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#privatization of weather forecasting
tomorrowusa · 3 days
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Imagine if Hurricane Helene had struck Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina with little or no warning. The death toll would have been in the hundreds rather than in the dozens. That's the world which Donald Trump and Project 2025 want us to adopt.
Emphasis added...
Hurricane Helene has derailed the Republican presidential ticket’s campaign across the South, forcing Trump’s vice presidential pick, J.D. Vance, to cancel several stops in Georgia. But the 20-foot storm surge–inducing, tornado-spawning weather event hasn’t yet changed Trump’s stance on his plan to tear down the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, root and branch. The climate agency, whose responsibilities include providing free weather forecasts as well as tracking and predicting hurricanes, would be completely gutted under Project 2025, the 920-page Christian nationalist manifesto that purports to be Trump’s second-term agenda. (Trump has haltingly and not particularly convincingly attempted to disavow Project 2025; a recently unearthed video features one of the project’s authors bragging that there will be “one-to-one mirroring” of the policies laid out in the document and Trump’s proposals.) “The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) should be dismantled and many of its functions eliminated, sent to other agencies, privatized, or placed under the control of states and territories,” the proposal reads on page 664. That would effectively privatize weather forecasts, forcing U.S. citizens to pay for weather subscriptions that would include national weather alert systems for emergencies like flash flooding, extreme heat, earthquakes, and others.
Just what we need – privatized forecasts beholden to Republicans with Sharpies. Politicians rather than scientists would have the final say on the forecasting we see.
Climate denial is behind this Trump/Project 2025 campaign promise. Fossil fuel companies are backing extremist Republicans. They don't want a federal agency which presents independent evidence of climate change caused by carbon emissions.
Beware of extremist proposals for privatization. In 1989 Margret Thatcher's Conservative Party pushed through Parliament the privatization of the water and sewage systems in England and Wales. Rivers and seashores are now dangerous thanks to raw sewage being dumped by private companies. This documentary was made before the Conservatives lost power in July.
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MAGA Republicans pushing Project 2025 want to do to our weather what Thatcher's right-wing ideologues have done to waterways in the UK. Like Britain's rivers and streams, our weather forecasting would be full of poop under Trump Republican control.
Washington Post: Trump was the one who altered Dorian trajectory map with Sharpie
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smittenskitten · 9 months
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Office romance drama 🤝 Park Min Young
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myseaiu · 2 years
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When the Weather Is Fine (2020)
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junkobato · 2 years
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✨Park Min Young appreciation post✨
The one and only rom-com queen, our Park Min Young is in the industry for a while. Here are some iconic works she acted in:
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Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010) one of the best sageuk, loved it
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City Hunter (2011)
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Healer (2014-15) ahhh this drama... a masterpiece in my opinion
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What's wrong with secretary kim ? (2018) they were perfect for each other
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Her private life (2019) for all the fangirls out there!
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When the weather is nice (2020) best drama to watch in cold days
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Forecasting love and weather (2022)
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Love in contract (2022) so in love with this drama atm!
Her roles in romantic comedies are probably the most popular ones, but I actually like way more her characters in Healer and When the weather is nice, they are so different from the others and very memorable to me.
Which drama did you enjoy the most? :) let me know!
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accidentally stayed up till 4am watching marry my husband, whoops. on ep 6 and had to stop myself from continuing bc i need to sleep 😭 i have to be up at a reasonable time today bc i have stuff going on in the afternoon
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theboookwitch · 2 years
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Park Min Young wears the fuck out of a pastel pantsuit.
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sniperct · 3 months
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NOAA “should be dismantled and many of its functions eliminated, sent to other agencies, privatized, or placed under the control of states and territories,” Project 2025 reads. The proposals roughly amount to two main avenues of attack. First, it suggests that the NWS should eliminate its public-facing forecasts, focus on data gathering, and otherwise “fully commercialize its forecasting operations,” which the authors of the plan imply will improve, not limit, forecasts for all Americans. Then, NOAA’s scientific-research arm, which studies things such as Arctic-ice dynamics and how greenhouse gases behave (and which the document calls “the source of much of NOAA’s climate alarmism”), should be aggressively shrunk. “The preponderance of its climate-change research should be disbanded,” the document says. It further notes that scientific agencies such as NOAA are “vulnerable to obstructionism of an Administration’s aims,” so appointees should be screened to ensure that their views are “wholly in sync” with the president’s.
Climate change is the single most important issue in the entirety of human history. One party wants to fight it. The other party wants to let the earth burn; in fact, they want to accelerate the fire.
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cannabiscomrade · 1 year
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anticapitalist special interest dump incoming
capitalism corrupts everything it touches, even weather forecasting
US private media companies like AccuWeather and The Weather Channel take publicly available forecasting information provided by the National Weather Service, a publicly funded government service, and repackages it into their own forecast and disseminates the info.
In 2005, AccuWeather lobbied to attempt to ban The National Weather Service from sharing predictions with anyone besides commercial entities. In 2012 they successfully blocked the NWS from producing a free app for the public.
This allows there to be an inaccessible filter on free, timely, and accurate weather information and forces it to be distributed through for profit apps. Even free apps are bogged with ads and delayed alerts.
The G Word with Adam Conover covers this extensively and I highly recommend watching that episode or reading the transcript here [x] but I will sum it up, starting with an episode quote:
"Imagine a future where extreme weather warnings live behind a pay wall." In 2015, AccuWeather received warnings from the NWS that a tornado was heading towards Moore, OK, a city that has been decimated by F5/EF5 tornadoes twice. They only notified users that were paying for the app.
So what can you do about it?
Get your local forecast directly from The National Weather Service's official site weather.gov !
Follow your local meteorologists on social media, especially if you're in an active weather area.
If you're in tornado prone areas, follow storm chasers on social media and check the Convective Outlook during your tornado season.
Get a NOAA weather radio or tune to your local NWR station! They are the most reliable source of weather information in the event of a power outage and the coverage area is extensive. They cover all hazards including severe weather, wildfires, dust storms/haboobs, heat/cold warnings, and any other warnings the NWS would put out. Here is information specifically for Deaf/HOH accessibility.
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Allison Fisher at MMFA:
During The New York Times’ “Climate Week NYC” discussion with Heritage Foundation president and Project 2025 architect Kevin Roberts, reporter David Gelles outlined the right-wing initiative’s regressive approach to climate change and the environment. Gelles also noted that Project 2025's call to dismantle climate action comes as the world is already experiencing the consequences of a warming climate, pointing out that a record number of people in the Phoenix, Arizona, area were killed by extreme heat this year alone. Roberts responded by pointing to Heritage Foundation research claiming that there has been a “reduction in climate deaths — climate-related deaths — over the last century by 98%.” Not only is this a red herring argument used by climate deniers to downplay the climate crisis, but that reduction is reportedly due in part to improved forecasting, which is done by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency Project 2025 has called to dismantling.
As Reuters has reported, the decrease in deaths since 1920 is largely due to “better forecasting and preparedness,” even while “the number, intensity, and cost of climatic and meteorological hazards have all increased over the last hundred years.”
Notably, Project 2025 calls for dismantling NOAA, which houses the National Hurricane Center, the very agency that has improved the forecasting of deadly weather events and is critical to providing life-saving information. 
With Hurricane Helene in the process of making landfall, Project 2025 architect and Heritage head honcho Kevin Roberts told the Climate Week NYC hosted by The New York Times vomited out climate denialist talking points. Project 2025 has called for the dismantling of NOAA and National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the privatization of the NWS.
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nicka-nell · 2 months
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How they act when they have a crush on you
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Pairing: Kita x, Osamu x, Tsukishima x, Akaashi x, Semi x reader
Warning: fluff, mdni
Part 1 | Part 2 (end)
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The man, who is always quite serious and shows little emotion on the outside, subtly softens. 
Kita maintains his direct manner and is no different towards you than he is towards his friends at first. That’s why nobody noticed that he had feelings for you. It even took him a long time to realize it. But gradually he starts to open up a little and shows you unexpected kindness. 
His usually serious look is a little softer towards you from time to time. Nothing that would be noticeable to someone who only sees him occasionally, but his teammates notice this subtle change in his facial features when he talks to you. 
Nevertheless, he remains direct, sometimes not realizing whether his words are perhaps a little too direct, but he never means any harm. 
