#nutrition homework help

[tilliwhore]

An adult couple (husband and wife) rents me a room in their house while I go to college far from home. They are very sweet and take care of me like your niece or even your daughter. The woman always monitors my health, nutrition, etc. The man helps me with my homework and sometimes reads books to me in the evenings. I loved them.

But they don’t need money to rent a room. They want my young body. They love to play with me so much.

The man always fucks me before bed so that I can sleep better. I suck his dick when he comes home for lunch. He can use me if he has insomnia. Every morning I have to wake him up with sex and kisses.

A woman forces me to perform cunnilingus on her throughout the day. She often plays with my nipples and puts clamps on them. In her presence I must walk without clothes. She likes to put different objects in my pussy and fuck me with them. She enjoys watching me moan and writhe.

But despite this, I love them. They are my family and they take care of me. They always want the best for me. They want to make me the best whore.

[gatitties]

Heyyy, I was wondering if you could do Dad! Sanzu x teen! Daughter! Reader where she has an eating disorder due to not feeling any control over anything that happens in her life since Sanzu is addicted and stuff and Sanzu finding out and how he reacts and what he does to help her! Tyy

─Dad!Sanzu x teen!daughter!reader (platonic)

─Summary: your life begins to fall apart because of your father's addictions, but it's never too late to get back on track.

─Warnings: drugs, alcoholism, a little angst?

Part two

─ Your bad eating habits began just as Sanzu began with his addiction, a spiral of unfavorable events in which you found yourself dragged.

─ At first it wasn't that noticeable, since you were able to control some aspects of your life without a father present, however, it was too much pressure for a teenager.

─ You didn't have to be the one to pay attention to payroll and housing payments, to electricity, water, and food expenses, even though Sanzu brought an exaggerated amount of money, if he didn't know how to distribute it it wouldn't be of any use.

─ Not to mention that you had to take care of cleaning the house and the studies, counting on helping your father whenever he came home drunk.

─ Stress and lack of attention made you change all your life patterns, insomnia and nutritional deficiencies, you felt that you were only living so that your only family would not fade away, since despite everything you loved your father and you always tried to get him to at least leave the world of drugs, it was too late to leave crime, especially if it was his main source of income.

─ And honestly, Sanzu wouldn't have realized how emaciated you looked until some of your uncles, more specifically, the Haitani brothers, pointed it out.

─ It was a slap in the face for your father, all the drunkenness left his body when he came home and saw you awake just a couple of hours before your classes started, you were doing the homework that you had not been able to do because you were busy with other things.

─ You were scared when you felt him hug you, crying on your shoulder while he apologized between incomprehensible babbling due to his condition.

─ You consoled him with a few pats on the head, making it clear that you didn't hate him but the bad habits and environments he moved through.

─ He promised you to control himself, he promised you to take care of all those things that you shouldn't take care of at this age, he promised you to be a better father for you.

─ Although the change did not happen immediately, and the absence was still noticeable in the house, you did not have to control the money again to keep everything in order, you did not have to make the purchase on your own.

─ Sanzu began to leave notes around the house, since because of his work he couldn't always be with you, he made sure that you were well fed, if he had time before leaving, he would leave you breakfast or lunch prepared, if he couldn't, he would ask Kakucho to stop by the house to give you some food and ask you how you are doing in class.

─ He cut short his time in brothels and cut off some bad relationships to spend more quality time with you.

─ He made sure you rested properly, even forbidding you from doing tasks as simple as washing the dishes.

─ He doesn't want to see you as bad as that time again, it seemed like you didn't even think, that you were an automated robot to do essential things, the drug was not only consuming him, but also his loved ones and he didn't want to experience that again.

─ Of course, quitting an addiction is not something he can do overnight, but he would take the time he needed so that at least you could live a normal adolescence and life, away from all the shit he had at his back.

[moonyasnow]

We Both Go Down Together.

PROMPT :

CHARACTERS : Ruggie, Kalim

CONTENT : Implied romantic relationship, Reader comes from a privileged background(Ruggie's part), Reader had abusive/neglectful childhood(Kalim's part), I've been obsessed with this song since I first heard it and now I'm making it everyone else's problem

...You come from parents wanton A childhood rough and rotten I come from wealth and beauty Untouched by work or duty...

...And my parents will never consent to this love But I hold your hand...

...And oh, my love, my love We both go down together.

Ruggie

Ruggie Bucchi, next to most other students of his Dorm, stood almost a head shorter; a result of not getting proper nutrition growing up in the slums of the Sunset Savannah and having to scrape by with little money for food, clothes...or anything, really. With a dead mother and absent father, growing up raised by his grandmother in a little slum-town, homemade donuts substituted for the birthday cake they could not afford. The circles he ran in were similarly destitute, perhaps chancing upon someone middle-class every now and then, and finally lucking out in becoming the second prince of the Sunset Savannah's errand boy.

You grew up in a beautiful lakeside villa with your family, and had a housekeeper who made your food and helped with your homework while your parents weren't home to sit down with you. You had fond memories of yearly vacations to faraway locations each year; shores of crystal white sand lapped at by cerulean waves, luxurious alpine mountain cabins, emerald green golf courses, high-end fashion boutiques in every Capital, a photo in front of every World Wonder. Your friends were those from equally influential families, ones your parents arranged for you, classmates from similar backgrounds.

When he first met you and saw your eminently cared for appearance, he immediately clocked you as some kind of rich kid. He thought you might be one of those lazy ones like Leona, or intensely naïve like Kalim. For his sake, he hoped for the latter.

Much to his surprise then when it turned out that, while certainly a bit naïve, you were aware of and wanted to change that. You kinda had to, now that you'd suddenly fallen from the lap of luxury and ended up in the same position as him; effectively homeless, getting an education through the goodwill of others, who made you clean up after them. And so you asked him to help you, figuring he would have good advice, which you certainly weren't wrong about.

It was a struggle for you, so used to having others care for you that you'd barely cooked a meal for yourself before. As he watched your soft hands slowly collect cuts, blemishes and callouses, he felt strange. He was happy to help you learn. But he didn't want this for you. For as envious as he was that you'd known the Good Life, of being born with a silver spoon in your mouth and never having to worry about where your next meal was gonna come from, he was happy for you that you'd had that. And to see you become accustomed to hard work for the first time...

He obviously knew it wasn't his fault, If anything he was easing the burden by teaching you tips, tricks and shortcuts to make the work easier. But he still felt like he was...'dirtying' you in some way as he did so. You were never meant to know that life, of needing to know the kinds of things he'd teach you. But he kept it all in his head, showing you a small smile each time you greeted him, laughing when you thanked him for his advice and promised to pay it back to him. As much as he might've known it was just the smart thing to do, he didn't want to accept any kind of payment from you. You were both in the same boat, as far as he was concerned, and he kinda tricked you into helping with his own errands while 'teaching you' how to do stuff like that, so in his mind the debt was already paid. But he couldn't say no to spending more time with you. You'd...grown on him. Far more than he ever expected you to.

There was another thing he kept in his head. Something he'd probably never tell you.

As soon as he heard precisely what kind of mega-rich and elitist family you were from, he was...happy...that you had no way back home.

He loved his own family, his Granny and the other kids on his street, and now you, more than words could ever say. That was why he did everything he did, after all: to provide for them, and maybe even be able to make those slums he was born in a better place one day if he had the spare cash. He knew how much it would crush him to never be able to see them again, and he felt bad you had to be put in that position. So that's why he felt conflicted.

Because while he might not have told you as much yet, by now you really were like family to him. He'd imagined a future with you. He'd grown up never letting himself imagine any specific kind of future, so he wouldn't get his hopes up. Not like he could imagine one with another specific person anyway, being so used to doing everything himself. But after a lot of time spent getting to truly know you, and even longer learning to trust you...he'd imagined a future with you. And that made you as close to 'it' for him as anyone could possibly be.

And the thought of losing that, losing you, either to the way back being a one-way-trip, or to your parents taking one looking at him, deeming him 'street trash' and forbidding you from seeing him again... It was scary. It even made him cry a little.

But one thought in the back of his mind made him feel a little bit better. The thought of your parents disowning you as well for associating with someone like him.

It was selfish. Obviously. He knew that very well. It hurt for a second to think he wanted something like that for you. His parents were gone, and he grew up close to squalor, but you still had yours, even if in another world, and they could provide everything you might need for you. If you just went back you were practically guaranteed the Good Life, and if you stayed in Twisted Wonderland with him you were guaranteed to struggle and toil and stress just like him, juggling multiple jobs until either he or you somehow managed to strike the job jackpot.

But he just wanted you by his side so bad.

...So bad he'd drag you down into the mud with him, soiling your pristine clothes, if it meant he got to be with you.

It'd be up to you to be stronger, smarter- whatever- than him if you wanted out, because now that he knew that's what he wanted, he was gonna try his hardest to get it.

He just hoped that if it came to it, you wouldn't regret growing so close to him.

Kalim

Kalim Al-Asim was born and raised in a palace, to wealthy parents employing 100 servants in their household. Upon his birth a parade had been thrown in his honor, him laid in his mother's arms, surrounded by the other two, atop an elephant, soft and plush fabric lined with spun gold shielding them from the sun. Loud, extravagant music was played by a live band following in the parade and all manners of confetti and flower petals were thrown in the air to celebrate the birth of the next Asim family heir.

You were born in a small, dingy apartment with the help of your parents' neighbor, your father not present, instead off at some bar or another wasting away that month's money. When it was done and your mother held you, she stared down at you with cold, bitter eyes as you cried. She then promptly left you on a blanket on the ground to go clean the blood on the floor, cursing you and your father under her breath.

He had the best private tutors in both school subjects and magic that money could buy, and while no means an academic prodigy, was praised often as he learned. He had too many toys and books and games to ever be able to count, sharing all of them with his many siblings and his closest friend and retainer, who had been by his side all their lives.

You never went to school simply because your parents never bothered to enroll you, and you only learned to read thanks to one of the older kids in your neighborhood being kinder to you than you thought you deserved. You had one stuffed animal, which was your only friend. You held it close. Treasured it. It was the only thing in the world that was yours.

Simply put, your backgrounds could not possibly be more different. And it showed, on both of you. His skin was clean, smooth and unblemished, yours off-color, gaunt and scarred. You couldn't understand why you of all people were the one he fell for. He shone like the sun. You were like a dirtied, dusty cooking pot, too rusty and worn to reflect anything.

When he found out about the rot and turmoil and taste of tears, dust and blood that was your childhood, he didn't judge you. You felt a bit silly for thinking he would; that just wasn't him, after all.

You didn't understand why he seemed sad seeing the state of Ramshackle. Sure, it wasn't the prettiest Dorm, but it could have been a lot worse. If anything, you felt anxious having such a large house to yourself. And you couldn't understand ever becoming used to living the way he did-- in luxury, never wanting for anything, always having people around him who cared, who would take care of and protect him.

He couldn't imagine what that would be like: having no one to care for you…having to grow up caring for yourself. But he did think it sounded awful. So he made up his mind to never let you experience that again.

He decided he would heap jewels and pretty clothes and good food on you every day for the rest of your life! Because he loved you. He loved you so, so, so much! And he'd give you every good and pretty thing money could buy, because you deserved it, and money was the one thing he had more of than he could ever need, or even spend in one lifetime. So of course he'd shower his beloved, his Hayati, in gold and jewels and riches and everything.

He would carve out the moon from the sky and give it to you on a silver— no, golden platter if you asked him to.

He couldn't understand why you seemed…scared, because of it. Why you started crying when he gave you the most elaborate necklace yet.

You didn't care about his money. You truly didn't. In fact, it intimidated you. You were scared that others would think that was what you cared about. You felt so guilty partaking in the feasts present at his parties, even when he was the one practically begging you to try it. You thought you could feel the eyes of every other person at the party watching you, judging you, thinking 'gold digger' or 'leech' or other synonyms. It became hard to breathe sometimes. But the way he held you so tightly, cleaning off the grime and neglect coating your being enough for you to begin to reflect his sunshine for the first time…through it, it became a little easier each day, to believe that you truly could— did— deserve him.

But then your worst fears came true: his parents didn't approve of you. Of you being with him. They, just as you'd feared, were apprehensive about letting you be with their son due to your background. Not only were you practically homeless with barely a Thaumark to your name, you had no proof you even existed as who you said you were, and had nothing and no one else to fall back on.

Just as you loved him, he loved you more than anything. He was so sure that his parents would love you too... He was completely blindsided when they didn't approve of you. He couldn't understand nor did he wish to believe that anyone, least of all his own family, could be so cruel— for that's how he saw it.

But in retrospect, you felt you should have expected that to be their answer. How does that look, for someone like you to be with someone of his status?

You'd never had much in life. But now you had him. Someone who, for once, loved you unconditionally. You didn't always know how exactly to deal with that fact...but you'd resolved to figure out how. Because you loved him. And the thought of that, this sense of safety, of him, being taken from you as soon as you'd started to become accustomed to the possibility of being allowed to keep them...

You cried that night. You were so scared that his parents would forbid the two of you from being together. Or worse yet, forbid him from even seeing you at all.

