#someone once said if you have a library a garden and a toilet what else is there?

[harmcityherald]

fresh morning coffee

[kumeko]

Title: Garreg Mach Yearbook Chronicles

A/N: For the @garregmachzine I got to write four different snippets. It was a fun challenge trying to cram everything into a drabble.

Featuring: Leonie's troubles with Seteth and Flayn, Hilda charming Ferdinand to escape battle, Annette dealing with a club composed of Linhardt and Marianne, and Claude dodging Hubert's censor.

…

…

…

…

Fishing Tournament

Sitting on the banks of the pond, Leonie watched as her bobber dipped in and out of the water, floating idly along an invisible current. With any luck, she’d catch a fish soon. A big one, hopefully. Usually by now she’d have caught at least one or two, but then usually she was also alone while she fished. Leonie cast an eye around her, biting her cheek at the sight of her fellow classmates. Despite how early in the morning it was, it felt like half the monastery was sitting along the pond, trying their best to catch a fish.

Then again, it wasn’t everyday that Seteth held a fishing contest. After all that’d happened in the past few months, she couldn’t deny that they needed a break like this and it seemed that everyone else agreed. Byleth sat at the docks, quietly fishing. Next to her, Sylvain lost his balance and flailed as he struggled to keep out of the water. In the distance, she spotted Caspar and Raphael comparing their catches.

“I see you are also entering the fishing contest,” a slightly musical voice asked from behind her. Startled from her thoughts, Leonie looked up in time to catch Flayn as she sat down next to her. Like, right next to her. Smiling softly, Flayn clasped her hands together as she stared at Leonie’s rod. “Did you catch anything?”

“N-not yet.” Leonie shook her head, feeling a little awkward at the proximity. Maybe if she shifted the other way—

“That is a pity.” Seteth slowly sat down on her other side, a fishing rod in hand. He cast his line, his eyes on her the entire time. “It will not be much of a contest if there are no entries.”

Leonie resisted the urge to get up and run. What was it with these siblings, pinning her in like this? She felt sandwiched, with no way to escape. “I’m sure someone will manage to catch a good fish or two. Give me an hour, and I’m sure I can wrangle up a few myself.”

“Oh, that’s great.” Flayn clapped her hands. “However, that leaves a different problem. We’ll have all these fishes, and no one to cook them.”

Leonie swallowed. This was starting to sound familiar. “There are plenty of cooks—”

“Leonie has excellent skills,” Seteth suggested, as though he’d just thought of it. “Maybe she could?”

“Really?” Flayn lit up, before flashing her an innocent smile. “Leonie, would you mind?”

She should have just listened to her instincts and run.

-x-

Crest Studies

When Annette joined the academy, she had never seen herself leading a club, or leading anything for that matter. Sure, she would join one or two, but leadership was for the elites, for Dimitri’s and Sylvain’s of the world. Well, maybe not Sylvain exactly, but there were plenty other nobles who could fit the bill. Ferdinand. Lorenz. Hubert.

Yet it was her, not them, standing in front of the Blue Lions classroom, looking at her Crest Studies clubmates. To be perfectly honest, when the other options were the lazy Lindhardt and the shy Marianne, if Annette didn’t take the lead, nothing would get done. Even now, Lindhardt was dozing on his desk while Marianne fidgeted nervously.

Annette bit her cheek. She should have joined the gardening club. Clearing her throat, she announced, “For today’s activity, we’re going to the market.”

“W-what?” Marianne’s eyes grew wide. Sometimes, it looked like she didn’t know why she was in the club. “The market?”

“Why?” Lazily, Lindhardt lifted his head and gave her a baleful glare. “That’s a waste of effort.”

From the teacher’s desk, Professor Hanneman gave her thumbs up. At least someone liked her proposition. Annette quickly refuted, “It’s not.”

“We study crests,” Lindhardt replied languidly. “It’s a waste.”

Something about him always riled her up. She could feel her hackles rising. Stalking toward him, she rested her hands on her hip and bit out. “It’s not. We need to know what people think of crests.”

“Annette’s right.” Hanneman nodded sagely, intervening before an argument started. “It’s important to consider different perspectives when studying a topic.”

“But talking to people…” Marianne gnawed on her lip. “I’m not sure—”

“It’ll be fine.” Annette clasped Marianne’s hands, squeezing them tight. “Besides, we’re going to interview later, so this is good practice.”

Hesitantly, Marianne nodded. “I-I suppose that’s true.”

“Can’t we just interview now and get it over with?” Linhardt interjected, yawning.

Annette pulled Marianne up to her feet. “We’re going to the market,” she stated firmly, refusing to broker any more arguments. “If you want to decide what we’re doing, then you be the club president.”

It was an ultimatum he’d never take, and they both knew it. With a sigh, he got up. “Fine, I suppose there’s some merit to it.”

“Good.” Annette grinned as she gently tugged Marianne toward the door. Finally, she could tell Mercedes that they’d done something other than sit in a classroom. Finally, just like all the other clubs, she was going to go out with her clubmates and do something fun.

Perhaps there was some merit to being club president, after all.

-x-

Battle of the Eagle and Lion

I’d say it is an honour to write about the Battle of the Eagle and the Lion, but that was before so many of my drafts got mysteriously burned or destroyed because if I happen to make any unflattering comments about Edelgard, I have to start over. Though I would argue they aren’t disparaging, but who am I to argue with her guard dog, Hubert?

So what can I say about the Battle? Well, I guess the obvious—all three of our houses showed what they did best: Edelgard with her strategies, Dimitri with his training, and me with my ‘schemes’. I call them strategies, others call them traps, to-may-to, to-mah-to. Honestly, I didn’t do anything sinister this time around. If a lot of students just happened to get a case of mild food poisoning, well, things happen. Raphael got it too and you don’t hear me complaining about sabotage.

Let’s see, something flattering—ah, I know! It’s actually quite impressive how much Edelgard was able to move despite her illness. Honestly, if someone had poisoned, they’d better know to up the dosage next time. Despite her thinning ranks, she managed to set up her classmates quite skillfully, and Hubert somehow managed to do a lot of damage despite looking like he needed to find the closest toilet.

Of course, Dimitri powered his way through the food poisoning. I think he’s got the strength of a dozen soldiers, or boars as Felix likes to put it. Felix also managed to move, but I think that was purely out of spite. It’s amazing what a motivation spite is. Then again, I think Hubert would know all about that, wouldn’t he?

My house, of course, were the cleverest of the bunch, carefully goading out our enemies and defeating them one by one. Despite losing our strongest member, we rallied around each other and fought back. It was a close fight by all reckoning. And honestly if Edelgard lost (notice I said if, Hubert!), it wouldn’t be all that shameful, considering the handicaps she had.

Now, you might be wondering who actually won? Why it’s (scorched words) of course! Was there ever any doubt?

-x-

Mission Battles

Out of all the school activities she was forced to do, Hilda disliked the missions and mock battles the most. With the others, she could get away with appealing her classmates into helping her, whether it was Marianne in the library or Raphael with the stables or some other poor, hapless soul who crossed her path. As long as it was done, no one was the wiser.

On the battlefield, she wasn’t quite as lucky. No one could protect her the entire time and her charms were entirely wasted on the enemy. It wasn’t like they’d stop fighting her just because she asked.

Or maybe, if she—no, no, it was best to banish that thought. Hilda gripped her axe as she studied the battlefield before her. Just ahead of her was a bandit and unfortunately, there was no ally in sight to protect her. She was going to have to cut this one down herself. “I don’t suppose you’d back down?”

The bandit roared in response, charging at her.

“Step back!” Ferdinand quickly dashed ahead of her, his sword gleaming in the sunlight as he slashed down on her foe. With two quick strikes, the bandit was down and her rescuer looked at her triumphantly over his shoulder. “You okay?”

“Yes! Thanks so much!” Hilda clasped one of his hands and gave him a soft smile. She stood corrected—she could absolutely charm her way through a battle, as long as it was one of those rare cross-house battles.

“No problem.” Ferdinand smiled brightly, before looking over his shoulder at Edelgard. “As you can see, I have struck down another enemy. That brings my count to higher than yours, does it not?”

“We’re in the middle of battle, Ferdinand,” Edelgard warned, axe clenched tightly in her hands. “We’re not competing.”

“Considering how one-sided it is, I could hardly call it a competition.” Ferdinand sniped, trying to pick a fight as usual.

Judging by Edelgard’s weary expression, his taunts still didn’t work. Determining that Hilda was safe enough, Ferdinand once more returned to Edelgard’s side, no doubt challenging her once again. It was impressive how he didn’t give up. A little sad, but impressive.

If he wasn’t going to give up, neither would she. There was bound to be another sucke—noble man willing to lay his life for a damsel in dress. Catching sight of a flash of red, Hilda smiled. “Oh, Sylvain!” she called out, batting her eyes.

Perhaps she could charm her way out of fighting too.

[sunflowersunshinevol6]

Tempest Oblivion

Part 2

Warnings: PTSD, flashbacks, abo dynamics, rutting/heat, mentions of abuse, trauma

Read part 1 here

A/N: I was blown away by the love this fic received and I always planned on making it a multi chapter fic. Thank you for the support

The first thing Gigi decides to do is give Y/N a bath. She leads the girl down the hall towards the second bathroom, opening the door and setting her on the toilet while she runs the water.

"Y....you don't have to do this." Y/N whispers shyly. Gigi smiles at her as she tests the water, making sure it's not too hot.

"It's alright. You're safe here." She smiles, everyone kept telling her that, maybe it was true. Maybe she was finally safe. "Get undressed and I'll help you in. After you can lay down, I'll bring you a cup of tea and you can rest." Gigi's breath hitches when Y/N lifts her shirt and she sees the Mark's. As she pulls the shirt over her head Gigi looks away, busying herself with adding Epsom salts to the water to help with the poor girl's soreness.

Y/N takes Gigi's hand as she steps into the bath, sighing once she's fully sat down in the warmth. She didn't realize just how cold she had been until she was immersed in the warmth of the bath. Gigi grabs a small cup from the side of the tub and begins to wet Y/N's hair. Y/N tilts her head back, letting herself relax.

"You have beautiful hair." Gigi admires as she begins to wash it.

"Thank you." Y/N sighs again, Gigi's hands scrap gently against her scalp, rubbing the soap into her hair.

"I know....I know this is all new and probably a little scary but...be patient with yourself. This is a good pack. Harry is a good leader-"

"Harry?"

"The Alpha who saved you," Gigi said. So that was his name. "He's very kind and compassionate. He is never forceful unless need be and he's protective of us all....you have nothing to fear. This is your home now."

After the bath, Gigi gives Y/N some of her clothes and leaves her to rest. Y/N climbs into the bed, snuggling down under the covers. She closes her eyes, falling into a deep and peaceful sleep for the first time in months.

Y/N stayed close to Gigi and Zayn in the following days. The morning after she'd been brought to the village Harry had met with her and reassured her of her safety. She believed hom, but Zayn and Gigi had been so kind to her and they didn't seem to mind her clinging. Gigi welcomed it, always holding her hand or wrapping a comforting arm around her. Zayn was proud of his mate. She had a tender and loving heart.

"Y/N?" Gigi tapped on her bedroom door. Y/N was sitting on her bed in meditation, trying to connect with her wolf spirit. She opened her eyes and smiled softly at her friend.

"Hey. Everything alright?" She could sense Gigi's apprehension.