“Osamu, Atsumu, before you continue arguing here, take off your street shoes. We’re in the sports hall and you have to wear clean shoes. You should know that by now.” Kita says with a serious expression as he stands next to the entrance door and looks at the twins. They flinch at his voice and quickly slip out of their shoes. Just a few seconds later, your voice echoes through the gym as you gasp and look in Suna’s direction. “Suna, you left your notebook in the classroom,” you say, waving it around in the air as you take another step into the gym. Atsumu and Osamu already look at you with a grimace, shaking their heads as if to tell you not to take another step into the hall, but you don’t see them because Kita stands in front of you and takes the exercise book from you. “Thank you for bringing this over. I’ll give the notebook to Suna. You can’t come in here with street shoes. The floor could get scratched by the dirt underneath them.” Kita’s voice is still serious, but it has a gentle undertone and Atsumu feels like he must have hit his head, because it almost looks like Kita is smiling at you.  You sigh as you walk out of the school building and see that the sky is darker. It has started to rain. Somewhat awkwardly, you take off your jacket and hold it over your head, hoping not to get wet. However, the fabric of your jacket is so thin that it won’t work anyway. Yet a large shadow looms over you as the rain stops beating down on your jacket. Confused, you look up and see an umbrella before looking to the side and spotting Kita next to you. He looks up at the sky, down at you before he starts to move. “Rain was forecast for today. You should check your weather app or the news more often. Or... you could always carry one of those umbrellas in your bag. They’re not heavy and it’s better to have an umbrella with you to be on the safe side than to get sick. Don’t you agree?” He lectures you. But he doesn’t mean it in a bad way. He’s actually just trying to make you understand that he doesn’t want you to catch a cold. “Come on, don’t stay out in the rain. Your apartment is on my way home. I can drop you off at home.”
Because you don’t realize that Kita has feelings for you, it’s Kita himself who confesses his feelings to you at some point. 
Although his confession wasn’t particularly romantic or private. 
Suna had asked after training if you had anything to hold against Kita because he behaves differently towards you. Much softer. You didn’t quite understand the question, just like Kita, who turns to Suna and simply says, “That’s because I have feelings for her that are on a different level than those I have for normal friends.” 
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Osamu differs from his brother. Unlike him, he is a quiet observer at first, and a denier to others. Whenever his friends try to tease him, he says that he has no feelings for a girl. (Acting like little boys who think that girls are disgusting and if you touch them, you get sick.)
But he knows your daily routine. Knows exactly where to find you so he can “accidentally” bump into you. Shares his lunch with you during your break, or goes to the sports hall with you and gossips a bit about his brother. 
But when he’s alone with you, he always tries to stay calm, giving you little crumbs of his feelings towards you, hoping you’ll get the signals. 
“So, ya didn’t have time to pack yer lunch again today, or do ya like the canteen food here so much?” asks Osamu, who sits down with Suna at the table where you are eating with a few friends. You look up at him, move a little to the side on the bench and make room for him to sit next to you. “The food is... okay,” you say, less convincingly as you look at Osamu’s bento box. At the delicious little nigiri, the egg roll and the chopped vegetables. Almost indifferently, Osamu pushes the bento box in your direction and takes a piece of the egg roll. “I’m not that hungry... if ya wanna, ya can eat with me,” he says, watching you smile sheepishly. ‘Yes,’ he thinks, but then you shake your head. “I can’t snatch your food. You have your training today. You need strength!” you answer him as Suna seizes the opportunity and holds out his chopsticks to grab something from Osamu’s bento box. But Osamu pushes his hand away. “Hands off, that’s my food,” he mumbles quietly so that only Suna can hear him, who raises his eyebrow.  You walk with Osamu to the gym, his pace slower as he matches your speed. You are alone, his hands are casually clasped behind his head, his gaze directed forward. “Man, Tsumu drank my shake again today and then he denied it even though the shake was sticking to the corner of his mouth. Idiot.” Osamu curses. His words make you laugh. Osamu always grumbles so much about his brother, but you can tell that they have a strong bond. A typical love-hate relationship that you have with siblings. “Oh, come on, it would be boring without him, wouldn’t it?” you reply, amused. “Boring? It would be nice to have a boring day at home for once. But ya know, it would be even nicer if I just had a different roommate. I bet it would be much more relaxed and cooler to share a room with ya.” he tries to say as calmly as possible, but notices how his heartbeat suddenly speeds up. “Osamu!” you giggle, playfully slapping him on the shoulder before his tension disappears, and he chuckles at you for a split second. 
His confession also seems rather calm, even though he is probably extremely nervous inside. 
He uses an opportunity where you are both alone, where you are in a good mood and you are having a joking conversation, when he asks you “Would ya rather date my dumb brother or me?”. 
Somewhat surprised by the question, you answer just as casually, “You, of course, you dummy”, not realizing that the question wasn’t meant as a joke. 
“So, am I to assume we’re dating now?” he grins, watching you stare at him like a fool. 
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Oh, he is definitely a tease. You could call him Tease-ishima. 
But he doesn’t do it in quite such a childish way by throwing paper balls at the back of your head. He makes light-hearted jokes or playful jabs or hides compliments with teasing comments. 
Sometimes he tries to tease you to the point where you get into little playful arguments with him where he enjoys the back-and-forth between your exchanges. 
However, he also doesn’t realize that he might overstep or hurt you with his comments. If he notices this, he doesn’t try to apologize, but calmly asks why you are still so upset, although inwardly he hopes that you don’t take his remarks too much to heart. 
“Oh, are you trying to impress someone with that dress you’re wearing today? Who would have thought that would suit you?” says Tsukishima asked as he arrogantly tilts his head to the side and grins at you. “Imagine, I didn’t put this on to please you, but thank you, I know I look good myself...” you reply sassy and raise an eyebrow. Tsukishima purses his lips, almost as if he’s pouting, and clicks his tongue. “Whatever. I have to go now anyway. Unlike you, I have better things to do with my time than just standing in the school hallway for minutes,” he says, walking past you.  A little hurt by Tsukishima’s stupid comment about your new hairstyle, you sit on a half-height stone wall in the schoolyard and wait for your friends to come out of the building so you can go home. “Hey weakling, are you still offended about earlier?” asks Tsukishima, coming out of the front door of the school, his hands in his pockets. He stands next to you indifferently, glancing at you briefly before staring ahead into the distance. “You just don’t realize it when you offend people. Sometimes people don’t need your stupid remarks,” you reply, swinging your legs back and forth. You try not to look at him. “You always take everything too seriously too quickly,” says Tsukishima indifferently, but then he struggles with his words. As if he doesn’t know how to continue. Almost uncomfortably, he takes his hand out of his trouser pocket and scratches the back of his neck. “A shaved head would suit you too. Usually nothing disfigures good-looking people.” But before you can even process what he’s just said, Yamaguchi arrives and Tsukishima raises his hand in farewell with a neutral “See you around then.” 
Tsukishima is stubborn. Would he tell you that he’s in love with you? He’d probably wait until you said it. 
However, it could also happen that the key words just slip out in a brief argument with you. “Like what? I’m just being myself. Have you ever thought about the fact that there are people who express their affection in such a way?” he hisses before he even notices what he said to you. “Nevermind. It’s not that important,” he adds quickly, but it’s probably too late to back out now. 
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Akaashi is a silent listener and subtle helper. 
He wouldn’t tease you, but he wouldn’t behave particularly differently towards you either. Even more so, he wouldn’t try to impress you. He would just be himself. 
He listens to you when you talk and is one of the few who maintains long eye contact and really focuses on the conversation. If he notices that you are having difficulties with something, he tries to help you. Whether it’s when you’re studying for a subject or because you can’t reach the items on the top shelf. 
Last week you were complaining to Bokuto that you have an exam this week and that you’re a bit scared. Although you’ve studied a lot and memorized the topic well, you’re still nervous because it’s an important exam. You’re sitting nervously on the bench during the break, going over the material for the exam bit by bit, when a small drinking packet suddenly blocks your view of your exercise book. You look up, a little puzzled, and see Akaashi holding the drinking packet in front of your nose while looking at you with a thin smile. “You shouldn’t look at your notebook now. Otherwise you’ll have a blackout during the exam. Have a drink and try to relax. You’ll be fine,” says Akaashi objectively, who overheard the conversation you had with Bokuto last week.  Today at volleyball training, the coach of the boys’ team wants the boys to play a 3-on-3 game and asks you to get the colored coats for the boys to wear over their jerseys so that you can clearly see who is on which team. In the storeroom, you look for the box with the yellow and green overcoats when you see that it is at the top of the shelf. Standing on your tiptoes, you try to reach it in vain. Pouting, you press your hands to your hips before placing one foot on the wobbly shelf, jumping up and touching the box with your fingertips. But you lose your balance as your back crashes against Akaashi’s chest, his arm wraps around your waist to catch you. “Careful. You should have asked for help. You could have hurt yourself,” he says in a neutral tone before reaching for the box and taking it down to hand it over. “Next time, please inform me. I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Especially not because of such a small thing that could easily have been avoided,” he adds, making sure the box is firmly in your hands before leaving the room with you. 
Although Akaashi often says what he thinks, he is still a rather quiet person. Since his focus is currently on his graduation, he doesn’t think about telling you about his feelings. Quite apart from that, he assumes that you don’t have feelings for him anyway. 
However, his feelings came out by accident when Bokuto introduced you as Akaashi’s girlfriend during a training match. It was only a joke, but Akaashi’s ears turned red and, uncharacteristically for him, he was suddenly very embarrassed. 