To try to soothe you, he took you with him on the magic carpet up high into the sky, where there were no one but you and him for miles. No one who could forbid you from crying into his silk, gold thread and sequence clothes, nor him from gently kissing each of your tears away and assuring you it would be alright. He knew his parents would come around eventually.

It didn't matter to him how many times his parents or other senior staff or relatives tried to explain to him the reasons for why they objected to your love. He'd already decided he wouldn't listen to it. None of their 'reasons' were good enough. Just excuses. Because he knew you weren't like that.

…He didn't say it then, because he knew you probably wouldn't like hearing it, but if his parents never came around…

…He wouldn't hesitate to give everything up for you.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This was incredibly self-indulgent but I hope you still liked it!

I just kinda wanted to get it cleared out of my drafts, heh... ; O vO)

Also to that person who sent me a writing request, it's being worked on! ^^

[9settersoul]

𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐤𝐲𝐮𝐮 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬

you both share this class and, consequently, it became his favorite one of the day. there was no assigned seating, so he chose to sit next to you. from then on you always helped each other with homework, partnered for projects, and passed notes during class. he'll lean over you, sneakily looking for answers off your worksheet. he'll make you laugh in class. even when it's supposed to be silent. he'll steal glances at your studious face, even though he's supposed to pay attention. but he can't help it.

⋆ ★ ⋆

chemistry: kuroo

language arts: akaashi

history: tsukishima

astronomy: oikawa

culinary class: tendou

biology: ushijima

geography: nishonoya

computer science: kenma

nutrition: kageyama

math: daichi + sugawara

economics: asahi

debate: atsumu

business: osamu

religion: kita

health/fitness: iwaizumi + hinata

[ros3ybabe]

Daily Check-in: July 24, 2024 🎀

Ahhhh today was such a phenomenal day omg. I had a really good, mostly productive day today and I'm so happy. I still need to work on my eating and nutrition and stop letting my hotel roommate talk me into late night munching, but everything else is going so good.

🩷 What I Accomplished

35 minutes full body strength workout

30 minute treadmill walk (2.5 speed, 3.0 Incline for 19min, 3.0 speed, 3.0 Incline for 11min)

put away all my clean laundry

had a 30 min korean trial lesson on italki (loved it, love the teacher, she's awesome)

planned out my language studies and budget moving forward

booked an appointment to get my nails done once I'm back home in mid August (gonna get medium acrylics, coffin shape with a mocha brown French tip, I'm so excited)

napped for about ~3 hours, i think? I've been really tired recently

did my night time skincare routine for the first time in a week

did my night time gratitude journal, also for the first time in a while

studied Korean for about 75 minutes (not counting the italki lesson!!)

got homework from my italki teacher, super excited to work with her

called my boyfriend this morning

tried an egg, bacon, cheese, potato, and avocado breakfast bowl from a place nearby and it was so yummy and filling

remembered to take my night time meds

emailed my therapist about documentation I need for a financial aid appeal

looked for more Korean and Spanish learning resources

my dad sent me pictures of one of our dogs (a German Shepard that has my whole heart), and she's such a cutie i could cry

💔 What Could've Gone Better

need to write my financial aid appeal letter (too many credit hours, but I'm double majoring so it makes sense???)

didn't wash my laundry, need to do it tomorrow morning

ate too much again. my roommate keeps talking me into late night eating and ughhh, I gotta stop giving in

gotta make better food choices in general, and start logging my food to be more mindful

slept A LOT today, like napped before my italki lesson, napped afterward. I've been so so tired lately and I've no clue why

need to stick to a consistent routine, and prepare myself for my after work workouts for Friday thru Sunday

💗 Stuff For Thursday (July 25th)

finish paying back my friend

send money for rent to roommates back home

make a payment towards new apartment

book next Spanish and Korean italki lessons

study korean

complete my pilates full body workout from health coach plan

begin tracking what I eat to help my mindfulness around my food choices

morning and night skincare

morning and night gratitude journaling

wash my laundry before I go to work

work an ~8.5 hour evening shift

💕 Song of The Day: Who - Jimin

ughhh I love his voice, and this song, so much

til next time, lovelies 🩷

[dreamgrlarchive]

How do you deal with burnout?

Rest and Recovery 🎀

when feeling worn out and deflated it’s so crucial to prioritize revitalization. burnout is real and is critical to mental health.

recovering from burnout is different depending on what exactly you’re burnt out on (ex. work, school, family, friends, hobbies, relationship)

for example: tumblr is one thing i feel burnout from often. from anons, to writers block i often get drained from the platform. i remedy this by putting the app down and only returning when i have an idea. constantly scrolling and looking for inspiration doesn’t work. i have to see inspo in real life.

so i say that to say you cure burnout from optional activities by simply taking a break.

now for things that aren’t so optional like school or work, i recommend seeking help. talking to someone (employer, counselor, teacher/professor) for assistance.

in high school i was EXTREMELY drained from my algebra 2 class. before allowing myself to slip i emailed my teacher telling her that i was simply lacking the energy it took to retain the info she was teaching and she and i laid out a comprehensive plan for my success. i was given small extensions for homework assignments, we met once a week for a few weeks, and on the time i took away from that class i honed in on my other classes. i had to ease my way back into productivity. i got an A in the class.

my point is you can’t skip out on things that are crucial to your well being so you have to seek help. closed mouths don’t get fed and when you’re showing concern, people are more apt to help you.

now for people and relationships, i’m still learning my way around this. when i’m feeling overwhelmed by the maintenance it takes, i try to speak up.

“hey i’m just a little drained and overwhelmed with life right now so i won’t be around as much but i’m okay and i’ll be coming back. don’t worry nothing has changed. i love you 💗”

is something i’ve said in the past. taking breaks in relationships (with tangible expectations and parameters) can be good (platonic, familial, or romantic). if you tell your bestie you need about a week to focus on other things and recoup, and you disappear for three weeks with no word, she now has reason to worry (about your well-being, about the friendship and your reliability). so set standards and stick to them but if you attempt this and are met with harsh backlash, maybe this person isn’t mature enough or respectful enough or is too self centered (none of which make them a bad person) to be around you right now. and that isn’t your issue.

and finally, if you’re feeling burnout from yourself (self maintenance, hobbies, etc.) TAKE A BREAK. i’ve gone through phases where i can’t do my makeup and hair because i’m so mentally tired. it’s normal and it doesn’t make you less than. focus on necessities during times like this. essentials are all we really need so make sure you’re not skimping on hygiene and nutrition and you’ll eventually fall back into a routine that works for you. it’s about not forcing it when you know you can’t mentally handle it.

in conclusion please just be kind to yourself. give yourself the grace you need to get back to normal living. you deserve it

xoxo,

-Dreamgrl

[reignsbaby]

This is for @diorianna

Hope you enjoy love!!!

(Also let’s pretend that Roman only has 3 kids in this)

Longing for Love

——Joe P.O.V.——

I never thought my life would include a messy divorce with children involved but here I am…and it’s so difficult. I’m fighting for my kids, my home, my life all of it. It all just keeps getting more stressful as days go on. My grey hairs are popping through more and more. I had to find someone to help me. I began to reasearch nanny’s and baby sitters. When my eyes fell upon Y/N I felt something jolt inside me. The smile, so perfect and beautiful, the doe eyes entrancing me further…but I stopped myself. I was a soon to be divorced dad of 5. No woman her age would want me like that. But she did seem pretty genuine and open to really any hours available. So I decided to shoot her an email

—— Y/n P.o.V. ——

I groaned as my phone dinged roughly five times. There’s no way it’s time for me to get up yet…who the hell is texting me this early? I thought as I rolled over in my bed, I picked my phone up off the nightstand before sitting up in bed. It was notifications from my nanny/babysitting app I have.

Joe Anoa’i: Hello my name is Joe

Joe Anoa’i : I’ve never contacted someone on here before so bare with me please 😅

Joe Anoa’i: I have 3 kids, 1 is a teen so I don’t really need help with her as much, she might need help with homework or something here and there but she’s mostly with her mom, but I do have twin boys who are 3 years old.

Joe Anoa’i: I’m unsure the hours, I am really struggling currently as I’m going through a very rough divorce on top of this

Joe Anoa’i: I’m also on the road a lot, when I have my kids, they come with me so I can assure I spend gas much quality time with them as possible.

I took a look at Joes profile and I immediately noticed how good looking he was. But I pushed that aside it was time to be professional.

Good Morning Joe! I appreciate your interest in my services! I am a part time student who full time works as a nanny/babysitter, I would like to tell you a little bit about myself as I find that important for potential clients. I am 24 years old and I have always loved children, I as of now prefer to watch others children since I want to get my degree! I go to school online so I have open availability! I have been babysitting for roughly 7 years, and I’ve nannied for families for 2 years! I have taken many classes and sat in seminars to ensure that I can be a positive role model for children as well as a safe person for them to rely on. My classes and certifications will be listed below:

• CPR And AED Certified (I also have a portable aed machine I keep with me at all times)

• Water Safety Certification

• infant care certification

• professional nanny certification

• Childhood nutrition

• Fitness education

• Foreign language (6 years of Spanish, 3 years of French, I speak Spanish and French fluently)

• Special Needs Care Classes

• Positive Discipline Training

I would definitely be interested in helping you out! I do require at least one in person meeting prior to discussing any services and creating a buisness contract. If meeting in person doesn’t work (with your busy work schedule) I am also willing to do a zoom call and talk to you over that! Thank you for your interest and I hope to hear from you soon!

Y/F/N Y/L/N

I sent the email and rolled over to go back to sleep. I couldn’t help but think about how handsome Joe was…I pushed it out of my mind and slowly fell back to sleep.

——Joe P.O.V.——

As I ran on the treadmill the ding of a notification interrupted my music. I looked down seeing it was a email from the nannying site. I opened it, reading Y/N’s message and smiling. She said she’d help! And she’s got so many qualifications…man she’s a well rounded individual.

—Time skip because it’s needed now—

——Y/n P.O.V.——

It was a hot day and the first thing the boys wanted to do was swim, I loved Joe’s twins and they were so well behaved. And Joelle was home too which made for nice conversation, she’s such a sweet girl I felt bad that she had to be as old as she was while her parents went through a divorce, my parents were divorced, and it sucked to be her age through all of it too. I walked upstairs, knocking on the door of the boys room. I opened it hearing then giggle. “You boys finish your assigned reading for the day?” I asked and they both nodded with big smiles on their faces. “Well good……I guess it’s pool time then!” I said excitedly and they screamed jumping up and down and making me shush them. “Boys your dad is still sleeping you have to keep it down…he had a long week.” I said and they looked up at me covering their mouths before giggling. “I’m awake.” I heard his deep raspy voice say from behind me, shivers ran up my spin as I slowly turned to look back. My eyes trailed from his thick muscular legs up to his naked torso and chest. My eyes finally connected with his deep chocolate doe eyes making my face flush. “Oh Mr.Anoa’i I didn’t realize you were up! Sorry boys I yelled at you for no reason then.” I said with a small laugh. “How many times I gotta tell ya call me Joe. It’s okay I’d rather you keep these rowdy boys of mine in line then let them wreak havoc like I know they can.” He said as he moved into the room, quickly swooping each boy up onto his shoulders. They giggled and squealed making me smile. “Daddy! Guess what! It’s pool day!” One twin squeaked out surrounded by laughs. “You gotta swim with us please daddy!” The other twin said making me smile. “They sure do drive a hard bargain huh?” He said turning and looking at me. “Yes they do.” I said with a smirk. “Well I guess I have no choice then. I’ll go get my suit on. You two get yours on.” He said setting them down and they nodded. “Last one down to the pool is a rotten egg!” He said before bolting from the room. I quickly grabbed the suits from their dresser handing them each one before exiting the room and closing the door. I needed to check on Joelle.

