#plus Tuesdays is when my work bestie usually works with me

[extervus]

There's been literally so much goin on in my brain lately vis a vis [THE TOPIC] with just so much debate and dilemma and analysis and turmoil and I'm so sick of it that I've gotten to the point where I'll have a thought related to [THE TOPIC] and I'll just respond in my own brain with this

[0pticblast]

Day 1

I woke up and my business partner did not wake up on time to go to the gym. I used that time to rest before I went to work early. I still have my job, but I'm currently looking for one in order to be able to support my family more and my business. Work wasn't bad for once, maybe it's because we didn't have a meeting, maybe it's because my boss and I talked about trading cards, I just hate meetings and not knowing what to say.

My direct deposit didn't go through, it got delayed because our payday is next Tuesday. It's tough, but I'll try my best to just eat at home. There's so much food in the fridge, I have to stop being lazy and cook. I was able to pay off some expenses from my trading card business from my part-time job. I got to try the roast duck chow mein at Phoenix as well, it was okay.

There was a social at work, usually I wouldn't go because work is so busy but all my f*cks are gone and I need a break. I went outside for 10 minutes and drank a cider with my coworker. I'm gonna miss the friends I made, the crushes I've had, and the work besties who'll stick around in my life hopefully later down the line.

I competed at One Piece last night with a new Leader. I didn't win a single game and that's okay. As bitter as it felt, people were giving me props for piloting a different deck. Regionals is in two weeks, I'm no way prepared at all and I don't know how people do it. I'm honestly way more focused on reselling cards than actually competing now, which is not a bad thing. I got a bad offer for a card that I was trying to sell, he wasn't meeting me halfway and his offers/counteroffers were way low. On the plus side, we sold all 7 of our tournament packs. It's crazy to think that we're actually getting s*it done. A month and a half ago I said f*ck it let's sell these for $5 each. I was about to give up, one day we sold 5 packs and for a good while no one wanted our other stuff. It's a lot of highs and lows, nothing in between but the thrill of finally selling something feels great.

When I got home I wanted to work more, but my body said no and rested. I watched an episode of Spy X Family, posted content on Slabs, and fell asleep on the couch after getting food coma from Denny's. My Amazon package came in, I pulled Yunjin from the LE SSERAFIM album I got. My bias wrecker be wrecking me, what a good start to my journey.

During lunch all I could think about is Brenda, she makes good content and I hope her and I give it another shot one day. Me being me, I fall hard which is a blessing and a curse. It's like, why would I half a** liking someone? I can't help how I feel and how much I can feel emotionally. I do know I have to keep myself on check externally, but nowadays I'm just very direct and transparent with what I say and do because we don't need to play this waiting game. I recently started reading this book, "Single: On Purpose" by John Kim. Listening to the audiobook driving back home from LA last weekend gave me alot of perspective and it's something that I want to finish reading and take notes with. I'll also document what I learned from each section so I don't forget what I got from it.

[cheelduh]

How to tie up a cute boy

(Highschool Au)

Pairing: Childe x fem!reader

Parts: 1  2  3

Word count: 4K

Warnings: Swearing, Scaramouche abuse, no Signora slander this time, shit humour.

Synopsis: "Why are you doing homework?" Childe groans, rolling off to the side and kicking off the blanket to expose himself in nothing but a pair of boxers. "I'm literally right here, naked and defenseless. Why aren't you taking advantage of me?"

Note: Unedited yet again besties. Tysm for reading :) I got Childe after losing him to mf MONA, istg it was the most stressful moment of my life.

The clock ticks with its pendulum, ridiculing you as it holds the time. The gentle whirring of the air conditioning in the background serves as the icing on the cake to your pent up aggression.

You try not to glare at your phone too much after receiving a text from Childe that told you not to worry, that his dad picked him up and that he was in the comfort of his home, letting the flu blow over.

It took a lot of convincing from his part earlier that morning to get you to go back and actually attend the rest of your classes, making sure to check up on him every break plus the additional "bathroom breaks" you usually never take while in class.

"I can't let you get in trouble for me." He murmured with a small smile that pumped your blood a little faster than usual. "I'm fine, really. Don't worry your pretty little head."

You do exactly that.

You don't even know why you're so worried. He's sick, not dying. Not to mention, you aren't even his girlfriend let alone his friend to care so much. 

Your intrusive thoughts don't waste any time. You latch onto the one thought that takes over. He's probably dead. Lying in his bed in a heap of pillows, passing peacefully while his parents are in the other room. He's dead.

Okay, he's not dead. You intrusive thoughts sure do one hell of a job. He'll be fine, and in no time he'll go back to being a reckless distraction in your life that you need to surpass. Just another obstacle to add onto the list of things life has thrown at you.

But for an obstacle, he sure is kind of cute.

You refrain from bashing your head on the desk. School isn't really a preferred environment on your list of top ten places to shrivel up and die.

Speaking of death and all that is evil, why is Childe always on your mind? He takes up every nook and cranny of your day, constantly, and truth be told it's starting to boil your piss.

Every time you close your eyes you see his smug smile, and hear his stupid laugh. He's an annoying little prick who gets a rise out of exasperating you. Yet here you are, terrified by the warmth that blossoms in your heart when you so much as hear his name.

The final bell rings at long last, conveniently before you bite your tongue to avoid screaming, and not another second is wasted once you launch yourself out the door. You dodge through the crowd of students in the hall that are buzzing in excitement from it being a Friday afternoon, and you would be too if you weren't so damn hung up over a ginger with a battlekink.

Locker in view, you make a beeline and spend the next two minutes fumbling with the lock in your hands.

"Woah there cutie," Lisa speaks up playfully. "At this rate you'll break the poor lock with your bare hands."

For a moment you're surprised at her sudden appearance, but then remember that it's normal for her to worm her way anywhere.

"It's just—this lock is being dumb okay? It has no reason being a pain in my ass but it wakes up every day and chooses violence." You hiss through your teeth, a sharp metallic ring invading your ears when you lose it and jostle the combination lock against the door of your locker.

Lisa winces, but smiles teasingly nonetheless. "Want me to give it a try?"

"Please."

Lisa has the door open at record speed.

"I love you Lisa." You confess wholeheartedly, gripping at your chest. "I love you so much—"

"Yeah yeah," She waves you off with a grin. "Now hurry up and go save your boyfriend from the common flu. Archons knows he won't make the night."

You flush at the word "boyfriend" and don't give much thought to the insinuation that lies within the rest of her sentence.

Sliding your skateboard under an arm, you spin on your heel just to bump straight into Scaramouche, who's won the scowl of the century on his face. He's the last person you want to see right now, but apparently the universe wants to have a pissing match with you.

"Give this homework to that idiot Ginger." He shoves a stack of papers into you. "Tell him that once he's done circling the drain, I'm gonna kick his ass." He then leans in, murderous glint in his eyes. "And if you ever touch me again I'll take a shit in your cereal. That's not a threat, it's a promise."

You shiver at the thought of him squatting on your Cheerios, hands becoming clammy as you try and justify yourself. "It was an accident."

Your pitiful excuse earns you nothing from the navy haired boy. "It'll be an accident when I murder your entire family, three generations over."

"Hi Mona!" You wave excitedly over his shoulder at the body of students that are totally not Mona. With elation he fails to conceal, Scaramouche turns to look at the speed of light.

You take the chance to make your escape—not before waving to Lisa, chuckling to yourself. He's down bad.

With great expertise you file your way through the flock of students chattering near the entrance. , you confidently place your skateboard down on the sidewalk, ready to—

Wait—where does he live again?

You sigh heavily, ignoring the sadness as you thank the universe internally for pulling the reigns on your disastrous plan. Checking up on Childe at his house? With his family present? Making a complete fool out of yourself? What are you thinking? The possibilities are horrendous. He probably doesn't even think of you like that, he just likes a challenge and you pose as one.

You turn away to make a run for it in the direction of your home, all the while ignoring the nagging worry in your chest for Childe. He's probably fine anyways, you don't need to check up on him, and if you did he'd likely find a way to spin it and tease you relentlessly.

Although somehow, the thought of being teased by him isn't as dreadful as you'd like it to be.

Suddenly, an idea graces you, one that guarantees your misery by sating your obligation to check up on Childe. A litany of curses escape your mouth. Genius really, the amount of ways you can think of doing something that'll end in your demise.

"Adeptus Xiao." You whisper apprehensively, already regretting your decision. "Adeptus Xiao." Glancing around your surroundings, you barely notice the shadow that looms over you at your backside.

"What do you want mortal?" Unbeknownst to you, he strikes out of nowhere, making you jump back several meters. You manage to muffle a surprised shriek.

Xiao is Venti's -6 ft boyfriend, the vicious epitome of an eboy. He has a scaled tattoo covering up the majority of an arm, a few piercing holes in his ears, all matched up with a disinterested look. Somehow, he always appears out of nowhere if you call out his name. It's sort of disturbing in a way.

His amber eyes pierce through you, forcing a shudder of fear and dread to lace your blood, almost as if he can sense you shittalking him in your head.

With shaky hands, you ask, "Can you tell me where—"

"No."

"You didn't even hear me ou—"

"No."

"Please?"

He refuses to at least pretend to think about it for a moment.

"No."

"Why?" You frown, stomping your foot on the ground childishly.

"Because." He retorts with a lack of interest, but doesn't further explain his point. English teachers must love this kid.

"Okay," You say slowly, casually inspecting his form as you come up with an idea, briefly remembering Lumine mentioning it to you. "How about I give you my share on almond tofu Tuesday."

The lack of interest on his face wavers slightly. Bingo.

"What do you want mortal?" Xiao mutters gruffly, arms crossed, face morphing into subtle annoyance.

You wrack your brain for a proper answer. You can't just outright ask him or it'll seem like you have a thing for Childe, which you unfortunately do, but you'd like to keep a semblance of integrity. Ah yes, the homework!

"I gotta deliver these to Childe." You outstretch the pile of worksheets in your hands. "Except I don't know where he lives. Can you tell me?"

Xiao's eyes glint with danger. "Did you summon me for the trivial task of giving you an address?"

You nod furiously.

"Do humans have no shame?" Its rhetorical. Expressionlessly, he closes his eyes with intent focus, doing what you assume to be locating Childe's exact location.

He blinks an eye open, reaches a hand out. "Give me your phone." Palm waiting.

You hand it over to him almost desperately.

One glance at your bubbly phone case and he doesn't even try to hide his distaste. He taps a few times, then hands it back to you almost immediately.

