#put my fake fireplace heater on

[deklo]

my friend is coming over tonight and we’re literally planning on just hanging out in cozies and having festive drinks and chatting :,-) love itttt

[kylekellers]

Kyle looked up thoughtfully. “You know… I never thought to look for it in the dark. That’s a good idea.” He admitted. “But now it feels like too long, so I’ll just keep the rope, so I can practice my bondage knots, and I’ll just get him two presents next year.” He had to admit, the glow in the dark rope was freaking cool. “Oh, then you should get him that! Something you two can use together! But put both your initials on it, instead.” Kyle smiled, finishing his smaller slice. “I didn’t know that he was horny a lot of the time.” Kyle said, curiously. “Awesome. We’ll call it my birthday cuddles. Big spoon or little spoon for you?” He asked, looking over to the fake fireplace and smiled. “I like that idea. If it gets too warm, we can roll away from the heater.” He half joked, but remembered one of their older conversations, when Kyle had told Ivan there was a certain temperature he liked to cuddle at. “Are you a person whose body just naturally feels colder?” 

Ivan laughed, and had to cover his mouth not to spit some of the cake out. "Then it was not a well-functioning glow in the dark stick at all, otherwise you would've have found it by now." He ate a good bite off the cake and placed the plate on the table in front of him, then leaned back on his seat and chuckled. "Considering how he appears to be horny all the time, I'd put my money on the sex toy." He shrugged. "But again, he would love either one, because they're from you." He looked at Kyle and smiled. "I could definitely have a cuddle right now. But I have an idea for a new spot tonight-" He pointed to where the heater was, which happened to have a made-up front that made it look like a fireplace. "We should be warm there. What do you think?"

[fernweh-writes]

Hey hi hello!! I am in love with all of your slasher content!! (I may or may not have been stalking your page all day 😂)

Could I request the slashers (especially Michael 😘) with an s/o who is constantly cold?

Thank you!!! 🎉

I live in Georgia where it’s hotter than Hades and still freeze to death. Probably cause my family keeps the thermostat set on 65… but regardless my hands and feet are always freezing and that’s on poor circulation

-Fern🌿

S/O Who Stays Cold

Michael Myers

He produces plenty of heat but is very stingy with his warmth.

Michael is not big on cuddling, or touch of any kind for that matter. So it’s very rare that he actually let’s you cuddle up to him and steal some of his warmth. Usually he only allows it when you begin to shiver because when you’re that cold you get upset easily and he doesn’t like that.

He will make you a fire in the fireplace though in an attempt to keep you warm. Sadly since he is a human space heater this does also mean the fire makes the house to hot for him to stick around. But don’t worry he’ll just go about his murder things and let you keep warm.

Seeing you asleep on the ground by the fireplace with blankets wrapped around you is enough to make him cave in. You’re asleep anyways so it’s not like you’re going to notice him carrying you upstairs and tucking you in while he wraps himself around you to keep you warm…

Bo Sinclair

“We’re in Louisiana darlin’ there ain’t no such thing as cold”

Bo doesn’t understand how you can be cold in Ambrose. The place is so hot and humid and the air in the old house ain’t all that great. Not to mention, the summers are absolutely brutal. Seeing you walk around bundled up confuses the fuck out of him.

He likes to act like you’re just playing it up for attention. “Now darlin’ if you want me to hold ya all you gotta do is ask.” But he knows that you can’t fake shivering.

At night he pulls you so close to him you’d think he was trying to keep you from escaping. As much as he enjoys holding you close it’s best to keep your cold feet off of him or else he’ll get grumpy.

Vincent Sinclair

If you stay cold then Vincent will be your favorite person ever. Living with him you will not know what cold is!

With all the candles and the fire, Vincent’s workshop is always very warm and cozy. Plus he’s more than okay with letting you bundle up in the blankets on his bed if you want to be warmer.

He’s also more than happy to lend you on of his sweaters! After all he has plenty of them, hope you don’t mind some little spots of wax on them though. Plus he thinks the way they engulf you is adorable.

Need a cuddle buddy in order to keep warm? No problem! Cuddling with Vincent is a great way to stay warm seeing as he loves having you close. If he is busy then you can always coax Jonesy onto the bed with you. Of course you have to give her attention to make her stay, but the same can be said for Vincent.

Thomas Hewitt

This man is a human heater and no one can change my mind. He is large, warm, perfect for cuddling. 100% husband material right there.

Unlike some of the other slashers he is not stingy with his warmth. Thomas adores being able to spend time with you and just hold you close to him. Keeping you warm by cuddling you is so intimate and innocent and he loves it.

Would probably enjoy the fact you stay cold. Your cold hands and feet are very appreciated by him actually. The Texas heat is atrocious and your cold skin offers him some temporary relief from the inescapable heat. Plus you get to be warm so really it’s a win win situation here.

Will also smother you with blankets when you get cold in the winter. The old house doesn’t stay heated very easily, the only source of warmth being the fire place. Luckily Thomas has less work to do in the winter, which means you can cling to him for warmth all that you want!

Brahms Heelshire

Oh you’re cold? Here take his sweater! He won’t admit that he stole yours and cuddled with it within the walls and he’s not going to give it back so you can just borrow his.

Brahms is very clingy. Like needs to be attached to your hip 24/7 clingy. So of course he’s always down to cuddle in order to keep you warm.

Might even start turning the thermostat down to get you to seek him out and hold him. That or he will start claiming that he’s cold and he always keeps you warm so it’s only fair that you do the same for him. In other words, he takes advantage of your inability to stay warm.

Brahms also likes to wrap you up in blankets and cuddle with you by the fireplace on rainy days. The rain can make the old mansion even colder than usual. Luckily for Brahms, it rains pretty often!

Billy Loomis

If you put your cold ass feet on him he’s going to be very upset. Billy will 100% make a scene if you try it, don’t test him. Especially on movie night, he can’t focus on his horror movies when your cold limbs are trying to steal his warmth.

Will lend you his comfortable warm clothes though. He may have a bunch of the same white shirts but he has some hoodies and sweatpants buried somewhere in his room. Good luck finding them though because he’s not helping.

Good luck trying to get him to cuddle with you after putting your cold hands on him. You lost that privilege when you wouldn’t keep your hands and feet to yourself. He’ll still get up and get you blankets but he complains about it the whole time.

We all know this boy loves to sneak in windows so you can expect some surprise visits at night. If you complain about being cold, he will tuck you in before he leaves so the warmth can’t escape. Billy can be sweet sometimes.

Stu Macher

Oh you’re cold? Here take his sweater! Stu loves seeing you wear his clothes, it just does something for him. He thinks they look better on you and encourages you to raid his closet whenever you please. He thinks it’s cute seeing you walk around in his clothes that pretty much swallow you whole.

This boy will buy you so many blankets! Stu likes to make forts out of them with you so to him they’re a worthy investment. Plus he knows you’ll pile multiple blankets on top of you, so they all get used.

Stu is very physically affectionate. I think it’s safe to say that touch is his love language. So you already know that he’s always down to cuddle with you to help you keep warm. Unlike Billy, he doesn’t mind your cold hands. Let him hold them to warm them up for you!

Asa Emory

He has plenty of warm clothes for you to steal. Surprisingly, he doesn’t mind if you borrow his clothes, as long as you give them back. Also just try not to take anything he plans on wearing either or he’ll get a little upset. Likes the way his clothes smell like you when you give them back.

Asa is away most of the time which means you have free reign over the thermostat in the house. Just know that as soon as Asa gets home he’s turning it back down though. It’s not like you need to keep the house 100° when he’s around.

Once Asa is comfortable with you I believe that he likes for you to be affectionate with him. He may not reciprocate the touch much, but he definitely enjoys it. So when you wrap yourself around him to steal his warmth he’s not going to complain!

Jesse Cromeans

Buys you only the highest quality of blankets to keep you warm. This includes only the best heated and weighted blankets as well. However he refuses to put a thick comforter on the bed. Why would you need one anyways, you have him?

Jesse hates that he can’t always be there. His business trips can keep him away anywhere from weeks to months at a time. But when he returns he always makes up for it and makes sure to keep you warm at night.

There isn’t any reason for you to raid his closet. After all, he buys you more clothes than you could ever want anyways. But still, he thinks it’s cute when you do and loves the way you insist his clothes are just warmer and comfier as an excuse to keep them.

[doyoungflower]

[1:18 p.m]

The scent of burned wood and marshmallows lingered through the air stronger than ever, the candle responsible for it almost burned to half in the corner of the room. The heater was on, a display simulating fake fire as to feel like a real fireplace, even tho fireplaces didn't have screens of 11 inches. It was fall, my favorite season. In my hands, a book I bought recently at a culture fair. And around me, the body of my favorite person, hugging me tight against his chest as he read the words of the book. Minghao was so invested in the literature that he almost didn't notice when I started to drift my attention from the book to his face, head to the side as I stared at his moving lips. One of his hands cupped my face, and that's when I noticed I, too, was too immersed in something to realize he just asked me a question.

"Hm?", I murmured bringing my gaze into his.

"I was asking you your thoughts on this", he pointed at a paragraph on the book.

"I think it's beautiful", I said, one more time distracted by his lips.

He laughed, putting the book to the side before holding me closer, his thumb grazing over my lower lips.

"Not about my lips, darling, about the book"

I licked my lips slowly, eyes blinking rapidly while mouthing a hushed "Oh" that only made him smile brightly.

"But if you think my lips are that beautiful guess we could leave this discussion for later"

His eyebrows arched in expectation and it was my turn to laugh, then bring my hands to his face and start the perfect ending for a perfect autumn evening, with my lips against my boyfriend's in a loving kiss.

.

.

Note: This is a repost from my old blog. Just as this one, all my works will be moved to this account with rewrites and in a "new format". Hope you'll enjoy this new era just as much as I am excited to bring it to you <3

[someone1348]

Finally some inspiration!

To make up for the pain we all faced this lore stream i bring to you a wholesome, soft, Dapduo tickle fic! (It was a great stream! that was in no way me bashing it! I wouldn't ever dream of doing that!) But yeah!

People in this: Lee!Charlie, Ler!Quackity ((platonic of course))

Tw: None, this is probably the softest fic I'll ever write 🥰

No spoilers form the stream so you're all good!

With all that being said enjoyyyy :]

___________~☆°♡°☆°♡°☆~______________

It's raining in Las Nevadas

The first day they had met it was snowing. The weather had gotten a lot warmer since then. with the change in the seasons it started to rain.

The first rain of the season! Charlie's first rain in general. Grabbing his slime hand Quackity booked it with him following close behind into their tower to get away from the sudden and unexpected downpour.

As the slime examined his soaking wet clothes he threw his arms up in front of his face in confusion "Is the sky is crying?"

Quackity bit his lip trying not to laugh at his confusion and curiosity but smiled brightly answering his question "that's called rain, it's a type of weather"

"Like when we first met and there was white stuff flying in the air?"

"Exactly that!"

"It feels good, it's cold"

"Mhm, follow me buddy im gonna get you a towel to dry off in"

"Okay Quackity From Las Nevadas!"

Said man rolled his eyes smiling softly, the two of them walking to the elevator getting to their room, Charlie leaving his goo all along the floor as they walked and both dripping water all over the place.