I knocked softly on her door, hearing her softly tell me to come in. I opened the door peaking my head in seeing her writing stuff down. “Hey Joelle, I just wanted to check in and see how you are doing.” I said with a soft smile closing the door behind me. She looked over sighing before I saw her lip wiggle. “Oh no I’m sorry hun I didn’t want to make you cry:” I said walking over and giving her a hug. She cried softly shaking her head: “I’m so stressed out!” She sobbed out and I rubbed her back letting her calm. “Let’s talk about what you are stressed about.” I said and she let out a shaky breath and nodded. “I’m trying to get a really good score on this anatomy test, I have all A’s but this class I have an A- and I want to get it up so bad. And then I have the varsity swim tryout tomorrow too…and with everything going on with my parents it’s hard to focus, I want to stay here but I know mom is coming tonight and that’s gonna be a huge deal if I even mention it. But I want quiet, and I love my brothers but they are kids and they are loud.” She said and I hummed nodding. “You got practice cards for the exam?” I asked and she nodded. “Okay, well I can help you study, and I can help you as best as I can with practicing for the swim tryout too. I think you need some fresh air for a reset though. Have you had anything to eat today yet?” I asked and she shook her head. “Okay, get your cards, and get your suite on, I’ll make you some lunch and we’ll sit by the pool and study.” I said and she smiled nodding. “You go ahead and get your suit on and I’ll go ahead and make you some food. Meet me down by the pool. I’ll help you out as much as I can.” I said and she smiled. She gave me a big hug. “Thank you for everything Y/n. I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here.” She said and I smiled. “It makes me happy to help and it’s also my job. I don’t want you struggling through a bunch of stuff at once. You already have enough going on with your parents.” I said and she nodded. I stood giving her another hug before walking out. I walked down the stairs, taking stuff out to make sandwiches, I made Joelle, The boys, Joe and myself a sandwich, I then cut up some fruit and veggies and put them on a tray. Joelle walked down there stairs while I was cutting the boys sandwiches up. “I made you a sandwich hun. And I cut some fruits and veggies too. Let’s go outside.” I said and she nodded opening the door for me as I brought all the food out. “Boys I made you sandwiches come eat! Joe I made you one too.” I said and set them down on the table. The boys quickly got out running over to grab a sandwich. “Hey beautiful, how’s it going?” Joe asked getting out walking over to Joelle kissing her in the top of her head. “I’m a little stressed dad. Y/n’s helping me though.” She said smiling at me and I nodded. “If you need my help babygirl you know all you have to do is ask. Can I help with anything?” He asked as I ogled his body as he hopped out of the pool with ease. The water making his entire body glisten under the sun. “I might need your help with practicing for my swim team tryout tomorrow, and also I want to stay here overnight to get good rest, can you somehow try to convince mom to let me stay?” She asked and I could see him tense slightly. “Whatever you need babygirl I got you.” He said with a soft smile and she smiled back with a nod. Joelle sat down on one of the chairs organizing some school work. I walked over with her sandwich and sat down on the other chair. “Okay let’s get started.” I said and she nodded taking a bite out of her sandwich.

—————

We studied for a good portion of time and she was acing everything. “Okay how do you feel now?” I asked setting down her note cards. “Much more confident now onto the swim try out.” She said and I nodded. “Alright babygirl what do you need me to do?” Joe asked and she thought for a moment. “Well I need to stay under a certain time so can you time me?” She asked and he nodded. “Y/n can you give me a countdown? She asked and I nodded. We walked over to the far end of the pool and she got set up. “Alright. Ready, set, GO!” I said and she dived into the water effortlessly, swimming with all of her willpower to the other end. As soon as she touched the end she looked up at Joe. “18.5 seconds.” He said and she groaned. “What do you need to be at?” He asked her. “I need to be below 16 seconds.” She said and he nodded. “Okay well you aren’t that far off…let’s just focus and push, do you need me to talk to you while you swim?” He asked and she thought for a moment. “Yeah maybe.” She said hopping back out of the pool. She walked around to the end of the pool again getting ready. “Ready?” I asked and she nodded. “Ready. Set. GO!” I said and she dived in once again. “Come on! Push! You got this! Push! Faster! You are almost there!” Joe said as he cheered her on. She touched the wall looking over at him breathing heavily. “You were so close honey. 16.5 that time.” He said and she groaned. “Uhm would it helped if I raced you? Maybe when you are next to competition you push harder.” I said and she looked over at Joe and he shrugged. “I don’t think that it would hurt to try.” He said with a smile and I nodded. She came back over to the side I was on and we both got ready. “Ready. Set. GO!” Joe said as we both dove into the water. I swam as fast as I could and I could tell she was going to beat me. Which was good. I finally touched the wall and she quickly looked up and over at her father. “You got….13.8 SECONDS!” He said and I cheered clapping for her. “Yes!!! Thank you both for helping.” Joelle said with a big smile and I nodded.

——Joe P.O.V.——

As Joelle hopped out of the pool, I watched as Y/n slowly got out. I couldn’t help but watch the droplets of water cascade down her body. My mind thinking of all the things I’d love to do to her. But I was older than her, and divorced, messily divorced which she’s seem parts of. Which I’m sure isn’t a great look for me. But there’s also something so entrancing about watching her with my kids. She’s so nurturing and loving. And the kids seem to love her too. I was snapped out of my thoughts by Joelle. “I think mom’s here.” She said and I looked down at my watch. She was 2 hours early. I’m sure there’s some fucking reason for it. I walked into the house and over to the door. I opened it seeing my loving ex wife standing there. “You are early…what a lovely surprise.” I said with all the sarcasm I could muster. “It’s not like you have anything to hide. I already know you are probably sleeping with that skank you call a “nanny” you mad I interrupted you finally getting some?” She asked and I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

——Y/N P.O.V.——

I told the kids to go get their stuff ready upstairs as I walked into the house with their wet towels. I began walking to the laundry room before I heard the bickering. “Oh please Joe. I know you like that whore I’m sure you haven’t kept your hands off of her.” I heard his ex wife say. “Are you fucking crazy? You are here to pick the kids up that’s it. I’m not going to fucking argue with you. I don’t know why you care so much anyway. YOU asked for a divorce not me.” I heard Joe say and I bit my lip. Was she talking about it me? I wondered as I threw the towels in the washer throwing some soap in before starting it. “Because I don’t want my kids being watched by some slut who’s probably trying to fuck their father in front of them.” She said and my jaw dropped. She was talking about me. I slowly walked into the hallway not stepping out from behind the wall. “You are going to stop talking about Y/n like you even know her. And you need to stop projecting so much. Just because you cheated and then asked for a divorce and then the guy you cheated with broke up with you doesn’t mean that you have any right in how I’m living my life. And for your information Y/N and I have not slept together so let’s get that straight right now.” Joe said making me blush. “But you want to don’t you? You want to fuck someone younger. Manipulate her just like you did to me.” She said and my eyes went wide: “I’m seriously done having this conversation with you. You are just trying to embarrass me and yourself at this point.” Joe said and she laughed. Something in me decided to make me step out from behind the wall. Joes eyes made contact with mine and he sighed. “Y/n I’m sorry her behavior is unacceptable. I didn’t want you to hear any of that I apologize on her behalf.” He said and I smiled softly. “I don’t! I’m sure he’ll knock you up just like he did me. Don’t believe his fucking lies he’s an asshole.” She said looking over his shoulder. “It’s honestly disgusting to me that you’d talk about anyone in that manor in front of your own children.” I said and she scoffed. “Oh what like they don’t hear you two moaning all night anyway?” She said making me laugh. I walked up closer to the door and Joe watched me carefully. “Let’s get one thing very very clear. I’ve never slept with Joe. I’ve never slept with anyone who I work for. So the fact that you think you can step up here and talk about me as if you’ve known me for years is astronomical to me. You should be THANKFUL I’m here. Helping your children, making sure they are getting their school work done. I just helped Joelle prep for her anatomy exam she has tomorrow and her elite swim team tryout she also has tomorrow. And Joe has been right there doing what he can as their father to help too. But seeing that YOU stepped out, YOU made this more stressful for YOUR OWN KIDS! Not HIM! So don’t go around blaming everyone else for your mistakes. You don’t want to see anyone happy or succeed because you are miserable and that’s your own wrong doing. Not anyone else’s.” I spoke with confidence before walking away. She was speechless. I walked upstairs knocking on the loud door seeing them come out with their bags packed and ready. “Alright mommy’s downstairs, go ahead I’ll see ya boys in a few days!” I said with a smile ruffling their hair. I knocked on Joelle’s door before opening it. She was shoving things into her bag aggressively. “Are you alright Joelle?” I asked softly and she shook her head as I heard her sniffle.

I walked up and sat on her bed opening me arms and she looked up crying and falling into my arms. “I’m sorry you have to be in the middle of that hunny, It’s not fair to you.” I said rubbing her back. “No it’s not. But I know it’s not dad. It’s just her I don’t understand why she hates you, or dad, when she’s the one who made a mistake.” She said shaking her head and I shrugged. “Honey the last thing I want to do is make it seem like your mom is a bad person. I know she loves you and your brothers and I think that she’s just upset and hurt that she did loose your dad and she made that mistake. It’s hard…I’m sure. Especially with how long they were married. Even though she made a mistake, it still hurts loosing him I’m sure.” I said and she sighed. “I wish she was more like you. I wish she was you. I wish you were her. You know I heard her saying all those things about sleeping with my dad. I know you haven’t, but if you like him…I think it would be good for him to have you in his life. You keep him happy. I haven’t seen him like that since way before the divorce even. He’s so much more in tune us kids now too.” She said making me smile. “Well honey as much as I do have interest in your father I think he may believe I’m too young for him and that’s okay. It won’t make me care about you and your siblings any less.” I said and she nodded: “Just promise me you’ll stay in touch even if you find someone else to take care of.” She said and I smiled. “Oh hun, if it ever were to come to those terms of course I’ll stay in touch I want to see you succeed to your fullest potential. Now pack the rest of your stuff. You’ve gotta go.” I said and she nodded. I helped her pack the rest of her stuff into her bag and we walked out of her bedroom. We walked down stairs and she turned and hugged me, her mother glaring from the door. “Hey you are gonna do amazing tomorrow okay?” I said and she smiled nodded. She walked out the door, Joe closing it behind her. He sighed his head dropping as he looked down at the floor. “Joe I-.” Before I could finish he put a finger up. “Don’t. Don’t do what I know you are about to do.” He said and I blushed softly. “I was just gonna apologize.” I said and he shook his head turning around looking at me. “No. You don’t have to do that. You were in the right. I never should’ve let her continue disrespecting you. I apologize. She was so out of line.” He said and I shrugged. “I don’t care what she says about me. I care about what those kids hear. Joelle was up there in tears. That’s not okay to me.” I said and he nodded his eyes brimmed with tears. “I-I know. I just…I don’t even know what the fuck to do.” He said putting his head in his hands. “Would you like a hug?” I asked softly and he nodded walking over pulling me in for a big hug. He was like a giant compared to me but u tried my best to wrap my arms around him. He cried just like Joelle oddly enough. “I just never thought my life would come to this you know? I’ve been cheated on, went through a divorce and now she’s got this fucking vendetta out against me for god knows what, and my fucking children are being affected by it.” He said and I sighed. “You don’t deserve this.” I said and he shook his head. “I just want my kids to be happy. They are always happy when they come here and you’re here.” He said and I let him go finally sensing slight resistance. “Joe maybe it’s better if I find a different family to nanny for. I can’t live with subjecting the kids to this life if I’m what causes that.” I said and his face dropped. “Joe, maybe it would be best for me to nanny for a different family. I don’t want to cause the kids more stress and harm.” I said shaking my head and he pulled his head away looking at me fear writing like the front page cover of a newspaper. “Y-you can’t go. The kids love you, I love you, I-.” He stopped as it sunk in what he just said. “Y-you what?” I asked softly, looking up at him as tears brimmed my eyes. His hands slowly came up to caress my face before he pulled me in for a soft loving kiss.

I closed my eyes taking in the feeling of his soft sweet lips against mine. I relaxed against him as our lips moved in sync with each others. We pulled away for air and I finally opened my eyes looking up at him. His dark brown doe eyes bored into mine. “I said I love you. I fucking love you Y/N. And I know it’s probably wrong but fuck I can’t hide it anymore. You are so perfect.” He said rubbing my cheek softly making me smile. “I love you to Joe.” I said with a smile and his smile somehow grew wider. He kissed me again with more passion this time. His hand ran up to hair gripping it softly, his other arm snaking its way around my waist pulling me closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck softly moaning into his mouth. “Let me show you? Please?” He asked lowly and I nodded. His strong arms reached down to the back of my thighs hoisting me up onto his waist. He kissed my neck softly making my head lull back as he walked us up the stairs. “God I didn’t think you’d feel the same about me.” He said softly as we made our way to his room. He closed the door behind us, bringing us to the bed before sitting down. “I found you attractive the moment I saw you..” I whispered in his ear making him groan.

His hands traveled up my thighs, gripping my ass softly before continuing up to my waist. His hands slid under my shirt, pulling it up and over my head. His eyes traveled down my body. “God you are fucking gorgeous.” He whispered making me blush and cover my face. “What? There’s no way you aren’t used to compliments.” He said kissing down my neck slowly. “I don’t..g-get many.” I whispered out as he flipped me around laying me down softly in the bed. His soft lips trailed down my body his eyes closed with each kiss. His large hands caressed my thighs trailing down to my waistband. He delicately pulled my pants off, my underwear following right after. “Please take your clothes off.” I whimpered out and he smiled. “I got you baby.” He said lowly his lustful eyes gleamed in the setting sun. He pulled his shirt off with one hand. My eyes tracked down his gorgeous body. Loving the site. So fucking hot. His gorgeous tan skin, accompanied with his dark and prominent tattoos. I swore he was sculpted by a god. He pulled his pants down his v-lines peaking out of his boxers. My eyes traveled to his thick hard on prominent in his tight briefs. “Oh wow…I-I’ve never seen one so big before.” I said making him chuckle. “Can I touch you?” I asked softly looking up at him. “Of course you can baby.” He said lowly making me smile. I sat up crawling over to him. I kneeled as I leaned forward kissing his soft lips. His hands traveled down to my hips gripping them softly. I ran my hand down his chiseled upper body, wanting to memorize every ounce of muscle I could feel. Finally I met the fabric of his waistband. I slipped my fingers into his waist band reaching for his hard member. My hand just barely being able to wrap around it.