On the screen is maps, and Childe's home is about a fifteen minute walk away.

Your jaw drops in disbelief. "How did you do that?"

"Easy," He mutters, leaning back against the school gate as the remainder of students walk past the two of you. "Locating demons that need subjugating is but a simple task."

There's a pregnant pause. Demon.

"Childe's a demon?" You gasp, even though you've always had your suspicions. Hence the reason you invest so much in demon-cancelling charms.

"What? No." He mutters with a roll of his eyes, and you note that his irritation grows the more questions you ask. "I had a physics project with him last semester."

That's why the charms don't work.

Your mouth forms an o, in fear that if you keep this conversation going on any longer, he'll snap at you. Especially when your next line of interrogation involves how he's able to appear and disappear into thin air.

It's a magic trick you'll want to master whenever Il Dottore has another conniption fit in the middle of the hallways after Kaeya tells him he looks like he has skid marks.

"Thank you." You say instead, trying to preserve his regard, but by the time you meet his gaze he's already gone with the wind.

—

Childe's home is surprisingly humble, considering the amount of fat stacks of cash he carries around in his fanny pack so care-freely. It's a normal suburban home from what you can tell, a little bigger than normal with a double garage, neatly mowed lawn and a few forgotten decorations from the windblume festival. A series of water guns lay forgotten near the entrance, making their presence known when you stumbled upon them.

It's hard to remain unphased. Especially since such a normal looking home has bred someone as ruthless as Childe.

Maybe it not the home, you think. Maybe it's the way he was raised. You recall a few glimpses of his mother in middle school, but because of your worse for wear memory retention, you can't ballpark her personality type.

As your thoughts wander further down to his parents and early childhood, villain origin story and what not, you're pulled out of your concentration when the door opens. The possible implications of being here are most definitely not in your favor.

Childe's mother is a stunning woman in her mid-forties who sure as hell doesn't show it in that jaw-dropping sapphire dress, topped off with a brilliant smile that makes your knees weak. Like mother like son, you suppose.

With her sudden appearance, strangely enough, you can remember how good her tiramisu bites are.

You take a moment to respond, swallowing thickly, only to stare at her stupidly.

His mother doesn't waste another second before ushering you in, oblivious to your star-struck expression. "Y/N? L/N Y/N? My have you grown. I remember when you were only this tall." She lifts her hand up a little above her waist, the jewels on her fingers dazzling with every movement. "How is your mother doing?"

"She's doing alright, busy with the clinic." You're able to find your words, smiling back at her, able to get somewhat familiar with her warmth. "I hope I'm not intruding. Childe forgot some homework." You say, heaving the short stack up.

"Ajax?" She laughs, shaking her head in disbelief. "I can't believe he's going by that now. I wonder when this phase will be over. He may act tough but he's such a softie, has the biggest heart."

You, in between concealed emotions and giggles that threaten to leak, try to hide the oncoming grin but it's impossible. "Well he's got you to thank for it."

"You flatter me too much Y/N," She fixes the up do, pinning back the blonde hair that deftly frame her familiar cerulean eyes. "I can see why he can't stop talking about you."

Her words make you waver momentarily. The fondness you've refused to share, the drawn out stares in the halls, the lingering touches, you don't want to acknowledge it but it's there. Whatever it is.

"I'm so sorry for cutting this short dear," His mother sighs, grabbing her keys off the counter and placing her wallet in an elegant handbag. "My niece is getting married and we're already late. I told Ajax I'd stay if he didn't feel too well but he said he could handle a headache. That boy, I swear, always tries to power through."

You nod in understanding, but wait a minute. A headache?

Scrunching up your face, eyebrows furrowed, you ask. "Headache?"

She frowns, applying another layer of her rouge lipstick hastily in a nearby mirror. "I know dear, how unfortunate. The school nurse said it's a migraine, and I shouldn't fret much, but a mother can't help but worry. If only he weren't so stubborn, like his father."

As if on cue, a loud honk comes from outside.

"That must be him!" She exclaims, hurriedly sliding in her heels, turning back to look at your awkward figure. "Ajax is in his room, it's the second door to the right upstairs. I've made some lasagna for the kids, you ought to have some as well, I'll be upset if you don't—" Another annoying honk cuts her off, to which she scoffs, shaking a fist. "That old man, I'll strangle him in his sleep. I must be going now, goodbye dear." She reveals a twinkling smile at you one last time, waving a slim hand before picking up her heels and making a run for it.

The door closes with an unceremonious thud, gust of wind in its trail, leaving a bewildered high schooler in its wake.

Snapping out of your haze, overwhelming tides threaten to drown you whole. Being in Childe's home, alone, with him a handful of stair steps and a wall or two away, your cheeks are set ablaze.

Now that his mother's gone, you take a second to really look. There are a few toys littered in front of the TV, home covered in with soft throws and coordinated cushions, a lazy sectional plopped right in the middle. The marks on the furniture with all the stories, the light hued mismatched frames hanging on the walls and on all the table, so many pictures of those that resemble him, his brothers, his sisters, his family. You can almost hear the echoing laughter in the halls, the childish squeals and pitter patter of tiny feet slapping the hardwood floor.

This is where he grew up. This is where he retires to after a long day full of gratifying fistfights. This is where he was raised to be who he is today, ambitious and reckless, with the absurd dream to one day rule the world. This is his home.

It's...like being wrapped in blanket, safe and cozy, surrounded by all the love in the world.

Absentmindedly, your fingers trace the outlines of a younger Childe, two missing teeth and eyes full of dreams, hugging the side of his father's shoulder because his small arms can't wrap around them. Not just yet.

You make your way over to the staircase, which has even more frames littered across the wall, one that falls short of hiding the marks of a green crayon—another slice of domesticity you aren't quite accustomed to.

The reality sets in, and you come to a conclusion. This home is definitely not an environment for growing psychopaths, Childe just beats the odds like he beats up kids on the daily.

Your fist hovers over his door as you contemplate abandoning the sheets on a nearby table, but his mother was so sweet and polite, so incredibly hospitable, you wouldn't have the heart to make a run for it.

"I can see why he can't stop talking about you."

Three consecutive knocks. If he doesn't answer, you'll leave them at the door.

"Mama," Childe's muffled groans stem from the other side, and oh, you want to revel in the grave undertone of his voice because it's certainly not a common occurrence. "I told you I'm fine. You can go okay? I don't want you to be late, just need to sleep it off."

You blink, lips curling, and then knock again.

"Mama," He whines again, and it has you grinning mischievously. He's a mommy's boy, he has to be. The thought envelopes your heart with a newfound fondness. "Just come in and hurry."

You eagerly take in the room once you slip in, eyes scanning over every little detail, until they zero in on the heap of sheets smack dab on the single bed, a pair of feet dangling off the edge, topped with a comforter thrown over leisurely.

Childe's facing away from you, head dipped in between his shoulders, probably trying to find a position that's more comfortable. He's shivering, sweating at the same time. His mother must've been too preoccupied to notice. This isn't the first time he's used his exceptional bullshitting finesse.

"I can't believe you lied to your mother," You cross your arms, leaning back against the door.

With a jerk, Childe flings into a sitting up position, wide awake and aware of everything that is going on, a stark contrast from nearly seconds ago.

He blinks at you in shock, once, twice, rubs his eyes a bit, relaxes, then leans back, out of it completely. "For a sleep paralysis monster, you sure are kind of cute."

"For and idiot you sure are an idiot." You snort back.

"Wait a minute," He mutters slowly, jaw dropping. "You're actually here?!"

Ignoring his question, you opt to slap the papers on his desk to ignore your clammy palms. "Homework."

"And here I thought you came here all this way to be my personal nurse." He smirks, recovering from his momentary shock fairly swiftly. Doesn't refrain from giving you that shit stain of a bad boy grin, even with a flushed face and concavity under his eyes.

"I can be your personal mortician instead."

"I didn't know you were into role play babe, but I'll take what I can get." He winks, but is punished by a sequence of coughs that earn a wince from you.

"Headache?" You tease after he quiets down, but he remains as cavalier as always.

He sighs, sides of his lips still arched upwards. "My parents barely have any time to themselves, it's so hectic with the kids. What kind of son would I be if I couldn't even give them this?"

He must've threatened Barbara.

"You're," You inhale, briefly letting the silence hang between you two, mulling over what you wish to convey. sweet.

"Irresistible? Hot? Sexy?" He starts casual, arrogant smirk widening.

"Kind of not a complete asshole, is what I was going to say."

"Careful girlie," He narrows his eyes on you, playful lilt in his tone. The comforter is allowed to slip past his shoulders to reveal the goods that lie underneath, the complete naked chest of a post-puberty highschool boy who sprays too much axe. Full pectorals are something to pay for, stringed with smooth muscles that ripple their way over his toned shoulders. "If you keep teasing me like this, I can't promise I'll be the nice guy."

"One more time from the top," You bite back, avoiding staring at him for too long. "Without the congested nose this time."

With great expertise, he weakly throws a pillow at you, and you watch it exceptionally land at your feet, barely grazing the tips of your socks.

"Impressive," You whistle, not impressed.

He pouts, shivers, then is dunking his head back into the welcoming embrace of his plush collection of pillows.

With a sigh, you plop down on his chair, grab a pen and begin calculating derivatives.

"What're you doing?" He doesn't even turn your way, voice muffled.

"Homework," You reply nonchalantly, trying to calm your nerves. "unless you want me to get you something to eat, considering you puked out your gogurt on Barbara's shoes earlier. Congrats by the way, you're hit listed by her fan club."

"Why are you doing homework?" He groans, rolling off to the side and kicking off the blanket to expose himself in nothing but a pair of boxers. "I'm literally right here, naked and defenseless. Why aren't you taking advantage of me?"

He really has an IQ below room temperature.

Burying the formidable obligation to clock him in the face on behalf of society, you slowly get up to approach his bed, to which he grins widely in disbelief.

Apprehensively, you climb onto his bed, and he scoots over, excitement as clear as day. His hair's a wild mess from all the shifting, almost makes you want to card a hand through it. Your heart nestles it's way in your throat at the sight of his blazing blue eyes.

You pity him for what you're about to do.

"Relax Childe," You lean over him with confidence you never knew you had to begin with, face hovering inches before his. Your fists strategically grip the comforter on either side of him. "We have all day after all."

Although you attempt to pay no heed to his quivering hand that snakes up to find solace on your hip, you momentarily shiver at the tenderness.

He's eating this up and leaving no crumbs. Closing his eyes in anticipation, his lips tremble when he tries to close in the distance.

