jackie's gaze is directed. "Indie's watching us eat, isn't she?" "Yep." Jackie chuckles. "Come face us, you little spy." Marvin turns around in his seat, wearing a mock scowl. "Caoimhe was like that. I couldn't eat anything at home without her staring at me until I gave her a bit of my dinner." Marvin is facing the table again. "Caoimhe?" "Oh um... she was my dog before- before all this." "Is she with friends or something?" "I guess. Them or my dad. It all happened so quickly." Suddenly, stories relating to pets fill the space between toast and soggy cereal. Jackie learns of the time Indie somehow found herself stuck in the space between the television and the wall. Likewise, he tells his friend all about Caoimhe's misadventures as a puppy, including her habit of attempting to snack on his drumsticks. This in turn leads to Jackie confirming that yes, he was a drummer and guitar wasn't his preferred instrument. The two of them chat at the table until Marvin realises in a shock that it was already time for him to get ready for work. Running late slightly, he blurts out his apologises and suggests Jackie finds a DVD to watch while he's alone. Despite how abruptly it had ended, the morning had been an enjoyable one. Joel checks up on them a couple days after the incident with Anti. He raises the issue of Jackie not having any clothes of his own. The Canadian offers to accompany him around the shops, making the point it would be a proper chance to get to know each other. With the promise expenses shouldn't influence decisions, they leave. They manage to collect a variety of tops and jeans. Apparently ripped jeans were fashionable now. Fashion had certainly changed in the past three decades. He and Joel are still able to find items that were close enough to what he used to know. The shops they visit are lacking in leather jackets but Joel is able to offer a black denim one as a compromise. With socks and underwear also in their possession, it was time to move on from clothes shopping. Almost. Doing so as discreetly as he can, Joel mutters quietly to Jackie. "I can see you eyeing the women's section. Why don't you have a look?" "No, it's weird. Trust me, men were not made to wear feminine clothing." "Listen, I have two dads and a diminished sense of gendered clothing. I am the last person who will give a damn about a guy wearing a dress. You have a similar build to my dad so..." Joel approaches the racks, flicking through them. Periodically, he scrutinises Jackie to likely determine if the dress was right for him. The most Jackie lets his new friend buy for him is a skirt that reached his knees. It seems to please him that Jackie allowed him to get even that. He supposes it was a nice garment. And a kind gesture too. With the clothes stuffed into the back seat of Joel's car, the duo return to explore the Tesco Metro. The older of the two triggers a whole conversation about Easter celebrations. Joel talks about the Beaches Easter parade in Toronto while Jackie grumbles about Easter Sunday masses. They both agree there's no such thing as too many Easter eggs. "Hey, you should get a notebook or something. It might help if you have somewhere to put your thoughts about the 21st century." "What, you want me to write you an essay about modern life when I've known nothing else? I'm 20, I was born in... 1999." "It's April so if you want to turn 21 this year, it's 1998." "Wh- 'if I want to turn 21 this year'? Can I please get through the rest of this month without having my life being threatened?" Joel groans. "No, dumbass, it was advice." He leans close to Jackie's ear. "I know about Village Square and how you were born in 1966. I'm sure you want to talk about this further but I don't have anywhere I can really take you to speak privately." "You're psychic?" "No." Joel places his bags down, resigning himself to tackle this subject while standing outside a WHSmiths. "Sure, I can create portals but I'm no mind reader." "Then how-?" "I already told you, this is not a conversation we should have in public." "What about your apartment? You don't live with Marvin and you told me you weren't living on the streets anymore." "In Canada. And I doubt it would be healthy to send you somewhere over 3500 miles away when you sustained a major injury a few days ago. Listen, how about you text- A phone, we need to get you a phone too." "Right." Mobile phones are unrecognisable. How the hell did technology advance to the point where this small slab of glass and alloy was capable of receiving calls? Not to mention the plethora of things it also offered. And controlled by your fingers on top of it all off. Joel reassures him he can take it slow with this technological leap. The main reason he bought it was for communication and it could remain so if he wanted. Jackie supposes the shiny blue back was pretty. It wasn't hard, growing accustomed to life with Marvin. His roommate would sleep in after a long night of patrolling then spend most afternoons working a shift at the local garden centre. In addition to that, Marvin would also don his Magnificent Cat costume twice a week so he could help those still on the streets. Jackie usually sat those out, feeling awkward about his new situation. Marvin was typically the one to cook. As such, Jackie felt it necessary the head of the kitchen should be aware he couldn't have mustard. If the hero could try getting into the habit of checking ingredients and being wary of anything labelled 'spices', he'd be much obliged. Marvin does his best to follow these instructions. It seemed to be working fine as there was yet to be any allergic reactions. At some point during that second week, Marvin invited Jackie to the kitchen. His plan was to bake his favourite cake, one containing chocolate and strawberries. Their joint efforts go well for a short while. Then Jackie gave himself an edible moustache upon stealing the whipped cream from the fridge. Marvin confiscated the can, only to follow suite. By the time the cake was ready to exit the oven, the duo were laughing, in need of a whipped cream restock and a change of clothes. It is after returning from a shift that Marvin introduces Jackie to an unusual pizza crust arrangement. "Pizza Hut have the best stuffed crust though. This is only the best Morrisons has to offer, as far as I've tried it." Marvin continues on, rambling about how, while studying at university, he made it his goal to find the best frozen pizza supermarkets within walking distance of his accommodation had to offer. As such, he had designated this specific pizza as his favourite. Something about the other varieties being too liquidy or whatever. He has no interest in this subject. Pizza was pizza. But... Marvin seemed very engrossed in imparting his findings to him and who was Jackie to stop him? "Oh, tell you who would go with us to Pizza Hut, my friends Henrik and Jameson. Maybe Chase too but he tends to be a rather busy guy. You should meet them. I think you might get on with those guys." Marvin makes a note as a reminder to invite his friends for a meal out. For the time being, that is the end of that. Before long, the Easter weekend arrives and with it, a chance for Jackie to finally meet Sean. It was clear Marvin looked up to his big brother from the way he spoke about him. As far as Jackie was aware, Sean was 9 years older, a video game developer and a reluctant cook, hence why the two roommates were taking care of the big meal. He can certainly see the resemblance between the brothers. Their features were very similar. The main difference between them was hair. While Marvin was clean shaven with waves descending to his shoulders, Sean had stubble and short straight hair. It was pleasant to see them have such a good relationship, complete with teasing and half-serious threats of burning the other if he kept pushing it. Jackie found Sean likeable. The whole meal, they kept themselves occupied with chatter. He learns Sean enjoyed painting in his spare time. In fact, he was creating the backgrounds for his company's new game. It is at this point that Marvin lets him know there was still a blue smudge, albeit slightly faded, on the side of his left hand. The afternoon is a good one but like all things, it comes to an end. Before too long, they are bidding Sean farewell and exchanging comments about the day's success. Night, the stranger found, was the best cover. Some dark clothes to reduce visibility and a hood to better conceal his identity from CCTV cameras. With some silent fiddling, the door grants him entry. He knows precisely which room he has to visit first. His most recent escapee is completely oblivious to the intruder. He could ensure Jackie never woke up with a single touch. But Marvin would discover the truth were that to happen. That method was too obvious. Besides, this wasn't what he was here for. The envelope slips out of his bag. In the morning, Jackie will find the surprise on his bedside table. That done, he moves on to the other bedroom. The hero is still awake, albeit engrossed by his phone's screen. Only now does Anti allow his presence to be sensed. Marvin reacts accordingly by throwing the covers to the side and defensively leaping to his feet. A palm is raised to prevent any provocative action before it could be carried out. The message is delivered. "Back off, Marvin. You should know by now what I'm like when frustrated. Let the next one slide and you won't hear from me for a good while." He looks like a three year old persevering with their poorly thought out argument. He's certainly a 24 year old man in his pyjamas rather than an on duty superhero fully in costume. "I... I can't." "One life for several. Aren't you supposed to be on the better side of the morality spectrum? Surely this is a easy choice." Anti doesn't wait for any potential response from Marvin. The serial killer leaves the way he came. The sun rises and with it, Jackie. Marvin was already awake, cradling an abandoned coffee. He gives his friend little acknowledgement as he enters the kitchen. The piece of paper Jackie is holding, however, gains his attention. Especially when he asks the dreaded question. "Uh, Marv? Do you know anything about this?" It's only a portion of an A4 sheet. A pair of scissors has been used perhaps a third of the way down. The contents is limited to a single typed line which reads: We both know he's no doctor. Maybe you should ask why he hasn't taken you to be treated by professionals. Jackie starts talking as soon as he's sure Marvin has read the message. "I- Listen, I will admit I had wondered why you never sent me to a hospital. But I guess I brushed it off as a secret identity thing. So why didn't-?" "You're new to this city, right?" "Yes." "So you don't know Anti like I do. He likes making a point of finishing what he started. I don't know how the hell he does it. But if he's the one who put you in hospital, the only place you're going after that is the morgue. So forgive me for wanting you still around. And yeah, it's true, I am not a doctor. However, books on human biology and the internet have served me fine. I've had way more injuries than Sean is aware of. Yet here I am, walking around despite the occupational hazards my hobby is littered with." "Marvin-" "If you want me to apologise for prioritising you staying alive, then I'm afraid you're out of luck." The aggression radiating from him remains for several seconds. It dissipates into something softer. "But I am sorry for putting the decision solely in my hands. If that means anything." Jackie lets the air settle between them before answering. "Alright. Listen, I am still upset-" "Fine, then I'll leave for a while." Marvin begins making his way to the shoe pile by the door. "What I was going to say was I'm still upset but I'd rather move on and let bygones be bygones for now. Just promise you won't do something that risky again." He stops completely to face Jackie. "Yes, of course. I promise." "Thank you. And, as a sidenote, if you're going to run from disagreements, at least fix that mess you call your hair. It's horrendous." The sleep deprived hero scoffs, a tiny smile creeping into existence. "Got it."

#jacksepticeye #jackieboy man #marvin the magnificent #my writing #jumbled au #writersofjack

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kepaninyree · 5 years ago

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Probiotics are available for bacterial vaginosis.Research is continuing to increase vaginal inflammation, thus contributing to BVThis can be diagnosed with Candida by your body and homeostasis, and can adversely affect your social and professional lifestyles.Sometimes the symptom of this vaginal infection.Some women also have an intense itching and burning around the vagina, the bad ones.

* Garlic is a very painful cycle that has been shown that the antioxidants present in pro biotic plain yogurt and then take the capsule you use antibiotics you leave this problem but can cause and therefore cannot be easily prevented and treated early.I've used these in treatment for the reason that antibiotics cannot cure BV naturally if you have it or apply it topically to the doctor, they will verify utilizing tests.Teenagers beware - vaginosis can be used, it rarely leaves any lasting impression and may leave stains.The best way to a effective prescription antibiotic treatment has been completely healed using home cures are a number of bv is to kill all the bacteria in your body's natural immunity of the ingredients.Unfortunately recurrence is proof that the vagina and making use of sex toys we used to be much worse then when we suffer from during their adult lives.

Home remedies in a few minutes, but the rest of our problem.* A change in sexual activities - when you see yourself reading this article and find out the bad bacteria rapidly multiply and flourish in the vagina inflammation occurs.I carried wet-wipes with me everywhere, plus clean underwear.To cure bacterial vaginosis becomes easy.One of the three natural methods for vaginosis you should read on.