I slowly began to stroke him, his deep moans making the fire inside me blaze higher. He pulled away from the kiss pushing his forehead up against mine. “As much as I love you touching me. I’d prefer to also be pleasuring you.” He said and I smiled nodded. “How about you ride my face? Would you like that?” He’s asked and I nodded softly. Before I knew it he was laying down and I was being pulled up to his face. His muscular arms pulled my thighs down as he began to skillfully work his tongue against me. I moaned softly as my eyes rolled from pleasure. I quickly went to work taking his member out of his boxers, pushing them down his legs. I took in the sight of his thick cock, wondering how it was going to even fit. I had never seen someone so well endowed let alone had one inside of me that large. I gripped his member softly before slowly licking around the tip. His thighs twitched with anticipation as I began to lick and suck him. My tongue running along the veins feeling them throb. I moaned around him as he hit a pleasure filled spot. He slowed for a moment trailing his tongue around before triggering my moan again. He smiled against me as he focussed on that spot. I moaned around him my legs beginning to shake from pleasure. I sped up my motions bobbing my head around him adding my hand stroking him with what I couldn’t fit in my mouth. I was so fucking close. He pulled me up slightly making me whine as his mouth was now detached from me. “I want you to dum for me baby. I’m so close. I want you to cum in my face baby lemme taste you.” He growled out before going right back to work he quickly found my spot again making me moan around him even more. Before I knew it my eyes rolled back, my thighs squeezed his face and I basked in the feeling of pure pleasure, feeling what felt like jolts of lightning flow through my body. He slurped against me making me whimper. I continued to suck as I felt his cock twitch.

His warm essence filled my mouth as he groaned. “Fuck baby that was amazing.” He growled out making me hum. I finally sat up removing myself from on top of him. “Come lay down, let me take care of you.” He said and I laid down as he sat up. Somehow still hard he lined up with my entrance bending down and kissing me softly. I still involuntarily tensed making him pull back and look at me. “What’s wrong sweetheart?” He asked and my face flushed hotly. “I-I just haven’t done this in a while you are really big, I won’t lie and say I’m not nervous.” I said and he bent down against kissing me softly. “Honey, if you don’t want to do this we don’t have to.” He said softly and I shook my head. “No no I want to! I do! I’m just a little nervous that’s all.” I said and he nodded. He kissed down my jawline over to my ear. “I’ll be as gentle as you want me to be my love.” He said softly in my ear making me moan out. “You ready?” He asked and I nodded softly. He kissed along my neck slowly easing himself inside of me. I gasped loudly as he was finally in. “Too much?” He asked and I shook my head quickly. “No! Please don’t stop.” I moaned out gripping his biceps as he began to thrust into me. He felt so much bigger inside of me. I moaned loudly gripping onto his back. His slow deep thrusts gave me all I needed and more. “You like that baby? You like the way I fuck you?” He asked lowly in my ear making me moan louder. “Yes! Oh fuck I love it please don’t stop!” I screamed out making him growl. “God you feel like fucking magic you know that?” He panted out making me whine. He sat up pulling my legs over his shoulders making me gasp out. He sped up his thrusts the new angle making him feel like he was inside my stomach. I knew I was close already. But I wanted him to use that strength. “Harder baby! Fuck me harder please!” I moaned out as he growled. He picked began to slam into me the sound of skin slapping together filled the room. “You like it a little rough don’t you baby?” He said with a smirk making me whine with a nod. “Yesss I love it rough.” I moaned out making him groan. He brought his hand up my belly, then chest, resting it at my neck making me moan. His other hand reaching down and rubbing slow circles around my clit as he pounded into me. “Oh fuck I’m gonna cum! Please! Please don’t stop!” I moaned out gripping his biceps digging my nails in. “Cum for me baby. Come all over me.” He moaned out and I my moans began to get higher as I felt myself start to shake. My toes curled, my eyes rolled back and the knot inside me tightened before releasing completely. Falling over the edge my body shaking softly. My body felt heavy as I still was reviving from my orgasm. I heard him growl before pulling out quickly, shooting his load all over my stomach. I breathed heavily my eyes closed from exhaustion. “You sit tight baby I’m gonna go get a washcloth and towel to clean up.” He said and I nodded holding my thumb up to him making him laugh.

——Next Day——

I was sleeping peacefully wrapped in Joe’s warm and cozy arms when all the sudden his phone started ringing. Joe jolted, quickly reaching for the smartphone on the nightstand. “Hello?” He said rubbing his eyes and sitting up softly. “Babygirl slow down. What’s wrong?” I heard him say and that quickly woke me up. It had to be Joelle. “We are on our way. Don’t worry about it.” He said getting out of bed. I hopped out of bed as well grabbing some leggings and a shirt. Slipping my pants on first, I looked over at Joe as he pulled some jeans on watching me change. His eyes traveled down to my naked chest as I slid my shirt on. “So what’s going on?” I asked and he snapped out of his trance. “Joelle is freaking out because she has that swim tryout and her mother is nowhere to be found but the twins aren’t at school she called the school and they said her mother picked them up.” He said and my jaw dropped. “So she left Joelle knowing that she has the varsity swim tryouts out?” I asked and he nodded. “She was torn up about it. We gotta go bring her.” He said and I nodded. I grabbed my purse jogging downstairs, I grabbed a cold purple Gatorade from the fridge, along with a beef stick and cheese stick. I’m sure she’s hungry and she needs some electrolytes to keep her focused. Joe came downstairs looking down at my hand smiling. “Bringin her a snack?” He asked and I nodded. “God I love you.” He said kissing my forehead as we walked out the door. “I love you too honey.” I said with a smile as we got into the car.

————

Once we got to the school Joelle quickly ran out and got in the car. “Thank you guys for coming.” She said softly and I handed her the snacks and drink k brought. “You’re the best Y/n.” She said ripping the packaging open and eating her snacks as we quickly made our way there. Once we were there we parked. “Alright babygirl good luck.” Joe said and she hugged him tight. “Could you guys come in and be there for me while I tryout?” She asked and Joe looked over at me. “You won’t feel like your friends think it’s lame your parents are there?” He asked and I smiled at the fact that he called us her parents. “No not at all I think it’ll help me actually.” She said and we shrugged. “Okay we are more than willing if you want us to hun!” I said and she smiled widely. We all got out of the car and walked in. We walked down to the pool and she walked over to the registration table and we walked over to the bleachers. Joelle got through registration and was givin a number to pin to her swimsuit. Joe smiled as he looked at her number. “96 god sign that was my number throughout college football.” He said making me smile. She was racing 3 others. As the line up, Joe reached over and grabbed my hand. I looked at him and he looked nervous as he was locked in on his babygirl. The shot went off and in they went. Joelle swam as hard as she could. Leading by a far amount but the time she touched the wall. “Yes that’s my girl.” I heard Joe whisper making me smile. “Alright. 96, incredible time. 13.3 seconds. Congrats you’ve made it to varsity.” The coach said and she quickly looked over at us with the biggest smile. I gave her a big smile back putting my thumb up making her smile. She got out of the pool going over and talking with the coach. She flagged us over and we walked over. “Nice to meet you both. You’ve got a very very talented girl on your hands, I think she can be something very very successful.” The coach said making me smile. “We are so proud of her. All her accomplishments this included. Thank you for noticing her potential.” Joe said and I nodded. “It’s hard to not notice it. Now you go home kid. I’ll see yah Monday bright and early for practice okay?” The coach said and Joelle nodded with a smile. She went to change coming out of the locker room a few minutes later. We walked outside and Joe turned and hugged Joelle tightly. “I’m so so proud of you.” He said and she smiled. “Sooo did you ask Y/n to be your girlfriend yet or were you just holding hands in the bleachers as a joke?” Joelle asked with a giggle. “It wasn’t a joke we are dating.” Joe said making me smile. “This is so sweet!” She said hugging me. I can’t believe that being a nanny turned into me meeting the love of my life!

✨THE END✨

[hearth-and-veil]

Intermediate Kitchen Witchcraft: Nutrition

The ideas of nutrition and healthy eating have been corrupted by the diet industry. Auntie says fuck that. Think of nutrition as a matter of nutrients. Don’t take, don’t deprive. Add to your body! 

For intermediate witchcraft, think of things as macronutrients (big) and micronutrients (small). A macronutrient is what your body uses the most of, while a micronutrient is what your body uses a smaller amount of. 

Macronutrients are: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Your body needs all three of them - yes, even fat and carbs. Fuck what the diet industry told you and listen to Auntie: it is not only ok to eat fat and carbs, it is actively a good thing. 

Micronutrients are: vitamins and minerals. Your body is a gloriously complex, divine structure that requires a steady supply of the Earth’s bounty to thrive. You can use these amazing things She has given us to improve your body and your mind. Use what She gives you!

Let’s take a look at some common magical ingredients and the micronutrients they give you! This will help provide you with a greater understanding of how to use them to craft your kitchen spells. Magical properties are purple, practical are pink.

Cinnamon: Healing, protection, warmth, love, prosperity. Vitamins A, B, C, K; calcium; magnesium; potassium; phosphorus. Useful in lowering blood pressure, high in antioxidants, can improve insulin sensitivity, protects against heart disease, powerful anti-inflammatory. Connect the practical value to the magical value. What do you think corresponds? The one that jumps out to me is love corresponding to heart health.

Lemons: Purification, cleansing, joy. Extremely high in Vitamin C; fiber; B6; potassium. Lowers your risk of kidney stones, antiseptic properties, big immune booster. Once again, compare the practical and magical uses. I see vitamin B6 connecting to joy - B vitamins are known to improve stress responses.

Arugula: Attraction, abundance, sex magic, psychic powers. Potassium, calcium, folate; vitamins B, C, D, K, and A. Calcium & vitamin D work together for bone health; eye health; high in antioxidants; improves iron absorption; contains many elements shown to reduce cancer risks. I see a connection in iron absorption and sex magic.

Now, while these are a very direct nutrient-to-association correlation, we do also need to remember that there are other factors. Taste is a huge factor in kitchen magic! Cinnamon associates to a warm disposition; cinnamon is a hot food. Lemons are a sunny food. Arugula is easy to grow, therefore it is abundant.

Homework:

Comment below with your connections on the ingredients listed above. OR

Choose your favorite magical ingredient and reblog it with an analysis of how its magical properties correlate to its practical properties. Feel free to delve into some of the other connections too!

[flotimginectasy]

Ok so i have an update, i think i gained two pounds (53kg) because i realized that with OMAD i have more chances of binging and also, in science class we talked about nutrition ( so now i know what can make u bloated and what takes longer to digest and nutrients etc) and i learnt that when u don’t eat enough your body goes into starvation mode as an instinct , so , it stores more fat and u gain more weight next u eat, so i realized going into a calorie deficit would be a way more efficient and faster way to loose weight and stay active, as with OMAD i could barely go up the stairs without being exhausted, wich obviously is an obstacle at school, and i learned that i only get hungry around 10AM so it’s best for me to get my sugar level up by drinking a small juice ( no added sugar ) in between first and second period, and at lunch eat a small portion salad , very simple and i hydrate with water, when i get home i eat supper and an apple, that way i’m eating under 2k cals but i’m not starving, also i’m trying to reach my goal of 14k steps a day, my average being 10800, and i try to walk home when i don’t have after school classes or a lot of homework, wich i’ve also noticed i’m way more efficient at school when i’m not worried about what my meal will be, i’ve ben participating more in class and turning in homework on time every time, and also, not eating enough makes u more distracted( on top of that i have ADD )and affects your mood, which i have noticed , and i feel happier, i hang out with my friends all the time, my dad too, which i usually argue with a lot, i also have ben taking better care of my oral health, which i know is random but yeah , i started flossing everyday and bought a tongue scraper, and brushing my teeth 2-3 times a day, i really do see a difference, and i have a vape now and my friend said they make your metabolism faster and i don’t know if it’s the cleaner food or placébo effect but i’m less bloated and i can actually feel myself burn calories and go ( excuse my french) def3cate more, so yes this is a big paragraph and yeah it’s a school night at 23:25 but i noticed writing helps me, so that’s all , I’ll stay up a bit more and see if i sleep, Good night guys

[earthnashes]

Yo, re: meal prep, you got any recipes or resources to share? I need to get workin' out and eat an actual diet of like...food. Might give meal prep a shot myself.

Alright alright alright. so before I go into anything, meal prep will largely depend on what your goals are!

Are you trying to lose fat? Bulk up? Or are you just prepping your meals so you don't gotta worry about cooking later?

If it's just you prepping your meals for the sake of not cooking later, my top tips are:

Choose one meal of the day you're gonna prepare for: Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner

Choose the day you're gonna cook and how many days you're prepping for. I typically prep for 5 days, for example

Choose the meal in question! This can be anything you'd be fine with eating for the next few days.

Once you got all that, I'd recommend you choose at least 1 source of protein and 1 source of carbs. Fat is usually already in the protein, but if you're needing something specific, you can choose things like avocado or olive oil or dairy as a nutritious fat source.

As a quick example, my meal preps are for lunch. Last week I prepped chicken alfredo, so my protein source was chicken breast, my carb source was the pasta (additional carbs from mushroom and tomato), and because chicken breast is relatively low on fat my fat source came from the cheese.