"Its fine....its just....my heat is a few days from now and....well..." she didn't know how to say it. Y/N had just come into their home and now she would be asking her to stay elsewhere for a week while she was in heat.

Y/N smiled kindly at her friend. She would do anything for Zayn and Gigi already. She was extremely grateful to them and felt she owed them her life and whatever services she could offer.

"It's alright Gigi. It's natural....I'm sure I can find somewhere else to stay while you go through this."

"That's the thing." Y/N raised an eyebrow.

"Harry requests you stay with him during my heat. He has some things he wants to discuss with you."

"O...oh."

When Zayn told Harry Gigi's heat would be coming, he immediately offered for Y/N to stay with him. Niall could not seem to find her former pack and he hoped, that if he could touch Y/N's wolf spirit, he could see the trauma, see the abuse and find the abusers. It was a risky thing, only Alpha Leaders could soul touch, and it could go badly, he could break her spirit. But he felt as if he had no option and he trusted that she was stronger than that. She had, in fact, survived in the woods alone in the cold until he found her.

"It's all been arranged and I promise, Harry is nothing if not a gentleman. You have nothing to fear." Gigi reassured her once more.

"I trust you Gigi." She felt her smile falter as Gigi walked away, a foreboding feeling washing over her.

She's awoken early on a Saturday morning. Startled as Niall leans over her, pressing a finger to his lips. It's then Y/N can smell Gigi's heat and Zayn's rut. Niall bundles her carefully before swiftly carrying her from the house and into the courtyard.

Harry is waiting in the foyer of his home as Niall sets her on her feet and opens the door. He's wearing a thick black bathrobe, the letter 'H' sewed in red over the breast pocket, his long brown hair pulled back into a messy bun. Y/N smiles shyly as he opens his arms to her, giving her a welcoming embrace.

"How are you pet?" He asks. Since the day he brought her to the pack he has felt a protectiveness over her, something stronger than what he normally feels for his pack.

"Fine....thank you for letting me stay." He reaches out, brushing a piece of her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear gently.

"Of course. This pack takes care of each other." He looks up, eyes meeting with Niall's. The other wolf bows before leaving the home, closing the door quietly behind him. "Shall we?" Harry asks, holding out his arm. She takes it, gently wrapping her fingers around his bicep.

She's given the proper tour, his home is large of course, being the head Alpha. He shows her the library, the garden, the kitchen, and finally leads her down a small hallway with two doors on either side.

"This will be your room," he says, opening the door on the right. A bed, a dresser and a desk with a chair sit cozily while a fire burns bright in the small fireplace. "Over there is your bathroom. If you've a need for anything don't hesitate to call someone of my staff or me." She nods, giving him a small smile. He turns to go when she grabs his hand, stopping him.

"Thank you Alpha....for everything." He's stunned when she nuzzles his palm, something only mates do, it raises his suspicions about her old pack even more.

"Y/N." She looks up, taking a step back. Her stance is immediately defensive. "Y/N I wanted to ask you about your old pack." Her shoulders relax slightly, but she still looks wary.

"Zayn told you about my punishments didn't he."

"Punishments?" She nodded, pulling her shirt up slightly to show him the fading Mark's and scars on her belly. He sucks in a sharp breath, his wolf snarling, a low growl immenating from him. "What did they punish you for?" She mumbles something, looking away from him. "I didn't catch that." He says a little louder, the only thing that seems to work is when he asserts his Alpha.

"They called me Devilrinn kind or 'devil child'. My wolf was beaten into submission. They said I was a mistake. If my wolf was allowed to be free I would destroy them." Harry is stunned. He knew some packs were superstitious, but he had never heard of them turning on a pack member.

"How old were you when this started?"

"Three." He shivers, unable to contain the rage within himself. He steps closer to her, reaching out to run his hands down her arms, she's shaking, he knows how hard this must be for her. "They isolated me. Beat me. Starved me. When I became of age is when they finally cast me out. They drove me from the village. They knew I would die because I was latent and alone." She takes a shaky breath.

"But you didn't." Harry says, he lifts her chin so she can do nothing but look into his eyes. They're soft and understanding as he speaks to her. "I found you and brought you here." She smiles at him bitterly.

"Pray my wolf doesn't break free....I'd hate to hurt you or any of the others...you're the nicest people I've met."

"I don't believe your wolf is dangerous....but there is a way I can find out." Her smile fades, replaced with a curious expression.

"There is?"

"Have you ever heard of soul touch?" She shakes her head. Of course not. If she had been isolated she wouldn't have been educated properly, thus the intiment nuzzle she had given him. It made sense. "Only Head Alpha's can do it. I can reach out and touch your wold spirit. I can see your past, everything." Y/N stared at him in awe. She wasn't sure what to say to that.

"I don't understand-"

"The way you've been treated," Harry interrupts. "Is unforgivable. I don't believe in abandoning anyone, especially due to a stupid rumor." She flinched at the way he said it. "I want to find them. Expose them. Save others if there are any in your position....but we can't figure out where you came from." She looked away again, down at her feet. "If you let me see I can help you. Maybe even find out the truth about your latency."

It is an enticing offer. She does want to know what is wrong with her. Why she malfunctioned, why she deserved the punishments, the loneliness. She looked back up at him.

"You won't hurt me?" She asks. He brushes his knuckles against her cheek.

"I can't promise it won't hurt but I'll do my best." She sighs, nodding her head.

"Whatever you can do to help me...I want to try."

Harry has her sit on her bed, back against the head board, he left briefly to find restraints. Soul touching is dangerous and she can easily be crushed. It's important for her not to move too much. She nods furiously as he explains this to her. She's curious, she wants to know what's wrong and she Hope's he'll finally be able to answer the questions she's been haunted by her whole life.

He checks the cuffs, making sure Y/N's arms are secured but not too tightly. She watches as he crawls over her, straddling her hips.

"You can still refuse.....are you sure?" He asks. He doesn't want to do this unless she's positive. There are other ways of finding her former pack if needed.

Y/N looks Harry in the eye, something Omegas are never to do, but she isn't afraid.

"I trust you." She says with certainty. Harry nods. He lifts his hand, bringing it to the center of her chest, he hears her breath hitch.

"Relax." She sighs shakily. Harry closes his eyes, taking a deep breath and pushes his hand into her chest. Y/N screams, body arching up towards him as be reaches for her soul. He groans when his fingers graze her soul. He hisses at the fragility before he feels himself falling deep into her consciousness. Her screams fading away.

The pain is intense as Harry pushes his hand into her chest. When his fingers graze her soul she screams at the pain, her body coursing with fire. She tries to keep her eyes on him but the further he pushes into her soul the more searing the pain. Her eyes roll in her head as she slumps forward, head resting on her chest, the pain too much to bear. Everything goes black.

Harry feels himself falling into her memories, surrounded by sights and sounds. He stands in a crowded room, three figures sit before a hearth while a woman kneels at their feet, a child in her arms. The child is Y/N he realizes.

"She is....unnatural." one of the men speaks, eyes gazing at the little girl, dozing in her mother's arms. The woman says nothing, he smell the fear on her and see her body tremble. One of the men stands, walking towards the woman. He knelt, reaching out to touch the girl, only to hiss sharply and draw his hand back.

"What?" The woman asks fearfully. "What is it?" The imagery begins to shake, Harry can feel Y/N's wolf bending against him, fragile as it was, he was pushing the limits.

Harry let go, the force of which knocked him off the bed. He scrambles to his feet, climbing over Y/N and reaching out to lift her face.

"H...Harry?" She asks weakly, body still slumped forward. Harry undoes the restraints letting her lean forward against his shoulder. "Harry did you see anything?"

"Not enough, no...your wolf isn't strong enough." She pulls back, looking up at him in distress.

"I don't understand?"

"Your wolf has been suppressed for so long....It couldn't handle the stroke of an Alpha. I could have broken your spirit. Killed you." Tears begin to fill her eyes.

"So that's it? We just give up?" Her words shake as she speaks.

"No darling no," he sits up straight, reaching out to take her hand in his. "We make you strong. We let her out."

"But I already told you-"

"I don't think your wolf is anymore harmful than any other Omegas. You certainly won't be able to overpower me." He leans down, pressing his forehead to hers, looking into her eyes. He doesn't know why he does this, it's an intimate act. But he wants to be close to her.

He feels her wolf being soothed by his proximity, it makes him lean in closer, reaching out to pull her to him. She sits on his lap, straddling his hips as he begins to scent her. He doesn't know why, but it feels good.

That's when he smells it. The first wave of arousal coming off of her.

Harry pushes her from his lap. She lands back on the bed with a soft 'oof' looking up at him, he says nothing, leaving the room quickly.

Y/N doesn't have time to be hurt. Just as Harry slams the door behind him she feels a surge of arousal fill her body and a sticky wetness between her legs. She moans, tossing her head back into the pillows, squirming as she begins to go into her very first heat. Alone.

"Tend to her. Make sure she has whatever she needs. Keep her hydrated. This is her first heat and since she's latent it's going to be painful." The omegas curtsey before leaving Harry in the den. He runs his hand through his hair, trying to calm his own wolf. He doesn't understand why he's reacting so sharply to her but it's taking everything he-

"Harry!" Niall burst through the door, an urgent look in his eye. "I came as soon as you called."

"I went in. I touched Y/N's soul." Niall gives him a wary look but let's him continue. "Her soul was so fragile. I was only in maybe two minutes before it started to collapse and now-"

"She's in heat." Niall finished for him. "I can smell her." Harry runs his hand through his hair nervously.

"I don't know what to do Niall. I've never met a wolf like her before." Niall reached out, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"It'll be alright Hazza. We'll figure it out." He pauses. "But I do wonder...."

"Wonder what?" Harry asked.

"What if she were to mate? " Harry's eyes widen, he opens his mouth to respond but Niall cuts him off. "The emerging of souls, being bound to an Alpha....it might just be the push she needs to assert her own wolf....if we could get her wolf to come out, the soul touch wouldn't be as fatal."

"That's a great idea Niall. Except she's only been here a short period of time. She doesn't even know anyone to mate-" they're interrupted by a knock on the door. "What." Harry snarls as Camille pokes her head through. She looks slightly irritated.

"The girl. The one in heat. She's calling for you Alpha." Harry looked at Niall.

"Go to her Harry. If it's right, you'll know."

[natromanxoff]

I wasn’t sure about posting this at first but as it is already shared publicly and I have come across with it on Pinterest, I decided that it would be okay. So here is a story of a fan about Jim Hutton:

“ON 23rd of March, there was a Queen Tribute band concert in Goresbridge and my boyfriend told me that Jim would come as well. He admitted that he had arranged with Stephen for Jim to come along. The concert was in the pub called The Spirit Store. What a great name for spiritual meeting, I thought. When I entered, Jim sat at the table with Stephen, Jascqueline, her sister Valeria and other family friends. There was nowhere to sit, so we just stood by the table for a while. When I looked at Jim, he appeared somewhat fragile and tiny, like a man who could easily be overlooked. He didn´t look anything like those photos portraying him in the books.

After a while, there was a free seat by the table and everyone, including Jim, moved in order for us to sit down. It was just one place and my friend Mike wanted to take it. He got up fast but they all stopped him. Jim measured Mike up and down and told him, "Perhaps you should let the lady sit here, you cavalier!" Embarassed, Mike got up from his chair and offered it to me. I got the honorable place alongside Jim. Being a woman sometimes has its advantages! Jim welcomed me with heartfelt "Hi". At first I was nervous, but after a while I felt relaxed and enjoyed Jim's company. I was aware of his behavior, gestures, laughter, and tried to absorb his energy all at once. It was easy to talk to him about anything and everything.