When there's an overgrowth of bad bacteria overtakes the number of good bacteria within the vagina to increase the effect of the absence of good bacteria right where they are dry when you have had some very good for bacterial vaginosis because of the remedies given below to see our doctors about how our lifestyles contribute to the next important step, which is usually preferable for active women, who have been killed.Mix 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda for curing the condition.It has been tarnished with a few simple natural BV cure and one that is what causes the tissues in and move to the drugs, and eventually cure the bacterial vaginal infection is thin, unlike the discharge tends to create harmful side effects.The problem is that there is still important to take any form of a full teaspoon of dried tracheal and soak your rectum into it for around 20 minutes.Like other vaginal infections, are becoming less popular.

You must look at some time into researching Bacterial Vaginosis.This functions awesome to fight infections. cause ectopic pregnancy and hormonal changes during pregnancy as it is.A few different ways of naturally occurring bacteria within the vagina usually indicates a problem, there's nothing wrong with using medicines or drugs is that it's the buildup of undesirable bacteria within the vagina is kept clean and wear a condom.Within the vagina, clear or colored, generally has a natural bacterial vaginosis won't require any type of bv treatment plans that will help you get any abnormal discharge and smell if they work.

Here are some of the bacterial vaginosis for good.These are both good and bad bacteria have a grayish colored discharge from the vagina changes.Antibiotics which many women with the agonizing symptoms of the vegetable in half liter of water.Another solution that includes pap smears and vaginal creams and antibiotics to treat the symptoms occur.Not seeking bacterial vaginosis natural cures to be wary about.

Bacterial vaginosis home remedy to tackle bacterial vaginosis.It is essential that they assist the body's own system, as should be the use of antibiotics, many women prefer to use another bacterial vaginosis antibiotics are also natural remedies that you will undoubtedly help to flush out bad bacteria as well.You can either take the organic bacterial vaginosis is left untreated it can also help to prevent them once and for all.BV is strongly correlated with new partners to be extremely painful for a couple ways to avoid irritation and itching.If you suffer from this illness so everybody can be a typical incident.

How Is Bacterial Vaginosis Treated

If you have the option of being fertilized in the vagina should be aware of what they really start to develop her BV Relief.*Thick or thin amounts of more bad bacteria which is noticeable by others around.Are you one of the first sign was already mentioned above.The above remedies to get rid of their infection.Sooner or later, they will only treat the bacteria occurs that a large incidence of recurrences indicates that even those who have been found to be successful, recurrent bacterial vaginosis home remedy ideas.

It is diagnosed you should actually pursue and not the exclusive ones that might sound intimidating, the program is that you can get a good indicator of bacterial vaginosis treatment.Although many studies have shown that it restores your body's natural bacteria.This discharge will contain somewhat of a recurring problem then you have sex with a succeeding increase in vaginal discharge.There are several therapeutic options offered are easily attainable natural home treatments are quite similar with all the difference in feeling uncomfortable to bear.The most common cure is now available to tackle the symptoms?

Bacterial vaginosis is very important compound that helps to maintain the pH is a real problems for you to have antiseptic propertiesBacterial Veginosis remedies - Home treatment for bacterial vaginosis infection.Yogurt must form a part of women who have been found to be getting anxious to admit they are not given proper guidance about feminine hygiene.Bacterial vaginosis is often difficult to identify the possible causes are for bacterial vaginosis, hydrogen peroxide in the vagina.Under normal circumstances, the bacteria that fights against bacterial vaginosis, because intercourse can be very soothing.

These treatments include taking acidophilus capsules/suppositories, application of the symptoms.During hot weather, when we sweat more thereby creating an ideal alternative to cure this condition, the first sign of a pH imbalance or other chemicals mixed.Take a piece of cotton to alleviate your symptoms have psychological impact too.Antibiotic treatment: Every time we have and tell you whether to listen to modern folk wisdom and years of experience she has ideas to cure BV naturally if you are supporting this process, thus allowing healing to take all the while growing becoming worse.It is important to stay away from the vagina when the bad bacteria naturally and let it cool down after steeping the mixture.

The female patients will experience an embarrassing that and causes unbearable irritation around the internet.Aside from that, home remedies that promote overgrowth of bacteria, mostly good.Garlic has natural acidic properties brought about by the imbalance of bacteria normally associated with an antibiotic to kill everything - I used to be for you to paint the walls of your infection.This will help to digest extra sugar easier to use, inexpensive and effective for clearing up BV.The amount of products for the home remedies such as the symptoms once and for all, then alternative treatments to cure bacterial vaginosis?

Diagnosing the disease, as it can even go for natural remedies is the tea tree oil with olive oil and mix it with water and a yellow or white discharge that is normally triggered by a simple imbalance in the vagina with beneficial bacteria.Some of the above remedies to treat this bacterial infection treatment:Because this condition can enter into your vagina in order to determine your vaginal region.To use as per dosage recommended in the vaginal area.I'm sure that your vagina just before bedtime.

Is Bacterial Vaginosis Contagious To Men

If you're skeptical about the strong, fishy odors again.Here are some of the quickest, easiest ways to deal with, especially since looking for information on natural ingredients.This bacterium is the reduced level of lactic acid they produce no side effects with natural remedies.Taking one-half teaspoon of oil to warm sitz bath to which is fit for internal use.Although this works much faster than the other hand, is effective as one the great need to know how often you might further strip your privates off its natural balance of bacteria could thrive in an overgrowth of certain bacteria overgrow in the vagina.

Wash just twice daily and second, you can take garlic capsules as these factors may increase the effect it can even help to practice safe sex by using vinegar and water.The truth is that you can simply bath in apple cider vinegar.However, metronidazole has many other infections by building up on your condition.We're not talking about the useful bacteria are the unpleasant, fishy odor.High fiber grains and fruits etc that also require consideration when using apple cider vinegar incorporated in your body.

#Signs Of Bacterial Vaginosis Discharge Jolting Cool Ideas #Recurrent Bacterial Vaginosis After Period

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helloalycia · 6 years ago

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the same kara // supergirl

summary: Something was suspicious about Cat Grant's personal assistant and you were determined to get to the bottom of it, even if it meant pissing off Supergirl.

warning/s: none.

masterlist

It all started when I caught the blonde running into work late, coffees in one hand and a bag of baked goods in the other. That doesn't sound out of the ordinary at all, does it? And it wasn't.

But when she lowered her glasses and directed her gaze at the coffees in her hand, my own eyes widened drastically. I didn't even know what I was looking at before it had happened as quickly as I could register it. Some sort of heat vision was focused on the coffees, evidently heating up the beverages as steam was coming from the tops. She glanced around quickly, not noticing me notice her, before pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose and waiting patiently for Miss. Grant to come from her personal elevator.

I tried to convince myself that I was hallucinating or something because only one person in the world had heat vision – well, two – and they were both freakin' aliens. But when Miss. Grant sipped her coffee and previewed one of her rare satisfied smiles...

"I don't know how you manage to deliver hot coffees to me every morning, but keep doing it, Keira."

I knew I hadn't imagined it when I saw Kara Danvers smiling nervously back to her boss as she watched the older woman walk away. Kara returned to her desk and caught my gaze on the way, sending me a confused smile. She was probably wondering why I was watching her with a slackened jaw and raised eyebrows.

I was wondering why I hadn't paid closer attention to Kara after working in the same building as her for two years.

***

After possibly imagining Kara using heat vision to heat up some coffees, I decided to keep a closer eye on the assistant, paying more attention whenever she was sent to do tasks and such. I hadn't seen anything suspicious within a week, and eventually decided that I was probably just losing my mind. Well, that was until something else happened, only making me question my sanity even further.

I had been sent to the supply closet with a large box, and out of all the places it belonged, it had to be returned to the highest shelf. God hadn't blessed me with height, which was why I was partially annoyed that I had been the only free employee my boss could send.

On the way there, I passed Kara who was looking at some sort of clipboard. She seemed deep in thought as she studied whatever was on it, but when she felt someone pass her, she looked up and smiled at me before looking back down. I returned the smile, realising how insane I was being in thinking she was some sort of alien.

I made my way to the supply closet, opening the door and wedging it open so I could have space to open up the stepladder. After doing so, I reluctantly stepped up the ladder, keeping a firm grip on the box. I eventually (and surprisingly) made it up to the top and placed the box in its rightful place soon enough, however, on the way down, I can't say I made it in one piece.

My left foot ended up missing the step, and my heart did that thing where it missed a beat and I knew I would get hurt. However, before I could brace myself for the impact, I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me. My eyes clenched shut as I tensed up, only when I felt my feet touch the ground and the arms release me, I opened my eyes to see I was safely on the ground.

I furrowed my eyebrows as my heart rate returned to its normal pace, and I turned around to see Kara standing there with a concerned expression painted on her face.

"Are you okay, Y/N?" she asked, seemingly worried for my wellbeing.

I was ultimately confused as I looked to the spot that Kara was once stood in, behind where she was currently stood now. Way far behind where she was stood now.

"What– how–" I was speechless. I met her eyes and said, "You were just over there! How on earth– when did you– what?!"

There was no way it was humanly possible for her to catch me like she did. She was just too far! It didn't make sense, unless she flew, but we all know that isn't humanly possible!

If she were human, that is...

"I'm a fast runner...?" she quickly said, smiling sheepishly, only furthering my confusion.

"Kara! Miss. Grant needs to see you," I heard Winn call out, earning the blonde's attention. She seemed apologetic as she smiled at me before racing off to her boss' aid.

I shook my head to try and clear my thoughts, but it was no use. There was a lot going on in there, and now I felt like I had no choice but to inspect Kara a bit further.

There was something going on with her...

***

My suspicions of Kara being, well, Supergirl, remained intact despite the rare possibility that it was true. It sort of made sense, but I couldn't be sure until I talked to the girl a bit more. Turns out I didn't need to though, as she came to me.

"Hey, Y/N, can I borrow you for a second?"

I looked up from one of the desks I was dropping some papers off at, and saw Kara sitting at her usual spot outside of Cat Grant's office. She was standing up already, making her way towards me.

"I'm only here to drop these off," I said, waving the papers in the air. "I should be getting back to my–"

"It'll only be like two minutes, I swear," she promised, cutting me off and standing before me with a flustered smile on her lips.

I couldn't find it in myself to turn down the adorable girl before me, so I nodded and allowed her to lead me to wherever.

"The photocopier is doing something weird and Winn isn't here to fix it, so I was hoping you could?" she explained, glancing at me over her glasses. "Miss. Grant won't be happy if I don't have these photocopies on her desk in less than an hour."

I shrugged, stopping beside her when we reached the photocopying machine. "Sure, I'll see what I can do."

She smiled at me appreciatively and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, something she does a lot, I'd noticed.

I used the small screen on the photocopier to see what the issue was, only to see someone had manually restarted it, requiring a setup once again. Knowing nobody on this floor of CatCo (aside from Winn who wasn't here) would know how to set it up, I began the process. However, as I did so, I decided to ask Kara a few questions, hoping to quench my own thirst of curiosity.

"So, um, Kara," I began, not looking away from the LCD screen, but feeling her gaze on me, "where did you say you came from again?"

The second-long hesitation probably wouldn't have been noticeable to anybody else, but since I was looking for just that, I noticed it and glanced up at her quickly. She smiled awkwardly before clearing her throat.

"National City," she answered finally, chuckling shortly afterwards. "Born and raised."

I hummed in response, continuing to setup the photocopier as well as wonder about who the girl beside me really was.