I just cooked everything I needed for that dish on my chosen day (meal preps for me are Thursdays) and portion them out as evenly as I can in containers, and badaboom. Basically home made takeout meals, ready to grab and go!

------

Now, if you're trying to utilize meal prepping as a means to lose OR gain weight, it gets a little more nuanced. And before you even touch your nutrition, you need to know exactly what your goals are when you say you're looking to "work out".

Are you trying to get bigger and stronger? Are you trying to get leaner and shredded? Something in between?

If you'd like advice directly from me I'd need to know a little more, but you're always free to ask me whatever if you're up to it!

But as far as general resources go if you'd like to do your own research, for a simple but very helpful start I'd recommend Jeremy Either's youtube vids on the subjects you're lookin' for. He has an extensive library of vids that talk about and break down anything you could be lookin for when it comes to fitness, such as workout plans, nutrition tips, so on!

You'll likely have to still do some homework for specifics, but he's a great place to get started. :)

[artleaguemdcnorth]

DRAWING CLASS MIDTERM ASSIGNMENT STARTS AFTER CLASS TODAY . 10/29/2024

Bring Bristol Paper to class and graphite pencil.

Materials for Midterm, see below:

Choose between buying handmade paper below or using Bristol

Bristol 18 x 24 or

Arches handmade paper , 22x30 , hot press 120lbs.

Graphite pencils ONLY .

Kneaded eraser.

MIDTERM ASSIGNMENT - Review

This assignment is going to take many hours of work beyond class time.

A good assignment starts with a good prop.

I have been trying to instill that idea on all of you since the first day.  

There is no reason to have a pop tart box in your midterm assignment or an olive oil bottle unless you are making a statement about nutrition or genetically modified ingredients in foods.

There are two components to your assignment this time, narrative and technical skills.

Narrative relates to your critical thinking skills and technical relates to your ability to define form through value.

You need to find a lighting condition that can let you express form. Adding a lamp or directional light will help you create a dramatic effect.

You will be using graphite pencils that range in value from HB to B8 .

Using a pencil requires that you use the side on the lead and not the point.

You do not want to scratch the paper , you want to render soft values that are blended as you work.

Smudging the paper is not a solution to developing values.

Value is developed by using various pencil grades.

HB is middle tone.

B1 is lighter than B4 but darker than HB.

I suggest you do some value charts with your pencils on your sketchbook .

Get in the habit of testing your values as you work.

Another tip that I can share, is that you use a tissue paper so that you do not smudge and stain the paper as you work.

This assignment will be graded at 30% of your overall class grade.

It is important that you treat the execution with outmost care.

I  included below an A grade assignment from a previous student for you to consider as you begin your assignment.

You will have time to work on this beginning Thursday 10/31 through Sunday, Nov. 10 at 5 pm,  to complete this assignment.

You will be working on this assignment at home on your own. 

I will give you class time to also work on it.

You will also need to work on this assignment during Thursdays and homework time .

Here is the schedule for working on the Midterm:

Tuesday 10/29 begin working after class

Thursday 10/31 Asynchronous - work remotely

Tuesday 11/5 work remotely (no class)

Thursday 11/7 Asynchronous

Tuesday 11/12, bring the completed assignment for an in class for a critique.

The work by Lorena below took 40 hours to get to that stage of development. You can not work on this assignment for 40 hours at a time.

It will require a slow and methodic engagement of many days and weeks to complete this.

Do not procrastinate, pace yourself, it can be done.

Homework time after class beginning today :

Make sure to post progress on your Tumblr for each day you are working on this assignment.

I want students to show the progress of this assignment from the first day to the last.

Include a photo of your still life reference only on for the first day of this sequence , meaning today.

This is a Midterm Exam grade worth 30% of your overall class grade and you have to do it on your own.

I can not give you suggestions , I have already given you two examples of what an A grade assignment looks like.

This assignment can not look like your class work.

It needs to be superior in quality and content.

I have provided you with tools, artworks, history and other information to assist you in doing a good job.

Now you need to rise to the occasion to meet this challenge.

IMPORTANT NOTES AND TIPS :

1) Unless you are a shoemaker you should not include shoes in your drawing.

2) You should not include objects that are larger than the rest of your objects (footballs, basketballs, guitars, golf bag).

3) Your Still Life needs to be in a proper pedestal , table or platform with a backwall and proper lighting source.

4) I will include a video above of how to make a shadow box to improve your lighting and your imagery.

It is up to you if you want to use it or not.

This is a tool used by artist to create an atmosphere and lighting ambience for drama.

The shadow box can not be included in your drawing is just a tool to help you see shadows and value contrasts.

5) You cannot use charcoal pencils only Graphite Pencils.

6) Your objects cannot float so you must include reference to the horizon line , that is were your platform and the wall meet.

7) There are other students in this class, reach out to them. Feel free to seek peer support from each other back and forth. Share suggestions and photos and process of your work .

Tuesday during class is the day to ask any questions .

Bring all questions at that time.  

Please see student work below:

Excellent Artwork

Good set up but with an unfinished background.

a)

b)

DUE DATE FOR THIS CLASS:

NOVEMBER 12,24 .

BRING WORK TO CLASS FOR AN IN CLASS CRITIQUE

[girlspath]

Some advices for studying

Hello! In many countries, studies are underway, in some countries studies have not begun yet, in some countries there are vacations now. I want to share with you tips for a good study.

Let's go!

1. Sleep well. A good sleep affects your overall well-being during the day. There are several factors that affect sleep: nutrition, the presence of health problems, emotional experiences, noise on the street, etc. Sleep is affected by what you did before bed.

Before going to bed, you should: Eat a good (but not hearty) meal.

Take a little walk outside.

If you are nervous before an exam/test/control work then you should drink some tea. Tea with mint and (or) lemon balm is usually recommended. The main thing is to abuse this tea. Some herbs and teas have diuretic properties.

Before bed you SHOULDN'T:

Listen to a lot of loud music. Spend a lot of time on your phone. There may be problems not only with sleep, but also with health.

Take a lot of sleeping pills. This is fraught with very serious problems, up to including death.

Watch horror movies. This has a very strong effect on sleep and what will be dreamed. What you dream about affects your future sleep and the rest of the day.

Taking various sad events to heart. This is fraught not only with poor sleep, but also with further health and heart problems.

Chafe. It has a very negative effect on sleep.

2. Listen carefully to the teacher. Try to write down the learning material that the teacher says. This affects how you will pass control works, tests, and exams. In some countries, exam grades and certificate scores greatly affect admission to the chosen university / college.

Study things you SHOULDN'T be upset about:

Bad grades. This can always be fixed. I also had bad grades, but this did not prevent me from winning the stage of the competition and successfully passing the exams and entering the university.

If you're late. There are many reasons: road, traffic, business. I was running late for school mainly because of problems with my school bus. Once, due to weather conditions, the bus broke down, and I arrived in the second half of the lesson. But the teacher listened to me anyway, and as a result, I got a good grade. Conclusion : preparation is the main thing here.

Bullying at school. This is a very sensational topic. I also faced bullying, unfortunately. Mainly because of my interests and lifestyle. I'm a metalhead, I didn't have time for games and walks because the school bus was late and I only had time for homework.

If you missed classes, then you should contact your classmates and find out what topic (topics) was (were) in the lesson (or lessons), what homework is. If classmates don't respond on time, then don't be afraid to ask the teacher. In this case, don't be offended by your classmates, they may be busy.

3. Don't quarrel with the teacher. This affects the teacher's attitude towards the student and the student's performance in school.

4. Eat. Eat a lot but healthy food. It affects health and the body and mental faculties. Don't hesitate to ask the teacher for tea if you're cold. Buy a snack if possible.

5. Focus on your work. This will help you get the highest grade.

6. Don't be so shy if you have some health problems. Ask your teacher for help. If you feel sick in class, then go to the subject teacher. If it's at break, then go to the teacher on duty, if there are any.

7. Be happy! Studying at school is not difficult. There are more difficult things, like studying at university or working. School years are considered to be the happiest years in a person's life. Try to find contacts with other students even from other countries, there are various social networks for this.

I hope these tips will help you learn and grow well

[breaniebree]

SNEAK PEEK Chapter 7 -- The One With the With the Melanotaeniidae Reflection Potion

Ginny was exhausted.  Her muscles ached.  Her brain was trying to take care of her schoolwork and her work as Compass seemed to be an extra burden to her load, but she wasn’t willing to change a thing.

Being a professional Quidditch player was everything she’d ever imagined.  From the gruelling early morning practices six days a week that started at six in the morning until eleven, to the one hour of hot yoga they did before practice, to the matches that were littered throughout the week — it was amazing.  McGonagall helped her work her schedule around her practices so she had all of her classes in the afternoon or was able to do makeup work for anything she missed.  After classes, she would find time to get her homework done and have dinner and two to three nights a week, there would be a Quidditch match.

After each match, Harry was there to celebrate with her and she took the opportunity to snog his brains out and (although not as much as she would have liked) she went home with him to Clevedon Court to have sex in their big bed after some matches.  She wanted to stay every night with him, but going back to Hogwarts each night was more important for both of their sleep schedules when it came to the stress they were both under.  Not to mention the minor annoyance that she was supposed to be living at Hogwarts (which never bothered her before now).

This didn’t even include the whole other side of being a Harpy which was making her out to be an instant celebrity.  

It was strange to have people cheer her name in the crowds at the matches, people who supported the rookie on her first season.  But the part she found the most amazing was being at Hogwarts and having first or second year students approach her in the halls and ask for an autograph.  

That was the coolest thing ever.

It made all of the workouts and the gruelling practices and the long hours one hundred percent worth it.  Being a professional athlete was a lot more than just playing her heart out on the pitch, she had to keep herself healthy and strong to make sure that she could be out there doing her best.

Morning practices included a run, hot yoga, and weight training and that was all before they even made it out onto the pitch.  Pull-ups off of their floating brooms, sit-ups, chin-ups, squats, and more.  

“It’s about routine.  It’s about mental well being.  It’s about diet,” Coach Mallory Miller proclaimed, her whistle in her mouth.  “Following these guidelines will keep you strong and keep you healthy.  The team’s healer will be around for any guidance needed.”

The team healer, a tall, thin witch named Winifred Voss, was very kind.  She had soft brown eyes and a wide smile and took the time to get to know everything about her players.  Ginny felt that Winnie was one of the nicest healers she’d ever met and was happy to turn over her medical care to her.  She provided tips and guidelines on muscle relaxation, on proper stretches, and on nutrition.  This did mean that living at Hogwarts was sometimes a cruel temptation when it came to a lot of the delicious foods she had to avoid eating in excess, but it was an easy thing to give up when the reward was being a Harpy.

Between the practices, her classes, keeping up on her homework, playing in the matches, and writing as Compass, Ginny felt that finding time to do literally anything else was sparse.  She felt like she spent a few passing moments here and there with Colin and Luna as Sundays were usually her only day to get a break and even then, sometimes matches were scheduled on them.

The good thing about being so busy was that Ginny barely even registered missing Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Theo.  Now it was almost Christmas and her final year of school was half over and she couldn’t even believe it.

She’d finally managed to snag time to talk to Theo on the mirror the other night and was still smiling at the excitement in his eyes as he explained to her how he and Sebastian were officially moving in together.  She hadn’t been able to hold back her laugh at their realization that they’d been living together unofficially for months and neither of them had even noticed.  She loved seeing her friend so in love and so happy and she knew that Sebastian was the right man for him because he made Theo feel so loved and so happy.

“We’re looking forward to going to the Puddlemere match,” Theo said.  “Bas is really excited, but he says that he’s going to feel torn on who to cheer for.  He’s a big fan of Oliver Wood.”

Ginny chuckled.  “I promise not to take it personally if he cheers for Oliver, but tell him if he cheers for me, I’ll get him an introduction.”

Theo gasped.  “Bribery!”

She laughed.  “A little.  But in all fairness, Mum told Angelina to invite him over to the Burrow one day for dinner.  He was in Percy’s year and obviously knows Fred and George and Charlie from the Gryffindor team.  Since he’s a client of hers now, Mum wants to see him again.  I don’t know if you should tell Sebastian or not though, maybe it will be more fun to shock him when he shows up.”

“Oh, you’re evil, chick!  I love it.”

She snorted.  “How is Sebastian?”

“Amazing.  Sexy.  Wonderful,” Theo said.  “We moved in the rest of his things on the weekend and are just finding places for it all.  He has this amazing antique coffee table I love so we put it in our personal sitting room in the master suite.  His sofa was old, but we kept his bright pillows and added them to the library.  A few more of his antiques we’ve kept and have found homes for them and of course, I made room for him in my wardrobe.”

“Enough room?”

“Haha,” Theo said.  “Yes, enough room, chick.”

Ginny smiled.  “I love seeing you so happy, Theo.”

“I love being this happy,” Theo admitted.  “It will be a year in January since our first date.”

“That’s wonderful.  I’m so happy for you, Theo.”

“Thanks, chick,” Theo said.

“What’s Sebastian going to do about his flat?”  Ginny asked.