After the training match, you went outside to Akaashi, who wanted to cool off, and asked him directly about his feelings. 
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Semi may seem stern and distant to many, but that’s only the first impression. He’s actually a really nice guy, at least to his friends. He’s also nice to you. 
He’s a real social butterfly who indirectly tries to get close to you by talking to your friends, getting along with them, and going to the same parties you go to.
He recently spent an hour talking to your friend, who he doesn’t even like very much. But you sat next to him for the entire hour, nudged him slightly when he made one or two comments. But it was worth putting up with your friend’s talking because he could be near you for the time. 
He often tries to involve you in activities where he can get closer to you.
You’re chatting with your friends about the party that’s taking place at the weekend when you hear Semi’s voice behind you and a short time later, his elbow lightly nudges your arm. “Hi guys, are you planning something cool?” he asks the people he’s made friends with. The girl holding the party nods sheepishly and immediately asks if Semi wants to come as well. He puts on a charming smile before looking at you and shoving his hands in his trouser pockets. “You’re coming too, aren’t you? We could go together,” he says and waits for your answer, which you give him with a sly nod. At the party, he talks to lots of people, but always stays close to you, gets you drinks and asks you if you want to dance with him casually. On the dance floor, he doesn’t even give anyone the chance to dance with you as he swings you from left to right, pulls you towards him and enjoys being close to you. He finds it all the better that you seem to enjoy it.  As the winter tournament is coming up soon, the Shiratorizawa volleyball team is currently training a lot. Since you get along well with many of the boys, you are also there to support them by bringing them water or towels when they need them. The coach doesn’t mind your presence as long as you don’t disturb the active training. He doesn’t care what happens during the breaks. The boys currently have a ten-minute break when Semi waves you over. “You said the other day that you think the serve is amazing. Do you want to try it? I’ll help you,” he smiles and hands you the volleyball and gets behind you to show you how to position yourself and how to move your hands. “Am I doing this right?” you ask, turning to Semi, who is standing quite close behind you. “Yes, it looks good. But take your hand a little further up. The ball should be above your hips,” Semi says in a soft tone as his one hand stays on your hip, the other moves to your hand that holds the ball before lifting it slightly. “There, that’s better.” His words echo smoothly in your ears. A physical contact that is actually harmless, but makes his heart beat a little faster. It’s just a shame that ten minutes are over so quickly. 
Semi wants to be one hundred percent sure that you feel the same way about him as he does about you. That’s why he wouldn’t immediately overwhelm you with his feelings. 
At least that’s what he thought. 
Once, when you were struggling with your words after training, just to tell him that your friend had asked if you could give her Semi’s number, he had looked at you in total frustration and clicked his tongue. “Ehh? Do you really think I’m doing all this, the hanging out with your friends, the parties, the closeness to you, because I want something from your friend? Hell, I listened to her talk about the pigment in lipsticks for an hour because you were next to me and I wanted to be close to you. Not her…” 
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ghostofhyuck · 5 months
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NCT Dream confessing to you. 
AN: Wow this one was long too because I got carried away.
Mark Lee
Mark would be the type that wanted to keep it quiet and private. Just the two of you. In your apartment, over two cups of coffee. It was a peaceful moment where in you two are enjoying the peace when Mark couldn't stop himself from staring at you. He likes you ever since you two were in high school. He doesn't want to confess because he's afraid of ruining your friendship. But in that moment, he just feels like doing it. So he holds your hand, starting with something like, "There's something I wanted to say," and then before you could say anything, he tells you that he likes you. You'll be flustered with the sudden confession, but only smiles, confessing to him that you also like him too. He'll be happy to hear your confession and once the tension is gone, you two will start teasing each other, asking when did you two start liking each other.
Huang Renjun
Renjun would do it during a late night walk from a coffee shop run. You two just finished a huge school paper and are now on the way to your place because Renjun wanted to make sure that you get home before he goes to his place. Your neighborhood has always been this quiet, making Renjun nervous. This is the moment that he's been waiting for. For months, he has been pining over you and it was a risk for him to confess to you, but he just wanted to tell you so that he wanted to know if he should stop pining over you or not. So when he grabs your hand, you were surprised, but Renjun acts like it was nothing even swaying it lightly. His hands never left yours until you two reached your place, that's where he confesses to you about his feelings. Surprised, you weren't able to answer his confession because he ran away quickly! (You texted him that you like him too.)
Lee Jeno
It's been bugging him for months! Jeno's pining for you is so hard to watch especially for his friends, they think that he should just confess to you because they don't like seeing Jeno's love strucked pining over you and the other one is that, they know that you like him back! (they're just keeping it as a secret.) So after many convincing, Jeno mustered up the courage. He said at first, he'll do it through text but he couldn't find the right word to do so, so he asked you if he can call and you said yes. As soon as you said hi, Jeno bursts. Literally confessed to you so fast that you weren't able to pick up anything other than, "I like you." he seems so out of breath after the confession but apologizes to you because of the sudden confession but you only laughed it off and told him that you like him too!
Lee Donghyuck
I feel like Haechan follows some superstitions like when you confessed to someone during the first fall of snow, they'll be yours forever something like that. Haechan thinks that it's true that's why he asked you to meet him during the first snow, as predicted by the weather forecast. You met him at the school's playground and Haechan thinks that you look cute in your winter coat, even placing his scarf around you so that you'll be more warm. He looks at the sky and then thinks that any minute now, it's going to snow but it didn't. He'll ask you to wait for a few minutes glancing at the sky once again, making you realized what's happening. You told him that he doesn't need the first snow to happen, because you like him too. Haechan would be in relief to hear those words from you, you two will end up laughing because of the situation. When he walked you home, that's when the snow fell, making you two be in awe with the weather. 
Na Jaemin
Oh I think that Jaemin would confess to you at the spur of the moment. It'll be on a vacation trip. The two of you are sitting on the chairs, watching the waves crash while the moon glisten on the ocean. You two are just sitting there, talking about the future and something deep, like what would happen to you and your friend group once you guys graduated and you two are just laughing and being silly, until Jaemin stops and glances at you. That's when it caught you off-guard that he's been staring for too long. "Do you know that I've always liked you?" and you tried to laugh it off, telling him to stop fooling around until he says that he's serious. You two will have a staring contest, his eyes looking at you lovingly. Waiting for an answer from you. Instead of answering him, you pulled Jaemin for a kiss, which surprised him but he only smile as he leans to kiss you once more. 
Zhong Chenle
"After this, there's something important that I wanted to say to you," would probably a hint Chenle will give you. He's the type who'll confess after a huge event, let's say, you're the main star of a musical prod in your university. You've been working hard and have been practicing nonstop for the show, and then Chenle told you that he's going to say something to you after you finish the show because he wants you to focus on the prod first. But it distracts you more! because you're curious about what he wants to say to you! You tried to ask Chenle about it but he brushes it off. So at the day of your final show, Chenle shows up with a bouquet of flowers on his hands. It'll be just the two of you, somewhere backstage, hidden from the crowd. He'll say first that he's proud of you, and that he likes you which made you cry, overwhelmed with joy. 
Park Jisung
You know those romance high school anime where they confess during graduation? Yeah that's how Jisung confesses to you. It'll be during your graduation because it's a risk for Jisung. It's now or never, so if you even rejected him, at least he won't be seeing you anymore. He'll be the type to text you to meet him at your classroom or maybe at the school's rooftop (if you guys are allowed there lmao.) When you reached the meeting place, you'll see him with his diploma, wearing his school uniform and you'll be caught off-guard at how incredibly handsome Jisung is. He'll approach you and then it took him a minute to say word, eventually, stumbling through his confession. "I don't need your answer yn, I just want to tell you I like you before we part ways." he added. And instead of answering him, you gave Jisung a hug, surprising him with your action. 
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bluejeanstrash · 1 year
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why don’t we kiss since we’re bored? 
for this request. thank you again, anon 🫶
tags: just some good old-fashion slice of life fluff | w/c: 940
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‘uhm, do you want to bake something?’ seungcheol suggests, reading off a list on his phone.
‘not really’ you mumble, eyes shut. baking required effort, dishes, and cleaning at minimum; absolutely no way you both would follow through. ‘plus, do you even have anything we can bake with?’
he shakes his head no which you can’t really see, but the sound of him locking his screen tells you everything you need to know. 
‘let’s give up’ you sigh, pulling at the loose threads of the fluffy carpet you both are laying on. 