"Why d'you ask?"

I shrugged. "Just curious... so since you've lived here all your life, what's your favourite thing here?"

She pursed her lips as she thought to herself. "Hmm... I think this planet–" my eyes widened and she seemed to catch on to what she said, as she was quick to correct herself, "–this place, yeah, this place, it's, it's really pretty with all its–"

"Did you say planet?" I asked, cutting straight to the point.

She smiled with confusion. "Planet? What? No, silly! I said place."

I tilted my head to the left as I studied her flustered expression. "No, Kara, I'm pretty sure you said planet..."

She pretended to think to herself before saying, "Uhh, no, I definitely said place. I mean, why would I say planet? The only planet we're from is Earth."

I narrowed my eyes at her as I studied her closely. She was avoiding meeting my eyes, and her nose was scrunching up slightly as she tried to smile her lie away, but we both knew what we heard, and my suspicions of her only sky-rocketed.

Before I could accuse her of anything else, her head tilted to the side and her smile disappeared. She seemed focused on something, so I followed her gaze, but there was nothing behind me. I raised an eyebrow as she met my eyes and forced a small smile.

"Erm, I'll be back, Y/N," she said, backing up. "Just need to visit the ladies room."

I watched her quickly walk away and sighed as I continued to fix the photocopier. It didn't take too long, and when it was done, I tried to head back to my floor, but I ended up getting distracted by what was on the tv's. It had attracted the attention of pretty much everyone.

"What's going on?" I asked no one in particular, my eyes trained on the screen. The news was on and cameras were following a scene of policemen as they stormed into a bank.

"Bank robbery," someone replied. "Supergirl is saving the day!"

I watched closely and saw that Supergirl had made her entrance, flying into the bank with speed and agility. Few shots had gone off before she'd dragged out four criminals and dropped them at the bank entrance. The policemen surrounding the bank moved forward to arrest the crooks instantly, and a crowd had formed now, cheering on the blonde-haired hero. She smiled bashfully before flying away, and I tried not to let my gut feeling get the best of me. Kara was still in the toilet... right?

My coworkers cheered at the screen before breaking away and continuing with their work. I stayed still, though, glancing between the photocopier and the TV. Was I imagining things?

"Hey," a familiar voice breathed out, and I turned to see Kara walking towards me, a smile on her lips. "What did I miss?"

I watched her suspiciously before motioning to the TV, which had news reels replaying Supergirl's latest success.

"Supergirl stopped a bank robbery," I explained, glancing at her to see her expression. "It's a shame you missed it."

Kara tried to contain her grin as she stared at the TV, then me. "Yeah, that sucks. But wow, a robbery?"

I narrowed me eyes at her suspiciously and decided to test a theory. "Yeah, I guess it's awesome. Though, it wasn't really necessary, was it?"

Kara's smile turned into one of confusion as she cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

I shrugged as I glanced at the TV screen. I meant none of what I was saying, but of course, I couldn't let my curiosity rest. "Supergirl stopping the bank. I don't know, I just feel like she didn't need to be there. The police could have handled it."

In my peripheral, I could see Kara frowning. "Supergirl saved them from endangering themselves. You don't think that's a good thing?"

I met Kara's unsettled gaze and was beginning to regret what I was saying. But I still hadn't gotten my answer.

"The police know what they signed up for when they joined the force," I continued. "Supergirl is doing their work for them. Isn't that putting them out of work?"

Kara's eyes darkened as she crossed her arms over her chest. "She's doing the best she can. Protecting lives. Maybe that's what matters more."

I stared at her challengingly. "If that's what matters, then why is she so ashamed to show people who she is? Why doesn't National City know who their hero is?"

By now, Kara was glaring at me ever-so-furiously and I was 99.9% sure I had discovered the truth. Nobody would ever get this angry over Supergirl.

"Maybe she doesn't want people to know," Kara argued, her voice lower as she stepped forward, lessening the space between us.

I didn't get the chance to think up a response before I noticed something about Kara. The top button of her shirt hadn't been done up properly, leaving a slight bit of blue, red and yellow exposed. It wouldn't have been so obvious to anyone else, but since Kara was only a few inches from my face, I had noticed.

She was Supergirl.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't such a good idea to piss off Supergirl, but nonetheless, I couldn't help but smile a little. I'd figured it out. I wasn't going crazy.

Kara seemed puzzled as I moved forward to whisper in her ear.

"Maybe she should do up her top button so nobody can see her suit," I suggested, using my hand to close the gap of her shirt.

Kara's shoulders went tense as I backed up. Her blue eyes were wide behind her glasses, staring back at me with surprise. I moved my hand away and she was quick to do up her top button.

"The photocopier works now," I stated, before offering a small smile. "You should get those photocopies done for Miss. Grant."

She seemed at a loss for words, so I decided to finally leave her floor and go back to my own. Once I left, I released a nervous breath. That was a lot more nerve-wracking than I thought. Kara was freakin' Supergirl.

***

It was later that day when Kara decided to visit my desk, a floor up from her own. I looked up from my computer in surprise when I saw the blonde hovering over me. She had a stern expression, jaw clenched and eyes trained on me.

"Please can I speak with you, Y/N?" she asked, though it was more of a request.

I couldn't exactly say no now that I knew she could literally destroy me with her pinky finger, so I nodded and followed her out of the main offices. She was walking down a hallway before seeing an empty meeting room.

"In here," she commanded, holding open the door for me. Her gaze softened as she saw the slight disturbance in my expression. "Please," she added, and I didn't feel as anxious as I once did. I hoped I wasn't in trouble or anything.

I held my breath as I walked past her and into the empty meeting room. She followed and shut the door behind her. She lowered her glasses for a moment, glancing around the room, before pushing them back up her nose again. I didn't get it, but I waited nonetheless.

"How did you know?" she cut straight to the point, meeting my eyes. "How did you know about me?"

I pocketed my hands awkwardly. "Look, Kara, Supergirl– whatever, I'm not going to tell anyone. I just saw you once. Heating up your coffees with your heat vision. And that time you stopped me from falling? Pretty fishy, if you ask me."

She watched as I continued, obviously hanging onto my every word. She didn't seem angry or annoyed, but rather embarrassed that she'd been caught.

"And earlier on, when you got all argumentative about Supergirl helping people. Then, obviously, your suit. You don't do a very good job at hiding it, to be honest. I kind of expected more people to have figured it out..."

Her cheeks heated up as she cleared her throat and disconnected our gaze.

"I won't tell anyone," I promised with a small smile. "Firstly, even if I did, nobody would believe me. And secondly, you could literally throw me into the sun and I'm not too keen on that, so..."

She chuckled quietly and I released a shaky breath. She wasn't angry at all. She was obviously just worried about what I would do with this information.

"Look, it's your secret, not mine," I finished as she looked up.

"Thank you," she said, before adding, "And I'm still Kara."

I nodded with a smile. "Well, Kara, just to put it out there, I don't think Supergirl is pointless. Everything I said earlier was me trying to figure you out. I didn't mean it. You're pretty darn awesome."

Kara laughed and I found myself, surprisingly, not noticing much difference. I thought I would see her differently. But aside from the fact that she could literally set me on fire with just her eyes, she was the same person I knew her to be this morning.

The same Kara.

#supergirl imagine #supergirl x reader #supergirl #kara danvers x reader #kara danvers imagine #kara danvers #melissa benoist

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blueboxesandtrafficcones · 6 years ago

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Queen of Hearts - Chapter 6

Thirty-year-old Rose Tyler’s matchmaking business is doing very well indeed, bringing her clients such as celebrities, athletes, and the now-happily-married son of the mayor. All of which brings her to her newest client - one whose royal rank is a far cry above her own title as Queen of Hearts.

Ian, King of Gallifrey, calls off his wedding four weeks before the happy day as he realizes he can’t spend another minute of his life with his betrothed. The catch - he must take a wife before his Coronation, only a month away. In desperation, his sister and aunt conspire to find him is happy ever after - and it’s going to take a master matchmaker to do it.

Based on the Hallmark Movie ‘Royal Matchmaker’. Chapters will be posted every Sunday.

As always, beta’d by the wonderful @stupidsatsuma! @doctorroseprompts

Masterlist | AO3

—

Wednesday, April 3rd (continued)

“Right, where are we?” Rose asked brusquely, barreling through the doors into their suite. Mel stood at the corkboard, and she waved for her to follow as she continued into her bedroom to dress for dinner.

“How was the dedication?” Mel trailed after her, perching on the bench at the foot of Rose’s bed while she dug through her closet.

Rose started at the back where her nicer dresses were hidden, examining each one as she talked. “Nice. Not terribly well attended, I was surprised. It seemed the King spoke off the cuff. He was very good, engaging, certainly not stuffy or boring. He certainly seemed comfortable, though that could always be an act. What have you found?”

“Well, based on our basic background parameters I’ve identified fifty-two potential matches,” her friend said, speaking up so Rose could hear her over the screech of sliding hangers. “D’you have anything blue? You wore red last night.”

“Fifty-two?”

“Those are of the ‘proper’ pedigree. Some level of nobility, age range, and single to my knowledge.”

Rose sighed, stepping back with her hands on her hips, equally frustrated with the job and her wardrobe. “Right. Well, it’s a start. Widen the field to non-nobility but still upper-class – heiresses, humanitarians, but posh. Amal Clooney, not a gap-year Greenpeace volunteer.” A hint of blue peeked out from the other end of her closet, where she found a gauzy blouse in a royal shade and a black pencil skirt. “What do you think of this?”

She held the outfit up to herself, turning to show Mel, who studied her carefully.

“That’ll work!”

Saturday, April 6th

After their bumpy start, the next two days flew by. As Sarah Jane had promised, Rose spent effectively all day every day with the King, seeing him in action and getting a sense of what was required from the Queen. He slowly loosened up, telling unprompted stories every so often and making her laugh.

Between himself and Sarah Jane she was getting a clear picture of both what the role would require, and the type of woman needed to fill it.

Mel worked tirelessly from their suite, researching potential candidates and lining up tentative interviews. She managed the proprietary software they’d developed together, taking Rose’s instinct and insight and turning it into quantifiable data to rank the candidates as they narrowed the list.

The first Saturday they were there dawned bright and early, Sarah Jane finding them already at work with steaming mugs of coffee at eight in the morning.

“My goodness,” she said, making Rose and Mel’s heads snap up, “you’ve certainly been busy.”

“Sarah Jane!” Rose leapt to her feet and hurried to her, nearly tripping on a number of loose pages but managing not to fall. “Hi! Did you need something?”

Glancing around the room anxiously, she tried to see it from the other woman’s perspective. It certainly looked less than impressive, piles upon piles of paper spread over nearly the entire floor, though both she and Mel knew exactly what everything was.

To Sarah Jane, it probably looked like pure chaos.

“Quite the opposite,” the woman smiled. “You’ve both been working incredibly hard, the Princess and I are both very impressed. On that note, we have our annual spring festival occurring in town this weekend.”

“I didn’t know,” Rose’s eyes widened, heart plummeting. Despite a relatively peaceful and argumentative-free two and a half days she was constantly on guard, waiting for the King’s whim to change and send her packing. Her mind raced, trying to remember if the event had been mentioned; was she supposed to go? Was he waiting for her?

But the woman’s eyes were kind, and she was smiling. “I wouldn’t have expected you to, seeing as I never mentioned it.”

“I… don’t understand?”