Abruptly, you cross both handfuls of sheets over his body, tying them securely in place to keep him docile. He struggles in your grip, eyes snapping open in surprise. "Wuh-What."

"Did you really think you had a chance?" You cross your arms, stepping back to get a good look at your handiwork.

"Honestly?" Childe huffs, struggles some in his restraints. "I wasn't really thinking."

"Typical," You scrunch your nose up, unscrunch, and then exhale. "You stay here and I'll go make you some soup. Well, not that you can really move but you get the idea."

"You're really going to leave me here like this?" He pouts cutely, melting you, and the sick bastard knows of his power.

"Relax," You wave a hand, "I may be evil but I'm not Scaramouche."

Meanwhile, Scaramouche sneezes as he tries to ask Mona out, falling straight on his ass from the kick back, making a complete fool out of himself. Mona doesn't mind though, finds it endearing.

Back at Childe's room, he raises a brow, expectant.

Going through the five stages of grief, you do something you've been wanting to do for a while, succumbing to the immense feeling.

Closing in the distance between you two, you suck in a breath and gently tilt Childe's head to the side. He blinks quickly, not quite expecting your sudden forwardness, about to say something that doesn't matter as soon as you place a tender peck on the side of his cheek.

Time stops, the world coming to a halt completely. A moment made in history, one you won't ever forget, fresh in both your minds from forward on.

And then you stagger away as if you've been stabbed.

"Soup!" You squeak, appalled by the sheer boldness of your actions. "I'll go make soup while you rest."

Childe, frozen, stares at you incredibly confused, and then beams.

Dear Archons, what have you done.

[scary-senpai]

For the fanfic ask game...I can't actually decide. XD How about any two of your choice?

Ahh! Thank you so much bestie <3 I really appreciate you dropping an ask. I did not get to this on Tuesday because brain melt (!), but seeing you in my notifications made me smile <3<4

You also get a third bonus question because You Are Great.

(link to fanfic ask game is here--feel free to drop a note! asks are my love language)

C: What character do you identify with most?

Garou. I've always gravitated towards overtly angry, troublesome male characters and I've recently come to suspect it has something to do with gender: growing up, I felt a lot of anger/frustration/confusion over my identity (not my gender identity, necessarily, but more like How to Human as an Autistic person). To navigate this, I over-corrected by confirming to whatever my idea of femininity was, in the worst possible way. (I guess I would say I'm a cis-female but I've never really cared that much).

Since I spent a lot of my adolescence trying to make myself smaller and weaker (because that's how I thought girls/women were supposed to be), I suspect if I had been AMAB I would have focused on becoming bigger and stronger.

In any case, I understand the quiet desperation of exercising until you pass out because of that lingering sensation of not-enoughness.

I also talked a bit about spending seven years with a toxic mentor that was frustratingly competent about a bunch of stuff (but just... horribly misguided when it came to personal relationships), and when I use one of the techniques he taught me (whatever Fist of Flowing Water Crushed Rock is, but for emotions), I inevitably flash back to that scene with Garou and the Tank-Top Gang ("I hate using this because it reminds me of him--").

Anyway, after that I left that job I went to touch grass/do something completely different (work in a yoga studio) because I just needed to... scrub toilets and fold a bunch of towels and untangle all the things I'd learned that were (in a sense) true, versus the concepts I wanted to embody and believe in and manifest. Additionally, my experience working there also informs some of the scenes I write with Garou in the dojo (mostly him griping about how nobody seems to take chores as seriously as he does, or how he keeps finding other people's underwear in weird places with literally no logical explanation for why that might be).

L: How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

A thousand times, possibly a billion.

Just kidding, but it feels like too many. (The first chapter of Collateral Damage took me like eight months...I probably should have put it on ice for a bit, honestly)

Fic was my way of learning to write again, and I've never written any longform fiction, so multi-chapter fic in particular have been an experiment in how my brain works, and the tools I need to efficiently craft a story. If there are multiple layers to a scene, I don't always have the mental processing power to work out each aspect at once (what the character's say vs. what they mean, what they do / how they do it / what this indicates about them, plus any undercurrents of narrative tension or symbolism or whatever). So that's been a whole thing. I think I'm getting better at it, though. Flumptober Sexy Chess scene had a lot going on (and completely derailed all my deadlines), but knowing that I can labor on a beloved chapter for weeks instead of months was... a milestone, honestly.

"Kill your darlings before they kill you" is my new mantra, and unfortunately I had to learn that the hard way.

U: Share three of your favourite fic writers and why you like them so much.

@beileil, you're one of my favorite authors because of the way you blend so many things: humor, plot (specifically mystery), characterization and lovely prose. Even in an AU, the characters are very much themselves but they're also new and unique. One of my bad writing habits is that I will sometimes skip over description if it doesn't really speak to me, but with your stories I hang on every word--I remember reading the Hero Detective Agency and feeling completely emerged in that universe from the beginning.

@sharuruwrites, I think you are excellent at putting characters in Situations. I like how you manage to zoom in on some of the grittier aspects of characters (like how bloodthirsty Toji and Sukuna can be, or how Gojo is So Very Immature and Extra) and, without glossing them over, somehow make these traits more endearing (or at least understandable/relatable). I feel like every scene and small detail moves towards some sort of purpose, and if I blink, I'll miss something.

I guess my third favorite fic writer is my brother. I wonder if he remembers that we used to write silly stories about Mario sometimes (I was 12 or 13 which means he was 9 or 10, so I was probably typing while he was dictating). I am both insatiably curious and afraid to ask. In any case, he's still a hilarious storytelling and I hope to write more (original) things with him some day.

[puckngrind]

Skating Lessons part 7

Summary: Reader has a coffee date with Amy Jones and the bestie asks all the Josh questions.  

Warnings: swearing, mentions of sex...

Word Count: 1992

Series Masterlist

“CBJ...CBJ...CBJ...”  Mason is yelling at the tv while in his Anderson jersey and pajama pants.  “Momma, look, Josh just did our special signal!” Mason was bouncing around while the commentators talked over the pre-game video.  Sure enough, Josh was standing there laughing with Seth and hitting pucks.  He then stops, does a spin and touches his head.  You laugh as Mason does the same thing.

“That’s awesome Sweetie!”  You laugh and take a video of Mason doing the move again to send to Josh.

Bethany plops on the couch next to you with coffee in hand and a look on her face.  “When did you and JOSH come up with this move, Maze?”  Your best friend had called Mason this since he was a baby.

Mason jumps on the couch between the two of you and announces that they came up with it a few skates ago.  You had witnessed this move before but didn’t realize your boys would do it every time you were at the ice.  NOW you realized Josh was connecting with Mason even on road trips.  Bethany shot you another look you could read without words.  She was annoyed that you hadn’t told her about any of this Josh stuff.  You bring your legs up causing your shorts to ride up.

“Momma, you are hurt.  What happened?”  Mason stops bouncing and hugs you.

“Uh, I ran into something at work.  I’m fine, Baby.  First score and you are headed to bed okay?  You can watch the game tomorrow.”  

Your face turns bright red as you here Beth say under breathe, “yeah, you fell on Josh’s face, huh?”  

“What Auntie Beth?”  Mason turned his attention to Bethany and you gave her a death look.

“Did you see Josh’s face?”  Beth recovers from her comment and you are sure she can feel your thoughts as she continues.  “I bet he scores first!”  She survived that slip up and Mason’s full attention is on the game.  Sure enough Josh has the puck and sails it to Seth who shoots it into the net.  

“GOOOOAAAALLLL” Mason shouts.  And with that you put Mason to bed and crashed on the couch to hear all the questions Bethany had about your relationship with Josh.  You answered the basics while watching the game.  The main question she asked was why she hadn’t heard about it and you avoided all her questions about how good the sex was.  

“That’s fine.  I can only imagine how mind blowing it is.”  Bethany pats your leg where Josh had marked you up.  You tuck your knees under your Anderson sweatshirt and you sit your coffee cup on your knees.  “So, what’s it like dating a professional athlete?”  Beth continues her questions as you stare at the game.  Thankfully the Blue Jackets were up by 3 and Josh had 2 assists so far.

“Beth, I’m going to be honest.”  You took a deep breath but kept looking at the game.  “When we are together I don’t even think about the fact that he plays hockey for a living.  Like he’s just Josh.  Obviously I KNOW he’s a professional athlete but he’s so much more than that.  And the other guys are so down to earth and they all love Mason so much.  He was star struck for a second but he’s so comfortable with them.  It’s weird and amazing.  YES!  BABY!”  Your confession is stopped by Josh landing one in the back of the net with 5 minutes left of the 3rd. 

Bethany brings you right back to the conversation as she takes in your celebration, “So you are really watching the game huh?”  You just shake your head as the minutes tick down.  “And you’ve hung out with the team?” “Well, we went down to the family room after the game...you know the one that someone took our pictures...” Your words catch in your throat but you continue,  “and a few of the guys came to the zoo with us Sunday.” “Wait, you got his teammates to go to the zoo with you three?”  Beth’s face was squished up trying process all of this.  She was not use to you dating at all and now this.

“Well, Josh invited a few of the boys so it didn’t look like a date after the social media stuff.  I’m meeting Amy Thursday because I have questions and Seth suggested we talk.” “I know I’ll get use to it but the fact that you just talked about the queen of hockey moms and her All-Star son like they are Sally and Jay next door is pretty crazy.”  You laugh because you hadn’t noticed it yourself how you weren’t starstruck by any of them.  Your phone vibrates and you see a text. 

Josh: I’m glad he saw it.  He looks adorable.  Is Bethany still there?  I want to Facetime when I get back to my hotel room. 😉

You: I’m not sure what you are planning but yes, she’s here but leaving.

“Ew, are you two...sexting?”  Bethany laughs but her eyebrows are furrowed.

“Um...no...”  You answer and she’s not convinced.  Beth leaves and you plop on your bed waiting for Josh to facetime you.

“There’s my girl!  Say hi to PL, (y/n).”  Josh gives you the look and pulls his phone back to see PL sitting behind him on the couch.  

“Hey Luc!  Mason asked when you were going to race him on the ice today.  I told him you might lose after all that ice cream.”  You giggle and PL just shakes his head.  

“So...the hotel messed up our block.  We are have roommates regardless...and PL called me.  I think he knew I’d call you.”  You see Josh look over at him and then his eyebrows moved to tell you more.  “Beth okay with everything?” “Yeah, I mean I was questioned the whole game.  I did see your three assists and goal Babe.  Nice job.”  Josh’s face turned red.  While you started watching more hockey on purpose you really never talked hockey with Josh much. He talked to Mason but not you which may be why you never thought about the fact that he was who he was when you were together.