Theo scratched his nose on the mirror.  “Well, his lease goes until June so I think he’s decided to sublet it in the meantime.  His friend Yeona Jin has decided to take it over.  She was looking to get out of her building and it seemed like a good opportunity.  She’ll take over the lease in June.”

“That’s great news.”

“Especially because it means I get him here with me all the time,” Theo said.  “I mean, he already was, but now it’s official.  It’s different, you know?”

“I know,” Ginny said.  “How’s it been talking to Na’eemah again?”

“Good,” Theo told her.  “It’s been really great actually.  Well, despite the fact that my nightmares have come back pretty severely over the last few months, which is less fun, but Na’eemah assures me that it’s because I’m processing everything in a way I’ve never allowed myself to do before.  It doesn’t help that Finn made me suppress and forget a lot of it so it’s all been coming back to me the more I talk to her.”

“You sound bitter.”

Theo let out a slow breath and brushed his fingers through his hair as his gaze met hers in the mirror.  “I think I am a little.  Finn loved me and I know that he was trying to help and I appreciate that, but at the same time… it’s kind of like I’ve fallen backwards in the healing process as more stuff comes to the forefront it’s… frustrating.”

Ginny nodded.  She could understand how her friend would feel that way.  She couldn’t imagine how she would have to cope with reliving everything from her second year all over again.  The potion fiasco and the temporary amnesia had been more than stressful enough.

“How’s Sebastian dealing with it?”

Theo bit his lip.  “He’s usually gone to be honest.  I seem to have them a lot more when he’s away.  I don’t know, but when he’s in bed next to me it’s like I feel… safer.  My mind doesn’t usually stray too far when he’s in the bed with me.  Not as often that is.  When I do, he just holds me and talks me through it and he just makes me feel better.”

“In other words, the Insomniacs Club might need to be reinstated for when Sebastian’s away?”

He chuckled.  “I’ll keep you posted on that.”

Ginny yawned and Theo gave her a sympathetic look.

“I’ll let you go, chick.  I know you’ve been working your arse off lately and need a good night’s rest.  I’ll be in the stands cheering for you tomorrow.  Goodnight, Ginny.”

“Goodnight, Theo,” Ginny said, smiling when she put down her mirror as she snuggled herself into her bed.

Yes, her life had definitely taken a turn for the busy life, but she wouldn’t change a single thing about it.

[ros3ybabe]

Accountability Buddy Search!

I am currently on the search for an accountability buddy! Someone I can use to keep me on track with my academic goals, life admin goals, language study goals, and whatever specific things I'd want to accomplish! I also would love to help someone else stay accountable with their academic/language/life admin goals!

editing to add: I have found my accountability buddies!!! Thank you to everyone who reached out to me, and I look forward to working with my new accountability buddies! I recommend for everyone who thinks it to be useful to do do themselves, because I can already feel how good this is going to be for me, and hopefully for them too!

Here are some of my goals:

regularly studying spanish/Japanese

regularly completing homework on time

regularly studying for/preparing for exams/quizzes

sticking to my routines consistently

maintaining a healthy, productive balance between school-work-life

regularly meeting my personal goals (reading, joirnaling, working out, etc)

Here are some things about me:

I am a 21 year old female

I am a junior in university, but 2nd year of studying my major

My major is Human Nutrition/Dietetics, and I am also minoring in Psychology and Exercise Science

My current courses I'm trying to stay on top of are General Chemistry II, Emotions (psychology), and Medical Terminology

I want to begin regularly studying Japanese and Spanish again

I want to begin reading, journaling, and sticking to consistent routines as well as keep academically inclined.

My Preferences in Accountability Buddy:

Female, 19-24 years of age (no minors or males, please.)

preferably in college/university, but it also doesn't matter if you independently study languages

also has some academic/productive oriented goals, or just goals that you'd like to be kept accountable on

has a not super personal way of contact for the accountability check ins (GroupMe, Discord, and eventually maybe a way to video call once we get more comfortable with each other, but of course, safety first! and tumblr inbox works too, but I feel discord or groupme might be a little easier long term)

hopefully willing to stay accountability buddies for a decent amount of time (maybe til end of my semester? mid may?)

willing to lay out or goals, accountability check in schedule, and open to communication with respect to each of our time zones/schedules/commitments, etc

conversationaly fluent/fluent in English or English first language at the least. It's the only language I currently speak so it would be easier to work with someone that speaks the same language

If anyone is interested in having/being an accountability buddy, please send me an ask or message me! Please be respectful of my preferences tho, I really do want to be safe with something like this because with the internet, you never know. I look forward to possibly meeting/working with/becoming acquaintances with you guys!!

ps. please don't be put off by the aesthetics of my blog, I can assure you all, I am a typical, 21 year old college student who works an on campus job, struggles with sleep and caffiene, and is constantly staying on top of my grades and classes while also worrying if I'm doing enough to keep my GPA at a good spot. this blogs aesthetics are purely for fun and artistic expression. If I wasn't such an aesthetic-loving person, I'd post my own study type photos but I'd feel so less-than if I posted like, a non cohesive plethora of photos I take. I'm not good at taking photos

[koifishart]

I want to be Your Koi Fish - Nine Tails

Warning: +18 content, criminal underworld, intercourse, strong language - and so on

Fanfiction based on: "Baki" by Itagaki Keisuke

>7<

~ TAIL NO.3 - Teenager

"NOTHING" ?! She knew from the beginning that this was no joke, but ... to be so ?! After some thought, she realized that this was human life and that it wasn't allowed to play with it. This is not a video game where you can click restart after the "game over" message and we'll start over. She was frustrated by that. Strangers usually didn't really interest her, most often they were a potential target, to end a life, not save! So she had to double up her sleeves, which she didn't have - to take out the tails not only quickly, but also so as not to kill the Host. She didn't have much time to think, because after a while a fox appeared with a ball in its mouth. She took it gently, settled herself comfortably and smashed it in her hand, feeling a pleasant warmth again.

- Hey Kouji, get up, the teacher will be here soon!

She felt a strange nudge on her arm, but the Wearer didn't seem very eager to get up. She felt strangely soft, warm, clothes a bit squeezed. They had a pleasant dream about a little boy playing with blocks, assembling houses and cars. Eventually, someone hit them on the top of their head, and the school bell rang unpleasantly in their ears, adding to the pain. They rubbed the sore spot with their hand, yawning mightily.

- Man, middle of the day, and you fall asleep again! - said the laughing boy from the next bench. - You shouldn't be up late to play games!

Games? She caught the mind of the Host, they weren't too hasty: he wasn't playing at night at all. He went to sleep quite normally after dinner, after doing his homework. Earlier, he also helped his older sister, who had recently broken her leg and was barely moving. The parents were overworked, they didn't have much time for their children, cooked homemade food only on weekends, as a result, children usually ate something that could be prepared quickly. He didn't know where this fatigue was coming from. He lay down as heavy as after working in a mine, woke no more refreshed. Wandered through the corridors all day, unable to concentrate. He knew perfectly well that the teacher had already informed his parents about the drop in marks. It was going to be pretty good, and here's something like that. He wanted to change this situation, but was unable to find the strength in himself. Hanabi left the boy to himself for a moment, wondering what the cause might be and what ability she would acquire with such a phlegmatic Carrier. Judging by the uniform, he studied in one of the Japanese schools ... the end of elementary school or the beginning of middle school. The bell rang again, Kouji opened the Bento, and Hanabi froze at its contents. A few bars, processed muss that wouldn't be so bad if it hadn't been sprinkled with sugar, one sweet mochi, a thin piece of meat sandwich. Her heart, devoted to nutrition, taught the advanced principles of sports nutrition and diet therapy, was bleeding as the boy slowly nibbled on spoonfuls of sugar. It made her sick at the sight, wondering if he too felt the same. Zero valuable protein, apart from a thin piece of dubious quality ham, zero good fats, a mass of simple carbohydrates, a box based on products that are undoubtedly easily available, but also heavily processed. She didn't consider sweets to be the final evil, she loved sweets herself, especially since they helped her meet her energy needs very easily, but she was afraid that this boy didn't need such amounts. Her fears were confirmed by the reflection in the mirror as soon as Kouji went to the bathroom - chubby, with dark circles under eyes, visibly tired, with dull brown hair and sleepy eyes without the flare like children his age. For a moment he seemed almost puffed up, shaky, very restless, he wrote in class very quickly, almost catching up with the teacher's words, but with another pause, everything dropped, as his eyelids drooped again. She had no doubts - the boy was seriously ill.

As soon as they returned to his house, Hanabi made it a point of honor to alert his parents. She focused as much as she could to take maximum control over him and talk to the adults. Fortunately, they showed up for dinner that day. They weren't very talkative, and neither was the meal varied, which again struck Hanabi deeply ... but she restrained her tongue and put the plan into practice.

- Mom ... Dad ... - she muttered sadly through the boy's mouth. - I'm not feeling well ... I still feel like sleeping, my stomach hurts ...

- Son, are you not faking not to go to school? - Father replied, not even looking from the newspaper. - We don't have time for simulations.

"Damn you ... what the fuck do you have time for ?!" Hana hissed inwardly, but continued on. She had to save her Host.

- No, Dad. I feel really bad. - they sighed, holding back the hurried wave of nausea. - Sorry.

They ran to the bathroom to return all dinner. Not very willingly, but she took notice of what he was throwing out. Undigested, not thoroughly chewed leftovers, it was as if some of it was still from the lunch box. The boy's stomach was doing very poorly. A frightened mother burst into the room. Although she managed to move, even though she had no intention of such a turn of events.

- We're going to the doctor tomorrow.

Hanabi's assumptions turned out to be very accurate. She looked over the boy's mother over the shoulder at the file of blood tests as they waited in line to the office. Advanced insulin resistance, severe pre-diabetes, in addition, inflammation probably in the whole body, which even horse doses of cholesterol couldn't cope with, and iron deficiencies, and this was only the part that she was able to catch. It was hard to guess where the source of the problem was, one thing was for sure - eating only processed products and sugar, the boy was just hammering a nail into his coffin. The medical diagnosis was practically the same. The boy's mother cringed to herself, listening that he should eat better, first of all, start to NUTRITION at all, and not clog. They didn't complain about the lack of money, time was the problem here. Parents have sunk in a lot of responsibilities, relegating their children to the background, also because in their opinion they should start to deal with themselves. She felt it. The problem is, they apparently didn't give them basic, good role models. She thanked the heavens for such a stubborn doctor who pressed the woman a file of information about where to start and how the boy and the whole family should eat to save the kid.

She was proud of herself. It took only a few days for Kouji to feel a shot of healthy energy after implementing healthier habits, the kind that would make him feel awake in a moment. Buoyed by his success, he sat with nose in a book, wanting to know more on his own. Worse, the parents, especially the father, who didn't feel guilty at all from the beginning, withdrew again, believing that everything was fine, the boy would be fine. Perhaps they were right, but it was still the beginning, they should stick to it!

Hanabi wondered what else she could do to get her tail back. Kouji was straightforward, so what more could you want? It was Saturday, the boy was still sleeping soundly, parents left in the morning to run errands and meet clients. She sharpened her senses feeling something strange. Woke the boy up immediately. He clearly sensed the same. Burning stench and strange warmth. He jumped out of bed wanting to see what happened. Opened the door to the room and was about to run down the stairs when huge tongues of hot flames protruding from the kitchen stopped him. Kouji got scared, turned on his heel and rushed to his room, to quite awkwardly go out the window and go down the tree. In the last step, he slipped and fell, painfully hitting his back. Out of fear, he didn't think rationally enough to take the phone and notify his parents! But there was something else.

- Sue? - he shouted, looking around the lawn behind the house. - Sue!

In the blink of an eye it dawned on him that ... his older sister was barely moving! Terror chilled his bloodstream, and so did Hanabi. So the girl was still there. Somewhere in the flames. Perhaps it was she, even accidentally, who started the fire. There was no time to waste. She lifted the boy's heavy, overwhelmed body upright, sending the message "Kouji, you can do it! You have to save her!" He was trembling all over, feeling sick at the risk, but he ran towards the front door. It was locked, he found a window ajar not far away. Before he jumped in, she had him tear out a pajama sleeve and tie it around his nose and mouth. It probably won't be enough, she had to take care of his safety at least a little. They were inside, everything was on fire and the atmosphere was getting heavier. Trying to avoid the biggest fires, they made their way to the kitchen as quickly as possible. She was there. A girl of medium build with a thick plaster on the leg, from the middle of the thigh to the toes. She was lying on the ground, and somewhere nearby the flames licked the crutches, slowly melting the plastic and metal. "Sue" flashed through the boy's mind and after a while he appeared next to her. Fortunately she woke up, but was visibly weakened. Even while lifting on him, she will not be able to get out. "Kouji, it's time to use the energy you've extracted. Fight!" Hanabi said to him, directing him to carry his sister on his back. He grabbed her under knees so that she could embrace his neck with the last of her strength. He swayed on his feet for a moment, but the stressful situation and the slowly returning body strength did their job. Mrs. Hanayama felt a refreshing, strong rush of adrenaline in his young body, which caused the boy to jump out of the back kitchen door, prying it open with his own body, then ran outside, where he was sure it was safe. He laid his sister down on the green grass, leaning her against the fence of their property.