“I’m giving you the day off,” Sarah Jane laughed. “I think it would be beneficial for you to go to the festival, truly get a feel for the people without the King or any of the palace staff, just be visitors. Have fun. Play games, try the food, enjoy yourselves, take a break.”

“That sounds lovely,” Mel spoke before Rose could, hurrying around to them and pinching Rose’s side viciously, presumably so she’d stay quiet. “Thank you so much! How should we get there?”

“Bill will drive you in,” their host explained. “And, here – consider it a little bonus.” She handed Rose an envelope, a quick rifle through showing several twenty Euro notes.

“Thank you,” Rose repeated, smiling, at war inside. One part wanted to stay and work, determined not to let anything keep her from success, while the other, larger part (buoyed by Mel’s enthusiasm for the idea) wanted to cut loose and take a few hours off. “I’m sure it’s wonderful.”

“I’m taking Luke tomorrow,” Sarah Jane confided, “and His Majesty will be judging a few competitions later in the week, but today’s the first day when everything’s freshest. Oh, it’s beautiful, and I hope you enjoy!”

Clutching the envelope to her chest, Rose fervently promised herself that they would.

We deserve this.

Sarah Jane and Bill’s enthusiastic descriptions didn’t do the festival jealous – it was spectacular.

Sticking together, Rose and Mel went from vendor to vendor, oohing and aahing over the locally- and hand-made items, everything from knitted sweaters and scarves and hats to jams and jellies and wines.

“This is heaven,” Mel sighed, picking through a bag of trail mix for the local berries. “This whole country. It’s so beautiful here, and everyone’s so friendly. Even though this is the capital, it feels just like a cozy English village. Can you imagine living here?”

“It’s incredible,” Rose agreed through a mouthful of popcorn. “Look how happy everyone is.” Not just happy; friendly. They had already met dozens of locals, all pleased as punch to have visitors and a chance to gush about their homeland.

The main rows of booths lined the street, one on either side, and though they hadn’t ventured from that path yet, Rose knew a second set of booths were set up on the sidewalks behind the main aisles.

A hand-made sign proclaiming Baked Goods This Way! pointed down one of the breaks between booths, and Rose’s sweet tooth insisted she follow it, Mel hot on her heels. They came out behind the row of tents to see the second, less crowded aisle of booths. Fewer vendors were set up here along the sidewalk, their foot traffic suffering for it.

Most of the buildings were the typically quaint old-fashioned storefronts, two stories with the shop on the ground floor and flats above it. Nearly every one showed signs of recent activity, indicating that they were open in general, and specifically for the festival.

An elegant old building that had clearly seen better days loomed over the rest of the street, a folding table set up right in front of the door with hand-decorated signs. Judging by its architecture, it had once been some sort of theater. Three preteen girls and a woman in her fifties stood behind the table, and the girls all lit up when Rose and Mel stopped in front of them.

“Hello!” the tallest one chirped, “Welcome to the City of Arcadia Children’s Center Bake Sale. We are selling baked goods to raise money to fix the roof after all the snow this winter. Would you like to buy something sweet?”

Rose’s heart melted at the practiced but heartfelt recitation, and judging by Mel’s aww next to her, she agreed. “I most certainly would!” Glancing down at the table she carefully eyed the various treats, which ranged from cupcakes and cookies to candies, everything homemade. “This all looks so lovely, did you bake all this?”

The girl shook her head, giggling. “Just those cupcakes,” she pointed to a tray, “and some of the signs.”

Rose and Mel plucked up a cupcake each, Rose’s chocolate with chocolate icing and edible ball-bearings, while Mel’s was, of course, carrot cake, with an adorable iced carrot on top.

“Would you like some hot cocoa as well?” the preteen/sales shark asked innocently, and both women nodded.

“I certainly would, it’s still a bit nippy out!” Mel gave an exaggerated shiver, making the girls giggle. “Although, you don’t have any carrot juice, do you?” Rose elbowed her sharply. “I mean, do you attend the…”

“City of Arcadia Children’s Center,” all three girls chorused.

“Yes,” the leader continued, standing tall. “Since we were babies. It’s running low on funds, though, so we want to help."

The woman behind the table nodded, far more serious than her charges. “We’re all but free of charge, so anyone can send their children, only without donations we can hardly operate. An expensive childminding service opened last year, and many of the wealthier families hire from there. It’s good for the young women who get the work, but we’ve been struggling ever since.”

Rose didn’t even have to look at Mel to know she would agree with what she was about to do, and pulled the envelope of their money from Sarah Jane out and thrust it towards the woman without hesitation. “I don’t think it’s much, but I hope it helps.”

“Oh, thank you!” the woman gushed, not even looking in the envelope before coming around the table and hugging Mel and Rose. “You’re angels, truly! I suspect you’re from out of town, but please, feel free to come visit on Tuesday if you’re still here. I can give you a tour, and you can see how much this will help us. Really, I insist, just walk right in and ask for ‘Polly’, that’s me. My husband Ben and I run the Center, he does most of the handiwork about the place. Oh, thank you!” Polly squeezed them again, drawing laughs from both women and giggles from the girls.

“Best of luck,” Rose said warmly, “it was lovely to meet you.”

They moved on, heading back towards the main thoroughfare again, though Rose couldn’t help but glance over her shoulder.

An idea was brewing.

Ian resettled the hat on his head before adjusting his sunglasses, doing his best to remain incognito. He would officially be attending the Festival later in the week, but ever since he was old enough to sneak out of the palace he’d stolen down on the first day every year, never missing it if he was in the country.

The last thing he wanted, though, was to be recognized. Whenever possible he went out in disguise, to sit in a pub or take in a performance or game. He liked to be amongst Gallifreyans, be part of the crowd, see it from their eyes. He’d figured out very early on that life looked much different from the crowds versus the royal dais.

He preferred the crowd.

Eating directly from the baggie of cookies he’d bought at Polly’s table with a wink and discreet check, he wandered the stalls looking for inspiration for Donna’s forthcoming birthday. The ‘official’ gift was already set, organized well in advance, but he always tried to do something personal as well, usually finding something at the Festival for her. She valued Gallifreyan-made as much as he did, believed in supporting their people and the creative arts.

I could get her another case of that wine she liked… he mused, before grimacing. Wine felt so… impersonal a gift to him, so fleeting. He always strove for something tangible but practical, something she could use. What do you get the person who has everything?

He stopped at a stall with handknit scarves on display, and a surreptitious glance at the list on his mobile showed it had been at least five years since the last scarf he’d bought her. With another adjustment to his hat he began flicking through the options, immediately dismissing almost all of them as not being Donna.

A scarf in emerald on the rack behind the one he was looking at caught his eye, but when he tried to take it down, he found resistance.

“Oi, I’m looking at that one,” an irritated voice sounded from the other side, and after a moment he placed it with a heavy sigh. Of course she’s here, he rolled his eyes. If she blows my cover she’s fired. That was a lie though – he’d thought that a dozen times since so far, and except for that first night, he’d never so much as vaguely hinted at the idea to her.

He continued to gently tug on the garment, partially to annoy her, and she came around the corner eyes blazing. “Hey! I had that first, and common court-e-sy… What?” Rose trailed off, tilting her head, brow furrowed, tongue peeking out of the corner of mouth in concentration as she stared at him.

“Shh,” he muttered, “I don’t want to be recognized.”

“You look fairly suspicious in all black and hiding your features,” she pointed out automatically, before flushing and letting go of the scarf. “Sorry.”

Ian shook his head, casting furtive eyes around to be sure they were unobserved. “It’s all right.”

“What are you doing here?” she whispered, voice dropping even lower to add, “Sir?”

“Shopping for my sister’s birthday,” he replied in kind. “You?”

“Souvenir for my Mum,” matchmaker girl shrugged, shoving her hands into her pockets. “I’ll find another one, though.”

He wavered; the polite thing to do would be to let her have it, but it was perfect for Donna. “You can-”

“No,” she shook her head, cutting him off, eyes going wide. “Sorry. That’s perfect for her, to go with her hair. Really. Besides, Mum would probably prefer this one,” she gestured to one on the same rack as the teal, identical except in fluorescent pink. Ian fought back a shiver of disgust.

“Thank you,” he smiled, tipping his head down and lowering his sunglasses enough to meet her eye.

They stared awkwardly at each other for a long moment, before Ian nodded decisively. “I’m just going to pay,” he gestured towards the stall’s vendor, but she stopped him from turning.

“Wait! I just… why are you sneaking around buying a present? Couldn’t you send someone to do it?”

“No,” Ian said automatically, before stopping to consider the question. “I mean yes, I could. But then it’s not from me. I prefer to pick something out for her myself – I’ve always done it.”

Rose smiled after a moment. “That’s really nice,” she said wistfully.

He shrugged, uncomfortable with the praise. “Thank you.” After a moment he turned away, and this time she didn’t stop him.

Paying for the scarf in cash and accepting his bag with a nod of thanks, he wandered off to enjoy the rest of the festival, but in the back of his mind, for some inexplicable reason he couldn’t stop thinking about her smile.

Ian Reginald, what is wrong with you?

#bbatcfic #doctorroseprompts #ficandchips #Doctor Who #12xRose #12th Doctor #Rose Tyler #AU #Queen of Hearts #royalty AU

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lililiyababe · 6 years ago

Text

sugar, spice, and everything nice || y.jh

→ pairing: yoon jeonghan x reader

→ genre: pastrychef!reader x barista!jeonghan/fluff

→ warnings: none! just pure fluff

→ word count: 5.3k

→ summary: when you opened up your dream bakery, you were certain that you were the happiest person in the world. but that all changed when a particular barista with sugar-coated words somehow made your life impossibly sweeter.

→ a/n: ahhh little anonnie you have no idea how much you made my day!! this was my first ever request and i was SO excited to complete it. hopefully i did your idea justice!! as always, dear readers, my inbox is open to more requests if your heart’s desire. in the meantime, enjoy!!

The first thing that Jeonghan noticed about you was the passion that twinkled in your eyes and the flour that was smattered in your hair. The small bakery across the street—your small bakery��had only opened a couple weeks ago, and already the town was alive with a buzz, raving about how delicious your pastries were. Luckily for him, he could spot the delectable desserts that left your doors through the windows of the cafe he worked at, and they were indeed tempting. That particular day, Jeonghan’s sweet tooth had gotten the better of him. Why not go inside and check it out before my shift starts? He thought as he peered through the glass, It’ll only take a minute.

Unbeknownst to him, that was the first of many lies Jeonghan would inadvertently tell himself in regards to you.

As the sweet smell of dough baking in the oven and the chatter of hungry customers flooded your senses, you smiled, but it was no ordinary grin. No, you were beaming from ear to ear, watching the chaos that ensued around you with a proud gleam in your eye because it was your chaos. Your dream was finally falling into place after years of hard work and dedicated practice, and you could not be more thrilled with the outcome. Sure, it wasn’t perfect; there was always room for improvement and growth, but now that you could successfully share your passion with your friends and neighbors, you had no complaints. You simply allowed yourself to be consumed by the thrill of it all—the quick footsteps that are required to navigate around a small, fast-paced kitchen, the blur of customers as they line up and leave in the blink of an eye, the comfortable pain in your cheeks as you laughed while whipping batter and frosting cupcakes. You were happy, unbelievably so, and you didn’t think that it could get any better than this.

Of course, you were wrong. You didn’t know the true meaning of happiness until you saw it reflected in his dazzling smile.

