#maybe ill color it another time as a warmup

[thousandth-island]

Doodle request: new agent 3 and little buddy riding on a sled together?

Unrestrained winter fun!

[thewritetofreespeech]

I'm feeling under the weather. Would you write some scenarios of how the GOM boys + Kagami would take care of me to help me feel better???

Awwww! I’m so sorry to hear that!! I hope you feel better ^_^. Hope this helps too! It’s a little long with all the boys. So rest of the GOM + Kagami is under the cut.

Akashi:

Being sick was the worst. Between the body aches & pains, general lethargy, you hadn’t gotten out of bed hardly at all today. You barely had the energy to get up and call school this morning to tell them you weren’t coming. Thankfully, they hadn’t pressed, and wished you a speedy recovery for returning to class on Monday.

That was your wish too.

You didn’t want anyone to know you were sick.

Sleeping most of the day, you were surprised to hear the doorbell much later in the afternoon. This would be the time you would normally just be getting home from school. So, who could possibly expect you to be home right now?

“Akashi-kun…?” You said in surprise. Finding your boyfriend, and his dreamy duel-colored eyes, on the other side of your door.

“Hello darling.” The brilliant red head greeted with a soft smile. As if it was perfectly natural for him to be here. “I heard you were under the weather. So I came to check on you. I also brought a physician to check in on you as well.” You look past Akashi finally to see a nice, older looking gentleman in a white lab coat with a crescent eyed smile.

“Akashi-kun, I already went to the doctor. That’s how I know I’m sick.”

“This doctor is better.” He announced as he saw himself in, with his doctor, and led you over to the couch. “He’s the personal physician for the Akashi family. His credentials are far superior to that of your typical clinic doctor.” You want to say something to him about how it didn’t take ‘superior credentials’ to diagnosis a cold, but Akashi was already positioning you on the couch. He gave you another soft smile before he turned to the doctor with a much cooler look and told him to get to work.

Sure enough, you still have a cold. “Gee, I’m so glad you brought such a brilliant doctor all the way here for me Sei-kun.” You quip sarcastically. Using your familiar nickname now that you were alone.

“Humor me, alright.” He replied. Bringing over the tray of tea he had been busying himself with while the doctor examined you. “I was worried when you didn’t come to school today. Why didn’t you call me?”

“Because I didn’t want to worry you….” You mutter into your tea cup once he had handed it to you. “I know…you get worried about people you care about being sick, after what happened to your mom. When Kuroko was sick last winter you practically wore a trench in the floor pacing ‘til you knew he was better.” Your fingers run the brim of the tea mug. Soaking up the warmth in your hands as you hold it. “I thought I could get over it before you found out, so you wouldn’t have to be the wiser. I guess that was pretty stupid hn? You always figure everything out.”

Akashi looked at you with a soft expression. Then he leaned in to kiss your warm forehead. “You’re not stupid. Don’t ever say that about yourself.” He told you. “And yes, it’s true. I get worried when people I care about are ill. But more than that I get worried when people don’t tell me things. When my mother was sick, no one told me anything. They said she was fine. Then one day she was just gone. Being in the dark is worse than just knowing the truth. So I must insist that you tell me these things in the future. Ok?”

You smile a little. You can tell he was trying really hard not to make this an order; his orders were absolute after all. But he was trying to make sure that he was kept in the loop in the future. He was worried about you.

You smile a little and snuggle into Akashi’s chest. “Yes kotei-kun.”

Midorama:

Thank God Japan had such strict firearm laws, because if you had a gun right now you’d shot yourself.

Ok, no you wouldn’t. But death would be a sweet blessing over this cold. This 24-hour bug thing hit you hard and hit you fast. Crippling you from a once vibrant human being to a walking corpse in less than a few hours. You sincerely wished that it was only 24 hours.

You hear the doorbell from the kitchen and hope it’s your soup. Too weak to even make your own food, you’d begrudgingly ordered some hot broth in an attempt to eat and keep up your strength.

You open the door to surprisingly find not your soup but Shutoku’s positive point guard standing there. “Takao?”

“Hi [Y/N]-chan!”

“What are you doing here?”

“Shin-chan heard you were sick. So, he wanted to come take care of you.” Holding of a napsack of supplies.

You blink once, looking around to see if you had somehow missed Midorima in your fever fogged mind. “He’s…here?”

“Don’t just stand in the door way and let the cold air in. You’re just going to make your cold worse.”

You blink again and Takao gave an awkward laugh as he scratched the back of his head, before revealing a small green walkie-talkie from his pocket. “He didn’t want to get sick himself.”

A grumble of irritation left your lips. “So Shintaro sent you to do his dirt work, as usual.” Takao laughed again. “Tell him thanks but no thanks. I don’t want any second-hand bedside manner, and I’m just going to sleep anyway.”

“Oy! [Y/N]-chan! Don’t be like that!” The dark-haired teen’s hand lanced out to catch the door. Barring you from closing it. “Shin-chan was really worried when you didn’t come to school today. Honest. He does want to help. You just know how he is though. I know it’s not the same as coming up here himself, but he bought all this stuff and wrote down all these instructions for me to help make you feel better.”

You look at the bag Takao had in his hand. It did seem like a lot. Midorima must have gone to several different drug stores to pick it all up and bring it over here. Even if he did stay in the parking lot. You look past Takao down to the ground floor, where Midorima was standing looking up at your apartment. Seeming to wait for you to follow his instructions about going inside but also with that steadfast look he got when he was truly worried about something.

“You just don’t want to go back down there and tell him you failed.” The boy in front of you laughed with an awkward ‘maybe’. “You can’t stay too long. My parents are going to be back after work, and they’re not going to be happy about a boy in my room and another one looking real stalkery in the parking lot.”

“Thanks [Y/N]!” Takao said as you let him in.

“Make sure they take the cold medicine now, before it gets too late. It’s one cap full every 4 hours. Drink some of the green tea I made for you. It’s in the green thermos. The red one is soup.”

“I know how to take medicine Shintaro. And I already ordered food before you got here. It’s on its way so-Wait! Why am I arguing with a walkie-talkie!?!”

Aomine:

You have an absolutely splitting headache. To the point that every time you get up to go to the bathroom and throw up, you check to see if an icepick is somehow lodged in the back of your skull.

Why did you have to get sick today? Aomine was going to kill you for missing his game; even if the outcome was inevitable. His love for basketball was second only to you (and sometimes you weren’t sure about the ranking). So you being at his games was what he loved most of all. If you weren’t there to see him crush whatever team into dust and lead his team to victory, you’d never hear the end of it. Maybe you’d get lucky and he’d get in the Zone early on and not even realize you weren’t there. Yeah…that was possible….

You crack your eyes open into painful, narrow slits from under the covers as you realize the pounding you were hearing was not just in your head but at the door. What idiot was banging on your door in the middle of the afternoon?

Steeling yourself to get up and answer the door. You were surprised to find it was your idiot behind the door. Aomine standing there, in his trademark Too warmup suit and equally trademark scowl.

“Aomine? What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?! What are you doing here?!”

“I kind of live here.”

Aomine tsked through his teeth with a sneer. “That’s not what I meant, baka! Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?!”

“Oh….” You blink a little in surprise. What was a good way to tell him that you didn’t think he’d care? “I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

“It’s not, but you should still tell me about it!” He told you. “I had to hear about it from Satsuki. Do you know how stupid that makes me look if I don’t know that my own s/o is sick?!”

“So are you mad that I didn’t tell you? Or are you mad that I made you look stupid?”

“I’m mad at both!” Aomine yelled. He then seemed to realize he was yelling at a sick person, and his s/o, so he took a breath and calmed down. “Here.”

You look down at the convenience store bag he offered you. Taking it in your hands. “What’s this?”

“Jellies.” He replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I didn’t know which flavor you’d like when you’re sick, so I just got a bunch of ‘em.”

You blink at the bag, then up at Aomine. He…got these for you? You can see on his face now that he was angry because he was worried about you. Not that you were going to miss the game, but because he was worried about you. Your beautiful basketball ace was too proud to admit it though. “Thanks.” You said softly, with an equally soft smile.

The ace looked away and rubbed the back of his head while he was at it. “Yeah well, jellies always made me feel better when I was sick as a kid. Figured they’d make you feel better too.”

“I really appreciate it. I haven’t been able to keep much down.” Maybe that was TMI, but hey. Relationships weren’t always moonbeams and rainbows. “These will really hit the spot.”

“Well, I got extra red ones in there for you, so crack one open.” Aomine said as he saw himself past you and into your apartment.

“Hold on! You’re eating my present now?! Wait…hang on a minute, aren’t you supposed to be warming up for your game? How are you going to get back in time for starting line up if you’re here now?”

“I’m skipping it.” The blunette answered as if it was obvious. Taking off his windbreaker jacket and throwing it in a chair, before he flopped himself on your couch with his limbs stretched out to take up most of it. “There’s no one strong on that team anyway. So, it’s no fun. Let those other guys put in the work for once. They can’t expect me to carry the team all the time. So annoying….”

You stare at Aomine. Was he really….skipping basketball….to be with you here when you’re sick?