- Sue? - he prodded with her.

- Ko ... Kouji ... brother ... - She said tearfully. - I'm sorry it's my fault! I wanted to help you, I saw you trying! I slipped on my crutches and fell ...

He hugged his sister tightly. No matter how it happened. They were safe.

- I have a cell phone in my pocket, we have to call the fire department. - she said. - And parents.

Hanabi woke suddenly as if struck by a very bad dream. She was lying on white mats again, covered with thin silk. Beside her, as before, sat Inari, this time sipping something from an earless mug.

- Tea, my child? - he asked bluntly, handing her the pot. - Green, it will calm your nerves.

Confused, she sat down and took drink hurriedly, gulping down her gulp. Shuddered. She hadn't been in the center of a situation like this for a long time. Or maybe she was? As a yakuza wife, she led a rather ... interesting life. And dangerous. Every now and then their peace of mind was disturbed by fights, attacks, and gang quarrels, though she suspected it was not much, considering how many feared Kaoru. Tea probably did help, because she slowly calmed down. Hana took a deep breath, exhaled almost silently, then looked at her companion. He was sitting completely still, even stoic, which made him very much like Hanayama. He took another sip, then turned to her.

- Didn't you think it would all revolve around idyllic things like working on skills?

[hannahmanderr]

DannyMay Day 10 - Bones

this one's a long one, but it's important to me :3

Words: 5,380

Summary: Danny stumbles across a ghost unlike any he's met before. Of course he's going to help her reunite with her lost family. (FFN)

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If there was one thing that could make Danny feel better after a long Halloween of fending off ghosts, it was a huge Oreo shake from the Nasty Burger.

He took a long slurp as he walked out the restaurant’s door, savoring the sugary taste. Sam would probably give him an earful for getting such a big shake - tell him he was going to give himself diabetes or something - but he figured his wacky half-ghost metabolism would take care of it. 

She just doesn’t get how much energy it takes to maintain two bodies, he joked to himself as he made his way down the sidewalk. True, he could always “eat” ambient emotions to maintain his nutrition, and he’d started adding in daily ectoplasm supplements in his water (or, to Jazz’s horror and his amusement, drinking it straight from the vial), but they couldn’t hold a candle to the joys of sucking down a delicious milkshake.

Besides, he’d had a long night. His parents were definitely right about Halloween night being an annual thinning of the veil between the human and ghost worlds, but contrary to their belief, the ease of passage didn’t attract the more intelligent, try-to-take-over-the-world type of ghosts, especially since they could usually find a way over anyway. Instead, Halloween night helped make the way for the more animalistic, instinct driven ghosts to come over - the ones who normally couldn’t come over as easily.

In some ways, the animalistic types were harder to deal with, Danny mused. Especially since they couldn’t appreciate his witty banter. That was the worst of it. 

That aside, though, the animal ghosts could be far more unpredictable with their methods of destruction and terror-inducing. Usually with the ones who could at least talk, he could work out their MO and begin to predict their moves, but not so much with the ones operating purely on instinct. It made for more frustrating, drawn out chases and battles. 

Needless to say, he was exhausted. They had been crossing over like crazy last night, and he’d been up tracking them down the whole night. The only blessing was that today was Sunday; he’d slept all morning and into the afternoon, and aside from homework, he could spend the rest of the day lazing around and recovering before school tomorrow. That’s exactly what he intended on doing.

At least, that’s what he had intended, before his ghost sense triggered and he saw the old lady staring into a shop window.

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, straw still in his mouth. The lady was Dead, he knew that easily enough; it was the scene around her that gave him pause. Maybe, rather, the lack of a scene. 

For as used to ghosts as the citizens of Amity Park were, they still tended to get a little loud and ever so slightly panicked in the presence of a ghost. The issue here was that the passersby weren’t reacting to the ghost at all.

It couldn’t have been that they didn’t realize the lady was a ghost (she was floating half a foot off the ground and her head was a literal skull, how much more obvious could it be?). In fact, as Danny watched the humans more closely, he realized they didn’t even seem to notice her at all, which was also out of the ordinary. 

A young couple dressed in their church clothes walked towards his direction, deep in conversation about some car repair that needed done. Danny almost shouted as the man nearly collided with the ghost, but to his astonishment, the man walked through her. Neither the old lady nor the young man seemed to notice, although the man shivered after emerging from the other side of the ghost’s body.

“Okay, that’s not right,” Danny muttered to himself as the couple passed him. As far as he could tell (and usually he could tell very well), the old lady was neither invisible nor intangible. He couldn’t recall a single instance when a ghost had been able to avoid being seen or touched by a human without using their powers. Unless this was a power he’d never seen before.

So then why could he still see her?

He finally lowered the straw of his shake from his lips and moved towards the ghost. After checking to make sure no one was around to give him weird looks for talking to seemingly thin air, he ventured a tentative, “Hello?”

The lady immediately reacted. She turned towards his voice, and though she had no eyes in her sockets, he could’ve sworn he saw them light up in sync with her growing smile. “¡Qué lindo!” she exclaimed. She put her hands on either side of Danny’s face, and he realized with a start that her hands were skeletal as well. “¡Tu pelo, es como un ángel! Y tus ojos…”

Danny grimaced. He’d taken a year of Spanish back in the eighth grade, but he’d only gotten a B, and he’d definitely forgotten most of it in the two and a half years that had passed since. “Umm, habla… uhh, el English?” he asked, then mentally slapped himself. It would’ve been less rude to just speak entirely in English rather than try and ultimately botch it in Spanish.

To his relief, the lady laughed. “Ah, forgive me, angelito. I was simply stunned by your beautiful hair!” She began running her bony fingers through his hair, and he was surprised by how nice it felt. “Such a pure white! I have never seen anything like it!”

“What?” Danny shrieked. As far as he knew, he hadn’t transformed, and he liked to think he knew pretty well which form he was in at any given time. He grabbed a fistful of his bangs and sighed in relief when he saw the black he expected. “How are you seeing…?”

The lady tilted her head. “You are un espirítu, no? A spirit, like me?”

“I mean, I’m part ghost, if that’s what you mean,” Danny said, shrugging. He didn’t mind admitting it; most ghosts already knew about him anyway, even if it was only because the dead were terrible gossips. “My hair can be white, but it’s definitely black right now.”

“Interesante…” she murmured. She leaned closer to Danny, combing through his hair and examining his face. Normally he would recoil from such probing, but something about the woman resonated with warmth and safety and persuaded him to lean into her touch. In her hands, he felt as if he was wrapped in his favorite blanket and buried in a nest of pillows. The taste of sweet cinnamon inexplicably filled his mouth. 

He cleared his throat in an effort to shake himself out of it. “Um, wh-what’s your name?” he said, blinking rapidly.

She took his hands in hers, and he tried to avoid staring at the bones. “You may call me Rosa,” she told him with a warm smile. “Oh! Perhaps you can help me, angelito?”

Even if he didn’t feel the innate Obsessive push to extend his help, there was no way he could deny such a sweet lady. “I can definitely try, what’s up?”

Rosa turned to peer into the window again. “This home, it is supposed to belong to mi nieto, Víctor,” she explained, “but it is empty. Do you know where he is?”

“Uhh…” Danny racked his brain trying to remember if he knew anyone named Víctor, but he drew a blank. “I don’t think so, I’m sorry. Plus I think this building’s been condemned for, like, a year or so. I mean, I should know, I’m pretty sure I’m the one who got thrown into it,” he said, laughing nervously. He thought he’d recognized this house; he’d visited it more than once before one of Ember’s power chords sent him crashing through its roof. “I don’t know if anyone named Víctor lived here, though.”

Rosa’s face fell. “It cannot be,” she whispered. “He and his familia, they were here last time…”

“What do you mean?”

She put a hand against the window, but as he expected, it fell through the glass. She sighed wistfully, then said, “It is the one night of the year I can visit mi familia, but they are not here… and I do not know where to find them…”

“What?” Danny said again, frowning. “The one night? But ghosts come through the portal all the time. Why can’t you visit your family on a different day?”

“Ay, angelito, it is not so simple,” Rosa said. “The gateway from the Spirit World, it is only open tonight - El Día de los Muertos. I have not known anyone who is able to cross over on another night.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Danny muttered. Even as the words left his mouth, though, he thought about how none of the humans seemed to notice her presence, and he began to recall hearing something about Día de los Muertos in that Spanish class he had taken. Something about families making way for their dead family members…

At the same time, though, he still found himself confused. As far as he knew, there was only one dimension for the afterlife, and it was the Infinite Realms. Like he’d told Rosa, ghosts passed into the human world all the time, not just one night of the year. Ghosts that couldn’t cross over were usually held back by their lack of core strength or their distance from portals, not a lack of portals. He couldn’t understand why some ghosts would be arbitrarily prevented from entering the human world all but one day of the year.

He mentally cursed. He knew he should have taken up Frostbite on his offer of lessons on cultures of the Realms.

Rosa turned to him again and gripped his hands harder. “Please, angelito, you must help me find mi familia. I could not bear it if I could not see them… If I could never find them again…”

Both Danny’s heart and core jolted in sympathy. The idea of only being able to visit his parents and Jazz on one night nearly tore him apart. He couldn’t imagine having to deal with that pain.

“Of course I’ll help you,” he told her with a kind smile. “We’ll find your family.”

Rosa’s face lit up again. “¡Gracias, angelito, gracias!” she cried, planting a kiss on his cheek. “How can I ever repay you?”

Danny shrugged. He was still a bit thrown off from the motherly kiss. “Don’t worry about it, really, I don’t mind. I want to help you.”

“I still do not know where to find them,” Rosa said. “This was their home, even after I passed on. I do not know where they could have gone.”

Danny facepalmed quite literally. “Duh!” he said. He’d even remembered that he’d been to this house before just a few minutes ago! How could he have been so stupid?

Checking the streets again for curious human eyes, he darted into the nearby alley, pulling Rosa along with him. Once safe in between the brick walls, he transformed and pushed off the ground.

“I think I might know where they are after all,” he told Rosa. “Follow me!”

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They stopped above a house a few minutes away. It was in the same neighborhood Danny and his family had lived in for all of a couple of weeks that time his parents were convinced to sell out to the GIW. Definitely an affluent area, and not one he tended to visit often. Even the ghosts usually stayed away from here.

Rosa eyed the two-story house warily. “Are you sure this is where mi familia is?” she asked.

Danny scratched his head. “I’m pretty sure? I haven’t exactly had a chance to visit since they moved - or had a reason to visit, I guess - but I’m almost positive this is the house they moved into.”

“What if it isn’t?” she said, wringing her skeletal hands in worry. “The gateway will be closing soon, and if I do not return in time, I will fade away, but I must see them again, I must! I will also fade if I cannot see them!”

“It’s okay, Rosa,” Danny soothed. “If they’re not in here, we’ll just start checking the other houses on the block. I know they moved somewhere on this street. You’ll get to see them, I promise.”

She stared at the house for another long moment (at least he assumed she did. The lack of eyes made it a bit difficult to tell). “Bueno,” she whispered. “We will look and see.”

“Just remember that I’m not like you,” Danny cautioned. “I have to actually think about it to keep the humans from seeing and hearing me, not like you. I won’t be able to say anything if they’re around without them knowing.”

Rosa nodded. “Sí, sí. It will not be a problem, angelito.

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Paulina Sánchez pulled a tray from the oven. “Papá!” she called. “The pan de dulce is done!”

Her father entered the kitchen and looked over her shoulder at the steaming sweet bread. “Perfecto, mi amor,” he said, squeezing her shoulder. “Your bisabuela will love it.”

Paulina smiled down at the tray, though it weighed heavy on her face. “Pan de dulce was always her favorite,” she said quietly.

“I remember when you were just a little girl,” Mr. Sánchez said as she set the tray on the counter and began transferring the little pastries into a wicker basket. “You and your bisabuela were making the pan de dulce one year, and you stole the cocoa powder right out from under her nose. She didn’t know you had taken it until you tried to eat some and you spat it out all over the floor because it was so bitter!” He chuckled jovially.

“Sí, I remember,” Paulina nodded as she put the last of the sweet bread into the basket. “Mamá was so angry with me! She almost didn’t let me help Bisabuela the next year.” Picking up the basket, she smiled up at her father. “Will you help me put it on the altar?”

“Of course, mi amor.”

Their eyes snapped to a belt hanging across the back of one of the barstools as the radio attached to it crackled to life. A staticky voice started speaking, and though Paulina couldn’t quite make out what it was saying, her heart sank to her stomach when she saw her father’s face drop.

“Scratch that,” he said, picking up the belt. The joy had drained from his voice in an instant. “You’ll have to do it without me.”

“Papá, you can’t! It’s Día de los Muertos, it’s supposed to be a family day! Mamá already had to be in Prague this weekend; you promised you wouldn’t have to go out tonight.”

“I know, mi amor, I know,” Mr. Sánchez said. He strapped the belt around his waist and began adjusting all of the equipment hanging off of it. “I didn’t know Jerry was going to call in sick today, and he was supposed to be the one on call tonight. I don’t want to go, but I have to.” He straightened the APPD badge on his chest and moved over to Paulina to envelop her in a hug.