I wanted to know the man Freddie loved so much, so I guess I started giving him many questions.

"Jim, are you still in touch with Phoebe?" Jim looked at me closely and began to talk to me with interest. "I haven´t really been talking to him for a long time. I know he had a hotel in Dubai, then he sold it, and he's in Prague now. He also bought something overthere and I think he's going to settle down there." When I heard about Prague, I jumped up excitedly and told him that I was from there. He smiled a little, though the coincidence like this didn´t overwhelm him as much as me.

He relished glass of Budwaiser and smoked Ultra light Silk Cuts. He offered me one and lit it up for me like a real gentleman. It seemed he wanted to continue talking. We both made fun of the ultralight effect of his cigarettes, which would probably piss off every orthodox smoker, Freddie for sure! He then demonstrated jokingly, how to properly smoke them. He inhaled all the smoke by sucking in his cheeks and widening his eyes, as if he should soon burst like an inflated toad. None of us resisted and we both burst into a mad laughter. I told him about my visit to Munich and meeting Barbara. He smiled and listened, then he rolled his eyes up to heaven and stated that she is one hell of a crazy woman. I totally agreed, and added, that also alcoholic one. It was surreal to talk about mutual aquaintances together, people we both knew. I also mentioned my visit to New York club and I could see how he returns nostalgically into his memories. Then I also tried to make him remember my friend Allison, who told me about him in the first place.

"About nine years ago she visited you in London". He couldn´t remember and admitted, that since then a lot of people have passed through his life and many of them he never saw again.

I continued. "She showed me several of your photos and in one of them you were holding Freddie's portrait that you bought at the auction". Suddenly he jumped up and said he knew whom I mean.

I showed him my miniature box containing a stone and talked about it with almost patriotic pride. "It's a stone from Logan Mews that I had to dig out from under the threshold of his house, because there was nothing else to take." Jim laughed out loud, this time without any hindrance and doubt that I was totally crazy. I also laughed because I knew I sound like nuts. He remarked with smile from ear to ear that I was pretty crazy. "Yeah, I'm crazy, and I'm proud to be. Who isn´t...and by the way.....why not?" I smiled at what I just said, because that´s what Freddie would say, to defend himself. Jim then talked about the medallion that Freddie had given him for his birthday. He said, there were three miniature pictures inside. "The first is that of Miko ", he said gently, looking up at me to make sure I knew who he was talking about. "In the other one is Freddie" ... he continued with kind of fervor and love. Something deep inside me shivered. "In the third one," ... he didn´t answer yet, when I jumped into his monologue ...."Tiffany," I blurted out.

"My mom's photo," he finished his sentence. (and I prayed he didn´t register my answer).

It was nice to hear him remembering like that. He opened up in front of me the way I never dreamt of. I think it was nice for him to share these beautiful moments and to talk about things that meant so much to him. "This rock is my good luck charm. I have been listening to Queen since I´m twelve and I also work in the Fan Club's office. We celebrate his anniversary every year. When I went here, I was kidding with my friends that I might meet Jim Hutton in Ireland... and here you are, sitting right next to me. That´s my dream come true", I said all emotional.

"How do you know Stephen?", he inquired after while.

"I go out with Vinnie and they are good friends" He eyed my boyfriend and indicated that he knew who he was.

"I was annoying the two of them and was constantly asking them to bring you", I smiled.

"Oh, Jacqueline wanted me to come, alright" Jim smiled at the thought. Then he talked about the music talent competition, in which they were selecting the best imitators of Queen.

"What music are you actually listening to?" I wondered.

"I have no favorite, I'm listening to almost everything. Even a radio".

"And do you still have Zig and Zag?"

He only sighed and said in a sad voice that they had both died since then.

"And do you have any other cats?"

"Yeah, I have seven others now," Jim smiled. This number didn´t surprise me. The old habits are hard to kill.

"Do you still keep up the gardening, Jim?"

"Constantly," he said with a loving smile and amusedly showed me his hands dirty from the clay and covered in sores. For God's sake, he must have been gardening a few minutes before going to a concert!, I thought to myself. A complete garden maniac.....

We were joking on the account of the band that was supposed to start playing long time ago, but somehow did not. He told me it would be nice to get drunk, so we didn´t know how terrible they were. That really made me crack up. He could be so funny.

He joked and emphasized to everyone around the table, that instead of a concert he could have been at home watching his favorite movie. In the same breath, he admitted that he was curious about their performance and that he hadn´t been out in ages.

He leaned over to me and confessed, that now he lived a life completely cut off from the rest of the world.

"We are basically the same, I am basically like him. Now I just enjoy loneliness and privacy. I don´t go out anywhere except my garden". I immediately knew whom he was referring to in his speech.

I said that I had discovered his house in Palatine and apologized when I saw his slightly concerned look. I said I was just little curious.

He then recalled a few of his encounters with the fans. One day there was an unknown car with a couple of strangers that arrived to his house. They came all way from Vienna and they found him by questioning people in a town! Not a hard thing to trace him, he said, as every cab driver in the area knows him pretty well. One local newspaper even published a photo of his house, and although they gave a wrong address, a lot of people had found him.

That made me laugh, because I knew what it means to be a devoted fan.

"On the other hand, it's nice to know that someone is constantly looking after you and giving you the feeling that all this is still alive," I added with a smile.

"Jim, do you still have your Volvo?"

"You mean the one that Freddie gave me?.....No, I don´t have it few years now, I´ve swapped it for a new one," he smiled.

He was all too gallant all the time, always lighting my cigarette.

He also wondered how long I would stay in Ireland, so I said that only another half a year.

"And you wanna come back here?" He asked suddenly.

"Oh, I'd love to. I'm trying to find a job either in Carlow or Kilkenny," I said enthusiastically.

Then I fell silent, looked at him and assured him "Definitely."

Each time he looked up into my eyes, I saw an incredibly nice person in front of me. Something in his silent expression suggested that he had suffered great deal of pain in life, but that he was now completely reconciled with his fate. Still, in his eyes shone a spark of unrelenting humor. In his company I forgot all about the world. I was happy to be able to make such an affluent and warm contact with him. The longer we knew each other, the closer we were.

When he wanted to go to the toilet, Stephen told him that the men's toilets were behind the bar and the ladies in front of the bar. It sounded like he wasn´t quite sure which one would Jim prefer.

But Jim didn´t care much and set off to the men's. I admit it made me laugh a little.

Then we continued our dialogue. I mentioned that I read both his and Phoebe's book, but that I couldn´t find his book anywhere in the stores. He confirmed that it´s out of print at the minute.

When I told him that I had stolen his book at the local library, he laughed and said that I should have asked him and he would have given me a copy, but he only had Italian version.

Finally, the band started to play. Everyone in the pub stood up and whole lot of us - as we were tucked in at the back, climbed onto the window ledges. I stood next to Jim, who remained seated.

He looked a little bit run over. I knew he was surrounded by the loneliness and I watched him with sadness. I lacked much power or words to comfort him. It was only after some wonderful songs that we both joined and got up. He could not remain sad in such a loving and friendly company for ever.

When he noticed the enormous, life-vibrant energy that only Queen music could produce in conjunction with a crowd of people singing, I think he forgot his personal pain. I could see pride in his face. He stood up and watched the band. Then he addressed me and made me come up onto the ledge above him to see better. I would not listen to anybody else, but from him it didn´t sound like an order. He wanted me to get the most out of it and it pleased me. Then we sat back and drank. Jim seemed to be getting cheerful and livelier. The more he drank, the more cheerful he was. The guys ordered him Red Bull with vodka. When I asked him if it was vodka, he claimed it was white lemonade! He put a warm glass of "vodka" on my hand, so I almost jumped out of my skin, which he thought was terribly funny.

Whatever he did, he looked at me as though I was the only person who knew what was behind his looks. His faces and funny grimaces reminded me of Freddie. He had a lot of subconsciously inherited poses and gestures from him. Even in his laughter I could detect an influence of Freddie's strong personality. He simply marked all people around him. It was not the same contagious and stormy laugh, but there was a spark of resemblance.

His niece Jacqueline, Valerie and Stephen, danced all the time on the ledge and Jim was pulling them and wrapping himself in between their legs, hugging them, clinging to them, and messing around like a little boy. It was a wonderful sight, as he was so happy and childish.

After some time, Jim lost himself in a crowd of concert goers, so I went to look for him. Without his company it felt such a sad place. It was as if he had fallen through the ground, which made me very nervous. Finally, I found him by the entrance table, where he was joking away with one old blonde, not too different from frivolous Barbara Valentin. I asked him for a photo together. At first he looked impenetrable but as soon as I threw a sad eye and smirked, he brightened up and agreed as if saying "You know you can, anything for you, darling"

His niece Valerie took our picture. He then whispered to me that he hopes I´ll send him some pictures later.

After that he announced that we are going back inside to listen to the band.

I saw them from close-up and I must say that it was much better to just hear them. They looked rather too comic with all their wigs. It was something that would make Freddie laugh too.

I told Jim that they don´t look very natural,which he agreed with, but he said he couldn´t complain about their music. He was totally right, because musically they weren´t bad and the singer had a very authentic voice.

Inside, everybody was dancing and Jim joined in and circled around them like a rogalo.

The whole pub vibrated with intense and loving energy. There was no one who would be bored. Jim then threw himself in the arms of his two nieces, who gently caressed him in his hair and embraced him. He let them take care of him, now vulnerable like a little lost child all of a sudden.

There was something deeply touching about it. He had closed his eyes and sadly lowered his head, as if his tears flowed deep inside, in his invisible world. I realized at this stage, how much he really loved Freddie. I was looking at him and I had a desire to caress him and comfort him but instead, I had to stand aside.

"You can have everything and yet feel alone", Freddie once said. But I was glad Jim had his family and friends around him, who cared and protected him. Jim was going through sorrow and joy,both at the same time, it seemed.

During one of his many shananigans, I caught him messing around with his niece's boyfriend.

He sat him on his knees and imitated sexual intercourse. It would seem offensive and utterly crazy to someone who didn´t know him. But we all did. Jim was laughing like crazy and when he finally looked at me, he seemed a little embarrassed by his behavior and gave me a look that said"I hope you won´t tell on me to Freddie"...but it was hard to take him seriously.

We both smiled conspiratorially at each other. In that sense, our relationship no matter how short-lived, was special. We understood one another in thoughts. He winked at me a couple of times, tapping my beer like an old buddy.

In one moment in particular, Jim leaned over me and whispered: "You as a fan have right to be crazy, but them" ... pointing at our dancing group of friends ... " they are fucked up", he said with smile and he began to knock his finger against his forehead. An international gesture that doesn´t need an interpreter!

Jim then went to the toilets for a while, and I, like a stray sheep, followed him through crowds of oblivious dancers. He was somewhat drunk at that time and barely retained a balance. He staggered a little like a broken tree. No surprise after god knows how many Red bulls and vodkas! I was bit afraid for him, so I supported him inconspicuously by both shoulders from behind. He went to the toilet and cared too little to even close the door behind him. If anyone was looking, he would see Jim Hutton pissing in a toilet bowl in his bright canary shirt.