‘mmm. let’s’ he agrees, grabbing your busy hand and bringing your interlocked fingers to rest on his stomach.           
right now you were supposed to be sitting pretty in a gorgeous private garden (that had an insane waitlist but thankfully having a celebrity boyfriend had a few perks), pouring bubbly into a tall glass while your boyfriend took “candid” pictures of you, and you of him. it was a picnic date that had been in the works for weeks.
and up until the morning the weather looked promising—sunny with a slight chill as was forecasted. but then came the unannounced downpour, dampening the weather first and the mood shortly after. 
normally rainy days in were always welcome, but this date was something you both were really looking forward to since you didn’t really get to do “public dates”. well, not today either. 
still, you did try salvaging the day by suggesting ideas (do you want to watch a movie? why don’t we play something? let’s do a puzzle?) while simultaneously shooting each down. 
now, defeated, you lay next to each other, the sound of the rain constant like the rise and fall of seungcheol’s tummy. it’s quiet for a few minutes but when he takes in a sudden inhale of air, you can tell he’s about to speak.
‘why don’t we…kiss since we’re bored?’ a question so unexpected, it elicits an unattractive snort out of you.
‘what?’ you open your eyes, turning your face to him. 
he explains how it’s a thing, a slang they used to use back in the day.
‘wooow, you’re looking at me straight in the eyes and lying these days, huh? i see how it is’
‘i swear! it’s an actual thing!’
‘okay then’ you turn your body to face him, easily convinced ‘let’s kiss since we’re bored’
he breaks into a dimpled smile, doing the same. he places one firm hand on your waist pulling you closer to a kissable distance.
‘hi’ from him soft and fond.
‘HI-IIII’ from you loud and playful, making him chuckle.
he brings a hand up to your face, gently brushing your hair back while his soft gaze admires you and all your little (im)perfections ‘why are you so pretty? huh?’ he questions, a finger tapping your nose. 
‘why are you?’ and with that your lips meet, soft and sweet, both of you sinking into a space of familiarity. outside, as the rain hits the ground heavier your kisses deepen. 
soft hums are replaced by needier breaths as you make out, taking his lower lip in between your teeth to bite teasingly as his grip tightens around your waist. you’re both completely into it when a loud crack of thunder interrupts, causing you to flinch, accidentally biting his lower lip at little too hard.
‘fuck!’ he curses, wincing at the shooting pain. 
‘fuck, i’m so sorry! are you okay?’ you grab his face, trying to see if that drew blood.
‘i’m fine, i’m fine. are you okay?’
‘i’m fine. i’m so sorry. the thunder, it- it scared me’
‘i know baby, i know, it’s okay’ he reassures, gently rubbing your back, like he did when you were anxious. 
‘does it hurt?’ you fuss, stroking your thumb along his bottom lip knowing he’d love it. and god, he does. seungcheol is a sucker for these moments—a little sniffle, a non-existent cut, and barely-there bruise—he wants all of it to be a big deal.
‘yes’ he pouts. it really didn’t, there was an initial sting but now he just wants to drag this out.
‘i’m so sorry, baby’ you say, pressing a sweet apology to where it “hurts”, and another for good measure.
‘okay, so kissing is out’ you cross another off the list. 
‘no, wait, why?!’ you remind him he was just saying how his lip hurts to which he replies ‘but it feels better when you kiss it’ 
you roll your eyes, not able to stop the smile that spreads across your face.
‘i like kissing you’ a sudden confession.
‘i like kissing you too’ you reply as your lips meet again. you kiss as his hands move from your face to find your hand, interlacing fingers; yours move to caress his hair; his find their way back to your waist; then your legs drape over each other, both of you a tangle of limbs. somewhere amidst the many kisses and warm touches, he grabs a throw, placing it over you both, wrapping you in a bubble of comfort. there’s a serene grey hue that fills the room as the overcast skies clear and disappear. 
‘promise me one thing?’ he suddenly pulls away, feeling compelled to complete this thought.
‘mhmn?’
‘promise me you’ll kiss me for the rest our lives?’ he asks, saying incredibly romantic things without so much of a warning. you feel this sudden warmth fill you, all the way down to your toes. 
‘i promise’ you vow, the warm fuzzy feeling now in seungcheol’s chest as you lean back in to seal it with a kiss.
972 notes · View notes
factorygirlsstuff · 8 months
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Currently watching: Queen of Tears, The Midnight Studio, Lovely Runner, Into The Ring, Flower of Evil, & Link: Eat, Love, Kill
I started watching kdramas in May 2023 (updated 4/17/24)
My personal top 10:
It’s Okay to not be Okay (top fav) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
A road to emotional healing opens up for an antisocial children's book author and an employee in a psychiatric hospital. (amazing chemistry & found family)
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Crash Landing on You ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
A paragliding mishap drops a South Korean heiress in North Korea - and into the life of an army officer, who decides he will help her hide. (lots of crying but worth it)
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Hometown Cha Cha Cha ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
At a crossroads, a dentist moves to a seaside village where she meets a handyman intent on helping his neighbours. (my most rewatched)
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Her Private Life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Dedicated art gallery curator Sung Deok Mi is a fanatic fan girl of White Ocean's Cha Shi-an, a dark secret she hides from everyone. (really supportive relationship, weird last couple of eps)
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Business Proposal ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
In disguise as her friend, Ha-ri shows up on a blind date to scare away her friend's prospective suitor. However, plans go awry when he turns out to be Ha-ri's CEO and he makes a proposal. (my first kdrama! Super cute & funny)
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Touch Your Heart ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
A famous actress, gets caught in a scandal with a son of a rich family; with her career declining quickly, she looks for one last hope to get back on the screen. She lands a role playing a secretary in a drama & then becomes a real secretary in order to play the part. (Healthy relationship, office romance)
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Welcome to Samdalri ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
After suffering a fall from grace, a photographer returns to her hometown and bumps into her childhood friend, rekindling an unfinished romance. (childhood friends to lovers & slice of life/healing)
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Happiness ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The residents of a high-rise apartment fight for their lives against a deadly infectious disease while Sae-bom and Yi-hyun try to find the person because of whom the virus spread. (I think I really love friends to lovers)
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Something in the Rain ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
When a single career woman reunites with her best friend's younger brother after he returns from three years of working abroad, their efforts to reconnect grow into romance. (they just felt so real to me, the romance was 🤌🏼, worst mom)
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Cheer Up ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
A working-class girl joins her college's down-and-out cheerleading team, where she finds friendship, love, and an old-school campus mystery. (idk they felt real too, worst SML though)
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Other kdramas I finished:
Healer ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (binged in 2 days)
What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (love PMY)
Love to Hate You ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Maybe I binged it too fast, but I don’t remember it lol)
Our Beloved Summer ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (too slow for me & I usually don’t mind slow)
True To Love ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (main leads romance was everything)
Forecasting Love & Weather ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (something was off/missing)
Vincenzo ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (🫰🏼)
When the Weather is Fine ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (kinda slow but I binged it fast lol)
Squid Game ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
All of Us are Dead ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (I like zombie shows)
Alchemy of Souls ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Alchemy of Souls: Light & Shadow ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (the romance 🫰🏼)
Suspicious Partner ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (dragged in the middle but loved this couple)
Save Me ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (so good, just hard subject matter)
Shooting Stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (loved the main couple so much & so many other cute couples!)
Doona! ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (omg her visual, binged so fast)
Itaewon Class ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (binged so fast)
Descendants of the Sun ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (binged in 2 days)
Castaway Diva ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (first kdrama to watch while airing)
The Matchmakers ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (first sageuk, thought they were adorable)
Crazy Love ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (it was good, but didn’t do it for me 🤷🏻‍♀️)
Moving ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (I didn’t like all the flashbacks, but it was good overall)
Backstreet Rookie ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (for some reason I loved this couple so much, problematic SML & annoying SFL)
School 2017 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (just perfect)
Dalie and the Cocky Prince ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (the pet names 🥰)
Soundtrack #1 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (another friends to lovers)
Behind Your Touch ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (idk why but I loved it, it was so funny to me lol)
Thirty But Seventeen ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (great romance & cutest found family)
Kiss Sixth Sense ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (really liked it, last 20 minutes idk 🤷🏻‍♀️)
I Am Not A Robot ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (loved this, dragged a little in the middle)
My Man is Cupid ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (SML annoyed me, the cutest ending 🥰)
Gyensong Creature ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (I liked it, but it didn’t end I guess. So I’m waiting for season 2)
Cafe Minamdang ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (loved it so much! It made me laugh & loved the FL!)
My Man is Cupid ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (it was cute)
Marry My Husband ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (it was a lot of fun & loved watching it weekly with everyone)
My Holo Love ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (it was fine, only 12 eps so it was quick & slow burn romance.)
Queen of Divorce ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (it started off really interesting, but some things were never explained & I wanted more romance between the leads)
Doom at Your Service ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (I really liked it, the romance was SO good, but I was a little confused about how the contract worked.)
Doctor Slump ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (loved it SO much! Everything was so cute & loved the romance)
Flex x Cop ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (really loved it, gave me Castle vibes. #1 drama I was looking forward to every week. No romance, although we are getting a 2nd season so fingers crossed.)