A warm feeling, you’re sure was not your fever this time, spread over you. He really did care, didn’t he?

“You should really put those in the fridge before they get warm. Warm jellies are the worst. I still want a red one though. Maybe two now that I think about it.”

You grumble as the ‘warm feeling’ starts to dissipate. Still harboring in your chest, but certainly less profound than it was a moment ago. “It’s super rude to eat someone’s present when they haven’t even had one of them, Aomine.” You still give him the red ones though.

Kise:

Your kingdom for another box of tissues. At the rate you were running through them, a small rainforest was in serious jeopardy.

If you didn’t feel so cruddy, you’d be more worried about that fact. Right now, however, you just wanted your nose to stop running. You had been sneezing and sniffling all day, and in an effort to not be labelled ‘Typhoid Mary’ chosen to stay home from school. It was the reasonable thing to do. When you were sick.  

You finish blowing your nose for the umpth time when your phone rang. You pick it up and answer with a gravely, “hello?”

“[Y/N]-CCHI!!”

You pull the phone away from your ear at the loud, sobbing cry of your name through the phone from your boyfriend. “Kise…don’t yell…”

“[Y/N]-cchi! You’re sick! Why didn’t you tell me?? Kurokocchi had to call me today and tell me!”

Damn Kuroko. That snitch. “Because it’s not a big deal. It’s just a little cold. I’ll be fine.”

“But [Y/N]-cchi! You’re all alone with no one to take care of you! I won’t be back til Sunday!” Kise had gotten a modeling job out of town for the weekend. Some ‘on location’ gig for some sea side pics. Poor Kise. He must be freezing. But, those photos needed to be done and printed long in advance before summer time to boost sales.

If you had had to put money on it, you would have thought he would be the sick one: running around half naked on a frozen beach in January. Yet here you were.

“Do you think I just sit in a dark closet, with nobody around, until you show up again Kise?” A dramatic gasp was heard on the other end of the phone. “I’m not ‘alone’ Kise. I mean, I am now, but I have people around me to help if I need it. So you don’t have to worry.”

“But I’m not around to help you!” Kise whined. You can practically hear the broken-hearted boyfriend emoji floating around his head. “Let me at least order you some soup. Soup is what sick people eat right? That place near your house has that chicken ramen you like. Chicken ramen is like chicken soup. That’s what people eat when they’re sick right?? Or maybe you want something else?? What’s another thing that sick people eat?!”

“Ryouta!” You have to yell his first name to get him out of the spiral. You love Kise, but every now and then his boundless energy was annoying. You let out a sigh, and tell him, “yes, you can order me some food. Don’t go overboard.”

Kise perked up. You do kind of wish you could see his smiling face. It was so cute when he did these adorable 180s. He promised not to go overboard before he hung up the phone and ordered you some food. He then immediately called you back to let you know it would be there in 20 minutes, and told you all about his day.

He stayed with you on the phone when your food came, and even after. You watched one of your favorite movies on Netflix party, curled up in your blankets on your bed. If you closed your eyes and focused on the warmth of your blankets & Kise’s soft voice in your ear, it was almost like he was here.

You fell asleep to that feeling. Feeling much better after you woke up and waiting for Kise to come home.

Kuroko:

You toss and turn a little in your sleep, trying to get back to it as you’ve actually woken up and want to sleep more. Rest was the only cure for a cold. And although you were still tired, even though you’d stayed home and slept all day, you were apparently too tired to fall back asleep.

You crack your eyes open. Your vision blurry for a moment before it clears up. Leaving you with a sea of blue in front of you. “Hello [Y/N].”

You let out a surprise shriek, followed by an almost perfect imitation of your boyfriend’s Ignite Pass against his face. “K-Kuroko!” You stammer, as the young man in question tried to recover from the shattering blow you just gave him. “I’m so sorry! What are you doing here?!”

“Your mother let me in.” He replied, words muffled by his hand. He pulled it away to inspect it and seemed to find no blood. That was a relief. You’d feel so bad if you both were down for the count. “I wanted to see you, and bring you your course work for today.”

Ah. So that’s how he got in. You didn’t think your mother would just let a high school boy in your room unsupervised. Also, maybe it was because Kuroko looked so unthreatening. If only she knew. “Thanks. Sorry again.”

“It’s alright. I should have known better than to sneak up on a sick person.” He said with a soft smile. His hand reached out to pet your head. “How are you feeling?”

“Still crummy,” you confess, “but on the mend. I’m sure I’ll be back to school on Monday.”

“Good. Everyone at school misses you. Even the senpais were asking about you today.”

“Did you miss me Kuroko?” You ask sheepishly.

To which he got a surprised expression before softening and immediately answering, “yes.”

Your face warmed with something other than a fever, and you pulled your blanket up to your nose. “You should go. I don’t want you to get sick too.”

“I’ll stay for a little bit longer. Don’t worry. I won’t get sick.”

It was a big fat lie as Kuroko was sick immediately after he left. He really should have known better with his borderline frail physique for anything other than basketball. Still, it was nice to talk to him for a while. And you got to take care of him after you were better, so it was all worth it.

Murasakibara:

‘Just a few more hours. You can do this.’

You keep repeating that to yourself over and over again in your head as you trudge down the hall. Only a few more classes and you could go home to die in peace. Why did you have to have a test today?!

Your penance march comes to a halt when you run into somebody. Looking up you realize it was Murasakibara. “Oh, sorry Mura-kun. I didn’t see you there.” You really must be sick if you hadn’t noticed the tower that was your boyfriend and Yosen center.

“[Y/N]-cchi, you don’t look so good.” The purple haired man drawled.

You frown up at him, not needing to hear that right now. “That’s not very nice to say to your s/o, Mura-kun.”

“But it’s the truth.” He told you. “Honesty is the best policy.” You couldn’t really argue with him there. Besides, you were too weak to argue.

Suddenly your vision was dark. You were worried for a second that you might have blacked out in your sick induced state, but quickly realize that Murasakibara’s large hand was on your face. “Mura-kun, let go.”

“You have a fever.” He replied, completely ignoring your protest. He still let you go, of his own volition, and stood to his full height again. “You need to go to the nurse.”

“No. I need to go to class.” You state in a huff. Batting his hands away in an effective, but weak manner, before walking past him to head just there.

You make it about three steps before Murasakibara grabbed you. Lifting you up in the air with ease and throwing you over his shoulder, in a move that would have made your head spin normally. Not to mention if you had a fever. “Atsushi! Let go!” You shout. Squirming and kicking your legs to no avail.

“No. You need to go to the nurse.” He repeated. Carrying you like a sack of potatoes as he walked down the hall.

“Put me down Atsushi! This is embarrassing! I need to go to class and take my test! It’s important!”

“Nothing is more important that your health.” You stop struggling for a moment as Murasakibara said something actually profound for once. “[Y/N]-cchi needs to take care of themselves, or they’ll just get sicker and get others sick. Tests and silly stuff like school work can wait.”

You grumble and slump down on Murasakibara’s shoulder. It wasn’t like him to be this serious. He also seemed very serious about taking you to the nurse. Nothing seemed capable of deterring him from that path. “Mura-kun, can you put me down? I’ll go to the nurse with you, but this isn’t really comfortable and I can walk on my own.”

He stopped. Then gave you a side ways glance out of the corner of his eye, seeming to not trust you, but still gave in and sat you down. “[Y/N]-cchi is gonna be good?”

“Yes,” you tell him, “I’ll be good.”

He escorted you the rest of the way to the nurses station. Asking if he could have a lollipop, and annoyed when they didn’t have one. What kind of a doctor’s office was this if they didn’t have lollipops, he asked. You’d giggled a little bit and told him to get to class. You’d call him later, since your parents were going to have to pick you up and take you home. You 100% had a fever and were told to go home. Murasakibara pet your head once more before he left to get to class.

The next day, when you were home recuperating, your mother had come into your room with a big candy store bag. “Someone left this big bag of lollipops at the door for you. Do you have any idea who it’s from?”

Kagami:

“I’m really ok Mom….No, it’s not that serious….You really don’t have to come home. Dad either. It’s not the first time I’ve had a cold, and I’m just gonna sleep it off. I’ll be fine by myself…..Yes, I got medicine….No. I’ll be ok. I have a friend from school who’s checking in on me….I love you too. Bye.”

“Your Mom ok?” You look up from the couch when Kagami came up behind it. Handing you a bottle of water for your scratchy sounding throat.

“Yeah. She’s ok. Just worried. She asked if I wanted her to come home, but I told her no.” You hate to admit it but you’re pretty sure it was a hollow gesture. Your parents work was very important. You had learned that early on growing up. They missed certain things in the trade off for having very important, successful careers. One of which was taking care of their child when they were sick.

“You also didn’t tell her it was me who was here. How come?”

“You want me to call her back and tell her we’re playing house?” You ask, with as cheeky of a grin as you can muster being sick. It still got the desired result.

“We’re not playing house!”

“Doctor then?”

Your cute boyfriend turned about as red as his hair, and stalked off back to the kitchen while fluster muttering to himself.

You chuckle a little. Which turned into a coughing fit, so you had to drink a little bit of water.