“I’ll be back soon, okay?” he said, pressing a kiss into his daughter’s hair. “You can finish setting up the altar while I’m gone, and then when I get back we’ll park ourselves there for the rest of the night.”

“Sí, Papá,” she muttered into her dad’s chest. He let her go and jogged out of the kitchen, leaving his sullen daughter behind. 

Paulina sighed and looked down at the basket of pan de dulce in her hands. The topping had begun to harden and create the cracked pattern she knew well. It needed to get put onto the altar before it cooled down too much and lost its scent.

She pulled open the sliding glass door that opened into the backyard and stepped outside. It was uncharacteristically warm for Amity Park at this time of year, but she didn’t mind. She liked the warmer weather; it reminded her of what little she could remember of her childhood years spent in México. Plus it made for the perfect opportunity to set up their altar for Día de los Muertos outdoors.

She was careful to avoid stepping on the path of bright orange marigold petals she’d carefully laid out earlier that afternoon as she walked towards the back hedges, where they’d chosen to set up the altar. A few candles also lined the path, though she hadn’t lit them yet. 

When she reached the hedges and the altar, she set the basket of pan on the spot she’d saved for it, making sure it sat just so. She was Paulina Sánchez; she would not be known for anything less than perfection. And, she decided as she surveyed her handiwork, the altar was as close to perfection as it would get.

Dozens of candles lit the tiers of the altar, casting the whole setup in a soft, warm glow. Even more marigold petals covered the altar’s surfaces, and she’d chosen to put a few whole flower heads on some of the edges. Colorful papel picado lined the edges of the altar tiers, and a string of the papers Paulina had spent hours cutting the day before hung over the entire altar. The basket of pan de dulce sat on the lowest tier, right next to a bowl of oranges, pears, and bananas - her Bisabuela’s favorite fruits. She’d also placed a variety of nuts she knew her Bisabuela had liked on the altar. A bottle of tequila sat to the side. On the tier above the food, Paulina had put a few of the calaveras de azúcar her mother had prepared before leaving for Prague. They grinned up at her, guarding the other things that had been placed on the tier - some of her Bisabuela’s most important belongings, like the pocketwatch her husband had given her before they left México and some of the old journals she’d written in up to the day she died. The top tier held the photo of her Bisabuela, smiling serenely at the camera and framed in an ornate faux gold. Paulina had wrapped the base of the frame with the bright fuchsia shawl her Bisabuela had worn nearly every day for as long as she could remember, and more marigolds swaddled the shawl.

All in all, it wasn’t quite as extravagant as some of the altars they’d decorated in years past, but with Mamá out of the country and the risk of the altar accidentally getting destroyed in a ghost attack, they’d decided to go with a bit of a simpler design. She was still pleased with the end result.

She only hoped her Bisabuela was pleased, too.

Paulina sighed and sat down cross-legged in front of the altar. Ever since the ghosts started showing up, she’d held out hope that her Bisabuela would come back to Amity Park and visit her and her parents. As days passed without seeing her, though, she lost her hope, and, though she hated to admit it, she began losing faith that her Bisabuela’s spirit was even out there in the first place.

Still though, she tried to convince herself otherwise. Maybe her spirit was farther away than some of the rest of the ghosts that usually showed up. Maybe the bad ghosts kept the good ghosts from getting through.

There had been a scary bit of time when ghosts first showed themselves in Amity Park. At that point, only evil, havoc-wreaking ghosts had been doing anything, and they rampaged the town and freaked everyone out for a week or so. She’d been horrified to learn that the rantings of the Fentons were true, and of course she’d barely had any time to come to terms with it before she’d (apparently) been possessed. In that short period of time, though, she couldn’t help but wonder if her sweet, loving Bisabuela had had her spirit turned into something awful like the ghosts attacking the town.

Then Phantom had shown up and rescued her, and her faith in gentle spirits was restored.

The fact that he’d proven to her that ghosts could be good and rescued her from possession twice played a huge part in her crush on him. It was embarrassing to admit something that seemed so frivolous to her friends; it was much easier to just sit at the lunch table and gush about how hot the ghost boy was. The other popular kids didn’t know how important the existence of good ghosts was to her. They couldn’t understand. 

She put her elbow on her knee and rested her chin in her hand, staring longingly at the framed photo of her Bisabuela. More than once, she’d considered the merits of cornering Phantom and convincing him to take her to the ghost world to see if she could find her Bisabuela’s spirit, but she’d dismissed the idea each time. Not only was he way too difficult to track down and have a discussion with (her attempts to invite him to her quinceñera were proof enough), but she had a feeling he’d immediately shut the idea down, citing danger as the reason.

And so now she was here, in her backyard, spending her first Día de los Muertos in this house alone, not even knowing if her Bisabuela’s spirit would even see the altar - or even see any of the altars they’d made. It was soul-crushing, to say the least, especially having grown up hearing people preach the importance of the holiday.

A cold breeze ruffled through the yard, causing the flames of the candles to flicker and the papel picado to rustle. She shivered and pulled her sweater tighter against herself. Maybe it’d been a mistake to set the altar up outside. 

Surprisingly, the breeze didn’t extinguish the candles. In fact, as she watched them, they looked taller than ever. And brighter. 

She stood in alarm. Too tall. The flames were getting dangerously strong. She turned to run inside and grab the fire extinguisher under the kitchen sink - 

- and promptly collided with the ghost boy.

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“Someone’s leaving,” Danny said needlessly. An APPD squad car peeled out of the driveway and down the road, lights and sirens going. 

Rosa gasped. “Víctor,” she whispered. His name sounded like a prayer on her lips (or lack thereof, what with the whole skull thing). “He was in the police school when I passed… Is he an officer now?”

“I think so,” Danny said, drifting closer to the roof. “It was part of the reason I was so scared of him when I showed up to pick up Paulina for the dance my freshman year.”

“Ay, Víctor…” she said again. Danny didn’t need to look at her to know she was beaming with pride; he could hear it in her voice.

“Come on,” he said, pointing towards the house with his head. “Maybe Mrs. Sánchez and Paulina are still inside.” 

He took Rosa’s hand and turned himself invisible and intangible, then guided her through the wall. She recoiled as they approached, but relaxed once they were inside. Danny figured she didn’t have much experience with the whole intangibility part of being a ghost, what with spending so much time in the Realms (assuming she was another kind of ghost, and assuming she lived somewhere in the Realms the other 364 days of the year).

Together, they flew methodically through each room of the house. Though Rosa became more and more comfortable with passing through the walls each time, she grew more and more desperate with each room they passed through that did not have one of her family members.

“No, no,” she muttered, grasping at her cheeks. Danny’s stomach turned just slightly when her fingers went into her eye sockets. “They are not here… I will not get to see them… mi familia, mi corazón…”

Danny didn’t respond. He couldn’t speak from fear of one of the Sánchezes //hearing and flipping out, or worse, calling his parents. He really did not feel like traumatizing a sweet old lady with his parents’ shenanigans tonight. 

He settled for giving Rosa’s hand a comforting squeeze and continuing to lead her through the rooms.

“Wait,” Rosa said, stopping dead in the downstairs hall. “Do you smell that?”

Danny took a deep inhale. “Yeah… It smells really good, what is it?”

“Pan de dulce!” she exclaimed, and before he could react, she became the guide and dragged him in her wake. 

“Rosa, wait!” he risked hissing. He was surprised when she actually came to a stop again, in the kitchen, though he had to press the brakes hard to avoid running her over. 

It took him a minute to realize that she hadn’t stopped because of him, though. She stared out the sliding glass door that led to the backyard, and when Danny followed her gaze, he saw Paulina sitting in front of a beautiful display of some sort.

“What is that?” he whispered, forgetting himself for a moment. He figured he was probably safe, what with a glass door in between the two of them and Paulina.

“They still made an altar for me,” Rosa said. Her voice wavered, making her sound like she was seconds away from bawling. “Ellos todavía recuerdan… No han cambiado…”

Danny didn’t understand the last part of what she said, but he figured she was happy judging from the sound of her voice and her gentle smile. He flicked his gaze between Rosa and Paulina a few times, then asked her, “Do you… wanna get closer to her?”

Rosa’s face brightened momentarily, then dropped. “No,” she said. The melancholy dripped from the single word. “She cannot see me, or hear me. Mi corazón almost broke tonight. I do not think I could bear any more pain.”

As much as her words broke his own heart, he could understand where she was coming from. His mind flashed to his parents and how they still remained oblivious to his secret. Not by any fault of their own, he always insisted, even if Sam or Tucker or Jazz tried to convince him otherwise. The blame was his own.

He too didn’t know if he could bear the pain if he told them and something went horribly wrong.

Still though, the sparks of a Danny Fenton Idea (trademark pending) began to pop in the back of his mind. It was incredibly stupid, and it had the potential to go completely awry. So basically no different than most of his other ideas, although this one put both Rosa and Paulina at risk.

“You know,” he said slowly, still wondering if this was the right thing to do, “she can interact with me.”

Rosa’s head turned toward him with a sharp crack of her vertebrae.

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Paulina couldn’t believe it.

Danny Phantom. Her beloved Ghost Boy. Here, at her house.

And all she could do was gape like a fish.

Phantom grabbed his bicep and looked everywhere except at Paulina once he seemed to realize that she wasn’t about to speak anytime soon. “I, uhh,” he stammered, clearly unsure how to keep the situation from becoming any more awkward than it already had.

Lucky for him, she found the awkwardness oddly endearing.

He cleared his throat. “Sorry, I was - well, I was just out and about and, erm, I kind of ran into someone - not literally of course, just a figure of speech, I mean I - I would never -”

She couldn’t help it. She giggled at Phantom’s inability to articulate himself. It completely wrecked the image of her valiant knight in shining armor, but in a way, she preferred this side to him. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was one of the less popular boys at school trying to work up the nerve to ask her out.

Not to mention his face was absolutely adorable once she started giggling. The way his eyes grew enormous and his face flushed green was totally unlike the hot version of himself that got talked about in school, but he pulled it off well. 

“¡Lo siento!” she said in between giggles. “I’m sorry, I’m not laughing at you! I’ve just never seen you so flustered!”

He blinked once, twice before his face relaxed and he let out a few nervous laughs of his own. “Yeah, sorry,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “I didn’t exactly think through what I was gonna say before I came out here…”

“It’s okay,” Paulina reassured. “Why don’t you start over?”

Phantom watched her carefully before cracking a crooked grin. “I can do that.” He blew out a puff of air, which was so unlike a ghost it almost sent her into a fit of giggles again.

“Long story short,” he began. “I ran into someone earlier today, someone who knows you. She was kind of lost though - like, looking for you at your old house. I thought I’d bring her over to say hi.”

Paulina furrowed her brow. “Really? Mamá made me make sure to tell everyone that we had to move. Who would’ve been looking for me at our old house?”

“Well, not everyone realized you moved, apparently.”

“Oh no,” she said. Her stomach dropped a little. She hated to think that she’d forgotten to tell someone important such a huge detail and that they’d been living under false information for months at this point. “I feel terrible! Who is it? Where are they?”

He ran his hand through his hair again. “That’s kind of the catch. You can’t really see her; only I can, apparently.” He nodded towards the altar with his gaze fixed just above her head. She followed his line of sight to -

Her heart skipped a beat. “Bisabuela?” she whispered. Did she dare to even entertain the thought?

Phantom looked to the empty space to his right. After a long moment, he said, “She wants me to tell you that you look beautiful as ever.” His face flushed even brighter green as he delivered the message.

Paulina hesitated. On one hand, this was a literal dream come true. Her Ghost Boy guiding her Bisabuela to her altar on Día de los Muertos, after going for so long wondering if her spirit was truly out there, it was too good to be true.

That’s what gave her pause.

“How… how do I know… she’s really here?” she asked tentatively. She didn’t want to give Phantom the impression that she didn’t believe him, but she had to make sure. She needed to know for certain.

He winced and scratched his shoulder. “Well, I - uhh,” he stuttered. After a couple of seconds, his face lit up again and he turned back to the empty space beside him. “What’s something that only you would know? Or think to tell her?”

As she waited for him to give her the answer, her heart raced. She didn’t doubt that he had a spirit there next to him, but what if it wasn’t her Bisabuela? What if it was someone else, and a mistake had been made? She didn’t know -

“Okay, I think I’ve got it?” Phantom said, though his uncertainty didn’t ease Paulina’s nerves. “She said - Ancients, I’m gonna botch the pronunciation here - she wants me to ask you… ‘¿estás robando más cacao en polvo hoy en día?’”

Paulina fell to her knees, tears falling freely and silently down her cheeks.

“Estás aquí,” she whispered. “You’re really here…”

Phantom hovered over her anxiously. “Oh jeez, I’m - are you alright? I didn’t know…”

Still crying, she sprang up abruptly and into the space where Phantom had been looking before. “Bisabuela, ¿dónde estás?” she blubbered, not caring that she’d completely fallen back into her native Spanish, not caring that her mascara was totally running, not caring that she was probably making herself look like a fool in front of her crush.

Of course, she received no response, but then, just when she was about to ask Phantom for another message, she felt the comfort of a blanket wrapped around her and the taste of cinnamon filled her mouth.