Chicken Nugget ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (it was definitely weird, but I laughed a lot)
Wedding Impossible ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (really liked it, cute romcom)
Fight For My Way ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (loved it so much, binged it in a day! I could not stop watching, friends to lovers really is the best.)
Rookie Cops ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (really liked it at first, put on hold for a month, then the last few episodes were good again.)
Parasyte: The Grey ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (it was really good)
Mad for Each Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (so good! Loved everything about it, especially the couple)
Dropped: (I might try again 🤷🏻‍♀️)
Run On
Goblin
Hotel De Luna
Weight Lifting Fairy, Kim Bok-joo
King the Land
My Demon
True Beauty
The K2
Destined With You
The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract
Perfect Marriage Revenge
Moon in the Day
A Good Day to be a Dog
Open to recommendations!
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Another delulu for our fishie! And this time of course will be for his newest steamy card “Omnipotent Perception”!
This will be the lighter version with different approach (suggested by LnD contest theme) but I hope to still be able to capture Rafayel’s complexity and profound feelings.
This personally is my favorite card (I know I know I had so many favs now huhu) but definitely on par with Private Trip and Floral Promise for me.
This journey of discovering Rafayel inner feelings has been quite a treat for me and I look forward to seeing more of these in the future.
Hands up to LnD dev team! Excellent job as always ❤️❤️❤️❤️
PS: I would also appreciate if you can check out the post on X as well!
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Now is the time for our delulu!
Rafayel and I were enjoying our vacation on an island miles away from where the Lemurian ruins were discovered then fate found the better of us…
The Unspoken Feelings
"Today’s forecast: Sunny and breezy, perfect for picnics and outdoor sightseeing..."
The ding of a text message with a weather alert pulled me from my slumber. As I looked around the unfamiliar room, I realized I was on an island southeast of Linkon City, about miles from the discovered Lemurian ruins. Rafayel and I had come here for a summer vacation. A big yawn reminded me of how well-rested I felt thanks to him. Last weekend was hectic, but now I can relax and enjoy my vacation with Rafayel, with whom I want to spend the rest of my remaining time.
Even though this was my third day waking up to the colorful sunlight filtering through the blue-tinted windows of my room, as if I were submerged in the sea, I still couldn't stop marveling at this place.
An island surrounded by the sea, like a lone oasis in a desert. I'd heard rumors of mermaids living here, but only those who'd seen them could confirm the truth.
Not only the island itself but also the way someone had furnished this guesthouse intrigued me. It was very nautical, or rather, very Rafayel.
In my bedroom, beside the large blue-tinted windows, small sea-themed decorations were scattered on the shelves: seashells, pearls, coral, scented candles that smelled of the ocean, an hourglass, and a pot of bright red lilies.
If someone told me this was Rafayel's house, I wouldn't hesitate to believe them.
But when I asked if he had lived here for a long time because this kind of decor is usually found in places for people with long residences, he simply said that a friend had given him the house, so maybe that friend had decorated it in his style and left it there in case he needed it in the future.
I knew this was his usual way of avoiding an answer if he wanted to hide something. And it made sense. Why would Rafayel have a house on such a remote island, except for the local residents or curious people who wanted to explore the Lemurian ruins? If that were the case, it meant he had a past he hadn't told me about. I suddenly realized I might not know him as well as I thought.
When my phone buzzed a third time, I realized I'd been spacing out for quite a while. Grabbing my phone from the nightstand, I could immediately guess who had been texting me all morning. It was Rafayel who kept asking if I wanted a seafood breakfast, and really, only he would suggest something like that so early in the morning. Just as I was about to touch the screen to reply, I heard the door open, and the smell of the ocean mixed with his distinct scent and food filled the room. When Rafayel saw my dazed expression, still lying in bed, he chuckled and said,
'Cutie, it seems your sleep is about to turn into a fairy tale about a sleeping beauty.'
Without waiting for me to speak, he went straight to the round table by the corner of the wall, carrying the plate of food he had in his hand. The faint smell and vapors from the food also let me know that this was something he had just prepared. Before I could say anything, he went straight to the bathroom. The sound of running water echoed, and a moment later, a wet towel was draped over his arm along with a basin of water. His fluid movements left me stunned as I could only watch. Rafayel chuckled at my naive and silly expression. He sat down beside me and lifted my face to gently wipe it.
As he traced the lines of my face, Rafayel looked at me and teased, 'Haiz, I think I'm losing money on this deal. I hired you as my bodyguard, but it turns out I do more serving you than you do for me. I wonder if I can get a refund.'
I was silent, enjoying his gentle care, until I caught the distinctive salty smell of the sea.
'It's your honor to serve me, Mr. Rafayel. Now tell me why you got up so early this morning to go to the beach. You're not usually the type to wake up early, are you?'
'Silly girl, don't underestimate me! I need to exercise too, especially when I have the chance to come back here. Watching the sunrise and then immersing myself in the sea. The feeling of sinking into the water and forgetting all my troubles is the best way to de-stress.'
Rafayel flicked my forehead. 'If you're still feeling troubled by work, you should try it. I'll do my best to accompany you.'
I hit Rafayel, and he reflexively yelled. But before he could complain, I immediately pointed out a flaw in what he had just said.
'Rafayel, didn’t you always say you wanted to watch the sea or the sunset with me? So why didn’t you invite me this time? And by the way, what do you mean by getting de-stress?'
Rafayel sighed, looked at me, and stroked my hair from my temples to my face, then gently pinched my cheek.
‘You’re overthinking it, it’s just simply because I saw you sleeping so soundly, and I didn't want to wake you up, so while I was waiting for you to wake up, I had to do it by myself and for de-stressing, maybe from…not getting enough attention from you?’
Noticing a slight irregularity in Rafayel's voice, before he could finish, I quickly grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly, then looked straight into his bright cerulean blue eyes covered in fiery red with a determined expression and said,
"I want to do that with you from now until the end. So next time, don't forget to take me with you, no matter what happens, okay?"
Rafayel was momentarily surprised, but then he smiled softly, leaned down close to my cheek, and placed a kiss on it, watching the blush spread from my cheeks to my ears.
When satisfied with his handiwork, Rafayel replied, "Okay."
After we finished eating, it was time to carry out the plan that Rafayel had already set up, and the reason I emphasized that this plan was personally arranged by Rafayel was that he was determined to let me relax without a care in the world. It was in executing this plan that I realized Rafayel was more familiar with this place than I'd thought.
And that surprised me because he usually would proactively tell me things I needed to know, but perhaps this land, along with the buried past here, was something he didn't want me to touch. Not only that, deep in his eyes, there was a nameless sadness, like a fleeting nostalgia that quickly passed like a fish's tail gliding quickly across the palm of my hand, leaving me no time to grasp. Maybe I didn't understand Rafayel as much as I thought. I thought I understood a large part of him, but the chain of events of the past few days had revealed to me that I still had a long way to go.
I tried to learn more about what he hadn't revealed, but whenever I wanted to mention a part of that past, he would just pass it over with a calm tone as if it were just one of those trivial matters that didn't need to be mentioned - from the villages he had been to, to the streets he had walked. Everything he told me was like a third-person narration, not from the direct perspective of someone who had experienced it. I also asked if he was really happy when talking about those past times, and fortunately, because I knew he was a truthful person, instead of glossing over it, his answer through silence was proof of what I had guessed.
And that made me want to know more and more about him. So when I looked at the schedule for the last day, packed with places to go, from the harbor to the art gallery to the night market, I suddenly felt that I didn't want him to keep reminiscing about the unhappy memories anymore. I wanted to see him in a place where, although there was still a hint of nostalgia, he wouldn't feel suffocated. And that place was the guest house where we were staying.
That meant there was a possibility that today, both he and I would do nothing but look at each other. When he heard my suggestion, Rafayel was quite surprised and observed me for a moment as if trying to find something different about me, until he sighed and agreed.
"If you want, cutie..." he took my hand and gently kissed it. "I don't mind spending the whole day with you without doing anything. Luckily for us, I just found a flyer stating that there will be a seaside market near the shore around the afternoon when the fishermen have finished fishing, and they will also hold a small festival to celebrate the summer, so there will be fireworks by the shore. What do you think? That's also like doing nothing in this place, right?"
Fireworks and a seaside market? That's a great idea! I'm sure Rafayel would love it!
So I agreed immediately without hesitation.
The detailed plan for today was simplified drastically to "sit idly at home until there is a seaside market and fireworks in the late afternoon."
**************************************************************************************
The sounds of fishermen and vendors mingled with the excited chatter of shoppers, signaling to Rafayel and me that it was time for the seaside market. Conveniently, the market was located right next to the guesthouse Rafayel had arranged.
Hand in hand, we wandered towards the tents set up for the festival. It was quite different from what I had expected. Instead of just selling seafood, there was a wide variety of other items characteristic of the region. From seashells to thatched hut decorations, necklaces and bracelets made of pearls and stones, created mysterious sea colors. To emphasize the summer atmosphere, a multitude of Hawaiian-style shirts were sold everywhere in the stalls. Before I could tear my eyes away from all the goods, Rafayel had placed a straw hat on my head, having bought it from a nearby stall without me noticing.