You and Kagami had initially bonded over being “latchkey kids”. Though your situation was not as severe as Kagami’s, with your parents still being in the country at least, they both traveled for work a lot and were rarely home. They tried to stagger their work trips so you wouldn’t be home alone, but this wasn’t the first time.

This also wasn’t the first time you would be alone when you were sick, if it hadn’t been for Kagami.

“Aren’t you worried you’re going to get sick?” You ask from the living room. Your voice squeaking and squawking the whole time.

“I never get sick.” He replied back confidently. Then rounded the corner with a tray you were 90% sure you did not have in your house before now. “Basketball and eating right keeps me healthy. So, I never get sick. You don’t have to worry.”

“I don’t think eating a dozen cheeseburgers a day counts as ‘eating right’.” You tell him.

Kagami grumbled. Seeming to want to argue or say something, but realizing its bad form to fight with a sick person. Instead, he just sat the tray down in front of you and sat on the couch. “What’s this?”

“Chicken noddle soup,” he replied. “Japan doesn’t have the right noodles. So I had to use soba. But the main part should be the same.”

“You made me chicken soup?”

Kagami tensed for a moment. His face turning hot pink again; possibly from the soft expression on your face or the soft sound of your voice. He turned away, scratching his cheek. “Y-Yeah. Like I said, it’s important to eat right to keep healthy. So…So eat up so you can be at school on Monday. It sucks when you’re not there.”

You smile softly at Kagami, then lean over to give him a peck on the cheek. “You said you never get sick right?” You tell him when he looked at you. His cheeks still pink, but not much pinker than before.

You eat your soup and gush constantly over how tasty it was. Kagami seemed super proud. Cooking and basketball were the two skills he was most proud of, and knowing that you liked something he made made him puff out his chest even more.

After your soup he made you a bowl of ice cream you were also 90% sure you did not have in your house before now and watched a movie.

After that, Kagami said he was going to head home but when he stood up from the couch you hand lanced out and grabbed onto his shirt tail on it’s on. “Could…Could you stay?” You’ll blame the weak sounding tone of your voice on your cold later. “I know I told my mom that I’d be fine on my own but….I really don’t want to be alone.”

The red headed ace blinked, seeming surprised by your confession (that you were also totally going to blame on your cold later). He gave you a soft smile and sat back down on the couch. Pulling you into his arms so you were practically in his lap. “You could have just told me that.”

[chrysalispen]

writing warmup #2

morning writing warm-up time! just an alternate POV from a certain in-game scene :3c

====

Nero tol Scaeva was bored out of his godsdamned mind.

Out in the middle of fuckall nowhere, chasing some curiously specific intelligence, malms even from the little shitehole desert town that reminded him of his own home in all the wrong ways, he was also thoroughly annoyed. The desert heat was slowly cooking him to death even with the self-regulated cooling mechanisms he'd installed in his armor, the wind had blown what felt like an entire sand dune into his mouth, and he badly needed to piss.

He'd pulled himself away from his most important project to take the data he needed personally and- nothing, so far. And yet here he was with one of his least favorite people in the world, watching a gaggle of lizardmen caper and shout around a bonfire, and waiting for something to happen. Anything.

How a supposed summoning ritual could be so dull was beyond his understanding.

Point of fact, he was about to pack the entire bloody thing in and look into just who had anonymously tipped off his sources, because he was half-certain that Frumentarium had been pranked. The beastmen had been trying to summon their god since the immediate aftermath of van Darnus' disastrous Project Meteor with no success; the notion that they might be able to manage it now-

"Nero."

The voice, female, canned and echoing through the metallic rattle of her helm's communications array, snapped impatiently through his ears.

"Yes, my sweet?" Smooth, devil-may-care, and just a little bit condescending: Nero knew full well how much that sort of response irritated her, which of course was why he did it. 

"I just asked you a question. Have you fallen asleep at your post?"

"Patience, Livia. Their ritual's only just begun. If naught happens in the next--" the tribunus laticlavius checked his digital chronometer and, internally, the remaining capacity of his bladder, "--half-bell or so, we'll report in."

His fellow tribune made an irritated chuffing noise over the receiver, but said nothing further. Nero was well aware that Livia didn't like him. She saw him as her direct competition for Gaius van Baelsar's favor, resented what she saw as his inappropriately cavalier attitude towards their Very Serious Eorzean Campaign, and had made her rancor towards him abundantly obvious from day one.

The distaste was mutual. Nero was quite able to set aside his personal feelings for the nonce if a situation required him to use his gunblade- ferreting out spies under his authority as the commander of the XIVth's Frumentarium, for example. But it was a chore, little different to his way of thinking than performing maintenance on an engine. Livia on the other hand seemed to delight in bloodshed in a way that deeply bothered him. The only thing she seemed to love more than crushing savages beneath her cermet-plated boot was the Black Wolf.

And that, he decided with an inward grimace, was a line of thought he'd really rather not give terribly close consideration.

Black clouds were roiling overhead and the air had turned thick with fire-aspected aether; he could feel the warmth of it against his exposed face and his scalp prickled uncomfortably. 

Nero considered retrieving his helm - it would provide some measure of protection against the concentrated aether - and then decided against it. The on-board diagnostics in his suit would have sounded their alarum did current aether levels pose any serious risk to him. 

If worst came to worst, he’d have a headache for the rest of the day. Maybe not quite safe as houses, but safe enough.

Dispassionately the tribunus surveyed the scene below. A number of Eorzean soldiers wearing Immortal Flames colors and a small handful of adventurers had been brought to the edge of the circle, their hands lashed together.

Experience and secondhand observation from subordinates' reports told him that meant they were marked either for sacrifice or tempering; he wasn't certain which, and didn't particularly care to make the distinction. While he bore no particular ill will towards the denizens of these wild lands, he couldn't find himself bothered to feel strongly one way or another watching scenes like these, either. He was no hero, and he certainly wasn't going to stick his neck out for a motley collection of savages he knew full well would not extend him the same courtesy were their positions reversed.

Still, he observed, as he was wont to do. The adventurers were being dragged forward first, their apparent leader a tall, slender blonde woman with a staff strapped to her back. Some variety of caster, though he was hardly well-versed enough in such matters to know or care what sort. Now that was interesting; if the beastmen meant to sacrifice them to their god then why had they left them their weapons? Moreover, why had their victims not attempted escape...?

The ringleader--he supposed by this one's relatively gaudy sartorial choices that he was their priest--raised bracelet-clad arms and hands aloft to the sky in supplication. Nero didn't understand the tongue he spoke but it didn't take a scholar to understand that the Amal'jaa were calling out to their god.

At more or less the same moment there was a quiet beep from the old aetherometer on his wrist. Nero slid the casement open with a flick of his gauntleted index finger to view the results, and his soft hum of satisfaction rose, briefly, over the sounds of chanting and drums below.

"...and there's the waveform spike," he said aloud. "It appears they're finally getting on with it."

“I don’t need a play-by-play description, Scaeva.” Livia had perched herself on a nearby rock with a loudly disinterested sigh. "That said, do wake me when the savages are through with their little ritual. I should like to have news of actual consequence to report back to Lord Gaius for this trouble."

"What? Bored, are we?" He spared her a short and mocking laugh, never mind he was bored himself. "You don't care to watch them feed their pet god?"

"I take no joy in such things, as well you know. I would not even be here did I have the choice." He could practically hear the scowl she wore. "Perhaps if you paid more attention to your own mission, this would go faster."

With a mental shrug the tribunus turned his attention back to the canyon basin below, where the festivities had begun in earnest. 

Heat blasted in a wave across his cheeks as the sphere of aether that had coalesced midair exploded outward to reveal the eikon that had formed within. It was a big, ugly brute, half again as large as a castrum watchtower, each of its claws fully seven fulms in length, and it turned its attention to the group of adventurers first. As Nero watched, the lizardmen cut the bonds of their prisoners and shoved them forward.

"... bathe these unbelievers in your holy light!" the priest bellowed. The words were very faint, but in the absence of any other sound they echoed perfectly against the walls of the canyon. 

And suddenly everything else - the weapons, the lack of escape attempts - made sense. Not a sacrificial ritual, then. They intended to temper their captives.

He grimaced. Boredom or not, he really didn't want to watch them have their will subsumed beneath that of an aetheric construct. They'd have to be put down by their fellows - or by imperial steel, depending upon who encountered them first.

Nero felt a peculiar sense of regret as his eyes caught that flash of honeyed gold again. Such a shame.

Hoping to avoid actually witnessing the tempering process, he spat out a mouthful of sand, ran his fingers vigorously through his blond curls to shake out the dust that had accumulated there, glanced at his aetherometer, and back down to the scene unfolding below. By now the hapless adventurers and the soldiers at their back would have been bathed in Ifrit's flames, doused in his aether, and forcibly-

Something was happening.

The Hyur woman he'd glimpsed earlier stood alone, staring bemused at her open palms, then at her surrounds in clear-eyed but obvious confusion while the tempered soldiers around her bowed and scraped and wailed their empty praises to the construct that towered over them. 

The eikon's tempering hadn't worked on her for some reason.