"I'll have someone clean that up later"

Upon arrival to their room/apartment area at the top of the tower Quackity got him a towel and both of them a change of clothes.

Quackity laughed alittle ultimately drying the slime off himself

"There goes another towel" he joked to himself as Charlie smiled brightly hugging him tightly

"Thank you Quackity from Las Nevadas!"

The soft smile never leaving his features as he gently spoke to the boy "yeah yeah, haha, go get changed before I change my mind and put you out in the rain again" he joked

Charlie not knowing any better made his way towards the balcony

"Nononono!" Quackity pulled him back "just go change in the bathroom" the smile still glued to his face, ruffling his brown locks as the other giggled

"You got it Quackity from Las Nevadas!" He turned towards the bathroom stumbling a little before getting out of sight to change.

Running a towel over his own hair Quackity changed as well before coming back into the living room setting up the fake fireplace/heater

It was nice.

"Im back Quackity from Las Nevadas!"

With messy hair and his shirt on backwards the slime entered the room once again, his smile beaming brighter than ever as the rain patted softly on the rooftop above and the fireplace glowed with warm colors and feeling

Quackity couldn't help but laugh alittle

"What? What was funny that i missed?" He asked with Prue innocence in his tone making the ladder laugh even more

"Nothing Nothing, your shirts on backwards buddy"

"Darn"

"Haha!" Quackity couldn't help it, his laughter and smile slowly turned into a smirk as he got Charlie's attention once again

"You know who can help fix it?~" The teasy tone clear in his voice, still unnoticed to Charlie, he fell into the trap.

"Who?" The slime asked back with a small head tilt

His smirk grew in the the few seconds of scilence this face finally making the slime a little nervous as he bolted off with Quackity's words

"The Tickle Monster!" Jumping over the couch chasing after him Charlie started giggling

"Nohoho not the Tickle monster"

"Oh yes! He's back and only wants to help Charlie!"

Round and Around they went until Charlie got backed up tripping over the couch end falling onto the couch Quackity pouncing gently not to far after him

"Gotcha~"

The already Giggling Slime put his hands up in defense Quackity smiling as he ducked his wiggly fingers under his arms tickling his sides gently

Charlie bucked a bit going right back down Giggling as he felt the tickly sensations flow throughout his entire body

"Ee! Hahaha!"

"Yeahahah! That's right! Laugh for the tickle monster!" Quackity pulled his shirt up a bit scribbling his tickly fingers all over his stomach

"EEP! IHIHIT TIHIHICKLES!"

Quackity laughed along with the Slime, smiling as Charlie's face dusted a light green over his cheeks

Quackity moved back to his sides moving up to his ribs lightly tracing each individual bone

"Daww is that a blush i see?~"

"WhA-whahats a 'Blush?' Hehe!"

Quackity sighed giggling "nevermind that, Im gonna getcha'!" He skittered his fingers all over his ticklish torso

"Arms up for me bud"

"O-okahay Quackity from Lahas Nevadas!" Doing just that Quackity dragged his nails lightly down his arms. The Slime giggling all the way until the Casino man himself tickled his underarms again

"HAHaha!"

"Tickle Tickle tickleee~" The Duck Hybrid Smiled brightly as he tickled Charlies neck the slime scrunched up on his hand, lightly kicking out behind the duck hybrid, his blush growing by the minute

"Okay okahay im done!, but seriously arms up so i can turn your shirt around"

"Yohohou got it Quackity from Las Nevadas!" He put his arms up as Quackity fixed his shirt around quickly tickling his sides in the process

"EEP! HEhehEY!"

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

I hope you all enjoyedd :]

-K <3

[funnelcloudd]

Pro AuDHD tip also: if you can create a nice, comfortable, private workspace it makes a huge difference in your ability to focus and not get overwhelmed. Make it a space you really like being in. I’ve got one of those little fake fireplace space heaters, a blanket and a comfortable office chair. I’ve got a coaster for beverages and some nice speakers. The lighting is soft and pleasant. I look forward to sitting down there after work and relaxing while working on my classes.

Making the workspace stimulating is important too. I got an inexpensive but cute desk and put a lava lamp and a little toy on it, and the keyboard I got for my computer is mechanical and makes really satisfying clicky noises when I type. When I feel my attention slipping I can take a break for a couple minutes and mess around with the toy or watch my lava lamp. I can roll, rock, and swivel in my desk chair.

Going back to school has done wonders for my mental health, instant turnaround.

[woodlandcomforts]

How to Enjoy Winter (Even Though You’re an Adult and It’s Been a Terrible Year)

Surely most people can remember a time when they didn’t hate winter? When, even after the holidays, winter was one of the most exciting seasons? It meant playing in the snow with your friends, getting surprise day-offs from school, and drinking hot cocoa with teeny tiny marshmallows.

I still love winter, but every other person in my life hates it. To them it means waking up an hour early to shovel driveways in freezing temperatures and scrape ice off their cars, or shotgunning vitamin D in an attempt to stave off Seasonal Affective Disorder. And this year’s winter is being met with an extra dose of dread for obvious reasons.

So how do you enjoy winter like you did as a child? Obviously some things you can’t get back, especially this year, but.... most, you can, actually. Gatherings or no gatherings, you can still find the cozy sense of wonder that marked your childhood winters if you’re willing to try.

1. Go outside. Children aren’t afraid to go outside in the snow, and you shouldn’t be either. What exactly happens between childhood and adulthood that makes being slightly cold and playing in snow taboo?? Truly, I’d like to know. Even if it’s for a quick walk, being outside will make your house feel all the more welcoming, warm, and cozy. And if snow is falling, catch some on your tongue or on your hand, marvel at nature’s beautiful extremes and take a minute to appreciate snow for once instead of demonizing it. If you’ve got more time: _____a. Go for a longer winter hike and find some color (yes, there is still color out there!) and keep a look out for animal tracks, too. _____b. Bird watching is a great winter activity as well! There are plenty of birds around in the winter, and the backdrop of snow makes it easier to spot them, plus adds an extra elegance. _____c. Maybe you feel too old for snowmen or snow angels, but swedish snowball lanterns are easy to make and super pretty. _____d. PSA: Obviously if it’s blizzarding, don’t go outside, but a light snowfall is no reason to put off a walk. In fact, my favorite time to hike is when it’s snowing, because it means there are fewer people outside and the world becomes so clean and peaceful and soft.

2. Allow yourself days-off. Give yourself the gift of returning to that childhood joy of waking up and being told school is canceled. Whether that’s negotiating with your boss to allow you to work from home when it’s snowing/has snowed, or having the courage to call work and explain that you can’t make it in, or saving PTO for winter days when you wake up and look outside at your snow-covered car and just don’t want. I realize these are all privileges that not everyone has or can afford, but it’s also true that people (especially Americans) force themselves to work way harder than they need to. So really think about whether you can’t do these things, or whether you’ve been conditioned by society to believe you need to work yourself to the bone 24/7 and don’t deserve these things.

3. Lights! Warm lighting is so important in the winter, both because it makes up for the lack of sun, and because it’s a necessity in curating that cozy feel. Buy candles, or a string of lights / lanterns. If you’ve got the money, many electrical heaters have a realistic fireplace look! This one is only $60. Sitting next to a warm fire (real or fake!) with your favorite book or choice of hot drink is the exact formula for contentedness.

4. Eat your C. Oranges, tangerines, pomegranates, and persimmons are not only in season, they should be mainstays in your winter diet to give you that boost of vitamin C. They’re sweet and colorful, giving both your eyes and your taste buds something to enjoy, and they’re packing important nutrients into your body at the same time.

5. Bake. Nothing brings back happy winter thoughts like the spice of gingerbread cookies or the aroma of snickerdoodles. If ever there was a time to throw calorie counting to the wind, it’s in winter! You need those extra calories to stay warm, after all!

6. Or merrymake. Baking not your thing? You can still make hot cocoa, and add those teeny tiny marshmallows because why not! If you don’t like chocolate, you can warm up and spice (or spike) your own cider. Of course, tea or coffee is always an option, but you want to indulge, so if you always drink it, maybe consider breaking out the expensive stuff.

7. Winter activities. You don’t have to travel or pay resort fees to enjoy a sporty winter (or even be sporty!). Do you have a pool tube? Throw that sucker on a snowy hill and jump on! Don’t have a sled? Use a cardboard box! Layer duct tape over the bottom and sides (inside and out) to make it more water-proof. A large plastic laundry bin works, too. Speeding recklessly down a hill on your butt does not have to be a child-only activity. It’s still fun in adulthood, I promise.

8. Craft. Yes, the extra indoor time in winter is a good chance to pick up knitting or crochet, but there are plenty of other options if that’s not your style. Make your own snow globe or other ornaments, a pinecone wreath or any other number of DIY wreaths. Heck, if all of that sounds like too much work, go preschool and grab some paper and scissors and make paper snowflakes to tape to your windows. Nothing livens the home like homemade decorations, and nothing livens the spirit like creativity.

9. Create atmosphere. Embrace winter and bring it fully into your life. There are plenty of winter-ambience videos on youtube, or you can find/make a playlist of winter music. I personally love listening to snowstorm + crackling fire sounds while I’m falling asleep, but you can play your preferred winter sounds while reading, cleaning, baking, etc., to enjoy peak winter coziness.

In addition to all this, I have an entire post with various mori activities one can enjoy in the winter.

In general, if winter gets you down, take some pointers from Scandinavians and remember that a good or bad winter is all about mindset. Thinking of winter as dark and frigid will of course make you hate it, but all seasons have their downsides and you don’t focus on those to be miserable all year, do you? If you think of winter as cozy, beautiful, and full of treats, the good will begin to outweigh the bad and you can make every winter a time to look forward to instead of dreading.

[pechaberrii]

Hello! I’ve searched far to request a fluff of Raihan x reader where they make hot chocolate and watch snow fall from out the window, wrapped up in a blanket together by the fire. Love the writing and I hope you’re staying safe! xoxo - Sammy

aw thanks so much! it means a lot to me! hope you and everyone is staying safe! 💕 yes I’m posting winter fics during summer sue me

You weren’t expecting your day to go like this. A raging blizzard had swept over Hammerlocke in the early morning, preventing everyone from carrying out their daily activities. But you had to admit, you were a little grateful for the blizzard as it kept you home all day with Raihan, something that was rare due to his busy gym schedule.

“One steaming hot chocolate with extra sweetness for my sweetness,” You laughed at Raihan as he handed you the mug. He threw himself down beside you on the couch, his own mug held in his hand that didn’t wrap around your shoulders.

You took a sip of the hot chocolate, “Is this the new Tapu Cocoa I bought from the Alolan merchant last week?”

“Yeah,” Raihan gave you a big smile, “Thought it would be a good surprise. You’ve been working hard this week, you deserve something nice.” He leaned down and kissed you, pulling you close to him as he kissed you. The kiss broke and you laid your head on his shoulder. A comfortable silence fell over you two, the only sound heard was the faint sound of the howling wind from outside.

You thought your eyes had closed with how dark it suddenly got. You blinked a couple of times but when the darkness did not go away. You lifted your head from Raihan’s shoulder and looked around the room. The room was encased in darkness with faint lighting coming in from the window.

“Shit,” Raihan cursed as he stood up from the couch. He put his mug on the coffee table and you copied his actions. He walked over to the window and peered out of it, “Looks like the whole city is down. Energy Plant must have blown a fuse.” Raihan could make out the distant figures of the plant workers entering the Gym Stadium to go fix the problem.