The two of you talked a little more before PL started whining he couldn’t hear the movie he put on so you hung up with Josh.

“You must be (y/n)!” you here from behind you as you sit at a high top table in the corner of the little cafe down the street from the arena.  Amy Jones had her hands up coming in for a hug.  “The boys have told me so much about you already!  I was so excited to meet the girl who has stolen Josh’s heart.  He’s been waiting for you for so long you know.”  Amy was exactly what Bethany described her.  The queen of hockey moms and she was easy to talk to.  You talked all about her boys and how she was thankful social media really wasn’t a thing when they were growing up.  Being in the spotlight with kids and the lifestyle Josh, Seth, and the other boys have.  She was exactly what you needed.  

“Sweetie, I know you are worried but you just have to follow your heart and trust your gut.”  Amy puts you hand on yours as you swirl your spoon around your coffee.  “From everything Seth has told me, you are the most amazing mother and clearly you’ve done an amazing job.  Now am I saying Mason won’t find his way to some craze fans rant?  No.  It may happen but let Josh and his people deal with the crazy people.  Just love both of your boys and constantly make sure you are there for each other.”  Your eyes started to fill with tears at the thought Amy was putting in your brain.  “Plus, I’m always here for you too.  And Shelly will love you too.  She told me she cannot wait to meet you this weekend.”  You gulp at the thought of meeting Josh’s parents and Amy laughs.

“Are you sure?  I haven’t exactly met parents in awhile.”  You look down at your drink then up at Amy.  Her head was tilted to the side and she smiles.  

“Um, duh!  I’m just mad Seth didn’t see you first.”  She laughs and you feel yourself lighten up.  “Do you like pedis?  Maybe we can before I head out next weekend?  I usually drag Seth and Josh but I’d love a girls trip.”   She pops up and hugs you tight before dropping her hands to yours.  “Josh loves you and so will his family and all the other stuff with fall into place.  Just take it all in stride.”  

With that you leave with less questions about being with Josh and more dates with his world.

Josh: How did coffee with Amy go?

You: Amazing.  I cannot wait to see you tonight.

Josh: Tell Mace I added an extra move for you to our secret signal

You: Oh really?!?  Thankful the game starts at 5pm btw.  Mace will be able to catch most of it.

Josh: And I’ll be home sooner.  I gotta go.  ILY.

Just like Tuesday, You and Mason watching the game.  You mentioned to Mason that Josh put a new move on their signal that was meant to you.  Mason was intently watching and then Josh did it.  He spun around put his hand on his head and then drops it down to his heart and pumps it.  You are thankful it’s just Mason watching the game with you because your face immediately flush with Josh’s public declaration and you were turned on because while it was public no one really would knew what he’s doing.  The boys did funny things like sweep or pretend to fish so Josh’s spin move would be seen as nothing more than him being silly.  The signal would be special to just you and Mason.

The game started and it wasn’t going well.  While the boys were playing as hard as they were but calls were missed and shots were just not going in.  You put Mason to bed after the loss and waited for Josh’s text.  He didn’t so before you slid into bed you put a key under the mat and sent him a message about it.

You have no idea what time it is but you the covers move and Josh’s warm body slides in behind you.  He wraps his arm around you and pulls you in.  You moan is groggy as you rub your eyes to wake up.

“Go back to sleep, Babe.”  Josh whispers into your hair followed by kisses along your neck.  “I just want to lay like this with you.”  You turn slightly and reach your hand to his face.  He kisses your lips slightly.

“I’m glad you are back.  I missed you.”  You kiss him again and he groans.

“So my parents want to have dinner tomorrow.  With us and Mason.  I said it was fine but needed to check with you” Josh rubs your arm and goosebumps run right along with his fingers.

“Yeah, I guess.  And you can stay here tomorrow if you want?”  You say with ease.  Josh’s arms flex around you.

“Are you sure (y/n)?  What about...”  You place your lips on his to stop Josh from finishing his sentence.  

“I think I’m okay with it.  I’m pretty sure Mason is.  Plus I want to spend every moment I can with you.”  He kisses you again and you feel his lips curl up into a smile.

“That’s exactly what I was hoping for.”  Josh caresses your face.  “Now let’s get some sleep, okay?”  You nod in agreement and flip your body so your back is pressed against Josh’s naked chest.  “Maybe we can get up early and...”  With that you gave Josh an elbow into his abs and he chuckles.  “That wasn’t a no was it?”

It wasn’t...

[talix18]

November 7 (AM)

Yesterday was my yearly performance review with my boss. Usually these are perfunctory – meetings are usually at the employee’s request - and I’ve gotten the same rating as long as I’ve been here. This year, though, I wanted to talk to my boss a little about what’s been going on this year. I’ve been very open about my issues with depression here at work. There was a question on the original employment application asking if you have any conditions for which you might need special accommodation, and I wanted my situation on the record in the event of a future where I would need that accommodation. My boss indicated that he had wanted to ask me about all the sick leave I take but knew he was getting close to a line if he did so; I volunteered that I was seeing an additional therapist for a while and that my regular therapist’s practice had moved further away. He knows my struggles with early rising as he is also not a morning person, and knows that flex teleworking around an appointment is my best chance of putting in a full 8.5.

I came away thinking he’d rather I request an episodic telework day than show up at the office and take leave. Which is fine; once the house is in order it will be inviting enough, but I don’t want to get in the habit of spending too much time away from the office. I like my coworkers and enjoy seeing them in 3D, but my real concern is that I leave the house on a regular schedule.

I’m not agoraphobic or riddled with social anxiety per se; it’s just easier, once I’ve been home all day, to continue to be at home for the evening. I was hesitant to switch to telework in the first place for that reason. I made my telework day Tuesday so I’d be forced to come in on Monday after the weekend. (Plus then I won’t be so grouchy if group conscience commitments run late Monday night.) Then we went to two telework days a week, so I tried Tuesdays and Fridays, but then Sunday afternoons became almost unbearable. So now I do potentially have four days at home in a row every week, but my Monday night meeting breaks it up.

I don’t remember having to manage myself so carefully ever before. I’m sure I’m remembering wrong; I’ve never been particularly light-hearted or easy going, but I did in my youth drink an obscene amount and continue to get good grades in college and grad school. I wasn’t ever worried about running out of energy or eating the right things or making sure I spent enough time in society. I don’t even remember waking up for school as difficult – it’s in middle age that mornings have become more of a thing. Is it because I’m older and don’t have the reserves I had when I was younger? Is it because I’m clean and more aware of how I operate in the world? Is it because I’m sicker than I used to be?

I wore a lot of black in high school and read a lot of Anne Sexton in college. I wrote poetry and thought deep thoughts. But I have always been social. I’ve always had plenty of friends to hang out with – first people from school, then people I met out in the world – I always had someone to spend time with and/or some place to go. (I do have vague memories of going to the neighborhood bar alone and buying baseball tickets at the last minute if there was nothing else going on; I’ve always had groups of friends rather than one full-time bestie.)

Then I got clean, and I stopped going to bars. It’s amazing how much of my time I spent in drinking establishments, whether for drinking or eating or dancing or seeing shows. (I know damn well I went to the Full Moon Saloon by myself all the time, telling myself I was going for the music. Now I can’t even imagine taking myself to the city to hang out. On a weeknight? Please.) But now that I think about it, I know there were plenty of subscription tickets my mother and her best friend (my other mother) let go begging because their enthusiasm to support the program was overruled by their desire not to go out. This is a downside to the suburbs – it’s way too easy to avoid culture. It’s way too easy to avoid living.

[lovelylunarwriting]

Gryffindor!Jae x Slytherin!Reader

It had been some years since you’ve seen that cheesy grin.

You were childhood besties with Jae up until you got your letter to attend Hogwarts.

Coming from a muggle family and not knowing any other people with magic other than yourself, you figured you shouldn’t tell Jae, even if he was your best friend.

After spending an entire afternoon brainstorming some excuse to tell him for why you’d be suddenly absent from his life for the next several years, he beat you to the punch and confessed that he’d be moving at the end of summer.

You: “Alaska?”

Jae: “...yep. Good ol’ Alaska”

You: “But why?”

Jae: “Uhh my parents said something about a new job opportunity, but all I know is that we’re moving. Sorry”

You: “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway because my parents are sending me to boarding school”

Jae: “Boarding school? With your grades?”

You: “Hey!”

Jae: “Don’t worry, I’m just playing. Everyone knows you’re a try hard”

But it didn’t matter how hard you tried when it came to Jae, because instead of enjoying the last summer you two might ever have together, he spent the whole time avoiding you.

He used the “I asked my mom and she said no” excuse more times that you could count.

After a few weeks of trying to go play outside with him as you guys did every summer and getting shot down every time, you gave in and accept that he just didn’t want to be friends anymore.

“Guess it works out that I’m going to Hogwarts, then. I’ll find a new best friend”, you told yourself, but it didn’t help mend the Jae-sized hole in your young heart.

With everything that happened with Jae, the last thing you expected to see today is Jae in distinctly red Gryffindor robes laughing with your best friend, Young K.

They’re walking down the hall, going the opposite way of you, and neither see you since you duck behind some Hufflepuff kids.

But then you realize “I’m gonna have to face this now or later, might as well do it now”

“HEY, JAE!”, you yell across the hall, and he stops dead in his tracks, still staring straight ahead.

Young K turns are like “???” but then realizes that it’s just you, and calls you over to the two of them.

Young K: “Hey, Y/N! I didn’t think you knew Jae?”

You: “I didn’t know that he’s a wizard but I sure do know that he lied to me”, you snap, the hurt apparent in your voice.

And with that sharp comment, Jae winces and breaks his staring contest with the wall, shifting his gaze carefully down to you.

Jae: “I didn’t want to lie, but I really didn’t know what to tell you. And you lied, too! Boarding school, my ass”

You: “This is?? A boarding school”

Jae: “Yeah but it’s a magic boarding school- how convenient of you to leave that part out”

You: “Just because I didn’t tell you the full truth doesn’t mean that I lied”

Meanwhile, Young K just looks back between the two of you, somewhat horrified but mostly very confused.

Young K: “...Do you guys want to go talk this out over lunch since that’s where we were heading anyway?”

You and Jae reluctantly mumble your agreement and trudge behind Young K all the way to the long Slytherin table.