“You’ll need this when walking by the sea in the afternoon, or you’ll end up like a dried fish,” he said with a smile. Seeing him wearing a similar hat, I couldn’t resist taking a photo of this memorable moment.
“Then I have to save a picture of you before you turn into dried fish too!” I teased. Rafayel grabbed my phone. “If we share the fun, we have to share the misfortune!”
Our laughter somewhat eased my mind as I thought about the part of Rafayel I didn't know. I told myself perhaps now wasn’t the right time to delve deeper.
But fate had other plans.
As we took photos, a heated argument erupted at a nearby stall. A customer, with a fierce expression, was holding a pearl and was berating the young boy behind the counter. “A trivial pearl like this, and you dare to say it’s priceless and charge a sky-high price? Do you know the price of pearls is going down? If you don’t sell it cheap, no one will buy it!”
The boy, almost tearful, replied, “No...this pearl is truly priceless...very precious...I can't sell it to you like that…”
Just as the customer was about to get physical, Rafayel intervened, grabbing the customer's hand and examining the pearl.
“Hmm, a very fine, aged pearl. Truly priceless, not something you can buy with money. Unlike someone who didn’t even know its true worth and still dared to make himself a bargain.”
Rafayel glanced at the customer and with a force only the man could feel, he snatched the pearl, wiped it with his sleeve, and handed it back to the boy.
“You're right. This pearl is priceless, and priceless things shouldn't be sold carelessly.”
The boy stammered, “But...I need money to…”
“Alright,” Rafayel interrupted, “if you want to sell, I can buy it and give it back to you, and of course, I won’t do it for free. So the condition for returning it is that you let me meet the owner of this shop, is that okay?”
The boy looked from Rafayel to me and then to the angry customer. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded and said he would tell the owner.
When the owner met Rafayel, I felt indescribable, as if they were old acquaintances who hadn't seen each other in a very long time. As they went into the hut behind to talk, I grabbed the boy and asked about the stall owner.
The boy called the owner “Grandpa”. Grandpa was the one who had taken care of him as he once lived in an orphanage. The boy also said that “Grandpa” was very knowledgeable about the island, everything from tides to weather. He loved “Grandpa” very much, but “Grandpa’s” health had been declining lately as if he was sick even though Grandpa always told him there was nothing to worry about. With his small mind, he only knew that if “Grandpa” was ill, he would have to see a doctor, which would require a lot of money. But “Grandpa” rarely asked for help, especially from people wearing white coats, and Grandpa also forbade him from selling anything except for what Grandpa caught or made, and the money earned from those small items was very little. So while Grandpa was resting behind the stall, he had tried to sell the gift the man had given him: a pearl as bright as the moonlight shining on the sky when the tides ebb and flow. That's how we were able to encounter the scene today.
After putting everything together, I had a feeling of who the stall owner was. There may be some things I need to ask to clarify.
As I finished my conversation with the boy, Rafayel and the stall owner emerged. Before I could speak, Rafayel took my hand and said,
"Let's go, there are still many other stalls waiting."
He turned to the stall owner and said in a serious tone, "As the old saying goes, if you need anything, we're still here."
The stall owner laughed as if this was something he often heard. "I know, I know. If you keep saying that, you'll become an old man. But let me have a few words with this young lady."
Rafayel looked at me as if asking for permission, and I nodded without hesitation.
As I approached, the stall owner looked at me for a long time and sighed, "That boy, although he talks a lot and has quite a sharp tongue, still withholds a gentle nature. So would you mind taking care of him?"
"Don't worry, that's my plan!" I proudly replied. Seeing my sparkling eyes, the old man sighed as if a weight had been lifted from his heart. He looked directly at Rafayel and me and suddenly bowed, surprising me a little.
But before I could stop him, he looked at us and said, "Well, I wish you both a happy outing. Be careful because..." He whispered, "It will rain tonight, so you'll have to find something else to do."
To my surprise, the old man and the boy waved goodbye as Rafayel held my hand and led me away from the stall, leaving behind a multitude of unanswered questions.
The sun was setting, turning the sky a deep red. The stalls were winding down as people eagerly awaited the evening's fireworks. Yet, between Rafayel and me, there seemed to be an invisible divide.
Since our encounter with the mysterious stall owner, who seemed to be an old acquaintance of Rafayel's, his mood had been down, despite his attempts to hide it by avoiding more profound questions.
He could explain the stall owner's background but seemed reluctant to discuss the man's current condition or why he was on the island in the first place.
There were too many intertwined secrets, and I had an intuition that these secrets held the key to understanding Rafayel's true self, a facet of him I had yet to discover.
This led me to bolder speculations. Perhaps this was the true emotion he had always held, and I had only realized it now because he had hidden it so well. While I acknowledged that his genuine, happy smiles were always associated with the moments he spent with me, it was only when he mentioned his "past," the time before we met, when he was still in Lemuria, that he seemed distant. And it was largely due to my inattentiveness; I hadn't truly focused on learning more about him.
Determined, I decided it was time for Rafayel and me to break through this invisible veil. I wanted to understand him better, including the things that might have hurt him in the past and the scars he tried to hide from me.
I wanted to know everything, to understand him better, only because I loved him as much as he had, was, and would love me.
Taking a deep breath, I took Rafayel's hand, who was still busy introducing the stalls in front of us. A determined look in my eyes conveyed my steadfastness, catching him off guard for a moment. But finally, he sighed in defeat. He squeezed my hand and stroked my palm gently as he said.,
"There's an open space on the other side of the dunes. Would you like to sit and watch the sunset while we wait for the fireworks?"
I nodded gently. The four footprints treaded side by side towards the base of a tree on the other side of the dunes.
The gentle breeze carried the salty scent of the blue sea mixed with the sand, creating a slightly itchy damp feeling, like rolling in the sand while still wet. It was uncomfortable and stuffy. Perhaps that was also the feeling the Lemurians had to face and adapt to when they first hesitantly set foot on the shore.
We both remained silent, watching the sun gradually set on the horizon until I decided to break it.
"Rafayel, you don't have to tell me more details. But at least you can share the basics about you. After all, those basics will help me understand you and your origins better."
Rafayel rested his head on his hand and looked at me intently. "What do you mean by basics?"
I took a deep breath and looked straight at him. "By basics, I mean things revolving around your daily life or at least how you feel. For example, how did you, as a merman, feel when you first stepped onto land? Did your feet, accustomed to swimming, hurt when you first learned to walk? Or did you feel lonely in a strange place? You may not need to tell me what happened, but at least how you felt when experiencing those."
Rafayel's eyes seemed covered in darkness immediately after hearing my questions. He lowered his head and let out a bitter chuckle before looking back at the sky, which was gradually darkening as the sun had set.
"So if I say it hurts, or I'm lonely, what will you do? I'm not naive. Who's to say that those past experiences and feelings weren't all fabricated by me to trap you?"
"Rafayel!"
I took his chin and pulled him to face me. "Look into my eyes."
Rafayel, startled, slowly turned his gaze from the dark sky to meet mine. "...Why? Why do you insist on knowing this? Isn't it easier to not know?"
Just as I was about to reply, a loud clap of thunder echoed through the sky, followed by heavy rain. Oh...just like the old man said...it's raining...
Before I could react, Rafayel quickly wrapped his arms around me, trying to shield me from the pouring rain. But the rain was coming down so hard that everyone had to seek shelter in the stalls being cleaned up, except for me, who was still in Rafayel's arms and protected by him.
But I didn't want to be protected like this...I wanted to face it with him.
My impulsiveness caused me to act faster than I thought. Amid the heavy rain, I grabbed Rafayel's hand and ran straight towards the guesthouse.
The sound of the rain pattering on the ground seemed to separate Rafayel and me from the outside world. This separation became even clearer when we finally reached the door and got inside. It was just him and me in our own space.
The heavy breaths mingled with the raindrops gradually falling to the ground made the atmosphere around us change invisibly.
When my sudden sneeze broke the silence, Rafayel quickly grabbed my hand and led me towards the bathroom. The sound of running water carried the warmth that gradually emanated from the bathtub. While Rafayel was still focused on preparing the bath, I continued to look at him and said what I hadn't been able to say in the downpour earlier.
"I want to know, Rafayel. Because I love you and want to understand you better, including the aspects you consider ugly and not worth mentioning."
After a long silence, Rafayel sighed. He approached me, touched my cheek, and said with a gentle voice.
"Alright, I can start by writing a book or telling you 1001 stories of the Lemurian people. Now go to the bathtub and rest, I'll wait for you.”
As Rafayel was about to leave after ensuring I was settled in the tub, my hand quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. My sudden action caused Rafayel to pause, and before he could pry my hand away, he lost his balance and fell into the bathtub.