“Hope it’s not all of Galar that’s out.” You appeared behind Raihan, arms wrapping around him. He hummed in response before turning around in your arms. “Is it just me or is it getting kind of cold in here?” You hugged him tighter as if you were trying to warm yourself on his body heat alone, which wasn’t hard as he was basically a human furnace.

Raihan smirked, his arms wrapping around you, “Oh, you’re cold? I can help you warm up,” He leaned down and started laying kisses along your jawline.

You rolled your eyes and smiled as you felt the kisses trail down to your neck. “No, you dummy. I mean,” You pulled away from Raihan and laughed as his arms remained in the air where you once were. “The heater went out with the power. It’s actually getting cold in here. Why don’t you get a fire started and I’ll find a blanket for us.” You were already on your way to the hall closet when you finished speaking.

“I’ll make the warmest fire you’ve ever felt.” You heard rustling coming from the living room as Raihan started his task to make the fire.

At the hall closet you pulled out a large, colorful blanket big enough to fit on a king’s bed. You ran your hand across the soft fabric, there was no intricate design on it that made it special but rather the story behind it. Your mother had gotten you this blanket for your two-year anniversary with Raihan. ‘Nothing beats the feeling of snuggling up with your beloved in a blanket.’ It was almost as if your mother knew that a day like this would come by.

“Ow!” Raihan’s shout of pain brought your attention back to the current situation. You left the closet and entered the living room to find Raihan in front of the fireplace, a bright fire crackling and him erratically waving his hand around.

“Burn yourself?” You laughed when Raihan looked back at you and pouted. You sat on the couch, blanket draped over your shoulders, and grabbed your mug of hot chocolate. “Come here,”

Raihan quickly joined you on the couch and underneath the large blanket. He picked up his own mug and clinked it against yours in a fake symbol of toast. You let out another laugh before taking a sip from your drink, immediately enjoying how it had cooled down enough to not scald you. Another silence fell over the room with the crackling fire being the only sound.

“Looks like the snow has calmed down.” You looked out the window and noticed that the blizzard had settled to a light snowfall.

Raihan’s response was to pull you closer to him as he looked out the window as well, watching the snow fall silently to the ground. You rested your head on his shoulder, small smile on your face. Maybe the day didn’t go as you had expected, but you wouldn’t change a thing about it.

[raspberryconverse]

So I spent half of the holiday at the World's Largest Laundromat (along with half of Berwyn and Cicero because...)

Then I came home and helped my spouse finishing moving everything out of our basement because we have cleanup people coming tomorrow to spray everything so we don't get mold. I may have had several meltdowns in the process. I'm very tired and stressed out and overwhelmed.

For those keeping score, we bought our house a week before we got married last year (closed on April 29). Here's what's happened:

Rewired half the house because nothing was grounded

New sump pump and garbage disposal (thanks, FIL!)

New hot water heater

New shower valve because we weren't getting hot water upstairs

Half the roof (because we didn't think we could afford the whole thing, which as you read the list will see was probably a good call)

Redone drain tile system because we discovered after minor flooding last year that apparently it was put in backwards

New furnace

Mold remediation in one of the bedrooms that the inspector couldn't see because it was behind wood paneling (also why we had half the roof replaced)

Walls replaced after mold remediation

New range (the one that came with the house never heated to the right temperature and lost heat after about 15 min)

New central AC unit

Fireplace chimney capped because the inspection we got for the city (a requirement after buying a house as-is) deemed it not safe to use (we'll put in a fake one soon)

8 inches of water in the basement on Sunday

We still need a new fridge because the freezer ices up and then leaks into the refrigerator, but that money is being spent on having the basement cleaned up professionally because it's still wet and so we don't get mold later. Our garage roof leaks like a sieve and obviously we need to get the other half of the roof replaced too. We also need new windows, but we'll just do the plastic for now because *gestures upward*

I mean, we've done fun stuff too, like paint and buy artwork, but it's hard to motivate yourself when shit keeps hitting the fan.

Apparently my MIL told my spouse we should sell, but honestly, we've put so much into it and moving is very stressful and I honestly don't want to do it again until we can afford to pay people to pack us (or an employer pays for it), so even if my spouse really wanted to, I'd refuse. And when they opened up YouTube on the TV after we finished for the day, the search that was pulled up was "selling when your house is underwater."

"It was a very stressful day and I don't want to talk about it."

Also, just for fun, this article has a video of someone kayaking down the street in my town. It's not by my house because my neighborhood is all 2 story brick Georgians and the houses with the parapets are further north.

My basement has been flooding on and off all day because the sewer is backing up from the rain and I'm just scrolling Tumblr because I don't have the spoons to deal with it.

[lacrossepapi]

Somehow Still Fall-ing For You

This is for @rebakitt3n​ who was mourning the death of fall due to holiday enthusiasts like myself so I decided to take a moment and think about why I love autumn! 

Ao3: Link

"I don't care!" 

Peter sighed, his lover's tantrum bringing forth a burst of fondness more than annoyance.

"Peter, can you believe it? Everyone's acting like Halloween was some kind of spooky religion, and now that it's over they're all 'Christmas time is finally here!' and 'Don't skip Thanksgiving!' what happened to enjoying fall?!" Stiles huffed, his hands dramatically waving about. 

"Truly a tragedy, darling." Peter humored him quietly, his eyes glancing about to make sure Stiles didn't rile up some holiday fanatic nearby. 

"Fall is the best time of the year. It's cold enough to leave the air conditioning, but not so cold you have to seek out the heater. There's early nights and beautiful leaves." Stiles' speech went from angry to romantic as he thought about all the ways Autumn made him feel at peace. 

"And it truly is the best time for fashion." Peter agreed. 

"Yes! Scarves are back, but in a fashionable way instead of the functional way they're worn in winter. And apples! I love apples! And cinnamon brown sugar candles! And bonfires!" Stiles gripped Peter forearm with an earnest expression as they exited the park. 

"I'm more of a pumpkin man myself." Peter opened Stiles' door for him, the younger man pausing his tirade long enough for Peter to walk around and get in the car. 

"You prefer pumpkin because you're a culinary heathen. I just get so frustrated by how fast everyone moves through fall as if this whole season doesn't make them want to just slow down and cuddle by the fire." Stiles sighed out, slumping in his seat. 

"We can't certainly do that any time you wish, pet." Peter gripped his husband's hand, giving it a squeeze to let him know he understood. 

They drove back from their date in companionable silence, occasionally singing along to the songs on the radio. Stiles still smelled of frustration, but it was old and disappearing more and more by the minute. 

"Thank you for today." The younger man smiled at Peter as he stepped out of the car and into Peter's arms. 

"Anything for you, my love." Peter hummed, pulling Stiles in closer for a moment before turning to unlock the door. 

Instead of returning to his study to finish up his work for the day, Peter took a detour to the spare bedroom and grabbed the old comforter he'd bought when they'd first moved in. He slid his hand into his husband's and pulled the man with him back into the living room. Stiles sat on the couch patiently with a pleased smile as Peter pulled the pillows off the couches and made a little nest in front of the fireplace. 

"I could put a movie on the TV, but we'd have to crane our necks to see it properly. Do you mind watching it on a laptop with me?" Peter offered, pulling Stiles down into the floor beside him. 

"I don't mind anything if it's with you." Stiles replied with a kiss. 

-

Stiles had forgotten about his tangent on holidays stealing the best time of the year away from people by the morning Peter woke him up with soft kisses and a gentle command to wake up and pack a bag. 

"Wwwaa??" Was all Stiles could say for a long time as Peter fluttered around the room, packing both of them a bag. 

"Darling come now, you need to shower and get ready or we'll be late." Peter kissed his forehead before pulling him to his feet and guiding him into the bathroom. 

"Late?" His question fell on deaf ears as Peter shut the door, trapping him in the bathroom to get ready. 

After a wonderful shower Stiles opened the bathroom door to see clothes laid out on the bed for him already. He smiled as he pulled on the warm sweater and left his bedroom. Following the sounds of Peter cooking breakfast, Stiles was greeted by the sight of his beautiful husband making his favorite breakfast. 

"I don't deserve you sometimes." 

Peter looked at him with a soft smile before replying, "You deserve the world and everything in it, darling." 

"And you deserve more." Stiles assured him, the exchange routine and still full of love. 

"I packed your bag and after we eat we'll hit the road." Peter set his plate down in front of him and kissed his head once before seating himself. 

"Where are we going?"

"The cabin. I've never gotten the chance to take you there around this time of the year, but I think you'll like it much more than you do in the summer." Peter smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners. 

Stiles gasped thinking of the sights he was about to see, "Oh Peter! It's going to be gorgeous out there in the woods. Nothing but beautiful Autumn leaves!"

"And the evergreens contrast it quite nicely." 

-

The cabin was amazing as always, but there was something magical about the way the wind rustles the trees. Leaves were falling all around them as they enjoyed their picnic in the crisp air. Stiles found himself relaxing even further onto Peter’s shoulder, the werewolf gladly accepting his weight. 

“Can we stay here forever?” 

“Darling, if we stay here forever all the good apples will be picked.” 

Stiles jolted upright, his eyes widening and his heart racing. 

“We’re going to an orchard?” 

Peter nodded, a smile pulling at his lips. 

Stiles lunged at him, throwing his entire body onto his husband, “I’ve never been apple picking!” 

Peter fake groaned before letting out a faux-strained, “I know.” 

Stiles wiggled until he was comfortably sitting in Peter’s lap. 

“You’re so good to me.”

“Only the best for my sweet husband, don’t you agree?” Peter’s eyes were shining in the afternoon sun as he gently ran his fingers up and down Stiles’ back. 

“Whole heartedly, my love.” Stiles grinned, fierce and full of devotion, into the face of the man he would never stop loving.

[bluepenguinstories]

Remoras Full Chapter XI: Tiger Beat

Breakfast was always a great time. If the penguin man didn’t get up and make breakfast, I would. I made pancakes, waffles, crepes, scrambled eggs, and other yummy things. The morning after Ray’s wife, Sunny, and Demetria came home, I awoke with the biggest yawn and stretch ever.

My room was dark, but that was okay! It wasn’t my room, I just slept there when I stayed the night over at the restaurant. Back at my other room, the door was open a lot, and the fireplace was always lit. It made for a nice nightlight. Too bad we didn’t have that in this room!

It was dark, but I saw a hand dangling off of the bed next to me. I reached over and high-fived it. Well, not high. Down low.

“Snooze you lose!” I stuck out my tongue at my weird older sister. She was asleep, even tho she moved a lot in her sleep. She also chattered her teeth a lot in her sleep. I would often her a lot, “go see a dentist!”

“If someone tries to look at my teeth, I’ll bite them,” she’d say, and then I’d call her crankypants and she’d cross her arms because she knew I was right. Adults could be dumb sometimes.

Anyway, yes: I slept on the floor while Crankypants slept on the bed. But I was okay with that, because I slept in a sleeping bag and I was always more comfortable than my cranky sister. There were three sisters I often saw, and one penguin man. One was tall and cranky, one was tall and happy, and the other was short and loud. All together they were fun to be around because I was smarter than all of them.