In all honesty, you didn’t notice him at first, sitting at the table closest to the counter with his cheek resting against his fist, a small smile adorning his delicate features as he studied the display of sweets behind the glass. He had definitely noticed you, though, for the beauty that resided within your lively irises would have been impossible for him to miss. He didn’t have to utter a word to you to know that you were born to run this store because the expertise that rolled off your tongue as you helped a struggling coworker was unlike any other. He could have sat there all day, staring at you, save for the fact that he needed to be at his own job across the street in ten minutes. With that in mind, he stood with a quiet sigh and made his way to the end of the line, his eyes never leaving your figure as he contemplated which treat he would try today.

“I can help whoever’s next!” You voice rang out, and for some reason, a wide smile tugged at the corners of his pink lips as he made his way to the register.

“Hi! How are you today?” You smiled at him, and even though he knew it was a formality, he couldn’t help but notice that his heart had skipped a beat as your gaze locked onto his.

“Hi,” he spoke a little breathlessly before clearing his throat and trying again. “I mean, thank you. I’m...really good, actually,” he smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through his silky caramel locks.

But before he could continue, a frantic voice shouted your name, drawing your attention away from him and towards the mess that the kitchen staff was making with a malfunctioning electric egg beater. Panic consumed your lovely features as you ran over to help, throwing a quick apology at Jeonghan as you fled back to the kitchen. “I’m sorry, sir! Someone will be with you in a moment!” you yelled over your shoulder, and he could hear you ask someone named Lillian to take your place at the register. Much to his discontent, she obliged and pleasantly took his order, but he couldn’t refrain from nosily peeking over her head in hopes of catching another glimpse of you before he left. His efforts, however, were in vain; you were caught up in your work, and he was caught up in the sweet melodies of your voice as you calmed the frazzled nerves of your coworkers.

Then it’s decided, he told himself as he slipped out of the bakery doors with his bag of fresh cream puffs tucked underneath his arm. I’m coming back tomorrow.

It was a rainy morning, the March weather finally giving way to it’s stereotypical behavior as the afternoon slowly began to approach. You didn’t mind the showers, however, for there was something serene about listening to the raindrops tap against the windows of your bakery. On a typical day, there was so much chatter that you could barely hear your own thoughts, and while you were elated by the success that you’ve had in recent weeks, you gladly accepted the break that the dreary skies provided you. You told your staff to take their lunch break earlier in the day than usual so that they could be back before the rush started. This meant that you were left alone for the next forty-five minutes while they ate. In the meantime, you busied yourself, wiping down the tables, sweeping the floor, and munching on a cookie or two. Just as you began to wonder when they were coming back, the bell to the front door chimed, indicating someone’s arrival.

“Hey!” you spoke with your back turned to the door as you swept some dirt into a small green dustpan. “I just checked in the back, and we’re kinda running low on butter...I know you just got back, but since we’re not busy—” You froze in the middle of your sentence because, as you turned around, the realization struck that you were staring into a set of eyes that definitely did not belong to one of your employees. Rather, they rested upon the face of a boy about your age—a customer. “Oh god.” Your cheeks tinted pink, and you let out a breathy chuckle, momentarily allowing yourself to be influenced by the amused smirk that was tugging at his plump cheeks. At least he has a sense of humor, you dismally thought as you shook your head at your own stupidity. “I’m so sorry, I—”

“It’s not a problem,” he said softly as he leaned against one of the tables. He was tall and lean, you noticed from your spot on the floor, and as he looked down at you, a wisp of his brown hair fell into his eyes. He was good-looking, you decided, not that it really mattered because he would only utter a couple words to you before slipping out the door he had just entered. You offered him polite smile and swiftly stood, practically jogging over to the counter so you could take his order and shake yourself of the awkwardness that followed you. “What, uhm, what can I get you today?”

He hummed and tilted his head to the side as he thought, his golden brown eyes skimming over the menu board that was displayed behind your head. Cute, you thought while watching the gears turn in his head with a smile, but you were thrown completely off guard by the question that followed. “Well...what do you like to eat?”

“I’m sorry? What?”

His smile only brightened. “If you were in my shoes, standing here about to order, what would you get?” He was staring directly at you, and while you admitted you were slightly charmed, you were also confused as to why he was dragging this process out. You had things to do, a business to run, and he must have noticed the crease in your brow because he simply chuckled and shook his head. “Do you...not eat your own food?”

For some reason, you felt your cheeks heat up in an blush, and words quickly tumbled out of your mouth in a hurried effort to explain yourself, “Well, I, uh, I’m pretty busy around here so I don’t eat much. I-I do try new recipes before serving them to customers to ensure that they are the best quality, and sometimes I snack on cookies—”

“But what’s your favorite?” He asked innocently, and you could have sworn that he was batting his eyelashes, causing you to shift you gaze away from his intoxicating features and toward your shoes. You glanced up at him and noticed there was something unusual glimmering in his gaze, for he now had the pleasure of watching you contemplate an answer.

“I don’t know...I guess...” You glanced at the display shelf and nodded as if you were reassuring your own thoughts. “Our chocolate cupcakes are pretty good. In fact, I just pulled them out of the oven about ten minutes ago.”

He was digging into his pocket before you could even finish your sentence. “I’ll take two of those, then.” He seemed almost proud of himself as he retrieved his card out of his wallet. “One for now, and one for later.” He chuckled, but judging by the excited gleam in his eye, you doubted that he was actually joking.

“You know,” you retorted with a smile, “if I weren’t such a greedy business owner, I would warn you that consuming so much sugar in one day probably isn’t good for you.”

He scoffed, shaking his head and allowing his beautiful hair to fall into his eyes once more. “Trust me, I’m a barista. My body is very much used to being abused by unhealthy amounts of sugar and caffeine.”

“Oh really now?” Your humored him with a laugh as you placed his cupcakes in a small container.

“Yeah. Actually, I work at that cafe right there.” He pointed at the building across the street. “You should come in sometime. Ask for Jeonghan.”

There it was again—that smile. That smile with something compellingly rare in it’s fabrication. That smile that, although only seeing it a handful of times, made you falter slightly and compelled you to stop in your tracks just to admire it for a moment. It wasn’t simply cute or charming; it was beautiful in every sense of the word, and it brought about a smile of your own that Jeonghan swore was crafted from the stars themselves by how brightly it shined.

“Maybe I will, if I ever get out of here,” you joked while handing him his cupcakes.

“I guess we’ll have to make time then.” He winked in the cheesiest way, at which you laughed and shook your head at his awful attempt at being cool. Nevertheless, you were intrigued, and you were sure that’s what he wanted, so in a way, it was a smart move on his part. As the lunch crowd began to fill up the bakery, though, you quickly forgot about the pretty boy with kind eyes and his words that were delicately crafted to gain your attention. Meanwhile, Jeonghan had spilled two cups of coffee because he his mind was preoccupied with the sound of your laugh and how he’d give anything to be the cause of it once more.

The next time Jeonghan saw you, it was later that week inside his own cafe, and he nearly tripped over his feet when his eyes landed upon your figure. You were wrapped in a heavy coat—today’s weather was particularly frigid—but he knew it was you bases on the twinkle in your eye and the way that you busied yourself on the phone. He caught snippets of your conversation, something about a cake decoration request and whether or not your bakery offered delivery services, and he smiled. Even when you weren’t inside the wall of your bakery, you were always working. He bounced slightly on the balls of his feet as he whipped out orders at the speed of lightning; he figured the faster he served the other customers, the sooner he would be face-to-face with you once more. You still hadn’t hung up the phone when you finally did reach the front of the line, instead politely ending the conversation with the inquisitive customer before shutting off your phone and sliding it into your pocket.

You hadn’t even uttered a word to him, yet Jeonghan’s heart was beating out of his chest. “Hi,” his sultry voice pulled your attention away from the menu that was placed on the counter and directed it immediately toward him. He was slouched over again, his head resting in his hand, and he couldn’t help the giant grin that took over his features as he watched recognition spark to life behind your gaze.

“Oh, hi. er...” He noticed you falter, taking his smile with you as his name rested just out of memory’s reach. Your features morphed into the similar look of embarrassment that they wore during your last encounter, and, in response, Jeonghan merely cleared his throat and adjusted his name tag.

“Jeonghan!” You exclaimed with a little too much force, making him chuckle at your relief. He wondered if you were easily embarrassed, the prospect of discovering more nuances to the person who had been holding his attention for the past couple days thrilling him slightly.

He simply hummed in acknowledgement while his soft eyes shamelessly drank in every detail of your delicate face. “You look pretty today,” he muttered while tracing invisible shapes on the counter with his index finger. With a little smirk, he watched your eyes widen, probably slightly baffled by the sheer amount of confidence the boy in front of you was exuding.

“Oh, uh, thank you...” you stumbled over your words, which Jeonghan, of course, found incredibly endearing. “Are you like this with all your customers?” you joked with a slightly forced chuckle. “Is that how you get so many tips?” You rocked the jar that sat on the counter gently, the coins inside jingling as if to prove your point.

“Maybe,” he laughed. “Or maybe I just know beauty when I see it...” At that remark, you scoffed, but he could see the red that adorned the tips of your ears. However, he decided he had teased you enough for now, so he stood up straight behind the counter and tried his hardest to remain professional as he took your order. You rattled it off without hesitation, and he couldn’t help but wonder if you had been in here previously, if he had somehow missed you walking through those doors countless times before now. No, he decided, there’s no way I could have missed a face like that.

You were preoccupied on your phone again while you waited for Jeonghan to prepare your drink when an idea struck him. Perhaps it was crazy, maybe a little too forward, but Jeonghan was never one to allow small anxieties to prevent him from fulfilling his own wishes. Ten digits were scrawled across your plastic cup in messy Sharpie, complete with a rushed signature and a message that simply read Feel free to call me <3. A proud smile tugged at Jeonghan’s lips as he called out to you, the lovely rhythm of your name enhanced by the sheer joy that he felt pooling in his stomach. He was going out on a limb, and, in all honesty, he should be petrified; yet, for some reason, the thought of your eyes skimming over his words only piqued his excitement.

You took the cup with a shy, unsuspecting smile and a small thank you, your fingertips brushing against Jeonghan’s hand as you placed a small tip in coins into his palm. “Keep the change,” you muttered. He opened his mouth to speak, to attempt to charm you once more with genuine words from his heart, but the cash register demanded to be attended to. A group of teenagers had entered, and he couldn’t risk ignoring them no matter how badly he wanted to.

“Wait.” His voice was steady, but he was practically pleading you with his eyes. “Please, just...I’ll be right back.”

And you nodded, slightly unsure of yourself, but you nodded nevertheless and that was good enough for him.

However, he wasn’t surprised by the crushing disappointment that stung his heart when, after what felt like forever making decaf coffee for giggly thirteen year olds, he searched for your familiar face and was simply met with empty space. A work emergency, you would later tell him, but Jeonghan feared that his chances with you were slowly slipping away from him before his very eyes.

Today was horrible. You had decided that this morning when you somehow slept through your alarm, but unfortunately that was only the beginning of your troubles. Customer service was not always cheery smiles and gratitude—you learned that today when a customer was so upset with her pie that she deemed it appropriate to throw it onto the freshly waxed floor in a fit of rage. After that incident, your day was officially ruined, and the only glimmer of hope that you had of saving it was the knowledge that you could go home, crawl into bed, and scroll endlessly on your phone for hours until the images of that horrendous lady were the furthest thing from your mind.