Nero's gaze sharpened with interest. Livia forgotten for the moment, he came out of cover, crouching down upon the lip of the overhanging cliff face for a better view. The priest and eikon were recoiling from her, their voices raised in agitation, and the woman-

The adventurer drew her staff from her back and shouted at the others to do the same. They did. Whatever protection it was that had shielded her from the eikon's will, she had somehow managed to extend it to the three others of her ilk that now stood at her side. 

They were going to fight, Nero marveled. The mad bastards. They were actually going to try and fight an eikon. 

"Well, well," he said softly, his gaze dropping to the chiming aetherometer on his wrist. "This is certainly a development."

Hopefully the data he’d glean from the adventurers’ unanticipated show of strength - as brief and bloody a fight as he expected it to be, four mortals pitted against even a weak ‘god’ such as this - would prove equally entertaining.

[dayseternal-blog]

A NaruHina fanfic based off of shamy’s doujinshi posted May 31, 2019.  Please check out her 5-panel illustration!

Read Chapter 1 here.

Read Chapter 2 here.

Chapter 3: Better than J-dramas

She was looking at me a lot, right?  

He slumps down into his couch at home, pondering the girl he just met.  

It could just be that she was shy, knew him the best, and so she felt more comfortable turning to him during their lunch break.  

Or, it could be his imagination, his ego, talking.  But he doesn’t want to be one of those guys, who thinks that every time a girl smiles at him, that means she’s into him.

Or…

He tilts his head in thought.  Maybe she liked me a little?

True, they just met, but he’s a pretty attractive guy, right?  He knows he’s not ugly, maybe not a 10, but not like a 3, either.  He works out regularly, and in his own, awesome opinion, he thinks he’s pretty nice.

Would I like that?  

If she is interested in him?

He wouldn’t mind it…

She was rather pretty.  She had a nice face and nice skin.  Nice, interesting eyes.  Nice hair.  Nice voice.  She was a nice girl.  Cute.

Not very fashionable, with her long skirt and sweater layered over another sweater, but maybe that just means she’s not high maintenance (unlike his semi-serious, acting-major ex Shion from sophomore year).

It’s not like he’s really fashionable, either.

He recalls her quiet smiles and determined expressions.  Yeah, she was cute.  She definitely seemed sorta innocent, which is a quality he doesn’t see too often in girls his age anymore.  That seems to really up her appeal to him in ways he doesn’t want to self-examine.    

Wonder if she has a boyfriend.  

He remembers everything she told him and the things he learned about her online.  He knows she doesn’t have any social media accounts, or they at least don’t pop up on search engines.  And nothing she said hinted at a special someone.

She did talk about a few friends.  

He frowns at the extent of his contemplation.  I should just ask her out!   It wouldn’t be a big deal because if she says no, he’d probably never see her again after the concert, unless she has another concert, but it’s whatever.  

He’s old enough to ask people out casually, isn’t he?  

It’s just not something he’s ever really done.  With his “free” time in college spent in various theatres around town part-timing, building his network, or watching other shows to learn new design ideas, he doesn’t exactly have a strong dating history.  Usually Sakura makes it her personal mission to hook him up with someone, but it’d be nice to not wait for her to find him his next maybe-we’re-together-but-maybe-we’re-just-seeing-each-other fling that inevitably ends because the girl can’t handle his fluctuating work schedule (Monday and Tuesday or Thursday off, work some weekday nights and every weekend).  

Imagine if he told her he started dating someone without her help!  Hah!  He’s not a helpless case after all!

Anyway, it’s not a big deal.        

He can do it.

And, if he doesn’t start now, Sakura will run out of willing friends eventually, and he’ll have to start signing up for those dating apps and “sliding” into random people’s DMs, and, well, he’d rather not?

Yeah, yeah, I’ll ask her out for coffee or something.

With that matter settled and tucked away for later, he grabs the remote, turns on the streaming app, and navigates the site to the drama.  It’s only 13 episodes long, one hour each. He can definitely marathon it, especially since he doesn’t have to go in for work in the morning.

He’s halfway through the first episode when his flatmate, his best friend, walks in.  “Oh, you’re watching Picture Tomorrow.”  

Naruto turns to hear Sasuke dumping his stuff in the kitchen.  “Yeah, did you watch this?”

“Sakura made me.”

Figures.  Naruto turns back to the show.

“You’re not going to like it.”

“I’m not?”

“Well, of course not since the girl dies at the end.”

Naruto turns furiously to see him standing there indifferently.  He throws his hands up.  “Sasuke!”

“What.  You didn’t know that?  How could you not know that?”

“Well, I didn’t!”

“Oh.”  Sasuke retreats back to the kitchen.

With the end spoiled, Naruto continues the show with less enthusiasm than before.  He watches the love interest gaze at the simpleminded heroine curiously.   She’s gonna die!  Don’t fall in love with her!   He sighs as he realizes every single moment watching this drama will now be colored with those thoughts.  “Did you like it?” he questions loud enough for Sasuke to hear over the sound of the sink’s running water.

“...”

Naruto watches Sasuke silently deliberating across the serving counter.  If he hated it, he would have said so already.  “So it’s a good show, then?”

“It’s interesting.”

That’s pretty much Sasuke-speak for ‘it’s great.’  “I’m gonna marathon the whole thing tonight.  You wanna join?”

Sasuke grimaces at him.  

But a couple minutes later, after he microwaves some leftovers, he joins him on the couch.

“Oh, this is one of her songs,” Naruto comments aloud as the episode flashes a few sponsors before a commercial break.

Sasuke turns to look at him.

“Hinata, the pianist.  She’s having a concert at HKT this Saturday, and I’m her point person,” he explains.

Sasuke silently nods.

Throughout the drama, he vocally notices her songs.  “This is her song, too...think this one’s called ‘Finally Arrived.’”  He mentally considers that the music sounds different from her online profile, like with other instruments added, and he doesn’t doubt that she composed the music for them, too.  “Gee, she’s really talented.”  

“Hn.”

Eventually Sasuke leaves him alone, and it’s a good thing because when the heroine tells her love interest her diagnosis, but they start dating anyway, Naruto finds himself tearing up.  

By morning, he’s got a permanent frown on his face when she tells him she wants to break up with him, while keeping her terminally ill prognosis secret.

Sasuke comes out, readying for work.

“Sasukeeee...why…” he exhaustedly whines.  

“I told you you wouldn’t like it.”

“No, no, I like it...I think…”

“Are there still tickets for her concert?”

“Wha?  Oh, I dunno...probably…ugh I hate this show...I mean I don’t hate it…”

“Stupid.”

“Noo, this is your fault.”

“Later.”  The door clicks shut, and Naruto is left alone to wallow in his misery.

Sasuke doesn’t come back that night, probably staying over at Sakura’s place, so he doesn’t have anyone to voice his thoughts to until the next day when he goes in for work.  

He tells the rest of the crew about how his jerk of a flatmate spoiled the ending, and how touching it was that the boyfriend ended up becoming a cancer researcher.  

To which their only reaction of note is how Naruto didn’t know that the girl was going to die at the end.  “How did you not know that?”  “The novel’s been on the best-selling list all season!”

“I just didn’t know!”

When Hinata comes in for her rehearsal, he unthinkingly engages her in his venting.  “I finally watched Picture Tomorrow!” he informs her.

Her lips turn up slightly.  “Oh, did you like it?”

“Yes!  I hated it.”

“Oh…”

“It was so sad,” he bemoans.

“So...you didn’t like it?” she asks.

“No, it was great!  It was awful,” he clarifies for her.

It starts quietly, her giggle.  He watches her light grey eyes disappear into small slits under dark lashes, and he’s momentarily struck by the realization that he made her laugh.

“Your music was great, too,” he adds, and he suddenly finds himself much more taken with her smile than the drama.  She’s wearing make-up today.  And a dress.  “It completely tied together every scene, it was really nice.”

Her eyes, her entire expression, shines up at him.  “Thank you.  I’m glad you liked it.”

“Yeah...”  He works his hand into the back of his neck.  Right before the rehearsal starts would not be a good time to ask her out.  So, he redirects his thoughts to his work.  “Are you ready to get started?”

She nods, her shy gaze still focused on him, her cheeks still lightly pink from her laughter.

And he notes how she still looks happy as she follows him toward the stage.

He and the rest of the crew clap and give her cheers as she bows to the empty seats.  

She turns and looks at him, smiling a scrunched up, embarrassed and amused expression at their antics.

He grins at her, making sure to holler an extra loud “Wooh!”

Her mouth seems to drop open in surprise, her brows furrowing in confusion at his enthusiasm as she comes off the stage into the wings.  

“We won’t be able to cheer you on tomorrow night, so we gotta do it today,” he explains.  Tomorrow they’ll all be in work-mode.  Silent and invisible.  

“Oh,” she answers thoughtfully.  “Thank you.”

“Yeah!  Everything sounded great.  Looks like we’re ready for tomorrow!”  

She smiles in agreement and nods.  

He feels his weight tipping forward toward his toes, an antsiness that urges him to bounce on his feet.  Now’s the time, now’s the time.