After a good wriggle, I ran out the room. Before I did, I declared:

“If you sleep too much, you’ll miss breakfast!” Of course, it might have been AM in the morning. Remora told me a lot that whenever it was AM in the morning, she didn’t like to be awake. I would tell her, “it’s always AM in the morning,” then she’d put on sunglasses and go back to bed.

That was one of the weird older sisters. The main one. The other one also wasn’t a morning person, but she was a small person. Sometimes I would do fun things with her, but that morning, I decided to let her sleep, because I wanted to use the mixer and make strawberry pancakes and the mixer was loud. So if she slept, I could be as loud as I wanted.

The last sister slept upstairs in Ray’s bed. Sunny was the most fun sister, but I’ve only hung around her for a few days. The other day, Ray let me sleep in his and Sunny’s bed, but he didn’t sleep in his bed that night. He slept in a chair.

I wasn’t sure how adults could sleep in chairs. Or in the same beds. Or in uncomfortable beds. But adults were weird and that was a fact and I slept in a sleeping bag.

There was a lot of prep work to do in the kitchen. That was the biggest thing Ray taught me when he taught me to bake and cook. First, I had to get a big bowl. Then, I had to get flour. Then, there were fresh strawberries. The last part confused me, since strawberries didn’t grow up there.

Once I had everything, it was time to mix. I laughed maniacally as I watched it splash all over the place.

Ray says I can make a mess as long as I clean it up, so I’ll make a mess worth cleaning up after.

Things were going pretty well. I dropped loads and loads of strawberries. Maybe a customer would come (doubt it. It’s always just the five of us), but if not, then maybe I could share a breakfast with everyone! That would be great!

I stuck my finger in the mix and licked my finger.

“Hmm...needs more strawberry!”

More laughter, more flour, more water, more mix. I wasn’t sure yet how many people I could feed, but I knew I could at least feed myself with all the mix I was making. But before I could actually cook the pancakes, I heard knocking on the door to the kitchen.

It could be a ghost. Or a robber. Keep your cool, don’t hide, and –

“Stay back! I’ve got a ladle!”

“Tigershark, honey, what are you doing?” Sunny asked. She entered, and her voice sounded really tired and low, like Remora’s sometimes.

“I’m making pancakes for breakfast!”

“It’s 5 AM and people are trying to sleep.”

“I know! That’s why I’m making them now, so it doesn’t bother anyone when they’re awake!”

Sunny yawned, then smiled a small smile. Not one of the bright Sunny ones. More like sunrise.

“I’m going back to bed. Can you try to keep it down out here?” She yawned once more while talking.

“What down?”

“The noise.”

“Sure! It will be a quiet cooking!”

“Have fun, dear.”

“Hey!” I called for her.

“Yes?”

“What do you want in your pancake?” It was important to know what the customer wanted, otherwise you could make them something and they wouldn’t like it. Maybe Sunny wasn’t a customer, but it was fun to think that she was.

“How about bacon?”

“We don’t have bacon! They’re going to be strawberry pancakes!”

“Mm. That sounds good, too.”

I grinned. Approval!

In the afternoon, I sat with Remora at the diner. She never did end up getting up to get her pancakes. Neither did Sunny or Demetria. I had to save them all in plastic baggies.

Aw, now they’ll get all soggy.

But that was fine. Everyone ate something, and I had the best breakfast of all. For lunch, I had the best lunch of all: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with apple slices and ranch dressing!

Remora stared. Either at my sandwich or me. Her head kept bobbing up and down and it was a bit funny but she could have hit her head on the table and that wouldn’t have been good.

“Did you get enough sleep?” I asked.

“You know I never get much sleep,” she answered. “I often jolt up in the middle of the night and start shivering. The shivers don’t stop and that’s when I notice my heart rate spike, which it then takes forever for it to get back down. Then, my tired eyes drift off, but not for long.”

“If your shivering is keeping you awake, just stop,” I told her.

“It’s not that easy.”

“I don’t have a problem with your shivering.”

“Yes, because you’re not the one doing it.”

“You should try the sleeping bag. I don’t shiver in it.”

She shook her head. “That’s not the problem.”

“I don’t get it.”

“I wish I could explain it…”

“You should eat. You haven’t had breakfast.” I swear, adults were trouble like that. Ray would say that breakfast was the most important meal of the day and my big sister would sometimes forget that, which meant I had to remind her.

“Now that you mention it, I am hungry.”

That was my chance!

“I have pancakes! Strawberry!” I announced and was excited to say so.

“I don’t want those. Give me your sandwich.”

“No.”

“Make me one.”

“What’s the magic word?” Sometimes I had to teach her manners, as well, even though she liked to lecture others about things like honesty and being polite.

“Please. Now.”

“No,” I shook my head. “But I can make you some hot chocolate! With nutmeg!” Hot chocolate might have been the better choice than a sandwich, because hot chocolate was hot, and hot meant no shivers.

“Ew. Why would you put nutmeg in hot chocolate?” She made fake barf sounds.

“Ray taught me! He said it added flavor to the hot chocolate!”

“Yeah, a gross flavor.”

I stuck out my tongue, she stuck hers out right back.

“Give me your sandwich,” she repeated.

“No,” I told her right back.

She reached her arm across the table and I did my best to hold the sandwich away. When it seemed like she was about to grab it, I opened my mouth wide.

“SOMEONE! AN ADULT IS BULLYING ME!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

“What? No I’m not!” Remora tried to act innocent, as if anyone would believe her. She must’ve known no one would believe her, because she leaned over and put her hand over my mouth. I was surprised that her hand would be so warm. Maybe she had been sitting next to the heater vents again. Or maybe she went back to her house in the middle of the night, put her hand up to her fireplace, then came back to the diner. That might have explained the shivering, too!

She let go and I looked around hoping there would be another adult or two to scold Remora. But there wasn’t.

“No one heard me…” I whispered.

Maybe if mom and dad were around they could scold Remora or give her a time out. But if they were around, they wouldn’t. It took a lot to get them to pay attention, especially when they said they were busy with research.

If not them, maybe Sunny or Ray could have shown up and told Remora to stop being mean to me. But they didn’t hear me. Or they did, but neither of them came.

It didn’t have to be those two, either. But I didn’t know who else.

I began to sniffle and after two more times, I caught myself, but I couldn’t stop.

“Are you about to cry?” Remora asked me. It was just like the first time she showed up.

I shook my head really fast.

“You are, aren’t you?” She asked again.

I wiped my face. It was all wet. Then I knew that I already started. It was all her fault, too!

“Why?” She asked and it sounded weird.

“I...I don’t know,” I sniffed and felt it come down again. “I started thinking of things...and…”

“Well, cry if you need to.”

I took a napkin and wiped my nose with it. Then I took another napkin and wiped my eyes.

“Why do you make me cry?” I asked back.

“I don’t. I don’t make you do anything.”

“No, not in a mean way. But you tell me to do it.”

“I just don’t want you to be like me.”

That also sounded weird, because I couldn’t be like her and she couldn’t be like me. If I was going to be like anyone, I would be like Sunny. Or Ray, but I didn’t want to be a penguin. Maybe a polar bear. Even though it was already impossible because I was already me, there must have been some reason why she said it.

“Would that be bad?”

“Yes,” she said back, and lowered her head so that it was on the table.

“That’s bad manners,” I reminded her.

“I don’t care.”

I finished my sandwich and started dipping my apples in ranch dressing.

“The table could be dirty! Someone might have licked it!”

“That’s gross, but it’s too late to go back now,” she sounded tired.

I crossed my arms. “You should sleep in a bed. Also, why is it bad to be like you?”

“Because I am bad.”

“How are you bad? Do you pee without flushing?”

“I can’t explain.”

“If you don’t explain, I won’t know!”

Speechless. Not a word in her defense. Boom. Checkmate. King me. I sunk her battleships.

I wanted to say “you’re not bad, because you couldn’t tell me why”, but I didn’t do that, because when I was going to, she looked up and opened her mouth and was about to tell me something until a fart noise was heard and she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

“Your phone makes funny noises,” I pointed out.

“Yes. I know. I put it on vibrate, but it ought to be silenced.”

“I will allow it!” I boasted, the kind and merciful ruler I decided to be.

“Whatever you say, princess,” she teased, then looked down at her phone. Whoever messaged her sent a jolt to her, and she looked over to me.

“What?” She sounded mad. Probably because I looked at her like she was weird, because she was. What? It was true.

“Nothing,” I shrugged and dipped another apple slice in creamy ranch goodness.

“Just a text from a ‘friend’,” she told me. “Well, someone I met who wanted to be friends with me. I said sure, but I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Yeah you do. You wanted to make a friend.”

“It’s not that I’m opposed to the idea. It’s just not something I’m used to. I know nothing about it.”

“You’ve old and you don’t have friends. You must have had one or two at some point,” I pointed out. Some adults were like that. Making things up because they forgot. If there were more people like me, adults might not have made so much stuff up.

But Remora was a tough one. More stubborn than a lasagna that was still cold after two hours in the oven. She laughed at my reminder.

“Actually, no. If you can believe it. Which, I know it’s hard to believe, and it’s not for a lack of others trying. But I just couldn’t stand being around others. Then, there was the matter of when I first arrived in the arctic, a couple years ago. I know it’s cliché, but, I didn’t come here to make friends. Quite the opposite. I wanted to hide away, spend the rest of my days in isolation and solitude.”

“And now you have me! And yummy food!” I told her on the bright side and she nodded.

“I just get this feeling, like...maybe there’s a version of me out there who wanted to have friends, but the problem is that I showed up instead.”

Hmm...I didn’t know how many versions of people existed, but there were a lot of people out there. Not like doppelganger, but maybe there was a couple of people who were like each other. Like a long lost twin or something. But I didn’t know what that had to do with her friend texting her.

“Are you going to answer the text?” I pointed to her phone.

“Ugh. I forgot.” She handed it to me. “Here. Wanna pretend to be me for a bit? You can make a new friend.”

“Sure!” My hands were messy and wasn’t the best speller but I had napkins and I could spell good enough.

“Her name is Ves,” she told me.

“Okay!” I grinned. I read her first message and then typed:

Ves: Hi. Is this a good time? I just wanted to see how you were doing.

Me: Hi vest!

Ves: Vest? Why am I a vest?

Me: I don’t know I’m making a chicken rizodo for dinner

Ves: Risotto?

Me: I don’t know what that is

Ves: Uh...well. In any case. I didn’t know you cooked. That’s quite a surprise.

Me: Ray taught me

Ves: Ray?

Me: hes a penguin man

Ves: I see…

Ves: Do you want to talk to Juniper?

Me: Whos that?

Ves: You met her, remember?

I looked up.

“Who is Juniper?” I asked.

“Her wife.”

“Oh...I see!” So this was all a group thing. I texted again:

Me: You’re old huh?

Ves: I’m not much older than you.

Me: I’m almost 10

Ves: What

I got another text right after that from someone else. The name said Juniper, so it must have been the one Ves wanted me to talk to. The message had a picture of some grown up lady with blonde hair and pigtails doing a peace sign and had a grin on her face. I had no idea who the person could be, so I just replied how I thought Remora would.

Me: Oooh pretty lady

Juniper: HLJFDKJSJ thaNSK!!

Me: Are you OK?