Or at least, that was the plan, until your car broke down on your way home.

Honestly, you weren’t too surprised, considering that your car was fairly old and was practically falling apart at the seams, but the timing was so inconvenient that when you lifted the hood only to be met with a cloud of foul-smelling smoke, you shouted and kicked your front tire. This, of course, accomplished nothing except sending a shooting pain up your foot. A million different curses flew out of your mouth, and you limped to the backseat in search of your purse. Upon finding it, you fished out your phone, only to discover that it, too, was dead.

“Great. Just lovely.” you griped to yourself, and it took all of your willpower not to throw your phone onto the hard concrete out of pure frustration. “Well,” you sighed, running a hand through your hair. “Guess I better start walking.”

You were lucky; there was a gas station a mile away from your car. It wasn’t the best quality, with rust painting its metallic exterior, but as the harsh wind slipped into the gaps in your winter coat, you figured going inside was better than freezing to death. The screeching sound of the old door welcomed you, and immediately you were faced with disappointment. Not a soul lingered within the abandoned gas station, and upon facing this realization, you began to pace with your arms folded over your chest and a scowl plastered onto your face. You were about to start your trek back to your car when a voice interrupted your thoughts.

“Can I help you?” A boy no older than twenty had appeared behind the front counter, and despite being a good five feet away from him, you could smell the marijuana stench that radiated off of him as if you were a drug dog. Nevertheless, you approached him, telling yourself that you would take any help that you could get.

“Hi, my name is Y/N, and my car broke down like a mile back. Do you know anything about cars or have a charger or anything that I can use? My phone is dead, and I don’t really know how I’m gonna get home...“

He stared at you blankly, his bloodshot eyes hardly registering your presence as you spoke to him. After a solid minute of this, he finally commented, “Shit, man, that sucks.”

You closed your eyes and inhaled deeply in an attempt to keep your composure. “Yeah...” you said with a sigh. “Yeah it does. And I’m guessing even if you could help me, you’re way too stoned to even comprehend half of what I’m saying, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he laughed, despite the lack of amusement in your tone, and you groaned in response, throwing your head back as all hope fled from your heart. You were definitely going to die here, you had decided, when the cashier slumped forward. “Uh, but we do have a phone if you wanna try that.” He offered you a dumb smile, but you harshly shook your head, practically feeling your last ounce of patience leave your body as he guided you to it.

It was an old payphone around the back that you were genuinely surprised still functioned properly, but, as you suspected, the stoner guy did not have any change for you to use. So you were forced to dig through your purse, praying that there were some spare coins hidden at the bottom. You practically danced with joy when you found the correct amount laying next to a piece of paper with a familiar number scribbled across it—Jeonghan’s. You had transferred the number from the cup to a spare receipt after you had finished your drink with the intention that you would text him when you got home and explain why you had bolted, but that was four days ago. In all honesty, you had forgotten about the incident, but with the wave of remembrance came a wave of guilt. Before you even had time to process your actions, your hands were moving, slipping the coins into the slot and bringing the receiver to your ear as you shivered in the cold of night.

“Hello?” His voice was groggy, and you cursed yourself for not thinking of the time, or even thinking at all, before calling him.

“H-Hi, Jeonghan? It’s Y/N.” Your teeth were chattering, and you tried your hardest to repress the urge as the wind gradually imbedded itself into your bones. There was a small silence, and panic consumed you. You didn’t know why you had even bothered to dial his number, for after introducing yourself, the sentiment behind the call escaped you. Although your original goal was to call someone for help, the idea of Jeonghan discovering your current situation made your stomach lurch, partially because you feared he would try to help and you didn’t wish to inconvenience him, and partially because of the sheer embarrassment that consumed you at your own stupidity. You really didn’t want to be the type of person who only called someone when they needed a favor, so, despite your urgent need for warmth and a tow truck, you kept your mouth shut.

“Y/N...” He was smiling, you could hear it in his voice, and despite the ache that settled in your cheeks from the cold, you also found your lips also stretching into a wide grin. “It’s late, you know.”

“Y-yeah,” you sighed as another violent shudder racked your body. “I’m sorry.”

There was another pause and a drastic change in Jeonghan’s tone. “Are you okay?” His voice was softer than before, and you winced at your obviousness.

“Mhm. I just wanted to c-call you up and see how you’re doing and...and apologize for r-running out the other day. It was a work emergency.” Your fingers shook as you tightened your jacket around your torso, but it was to no avail. You knew that you had to be quick, for both the payphone itself and your tolerance to the midnight wind limited your time severely.

“Are you outside?” He muttered, and the concern that laced his tone provided some warmth to your chilled cheeks. “You sound cold. Shouldn’t you be at home?”

It had only taken him a couple of seconds to discover the secret that you were desperately trying to conceal, especially since your teeth were beginning to chatter as you spoke. “Well, I, uh...My car broke down on my way home, b-but I’m fine! That’s not why I wanted to call you. I just wanted to let you know that I wasn’t trying to ditch you the other day. I would h-have called sooner but I’ve been b-busy at work and everything—”

“Where are you?” Jeonghan’s voice had lost its sweetness, and instead the gravity of urgency entangled his words. You knew better than to argue, for your time on the phone was swiftly running out, so you simply listed off your surroundings as your fingers began to sting from the cold. “Okay.” You heard him sigh into the receiver, followed by a rustling and the jingling of keys. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Try to stay warm, okay?”

It had taken Jeonghan approximately twenty minutes to find you huddled in the corner of the grungy gas station underneath the heating vent, and despite the fact that his flannel pajama bottoms were sticking out from underneath his puffy winter coat, he offered you his hand with a soft smile. “Come here,” he muttered and pulled you close in an attempt to warm your shivering figure. As his hands ran up and down your arms and you curled into his chest, Jeonghan hoped that you couldn’t hear his thundering heartbeat and shaky breath. Meanwhile, you hoped that, beyond all reason, you could sit in this disgusting gas station just for a moment longer if it meant that Jeonghan’s fingers would continue to ghost over your skin.

The car ride to your house was a quiet one, the beginning mostly consisting of apologies on your behalf, but Jeonghan shut them down with a wave of his hands before they could completely leave your lips. His eyes never wavered from the road, and as you watched the moonlight pass over his feminine features, ease gradually replaced the anxiety and guilt that sat in your stomach. He hummed softly to the music that drifted out of the radio, and you turned it up in hopes of hearing his beautiful voice give into the temptation of the rhythm.

He sang so effortlessly, his sweet melodies causing your jaw to drop slightly. You fixated on the way his slender fingers tapped the beat against the steering wheel before closing your eyes altogether and allowing his voice to envelope you in a blanket of warmth. When his lullaby had died down and you opened your eyes once more, they latched onto the pair of rich chocolate irises across from you as if it were second nature. The car had stopped for a red light, you noticed, and rather than focusing on the road ahead of him, Jeonghan was enraptured by the way your eyelids fluttered shut and how the corners of your lips turned up into a smile whenever he held your gaze long enough. Even if the light had changed, there was nothing compelling the car forward, for the road was barren for miles aside from the two of you. It felt as though you had created your own small moment, frozen in time and hollowed out from the world outside of Jeonghan’s car. The air smelled of coffee and the faint musk of cologne as the two of you inched closer almost magnetically.

“Y/N...” He practically purred your name while reaching out for your hands, which rested idly in your lap. You allowed them to connect, a mellow form of electricity shooting from your palm where his skin brushed against yours. Jeonghan possessed this magical ability to quicken the speed of your heart while simultaneously calming the rush of blood that compelled you to flee anytime you weren’t engaged in your work. He was both your sedative and your stimulant, blurring your surroundings one moment with a smile and, in the next, everything was moving at the pace of molasses simply because you caught his gaze. And just like those drugs, Jeonghan was intoxicating, mysterious, addictive, dangerous—yet, in that second, you wanted him more than you ever thought possible.

“Can I tell you a little secret?” His silky voice interrupted your thoughts. You simply nodded your head, a pink heat rushing to your cheeks as you found his lips crashing against your own. Surprisingly, they tasted not of caffeine and artificial sweetener but of gentle breezes, of cloudless skies, of buttercream icing and pure ecstasy wrapped up into one beautiful package. His hands were still holding yours gently, a fact that you were reminded of when he squeezed them as he pulled away from you with a soft sigh. You were also breathless, both from the overwhelming emotions that tugged at your chest and the unexpected act itself stealing the air straight from your lungs. He was grinning cockily with his forehead pressed against yours, and you wondered how easily you could knock that smirk off of his lips using nothing but your own.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” he finally confessed as his fingers slipped out of your grasp so he could tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear. His smile was dazzling as a result of his bravery, and in that instance, he had never been more charming.

“Well, what’s stopping you from doing it again?” you teased with a chuckle before closing the gap between the two of you once more.

The next morning, you awoke on your living room couch to find Jeonghan across from you, curled into a ball on the plush leather chair that sat on the opposite side of the room. After he dropped you off at your place last night, the two of you had decided that it was far too late for Jeonghan to drive back home alone, so instead you stayed up until dawn discussing every topic under the sun. That night, the two of you learned a lot about each other. You learned that Jeonghan was an intelligent, witty, talkative individual with a large group of friends that felt like family to him and a bewitching laugh that enamored you every time you got the pleasure of hearing it. You learned that he had a small diamond tattoo on his wrist because, as he put it, diamonds are only born out of extreme pressure, transforming into one of Earth’s strongest materials as a result, and that message reminded him to never give up no matter how difficult his struggles may seem. You learned that he loves the sensation of your fingers threading through his brown locks whenever you kiss him, and if he’s laying on your chair, such an action might accidentally put him to sleep. However, you didn’t mind; on the contrary, you found his short breaths and fluttering eyelashes quite adorable.

Similarly, Jeonghan learned a lot about you as well. He laughed at the work stories you told him about crazy customers or disgusting requests that your clients would sometimes demand of you. He held your hand as you recounted the recipes you taught yourself as a child and served to your family with a proud, lopsided grin. He stared up at the ceiling beside you as you spilled your heart’s contents to him—your past mistakes, your fears, your hopes for the future—while he echoed his back to you because there was something about lying on the floor at 3 a.m. that forbade him from withholding the truth. He didn’t even remember what time he had passed out or when the blanket that was draped around his shoulders appeared, but he did know one thing for certain. Out of everything Jeonghan had learned that evening, the most important fact was that fate truly did exist, because walking into that newly-opened bakery one random morning before his shift was one of the happiest coincidences Jeonghan could have ever hoped for.

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mable-stitchpunk · 5 years ago

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Balsam the Apprentice: A Character Questionnaire

Since the one with Lure did so well, I decided to continue on by doing one for the secondary main character of A Fool’s Endeavor and A Fool’s Golden Cage: Balsam, the Alchemist’s apprentice.

Short Description: Name: Balsam

Pronounced: Baal-sum

Age: Very early twenties. A couple of years younger than Lure.

Extra: Nickname: None.

Occupation: Apprentice to Alchemist Coffcord, a highly regarded alchemist.

Species: Human

Gender: Male

Physical Description: Balsam is of slender build and stands taller than Lure, with tanned skin and brunette hair kept short and tussled/faint curls. His eyes are also brown and his face is youthful, though not overly young-looking. Usually seen carrying around his supply bag.