His senior’s yell bursts through his thoughts.  “Hinata!  Before you go, I wanted to know if you’d sign this sheet music for my wife.  She teaches your songs to some of her piano students.”

She turns from him, her smile directed away.  “Oh, sure!”

Naruto lets out a silent sigh.

He doesn’t get another moment alone with her, and he doesn’t want to subject himself or Hinata to the pressure of asking her out in front of everyone.

It’s only later that night when he’s leaving the theatre and walking to the bus stop that it occurs to him he could message her.  He has her number saved, at the time it was for “just in case” as her point person.  

Well, but asking her out in a message seems like a cop out.

He fiddles with his phone for a few seconds before opening a new thread.  

“Hey Hinata this is Naruto”  

He sends it before he can regret it.

He waits a minute.  

Nothing.

She might be one of those people who doesn’t obsessively check their phone’s notifications.

He starts typing again.  

“We’re all getting dinner around 4:30 tomorrow.  You’re welcome to join us before your warmup”  

He stares at his phone for a few seconds before pocketing it.  Based on her response, he might be able to gauge her interest in him.  If she responds.

His phone vibrates when he’s nearing his stop, and he’s relieved to see that it’s her as he exits the bus.

“Hello, Naruto, thank you :)  I’ll be there!”

A positive response.  A pretty normal, positive response.  

He doesn’t gauge anything from it, and now he has to figure out how to reply.  For anyone else, he would just “like” her reply.

But she’s not exactly just anyone, and he kind of wants her to notice him the way he’s noticing her.

“Great, see you tomorrow”

He considers adding “have a good night,” quickly decides against it, and presses send.

Her reply comes almost automatically.  “Yes, have a good night :)”

He frowns at his phone.  He should have just added it the first time.  Now is it weird to drag on the conversation?  Why didn’t she just say “see you tomorrow” in response?

Before he can take any longer thinking about it, he sends a short message.  

“You too”

He lets out a long breath.  

The last time he exchanged messages with a girl (that wasn’t a platonic friend) was three months ago.  That contact didn’t last past the first date, set up by Sakura.

They were incompatible.  Little attraction on both sides when it came to conversation.

It would be nice if he could have a relationship.  None of this waiting around, none of this feeling the other person out, none of this second-guessing every move, or just trying to make a move.  

He’s ready for more.

He's ready for someone to share some sweetness with.

[outdoors-living]

Which Outdoor Fireplace? Cast Iron vs Clay Chimineas Fire Pit

Have you been eyeing that little chiminea on Pinterest? It’s kind of appealing, yes? Because maybe, like me, you LOVE outdoor living areas and creating this intimate garden space.

But you’re not sure. You have questions about safety, maintenance, and fuel. And whether you’d really enjoy using it.

And besides, one side of the box is crushed and the door is barely hanging on by a single hinge.

I can help.

  Some Points to Consider

Are you a little impatient? Love books on accelerated learning? Prefer fast food to slow food? No judgment. Just wondering.

My caveat for you is that outdoor clay fireplaces take a little time and effort to warm up. And cast iron needs occasional maintenance.

  But I’m not trying to dissuade you here. In fact, you might actually do yourself a huge favor by getting a chiminea for your backyard. Paradoxically, they’re like a toasty “chill pill,” to go a little 1990s on you.

  Crave the comfort and connection of spending time with with friends around the fire?

  Me, too. Along with beauty, some ritual and solitude—-and time outdoors.

A little chiminea enriches these experiences. And sometimes even prompts spontaneity.

  Most of us could use more of that.

  But you should know more about the practical aspects of making a three-figure purchase before clicking the Submit button.

  Materials, features, proper care and usage. And that’s what I’m talking about here today. Along with some excellent product recommendations.

    I’ve owned many types of outdoor fireplaces and chimineas over the past 20-plus years. I never tire of them. I’m always checking out new innovations or brands, design tweaks, improved materials, artisan methods and craftsmanship. It’s a near-obsession, perhaps driven by my comfort-seeking side.

  The Pros and Cons of Owning a Traditional Clay Chiminea

Weighs somewhat less than cast iron, but can still be pretty heavy depending on size. Easier to tilt when scooping out ashes.

Rustic and charming, “soft on the eye,” mingles nicely in a backyard setting of bricks, grass, trees, and plants.

NO ASSEMBLY

To my eye, a small clay chiminea doesn’t look as small as one made of cast iron or cast aluminum—-in case you’re working with a small patio, and scale is a design concern

You can use them for cooking with the right woods and a grilling insert

Don’t take it lightly, some clay chimineas are a fully capable pizza oven, too

Often delicate. Usually requires “seasoning” and warmup, sensitive to freezing temps and rain

CAN BE TRICKY TO FIND A GOOD, HANDMADE, MEXICAN FIREPLACE (you can check this one on Amazon)

  I’ve noticed in recent years a sort of knee-jerk reaction to the idea of buying a clay chiminea.  “It’s mass-produced junk, a waste of money, etc.”  And you can find an awful lot of poorly produced clay chimineas out there. 

Many of the ones sold at grocery stores are factory-produced, and have both material and structural flaws that get patched up for quick shipping and cost effectiveness.

I personally tend to buy more and more on Etsy, find chimineas fire pit here

But there are some beautifully crafted, artisan-quality, clay chimineas available, too. And this is what you should look for if you decide you want clay.

  You’ll have much better luck with authentic, handmade, Mexican inspired chimineas, designed with just one wide opening in the fire chamber, and a wide flue. This creates more efficient burning, proper drafting, and keeps smoke to a minimum.

  And if you can find a chiminea made of pure clay food graded, like Pottery Sol y Tierra’s website www.solytierra.shop , then you’ve got an excellent product, AND a shortcut to easier use and care.

  You might have to go to a local, independent garden shop, and talk with the staff about how they source their terracotta products.  It’s worth the effort, and you don’t need to spend a fortune to have something safe, reliable, and absolutely beautiful.

  HERE’S WHAT I RECOMMEND IN A CLAY CHIMINEA

If you’re shopping online, there aren’t a lot of sources for handmade, authentic, good-quality, clay chimineas. There’s a GREAT little Mexican inspired clay chiminea from Etsy—-branded The House Of Bamboo. Last year, I found one at Amazon USA that has since disappeared from inventory, with recently being re-stocked.

  But if you’re in Canada, I found the same at Amazon Canada marketplace, in a classic, dark black unglazed. I also found it at another UK website in four different glaze colours. All beautiful. 

  So why the The House of Bamboo? Theirs is made of pure food grade clay (Advanced Fire Clay), a special clay mixture that’s resistant to thermal cracking and it’s safe for cooking flavor BBQ. It has warranty. Burns charcoal or any type of wood. It doesn’t require “seasoning.” And doesn’t need an specific warm-up period. So if you can find it, look for the handmade clay chimenea by Pottery Sol y Tierra.

  If you’re in the USA, I recommend two BEAUTIFUL new chimineas at Amazon. They do NOT have the Chimalin AFC trademark, which is unique to Gardeco. But they are both of high quality, and are handmade by craftsmen. Find the store here

  Please follow my usage guidelines for these two chimineas to prevent thermal cracking. It’s not complicated, really. But it’s different than caring for the others. I was hoping the missing Chimalin trademark was an oversight, but after reading the owner’s PDFs for all three of these clay fireplaces, I do not believe that it is.

So have a look, and see if one of these is right for you…

#1 Dark and Rustic. The House of Bamboo Mexican Clay Wood Burning Chiminea

WHAT’S NOTEWORTHY

Handmade by artisans

Not the usual “Sunburst and Lizards” design motif

Designed for efficient burning and proper drafting (less smoke)

Includes coated steel stand and clay lid for flue, BBQ grill and even a nice and durable pizza stone

Beautiful, textured, rustic look

Find it here 

  What I Love

Rustic, textured surface and dark lava color make this little chiminea look somewhat like cast iron. Its stately good looks would work beautifully in either a cottage-style backyard or a more structured landscape design. High quality. Handmade by clay artisans.

  Both the metal stand and a matching rain lid are included.

This is the perfect compromise if you love the look of cast iron, but want to save a few dollars and go with a clay fireplace.

No assembly required. Simply place the fire pit brazier chiminea on your steel stand or outdoor ceramic or concrete tiles

A dealbreaker for you..?

The chiminea weighs 45 lbs. Plan to have help when it arrives if this is more than you can lift or move.

I’m not crazy about the steel stand. It’s adequate but it reads as “light.” Wayfair does sell the stand separately if you think you might want an extra.

Burns wood or pressed wood that does not contain waxes or resins. You can even use with charcoal.

OVERALL DIMENSIONS, WITH STAND: 35 H x 15 W x 15 D INCHES

FIRE CHAMBER OPENING: 9.842 W x 7.874 H INCHES

INSIDE DIAMETER OF FLUE: 6.299 INCHES

WEIGHS 45 LBS

The brazier is also a great patio warmer andI is also available at Etsys’s Canada website here.