Juniper: Yes >:D

Me: That’s a mean face

Juniper: nO!!! D:

I couldn’t think of anything else to say and so I gave the phone back to Remora and told her, “you should make more friends so I have more people to talk to.”

She looked at her phone and pressed a few keys and then showed me the phone.

“This is what you’re supposed to do when someone sends you a selfie: you send them a meme.”

I looked at the screen and Remora sent Juniper’s selfie back at her, except with words in white on the image.

“I’m...a...bottom...text?” I read it and didn’t understand.

“What? What? No. It was supposed to say ‘I’m a huge dork’. Ugh. I blame the site.”

“What would I say as a meme?” I asked her and she said, “How about a reference to a song, like ‘what’s cooler than being cool? The sweet release of death! Alright, alright, alright, alright’?”

Hm. I didn’t like that. It needed its own twist. Remora handed me the phone and then I sent the message:

Me: What’s cooler than death? Pudding!

Juniper: death by pudding? owo

Me: NO! Did you poison the pudding?

Juniper: Nah, that’s something Ves would do, and I mean that in a very loving way.

I couldn’t think of what to say to that, so I gave Remora her phone back. When I looked up, she was staring off into space as if she was dead.

“Hello?” I waved my hand in front of her.

“I was just thinking: do I even want friends?” She asked, and I would have said that she asked me that, but it sounded like she didn’t ask anyone in particular.

“It’s not a definite ‘no’,” she also said. “Just a...I don’t know. For that matter, what I want isn’t quite clear to me. Last night, I was asked if I even wanted to be here. I didn’t know how to answer. I still don’t. I’ve already left a couple times. But even if I’m here by choice, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s where I want to be, does it?”

“You can always go back to your place,” I reminded her.

“Do I want to be there, either? Is there a place for me anywhere?”

“Probably! There’s plenty of room here, and at your house! But I get why you don’t hang around there as much. It’s kind of gloomy.”

“I wish I knew how to answer. Worse, I still can’t figure it out.” Well, it looked like she would be focused on that question for a while. I said something to cheer her up.

“If it’s a problem, I’m sure you’ll figure it out! Because you’re good at taking care of problems!”

She sighed. “Not all of them…”

“All of the problems are a lot of problems,” I told her.

“If I want to be here, why? What reason would I have? And if I don’t, then why do I keep coming here?”

“You’re still hung up on that?” I heard a familiar mousy voice say. I turned and saw Demetria holding a brook! I forgot that Ray made her clean up the diner when there wasn’t any customers. When I would peak around to see her clean, sometimes I would jump and scare her (best thing to do) or tell her to pick the gum off from under the tables and eat them (she never did that).

I looked at Remora and she glared at Demetria without saying anything in response.

“Look, I’m sorry. It just came out last night. If I recall, I said the same thing to my cousin’s wife at their wedding because she looked uncomfortable. So I think that’s all it was.”

Speaking of uncomfortable, I sure felt it. Especially because Remora continued to not say anything and kept making a scary glare. I snuck out from my seat so I could hide behind Demetria and scare her. At least then it would be funny. Better than feeling bad.

“I-I don’t even think you need to have an answer,” Demetria backed away. I did too because I wasn’t ready to scare her yet. She had to turn around first. “For what it’s worth, I want you to be here. But...I also know this isn’t about me, so...I’m just going to leave you alone now…” Before I could back away, Demetria bumped into me and she turned around. On cue, I roared and went “boo!”

“Eep!” She squeaked and jumped. I laughed, because she fell over and it was a funny sound when she squeaked when she was scared. She looked around before she scrambled to get up. It was even better when she ran off because then I could chase her. I did so and she ran off and it was fun, but she stopped and so did I because of an “ahem” sound. Me and Demetria both looked to see Remora get up from her seat. She said something like this: “Do I want to be here? To be honest, the answer doesn’t matter because I’m uncomfortable everywhere. Wherever I go, I feel the same, so if I wanted to be somewhere, I would be nowhere. But that is not an option. Not even in my own home, if it can even be called that, have I felt comfort. I’ve stuck my hand in open flames just to feel some sort of warmth, and yes, I did burn my hand, but I still felt the same.”

Both me and Demetria said nothing. We looked at her. I think she wanted to make a bold statement and wasn’t expecting awkward silence because she looked around and looked scared and her hands shook.

“W-What?” She panicked and her teeth chattered. “Don’t look at me like that!”

I looked at Demetria and she made finger guns at Remora.

“I getcha, sis! I happen to be uncomfortable all the time, too!”

I think I was scared too. I didn’t know what could have scared her, but it scared me and I didn’t think Demetria made her less scared.

“Both...both of you. Give me space.” She lowered her voice while still being scared and scary. Maybe she saw me and wanted to calm herself down? Then, she said: “Go outside. Tigershark, the weather is nice. You should run around and play. You’re tough. Demetria, you need to get out more. You spend too much time in your room and it’s clear your brain is rotting.”

We both listened to her and Demetria and me went outside. It was nice to still have a friend to play with, even if I wasn’t wearing the right clothes to be outside. Even in the summers it was only a little more than 0 degrees.

“Brr...so much fun,” I told myself. It wasn’t very good, so I ran back in to the room Remora and I stayed in and grabbed the parka that Remora gave to me. She said she made it herself, but I had my doubts. For one, I never saw her make any clothes before. Two, I didn’t have a two, but one was enough! It was just like how she said she built her house herself even though I didn’t picture her being much of a builder.

At least the parka kept me warm, and that was important. I ran back outside and when I passed the dining area, I didn’t see Remora sitting in her spot.

I went outside and saw Sunny stretching in work out clothes. When I saw her I grinned and ran toward her.

“Sunny! What are you doing?” I asked. I was excited just to see her.

“Heya! I’m doing some warm ups! It’s good to do because it’s cold outside.” She laughed after saying that, but it didn’t sound like a joke.

“I want to do something fun!” I told her.

“Yeah!” She was just excited as I was, I could tell she was. She bent down and stretched her arm out.

“Wanna swing onto my arm? If so, grab on!”

I did! And then she stood back up. Her arms were stretched and I swung around on them. Sunny was just like a monkey bar!

“Hey Demetria!” Sunny called over. “Wanna join in? I bet I could hold both of you!”

Demetria sat next outside the door to the diner. Her head was down but she looked up when Sunny called for her. Demetria told Sunny, “no thanks. I’m not childish like you two.”

“Suit yourself!”

Sunny was the most fun of the bunch, but I might have already said that once or twice. I got a good swing in and then decided to let go and jump off. Sunny got started, and I landed in the snow, but I was okay. I did sneeze, though.

“Yay!” I raised my hands up. Then I ran over to Demetria and told her how fun it was.

“That’s neat, but look over there,” she pointed. I looked where she pointed and Remora was sitting on a rock with her sniper rifle. She looked through it and looked around, then she sighed and dismantled it. “Isn’t she cool?” She asked me.

I shrugged. “Not really. She’s boring.”

“What would you know? You’re just a kid.”

There it was. The dumb thing adults liked to say.

“I know a lot! I live with her!” I argued.

My argument won because she snapped her fingers and her eyes widened. I was so smart.

“That’s right! Then you must know things about her!”

I shrugged again. I had shoulders and was going to use them.

“Like, about things she likes, maybe?” She went on to ask.

“Sure. She likes fairy tales,” I told her.

“Fairy tales? No. That can’t be right. I picture her watching action movies and owning a punching bag. Fairy tales don’t seem her style.”

Action movies...something like Spy Kids? I remembered how Ray let me watch it once, but I didn’t understand half of it.

“Why do you think that?” I asked her. “She doesn’t have a TV and she might have a computer, but I never see her get it out. Maybe it would be more fun if she did like those things, because then we could watch them together.”

“Oh yeah! I’d like to do that too because then maybe I could hold onto her during the scary parts and even fall asleep next to her!” She said back. It was a weird thing to say.

“Why would you watch it if you just want to fall asleep? You could do that anywhere. And there’s no punching bag in her house. That’s something me or Sunny likes more.”

“Huh. Fairy tales and no action. I just thought she was like one of those comic book characters. I mean, she’s killed people. Did you know that? And she’s all muscly, got a mysterious past, and has a sniper rifle.”

None of those things sounded all that interesting.

“Yeah, she uses it to go hunting, but hunting is pretty boring. It’s mostly waiting around and being quiet. It’s a lot like fishing. But I like fishing! It’s funny when you reel one up and they wiggle around!”

“Those poor fish!” She gasped.

Yep. She was always going to be the small weird sister.

I decided to head back inside because I needed to prepare dinner early so there would be enough time to cook it. Ray taught me how to make a lot of food. Before when it was just me and Remora, we would eat cooked fish and sometimes elk meat, but that was it. Ray taught me about flair and spices. He would say that good food needed flair and he was right.

While preparing the chicken dish, I started to wonder where Ray was. I didn’t see him all day. It wasn’t that late in the day, but he was usually more out and about.

He was probably being a lazy penguin and hibernating in bed. Though I didn’t see him after dinner was made, either. When I ate dinner, it was the same crowd of Sunny, Demetria, Remora, and me. At least Sunny and I shared a dish of the chicken (the name was hard to say). Still didn’t make up for the fact that there was no Ray, but I could forgive it.

What I could not forgive was the other two’s lack of chicken. Not only that, but the lack of flair! Someone had to correct it! I got out of my seat to do just that.

First was Remora with her fish. It looked like she had attempted to make sushi, but instead of seaweed, she used some of the zucchini that I made the chicken dish with.

“Remora! That fish is so raw we could throw it back in the water!” I told her off.

“I’ll do just that after I’m done eating it,” she joked. Her lack of care for her diet was so obvious, it hurt.

“Okay, Tiger Ramsay,” Demetria spoke up. I think she didn’t know that she was the next victim. I went over to her table and saw the basic salad.

“Look at that salad! It’s so bland! Where are the proteins?” I judged her with my arms held out.

“Really? In front of my salad?” She whined. “Sheesh, Tiger Chef. I’ve got green beans in my salad. Isn’t that good enough?”

I grinned. Yes. I was the tiger chef. But even with such high praise, there was no Ray. I asked Sunny about it and she told me he was “under weather” but that didn’t make sense. He was under a roof. And if it meant that he was sick, then that also didn’t make sense, because he was fine yesterday.

When it was next morning, there was also no Ray. Also, whatever Ray had Remora must have also caught because she didn’t want to get out of bed. It wasn’t even super early in the morning.

“Come on, take me fishing!” I begged her. “The weather’s fine and everything!”

“Nn...no. I’m cold and tired,” she mumbled. “Get me another blanket.”

I went into one of the many closets in the diner (none of them contained skeletons even though Remora once said Ray must have some) and grabbed a blanket for her. When I returned, I threw them at her.

“There! Now let’s go out!”

“No. I’m still cold and tired. Turn the heater up for me.”

I found the dial thing out in the hallway and turned it so it would get hotter. I returned once again and she said no again.

“What else do you want me to do?” I whined. I just wanted to go out and she was being dumb and mean.

“Find me a reason to live,” she mumbled. That was a weird thing to bring her, but I thought about it and the answer was obvious: she wanted pudding.

“Okay! I’ll be back in an hour or two!” I said with a smile. At least there was that. I liked to make food.

Maybe this morning I’ll see Ray in the kitchen and he could show me how to make a pudding with flair!