At that moment they played the most touching song of all, These are the Days of our lives .... I stood by the door and listened, watching the band and waited for Jim. I don´t know why, perhaps because of the fate that brought me here, I suddenly felt terrible sorrow. I was sorry for Freddie and Jim. Tears poured into my eyes. I didn´t cry, but was very close to it. Jim suddenly appeared next to me and noticed my face. "What about those tears? I hope you don´t cry", but at this stage I was lost for words. His concern made me sad even more. Something inside me forced me to caress him. I hugged him gently around his neck and put my head on his shoulder for a moment. I wanted to let him know that I am very sorry about what happened to Freddie. He did not resist. He knew he wasn´t the only one in the world who was missing him. I looked into his eyes, and I told him a sentence that I didn´t know why I said, but I strongly felt it..."Jim, he's here, he IS here." His expression was rather confused at first. "Do you believe me?" ... I said this with a seriousness and a certain degree of self-assurance that he froze for a while. He looked thoughtful. He knew what I was talking about.

I seemed to only confirm his inner conviction. He didn´t say a word. He wiped my tear away with the edge of his hand and without warning, took me firmly by the hand and led me through crowds back to our friends. There was a lot of care and love in his touch. The music was just playing and Freddie just sang "I still love you" and I knew he did.

I didn´t want to leave, but I knew I said everything I needed to. I could not leave without saying goodbye. It would be a sin after all this to just disappear into eternity. I interrupted him from the conversation with someone else, leaned over the table and said, "Jim, I'm leaving now, so I want to say goodbye, it was great pleasure meeting you." I smiled as much as my heart allowed me to and shook his hand. He stared up and thought for a moment, and then, without any hesitance said, "We do not see each other for the last time." I didn´t know at this time how true his words were.

I thought I did not understand well, so I asked again, "sorry?" and he repeated patiently and more resolutely, "I shall surely see you again," while taking my hand into his hands and kissing it gently.

He left me in amazement. I stumbled out from there perplexed but still I could hear him talking about me to someone there. He probably said he hadn´t seen a bigger nutcase in a long time, assuming from his cute teddybear smile. Gosh I loved him so much!

The next day I learned from my friends that Jim was looking next morning for his jacket that he had forgotten in his car. Few days later, I've sent him the promised photographs. Jacquie confirmed that he called in to say he had received them allright.”

2001

“...And then I returned back to Ireland in 2004.

I had the opportunity to welcome Jim to my own home in Carlow sometime in 2006. He was Stephen´s surprise. When the door opened up, I didn´t see him at first.

Then his head popped out from the side of the door and with a laugh he emerged a bit later. He hugged me like we hadn´t seen each other for million years. What I felt at that moment was indescripable. My dear Jim back in my life and in my own house!

We all sat in the living room, Jim settled down on the sofa, I was sitting on the ground and absorbed the precious moments because I knew time spent with him was only borrowed time. Then we watched Queen videos and talked about Freddie as if he were in the next room. It was so surreal. Me and Jim agreed that our favorite video was Scandal, and he just added that Freddie didn´t like it very much because he couldn´t make any creative input in it, although he loved the song.

Then we talked about his illness, about him taking up to 40 pills a day to sustain his health and he also explained the difference between AIDS and HIV, as many people still didn´t know. We have talked so much and - above all - we laughed all night, almost at everything. It was so easy to succumb to his funny personality once again and to his heartfelt laughter. He made jokes about fancying my ex-boyfriend, whom he lied on top of on the sofa. Long time ago, I´ve sent him a letter explaining to him how Freddie has impacted my life. But I've forgotten I´ve ever written it and now I was faced with the horror that I actually have sent it. I hoped he has forgotten about it, but when Jim and I met in the corridor of our house, I couldn´t but apologize to him for that letter, and for being so daring. To my surprise, he looked at me softly with his tired eyes and assured me that my letter was absolutely fascinating. Then we were interrupted by Stephen, who was just leaving a toilet and the conversation was cut short at that point. Unfortunatelly I would never have the chance to find out what was the next thing he was about to say, because I noticed he wanted to continue, if he weren´t interrupted.

When we were saying goodbye at the door, he treated me as an old friend. He simply kissed me on the lips, which utterly shocked me and made me laugh at the same time.

He invited us back to his house to have a little party, but my ex-boyfriend was not in the perfect mood and so we politely declined, which I will forever regret!

About a year after that I bumped into Jim several times in the city where we both lived, or we exchanged text messages whenever I needed to advise what room flowers would be best for our new house. Sometimes I learnt about how he´s doing through my ex-boyfriend, who used to hang out with him and drink few pints in a night bar. Once my ex confessed how Jim told him that I was a great person and he should be happy to have me. They must have been talking about me!!!!

Then I met Jim one night in the nightclub, where he was with his friends. He spent most of his time sitting in the lounge smoking a cigarette, having fun with younger girls. Wherever he was, you heard his laughter. That night my ex-boyfriend arranged for Jim and me to have a dance together.

Jim was just dancing on the dancefloor with some older woman. I remember he had his jumper tied around his waist. I just got onto the dancefloor, he looked at me all serious and pulled me close to him. It was some tediously slow song that I can´t even remember, I just know that we were staggering from side to side like two handiccaped penguins and that made me laugh hysterically.

He was such a clown! Now, however, I consider this moment as one of the most precious memories of him. It was my night.

Back in 2009, I have learned that Jim was diagnosed with cancer. My ex-boyfriend told me how concerned Jim was when informing him. He said, he wept. At that time I didn´t know how serious the situation was and I hoped Jim will get better in no time. I believed the doctors would somehow help him out of it. I saw him a little later at work when he came to our restaurant for breakfast.

I almost served him as another customer, but when I realized it was him, I pulled myself back into the kitchen and let the other girls serve him. He never noticed. I was in such state of shock. I didn´t know what to do, how to act and what to say. He was so thin, just skin and bone. His face was sinking, his eyes full of pain, a small tube leading from his nose to the oxygen device he carried in his backpack and a small canvas hat on his head. I couldn´t believe this was Jim, whom I have remembered being so full of life and joy only half a year ago. I wanted to cry like never before. I also felt embarassed by my own cowardly reaction. I wished more than anything in my life to hug him and say I loved him. I wanted to wish him a happy Christmas. But I was scared of my own tears, which would not help him in his situation.

I wrote him a message on the phone, but he didn´t respond. And then I got the terrible news. Jim died and somehow I also missed his funeral. I took a first taxi and went at least to his months Mass and visited his grave, bringing him daffodils and little white lantern with candle. It was so hard for me. His relatives stood above his grave. I said my prayers in a minute of silence. The air didn´t move and the moon was full in the night sky. It was dark and cold all around but I didn´t care.

I wanted to see him laugh and mess around like he used to. It was as if another star had disappeared and fell to the earth. If only life could last forever.”

2006-2010

Credits to Seraphiel’s blog. Please don’t repost without credits.

[dccomicsimagines]

Blackmail - Hal Jordan x Reader - Part Two

Part One

Warning - Pregnancy

Requested by Anon -  Please make a sequel to blackmail about a month later green lantern still being loyal to keep the reader alive and the reader finds out she is pregnant and tries to hide it but superman scans her and finds out and uses it to make more of a advantage against Hal. Please please please

Requested by Anon -  Blackmail was really good! You should totally right a sequel to it :)

Requested by Anon -  Hi,love your work! Would you be willing to do another part to the Hal Jordan imagine, blackmail? Thank you <3

***

“Please be stress, please be stress,” you whispered over and over to yourself in the tiny bathroom connected to the ice room that was your new home. You eyed the feminine products on the counter. The robot brought them in with your meal that morning. 

How did they know when you would need them? You shivered. The only issue was that you were late. Very late. 

You hid the products under the sink. “It’s just stress.” However, your mind started count the days. The last time you and Hal...it was before all this. It was the night before he left to go to the Green Lantern Corps meeting about Superman.

Suddenly, you tasted acid in your mouth. You fell onto the toilet to lose the breakfast you managed to eat. “Hal, I need you now.” Once you were finished, you crawled your way up to the sink and washed out your mouth. Your cheeks were already wet from the tears you didn’t notice until now.

“Miss (Y/N), it is time for the hour exercise,” the robot said from the other room. You froze, holding your breath. The robot opened the bathroom door a moment later, staring at you with it’s empty eyes. You hated it so much. About two days into your imprisonment, you had attempted to attack the robot. It didn’t work, and you were drugged into a stupor for a day afterwards.

You pressed your lips together and brushed past the robot to the door. It followed you closely. You knew the way to the garden by now. Besides, you wanted to see if you could meet someone else on the way.

Two weeks ago, you met Diana. You tried to talk to her, but the robot dragged you off. “Hal,” you whispered under your breath, hoping you would see him. You hadn’t seen him since he explained how you were to be Superman’s prisoner indefinitely. Everything in you hoped Hal wasn’t being forced to do something terrible. You swallowed hard. You couldn’t live with yourself if he did. 

Your hand fell to your stomach absentmindedly. What would happen if you were pregnant? What would Superman do? The robot pushed you along when you slowed down. Finally, you reached the garden. It was warmer than your cell. You slid off your coat. 

The robot stationed itself by the door. It’s cold, lifeless eyes watched you as you walked along the path and out of it’s sight. You walked around, touching a plant here and there. Slowly, you sat down on a bench, feeling a little weak. There wasn’t another way out of the garden, so you didn’t bother to try to find a way to escape. You already tried for the month you’ve been here. Was it a month? The days all blurred together. 

“(Y/N)?” You tensed, jumping to your feet to find Superman landing behind you. 

“Fuck you,” you growled, hating him. He visited you every day. It was only recently that he started talking to you. Before he would just stare. Your blood ran cold. He would know if you were pregnant, wouldn’t he? Maybe that’s why the feminine products came when they did, to let you know he knew.

“Your heartbeat is faster than normal.” He studied you. You shivered, loathing how he looked at you. “You will have a physical.” 

“My heart could be beating fast because I’m afraid of you.” You swallowed hard. The physical would confirm what he already knew. Even though you wanted to know, you had to keep it a secret.

Superman frowned, floating over to you. He grabbed your chin to look you in the eye. You stared back at him, narrowing your eyes. “You’re not afraid.” His grip on your chin tightened in warning. Your heart skipped a beat. “Besides, we can’t have you sick. What will Hal say when he visits you next?” 

“Like you care.” You pulled away from him. He let you go. “Lois would be ashamed of you.” 

His eyes narrowed, glowing red. You shrank away. Your blood froze in terror, but part of you hoped he’d do it. Hal would be free to stop him if he didn’t have to worry about you anymore. “Don’t.” 

“Come on, do it,” you hissed, gathering whatever courage you had left. If you were pregnant, you hoped your baby would forgive you for getting yourself killed. 

Superman took a deep breath. His eyes turned back to their normal icy blue. “You will have the physical.” He frowned. “I was going to give you access to a library to entertain yourself, but that will have to wait. We’ll have to see how well Hal does.” 

You exploded, swearing at him as you tried to hit him. He floated out of your reach. The robot came around the corner and grabbed your arms. It’s grip was tight, bruising you. 

Superman frowned and flew away. The robot dragged you away. “Hal!” you screamed, hoping beyond hopes he could hear you. “Hal!” 

***

Two months passed. Hal sighed, burying his head into his hands. He felt empty, lost. The weight of his ring on his finger was gone. He was no longer a Green Lantern. What was he without his ring? Without you?

“Jordan.” Superman’s voice echoed from the window of Hal’s small apartment. It wasn’t the one he shared with you as he was unable to go back there knowing you were trapped in the Fortress of Solitude forever. 