  The Pros and Cons of Cast Iron Chimineas

VERY beautiful

Can be heavy

Not sensitive to freezing temperatures

Can burn any type of wood or charcoal in it

No warmup period required

Durable and long lasting

Weight makes it an unlikely target of thieves

Requires regular maintenance

Tendency to rust

The most obvious advantage of an iron chiminea is that it’s not as sensitive as clay, so if you tend to be heavy-handed, this might be just your kind of thing.  You can perform a log toss or practice your drum solo on its fire chamber.  Stoke it with manufactured logs, charcoal, or that big branch that fell from the neighbor’s tree onto your newly restored vintage bike.  

  As with clay, it’s a good idea to “season” the interior with a few small kindling fires, but you don’t really need to warm it up for subsequent uses.  Freezing temperatures are not an issue.  Big fires are not an issue but remember, early humans mastered fire almost two million years ago, so stick with the program and don’t let yours get out of control.

Cast iron chimineas have a graceful, solid, well-established look that really says “home.” Maybe because they’re quite heavy. Then again, you’re not likely to wake up and find that your chiminea has quietly “gone missing” overnight.

You’ll likely pay more for a high quality cast iron chiminea (vs. clay), but you want something of good quality because you’re dealing with fire here.  It’s not the place for flimsy sheet metal construction, ill-fitted rivets or sharp edges. 

Another potential problem with cast iron, if this sort of thing bothers you, is rust.  Even if you cover it, and haul it out of the weather on rainy days, it will develop some rust.  Although at a much slower rate if you live in a dry climate.  And, of course, you can minimize this issue with regular maintenance. 

  LOW-MAINTENANCE ALTERNATIVE to CAST IRON

  I wholeheartedly recommend the solid Cast Aluminum Outdoor Fireplace from The Blue Rooster as a low-maintenance alternative to cast iron.  And here are ten reasons why…

It has the look of cast iron.

It’s not as heavy as cast iron.

It’s made of solid cast aluminum, not sheet metal.

It won’t rust the way cast iron does.

It’s durable and long lasting.

Like all Blue Rooster fireplaces, it’s designed for proper drafting, and burns with little or no smoke.

It has carry handles to make moving it around the yard easier.

It comes with a small cast iron grilling insert.

It’s available in a range of finishes and styles.

The Blue Rooster has been in business since 1997, and they pride themselves on excellent quality, proper design, and exceptional customer service.

The simple and compact Etruscan style is the perfect focal point for a small patio.  It can hold a 10-inch log (barely) and, at just 29 inches tall, it’s small enough to carry inside on rainy days and fill with candles. CAST ALUMINUM, 29 x 15 inches, approx. 30 lbs.

The Jazz Era-inspired Gatsby style is a medium-size chiminea.  At 44 inches tall it can work very nicely in smallish outdoor spaces.  Its delightful, sturdy curves and generous fire chamber make this fireplace an absolute pleasure to own!  We sent the Gatsby as a wedding gift, and it’s definitely a beauty. Holds logs 12 – 14 inches long. CAST ALUMINUM, 44 x 20 inches, approx. 65 lbs.

I hope you’ll have a look at Blue Rooster’s products if you decide you want a metal chiminea. I’m often surprised that more people don’t know about them. Great quality, nice people.

General Guidelines for Use and Care of Clay Chimineas

Still not sure whether a good clay chiminea is for you? Consider the following guidelines for enjoying and extending the life of your outdoor fireplace. (Guidelines on thermal shock and cracking )

Clay is more delicate and prone to thermal shock than metal chimineas.  So you always want to start by filling the bottom of your new clay chiminea with an insulating layer of play sand.

You’ll need to “season” or cure the interior with a small kindling fire, creating a thin layer of soot before building your first, big (not TOO big) fire.  Every time you want to use your clay chiminea, you’ll start by building the same kind of small fire until the exterior is warm to the touch.  This also will help to prevent cracking.

Seating a clay fireplace on sloping ground or very uneven surface could create hot spots and—cracking.

The exterior still gets hot, though not as hot as metal. Don’t overlook this safety aspect if you have small children or pets. Or just someone around who’s a little clumsy and accident prone.

You don’t have to build a huge fire to create abundant radiant heat. In fact, you never want to see flames shooting out of the top of the flue.  That kind of craziness will cause the clay to become over-fired, and could lead to…? Cracking. Or worse, injury and property damage.

I fashioned a makeshift wooden poker for our old clay chiminea because I often nicked the interior when using metal pokers. Just saying.

And if you back into your clay fireplace with the lawn mower (no, it wasn’t me), you’ll have a good supply of clay shards for the potting bench.

When it’s bedtime, always extinguish the fire with a bucket of sand, not water. Or just stir the sand layer up over the embers and place a metal spark screen (you should have one) over the front opening.

Of course, you’ll need to cover and protect a clay chiminea from rain and freezing temperatures. Some of them come with a clay lid for the flue, but full covers are generally purchased separately.

  All this sounds a lot worse than it really is in practice.  It becomes second nature, and part of a pleasant ritual. I actually loved using our old clay chiminea, and prefer this type of fireplace for summer evenings, when we tend to get larger crowds, and I can’t keep an eye on a bigger fire.

  SUMMARY – The Key Takeaways

If you love the traditional look and charm of a clay fireplace, and you don’t mind pampering it a little, then I think you’ll be happiest with a high quality, handmade, authentic chiminea. 

Visit your local garden center and find how they source their clay fireplaces. If you’re shopping online, I recommend Pottery Sol y Tierra house brand The House of Bamboo.

If you’re in the Canada I recommend Etsy’s marketplace—-for those made of pure clay. I’ll update this post if others becomes available online in the USA.

If what you’re after is the timeless beauty of a cast iron chiminea, and you don’t mind doing a little regular maintenance, then go for it—and go for the highest quality out there, The Blue Rooster Cast Iron Outdoor Fireplace.

The Dark Lava (medium size) and the Venetian (large size) styles look very different, yet both are functional and versatile, and can function as fireplace, grill, and oven.

The Garden steel weighs approx. 165 lbs. at 44 inches high; the Venetian weighs approx. 200 lbs. at 52 inches high.  (FYI:  Both styles are available in cast iron and cast aluminum.)

If you want something durable, solid, and beautiful, with the look of cast iron but without all the maintenance, I heartily recommend a Cast Aluminum Outdoor Fireplace from The Blue Rooster.  

Both the small-size Etruscan and the medium-size Gatsby styles are available in cast aluminum. The Etruscan weighs approx. 30 lbs. at 29 inches high; the Gatsby weights approx. 65 lbs at 44 inches high.

Toasted marshmallows, anyone?!?!

FAQ

Can I have a fireplace in my garden?

Bonfires and barbecues are not banned by the Clean Air Act, but if you create a lot of smoke you may be causing a statutory nuisance. Burning garden waste on a bonfire is unnecessary and unpleasant for your neighbours. Is better to check fist with the local authorities, depending on the time of the year it might be some limitations.

  What does an outdoor fireplace cost?

An outdoor fireplace will cost anywhere between $1,500 to $20,000. On average, it will run you about $3,000 to have a fireplace built. Pre-made kits and unfinished contractor models usually only run from $1,500 to $9,000. Custom projects typically cost between $8,000 to $20,000 - some even hitting $50,000.

These clay fireplaces are also known as great bbq and pizza oven appliances and cost no more than $400

  Where should an outdoor fireplace be placed?

The most practical location for an outdoor fireplace is against a wall or in some interesting corner of the patio. Let an specialists help you place your fireplace, as poor placement can make this structure no safety and fire hazard.

  What is an outdoor fireplace called?

Chimineas are those charming, hand-decorated terracotta outdoor fireplaces you see for sale at patio stores, marketplaces, and tourist sites in Mexico and Western states like California and Arizona.

[glookie]

Fight your fears

Last weekend I went to Houston with my team members of Örebro HEMA. My beloved friend Suri was supposed to go with us, but couldn’t because their dog went ill and had to go through an emergency surgery. Suri and I booked our flight together and didn’t have the same flights as the others on our way home. I was calm with this when we booked, but when Suri couldn’t follow it stressed me out since I haven’t flown by myself before. Not this long either, I’ve only been on flights that took me an hour or so. It was also a stress not having one of my best friends with me during the entire stay. Before we left I was actually having thoughts about leaving in the whole trip, because I couldn’t handle the thought of me having to take that flight home by myself. 

When we got to Arlanda I was calm though, this wasn’t the hardest part of our journey – it was the easiest since I had company with the others during the whole flight to Houston. I was a little bit nervous about the security check in Chicago, since I’ve heard stories about them. “You know, a big guy ala CIA will make an interview with you in a room asking you why you come and visit the USA. They will take your prints and everything!” When we finally reached Chicago it wasn’t that terrifying. You just had to answer a few question on a machine, stand in another line with some ppl behind desks and when it was your turn you just went there, they took your fingerprint and asked: Why are you coming here? Jesper was in the line before me and he told the guy: We are going to a fencing competition. When it was my turn the guy just asked me: Are you in the fencing team as well? Yes! And that was how I put my feet in America the first time. Not that hard actually! We got to Houston in the middle of the night because of flights being delayed. We were a bunch of tired fencers, our trip took like 24 hours or so – no wonder we were tired! Now we just needed to get to the place we were going to stay, at the Grepares family. Our host came along to give some of us a ride (we were to many to fit in just one car) and the others got to rent a car. Very convenient. The Grepares has been incredible as hosts during the whole trip! They took care of us and it was like getting a whole new family. I am very thankful for that! We had 2 days of free time before the competition was held. During these two days we went to a winery trying out wines and had a picnic, we went to the museum and was out dining. The museum was really cool, they had like tons of skeletons from dinosaurs. 