Ray wasn’t in the kitchen. Just me. That was OK. There were recipe books and one of them had chocolate pudding.

Just like yesterday morning, Sunny walked in and asked me what I was doing.

“I’m making pudding!” I cheered.

“I see...and why’s it so hot in here?”

“Because Remora told me to!”

“Honey…” Sunny sounded like she was about to say something else and then didn’t.

“I wanted her to take me fishing, but she doesn’t want to get out of bed. So when she eats the pudding, she’ll have a reason to live, and then we’ll go fishing!” I explained.

“Oh dear…” Sunny said in the same way she said honey.

“I know! It’s terrible! She might have caught what Ray has, so I need to make pudding!”

Sunny gave a thumbs up. “I’m not sure what Ray has, but he’s probably fine! As for Remora...I’ll talk to her.”

As soon as Sunny left, I stopped with the pudding making. That was because I knew adults could be mean and I didn’t want Sunny to be mean. Even though Sunny was least mean on the mean scale.

So I followed behind and did my best not to be heard. She entered the room, and I stood outside with my ear up to the door. I could hear pretty good.

“Are you doing okay?” It was Sunny’s voice.

“I’m as okay as I am any other day,” and that was definitely Remora.

“How come you don’t want to get out of bed?”

“Do I need a reason to stay in bed?”

“No. Usually I wouldn’t bother. You’re free to do as you please, as Ray would say. We used to have drunk patrons at the diner all the time and they’d get so wasted that they’d sleep in the same room you’re in. In the morning, they’d still be there, ‘cause damn, they were hammered so hard. You should’ve seen it!” She laughed really hard. I think even if I wasn’t at the door, I would have heard her laugh.

“So what’s the problem?” Remora again with her stubbornness.

“Well, it’s just that Tigershark wanted to go out fishing, and then I find her making pudding and she tells me you wanted a reason to live. What’s all that about?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t tell her to make pudding.”

“But you said the other part?”

“Yeah? So? It’s just banter.”

“Remora, are you depressed?”

I didn’t know that word, but Sunny’s voice made it sound like it was some kind of sick you could catch.

“I know what being depressed means and so I don’t think I am. I’m just having an off day. I feel like an ice cube.”

“Couldn’t you have told Tigershark that? That you were having an off day?”

Yeah! Tell me things! I didn’t know it was your day off from fishing!

“You’re right. I thought I was being honest enough, but I need to be more clear sometimes.”

“Thank you! That’s refreshing hearing from you! I’ll tell Tigershark you’re having an off day! I’m sure she’ll understand!” Sunny sounded much less concerned and much more cheery. But I heard my name, and she was walking back up to the door, so I had to run back to the kitchen.

It was too late. When I went to run, she caught me.

“I knew it!” She grabbed me and lifted me up. She had an evil grin on her face. “You were eavesdropping!”

I shook my head “no!”

She set me down. She sat next to me even though I was standing and I had my arms crossed and I was mad but I wasn’t sure why yet.

“So you must have heard, but Remora’s having an off day, so looks like you two won’t be going fishing.”

“But! Pudding!” I argued.

“Yes, I know. It was a nice thought.”

“I want to go outside! It’s good weather and I want to do fun things but she doesn’t wanna! She’s boring!” I got louder.

“Well, maybe you and I could go out and do something together?”

“Remora’s a boomer!” I wasn’t finished and it was rude I got interrupted when I didn’t think of everything yet.

Sunny snorted. Even more ruder to do.

“Wh...what?”

“Boomer! Remora told me that’s what dumb adults are, and she’s a dumb adult! So she’s a boomer!”

“God, I am so bad at talking to kids,” Sunny said quieter, but still a bit of a laugh. “I’m sure we can do something fun though, right?”

“Yes! I want to go fishing, and I want to go ice skating, and I want a pet arctic fox, or a wolf, and I want to wrestle sharks!”

“No. No pets,” I looked up and saw Remora behind Sunny. Guess that did the trick.

“Whew, saved,” Sunny whispered, even though I could hear her just fine.

Remora went up to me. “Sorry, maybe we’ll go somewhere tomorrow.”

“Okay!” I cheered. I was just happy to hear the words “go somewhere.”

Soon news got even better: I turned around and Ray was there! He really was! “What’s with all the commotion?” He asked and he sounded weak.

“Ray! It’s me!” I jumped up. He smiled.

“Why, hello, kiddo.”

Everything was so much better than a few minutes ago. Sunny didn’t sound as sunny, though.

“Um. Hun? Why is your arm all purple?” She pointed at him. I looked and yeah, he wasn’t wearing his usual long sleeves and they were.

“Oh, this? It’s just frostbite,” and he didn’t seem worried, so I wasn’t worried. But then, Remora spoke, and she just had that habit to bring worry with her.

“Oh yeah. ‘Just’ frostbite. As if that’s not a serious thing. Not to mention, it’s more than that, isn’t it?”

Sunny added on, “now that you mention it, I haven’t seen you move your arm at all since I got back.”

Ray closed his eyes and smiled. Maybe he was about to say something silly. Instead, he wobbled a bit and fell onto the floor. It wasn’t as silly as it sounded.

I didn’t end up going out with Sunny, either. My day was spent stuck inside and I wondered what happened to Ray.

[teawiththegods]

Sooo i’m going to be going through my witchy/devotional shit tomorrow bc I have to legit change up my entire altar space to make room for my fake fireplace heater that’s for Hestia (omg i just realized I can put a small shrine on top of it for her!) does anyone need anything? Like is there any supplies you’ve been looking for or wishing you could get but can’t bc of money or whatever?? 

I’m likely only going to be able to send stuff to US peeps (i have no idea what shipping costs are like overseas but i imagine not cheap) and to those over 18 (kind of weird a 31 year old sending candles and rocks and whatever to a minor...not a good look). 

But yeah let me know bc I’ll likely get rid of stuff if I know someone else can really use it. I’m probably gonna do something on here where I post what i’m getting rid of and let you all have at it (not selling, more giving it away bc id rather gift it to my followers) but you can maybe get first dibs on things if you let me know what you’re looking for. 

[jae-sch-writes]

Winter Date

Characters: Sebastian Stan x Reader

Word Count: 724

Genre: fluff

Summary: Sebastian and the Reader go on a wintery date.

Warnings: none

A/N: This is for @until-theend-oftheline ‘s December Quickie Challenge. This was my first time doing a challenge basing a one-shot off of an aesthetic, but it was a lot of fun! All mistakes are my own and no one is to blame for them but me, myself, and I.

Aesthetic made by Kari

"Come on Sebastian! Let's go! You promised me a day out today to make up for yesterday!" you were in your coat ready to head out the door for your wintery date that was supposed to last the entire day.

The day before, Sebastian had gotten a work call for the latest movie he was working on, even though everyone was on vacation for the holidays.

"Relax, babe. I'm coming," he said he walked to the door and put on his coat. "We have all day. There's no need to rush."

"That's what you said yesterday, but then you got that call and I had to watch "The Grinch" and drink hot chocolate all by myself."

"I know, and I'm so sorry. Today, I'll make any and all calls wait. I promise," Sebastian said as he wrapped his arms around you and gave you a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now let's go!"

The two of you headed out into the cold outside. There was a light flurry of snow, which made you extremely happy. Although the cold wasn't necessarily your thing, you absolutely loved the snow.

The two of you walked to the park near your home hand-in-hand. You even went to the dog park portion and some people let you play with their dogs.

While you were in the park, a couple of people recognized Sebastian, including a boy who looked to be around 10 and asked for a picture. You could tell he was skeptical about taking the picture because he had promised you a work-free day, but you were more than happy to take the picture for him.

“Thanks for doing that. I know I promised you a work-free day, but the look on that boys face when he saw me was unbelievable,” Sebastian said as the two of you walked to a small cafe where you would be having lunch.

“Aw, you know I really don’t mind taking pictures. That’s something you can’t control.”

“Thank you for being so patient with me. You, my love, are absolutely incredible.”

“I know I am. Now let’s eat. I’m starving!”

After lunch, Sebastian practically refused to leave your side. All day he was constantly hanging on you. You didn’t know why he was being so clingy, but with how often he seemed to be gone, you didn’t necessarily mind it.

The two of you walked through the city, his arm around your shoulders or his hand in yours, or maybe even both. Sebastian couldn’t stop smiling. Perhaps it was because this was the first proper date the two of you had been on in months. Maybe it was because he was just happy to have you by his side. It was probably because of both.

Christmas lights and trees lit up the sidewalks and the windows of the shops as night fell. It was another thing you loved about winter. Sure it was cold, but there was usually snow and always Christmas lights involved.

You and Sebastian made your way to a different park where there were some Rotary lights. You always loved seeing the way people made the lights flicker in time to Christmas music, and it was definitely one of your favorite parts of the holiday season. Sebastian knew this, and every year he took you, and every year it was something different.

Nothing seemed to make you smile more than being with your fiance for a whole day during the Christmas season. In fact, there didn’t seem to be a day where Sebastian had seen you smile more than you did today.

When you returned home, you realized that you had left your radio on a station that only played Christmas music. The lyrics of “Silver Bells” filled your years as you and Sebastian sat in front of your fake fireplace/heater with you leaning into his chest.

“I love you so much. You know that, right?” Sebastian whispered.

“Of course. I love you so much too. Maybe even more than Christmas.”

“Wait, so what you’re saying is that sometimes Christmas beats be in the line-up of your love.”

“Eh, it depends on the day.”

Sebastian couldn’t help but smile at your comment. “Well, I guess the good thing is that soon it will be Christmas day, and then all your love is mine to keep.”

Tag lists and requests are OPEN! Ask and ye shall receive...

[strangenightsofdaydreams]

21 Questions Tag

I was tagged by the lovely, the effulgent @bettysnooper. Thank you!! Mwah! Unless you don’t want a virtual cheek kiss, then hug? or shoulder pat? hand hug? Whatever works 💙