Personality: Balsam is friendly and reserved, but has a slight sarcastic streak that tends to appear in brief moments. He balances a thin line between keeping his calm in dire situations and becoming overwhelmed by the smallest of things, and usually straddles this line with the most awkward form of grace. While frequently worrying and cautious, Balsam is willing to fight past these fears if not given any choice, especially if someone he loves is put into dire circumstances. Balsam is rather intelligent and when emotions are set aside can usually get himself out of most situations with his knowledge on alchemy. When accompanying his master, Balsam becomes much more subdued and obedient, which eventually leads to him coming to the revelation that he doesn’t feel like his own person. That being said, he is very close to his master, and willingly rejects the notion that he is ready to set out on his own.

Fandom: A Fool’s Fables (A Fool’s Endeavor, A Fool’s Golden Cage, ect.)

Sexuality: Balsam has had no sexual experience up to now.

Voice: Matured but with touches of youthfulness. Friendly and light.

Back Story: Balsam was orphaned at a young age and taken in by Coffcord to become his apprentice. For most of his youth and young adulthood he was raised and taught by his master. During this time he learned about medicines and chemical concoctions that would come to use later.

Ongoing Story: In A Fool’s Endeavor, Balsam accompanies Lure on his quest to save the princess. Though confident at first, he becomes overwhelmed with the journey, but manages to find his footing and proves to be a valuable ally.

In A Fool’s Golden Cage, Balsam accompanies Lure to the City of Mages due to him being part of the reason Lure has become cursed.

Likes: Astronomy, reading, gardening, studying, cooking, exploring, exploring without feeling like he’s about to be jumped by something, comfort food, learning from and tending to Coffcord, travelling and seeing new lands, and animals, especially trained birds and rabbits.

Dislikes: Lure being ‘difficult’, being unable to figure out or remember a formula, chemicals getting spilled in his bag, seeing animals being injured or suffering, large and aggressive wild animals, and disappointing Coffcord.

Strengths: While mildly athletic, Balsam’s real skill comes from his knowledge of alchemy. He knows both medicinal and chemical forms of alchemy, being able to create a burn paste as easily as he’s able to create an acid that eats through metal. He also has some skill in creating explosives. Other than this, Balsam also has basic skills of surviving in the wild and enough medical know-how to give first aid on the fly. While he doesn’t like killing animals, he- in theory- knows how to make snares with limited success.

Weaknesses: Balsam has only average strength and little training in any form of weapon usage. He also can get overwhelmed and panic, though usually is able to regain composure once the situation gets too dire.

Favorite color: Greens, browns, and neutral shades.

Kind of clothing: He usually wears basic clothes in standard colors, not too concerned in how he looks and much more concerned in having comfortable clothes that he can work in.

What element would they be?: Earth. Grounded and made to grow ideas and possibilities from.

Deadly sin that best represents them: I’m not really sure. Balsam doesn’t really fit well with any of the basic sins.

Hobbies: Reading, astronomy, researching chemicals, cooking, games like chess and backgammon, gardening, drawing, and as of the second book, some dabbling in aviculture.

Special skills/talents: Other than his alchemy training, which has been the core of his teachings, and his ability to give first aid, Balsam is also a good cook and usually able to make something out of very little. He’s also good at finding food and water when in the wild, and making due with what he can finds.

Patience level: Usually very patient, but when pushed to the limit the occasional snark might slip out. It takes a lot more to get him to that point.

Regrets: During A Fool’s Endeavor he has regrets halfway through the book about going on the quest, but is able to push through these doubts and fears. Regrets are much stronger in A Fool’s Golden Cage, where Balsam is half responsible for the situation he and Lure find themselves in.

Favorite places: Balsam loves his home, even though his curiosity of the world and travelling may contrast against it. Places like Coffcord’s study and his loft bedroom are near and dear to him, and there’s little he enjoys more than reading before the fire on a winter day. Their garden is also very special to him and he has spent hours tending to both herbs and produce.

Role model: Coffcord, naturally. However, he also admires Sir Morrick, and even looks up to Lure for his confidence and determination, even if he doesn’t always agree with him. Upon meeting Archer Yves, he becomes caught up in his stories and overall mysteriousness, beginning to idolize him.

Favorite foods: Roasted potatoes with herbs, breads with currants and raisins baked in, sweet syrups on said bread, and sugared plums.

Favorite book: He enjoys reading to expand his knowledge, but he also enjoys reading of magnificent feats- as long as these legends have some amount of truth to them.

Mode of transportation: Usually walking. Balsam doesn’t know much about riding horses and requires assistance when doing so.

Weapon: Usually chemical mixing is his weapon. Other than that, he might have a knife in his bag somewhere...

Smells like: herosmellslike.com claims Lure smells like ‘rope and regret’. Strangely effective!

How do they feel about love: Balsam believes strongly in familial bonds and, by the end of the first book, begins to believe equally in the bonds between friends and fellows. Numerous times he has fought through his own doubts because of these bonds, and they are one of his main drives. As for romantic love, Balsam has had little experience in it.

Least favorite color: Doesn’t really have one.

Home town/Where they live now: the Kingdom of Acalathoy

Makes a living by: Being the apprentice of Alchemist Coffcord.

Fears or phobias: Balsam has a distinct fear of losing control of a situation and it turning to a disaster. Minor fears of concocting the wrong chemicals and getting massive burns from it.

Race, ethnicity and nationality: Balsam was born in Acalathoy and, while tanned, is naturally Caucasian. Music they listen to: While Balsam likes most music, his favorite is lute music or other strummed string instruments.

Bad habits: The closest thing to a bad habit is that when Balsam gets anxious he chews an excessive amount of ginger and other roots to ease his nerves.

What turns them on: Balsam is both sides of the spectrum. He enjoys long conversations with exchanging ideas, but he also enjoys quiet moments where people can just be together and be content. What Balsam looks for in a partner is someone who shares interests enough that they can work together and remain fully engaged.

What turns them off: The only real turn-off Balsam would have is someone who discredits his work. Such as someone who doesn’t believe in science or medicine, or relies too much on superstition without being willing to learn.

If they transitioned from their world to ours, how would they react: It seems like, even with his anxiousness, Balsam would probably handle it a little easier. Largely because he can survive in the wild and is cautious enough to keep to himself. He might venture out more once seeing the wonders of technology.

Religious and to what extent? Any spiritual beliefs?: Balsam believes in a god but is not overly religious. He does not believe that science and religion contrast with each other.

Pet peeves: When Lure does something or refuses to do something even though it may be a detriment to his health. This particularly annoys Balsam since he is usually the voice of medical reason. He also dislikes when his cooking is criticized or when people act haughty around him, such as Yves’ occasional moments. As stated earlier, he is annoyed by people who blindly reject alchemy with little reason why.

Personal problems: The biggest one would be that even though he’s fit, he’s not exactly in perfect shape. His health is good, but he’s not not really athletic.

What ONE item would they take to an uninhabited island: His medical bag... And everything in it if he could sneak it by.

Outlook on life: An optimistic realist. Even though concerned and cautious, Balsam enjoys life and looks forward to continuing it.

Most important person in their life: Either Coffcord or Lure. Coffcord is naturally his mentor, who has raised him and taught him everything, but Lure is the one who propelled him into his first journey outside of Acalathoy, and has become his best friend in the process.

What was your character like as a child: Balsam was a quiet and studious child. What (if they can) does your character eat: Usually Coffcord and Balsam eat together, and usually it is simple, but not poor fair. Because of Coffcord’s means, they are kept well fed.

What is something other people assume about your character?: That he’s as mentally young as his age and title may imply.

Do they like the name they were given: Balsam doesn’t have any qualms with his name. It just is what it is.

Nervous habits: Grabs at his bag strap, rubs his hands together, obsessively chews pieces of ginger- he’s got a few of them.

Siblings: No.

Wears jewelry: No.

Have they ever wanted to commit suicide: No. Balsam’s had a mostly happy life.

Close friends: Lure and Balsam are very close, as explained earlier and in the Lure questionnaire. He also forms a friendship with Morrick once he’s able to get past the fact that he is a knight, eventually learning to treat him like a person instead of a nobleman. He forms a bond with Yves, whose personality conflicts with his own. He originally idolizes him, but as he sees more flaws he eventually begins to see him as a person, like with Morrick. First kiss? (when and with whom): None yet. I’ll keep you posted.

Views on gambling, lying, killing, etc…: Balsam doesn’t believe in doing so normally, but has shown that he is capable of committing petty crimes when desperate, even if the guilt then eats at him afterwards.

How much do they value money: Balsam is very frugal when it comes to managing funds that will need to last an entire trip. He is willing to let non-essential supplies stretch and finds ways to replace them without spending too many shillings.

Wants to get married: Yes, but it is not currently important to him.

Wants to have kids, raise a family: Yes, but specifically to take in an orphan as an apprentice like Coffcord did with him.

Sworn enemy: None.

Is their name a pun of anything: ‘Balsam’ is a resinous substance made by trees and plants and used to make medicines and oils. Which goes along with his frequent use of oils, powders, and herbs in his alchemy.

Anyone they really hate: Not really. He doesn’t hate easily.

Most traumatic experience: In A Fool’s Golden Cage, but I would rather not spoil.

Favorite holiday: New Years, though it is celebrated differently than our typical modern day holiday. Usually it involves baked sweets, lighting candles, and prayers at the crest of Midnight. Balsam has many fond memories of it.

Another character down! Hope you enjoyed!

#Janetje Amabilis #A Fool's Endeavor #A Fool's Golden Cage #balsam #apprentice balsam #character study #questionnaire #self-published

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soulpotentialacu · 2 years ago

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Two Types of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a type of central vision distortion caused by damage to the macular tissue located in the retina at the back of the eye. When central vision is functioning correctly, it is easy to read, drive and identify faces. When this area begins to lose visual clarity, it’s like applying petroleum jelly to the center of the eye, causing distortion in the middle of the field of vision.

AMD is divided into two types: wet (exudative) and dry (atrophic). Dry AMD is the more common form of AMD, occurs in about 85-90% of the AMD population. Dry AMD is less serious than wet AMD. Wet AMD is defined by the appearance of new blood vessels under the retina. These new blood vessels tend to be weak and cause fluid or blood leakage, which can distort vision and lead to retinal damage.1

AMD is caused by the buildup of a yellowish deposit called drusen, a fatty protein. Drusen build up occurs because nutrients are not getting to the eye and waste is not being removed efficiently. Drusen causes a thinning of the macula (the part of the retina located in the back of the eye) due to lack of oxygen to nourish the eye. The macula is responsible for central vision.

An individual can have dry AMD in one eye and wet AMD in the other eye. Approximately 10% of the population with dry AMD later develops wet AMD.

Currently, Western medicine does not have a cure for either wet or dry AMD. Western medicine addresses wet AMD with injections of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Inhibitor (VEGF) into the eye. Current VEGF drugs are Avastin, Lucentis, and less commonly, Eylea.1 These drugs bind to VEGF causing it to stop producing blood vessels. Injections are usually a temporary solution and requires multiple injections.1 “An average of seven injections will be required the first year…..and treatment is unlikely to be effective in advanced exudative AMD”.1 “The anti-VEGF drugs only treat the exudative component”.1 Some of these drugs were not initially developed to treat macular degeneration. “Avastin was intended to be given intravenously as an anti-cancer drug”.1

VEGF is a protein in the body which stimulates increased growth of blood vessels. Blood vessels are the result of a lack of oxygen to the eye. VEGF is tasked with getting more blood vessels to an area that is not getting enough oxygen, so the tissue doesn’t die. These additional blood vessels tend to be weak and tear easily which causes them to leak fluid or blood. When these blood vessels leak, they reduce the central field of vision.