From the museum

On Saturday we went off early to the sports arena where the competitions should be held, all the guys from us were competing this day. We realized they didn’t have any showers on site (!) not even locker rooms! This was such a weird thing not to have in a sports arena, at least for me but maybe it’s normal not to have? Anyhow, I was a bit nervous to get there since I was very tired before our trip started. I felt like I didn’t want to socialize that much since my energy was out. I told myself in beforehand that I didn’t had to. That it was ok not being all happy all the time talking to everyone, that I would make contact with people anyway. This is something I’ve been working hard on, that I don’t have to be the center of attention. Cause god damn that takes a lot of energy! And I don’t have it. I think none of us do. You know what? I’ve made new friends anyway. Just being the way I am, and this is a very important lesson for me. The open division started and I was very happy just being an audience. It was fun watching my teammates fight, and they did great! I jumped in as a judge during some of the pool fights instead of Carl. In this competition everyone that is competing also have to staff to make everything work out. It was fun judging, the fencing over there is a bit different from what I am used to. Always interesting seeing and learning new stuff. The next day it was my turn. I was up to competition! Or was I? Remember being tired and not very motivated at all. I felt it was a bit messy on sight – but it always is in some manner. I wasn’t as nervous in beforehand as I can be. I was going to be in the second pool, found out on site – maybe this was the reason why I wasn’t as nervous because usually you get that information the night before, making the whole situation “real”. I barely had the time to do a proper warmup, which is important for me. This was because of the fact that I thought that the women’s should be on one mat but it was held on two. Made me going straight up for my first match not at all ready for it. Jesper was my coach and he did a nice job. Now I became really nervous, nausea and everything! I asked myself: Why am I doing this?!?! A question that always run through my mind when I have my feet on the mat. Feels like my legs are made of syrup and having a hard time moving around, cause they won’t listen. I hate it! Still I put myself up there every time. I went through my first match and I won even though I had somewhat of a struggle at first. Than the second one, still nervous but made it through, also a win. Third, same procedure but now I started to feel like I should – telling Jesper so. He laughs and replies with: “Ok. You just had to win three matches with a hell of advantage first?!” That is Jesper just being, Jesper. The final match of our pool was me against Rebecca Glass. It was really fun, I had a blast even though I don’t remember that much from our match. But I never do, it’s like I’m in my own bubble when I compete. I won four out of four matches, and I am very proud doing so. I felt really good. Until Carl came up and told me and Britt that it might be a slight chance that we had to meet each other in the first rounds of eliminations. Whaa!! I didn’t travel that far to meet one of my teammates. Carl wasn’t mistaken – this was the way it ended up. I was ranked number three and Britt as number 6 after the pools. I told myself that I should just give it everything I’ve got. We both did, and this was the greatest match I had during the competition. It was very even between us for a very long time. Then Britt managed to hit me with a nice thrust, and the match was done. Britt won and I lost. She came through to the finals and came home with gold. Well done!! She is very well deserved of it, working hard every week to become a better fencer. After the competition we went home, took a shower and went on to the castle feast. This is a big Castle which is built in the middle of nowhere just because they wanted to have a castle. Things that can only happen in America folks! We ate a lot of meat and stuff, it was nice but.. Cold!

During my stay I’ve met so many people, Josh for example who I had contact with for 2 years thanks to a blogpost I wrote back then. It was a pleasure meeting you Josh!

I made new friends that I miss already, and I hope all of you are coming to Sweden soon!

But hey, now you might wonder. What happened with that flight on the way home?!

Well, this is the worst part of this trip by far. I was exhausted after the competition, and I also won this bad cold (which I still have because of it stubborn nature...). When we got to the airport I calmed myself down with the fact that I was going to take the first flight with the others to Chicago, then I should go to London by myself making another transit to Stockholm from there. On our way to Houston we had been both to London and Chicago, which made me feel safer. I went off to the machine to check in. It didn’t work out. I tried again, it failed once more. Then I had to talk to one of the staff to check out what was going on. She told me that one of my flights had been cancelled. My mind just freaked out. Cancelled?

Then she told me she had to send me to Philadelphia. My head starting to zoom out. I couldn’t really hear what she was saying anymore. I told Carl to get there, so we could solve things out because I couldn’t handle it there and then. Philadelphia… I felt so small! I wanted to run away and call someone who could come along and pick me up. But.. I had to do it. I almost started to cry from all the anxiety building up in my chest. Carl tried to fix so I could fly with them instead, but that flight was full. I told Carl that, well, after this I can fly everywhere! But right now I feel like shit.

We went through the security check. Of course they had to check my bag. I had Gertrud inside of it, so I thought: they will probably check her through. The guy working there took her out from her bag which has a suspicious look. He opened the bag, stared at Gertrud (who is my mascot – a lizard with rainbow-colored skin) I had a hard time to not start to laugh. I just wanted to say things like: Say hello to my magical lizard Gertrud! But I had to shut my mouth. This was hilarious! My team followed me to my gate, said goodbye and then I was on my own. Terrified and in somewhat panic mode.

Once I was on my flight I calmed down, it was the point of no return. I got to Philadelphia and was still in that anxiety mode, making me insecure. I almost took a bus to the wrong terminal. At least I realized what I was doing before I actually did it. Then I asked one of the staff where I was going to get to the right gate, just to calm myself down. He wasn’t helpful at all actually, just stressed me out even more acting like I was a stupid person. Maybe I am but hey, don’t act like it. Finally I got to the right gate, got my ass on the plane which was delayed by 45 minutes. When I got to London I got myself a new ticket to another flight since I missed my transit. You know what happened? I was on the same plane as my team-members. When we got to Stockholm my bag was lost, but it didn’t matter. I was in the right country and I grew as a human being during that flight. Now I can see the world on my own, no doubt about that!

I could write a whole book about my experience in Houston, but I’ll save that till later. The most important stuff is that this story had a happy ending.

The end!

xoxo

Lotta

[comicteaparty]

April 25th-May 1st, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble  chat that occurred from April 25th, 2020 to May 1st, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

What is your warm-up routine before you write or draw something related to your story?

Page, Rambler Extraordinaire!

Honestly? I don’t have a formal warm-up, but I definitely like to have my fingers all warmed-up and ready for lots of typing! I really need to get in the mindspace for the particular image/idea being portrayed, though.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

1) Seek out music that matches the energy of the page, 2) Draw some circles/spirals/hatchmarks to loosen up, 3) Pick the easiest thing on the page and finish it first to build momentum, 4) Repeat Ad Infinitum

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

-listen to music from my playlist -read some fanfics -watch YouTube videos from my subscription -get some tea -stretch/workout -wear my comfiest clothes

CalimonGraal(Fenauriverse)

i'm also another one that listens to music before doing story stuff. (sometimes either is a favorite song/song i'm obsessed with atm or one that matches the current scene)

Eilidh (Lady Changeling)

I usually reread my comic so far and listen to some music I associate with it to get me in the mindset and excited for it

eli [a winged tale]

I have a warm up character to go to! Usually I try for some gestures before getting right back to the panels. It gets the rustiness out of the way for me!

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Ooh I love your warm ups, Eli!

eli [a winged tale]

Thank you! It’s easier for me to get into a routine when I have something fun to draw first (with zero expectations)

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I don't always need a warm up, but doing panel borders for HoK makes for an excellent warm up. It gets my brain switch gears to comic mode. Music is great, but I only turn it on for important moments (or illustrations outside of comic). There are certain moods that... recur in important moments in my story, and I have playlists for those. e.g. 'sad emotional intimacy'

eli [a winged tale]

I love how music influences our work! I would love to hear all your playlists if you have them easy to share

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

ooooh @eli [a winged tale] i like the motion in your warmups! They're very fluid and nice to look at @keii’ii (Heart of Keol) Keii, I agree with separating playlists for moods! I usually just group them all in my favourites and mentally search for them

DanitheCarutor

Gosh I'm one of the most boring people. Lol I don't have a routine, I don't need one since I'm always in comic mode. Like, all I ever draw is comic pages. I don't have a script or anything that requires writing, so no need for a warm-up for that. I just jump right into it.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Sounds like you live on the edge which is the opposite of boring 8)

eli [a winged tale]

^

DanitheCarutor

I dunno, it would be cool to do warm-up drawing. That would sure help for gesture/color/anatomy practice. I just don't have the time, a page takes about 4 days to finish without outside distractions, so I have to get to work right away.

eli [a winged tale]

If you can jump right in, that’s great! For me otherwise I just stare at the inks and wish it would colour itself

DanitheCarutor

Ffff I'm like that with dynamic shots where the perspective points are off the page, and I have to tape scrap paper to it, and sometimes my ruler isn't long enough. Working in a traditional medium can be such a pain in the ass sometimes. Lol

This panel is a good example.