“What do you want?” Hal asked tiredly. His voice cracked, defeated. “I’ve already lost my ring for you. I’ve done everything you asked. Let (Y/N) go, and we’ll go live somewhere. We won’t rebel against you. Please, just let me see her.” He ran his hand down his face and over his unshaven chin.

Superman laughed. “You may, but I need you to get a ring. I need a Lantern on my side. Enforcing the law needs someone with that kind of power.” 

Hal jumped to his feet, pointing a finger in Superman’s face. “I can’t be a Green Lantern anymore. You shouldn’t have made me do what you made me do.” 

“You can be a Lantern again if you make a deal with Sinestro.” Superman smiled cruelly as Hal’s jaw dropped open in horror.

“No, I will never.” Hal dropped his hand, clenching it into a fist. He reminded himself that punching Superman will only break his hand. 

“I need Lanterns on my side. Join Sinestro, become a Yellow Lantern and I will let you see (Y/N).” Superman pulled a photo out of his pocket. “Or I will have (Y/N)’s pregnancy aborted.” 

Hal gasped, staring at the photo. It was an ultrasound. He could make out a tiny form of a baby. “You wouldn’t. Not after Lois. You wouldn’t.” Hal stared at Superman in disbelief. His mind counted the months. You could be pregnant with his child. He remembered not using protection the last time he slept with you. 

“I will.” Superman’s face blanked. Cold hard steel. “Do it, Hal. Come to the fortress with your new ring, and you’ll get to spend the day with (Y/N).” Superman flew off. Hal collapsed to the ground, shaking.

“Fuck you,” Hal muttered, knowing Superman would hear him. A sob slipped past his lips, unable to stop himself. The idea you were pregnant should have made him happy. In another time, he would have been, but now all he could think was how you and him would raise a child under Superman’s steel thumb. 

***

You sat up in the fur covered bed when the door opened. With all your might, you threw a rock stolen from the garden. You kept your eyes closed, waiting to feel the hot lasers from Superman’s eyes or the cold needle from the robot. The rock clanged against the hallway wall.

“Woah,” a wonderful, tired voice said. Your eyes flew open. 

“Hal?” You soaked in the sight of him. His clothes were baggy, his face thinner. In his hand, he held a gift bag and a bouquet of flowers. The dark circles under his eyes made you want to help him anyway you could. You rolled to your feet with your baby belly and ran over to him. He wrapped his arms around you.

“Yeah, baby.” Hal dropped the bag and the flowers to pull you closer. Your belly pressed against his stomach. You knew he’d feel it and instantly know about the baby you were carrying. Of course, you assumed Superman would have told him already. “I missed you so much.” 

Tears ran down your cheeks as you ran your fingers through his hair. It needed a wash. You pressed your cheek against his, feeling the burn of his whiskers. He needed to shave too. “I missed you too. It’s been so long.” Tightening your arms around him, you felt how thin he had gotten. 

“I know.” He kissed your lips desperately as if you were the very air he needed to breath. Slowly, Hal backed you up to the bed before guiding you down to sit on the edge. He broke the kiss. “I brought you some things.” He picked up the flowers and the gift bag again. 

“Thank you.” You took them from him, kissing him again. Hal smiled into the kiss. The shadows in his eyes lightened. His shoulders relaxed fully. You trailed your hand down his back, melting into him. Hal dropped to his knees in front of you. 

“I’m sorry,” Hal whispered between kisses. 

“You don’t have to be sorry. None of this is your fault. It’s his.” You pulled away to look him in the eye. Your hand reached down to find his. Tracing his ring as you always did, you frowned when the pattern felt different. “What?” You looked down, pulling Hal’s hand closer. Your heart dropped when you saw the yellow ring on his finger.

Hal paled, looking away from you. “Don’t ask.” His hand started to shake.

“Oh, sweetheart.” A sob worked it’s way up your throat. You wrapped your arms tightly around his neck. “I’m so sorry I made you do this.” 

“You didn’t make me do anything.” Hal stiffened in your arms. “Clark did it.” 

You gasped. “Don’t say his name. He’ll come here.” Running your fingers through his hair again, you shivered. 

“Did he hurt you?” Hal coughed, relaxing at your touch. 

“No. Just frightened me.” You patted your baby bump. “We’re both fine.” Hal slid a shaky hand onto yours.

“I always imagined this moment, but I never thought it would be like this.” Hal kissed you gently.

“No, I thought I’d get to find out on my own. Maybe do a cute reveal thing?” You pulled away, looking him in the eye. “But I’m glad you’re here now. That we’re both here for this.” 

Hal smiled sadly. “You should open your present.” He set it in your lap. You sighed, giving him a small smile.

Pulling away the tissue paper, you gasped. “Oh, sweetheart.” You held up a set of newborn onesies with little airplanes on them. “These are adorable.” 

“I picked them up after I came to my senses.” He looked haunted, so unlike himself. 

You kissed him passionately, desperate to chase away the shadows in his eyes. “I love you so much.” 

Hal moaned, pushing you to lay down on the bed as he crawled on top of you. “You make everything better.” 

“Good.” You studied him between kisses, hoping you could make everything better from him. 

***

You didn’t see Hal again for four more months. Your belly was huge, and you felt like a whale. The baby moved a lot, unaware how they were about to be born into a prison.

“Miss (Y/N), it is time for the hour exercise.” The robot opened the door to your bedroom. You sighed, sitting up in bed with some difficultly. Your feet were still swollen from yesterday, but you knew you had to get up. The robot would carry you out if you didn’t.

The robot started forward as you were taking too long. “I’m fine, give me a moment,” you snapped, getting to your feet. The baby somersaulted in your belly. “Stop it, honey. You’re making Mommy sick again.” You rubbed your belly and waddled out the door. The robot followed closely behind. 

You didn’t bother to try to look around for someone to plead your case to anymore. The last person you saw was Barry, and he avoided you with a guilty expression on his face. It make you feel slightly satisfied that he felt wrong about you being kept as a prisoner. 

Finally, you reached the garden. The robot hovered by the door while you wandered out of sight. You took a deep breath, loving the smell of soil. You never thought you would miss dirt, but you did.

Wandering around until your feet hurt, you sat down on the bench to rest. The baby kicked you. You chuckled, rubbing your belly with love and wishing Hal could be here. 

A few minutes passed with you soaking up the artificial sun before a large boom echoed from somewhere else in the fortress. You perked up, but then relaxed. It could be Superman throwing things or sparing with Wonder Woman or...well, you weren’t sure. You had never heard a boom like that before. 

Suddenly, the robot’s head went flying past. It crashed into the far wall. You jumped in surprise. Hope sparked in your heart as you pushed yourself to your feet.

“(Y/N)?” Hal gasped, appearing around corner of the path. In his Yellow Lantern suit, you almost didn’t recognize him until he took off his mask and you could see his eyes. He paused, hovering to drink in the sight of you. You studied him the same way. He looked so much older. You could have sworn there was a touch of gray in his hair.

“Hal?” Tears filled your eyes as you opened your arms. He flew to you, wrapping his arms around you tightly. His stomach pressing as close to your baby belly as he could. 

“You and the baby are safe?” he whispered, kissing you deeply. You melted into him. Your knees gave out, but he held you to him.

“Yes, we’re fine.” Panting, you pulled away with a hand running through his hair. “What is this about? Did you...?” 

Hal smiled. “No, but in two minutes, Batman is coming. We’ll pretend to fight. He’ll win and you’ll go with him.” 

You blinked. “What?” A shiver ran down your spine. “Wait, you won’t come too?” 

His face fell slightly. He knelt down and pressed his ear against your belly. “No, I won’t. I have to stay here. Superman can’t think I betrayed him, or he’ll kill you and our baby.” 

The baby kicked. Hal smiled up at you, feeling it against his cheek. “But...I can’t do this without you.” A sob escaped your lips as you kept running your fingers through Hal’s hair. “You won’t get to see our baby.”

“No, but I’ll know you’re both safe with Batman and that’s what matters.” Hal kissed your belly before slowly getting to his feet. He kissed your lips desperately. “It won’t be forever.”

“But...” Your heart skipped a beat when a bat shadow suddenly appeared behind Hal. “No.” You threw yourself around Hal to protect him. “Don’t hurt him.” 

“It won’t hurt him, (Y/N), but we have to make it look good,” Batman said, stepping into the light. He had stubble on his chin, something you never remembered seeing on him. “We don’t have a lot of time.”  

Hal turned you to face him. “Baby, please. Don’t do this.” He kissed you hard before pulling away to look you in the eye. “Protect our baby for me.” 

The tears fell freely down your cheeks. You took a shaky breath as your heart broke with the knowledge you would have to leave him. The baby kicked you. You laid a hand on your belly. “You’ll come back to us.” 

“I will.” Hal smiled and stepped around you. “Let’s go, Bruce.” He cracked his knuckles before flying at Batman. You stumbled back, watching the fight in horror. Feeling sick, you sank down onto the bench and hid your face in your hands.

The sounds of the fight echoed in your ears. You covered your ears to block it. Before you knew it, a hand grabbed your arm and pulled you to your feet. You gasped, looking into Batman’s masked face. Your eyes slid over to Hal’s unconscious body on the ground. “Let me go to him,” you whispered. 

“No, we have to go now.” Batman pulled you along. Suddenly, he wrapped his cape around you as the roof was blasted in. Rumble and dust fell on both of you, but the cape protected you. The hum of the plane above echoed through the room. 

“But...” You threw the cape off and turned back to Hal. Batman grabbed your chin, forcing you to look at him. A chill ran down your spine as you remembered Superman had grabbed your chin the same way. 

“Don’t let his sacrifice be for nothing.” Batman looked you in the eye. His lips pursed. “We don’t have time.” 

You swallowed hard, stepping away from Batman. Studying Hal for long enough to see his chest rise and fall, you sighed. “Okay.” Your heart broke. Batman pulled you to him and wrapped his arm around your waist securely. 

“Hold on,” he warned. You threw your arms around his neck when he suddenly shot his grapple gun up to the plane above. Your feet left the ground a second later. A little scream escaped you. Your baby kicked wildly. Batman smirked.

Once your feet touched the floor of the plane, you slapped Batman’s arm. “You could have warned me,” you hissed. Your stomach flip flopped dangerously. 

Batman snorted, pulling you along to a seat and buckling you in. “If anything happens, go to the back of the plane and used the escape pod,” he said sternly. “Otherwise, sit tight.” He smirked again when he pulled out a barf bag. 

You glared at him as you took it. He went to the cockpit, leaving you alone. The plane hummed, vibrating as it flew to somewhere safe. You closed your eyes, relaxing for the first time in a long time. The only thing missing was Hal. Everything in you wanted him to be here with you, but you knew he couldn’t. The baby kicked you again. Tears filled your eyes, hoping beyond hopes that Hal will be alive to see his child for the first time.

***

It took five long years before you heard Superman’s regime had fallen. You were in your garden, weeding on your hands and knees when your son came running up the path. He shouted the news excitedly. 

“Are you sure?” You brushed your hands on your jeans and got to your feet. 

“Yeah, that’s what Dr. Thompkins said.” Your son bounced on his toes. “She said she heard it on the special radio.”

Your heart skipped a beat. “The special radio,” you whispered. “That hasn’t turned on in a long time.” 

The tiny village you had lived in for the past five years was off-the-grid. It was hidden in a tiny corner of the world. Even the people who lived there didn’t know where the village was in case anyone were to be captured by the Regime.  There were some random supply drops, but almost everything that was needed was produced by the village itself. The only news came from the radio Dr. Thompkins had. She was an old friend of Batman’s, thus the one he trusted with the radio.