Silence enveloped us until Rafayel took a deep breath and chuckled as if he had no choice.
Rafayel leaned against the side of the tub opposite me. The hem of his bathrobe was askew, almost like an invitation.
"So you want me to stay here? In this state? Just to find the answer to what you've always wondered?"
I looked at him and reached out to where his heart was beating. "Yes, I want to know more about you."
Rafayel took my hand and rubbed it gently on his cheek. "So what do you want to know?"
"You don't have to be specific, but you could start with...how your Lemurian people express affection?" I firmly acclaimed.
"You really want to know?" Rafayel moved his hand from my wrist to my fingers and gently placed a kiss on it, slowly saying, "When Lemurians fall in love with someone…All our senses are committed to perceiving them without questions."
Before he could finish, I moved my finger to touch his lips and stroked them. "You mean...like this?"
Rafayel chuckled. "Your way of triggering my “sense” has only touched the surface."
I chuckled too. Because, of course, this touch didn't stop there. To prove my point, my hand gradually traced along his neck and went down to where I had touched earlier.
Rafayel's body stiffened with each movement of my finger, signaling that he was also becoming tense. "You...are all humans so foolish...this isn't just about touching..."
Before he could finish, my finger went even deeper to places I wouldn't usually wander. And by now, even Rafayel couldn't stay calm. His eyes darkened, only faintly lighting up when lightning flashed across the dark sky, illuminating the entire space for a moment, revealing shades of deep blue and fiery red. Before I could react, he pushed me onto my back while holding himself above me with his arms. My whole body was submerged in water, enveloped by his strong body.
Rafayel looked straight at me with a frown.
"Do you know what you're doing?"
With his words, the thunder roared continuously, signaling something big was about to happen. I knew what it was, and I was the one who was looking forward to it. "I know. And I know you're looking forward to it, too."
Rafayel looked at me intently with eyes I'd never seen before. It was as if I were prey being watched by a predator, and in the blink of an eye, I could be attacked without a chance to fight back.
Our heartbeat gradually filled the silent air, drowning out the thunder outside. Even I couldn't tell whose heartbeat was so strong, mine or the person I loved who was facing me. But no matter who it belonged to, I knew the hidden intention.
Rafayel finally spoke after his hand gently stroked my lips. "I'm looking forward to it because it's from you."
His entire body leaned down as he pressed his lips against mine. A warm sensation appeared between our lips. From the familiar, it gradually turned strange. This kiss...was different...so intense...so passionate...and so unfamiliar... Could this also be another part of him?
Our heavy breathing continued after the passionate kiss he had given. It was frantic, as if devouring. There was no more thinking or reason. Only passion and intensity. My warmth caused him, a merman, to exclaim, "And you’re warm, I like that."
Somehow, those words touched my heart. They recalled many legends I had once heard, and one vaguely mentioned how mermen didn't like the heat and how difficult it was for them to adapt to the warmth. But for him to say that he loved my warmth, how much had he had to endure to adapt to that extent?
When Rafayel looked at me intently after the passionate kiss ended, I couldn't help but reach out, hold his face within my two palms, and gently caress it, which was unfamiliar and slightly different from usual. I uttered the words that I thought from the bottom of my heart.
"Rafayel...this different side of you...is it still you?"
Immediately after hearing that question, his eyes sadly looked down for a moment, but as if reassuring himself, after a moment, he looked up at me and said, his voice mixed with a little self-doubt and a touch of pleading, "So will you still love me no matter what I become?"
I suddenly realized. It turned out that he was worried about me no longer loving him after discovering his past?
Silly Rafayel, how can I tell him that my love for him can no longer be taken back?
Ignoring all reason, my body acted on the most primal instinct. I grabbed the necklace around his neck and pulled him down hard, leaving a bite mark on it. I bit down fiercely as if to leave a strong and unfaded mark, a mark to say that he belonged to me no matter what might happen.
And to his surprise, I reached out and touched the bite mark, uttering the crazy words I had hidden deep in my heart and now had the opportunity to express. "Rafayel, just to let you know, when you’re madly in love, human often have the urge to mark their territory. And this mark of yours is no different."
His eyes were filled with a thousand emotions, and one of them I could see was relief. It seemed that he, too, understood my feelings for him as much as he had always had for me.
So Rafayel, please don’t be hesitant to open yourself up to me as well.
As if reading my mind, Rafayel pressed his body against mine again and whispered a word only he could understand the depth of. "If you say so, then join me. Let’s drown in the ocean. Together."
Despite the pouring rain and the constant thunder in the sky, in that room, only two minds were sinking together into the current of the waves of love.
**********************************************************************
On that unforgettable night, as I drifted off to sleep, I heard Rafayel's faint voice telling me the first story he had promised in the collection of 1001 Lemurian stories. As mentioned in his first story, I vaguely recalled the image of the Sea God in the dream I had afterward.
Like in a film, I saw the image of that sea god swimming from under the sea to the shore. Then, from the shore, he wandered aimlessly in the endless night. I desperately wanted to reach out but couldn't get close. And that scene repeated over and over until I finally took on a definite form, the form of a traveler standing on the shore after my countless silent prayers just to get closer to that sea god. But instead of the Sea God, in front of my traveler form was the image of a merman whose eyes I was familiar with. And even before the merman raised his singing voice, I rushed forward and grabbed his hand, his cold, lonely hand, and hugged him tightly and gave him the warmth only I could give. And in return, I received from him a warmth that comforted my soul despite all the chaotic melodies in the outside world.
A breeze blew past me, carrying the salty scent of the sea, gradually waking me up from the bittersweet dream I was encountering. Facing me was the sunrise on the horizon hidden behind the seashore. And I was wrapped in warm blankets and cuddled deep in Rafayel's warmth.
Rafayel….he always remembered…no matter what I said despite how nonsensical they were sometimes.
Thank you, Rafayel, for always keeping your promise to me.
So this time, let me also make an unbreakable promise.
Lying quietly in Rafayel's arms and watching the sunrise, I made a silent wish.
I hope that you and I will always be together.
Forever. Despite all obstacles.
All for love.
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suddencolds · 3 months
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insatiable appetite [1/?]
sooo... this is one of the thirstiest things i have written—and also one of the only times i've written a character with the kink, ever T.T warnings in advance for mess, character getting sneezed on, implied contagion, possible ooc-ness, & me writing this entirely with my d instead of my head
ivan and till are from al//ien sta//ge (a very fun watch which will only take 30 mins out of your life; i really recommend it!!). that said, this fic takes place in a modern au setting, so feel free to read it without any prior context :)
special thanks to @6pmsoup for sending me a very cute alnst doodle of these two which altered my brain chemistry permanently
Summary: Till shows up to a dinner outing with a brewing cold. Ivan suffers. (est. relationship, kink!Ivan, ~2k words)
For all Till tries to hide it, Ivan can tell immediately.
There’s this: Ivan has been paying attention to Till for most of his life. A full decade before they’d gotten together officially, and some more—this is how long Ivan has had to observe his tells. Always from the sidelines, always with a detached air of indifference that, in reality, was anything but.
All the signs are there the night before. Till, turning up the thermostat a couple degrees higher than he usually keeps it. Spending a little too long in the shower and using up almost all of the hot water. Clearing his throat one too many times in the morning before Ivan leaves for work, his smile distracted, the rasp of his voice nearly indistinguishable—but only nearly.
Now, Till is here for dinner—it’s a dinner they’ve had plans for a couple weeks now, at one of the nicer restaurants downtown, in celebration of Till’s recent promotion. Ivan had booked the reservation a couple weeks in advance.
When Till arrives, stepping out of a taxi cab, he’s wearing a scarf, even though the weather is too warm for it. Ivan steps up to meet him. 
“Sorry I’m late,” Till says. “Traffic here was the worst I’ve ever seen it, swear to god.”
“Was it cold outside today?” Ivan asks, a little pointedly, tilting his head towards his scarf.
Till looks at him, his expression unreadable. Then he nods. “Colder than usual, for this time of year.”
“Strange,” Ivan says, just to be difficult. “But the weather forecast says it’s the same temperature today as yesterday.” 
“It’s probably just windier today,” Till says, readjusting his scarf around his neck. His face is a little flushed.
“Your voice sounds a little off, though.”
Till clears his throat with a scowl. “You must be imagining it,” he says. “It always sounds like this.”
No admission, then. That’s fine. Ivan will get the truth out of him at some point. He lets Till guide him into the restaurant.
It’s a nice restaurant—worth the hassle of the reservation, Ivan thinks. Each table is set with flowers arranged tastefully in long glass vases, empty wine glasses turned on their heads. The server—who leads them to their table in a small, private booth—is wearing a suit.
It’s a shame, really. Ivan has a feeling that he won’t be able to pay attention to any of that tonight.