Top view perspective lines went way off the page, I hate it.

Anyways, that's my complaint for the day.

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

When I draw warm ups. This was of my 'for practice' comic art. I wanted to practice the vertical scroll storytelling. A lady gets her purse string cut, and the thief runs off. Whenever I want to figure out action scenes, I do little character interactions. It helps me learn more about certain character behavior(edited)

eli [a winged tale]

Nice! Practice comics are great!

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

yeah it's really good too!

it's also a great way to possibly have new stories/series

kinda like.....brainstorming, but applied

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Thank you Eli, Shadow. I try to combine my knowledge of storyboarding, since vertical scroll sequences, are similar to that in some regards.(edited)

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

I.... Don't do warm up. I just... Start drawing(edited)

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

dang Holmea you living the risky life

that's brave

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

I am pretty sure of my skill. Should I warm up?? Could be super to start warm ups! I check my mail, find out how we are doing online with our comic and just begin to draw. I guess since I have done it professionally as a 2d animator, and there is not really time to warm up, that I have learned to just start

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

I do warm ups for everything! though what I define as warmups depend on each creator. For me, it begins with stretches and sketching, ill doodle things i need to get out of my head so i'm not distracted by those ideas- they usually involve studies, certain character interactions, or thumbing out pieces I want to tackle later! I may sure to draw everyday to flex that too, so its also important to be able to relax those creative muscles with some pre-work!

also! my warm ups vary with what medium i work in. if Im working in watercolours, i practice fine pencil work and get my lines as loose as possible. when it's comic (so mainly inking) i do what I described above with character studies and what not

kayotics

I’m really bad at remembering to do warm ups. I should.... actually do them more, but the time I have dedicated to drawing is usually pretty limited

Deo101 [Millennium]

Because I usually finish off whatever I had been working on the day before, warmups for me are kind of the process of starting a new piece. All the sketching and thumbing to get my next idea out work pretty well for warming me up, and then I feel ready to go by the time I'm needing to do things like lines. I also get music going that fits the mood of what I'm working on, like lots of people seem to do! I also need to remember to do stretches more :/ And I usually get myself some kind of drink, tea or something, to keep me company while I work ;)

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Sounds like you are pretty busy, Kayotic. Yeah warm ups can be a good practice before diving into a big illustration

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Weirdly I don't think I've ever done warmups for illustrations. Only comic work!

Probably because illustrations, I just do them whenever I feel like it, so my brain is already ready (i.e. I don't start if my brain isn't ready)

whereas comic... I can't just wait for my brain to get ready. I need to keep updating it.

Page, Rambler Extraordinaire!

Pro-tip: if you decide to not do anything and procrastinate, you don't have to warm-up!

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

hmm, can't say i've really tried warming up for art before, but i've heard it can really help! What are you guys' art warm up routines?

Deo101 [Millennium]

For me it's just kinda mindless sketching til I hit what it is I wanna be doing

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Make panel borders (not really a routine though, at least I don't think it is)

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

When I do watercolor, I usually don't do warm ups unless I'm planning from thumb-> sketch ->color thumbs and figuring out local colors for watercolor then doing my watercolor flats from there

Deo101 [Millennium]

Instead of staring at a blank screen and waiting, making little circles or scribbles or drawing like. Some arms or something til, eventually, my brain thinks we're working and then it's like "ah yes! Here we go!"

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

but digitalllyyyyy I shoullddddddddd

my brain when looking at my comic: "aight time to do the thingy lmao"

Deo101 [Millennium]

If I've already got a sketch waiting to go I can jump right in though

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

idk, I should but my time is usually limited so I haven't done a warm up in a while lmao.

now I have the time, I probably would

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

ohh i see

like some quick sketches

i see how that can help- whenever i'm figure drawing or drawing people in a cafe or something my later ones are always better

how is making panel borders a warm up? don't you have to do that anyways?

Deo101 [Millennium]

Lines with intent! Doesn't matter what the purpose is, same kinda thing as drawing a bunch of straight lines in a row or practicing ellipses a bit

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

It's something I can do with my brain turned off. While I do it, it wakes up the comic-making part of my brain

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

oh ye

Deo101 [Millennium]

Which I'd encourage doing things like drawing a ton of ellipses or straight lines, it gets your hand into the groove so you can draw stuff right the first time

Do I do it often? No But I do encourage it

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

ah i see keii

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

So for me, the panel borders can function like a warmup without being a "ritual." Kinda like if you're... say... hiking, walking from your parking spot to the trailhead can be a warmup even if it's not a ritual and is necessary anyway

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

ooo that's an interesting way of putting it

... man I really should consider warm ups often. I have been touching my sketchbook less and less so lmao

I do find making small thumbs and coloring them in relaxing for me, not sure that count as a warm up but its something I like doing when planning out watercolor illustrations lol

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Relaxing/chilling/ "reward after a long day" arting is also an interesting topic, though not 100% suitable for this week's question...

I find it interesting how a lot of people seem to like, make cute ship doodles, whereas I uhhh

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

lineart is the easiest for me to do though. I don't have to think much about it

maybe i should like line a page as warm up?

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I'll drop some examples in art share in a bit

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

ooh please do(edited)

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

That sounds like a good idea! Worth trying

Feather J. Fern

I actually read in a artist self care comic "Draw Stronger: Self Care of Artist" that you are supposed to stretch and stuff before you art so your body is warmed up for long periods of sitting. Things i draw before getting into main art, the one line challenge where you draw something using one line, gesture drawing warm ups, and always becuase it's something I recently been doing, is drawing a thumbs up on a page that I can erase later or keep in a sketchbook as in like "Good job "(edited)

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I don't have a warm-up routine before I sit down and draw / write comics. Besides making a cup of coffee before I dive right in. (edited)

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I don't follow rules

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

i don't really have any warm up routines. it helps that 3d art is less physically demanding than drawing. during/after my work, i try to look away from the screen and relax my eyes every so often, but i can't think of anything i specifically do before working.

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Another dive-right-inner here. I mean, I do loose pencil sketches before putting down lineart, but it's not like a separate warmup drawing before the real one, it's just the start of the real one.

If my brain isn't in "comics mode" and I need to get a page done...I find a nice secluded spot, sit down with the blank sketchbook, and stare at the empty paper until ideas start clicking into place. Unrelated sketches would be a distraction at that point -- same as checking twitter, just one more excuse for my brain to focus on something other than the page.

Used to do the seclusion in local restaurants( whether it's a nice place or just a plastic fast-food table), but obviously that hasn't been an option for a while :/

varethane

My warmup is working eight hours at an unrelated job l-lol

eli [a winged tale]

Haha aw that’s a mood

Miranda

Oh boy do I feel that

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

oh that got real

[asahiwasabi]

nekoma pt 2

okay i did some rough sketches last night at work so here’s more of the nekoma girls team

that’s the whole team by height!! #6 is literally all leg lmao she’s a big noodle. i love #5 with my whole heart. maybe ill clean this up and color it someday

these would be the main characters!! left to right is the libero (wearing the libero jersey--it’d be red with black trim, like the boys jerseys) and #8 in the regular jersey (she is mildly concerned about how enthusiastic #3 is about volleyball all. the. time.) and #3 wearing their jersey and their jackets. she’s got messy hair that never stays in the braid (when the headband goes on, shit’s about to go down) and then the setter in their warmup/practice shirts! she’s a cinnamon roll and i love her. #4 would be another main character probably

these are just some random sketches idk why it’s sideways. clockwise: 1 and 6 are the shortest/tallest and #6 makes sure everyone knows it. #8 does not care about anything, ever. that’s their jersey (i need to color it) and down there is a small #5. she’s precious and i love her. then an unfinished sketch of #3 and kuroo hanging and another #3 because they both have bad bedhead 24/7.

then you have the two mains!! a first year and a second year, learning to work together and make the team the best in the world~~~ they actually balance each other really well. i love them.

anyways no one has names and this is what i have so far. the show would go like this:

#8 joins the team because she wants to wear the spandex, so she meets everyone. she has no idea what she’s doing but she likes the outfit. #3 and #1 lowkey kind of adopt her and are determined to make her the next best thing after #3 and #4′s recent promotion to top 10 ranked high school players. 8 tags along one day with 3 to go manage the boys team in their off season training (3 works with them on their defense because her play style is wicked good and the coach likes training his team to flow~~) and 3 discovers that 8 is actually a natural born setter?? she just has no idea what she’s doing. so begins the crazy training techniques where they play against other girls teams (and they actually go to the boys summer training thing because they’re better than half the boys there) and then they go to the spring tournament and win thanks to #8 coming in and saving the day when #9 gets injured. 

other points of interest:

people think #3 and kuroo have a thing going on, but 3 lowkey has a crush on 8

1 and 6 are totally shippable, as are 2 and 5

6 and lev are BEST FRIENDS

8 trains with kenma, kuroo, lev and 3 to get better at setting

9 is an absolute cinnamon roll and anyone would die for her. anyone.

4 is so kickass i can’t stand it