“She wants you to come.” Your son grabbed your hand, ignoring the dirt on it. “Come on.” He started to pull you down the path. You laughed, still in slight shock. 

“I’m coming.” You felt like you were floating on air. Finally, the day had come just like Hal said. He could meet his son for the first time, and you could kiss him again. You missed Hal so much your body ached. However, ice cold fear washed over you when you realized there was a chance Hal might not have survived.

Your son didn’t notice the smile drop from your face as he pulled you along the path to Dr. Thompkins’ home and clinic. The others were already gathering around the radio in the living room. Your son let go of your hand to go see his friends. “(Y/N),” Dr. Thompkins whispered, appearing at your side. “Honey, sit down before you fall down.” She pushed you into a seat. 

“Do you know...if Hal is alive?” Your chest tightened. The breath squeezed out of your lungs. 

She patted your arm. “No, but no news is good news.” You looked into her gentle, kind eyes. The same eyes you looked into when you were giving birth to your son. You didn’t know what you would have done without her. She glanced around before whispering in your ear. “Shazam is dead. Superman killed him.” 

“Billy?” Horror chilled your blood. “He was only a kid.” 

Dr. Thompkins nodded with a frown. “What’s wrong?” your son asked, appearing in front of you with a frown. 

“Go get your mother something to drink,” Dr. Thompkins told him. Your son ran to the kitchen. “(Y/N), try to calm down for your son. You can’t get all worked up if you don’t know.” 

You sighed and closed your eyes. “You’re right.” 

“Here you go, Mommy,” your son said, coming back with a cup of water. You smiled at him, taking it and pulling him onto your lap.

“Thank you, baby.” You kissed his cheek. Dr. Thompkins left to go talk to someone else. You tightened your arms around your son as the radio spoke of an alternative universe. 

Time past as more reports came from the radio. You held your son, fearing the moment when the deaths would be read. Sipping the water, you tried to think about anything else.

Eventually, the reports stopped and Dr. Thompkins told everyone to go home. She stopped you before you could leave. Your son ran ahead. “I’ll let you know if I hear anything about Hal.” 

You nodded. “Thank you.” 

“Mommy, I’m hungry,” your son called, halfway down the path home. 

“Well, that’s my que.” You laughed, jogging to catch your son. He screamed and raced away. “Come back here.” The chase went all the way home until your son was inside the house. You had to lean against the doorway to catch your breath. Your son ran out the back door to get wood for the stove. 

Slowly, you pulled away from the door frame and moved to start dinner. You filled a pot with water. A scream from the back door made the pot drop from your hands and crash onto the floor. The water splashed, soaking you. You ignored it and ran to the door. Your son jumped into your arms, shaking in terror. 

“Mommy, there’s a flying man,” he cried, hiding his face in your shoulder. Your heart stopped.

“What?” You peeked outside to see a green glowing man land in the yard. His face hidden by the shadows of the setting sun. “Hal?” 

“(Y/N).” Hal’s voice answered as he stepped toward you, so you could clearly see his face. He looked like he had aged twenty years. His hair was more gray than brown. 

“Hal.” You ran to him, forgetting your scared son in your arms. 

“Mommy, he’s a flying stranger,” your son screamed. You ignored him, throwing both of you into Hal’s arms. Hal hugged you close. Your son was smashed between the two of you.

Tears ran down your cheeks. “It’s been so long,” you cried, kissing Hal hard on the lips. 

“I know.” Hal kissed you back eagerly. 

“Mommy.” Your son wiggled out between you and Hal. “Who is this flying man? Why are you kissing?” He wrinkled his nose. 

Hal pulled away from you to look down at your son. He sank to his knees, drinking in his son’s eyes that were a copy of his. 

“Remember when I told you that your daddy was a brave man fighting to keep us safe,” you said, kneeling down beside Hal. Your son eyed Hal nervously. 

“Yes?” Your son glanced at you before looking back at Hal.

“Well, this is your daddy. He can come to us because Superman is gone.” You kissed your son’s head. A big smile grew upon your lips when you saw the pride in Hal’s eyes. 

Your son’s jaw dropped in shock. “Daddy?” He scrutinized Hal and wrinkled his nose again. “Why are you so old?” 

Hal laughed deeply. You sensed it was probably the first time he laughed in a long time. “Well, I’ve lived a lot longer than you have, buddy.” He ruffled your son’s hair. 

Your son smiled shyly before looking at you. “Mommy, can we make dinner now?” 

“He’s always hungry,” you told Hal, getting to your feet. You offered a hand to Hal. He took it, squeezing your hand hard.

“I love you.” He kissed your palm. 

Rubbing your thumb against his lips, you laughed. “I love you too.” His green ring glowed on his hand as he used it to help himself to his feet. “And you’re green again?” You frowned slightly when you noticed he didn’t put his full weight on his left leg. 

“Yeah, long story.” Hal kissed your cheek.

“Can we eat please?” Your son cried from the house. 

Both of you chuckled, sharing one long kiss before entering the house. A family at last.

[lovelylunarwriting]

Hufflepuff!Soonyoung x Slytherin!Reader

Something you’ve found hard to find at Hogwarts is some peace and quiet. Library is loud because of the Gryffindors who just scream in frustration about homework, the grand hall is never ending chaos regardless of the hour, and even the common rooms can be too loud a majority of the time.

For you to stay sane, some privacy time is necessary. It’s not that you don’t like people, but too much all at once or for too long can be too much to bear.

Which is why over the years you’ve made yourself a little garden to relax and tend to, and no one has been able to find it.

Until now, that is.

You wind through a patch of forest on the back end of the castle to your greenhouse (it was abandoned when you found it as a second year, but you’ve tidied it up since then), and head in to grab a watering can.

Before you can reach for it though, you notice someone’s bag leaning up against the can. The little beaded charm dangling from the zipper spells out “Soonyoung”, but you’ve never heard of him.

Whipping around, you daggers into whatever poor soul decided to intrude upon your quiet space.

Much to your surprise, he’s not one of your boisterous Gryffindor friends like you’d expected. He’s a gentle, mousey-looking Hufflepuff, softly swinging back and forth in your hammock.

Sighing, you go over to ask him to leave, when you realize his eyes are closed. And that some of your juniper berries are missing from the potted plant behind him….

Panicking, you shake him awake a little bit too forcefully, and the poor boy goes toppling out of the hammock.

He looks up at you with this terrified look that makes you falter.

You: “I- I’m so sorry but did you eat those berries? The blueish purple ones?? Please tell me you didn’t”

Soonyoung: “...what? Oh! I’m sorry for taking them. I thought it would be cool to paint on some of those big rocks out front and they looked pretty pigmented so-”

You: “I don’t care about painting with them- did you eat them?!”

Soonyoung: “No, I didn’t! Gosh, I already said sorry…”

Sighing yet again, you sink down and take a seat next to the boy on the dirt floor. 

You: “They’re poisonous. That’s why I was so direct. Sorry about that”

Soonyoung: “oh,,,, uh thanks? For your concern I guess”

Standing up and brushing off the back of your robes, you expect him to do the same and be on his way. But he just stays there, sitting criss-cross on the ground.

You: “No offense, but why are you still here? I don’t have a reputation for being the friendliest person”

Soonyoung: “Anything’s better than him though…” Soonyoung mumbles under his breath.

You: “...better than who, exactly?”, you ask, curiosity getting the better of you.

Soonyoung: “No- no one! It’s not a big deal”, he says with a panicked tone that makes you feel bad about being nosy. 

You: “I…. I know I’m not the most outgoing person. But if anything that’s all the more reason to confide in me, it’s not like I’m going to tell anyone”

It’s quiet for a few moments and then Soonyoung goes on a whole rant about this Gryffindor kid that’s been going out of his way to bother him.

Soonyoung: “He even threw my textbooks in the toilet. Not just any bathroom though- Moaning Myrtle's toilet. I think my ears are still ringing and that was like a week ago…”

You: “Wait, wait- a week ago? How long has this been going on?”

Soonyoung: “a few………. months…”

You: “What?! Why haven’t you told anyone about this? Do you even understand the wrath that Seungcheol would bring upon that kid? It would be amazing”

Soonyoung: “It would be terrible!! I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, even this jerk”

You: “It would be well deserved in my opinion, but to each their own. And no you don’t have to even ask- I won’t tell Seungcheol for you. But if you need to just get away for awhile, you can come here. If I happen to be here at the same time you can just ignore me or whatever”

Soonyoung: “Why would I ignore you? That’d be so rude”

You: “Better than making small talk for the sake of being polite”

Soonyoung: “What if I’m not just being polite? You’re the only person I’ve been able to talk to about this. I feel like I could tell you anything”

You: “Oh… well. Then you can talk to me,,, if you want to…….”, you mumble, feeling your cheeks heat up at the kind words.

Soonyoung promises to visit and heads back to the castle. Meanwhile you linger around, trying to relive the feeling of warmth he gives off just by being around.

From that day onward, meeting up at the hidden garden becomes something of a routine for the two of you.

Soonyoung pops in around once a week. 

And then twice a week.

At first the conversations are strictly civil (not nearly as deep at the first one), and mostly instigated by Soonyoung asking about plants and how greenhouses work.

"Can I eat this one?" (no)

"Do you really need that whole pile of dirt? can't you just like,,,, dig some out of the forest whenever you need some?" (no, not the same kind of dirt)

"Wait but why is this one poisonous" (because there’s poison in it??)

"The air is too moist. Will it mess you up if I leave the door open?" (yes... please don’t....)

Your time is split between answering every question and actually tending to the plants. 

As much as the constant dialogue ought to annoy you,,,, it really doesn't. 

If it was anyone else then maybe. Vernon probably wouldn't be too bad but Mingyu would get irritating real quick. 

Soonyoung though is entirely tolerable, which not many people are to you. 

Soon enough, the conversation moves from plants to classes, and from classes to mutual friends, and from mutual friends to just about everything else.

On top of that, Soonyoung drops by almost everyday, even if it's just to say hello on his way to support his friends at the Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw Quidditch match.

You find yourself looking forward to these daily interactions, and whenever he drops in to say hi, you find yourself wishing he'd stay a bit longer.

It's even gotten to the point of distracting you from tending to the plants properly.

Instead of thinking "oh I need to filter the water out for the bamboo" you think about when Soonyoung asked you if he could hollow some of the bamboo out to make a flute.

(you said yes reluctantly but told him to wait until they've grown long enough,,,,)

As time goes on though, your silent wishes gradually manifest, with Soonyoung even staying until dusk every once in a while.

Boy, if you thought the stars shine at night, they’ve got nothing on Soonyoung.

He radiates even in the dark, in person and when you think of him falling asleep at night.

Mostly, it’s reminiscing on a joke or tangent he’d made some time earlier, but occasionally worrying about Soonyoung keeps you up later than you’d like to admit.

“Is that Gryffindor asshole still bothering him?” 

“How come he never talks about it?”

“Why when I bring it up does he change the subject?”

“And why does he look so sad when he’s staring into space?”

“And finally, for a person who prides themselves on their ability to be alone- when did Soonyoung become such a big part of my life?”

Unlike Soonyoung’s plant questions, you can’t find the right time to ask these.

As much as you try to brush off the thoughts when you wake in the morning, some of them trail behind you like a shadow throughout the day and into the night.