You elegantly slide yourself onto the bench while Jae less gracefully plops himself down next to you.

Young K eyes the both of you like you're a ticking time bomb and cautiously takes the seat across from you.

Young K: “So you two know each other?”

You: “We were childhood friends”

Jae: “We are childhood best friends”, he corrects.

You: “Sorry, didn't you have somewhere to be?? Like oh I don't know- Alaska?”

Jae: “Bro, are you ever going to let that go?”

You: “Well it doesn’t help that I just found out now. I honestly don’t know how I didn’t spot you, a literal tree, before today. Plus- I’ll let go of that when you let go of the pool incident”

Mention of this particular event has Young K tilting his head, clearly lost, and Jae cackling way more than any normal person would.

You: “It’s not that funny!”

Jae: “Check your facts again, it’s actually very funny”

Young K: “What are you talking about?”

Jae: “Well what happened was-”

You: “NO SIR. If anyone’s telling this story, it’s me. I’m the victim here”

Jae: “Victim my ass, but alright. Go ahead”, he says, doing a grand gesture with his arms signalling you to continue.

You then go on to tell the story of one of you and Jae’s childhood summer escapades, where you happened to go to the pool.

Y’all weren’t there to swim, though. The volleyball courts were right outside of the pool.

Jae had thought that playing volleyball- or at least attempting to- would be a fun way to spend the day.

And that’s exactly what you did, whack a volleyball back and forth all day under the hot sun.

Towards the middle of the day, when the sun was at its peak, you mentioned offhand that it was getting too blazing hot to be outside any longer.

To which lil Jae was like “I’ve got the perfect idea!” and THREW YOU INTO THE POOL.

T-Shirt, shorts, tennis shoes and all. Drenched.

You never swam faster in your life than you did in that moment to get out of the pool and kiLL jaE.

Instead of continuing your volleyball streak, you spent the rest of that day chasing around Jae and threatening to tell his mom what he’d done.

After a few minutes though, it morphed into a lighthearted game of chase.

Telling this story to Young K brings up something inside of you that had been gone for quite a while. A sort of happiness that only the too-tall-for-his-own-good boy, Jae, could make you feel.

From there on out, it’s like you and Jae were never apart to begin with. One of you is always with the other.

Even though you don’t have any classes together, you’ve got each others schedules memorized so you can walk by their classes and make faces at one another through the windows when the professor isn’t looking.

This time around, Jae’s making faces at you from outside your classroom and the professor happens to turn around and face the window the exact moment Jae makes the cringiest duck face imaginable and you just,,,, lose it.

So does the rest of the class, who are used to the two of you doing this kind of thing by now.

Once the laughter dies down, your professor makes a comment that hits close to home for whatever reason.

“Y/N, please tell your boyfriend not to disrupt my classes with his… antics”

Everyone else is like “yeah Y/N, get your boyfriend in check, smh” and you’re sitting there like “Boy??? Friend?? Boy that is my friend? Or b o y f r i e n d”

The rest of the day you have the internal fight with yourself of “Is Jae my boyfriend?? When did that happen?? Do I even want him to be my boyfriend??”

When you lay in bed at the end of the day though, you stop trying to deny how you truly feel.

You really like Jae and would die of happiness if he wanted to be with you but… does he feel the same way?

He’s been your best friend for as long as you can remember and you don’t want to ruin it by saying anything weird.

At the same time though, now that you’re laying in bed, ya know,,,, reflecting on your whole life, as one does.

Has Jae been flirting with you recently?

Ever since reconnecting with him at Hogwarts, he’s been glued to your side. It’s not that that makes you think he might think the two of you are something more, though.

He’s always holding open doors for you, throwing an arm around your shoulders like it’s the most natural thing to do, and complimenting you about practically everything.

And on top of that, he always makes a point to take you out at least once a week but you thought that's just what best friends do??

It's not exactly like you can say “hey when we went to Hogsmeade last Tuesday was that a date or nah”

“I’ll confront him about it tomorrow”, you tell yourself, dismissing the whole situation for the time being and getting some rest.

The next morning at breakfast, Jae slides into his usual seat right next to you but you can’t bring yourself to look at him.

And of course, being your best friend, he immediately picks up on it.

Jae: “Hey, what’s up with you today?”

You: “I... well I don’t know how to ask this without seeming like an idiot”

Jae: “I’m friends with Wonpil- I’m used to stupid questions. Shoot”

You: “Okay then I’m just gonna go right out and say it so- um... arewedating?”

Jae: “I'm sorry, what did you say?”

You: “See?? It was stupid, I'm just gonna go-”

Jae: “No, like I literally couldn't understand what you were saying because you said it so fast”

You: “I uhhhhhhhh asked if we are,,,,,,, dating”

Mentally preparing yourself for the anguish that comes with losing a friend as close to your heart as Jae is, ironically you find yourself completely unprepared to respond to what he asks next.

Jae: “Do you want to be?”

You: “Do I want to be what? An astronaut?”, accidentally blurting out sarcasm even in this relatively serious situation.

Jae: “No- dating. Do you want me to be your boyfriend?”

You: “!! Well uhh that depends, do you want that?”

Jae: “Of course I do, I've liked you for like forever”

You: “you w h a t”

Jae: “I've liked you since we were kids. Some things never change, I guess”

You: “I… like you too, ya know”

Jae: “Oh I would hope so, otherwise that would make this really awkward”, he says and leans in.

Cupping your face with one hand, he gently presses his lips to yours, making your heart rate increase faster than you'd like to admit was possible by kissing your best friend.

You: “...that's the cheesiest, most cliche thing you've ever done”

Jae: “Totally, but it was worth it”

You: “Okay- whatever you say, loser”

Jae: “Yes, but now I'm your loser~”

Neither of you remember to tell Young K that you're now a couple but he finds out in,,,, another way.

Aka the two of you are making out in the library, you pressed against a bookshelf by Jae’s lean body, when Young K happens to glance down that particular aisle.

He immediately shrieks and runs out of the library to go complain to Sungjin about it.

Jae just shrugs and continues carefully placing kisses down your neck.

After the initial trauma of seeing his two best friends getting steamy in the library, Young K is on board with the relationship, regardless of how many jokes he makes about Jae.

Not you, really. Just Jae.

One day, Jae brings up a question that you don't know how to answer.

Jae: “Why do you call him that?”

You: “Call who what??”

Jae: “You call Brian “Young K”. It’s doing too much for his ego- you gotta call him Brian and knock him down a peg”

You: “Will it make you happy if I do?”

Jae: “Absolutely. A hundred percent”

You: “Consider it done”

The next time you see Young K, it's in passing on your way out of class.

You tried to sit together at the beginning of the semester but got separated by the teacher for “teaming up and bullying the Hufflepuff students”

Pretty much, there was one time where you both shoved Wonpil in the closet in the back of the classroom, put a chair under the door, and cast a noise-cancelling spell on the door so no one would notice.

But anyway, you happen to pass him on your way out the door, and say as casually as you can, “See you tomorrow, Brian!”

He drops his books, that he'd been trying to put in his bag, all over the floor and looks at you with shock, disbelief, and betrayal.

Young K: “I knew Jae would get to you one day, but I never thought it would be so soon”

You: “Tragicm really. Gotta go, adiós BRYAN!”

Being around Jae so much has you picking up phrases that he says, and him saying a lot of your common phrases.

Like one time you said “Let’s get it!” without even thinking about it and it made Jae so happy he almost cried.

Spending so much time with Jae is honestly the best thing. He’s just such a fun person to be around, that even if you're just doing homework, the little comments he makes on random things make even the most boring of tasks enjoyable.

Going from best friend to boyfriend, Jae ends up being just the thing you didn’t realize you needed until he became yours.

[thecovenantthatfell]

The Covenant That Fell, Chapter One

Shit.

Jo belongs to @snakesonawave

A small, half orc woman whistled in the vast wilderness. She walked next to a large woman, who shushed her when her whistling grew louder. She was a shifter, halfway between wolf and woman, her canines abnormally large and black ears, replacing her human ones, poking out from blonde hair. She was tall, towering over the orc by nearly a foot, and had the muscle to fit. Intimidating? Check. Actually a giant softy? Check, again. It was quite an odd pair, one Shifter and one small, green, half-orc, armed to the teeth. Literally. If one look at her face didn’t terrify you, seeing the amount of blades strapped to her body might have changed your mind. She had the personality to match, too.

While neither appearance was the most friendly, they didn’t mind. Looking this way helped reign in plenty of jobs and build a good reputation. They were making a living, and making it well. And this job they were on would be one that helps them take a long vacation on a beach, surrounded by nothing but silence and an injury free area. Paradise. But only if they could get this job done.

“You know it’s just rumors, right?” the half-orc asked, staring up at her large friend.

“This again?” the Shifter woman answered, rolling her eyes as she did so. “Yes, yes. We’ve been over it. I tell a soul you love to bake, I lose my soul.” she held up her hands defensively. The orc rolled her eyes as a response, the Shifter smiling at her successful teasing. “What is?” she nudged the orc playfully when she refused an answer. “Reiiiiii~”

“First of all, thank you, Jo, for keeping my reputation up since it’s all I have. Also, I’m not talking about that.” she walked beneath a tree branch, the leaves barely brushing the top of her head, while Jo had to duck under. “I mean all the rumors we’ve been hearing about the Emerald Sea “boiling with corruption and evil”. It’s all some drunk fisherman’s tall tale for attention.” Rei shrugged. “I would feel something.”

“Oooh… you’re in touch with evil incarnate, then? You have tea on Tuesdays?” Jo wiggled her fingers in Rei’s face, the woman batting them away. She tried to do it again but her fingers were smacked, Rei narrowing her eyes playfully.

“No, smarty, I mean…” she searched for the right words, biting her cheek. “You know how you smell a situation? Like the tension and shit?” Jo pointed to, and tapped, her nose.

“Perks that come with being a Shifter.”

“I think if something terrible was going down, I’d be able to feel it. I’ve always been able to figure out when a situation was going south.”

“Rei, you’re usually the reason it goes south.” Jo rose her eyebrow, Rei waving the comment off with a shhhhh.

“Plus, it can’t be the “end of days” because I haven’t found my sister yet.”

“And how’s that going? You’ve been oddly quiet about it.”

“Oh, hardy-har, because I never shut up.” she playfully hit Jo’s arm.