Nickname: Fonsie. Although gosh... I have so many other individual nicknames which can be sweet but I feel like it’s time to cap it. No more creations, please. I am already trained to respond to all sorts of things from Kitty to May to Woosh. Star Sign: Gemini. I say Cancer half the time, I can not be bothered for accuracy. Height: 5’4. On one side of my family that makes me tall and on the other, it makes me a midget. I can never win. Favorite Colors: mint green, teal, soft yellow, navy, dark red, light pink, eggplant What am I wearing: Grey Sleepants/Sweatpants, strawberry ankle socks. My ace ring, standard underthings including a bra because it’s summer and underboob sweat is no joke, no makeup at the moment, baggy but soft black T-shirt. Eau du hand sanitizer because (insert fake chuckle) immunity issues. The works y’all, nothing fancy today. Dream Job: Being an interpreter or verbatim reporter for the UN Favorite Quote: There are so many I adore. This, however, is very important to me also on a spiritual level so... “An it harm none, do what ye will.”- by Doreen Valiente in the Wiccan Rede Favorite Food: How dare you? Favorite Sport: The only sport I make sure I don’t miss catching on the Olympics is ice skating, solo, and partner. It’s all beautiful. I also watch women’s gymnastics, volleyball, diving, horseback riding, archery, and badminton once in a while. Dream Trip: I started filling a binder when I was barely eleven with pages ripped out of international magazines. I did that for years till it was bursting. And then I transitioned to favoriting and emailing myself articles from travel websites and blogs. Which trip I would want depends on about -oh 14 factors- so idk insufficient data lol. Languages: English. And then some Chinese, French and Hungarian (this one being the least known) but none of these are close to fluency and I am still actively working on them. Also, I have attended ASL classes before and plan to take more in the future. Favorite Song: I love a lot of songs since I tend to prefer individual over albums in general. That being said, the first song to ever touch me the way a favorite song needs to was Undisclosed Desires by Muse. Favorite Book: see this doesn’t say favorite series which would make it easier to answer but I am going to say my top four right now... 1) Hyperbole and a Half 2) The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane 3) Fire by Kristin Cashore 4) A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston. What do I hate: So many things. I am going to go pet peeve-wise instead of getting personal and deeply looking into society’s flaws. I could get “Thou shall not eat restaurant leftovers that do not belong to you” embroidered on a pillow. Don’t do it. You know better. It’s not like a grocery store run item where you can replace it willy-nilly. And I will remember forever if you do, seriously I’ll bring it up at your funeral... I have no shame when it comes to my food. Random Facts: I have so many things I could put here. Uhhhh... I tend to perch when I am not thinking about what I should be counting as a chair. Sitting on things that were not meant to be seats and easily maintaining my balance is trademarked as one of my quirks in my house. My mom gets a kick out of it but it just feels natural. Example: currently I am sitting upon a fake fireplace electric space heater. It is quite narrow and not meant for sitting but it happens and I’m not mad at the experience. Also, to be fair, I am never going to use this thing for its actual purpose since I have scars from the last time. That is not a joke: the New Years incident of 2017-2018 forever changed the texture of the back of my hands and destroyed my faith in the stupid fancy safety hazard my butt is plunked on right now. Do I get asks: Occasionally. I’m okay with the amount I get. It’s all been positive and I am still getting used to Tumblr. Hogwarts House: I have taken the test several times and gotten both Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Draw your own conclusions. Patronus: I feel like I could argue with myself for hours over this so I am just going to lay out all the candidates... Seals, chubby Bumblebees, Foxes, Cats.

Okay. I full-on don’t know who to tag. I follow a bunch of Riverdale people but I’m not on here a lot so I’ve only seen three other 21 tag posts filled out. Bear with me y’all. I’m just going to do 7 because 21 divided by 3 is 7 so it makes sense! Right?! @lanadeljones @lizzy92rc @a-true-janian-reply @foxsea007 @ava-rosier @miss-eee @itsnotoktohit

[vampirefreakism]

The Scientist (Chapter 27)

Summary: In the events following Asgard’s destruction, Loki finds himself on Earth seeking refuge to await the inevitable. Much to his surprise, it comes from a source he would never have expected.

AO3 Link

The Soundtrack So Far

Warnings: domestic fluff, a hint of angst

Word count: 3.4k

A/N: Wooh! Another one is here! First off, Captain Marvel was amazing. I saw it twice and I would absolutely watch it again at a moment's notice. Second, we got more domesticity in this! Yay! I know some of y'all really like that, so here ya go. Enjoy this little burrito. Lastly, it's been about a full year since I started writing this! Wow, how time flies! Around this time last year, after the final Infinity War trailer was posted, I put my first thoughts onto a page and began The Scientist. I planned to have more of the story out by this point, but hey, at least she lives :D

Masterlist

----------

Trudging through the doors of the apartment complex, Luna stamped her boots off and shook the loose snow from her hat.

“Phew! We made it,” she breathily praised, brushing the shopping bags she’d set at her feet.

“Yes, good,” Loki replied. He was glad to be back inside. The new gloves and hat he got helped with blending in, but style-wise, they could be better.

Setting down the cardboard boxes he was tasked with carrying, Loki mimicked Luna in dusting the snow from his clothes. As he did so, he wondered about the contents of the containers he moved. He hadn’t been paying attention when Luna picked them up, being too preoccupied in studying what the shop referred to as ‘mistletoe.’ Alas, it was vastly different than the thing he knew growing up.

He could have taken everything into his arms, but like always, Luna insisted on toting the groceries while he took up the larger items. Something about preventing him from accusing her of using him as her ‘pack mule.’ He knew she would never be so derogatory towards him, but nonetheless, he complied.

Upon entering the apartment, they took turns in putting their parcels down and shrugging off their outer layers. Luna pulled off her boots and rubbed her cold hands together.

“Alright, everything is in. I’ll go get changed and then we can put the groceries away.”

Loki nodded, pulling his own shoes off, and watched Luna shuffle away to slip into something more comfortable. In her temporary absence, he opted to do the same. He had to be quick about it, for there were minor chores to be done and he couldn’t risk being seen unclothed.

Odd, he felt, for him to be concerned about such things. He never had been. Well, of course not. Everything was done for him before any semblance of thought could be spurred about it. Luna did so for him as well, but not out of obligation to him. It was her culture and personality. However, those pieces of the puzzle did not make up the whole picture, and he was intent on completing it. Luckily, he liked getting to know his new friend.

Of course, think of the devil, and she may appear. Back into the living room walked Luna, now clad in blue-and-white patterned leggings, fluffy socks, and the same concert shirt Loki had seen earlier that morning. Not a warm outfit, but comfortable enough for the house.

Without a word, the two got to work; Loki dividing up the items to go in the fridge and Luna putting everything in their appropriate places. They were done in half the time it took for Luna to do it alone. Smirking to herself, she noted another excellent reason to have Loki around as a friend: receiving tidbits of help without having to ask made life feel nice.

Sipping from a glass of fresh water, Luna stepped back out into the living room.

“Ok, so I was thinking we could set these up first,” she pointed to the unopened boxes still sitting by the door, “before I do any cooking. Is that ok?” Loki nodded. “Great.” She smiled, setting her glass down. “I’ll get the box cutter.” And off she was again to her room.

Loki moved one box further into the room for Luna to have more space to open it. Knife securely in hand, she sliced through the tape as if it was hot butter. Inside sat more packaging material surrounding the object of interest. Curious, Loki crouched down to Luna’s level on the floor and inspected her deconstruction of the Styrofoam and plastic.

“What is it, exactly?” He asked as he watched the thing in question slowly reveal itself.

“Oh, it’s a little electric fireplace, just for us,” Luna smiled sweetly.

‘Just for us.’ A nice sentiment. It allowed Loki the temporary belief he could stay with her forever, the two of them enjoying a fake fireplace.

“Very nice,” he said absentmindedly, no longer investing in his wishful thought. As he had said in the past, it was easier to let it burn.

In his mental distance, Luna had pulled everything out of the box and laid it all out in front of her. It was indeed a simple and small electric fireplace, fully capable of warming a room and providing a light show of fake flames.

Luna read over the user manual as Loki settled onto the ground, wrapping his arms around his legs and drawing them into his chest. He observed her as she concentrated, anticipating her next move. It didn’t take her long to figure out what she needed to do.

“There is some assembly required.” Clearly, by the pieces on the ground. Luna picked up the tiny bag filled with black screws. “Do you know where the screwdriver is?”

“Oh, yes,” Loki nodded, rising from the ground and venturing to a drawer in the kitchen. Luna paid him no mind as he rummaged around for a bit and brought back the tool she needed. “Right here.”

She observed his outstretched hand grasping the screwdriver and gently took it from him. “Thank you,” she smiled. She didn’t recall telling him where it was.

Brushing it off for later, she knuckles down and screws on the legs of the machine. She has Loki hold the screws in his hand and give her one each time she needs it.

Loki thumbs the four remaining screws in his palm. “So, why do we need this? This place is warm enough.”

“Yeah, it is. I just figured it would be nice. You know, with Christmas coming up and all.” Luna stops and looks up at Loki. “No, sorry. Not Christmas. Yule.” She takes a screw from Loki’s hand and fits it into its proper spot. “Christmas is pagan in origin.”

“Indeed it is,” Loki grins. “But why do we need this?”

“Oh yeah. Uh, since we would get in all kinds of trouble if we lit a fire any bigger than a tea candle, I thought this would be the next best thing. You know, for symbolism.” She shrugs. “Keeps the occupants warm inside and ward off evil little spirits, even though we are warm enough without it.”

Loki propped an elbow in his knee. “I never would have thought of that. Using this.”

“Well,” Luna smirks, “that’s why you got me: to fill in any gaps you miss.”

“Oh, I thought I had you because Stark was ready and willing to put me in a maximum security prison if you didn’t offer your home,” Loki harmlessly teased, hoping she would get the humor. The light laugh she let out granted him reassurance.

“Ah, yes. Can’t forget that.”

The two sat quietly, the only noise being the metallic tapping of the screws and screwdriver. Once she was done, Luna made sure to check all four legs were tight before standing it upright. She checked and double-checked the instructions, taking a tally of the switches and dials and what their jobs were. Content with her work, she plugged it into the nearest outlet, adjusted the temperature dial, and flicked the switches to the ‘on’ position.

The heater and flames came to life, producing a soft orange glow accompanying the warm, gentle breeze. Luna sat in front of it and admired her new décor piece. Loki stood a ways behind her. He was underwhelmed, but the point of the thing wasn't to impress him. He knew so. He was honored she considered him, so he appreciated the new heater as well.

Having had enough, Luna got to cleaning up the spare cardboard, Styrofoam, and plastic scattered across the floor, tossing it all into the box it came in. She made a note to take care of it on another day. Dusting her hands, she sauntered over the counter and rested her elbow upon it. Loki mindlessly looked over her book collection as he contemplated her next move.

“Have I ever made pancakes with you here?” Luna asks. Loki spares her a glance and returns to his original activity.

“You’ve made cakes before.”

“Yeah, but like, in a pan. Have I done that?”

He lets his gaze take hold of her. “Not that I recall.”

She stands straight and brings her hands together. “Alright, let’s make some pancakes,” she states, making her way into the kitchen. “Nice, warm, fluffy boys.”

Loki followed her, intrigued by what is to come next. He had partaken in the Midgardian pancakes of old from many cultures, but he was eager to try her recipe. He stood by her side, head bent, and surveyed her as she took out the ingredients.

“Ok, to start off, I obviously don’t have a mixer,” Luna gestures to the counter, “so you might have to help me with something if you want it to go faster.”

Loki smirks. “Oh no, whatever shall I do?” He exaggerated, teasing her again. To his mild mockery, he received a soft scowl and placid swat on the arm. He could take it. He was a big boy.

“For now,” Luna took out a set of measuring spoons, “you can stand right here,” she placed her hands on the sides of his shoulders and maneuvered him a tad to her right.

Satisfied, Luna parceled out and mixed the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, all the while Loki peered over her shoulder. She was tempted to commandeer his help, but she remembered she wasn't a user by nature. She could do everything by herself, and everything she couldn't, she could learn. He was still a comfort to have around if only to fill the space for the moment.

Loki studied her movements, memorizing the measurements and the order the ingredients were added. How she turned the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into one uniform mix. The way she haphazardly added vanilla extract, but carefully measured and poured in a cup of milk. By her concentration, he assumed she had forgotten he was there. He didn’t mind. He preferred to watch in peace.

He saw her hand slow the stirring and folding of the batter, continuing to do so to a stop. Luna stretched and flexed her aching fingers. The pain wouldn’t ebb as fast as she would like, so she switched hands and kept going. With the mixture smooth to her liking, she set it aside and shook both hands out as she took the few steps to the fridge. From inside, she retrieved the carton of eggs and took two out. She broke them with ease, producing at most two taps from each of them, and emptied the whites out into a separate bowl.