Shadows that weigh you down, but every time you see Soonyoung, you put on a smile.

Because he deserves it. He deserves someone to smile for him. Not to pester him with their worries,,,, or their feelings.

That is until one day where Soonyoung runs into the greenhouse looking frantic, and more importantly- terrified.

Without a second of hesitation, you rush up to him and ask him what’s wrong, but the answer steps out from behind a tree a few feet down the path to the glass building.

Instinctively, you step between the two boys, gently pushing Soonyoung behind you.

This Gryffindor… of course it was this one. He’s got a reputation for being nothing but trouble and muscle. A disastrous combo for sweet and soft Soonyoung, but maybe not for you.

Gryffindor: “Nice going, Soonyoung. Gonna hide behind your partner? What a coward”

You: “Watch your tongue before I cut it out of that gaping hole you call a mouth”, you say with as much venom as humanly possible. This catches the kid off guard.

Gryffindor: “Wha- what did you just say to me? Do you know who I am?!”, the bully sputters.

You: “I know who you are and I’ve seen your fragile masculinity flaunt itself through the castle corridors”

Soonyoung: “Y/N, please don’t-”, Soonyoung tries to interject but the bully just keeps going.

Gryffindor: “Yeah Soonyoung, call off your dog. Or should I say your bitch”, he says with a smirk that makes you wanna smack it right off his face. If it weren’t for Soonyoung’s hand wrapped tightly around your wrist, you just might.

You: “Forty-Eight”

Gryffindor: “Ha, now they’ve really lost it. Why don’t you-”

You: “Forty-eight hours. That’s how long you’ll have to get an antidote if I choose to poison you”

Soonyoung: “Y/N!”, he gasps, his grasp on your wrist tightening even more.

Gryffindor: “You- you wouldn’t! You’re just some loser Slytherin!”, he shouts in disbelief.

You: “I would and I am. A loser Slytherin with so much time on their hands to brew poisons. I’ve got about seven in stock right now… and your suite mate Vernon is one of my close friends. Lucky for me, he really doesn’t like you either, not that anyone does though. One word to him and he’ll slip it in your drink. Or will it be your food? Maybe I’ll even have him dust your pillow with some toxic powder…”, you say in a lethally calm tone, picking up a vial and swirling around the contents.

Gryffindor: “Wha- why do you even care? Soonyoung’s mine to pester, it doesn’t affect you”, he says, taking a cautious step backwards.

You: “He’s not YOURS for anything! He’s MINE. And don’t you fucking forget it!”, you yell, and throw the vial full force at the bully’s face.

The liquid inside splatters across his face, and he runs away screaming.

You don’t realize you’ve been shaking with rage, until Soonyoung gives your wrist one last squeeze and turns you around to face him.

Before you can say anything, he pulls you into a tight embrace burying your face in his chest.

You’d say something but the adrenaline and shock are too overwhelming. He doesn’t say anything either until a few moments later.

Soonyoung: “...I think I’d quite like that”, he says, still holding you against him.

You: “You- what? You’d like what?”, you ask, trying to fight his hold just enough to look up into his eyes.

Soonyoung: “I’d like to be yours, if you’ll agree to be mine. That’s what you said, right? ‘He’s mine!’”

You gulp. Hard.

Soonyoung: “I mean unless you were just saying that to scare him off-”, he backtracks, loosening his grip.

You: “No! I- I meant it! I mean it”, you sputter out, pulling him back into the embrace.

He chuckles and runs his fingers through your hair while you bury your face in the crook of his neck, too embarrassed to look at him.

After a while the two of you separate (but not too far apart) and Soonyoung asks you and important question..... aka ‘why you have so much poison,,,’

Then you explain that literally none of it is poison, it’s mostly sugars and flour for Mingyu’s pastry baking.

And that’s on being a good liar and using it for good.

From that day on the two of you become inseparable and your friends definitely… notice.

Like when you deliver Mingyu the entire Jar of syrup he’d requested weeks prior, Soonyoung tags along.

Mingyu: “I don’t- you two are friends? Since when?”

You: “Just take the sweets…. and let me live please….”

Vernon: “WAIT NO DUDE THEY’RE HOLDING HANDS???”

Mingyu: “BROOOOO NO WAY??? Are you d a t i n g????”

Soonyoung: “Yes we are!! And before that we were friends for a while, actually”

You: “Please stop,,, this feels like the sixth grade T-T”

Mingyu: “Well welcome to middle school because I’m telling EVERYONE”

Soonyoung: “What!! No, I wanted to be the one to tell everyone!”

The boys sprint out of the room screaming like banshees (whatever they were trying to get across was unintelligible anyway) leaving you just standing there,,, holding a jar of syrup,,,, silently staring at Vernon.

Vernon: “...so how did you seduce Soonyoung?”

You: “As of today Hansol, we are no longer friends”

He insists that it’s a joke and you just shove the jar into his hands and yeet the heck out of there.

Overall though, very cute dynamic between you and Soonyoung. 

The two of you prove the “opposites attract” phrase to be true.

[evergreen-dryad]

day 2 - soulmate

only death will do us part (2319 words)

They told him his soulmate must be dead.

All his life, the circlet of script around his left wrist had always been greyed out. Illegible. You had to squint in order to see it twining around the green-blue of his veins, and even then it might have been mistaken for scar tissue if it hadn’t been for how circular the soulmark was. How regular, the shape of the words were. Little rounded hiragana with a fat ‘ko’.

Amane had studied it as intensely as he had ever studied anything in his life, which was really only the moon rock, any astronomy books he could get from the library, and the newspaper for news of advances on space travel, so he could say for certainty he thought he knew what it said.

    「Hanako-kun!? Are you hurt!? That looks painful...」

Strange, and a little sad, that his soulmate would recognise him for someone else. But that’d make them easier to identify, hopefully?

If they were ever coming. People whispered around him when they saw the little silvery words wrapped around his knobby wrist. Faded words, a gone soulmate. How unlucky...

Another impossible thing to believe in then. He wanted to go to the moon, he wanted to be part of the Space Race, if Japan could join in too... he wanted his parents and Tsukasa back.

They weren't really here right now. They haven't been the same in a very long time. 

Tsukasa always seemed oddly triumphant whenever his eyes laid on Amane's soulmark. His eyes would curve just so, and for a moment Amane could believe he was the cat that had tasted cream. 

(Tsukasa had no mark of his own. People whispered that that meant he was fated to die, unbelonging. 

Unlucky boys, they whisper.

And Tsukasa—

—always gave that queer, cheery laugh, that said That's exactly what I want.) 

Hey, have you heard? Those twin boys... are marked by misfortune. They say the dead do not have soulmarks.

But then came along Tsuchigomori-sensei, with careful dark eyes that did not immediately dismiss him, or cringe away from where he silently sat in the corner, mooning over his newspaper clippings that he meticulously glued in his notebook, or gazing emptily outside to the sky.

Only he said consideringly, one day after class, after a gaggle of schoolgirls exchanging gossip and tattletale had fled the class in giggles, on realisation the tall teacher was still in the classroom.

"Or, your soulmate hasn't been born yet."

The words hit him like a stone. 

"Oh." He felt his breath drop out of him, as if gravity had changed his orbit.

Yet, cool relief swept over him also. Dead, or unborn: they're just not here yet. Their soul is still out there. 

But what if he isn't here by the time they come? 

He got up shakily from his desk, and uttered a quiet goodbye to his teacher before he left.

Tsuchigomori watched him with forlorn eyes. From the book he had read last night, Yugi Amane would have to grow to be 64 before he would meet his soulmate.

Those would be lonely years for him, but hey, the least he could do would be to commiserate with him over a drink or two.

Those of the Far Shore indeed do not have soulmarks.

_

When he met her, he was too caught up trying to remember to breathe right.

Don't cry. Don't let him see he's gotten to you more than this. Don't let anyone hear—

It was useless. Tears still pooled in his eyelids, blood still rose to the surface no matter how much he licked it away, willing the wounds to close. At least the blood would congeal soon. 

The reopened scabs kept weeping, while the orange of evening sunshine drifted in together with the tinny music of the evening broadcast, and the desperate sawing of cicadas.

He hadn't heard the door open. But then suddenly she was there like a ball of energy, dressed in the zaniest clothes he'd ever seen, yelling something about the evening announcement. He can't remember. Trying to remember is like viewing the image through oily water. 

(Even blurrier is the memory of when he fell for a pretty, kind older girl at a festival.

But—

—it couldn't have been her.)

She stopped, and turned to look at him, mouth open. He must have banged the bookcase beside him, he realised dimly.

And then she was over him, asking the words he had long memorised by heart.

Frozen to the spot, he couldn't breathe again.

Kind red eyes stared into his. They widened and began to settle into that expression he didn't know what to do with.

"Were you crying...?" The question broke through him like cold water.

She couldn't, shouldn't see him like this.

He ran. Scrambling out the door, she heard her yell "Wait!"

She had... fat ankles. Cute legs.

Heart in his throat, he sprinted out into the corridor. Don'tbebehindmedon'tbe-

She had nice hands. Nice, gentle hands in those fancy black gloves.

He ran and ran. The moon was already out in the swirling pinks and yellows of the sky.

runrunrun 

Did she have a soulmark too?

His heart rabbiting in his chest, the only sound he could hear for a long time, the deep throbbing next to his ears.

I didn't say anything to her. Except 'goodbye'.

His legs whirred to a stop. Head bowed, he trembled under a lamppost.

He didn't know what to do. His hand slipped into his pocket hesitatingly. Shouldn't he just go back home and forget about all this?

(But what if she's still there?)

It was only then he realised he had lost his key. His copy of the house key. 

"Oh no," he said softly to himself. The light of the lamppost flickered to life above him.

The moon was a pale thumbprint in the violet sky when he turned back.

But she wasn't there. Neither was the key. Both lost to the darkness.

A hiccup caught in his throat, as he felt himself crying again. 

(Were they both ghosts?)

_

They told her her soulmate must be dead. 

(Or, you are dying soon, they don't tell her.) 

All her life, she had waited for the prince of her dreams, the love of her life to show up. Maybe they'd ride in on a white horse, she'd giggle as she daydreamed, watching the fluffy white clouds pass over the blue sky, or in a black limousine, she smiled prettily as she walked on pavements and crossed the road, hoping, hoping. The words of the soulmark though... left little to be desired.

     「Yeeeeeeeees~ Over here.」

What kind of words were those?? Hmph, they came off a bit creepy. Why couldn't these words be something like, You're beautiful, m'lady, or I've fallen for you at first sight? Or even let me help you or good day. 

She sighed as she traced the silvery rope of letters over her right wrist. The 'a's stretched and wriggled like snaky beads. Honestly...

It didn't matter as long as she could meet them soon. She always smiled to herself then, determined.

Yashiro Nene was optimistic.

This she would tell herself everyday.

Yashiro Nene ... was also easily tempted. Aaaaah, when a handsome guy swept by or even looked her way...

She was lost. 

But! How was she to know otherwise, she told herself. From her soulmark it was obvious she'd have to approach or talk to them first, before they said the fateful words.

But she didn't feel ready talking to pretty boys unless she was also, either super pretty or feminine enough to pass.

She picked flowers, she picked stitches, she peeled and stirred and picked out bits of eggshell. All for her love to come true.

(Unsaid, was the what if the old superstition was right.)

So, in the meantime, she pined after boys she never really talked to, while waiting for the one to sweep her off her feet. Or in her case, beckon her over with a stretched-out word that might be a cat's yawn.