“I just figured something bad  happened, but sure we can go with that.” she snorted and messed her fingers through Rei’s hair. The orc groaned, pushing her hand away, and spoke while she smoothed out her hair. “Well, it’s been ten years and there’s still nothing. I haven’t heard a thing because it’s harder than you’d expect to find anything on another half-orc. Apparently, we are a rare breed.” she picked at the dirt under her nails. “Which you’d think would make it easier but…” she shrugged once again, becoming uncomfortable with the topic. “You know, either my mom or my dad was suuuuper drunk because full orcs are so ugly. Terrible. Vomit.” she made a fake gagging sound, Jo scoffing. She wrapped her arm around Rei’s shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.

“Oh, shush. Clearly, since there’s two of you, your parents loved each other and were happy. And once you find your sister, you can ask her about it, since your memory is shot.” Jo tapped the scar that wrapped around Rei’s head, from temple to temple. Thinking about how she got this memory wasn’t pleasant. She didn’t even know, since there was no memory for Rei to recall. “Then you can pay me all the gold you have riding on this bet.” she lightened the mood.

“You are gonna lose! So bad, I am going to wipe--” mid-sentence, Rei was pulled into the bushes, Jo’s hand covering her mouth. Normally, this would cause a fit from Rei, but she knew this wasn’t a normal circumstance. With how low to the ground Jo was, and the twitching of her ears, she knew something was out there, and this was for their protection.

Rei watched through what little gaps she could. The individuals that followed were nothing like Rei had been expecting. They were dressed in robes of silk, finery, with a golden insignia on the chest. They weren’t even talking, which was odd for mercenaries. Which is what they were told to expect. But, beneath those robes was the sound of clinking metal around their hips. Weaponry. Perhaps their appearance was a ruse.

After a certain distance, Jo felt comfortable speaking. “I think those are our guys.” she whispered, squinting her eyes at them when they stopped near a tree. It looked like they were talking… maybe praying? “Not what I was expecting, though.” she looked back at Rei.

“You think the Elf lied to us?” Rei asked, watching the men in robes. “She did look like she practiced pure magic. Maybe she doesn’t like their religion? I’m not getting into the middle of some war on worship.”

“You heard their weapons, though… they could be dangerous. And the Queen’s advisor wouldn’t make it so well known that she was ordering this. I worked with her. She’s smarter than that.”

“I keep forgetting you two knew each other.” Rei said in a fake, interested tone. She rested her chin in the palm of her hand and tilted her head. “C’mon, tell me about your bestie!” she smiled when Jo softly kicked her leg.

“I’m not too comfortable about this, either.” Jo looked up, into the tree line. It rose far above their heads, had plenty of cover. “Maybe you can follow them up in the trees? Follow them to their base, watch it a little, come back and we’ll make our decision?” Rei seemed put out by that suggestion, pursing her lips. “I have to do all the work? Can’t you just pick up their scent?”

“You want a Shifter roaming around trying to follow their scent? I’m out of place. They could have traps, or people watching the path.” Jo pressed her lips together and shrugged. Rei groaned softly, dropping her head back.

“You know how much I love it when you’re right!” She glanced back at the men, seeing them move. “C’mon, boost me up. I’ll get the information.” they left their cover and Jo put Rei on her shoulders, helping her into the trees. For a while, Jo was able to watch her, but she got out of sight quickly. She stayed in the same area for at least an hour until she heard rustling above her, and the half-orc landed just in front of her.

“Boo!” she had her hands up and fingers curled for effect. None of it had an effect on Jo though, as her expression remained unchanged, unimpressed.

“How’d it go?” “Were you scared?” Rei asked, wiggling her fingers now. Jo shook her head, a little laugh leaving her lips at Rei’s ridiculousness.

“Sure. How’d the recon go?”

“Nice! I win. And oh… it was weird.” Rei cleared her throat and wiped her hands off on her pants, bits of bark falling. “There’s a fort that wasn’t there a week ago. Which is impossible because it takes forever to make wooden forts and it’d have made some noise in town.” Rei rubbed her forehead. “There was no… loot, no prostitutes, no loud asshole in charge. There was no one on watch! I was able to walk right up and no alarm was sounded. There was a prayer circle and… and noises from within the tents.” Rei shut her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t think these are the nice kind of religious people. They spoke a language I’ve never heard before.”

“I don’t like it…”

“Neither do I, but it’ll be an easy pay day, and then the beach. Just… relaxing on the beach.”

“You think you can go that long without stabbing someone.”

“Just… relaxing as I conquer the beach.”

“Hopefully, you’ll be able to conquer the beach without getting wounded.” Jo’s hands pulled at the split fabric on Rei’s stomach, a small gash presenting itself. It wasn’t deep enough to inhibit her fighting ability, and wasn’t bleeding too heavily. But a wound was a wound. She knit her eyebrows and looked up at Rei.

“Fuck… I didn’t even notice.” Rei scrunched her nose and placed her hand over the wound as the pain hit her. “Well, he’s dead so it’s not like I’m worried. Anyways, there’s not too many people in the compound so we could take it. Drive them out or away… or if they attack we’ll kill them.”

“You can do it with--” “Don’t. I’m okay.” Rei replied sternly, cutting off Jo’s concern. She impatiently drummed her fingers against the blade on her hip, looking anywhere but at Jo. “Are you coming?” she began to walk on the path, stopping at a certain point to look back at Jo. “I’ll do this without you if I have to. Then I can conquer the beach alone, too.” But the look on her face said she really didn’t want to. Jo gave a heavy sigh, this entire situation rubbing her the wrong way. Giving her that feeling Rei was talking about earlier.

Eventually they arrived at the wooden fort, the surrounding trees gone, only their stumps remain. The fort had no guard, as Rei recalled, and the two peered in through the spaces between the trees. The prayer circle was still prevalent, but a large fire had been lit, illuminating everything with an orange glow. They spoke in a language unknown by either woman, but it sounded like an assault on their ears. It was guttural, brutal. A language that spoke darkness.

Rei found her way to the fort’s gate, her hands twitching. She wanted a weapon, this all felt wrong. It felt… it felt like something bad was going to happen. But she kept that payday in mind. She thought about it and it alone. It was enough to calm her nerves. Jo watched her, looked at her wound uneasily. Rei noticed this and covered her wound, hardening her expression at Jo.

“Ready?” Jo asked. Rei nodded and the two pushed into the fort. The moment they took two steps in, the door shut themselves and an alarm sounded.

After the first ring of the bell, all individuals in the camp had their sights on Rei and Jo. After the second ring, the prayer ended and there was the chilling sound of metal being pulled from its scabbard. On the third chime, dozens poured out from the tents in the fort. On the fourth, they were surrounded, and Jo and Rei had their weapons in their hands.

“I think a miniature army is a bit much to handle. Even for us.” Jo watched the crowd as she and Rei, back to back, kept themselves a wide circle.

“A challenge adds spice to life.” Rei needed the joke. She knew this situation, knew how they tended to play out. It was a trap, either set up by these people, or the elf. Either way she was going to kill as many as she could to survive. “We can do this.” She whispered, saying it less for Jo and more for herself. Anything to stop her hands from shaking. The two stood in silence, not one of their foes taking a step forward. None of them moved, only held their weapons ready and stared. Rain began to fall.

“We die… so one may rise!” a woman called from within the crowd, holding her blade high above. Neith could see it, but they heard her bring it down, heard her scream in pain as she stabbed herself. Others began to do the same, saying the same, ending their lives the same. The ground became soaked with blood and rain, Rei and Jo surrounded by this horrific sight.

The air was filled with the chorus of dying screams.

Then, silence, as the surviving two dozen cultists remained unfazed by their compatriots mass suicide. Only one man broke the silence.

“Leave!” he came running forward, holding his hands up when the women’s weapons were pointed at him. “I’m not- I’m not one of them.” he pulled up his sleeve and pointed to his skin. “See, no Corruptio! I’m here to stop the resurrection of--” when both women gave him a look of confusion, he grew silent. “You’re clueless… you need to leave!! Now.” he pressed his hand against their chests and began pushing, nearly to the door.

But when a scream ripped through the air, and the earth shook, he froze in place. An expression of pure terror sat on his face.

“Oh… no.” he whispered. He turned around, staring at the center of camp. The earth rumbled until another piercing shriek cut into the air. Rei and Jo covered their ears, it sounding like someone was dragging their blade across glass. It made them sick to their stomach. But when it ended, the earth was split and steam rose out of the new wound. Rei held tightly to Jo, her body filled with terror.

“This… is a very bad situation.”

[theboredtanuki]

Writing practice #1: Starbucks promote

*Author's not : So this was supposed to be a short AU thing to help get me back into the writing mood but it turned out longer than I expected. I even started writing an alternate version but I don't know if I'll post that one. Anyway, this is a simple love at first sight story. Enjoy.

*******************************************

Title: Something Interesting.

"We are truly sorry for the inconvenience. Please have a nice day. " As he watched yet another disappointed costumer storm out into the crisp morning light, Yoichi's strained business smile finally twitched. "tch...fucking idiot." he whispered harshly under his breath. 'What is wrong with people these days!?' The whole unicorn frappachino debauchery had been the bane of his existence for the past few weeks. The stupid trend had died months ago yet there were still a few doltish Instagram wannabes who kept crawling back asking for a goddamned unicorn frappachino and the worst part was that he got yelled at when he told them they didn't make the damn things anymore. Why!? He didn't know how to make them, he never even liked them! Honestly, he was so close to yelling back and calling them out on their bullshit, but he wasn't ready to get fired over some silly costumer's antics. Going job hunting again would just be one big hassle plus it would be difficult to find another manager who was understanding enough to let him wear a light dusting of makeup on a workday.