A rotary egg beater in hand, Luna mechanically whipped the egg whites. It was times like these she wished she had the proper appliances, but she recalled how her mother always said that if you can do something without a machine, never bother getting one. It was easy to deal with as she had less expensive things to break or replace, but as she lived away from her mother and by her own rules, it greatly tempted her to buy a few. Not to say the thought hasn’t gone through her mind in the past. She never bothered when the opportunity came up.

The desire to purchase new equipment came to the forefront of Luna’s mind as the gears of the egg beater jammed in her hand and snapped apart. She bent her head and silently seethed at the pieces in her hands. Defeated, she slammed her right hand down on the counter.

“Dammit,” she growled and slid a hand over her forehead. The change in attitude caught Loki off-guard.

“What?” He said, creeping slowly to her side.

Luna lifted the piece in her left hand. “The egg beater broke.” She looked up at him sadly. “I’m sorry, Loki. I have to whip the whites to make the pancakes the way I need to make them, and without this, I can’t.” Her eyes fell to the bowl of eggless batter. She was faced with two options: toss it out or cover it for a later time. But she wished to do neither of them.

“Surely there’s another way.”

Luna huffed. “There is, but I would wreck my arm doing it.”

“How? And with what?” Loki pressed, placing his hands on his hips.

Luna looked back up at him dubiously. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. Now, do you have the instrument in question?”

Luna sighed and opened a drawer full of large metal utensils. Carefully digging around, she pulled out a whisk.

“It’s this.”

Loki held a hand out. “Here. Give here." She handed it to him, and he took it upon himself to take the bowl with the partially-beaten eggs in the other.

“Are you seriously planning on whipping those eggs by hand until they peak?” Loki shrugged. He was serious. “Can you really whip it fast enough?”

“Seeing is believing, so you’ll just have to watch.”

Luna could hardly believe him, but she was willing to let him prove it. “Alright. While you’re doing that, I’m going to go set up the other thing we got. You’ll need the time to yourself.” She threw the broken tool in the trash and made it a couple of steps out of the kitchen, but stopped. “Oh, and if you hurt yourself, don’t say I made you do it.”

Loki was surprised how accusatory she believed him to be, but he shook it off and turned the whisk around the bowl. He had been called worse things, and she was within her rights to practice caution. Faster and faster, he moved the egg whites to the best of his ability. Luna was right about how difficult it was. Lucky for him, he had the stamina and strength.

In his periphery, he spotted Luna taking apart the second box and extracting the object it housed. A slip of his hand drew his attention back to the bowl. He would have to keep his curiosity at bay for now. Judging by the faint white color of the eggs, he was making progress.

Soft music graced Loki’s ears. He had heard the tune before and found favor in it. A lively song by Ultravox. He paid no attention to the lyrics and title. His primary interest was to finish his job, but he allowed his body to sway and his foot to tap to the beat. No harm in enjoying some good music.

The steady rhythm coming from the stereo kept his whisk in time. Quickly enough, Loki found the eggs turning into white foam. He wondered if this was what Luna meant by ‘whip to peaks.’ He stopped and swirled the bowl around. It moved too fluidly for his liking, so, on he whisked. The eggs fluffed and stiffened more to his expectations, but Luna wasn’t there to inspect his work. He couldn’t know if they were up to her standard, and he would hate to disappoint.

Bowl and whisk cradled in his long arms, he padded over to his friend. A side glance from her confirmed she acknowledged his presence. He sat down beside her and placed the bowl next to him. The object she attended to took his attention for the time.

“What is this?” He asked.

“A Christmas tree. I didn’t think I would be allowed to have a real one in here, so I got this." Luna bent the wire branch until it sat perpendicular to the small trunk. “I know it’s fake and smaller than usual, but again, the symbolism counts for something.”

Loki grinned a little. “You could say, yes.”

Luna pulled at another branch and paused to admire her little tree. Pleased with it, for now, she sighed and gave her attention to Loki. "Are you done? With the thing?”

“I think so.” Loki took a last look inside the bowl and handed it to her. “Here.”

Slowly moving the whisk into the whites, she was dumbfounded. "You did this by hand? Completely? That fast?” They peaked the way she wanted them to.

“So unbelievable?” Loki contrived confidence, but he was still unsure.

“Uh, yeah,” Luna affirmed, a broad smile forming on her face. “Oh, Loki, it’s beautiful. Thank you.” The tension slowly gathering in Loki’s shoulder fell from him. She held nothing back. There was no reason for her to hide her appreciation. “Come on,” Luna rose to her feet, “let’s go finish it.” She looked down at Loki and nodded to the kitchen. “I really think you’ll like this.”

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

As they ate, the two friends took care to upkeep idle chatter between them, keeping the music going in the background. Neither was in the mood for television. The subdued company of the other was enough.

Taking a bite of her second pancake, Luna pieced her words together and posed another question to Loki. “What traditional dances did you have on Asgard?” She sipped her tea. “There has to be at least one.”

Loki snuck another pancake from the main stack, making it his fifth, and dug into it. “A good few, actually.”

“Do you remember any, or is that something aristocrats didn’t participate in?” Luna snarked with a smirk. Loki chuckled and shook his head a little.

“No, we did. From kings to commoners, everyone danced.”

“Which was your favorite, if you had one?”

Loki paused, pondering over the length of his life. “The Asgardian Wedding Dance,” he answered, a little more timid than he would like.

Luna rested her chin on her hand. “Sounds romantic.”

“It was the tradition.” He shrugged, taking another bite of his meal. “Every marriage, no matter how high or low, enlisted the participation of the patrons in attendance. Aside from the children too young and those incapable, it was required of everyone to know it and join in.”

“And I assume you knew how.”

“Oh, of course," Loki stated, as though the thought of him not being able to perform it was blasphemous by itself. “For royal marriages, the newly-wedded couple go first, then the king and queen alongside them, then the princes and princesses,” he gestures to himself, “and so on until everyone got a turn or two.”

“And the newlyweds keep dancing? Until everyone gets to?” Luna had trouble imagining such a feat.

“Yes.” He took another bite. “The stamina required was symbolic of their commitment to each other. At all the ones I’ve been to, never have I seen a couple falter.”

“And the king and queen?”

“Likewise.” He reminisced on watching his parents dance together, a pleasant image in his mind. “They never stumbled or quit before everyone got a chance.”

“What about you?”

“Oh, I could dance until the sun rose twice over.” Loki thought back on his own jovial days of old. “My selected partners, however, could not. It was no fault of theirs. I was a little over-zealous at times.”

“You say it’s your favorite. Do you know why at all?” Luna tread lightly. She didn’t want Loki to suspect her of probing and clam up.

Luckily, he did not. “It was one of the very few times I could be seen as an equal prince of Asgard, not just the younger brother to the crown prince.”

Luna was taken aback a bit. “You mean no one did during any other time?” She brushed her fingertips against his arm. He shook his head. “Well, that’s disrespectful! Shame on them.”

Loki snickered. She was offended for him. How cute.

“There’s no use defending my honor. There’s nobody else here.” He waved his hand in the empty space.

“Yeah, but still. Shame on them.” Luna echoed herself, using her position as his friend and holding fast by him. “Do you remember how it goes?”

“I don’t think I could ever forget.”

Luna leaned in close, as though she were about to utter a secret. “Would it sacrilege if I asked you to show me?” Not a secret, but still scandalous in nature. She was not Asgardian, and surely not a princess by blood or marriage. He knew he would break multiple rules by taking her hand for this particular dance, but he was never one to listen to them, and there was no one around to see.

“Not in the slightest,” he lied, throwing in a charming smile, “though I do need a dance partner.” He dusted his hands off, stood up, and extended his hand to her. “If she be willing.” She eyed his open palm and moved her gaze to meet his.

“Lucky for you,” she said, slipping her hand into his, “she is.”

----------

Taglist:  @the-doctor-9-10 @pinkieperil @sherlockfan4life

[litesalted]

Is our house a hot potato or is my anxiety talking - just finished our interior renovation

Hey everyone, could use your advice. We bought our house 12/2020, we lucked out on 2bd, 1 bath 1150sq home that wasn’t overpriced ~ 200k Maine, built in 1900. The house was listed in 02/2020 just before the pandemic set in and the owner never raised the price once the market took off. Going in we knew it needed work and that it was a starter home. It’s in a nice coastal town close to the the downtown shops, cafes, parks but on a very small lot - can’t even add a shed due to strict set back.

We went straight to it and the first 6 months we took 2/3 of the house down to the studs adding insulation and replacing the crumbling plaster with drywall. My husband was the brute force and muscle, I was responsible for finer details like mudding and sanding. Problem is I see all the imperfections (my husband doesn’t). Bedrooms, living room and hallways got demoed (we lived in the dining room and did one room at a time).

We also had electrical work redone while the walls were down (for free thanks family friend). We took down the hallway wall to open up the living room, put new hardwood down and added a fake fireplace. We had carpet installed in the bedrooms and we cosmetically updated the sad monkey poo brown bathroom (new toilet, counter, sink, faucet and fixtures.) We replaced all the original interior doors (love history, hate that they had all been cut and recut and rehung - the bathroom door neither latched or closed). We had a contractor replace the front door - my husband refused to mess with that. We did a bunch of landscaping and tree trimming.

In my husbands eyes the house is “done”, but all I see are things that need to be fixed, replaced or remodeled. We have 20yr old vinyl replacement windows, the surrounding trim and the sills are rotting so we need to replace them ~9k. The heater is extremely old, the roof is 15yrs so old and our fence collapsed this winter (15k, 10k, 4k). The kitchen was remodeled 20yrs ago and while “modern” is starting to show wear and tear, the floors are in rough shape. The bathroom needs work - new tub (has holes we patched) and fittings (starting to fall apart), possibly plumbing and the linoleum needs to be replaced too. The driveway needs to redone - asphalt has deteriorated and we get a nice pond when it rains. When I think about it all I start to panic really bad, like it’s a hot potato. Some nights I feel like I’m just waiting for it fall down around us.. and I start adding up the cost for everything and wonder why we bought this mess. We did most of the work ourselves, that’s the only way we could afford it.

However everyone says we have a really nice home and that we should be proud of the work we’ve done. My dad thinks we should flip it and move on to something a bit bigger / newer / etc. but when I look at the market I our house is much nicer than most listed and I don’t think we mentally / physically / financially have it in us to redo all this work in another home. Most houses here are extremely old.

I could really use peoples advice, is it as bad as it seems? Is this just my anxiety? Would you try to sell it sooner rather than later given the big ticket items coming up? Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely grateful that we could afford a house at all but when I’m on the couch starting at our sloppy trim-work and the occasional popped screw…. I wonder what the hell we got into. If I can see all the flaws, so will any potential buyer.

We spent ~2k per room on demo, insulation, drywall and mudding. Bathroom update ~2k. Living room hardwood ~3k. New doors ~2k. Carpet ~1.2k. Front door ~4k. Paint, trim work, fixtures ~2k. Electric work ~free.

submitted by /u/Tamsyn_TC [link] [comments] from The Hivemind Improving Homes https://ift.tt/aFYPAr4