They sit. Ivan looks down at the menu, picks out something at random in a matter of seconds. Truthfully, he can hardly think of anything less worth his attention right now. He turns his attention to Till instead—Till, who’s seated directly across from him, the scarf still around his neck, obscuring the lower half of his face. 
Till sniffles, reaching down to turn the page, and oh. The sniffle is terribly liquid—has he been sniffling like that all afternoon? Perhaps it’s a good thing that they work at different offices—Till at a law firm, Ivan as a senior manager at a consulting company—because Ivan certainly doesn’t think he’d be able to get any work done with Till sniffling like that. 
It’s not two minutes later that Till is reaching up to wipe his nose against the back of one knuckle. All in all, it’s discreet. Just a quick brush of the fingers against his nose, which is still hidden under the scarf. Though, the look of sheer ticklishness that passes over his features for a brief moment there is...
“What are you thinking of ordering?” Ivan asks.
“I can’t decide,” Till answers. He turns the page again. “It’s between the ribeye steak and the… snf! The pork belly. Is this the kind of place that skimps on the portion sizes?”
“Not from their Yelp reviews,” Ivan says. “You know, if you really can’t decide, I can flip a coin.”
“I’ll pick,” Till says. “Why? Hungry already?”
He looks up, now. His eyes are a little watery. There’s a faint flush over the bridge of his nose. Ivan thinks that if he reached out and touched him, he’d probably be running warm. The thought is almost unbearable.
“Your taxi did take forever to arrive,” Ivan says, by way of explanation. 
“Did you really wait that long?”
He looks uncertain, for a moment. Ivan says, “Not at all. But you know, I’m always impatient when it comes to you.”
Till rolls his eyes, but it’s fond. “There was a meeting that ran late. I wasn’t avoiding you.”
“Is that also a part of your new position?” “I guess so, yeah.”
“I can see why they were eager to promote you, then,” Ivan says. “How productive can late afternoon meetings be, anyways?”
Till snorts. “Not that important. It definitely could have been an email instead. I was about ready to doze off.”
He sniffles again. “Okay. I think I know what I want.” The way he says know betrays the slightest hint of congestion. 
“At long last,” Ivan says, just to be a little bit of an ass. “I’ll call over the waiter.”
He flags their waiter down, waits for Till to order first.
“A spiced apple cider,” Till adds on, at the end, with the slightest of coughs. “Hot, if you can.”
That’s new, too. Till seldom orders hot drinks at restaurants, though he’ll drink tea without complaint if it’s offered. Perhaps his throat hurts, then, from the cold that has clearly started to settle in his system. Subtle, still, but Ivan is familiar with colds like this. He knows it will probably only be a few hours before this deceptively “small” cold turns into…
Ivan orders, too, and thanks the waiter, who leaves with a curt nod. When he looks back over to Till, there’s a… strange something to Till’s expression, a slight distractedness. Irritation.
Ivan swallows hard. He should look away. 
He should, but then, Till’s breath hitches. He pulls the scarf higher over his face preemptively, as if he anticipates having something to have to cover for. The sharp intake of breath that follows is breathy, though Ivan can hear Till’s voice in it. He should really look away.
Instead, he takes the scene in, painstakingly, little by little, as Till’s shoulders jerk forwards. As Till presses a hand to the scarf, presses the fabric closer to his face, to muffle a sneeze into his fingertips:
“hhH-Ih!! hiHH-’IESCHH-eew-!”
God. It sounds utterly miserable, the harsh release of it scraping against his throat, the spray tearing into his scarf. It’s the kind of cold sneeze that is undeniably telling: this is going to be one hell of a cold. It’s not very quiet, either, even muffled into the fabric.
For more reasons than one, Ivan is glad they’re in a private corner of the restaurant, not somewhere more public.
“Bless you,” he offers, once he can trust himself to speak. It’s a good thing that Till is too distracted to look up at him right now. Ivan isn’t sure he can keep what he’s feeling off of his face.
Truthfully, he isn’t sure he’s going to be able to endure a whole night of this.
The problem here is that Till—Till, of all people; Till, who Ivan has been pathetically in love with for almost as long as he can remember—has no idea about Ivan’s… relatively niche interests. That is to say, he has no idea what effect it has on Ivan when he does that.
“Thanks,” Till says, a little stuffily. He sniffles again, lowering his hand. 
Ivan can’t help it. He knows he shouldn’t pursue this line of questioning, but he can feel his self-control dwindling by the second. “Don’t you think it would be better to take off your scarf, now that we’re inside?”
Till freezes. “Y-You know what,” he says evasively. “It’s pretty cold in here.”
Ivan tilts his head in question. “And just how do you plan on eating like that?”
“I’ll take it off when our food comes.”
“I can ask the waiter to turn the temperature up, if it’s a problem,” Ivan says. 
“It’s not a problem.”
Ivan rises from his seat. Till watches him, perplexed, as he heads to the opposite side of the table, where Till is seated.
When he gets there, he stops. Stands, unmoving, so he can study Till from above. 
“What are you—”
Ivan reaches out, settles his palm across Till’s forehead. As expected, it’s warm. Not quite feverish, which is a good sign, but warm enough to be notable. 
“Just how long were you intending to hide this?”
Till stares back at him, wide-eyed. “Hide what?”
Shouldn’t it be obvious? “The fact that you have a cold.”
“I didn’t think it was worth mentioning,” Till says, slowly.
“Hmm.” Ivan drops his hand to his side. He is a little concerned, now. “We could’ve called a rain check.”
This time Till really does roll his eyes. “For the reservation we planned weeks ahead?” he sniffles again. “That just sounds completely and utterly unnecessary. Are you the type of person to call things off just over a little cold?” 
Ivan leans over, tugs down the edge of Till’s scarf. Till bats his hand away just a moment too late, cups his other hand over his face to shield his face from view. For a moment, he looks faintly mortified.
Then his expression settles into something more disgruntled. “What are you doing?” he hisses.
So uncooperative. “Let me see,” Ivan says. Slowly, gently, he pries Till’s hands away from his face, and then—because the restaurant is dimly lit—tilts Till’s face up slightly so that it catches more of the overhead light. 
Till’s nose is redder than usual. He’s probably been rubbing it all afternoon, if the redness that percolates into his cheeks is any indication. There’s  a damp, liquid sheen on the underside of his nose.
“What’s there to see?” Till says, a little crossly.
“Your face, since you’ve been so intent on hiding it under that scarf,” Ivan says, leaning in to get a better look.
Till scowls at him, but there’s no heat to it. “You see my face every day.”
“On the contrary, I don’t see it nearly enough,” Ivan says. “And you hardly ever get sick. Is it so wrong for me to be concerned?”
Without looking, he reaches behind him with one hand to grab a couple cocktail napkins. The other hand he keeps held up to Till’s cheek. 
But then, Till’s breath hitches. “Wait,” he says. Panic flashes through his face. “Ivan, move, I—”
Oh. Well, seeing as there’s no way he’ll be able to get the napkins over in time, it looks like he’ll have to improvise. If Till wants to cover, Ivan can help with that. He moves his hand to cup it loosely over Till’s mouth. Not a second too late, it seems. Till jerks forward unceremoniously, his nose twitching, his eyes squeezing shut.
“hHheh-! HHh’EIITShHh’yYiew!” he gasps sharply. Two? “Hh-! hHiiH’DSSCSSHh-IIew!”  
The jolt of the sneezes is practically electrifying—all of that force, brought to an abrupt halt behind Ivan’s waiting palm. He feels the expulsion of air against his skin, the warmth of Till’s breath, feels the slight dampness behind his hand as the spray mists over his fingertips.
Ivan swallows, hard. Thank god it’s so dark here, otherwise Till might notice what this is doing to him. 
“Bless you,” he says, withdrawing his hand at last to wipe it on one of the cloth napkins. It comes out slightly raspier than he intends it to, though perhaps it’s a miracle that he’s still able to talk at all. “Some cold, hmm?” Belatedly, he hands Till the stack of napkins.
Till practically snatches them from him, turns aside to blow his nose wetly into the top few. The way he sniffles afterwards suggests that his nose is still very much running. 
“Do you have no self preservation? It’s as if you want to catch this,” Till says, drawing back with another sniffle.
Oh, Ivan thinks, fighting back a shiver. That would be far from the worst thing.
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mindblowingscience · 3 months
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Being able to create accurate weather models for weather forecasting is essential for every aspect of the American economy, from aviation to shipping. To date, weather models have been primarily based on equations related to thermodynamics and fluid dynamics in the atmosphere. These models are tremendously computationally expensive and are typically run on large supercomputers. Researchers from private sector companies like Nvidia and Google have started developing large artificial intelligence (AI) models, known as foundation models, for weather forecasting. Recently, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, in close collaboration with researchers Aditya Grover and Tung Nguyen at the University of California, Los Angeles, have begun to investigate this alternative type of model. This model could produce in some cases even more accurate forecasts than the existing numerical weather prediction models at a fraction of the computational cost.
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