He heaved an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through his dark, slightly waved hair that fell just past his shoulders. Damn, it was still morning but he already felt like punching someone in the eye. "You hanging in there, Chi? " Like a dull butter knife hacking through his slightly murderous thoughts, Eugenie's flat toned voice rang out as she worked the espresso machine behind him. There might have been a hint of concern in there somewhere, he wasn't sure. One never knew when it came to his small bestie. "Haa... sometimes I wish internet trends could just burn in hell." " 'nother unicorn frappa order? " "It's the 10th one this week and it's just Tuesday! Whatever happened to regular plain coffee!?" "Don't let it bother you, sweets. Just blame the internet like everyone else does." "Tch... I hope they trip on a fidget spinner and break their IPhone. " He heard a chuckle for his tiny friend. 'Oh...she laughed. There might be a blue moon tonight or something.' It was very rear to get away sort of reaction from Genie (emotional or otherwise), so much so that he and most of their other close friends used her sparse emotional responses as either a forecast for natural disasters, a luck/love horoscope or a sign of the second coming of Christ. Whichever one it was, she never seemed to mind. It was all in good fun anyway. "Well, 'nough about the internet," her voice returned to its original stoic tune, not even hinting at her brief moment of amusement, "You need to cheer up. You promised to help me with my new piece after work. Can't have my pretty model being all pissy now, can I? "

He smiled. "Still won't give up on calling me 'pretty', will you." "Nah. " "Even if I offered to clean your house for a week? " "Oh, please. Both of us know you can't clean worth shit. " "Haha... Yeah, you're right. " And just like that, he was laughing again. Like whole ordeal with the customer never happened. It was amazing how she could cheer him up without even trying. It might be some weird superpower or something but nevertheless, he was lucky to have her as a friend. "Hey... Thanks, Gee." She glanced over her shoulder at him with the same blank look but her calm blue eyes had a gentle sparkle that somehow conveyed her appreciation. "Any time, babe." With that, she scurried off to deliver the espresso order, leaving Yoichi to face his counter once again. He took a deep calming breath and was ready to give the day another try. Eugenie was right. He didn't have to time to get so worked up over a few dense costumers. Who knows, maybe something interesting might take his mind off the whole incident. Just as that thought crossed his mind, a dull thud drew his attention to the front entrance as a tall man made his way in with a hand lightly rubbing his forehead. 'Wow, that hair... Wait, did he just walk into the glass door...? ' Yoichi quickly covered up his upcoming giggle with a discreet cough but he didn't miss the open chuckles of the few patrons in the cafe who witnessed what happened.

'Poor guy ' He began to observe the slightly disoriented young man. He looked to the first thing that had caught his attention, the man's hair. At first he thought it was a normal dark colour but when it caught the light of the sun, he realised that it was dyed dark purple colour that faded into navy blue at the tips. It was also very VERY long. It ran past the man's firm looking rear and was pulled back into a single braid with a cute little red bow at the end. It was rare to see guys who kept hair like that. It was almost...whimsical in fact. He took note of the man's pale green eyes darting from the menu above the counter to the white floor tiles, desperately trying to avoid any eye contact after his embarrassing entrance. He also took note of his height. He was a tall guy, about 6"2 from Yoichi's estimate, with a somewhat muscular frame that was draped in a casual shirt, light sweater and jeans. He had an overall gentle disposition despite his current state of nervousness of which Yoichi began to find oddly adorable in a way. He didn't usually make it a habit of checking out the odd male costumer who came in and out of the cafe but this guy was different. Just seeing him filled Yoichi with this strange urge. An urge to tease him relentlessly until he was too embarrassed to function. It seemed like a perfectly normal feeling to have. Almost.

"Welcome" to Starbucks, sir. How may I help? " The guy almost jumped through the roof at the sound of Yoichi's voice, as if he hadn't realised he had just walked up to the counter. Yoichi began to have a hard time keeping his business smile from turning into a full on grin. The guy was way too cute. "Oh! umm... I-I'm sorry. I would like a C-cascara Coconut milk Latte. P-please... " Yoichi never thought he'd hear the voice of an angel until today. Despite his constant nervous stuttering, his voice had this odd placidity to it, as if it belonged to some lake fairy or something. He wouldn't mind listening to him talk a bit more. "Okay, and what size will it be? " "Umm... a-uh - what are the sizes again?... Ah, yes! Grande, please." He looked quite proud that he could remember those silly size names and honestly, it was hard not to feel proud of him as well. Not when he had that small triumphant smile on his face. "And your name, sir? " "Oh... Akito. " 'Akito...' Yoichi committed it to memory. He wouldn't forget that name. He didn't want to for some reason. "OK, sir. Your order will be out shortly. " "Alright. Thank you very much. "

The nervous tension seemed to ease off Akito. His face relaxed into an easy smile and Yoichi thought he had lost his heart for a moment. 'Not fair. That smile is just not fair ' Yoichi reluctantly pulled himself away and began making the latte. He stole a few glances at him every few seconds. They had made eye contact a few times, he was sure of it. He watched him fiddle with his phone in an attempt to be discreet. 'Hehe... such a cutie. ' "Cute one, eh. " Eugenie came up beside him to make another costumer's order, "you going for it? " "You think I should? " "He's not the usual spot on your radar but, " she glanced back to give Akito a quick once over, "he seems harmless enough. " He smiled and gave his petite friend a small playful nudge. "I don't need your approval, short stack." She nudged him back. "You never ask for my approval. That's why you've had such shit exs." "Hey now. They weren't all that bad. " Nope, they were. But he wasn't planning to admit he had shit taste in guys. Genie sighed and shook her head like a disappointed mother. "Just go before someone else picks him up. " She was right. Most of the store's patrons had gotten over Akito's not-so-graceful entrance and were now throwing curious glances his way, some were openly starring at him. One brave soul even took a quick picture. And from his sudden stiff posture, Akito noticed them as well . 'Ha, don't even think about it. You leeches.'

He was about to put the finishing touches on the latte but stopped. Why was he suddenly interested in this guy? Akito wasn't even his type. He usually went for the stereotypical bad boy and this guy gave off more of a big puppy vibe but there was just something oddly interesting about him. This was the first time he picked a partner on the basis of being "oddly interesting" but since he hadn't dated anyone in almost 8 months, maybe "interesting" was what he needed. With his mind made up, he finished the order and called out for Akito to pick it up. He looked up at him as he made his way to the counter, making sure to keep eye contact. He dropped his stiff business smile and went for something more friendly albeit a tad bit flirtatious and lastly he made sure their fingers brushed against each other as he handed over the drink. "Have a nice day, sir" "I-um... T-thank you." Yoichi didn't miss the bit of red that creped up on Akito's cheeks as he turned to leave, stumbling a bit with the door on his way out. Yep. Interesting was definitely what he needed. **********************************************

And that's it. I hope you enjoyed that. Some feedback would be nice. Thank you.

[the-pen-and-the-stethoscope]

Week 1

So I’m officially done with my first week of dedicated! I thought I’d try to do some updates every week to go over the highlights. Basically I spent Monday taking a practice test, then Tuesday-Saturday studying some foundational topics and then today (Sunday) was my day off - and OMG WHAT AN AWESOME DAY OFF. I got to go on a walk with my mom this morning and then spent the afternoon with one of my besties just catching up and walking around the city. I love days off and I’m so glad I decided to just have a whole day off each week instead of extra time off each day. It’s wayyy better.

Without further ado here is my week 1 recap!

What I studied:

- Pharm: plan was to literally just watch all of sketchy pharm but thaaaat didn’t happen. Ended up with just the autonomic drugs and then pharmacokinetics, etc…

- Biochem: actually the days I did this was the first time I felt like I got in a groove with studying and was actually productive! Got through all the pathways and many of the diseases. Didn’t review genetics but I feel pretty strong in that topic.

- Sketchy Micro: two hours of videos a day for four days straight to get through all the bugs. No idea when I’m going to do Viruses…

- Pathology: aka the first three chapters of Pathoma minus inflammation so more like Chapters 1 and 3 of Pathoma plus wound healing.

How I took breaks:

- Running (while watching Friends, Buffy, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmitt): I actually haven’t clocked this many miles since my marathon in the fall but literally it’s my favorite break to take in the afternoon when my brain starts to die and is just like “lol nope”.

- Reading (finished up Written in my Own Heart’s Blood from the Outlander series): You guys have GOT to read this series uggg love it so much also the twist end of this book was TO DIE FOR.

- Laying outside: OMG so happy the weather has been nice here!

- Dinners out with family and friends

What I’ve learned:

- I’m a morning person, but not THAT much of a morning person: Listen, when I planned on getting up at 6 to workout every morning it’s not that I thought I’d be able to do it right off the bat, but I definitely thought that after going to bed early a few nights in a row it would get easier. Well, no. Every time that alarm goes off at 6 am I roll over and press snooze. Apparently I need almost 9 hours of sleep at night to feel truly well rested in the morning (yay third year!).

- Taking a break and seeing other humans is a completely different notion: On Wednesday night I decided to head over to a party with my parents because it was at the house of the family I used to nanny for. Ok, you caught me, I just wanted to see the kids. Anyway - as I was driving over I realized that it was the first time I had left my house since I got home Sunday night. No wonder I was going crazy! Ever since then I’ve tried to get out at least once a day - usually around night time - just so I can interact with other humans - and it has made a huge difference. First of all, I get to be outside. Secondly, I get to talk to people about things other than biochem pathways.

- My phone is my main distracter: I used to think I had really good self control, but these past two years of med school I can’t tell you how many times I found myself scrolling on Facebook and oh, wow, it’s been two hours since I last did any work. Well since dedicated started I have been leaving my phone with my mom before shutting myself in my study room. Can you believe I literally never go on Facebook now? If it isn’t open on my computer I can actually focus and just stick to studying.

- I really like studying at home: Initially I thought I would spend only a week or two at home just to clear my head and get a change of scenery before heading back to school to really hit the books. But OMG these past few days have been amazing. 1) I’m SUPER productive. 2) taking breaks is sooo easy - all it takes for me to workout is walk downstairs to the treadmill and run for 30 minutes. At school it would be a two hour ordeal, but here it’s like “oh I think my brain needs a rest” - IMMEDIATE SATISFACTION. 3) I always have food in the fridge. 4) I’m not worried about what other people are doing - I’m just focusing on me. I still text my study group and roommie throughout the day, but I don’t have to worry about oh that person is studying this and that person wakes up this early - should I be doing those things??? Nope, just stick to my schedule and it all works out easy! So anyway - now I’m not sure when I’ll be going back to school. I’m taking my test there, so I have to eventually, but for now...I’m happy where I am.

Woops! Sorry that was kinda long! See you all next week!

[consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis]

Gluten Free Monthly Favorites: Paleo and Vegan Tortillas, Wonder Woman and More

New blog post!

This post is generously sponsored by Mikey's. 

You know what they say...time flies when you're working like crazy having fun! As usual, the last month went by in a blink, but I'm slowly getting into the grad school groove. Add in my 22cd birthday, some new friends and delicious food, and September was a memorable month!

As usual, I'm here to share my favorite eats and activities from September - plus my plans (for life and the blog) for October. What new grain free, soy free, non-GMO, and vegan tortilla will become your latest addiction? How did I celebrate the big 2-2? And what can you expect from Casey the College Celiac next month?

Keep reading to find out! 