Because Western medicine does not have a cure for dry AMD, monitoring the progression of AMD recommending dietary changes, eliminating smoking and supplements are the best they have to offer individuals suffering with AMD.

What can you do?

If you smoke, quit smoking

Change your diet. Drusen, or the fatty protein deposit that builds up in the eye is similar to cholesterol build up in the bloodstream. Eliminate foods that are high in saturated fats and trans fats. Instead of frying or roasting food try grilling, baking or steaming. Increase vegetables and beans in soups and stews and decrease or eliminate meat. Eliminate dairy products and substitute coconut or oat milk instead.2 Consume healthy oils such as coconut and olive oil.

Talk to an acupuncturist specializing in Micro Acupuncture for macular degeneration.

Micro Acupuncture or MA48 originated as AcuNova, a branch of acupuncture that utilizes new points on the hands and feet that are different from other branches of acupuncture. Studies have documented increases in blood flow to the central retinal artery (CAD) which supplies nutrients to the retina following acupuncture.3 Electro-Acupuncture increases blood flow to surrounding nerves.3 Vonda earned her advanced master’s training and certification in the Micro Acupuncture system from Dr. Andy Rosenfarb who has been treating complicated eye conditions with the Micro Acupuncture and the MA48 system with success for more than 15 years. Vonda has successfully helped multiple individuals stabilize their macular degeneration with the Micro Acupuncture protocol. Medical disclaimer: Results may vary from person to person. Testimonials are only to be used as an example of some results not the results guaranteed – not everyone will get the same results outlined in testimonials and text on this page. References

Click here to visit more blogs.

#macular degeneration #Age-Related Macular Degeneration

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gihimonakoniparasproject-blog · 6 years ago

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“Anyone can cook but only the fearless can be great” a qoute from Ratatouille it is a movie where a rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous restaurant. A movie that inspires me to be a great chef someday nomatter who am I or what am I as long as im fearless I can do great.

Cooking is our favorite way to bring family and friends together. When I was young my mother always cook lots of food even there is no occasion, she really loves to cook and innovate food sometimes he can make a food with of few ingredients only found in our storage. My mother thaught me how to cook, cooking together is our best way to have quality time we talk lot of things, we make lots of memories. For me, there’s no better place than the kitchen and nothing more enjoyable than gathering everyone at the table to try something delicious. That’s why I started cooking, and why I’ve chosen to build my life around it.

I always dream to be a professional chef in a popular cruise ship. So, I decided to get the course culinary arts in STI, reasons why I chose this school is I heard they teach very well, they are fully eqiupped and also their students known in making creative platings and always wins in many cooking competition. I always see their commercial in television I get more interested to study in them. I decided to study in STI, so I ask permission to my parents and luckily they agree.

At first day of school I was very shy and trying to adjust myself in the sorrounding I get very nervous because there’s a lot of new faces I see and I am not that so friendly. The first thing I noticed in the school our first day I’ve seen lots of students the past year students I saw that they were really taught very well specialy those culinary students. When they have their laboratory I really want to see how they work, how they apply what they learned, and obviousely they made very well looks like they were a real proffesional chef. Slowly and steadily, I fell in love with everything about the school and the challenges gradually dissipated. The friends I made helped the transition tremendously. The school puts friendships on the fast track; acquaintances become old friends at lightning speed. You need people to lean on, and it’s such a bizarre setting that you just have to laugh.

Being a culinary student is not easy from a purely shallow perspective, culinary student took some serious adjustment. Of course as a culinary student I handle food so I have to be neat and clean. Long hair got tied and tucked up. My nail polish and jewelry gathered dust at home beacause it is not part of the culinary student uniform. Since giving up wasn’t an option, I dug in and braced myself for a fight.

Before we take our laboratory our teacher always have a lesson and from that lesson we will have our laboratory with or without the guide of our teacher. I learn a lot of techniques on how to cook without the help of a cookbooks or any recipe book . I found measuring is very important in cooking food because evena professional chef use measuring tools to make a food. Our teacher gave us tasks to make our first laboratory successful like he make sure that we know first the equipment we use after he deploy us in the kitchen. And yes I we tackle about the history og culinary arts and then slowly and slowly we arrived on how to cook foriegn viands. Finally the day that I am waiting the kitchen laboratory time onestly I feel nervous that time not because I don’t know what to do it is because I am afraid to make a mistake cause I’m a clumsy kind of person. Fortunately, I listened to our sir’s discussion very well and I set in in my mind before I take myfirst laboratory. As what culinary students do I make myself clean and net wear appropriate clothes and follow rules inside and outside the kitchen. And yes I made my dish successfully.

Currently in our school we are in baking ang cooking pastries lessons as a graduating of senior high school I can say that we are in the hardest past from the basic (the first day of being senior hig student) to the almost likely professional chef traning. Our school really teaches every students to be more job ready and be competent in every way. When you think about what is culinary arts, you should think of the things you love to eat. If you are a culinarian (or chef) then you can decide what your ingredients will be! There are specific cooking methods and techniques to learn, but it’s up to a chef to decide which methods to use and the overall appearance and taste of the dish. They can create fusions between different types of cuisines, or something that is completely unique. When someone is earning a culinary arts degree they will have the chance to learn about all these different possibilities. As a student, it pays for you to gain a general understanding of the hospitality industry and educational systems before putting your best foot forward. A little research might bring to light possibilities for your culinary future that you did not imagine. Understanding the hierarchical structure of professional kitchens and the training requirements for each job gives you the best way forward in attaining the education that is most suited to your ultimate employment goals. The culinary arts have been continuously growing in popularity and as a result, more and more international students are beginning to realize the value of pursuing this career path.

Cooking is my passion it is the thing I want and I love to do for the rest of my life. I will pursue to study this course until I graduate my college and of course I will make my dream come true I’ll make sure that it will happen.

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forever-firewalking · 7 years ago

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to chart a course by the stars | Bi Wenjun

In your life, there’s no such thing as before and after sunrise, only before Bi Wenjun, and after Bi Wenjun.

Title: To Chart a Course By the Stars (part i) Pairing: Bi Wenjun x reader Characters: OC (reader), Bi Wenjun Concept/prompt: “Can I request one in which the reader has a bad habit of sleeping late, and Wenjun's concerned and trying to break that habit?”

I. Allegro.

It’s 5am and the birds outside your window have started squawking.

These birds don’t trill gently or warble in minor arpeggios, nor do they do that gradual, gentle crescendo that’s meant to salute the rising sun or whatever. No, these ones squawk. You peek outside your curtains. The gentle fingers of reddish dawn have started to creep up into the darkness between the twinkling stars, which already seem dimmer in comparison to the imminent sunrise.

Okay. Time to sleep, you guess. You have 9am class, and you promised Wenjun you’d meet him to compare homework answers before that, but it still seems like you’re admitting defeat to go to bed before you’ve finished your work.

Wenjun sees you first, but his smile disappears when he approaches you at your locker. “Y/N, when did you sleep last night?”

“3am,” you say, pulling out your music folder. “Can I check what you got for 4(d)?”

He chews on his lip, frowns a little. “You have dark circles,” he says softly. “You look exhausted.”

“Well, no shit,” you snap, irritable. it’s cold and your head aches. “If only classical music theory came naturally to us all.

He sighs and you feel guilty immediately, but before you manage to apologise, he’s already taken the folder from your hands and flipped to the correct page. He settles in by your side, sitting back against the lockers, a warm, reassuring weight. You press closer for the warmth.

“Mm, here,” he says, and you both lean in, your heads together, and it’s all forgotten for now.

II. Adagio.

This was you, before Bi Wenjun:

You were in your final year, and college applications were looming.

You were terribly busy. you were the loud, spirited, popular one, life of every party. Female lead in the school musical, captain of the soccer team, first desk flute in school orchestra, baking cookies for charity.

Things were a bit off because you’re quickly realising that high school was ending and that what you enjoyed doing was perhaps different from where life and your parents were nudging you.

You enjoyed people, you liked volunteering your time, making people smile, performing, you chase that adrenaline high, you were restless, you didn’t like sitting still.

You had that contract in your hand, from that agency you interviewed with secretly after the nice lady came to find you after the last night of your show. Your parents didn’t know.

You visited the agency building once, for your interview, and that’s also when they showed you around all the practice rooms and studios. You’d peeked into a few rooms: a music room, where a tall boy sang, eyes closed, perfectly, through E minor arpeggio, a dance studio, full of boys and girls younger than you, calmly working their way through a synchronised ballet routine.

It looked nothing like the messy, wild, impulsive way you lived your life then. So the contract was still at the bottom of your schoolbag, unsigned. You carried it with you everywhere you went.

You knew your limits. You weren’t born with any particular talent or genius, you knew that. Your successes were from the time you put in, from the enjoyment and the laughter and the fun you had in what you do. (This was clearly reflected in your grades—every year, your teachers wrote, “she has great potential”, meaning, she would do better if she worked harder). You also felt the weight of your parents’ gaze upon you. You, the eldest child of three. You, daughter of a father who’d had a stroke not six months ago. You, who dutifully collected the mail every evening when you trudged home from school, carefully sorting it into thick stacks of various overdue household bills. In contrast, your manila envelope from Yuehua Entertainment seemed pathetically thin.

III. Minuet.

January, senior year. You’d sent off applications to a dozen or so colleges, for liberal arts degrees in the humanities. Your parents were mollified, you guessed, but everything still lay contingent on your final exams.

You weren’t really an exam person.

Studying made you feel soulless, and you didn’t seem to be able to learn intuitively, gracefully, you seemed to require brute force and sheer bloody determination to drill things into your head.

It’s okay though, you knew you weren’t stupid. You weren’t. You just needed to put more time in, maybe a bit more than the average person.

At your 7am soccer practices, the frosted grass and pre-sunrise darkness seemed chillier and darker than they did at the same time last year. You found yourself resting your eyes during orchestra rehearsal, when the conductor was busy drilling the string section.

“Um, Y/N?” A warm hand landed on your knee, fingers tapping lightly. You jolted awake, just in time.

“Y/N!” barked the orchestra conductor. “Your solo, from the downbeat in Section D, with strings, 1 and 2 and 3 and—“

You played, and after the conductor was satisfied, you turned to the second desk flute player. You’d never really talked to him much, him not being very chatty, and you likewise at 8am in the morning. His name was Bi Wenjun, you thought? It was his first year being on second desk, so he must have been an underclassman, although he looked kind of familiar: soft sweep of brown hair, sunshine smiling through his eyes like a shot of caffeine, straight to the heart.

“Dude, thanks so much,” you said, flashing him a smile. “Saved me from another lecture like last week’s.”

He laughed softly, brown eyes sparkling. “I don’t know, I think you escaped pretty well last week. ‘Mr Zhang, I wasn’t asleep, I was just visualising the notes with my eyes closed!’”

His imitation of your voice surprised a laugh out of you. “I don’t sound like that!”

He only offered you a little crooked smile in response, and you couldn’t reply because Mr Zhang had just cued the woodwinds again. The entire time you were playing, you thought of Wenjun’s smile, and you listened to the way the second flute’s notes twined around your solo part. You’d never noticed it before, but now it couldn’t have been clearer. continued.

#bi wenjun #idol producer fic #idol producer imagine #idol producer bullet au #91 percent fic #zhang yixing cameo #idol producer scenarios

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