What I'm Eating

Way too much popcorn. Remember when I used to make fun of my college roommates for their addiction to popcorn? Well, the joke's now on me, 'cause it's been a regular popcorn party lately. Ever since I figured out I could pop my own popcorn in my sauce pan (which has a handy steam lid!), popcorn made with just a lil' coconut oil has been my favorite night snack. Usually on top of banana ice cream, let's be honest! 

Mikey's new paleo and vegan tortillas! Although Mikey's is known for its paleo English muffins and pizza crust, they recently introduced their first vegan product: a tortilla. One of my favorite parts about Mikey's tortilla is that it only has seven ingredients: water, cassava flour, coconut flour, high oleic sunflower oil, apple cider vinegar, salt and xantham gum. Since these tortillas aren't heavily spiced, you can easily incorporate them into a sweet or a savory meal. They're also free of the funky aftertaste found in many gluten free products, and when dethawed, Mikey's vegan tortillas are softer and more pliable than most of the GF tortillas I've ever tried.

If you're craving some "healthier" allergy friendly chips, you can also pan-fry your Mikey's tortilla on medium-high heat for a couple minutes, flipping throughout. You don't even need any oil or water; just throw the tortilla in a pan and get cookin'. Compared to other gluten free tortillas on the market, Mikey's tortillas are on the smaller side. I also thought that they felt a bit oily. However, finding a gluten free (not to mention paleo and vegan) tortilla that tastes like a "real" flour tortilla is no easy feat, and Mikey's tortillas definitely make gluten free Taco Tuesdays a whole lot tastier.

All the purple potatoes! Although I'm still majorly missing my local Sprout's Farmers Market, I have enjoyed discovering some new local produce. One of my fave finds? Cheap purple sweet potatoes! If you've never tried them, they're a lot denser and drier than regular sweet potatoes. They have the same slightly sweet flavor, though, and taste heavenly with some creamy avocado.

What I'm Doing

Trucking along with grad school and teaching. If I'm being honest, grad school and teaching are a thousand times harder than I thought they would be. Many days, I feel like I'm just working nonstop, whether on class materials, meetings with students, my own writing or on fun stuff like blogging and socializing. At the end of the day, though, a kind comment from a student or a fun night out with friends definitely helps make all the work worth it.

Like this post? Then tweet me some love by clicking here: "In this month's monthly faves, learn about @mikeysmuffins new #paleo & #vegan tortillas, my #glutenfree b-day & more! http://bit.ly/2xUvjVQ"

Feeling 22! Early on in September, I celebrated my 22cd birthday. I didn't do anything too crazy to celebrate since my birthday fell on one of my busiest days of the week. However, I did see Wonder Woman with a bunch of gal pals the following night, and it was epic! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend. I also highly recommend making my chocolate lava mug cake to celebrate anything awesome in your life recently. 'Cause, really, when isn't it a good time for (gluten free, vegan and paleo) cake!?!

Experimenting with other forms of cardio. Ever since I re-strained my IT band (and messed up several other leg muscles in the process, 'cause I'm an overachiever like that), I've had to slowly reincorporate any leg exercises, from walking more than a few thousands of steps each day to workout machines. Even though the slow progress is driving me crazy and my legs still hurt now and then, the elliptical and I are becoming besties, so that helps. To any exercise lovers dealing with injuries right now - I feel ya! 

What I'm Planning

Bracing myself for my first Minnesota winter! I'll be honest. As soon as fall weather did hit Mankato (after several days in the 90's!), it slapped some major fear into me. 60 degrees in Minnesota is not the same thing as 60 degrees in San Diego! Wish me luck finding some (affordable) winter boots and surviving my first "real" winter.

Bringing fall to the blog! Expect several more pumpkin and fall-flavored recipes. (Hint: if you love pancakes and pumpkin spice, watch out for my recipe next week!). Besides the gluten free recipes I share on the blog, you can see more of my daily eats on my Instagram and Insta Stories. 

Focusing on balance - with exercise and rest, work and fun, social adventures and alone time...basically, everything! And if that balance involves a few more gluten free goodies than typical, well, it's going to be a yummy October!

Like this post? Then tweet me some love by clicking here: "In this month's monthly faves, learn about @mikeysmuffins new #paleo & #vegan tortillas, my #glutenfree b-day & more! http://bit.ly/2xUvjVQ"

Thanks to Facebook, I now know that there are less than 100 days until Christmas...which means these next few months (the last of my first semester of grad school!) will definitely fly by just as quickly as September. What exactly happens in those months, of course, is still undetermined. All I can say is that I hope your October - and mine - is full of more treats than tricks! 

*I received samples of Mikey's tortillas free of charge in exhange for an honest review. However, all opinions, pictures and recipes are my own. Thank you for supporting what supports Casey the College Celiac!* What were some of your favorite eats and activities from September? What are you planning to get up to during October? Tell me in the comments!

via Blogger http://ift.tt/2yJvW1l

[missflyingsolo-blog]

Challenge Accepted...

So its bank holiday Monday and I’m at Doncaster train station waiting for a train to Newcastle with the bestie. It may not surprise you to find out (especially knowing I was responsible for booking) that we nearly didn’t make it to Newcastle…

Don’t get me wrong, I booked the hotel (quite a nice one at that) and I booked the trains. The issue I had was that the trains got us to Newcastle on the Tuesday and our hotel was booked for Monday night! So a slightly awkward phone call to the train company and £63 later we were back on track. As it turned out, Katie got engaged a few days before the planned trip to Newcastle so it seemed the perfect opportunity to celebrate the engagement. We boarded the train with bridal magazines in hand and a bottle of bubbles in the bag all set to start the weekend in style!

Now the first awkward moment of the weekend (I have quite a lot of awkward moments in case you hadn’t realised) came when we were in our seats and wanted to make a start on the bubbles. Normally I can pop the cork from the bubbles without problems (that makes it sound like I’ve had far too much practice) but when you attempt to do it in a nice calm train coach without drawing too much attention to yourself it becomes a challenge. I was conscious that the bottle had been in my bag all the way to the train station so there was the potential for an eruption of bubbles, as well as the possibility that the cork might be a little too keen to pop and cause injury to one of the innocent bystanders. Feeling like all the pressure was on me, I set to work and thankfully managed quite well (even if one of the passengers did jump like a shot had been fired).

With bubbles poured into our plastic beakers (because we are classy like that…) we set to work devouring the first of what I’m sure will be many bridal magazines. I feel like I should warn you in advance; Katie and Chris’ wedding may feature quite heavily in this blog over the next year or so (I’m quite excited in case you hadn’t noticed). So as we start to plan and get more involved with hen do’s and cake tasting all that jazz, this may become more like the diary of a bridesmaid (fingers crossed!) than my “Get a Life” blog.

We arrived in the city and set to work admiring our hotel for the evening! Now I’m not one to brag (okay maybe just a little bit) but I did a pretty amazing job at booking this hotel! We stopped at the Crowne Plaza Newcastle Stephenson Quarter, if anybody fancies a trip.

 I suppose most of the time when you need a hotel it is just to sleep in, so it only really needs to be clean and well maintained, which this one definitely was. But sometimes it doesn’t hurt to have a little luxury and I felt like this was one of those occasions (it’s almost like I knew there'd be an engagement to celebrate). The hotel was beautiful! It had great reviews on Trip Advisor and as we saw more of the hotel I could see why. It was in a great location and the staff were brilliant, doing everything they could to ensure we were happy! Plus like I say it didn’t hurt that it was easy on the eye and the Gin bar was definitely an added bonus! Not only did we fall in love with the hotel but we loved that it was great value for money as well. It left me thinking that if this is what all Crowne Plazas are like then perhaps I should visit a few more! So don’t be surprised if this hotel features in my Get a Life blog in the future!

All checked in and a visit to the Gin Bar later, we set to work on a little shopping trip! Now if you’ve read this blog before you’ll know that I’ve been on a few shopping trips and still can’t seem to find what I’m after. I’d like a nice dress to wear on my cruise and to my friend’s wedding, not a lot to ask for in my opinion. Each time I go shopping I come back with disappointed hopes and with some treat from Hotel Chocolat to help ease my frustration. So how well do you think this little shopping trip went? Yep that’s right! I came back with a Hotel Chocolat Easter egg (half price!) and an increasingly great fear that the guests at Jade’s wedding will be getting quite the shock from my “outfit”.

So with aching feet and arms disappointingly empty of bags we decided it was time for cocktails! Now our main reason for choosing Newcastle was because Rachel, a really great friend of ours calls it home. So it was a great opportunity for us girls to get together and have a catch up! I love the fact that sometimes you have those friends who are so good (especially if you’ve known them for a long time like in this case) that even though you don’t see them very often; when you do see each other it still feels like no time has passed. This quality time spent with my friends is just what I needed.

We tried out a few local places which I must admit were pretty good for cocktails but I’m not going to bore you with all the details of each and every bar we went to and what we all ordered (I bore you enough without all the added detail!) but I did particularly enjoy my trip to The Botanist so that deserves a mention!

I’d never been to the Botanist and it didn’t disappoint! Not only were the cocktails pretty spectacular but the food was gorgeous! This is definitely worth a mention because (as some of you may know) I have a chronic illness which means I have A LOT of dietary requirements. I try and cope with it as well as I can but I must admit that I often find myself staring at a restaurant menu knowing there is very little I can eat. So I end up being the person who eats the same thing each time. But this was not the case at the Botanist, I was spoilt for choice! With full stomachs (I mean really full! We’ve been eating all bank holiday) we had our first Uber experience and headed back to the hotel.

So after a great night’s sleep on the comfiest hotel bed I’ve known (thank you Crowne Plaza!) we headed down for our breakfast. I’m normally quite happy with the buffet selection available but it seems we could also order from the menu free of charge! Those little touches that make all the difference. After breakfast was a visit to the hotel spa (the Mineral House I think it was called). The spa was beautiful, quiet, calm and just what we needed. We headed to the pool and I even managed to do some swimming (check me out doing exercise!) before testing out all the usual spa facilities, all of which were definitely worth recommending!

Some of you may remember that as part of my mission to “Get a Life”, I suggested that you guys might want to challenge me to go out of my comfort zone and try new things! This was mostly forgotten about until in a haze of cocktails at the Botanist my lovely friends decided to bring it up! Their challenge was that I go on one date a month and I stupidly found myself accepting! So it seems Katie is taking charge and has set me up an account for online dating…She even got to work swiping on my behalf as we laid in our hotel room that night. It looks as though this blog is going to become more like Bridget Jones than I realised!