It was Aoi that talked to her in high-school. Kind Aoi that took a look at her and smiled brightly, and asked her if she liked flowers. While other girls might have laughed or fallen silent at her soulmark, Aoi 'ooh'd at it.

"It's so delicate," she said. "It's almost like a silver bracelet, I like it!" And then she'd showed Nene hers easily and eagerly, and they'd both speculated and giggled over their soulmarks for the better half of the gardening club session.

And then Aoi told her the tale of Hanako-san of the girls' toilets.

It captured Nene's heart at once. Why not, it coaxed to her. And before she knew it, she was creeping up the old wooden stairs to the third floor, and turning the old-style stained-glass door open.

Red doors stared back at her. Which one? One, two, three...

Braving herself to stand in front of the third door, she swallowed in the dusty silence and willed herself to knock. 

"Hanako-san, Hanako-san..." Her voice creaked out of her, hovering before her. Sunlight underscored the dust motes drifting in the air. "Are you there?"

A beat. Two. And then the stall door in front of her creaked ominously, exactly like from a horror movie, and a voice called eerily in reply. 

Nene hunched her shoulders, clutching her hands. She was ready to run if a monster came crawling out.

The door swung open, but there was only the toilet gaping mournfully in the dark. She let out her breath, sighing in relief. Just her imagination, huh...

"Over here." There was a husky voice beside her ear. Ahandonhershoulder—

She screamed and turned to shove the stranger, but flailed when they shot through someone's chest. Someone's chest. Ohmygodshewasgoingtodie...

Their laughter resounded above her head. She peeked out of the ball she had curled in. Huh...

"Are you alright?" A smiling boy's face entered her line of sight. She tried to gather her faculties, now that the shock had worn off. Something had struck out to her, what was it-

"Ah!" She sat up, eyes wide. "It's you!" The boy — the ghost — looked at her in confusion. "It's you?!" She realised with a start. "Oh, oh no..." Her voice faltered. "The rumours are true then. You're a ghost, right?"

"I am." He looked at her, puzzled.  "Do I still need to introduce myself as 7th of the school mysteries? Because that's what I am, nice to meet you." He smiled.

"I…" Her mouth worked, speechless. Where were the words for this? Where were all the times she'd practiced what'd she'd say if, when, she'd found them? "Hi." She put on a brave smile. "I'm Yashiro Nene, and - I'm your soulmate, and I'm so, so glad I've finally met you." Her eyes filled with tears.

It was true. She was glad, even though he was dead. He was dead, wasn't he? It was a miracle they could meet.

Amber stared into ruby eyes for a breath's space. He stared at her as if she was the ghost. 

"You...?" He looked really taken aback. His face was pale. "You are...?" 

Be still my heart. Yashiro Nene prayed to herself. "Yeah," she said lamely, as she held out her wrist for him to see. His first words carved into silver links on her skin. Be still, don't be nervous, it's okay, it's going to be okay right? Tears rose unbidden to her eyes.

She was always really afraid they might not accept her. He kept staring at her as if he was in a trance.

The ghost finally moved with a start. His hand came up to her cheek. "I'm sorry," he said hoarsely. "I didn't mean to make you cry. I-" He dipped his forehead against hers as his arms curled around her back protectively. "I always thought you were dead." His voice cracked. She could sense the truth of it.

"Me too," she let herself admit, a tear running down her cheek. "I was always really afraid."

He held her tighter. He didn't feel like anything more than the temperature of the air itself, but she could feel his touch on her. There was a chillness where his face was buried into her shoulder, so she raised her hands to cradle his head softly.

"I'm really glad you finally found me," he said, after a moment.

"Mm," she agreed, cracking a smile. "Hey, what should I call you? I can't just keep calling you ghost in my head." She giggled.

He hesitated. "...I'm used to Hanako after so long," he said carefully. "But you can - call me Amane." He looked at her, oddly searching. "Yugi Amane was my name."

"Okay, Amane-kun it is then!" She said breathily, a giggle bubbling out of her. She wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the mixture of emotions boiling within her after the adrenaline and the tears had worn off.

He took her hand in his, turning her wrist this way and that. A finger traced the letters over her pulse point. He looked so pensive. "...Do you still have yours?"

"Ah." He caught himself. "I'm not sure," he faltered. 

"It's okay," she told him, holding his hands before he could let go. "We have time." She smiled at him, full of hope.

He flushed, shaken. Appeared to pull himself together. "Actually." He grinned coyly, taking a step into her space. She took a step back, surprised by this change of pace. "We should make up for lost time, don't you agree?" He purred as he sidled closer to her, curling a lock of her hair around his finger.

"Ehhh?" She squeaked. "I mean- yes?" She was about to swoon! His breath hit her red cheeks. They must be red, she felt hot. Very hot and bothered.

Yellow eyes closed in on her, and she closed her eyes.

.

Be still my tongue, he thought to himself with dread, as he stared down at the scar where the soulmark used to be. She can't know she's dying soon.

He'll hold her hands, hold her in his arms, steal sweet kisses as much as he can before—

—he has to let go.

//note: if you’re confused about Nene’s soulmark it’s because it’s Haaaaaaaai, kocchi dayo. I chose to translate it more literally here.

edit 22/2/2020: rewrote where Nene knocked, forgot it's 3rd door. From left or right? Who knows, assume there’s 5 doors and it’s always at the centre.

[dreamonminecraft]

oh yes, tell me more about this beautiful lesbian slowburn. I’m a sucker for a good love story

Okay so to start off, My sexuality fluctuates greatly throughout this story, but as of now I identify as a Bisexual lithsexual lesbian, which means that I am attracted to lots of people but lose attraction when the feelings are reciprocated, and I'll only date girls.

The story starts off August of 2018. I was starting 6th grade (middle school) and didn't really have any friends aside from a few people that I had last talked to in 3rd grade.

It's important to know that I'm a GT kid and so I almost always have the same group of about 20 kids. This started when I changed to an all GT class for 4th grade.

While it's nice to have a comfortable learning environment, it also means that there's no escape from any drama, and you get to pick friends from the very small pool of kids that you'll spend the rest of your education with.

This is a pretty long story as well and I'm not sure I'll be able to accurately retell many of the things because dates get mixed up and stuff. Anyway, I'm gonna try my best to explain but these are really only the things from my point of view and I don't remember a lot of the things. (This is also gonna be written like a fanfic because that's all I know how to write, I apologise)

So start of sixth grade, I don't really have any friends, I'm kind of this awkward nerd, there's 2 people in my class (we switch classes like normal middle school, but I'm with the GT kids for most of the day so that's what I'll refer to them as) that I've known for years, a few I've met before, but mostly new people.

I sit by some old friends from volleyball at lunch for the first few days but begin to feel unwelcome. One day I decide to sit by these two people that I know are in GT but haven't talked to before. I don't say anything, but I sit and they don't mind.

The next day we get new seats in English. I'm behind a boy named Owen, Inara, who is one of the girls I sat with at lunch, is to my right, and in front of her is a girl named Emilyse.

Inara and I hit it off immediately.

It's kind of crazy because we're both crazy anxious introverts, but we gel nicely. I'm a boyband-obsessed 11 year old and she's a mature and mysterious 11 year old.

She's a lefty. I'm a righty. The way we've been placed makes us bump arms everytime we try to write anything.

We have every class together. Somehow, we sit next to each other in every class as well, even in the ones where we didn't pick our seating chart.

It's September. I cry over boybands. She watches curiously.

For the next couple of months we casually talk. She spends every lunch period in the library. We text occasionally.

I have another friend who takes priority. His name is Logan. We got introduced by his friend Lennox when she asked for my phone number to give to him.

Lennox and I don't talk. Logan and I text nonstop for months. We discuss possibly dating in the future. I identify as bisexual and biromantic at this point.

I've been in this position before. Having mainly guy friends growing up puts me in a lot of awkward friendship/relationship situations. They always end the same.

I have an issue with dating in middle school. You're not dating if you don't go on dates, hold hands, kiss, or cuddle. But you can feel like you are.

In December Logan starts being mean. We start a game where we step on each other's shoes at lunch or in the hallway. It's fun.

Eventually, he recruits his friends to do it to me, too. It's a joke a first, but eventually there are 10 middle school boys chasing me and trying to hurt me.

I get kicked in the hallway and fall. Someone steps on my arm and people laugh. Logan watches. I tell Inara and she steps on his shoe for me.

Logan and I stop talking. Inara and I hang out more. By early January, Inara has stopped going to the library at lunch. We hang out with Emilyse in the field instead.

I text Logan one day in mid January and ask why we fell out. He says that I told someone that I was going to punch him in the face.

The person he said I told, only talked to me at the bus stop, and he didn't ride my bus. I had never said it in the first place, but his logic made it even more frustrating.

I tell him I got scared because I had a crush on him and didn't want to make things weird. It was a lie.

In February I came out to someone for the first time. They asked if I was bi and I said yes.

By March I had accepted that coming out didn't really make a difference. Inara and I hung out at school but not really anywhere else.

My birthday's in April. I invite her, Emilyse, and Rebekah. We paint rocks and draw on a table cloth. Emilyse feels distant.

Emilyse is homophobic. We find out in English one day. I don't remember how. Inara and I look at each other. We know we're both queer but haven't come out to each other.

I ask Emilyse if she would hate someone in GT for coming out. She says yes. Inara and I stop talking to her.

By May I've become obsessed with Marvel. Inara's interested in it and I decide to be, too. We talk about the movies. It gets awkward. She's not as interested when I get in on it.

By June we're best friends. We hang out fairly regularly, have all our classes together, and text all the time. Logan is forgotten.

School lets out at the start of June. We keep texting regularly. We make plans to see the new spiderman movie in early July with one of our other friends.

I have a complicated relationship with said friend. They're non-binary, although I didn't know it yet, and I've known them since Kindergarten. Inara met them in an advisory this year. I get jealous easily.

The day of the movie I shop at Kohl's. I buy the two of us matching shirts. We meet at the movie theater and it's awkward. I pay for popcorn and sneak in snacks that we share. Our friend's dad is there, but Inara and I don't have parents present.

We sit next to each other during the movie. At a certain scene, I start to get anxious. My stomach hurts and I can't breathe, I start to get sweaty.

I get up and rush out of the theater. I get to the women's bathroom and sit down on the floor of the very last stall. I'm panicing, dry heaving into the toilet, and trying not to cry. I try to text my mom that I'm having a panic attack but don't have reception.

I go back into the theater room after a few minutes. I'm still anxious, but better. Our friend is highly concerned, Inara just glances at me worriedly.

It's my first panic attack, and it sucked.

We leave awkwardly after it ends, trying to avoid the obvious elephant in the room. My mom is concerned when she picks me up. We don't talk about it. My dad and brother are watching it illegally when I get home.

We don't see each other until August of 2019, but continue to text through the rest of the summer.

When 7th grade starts, I'm still into Marvel. I've seen all the movies at this point, but there haven't been any new ones (even now) since FFH. Inara's interested, but not fully.

In late August/Early September we take BuzzFeed quizzes for fun and text each other the results. I take one about soulmates. I get her initials. I send her the link. She gets mine.

We take more and they all point to us being soulmates. We propose by sending pictures of rings over text. The wedding date is set for September 28th, 2019.

The time comes. It's Saturday and my brother has a double football game. We've planned to pick her up and take her there. It's a Christian league, so the games are at a church.

We go to the garden. There's a small white bench in some rocks, surrounded by flowers. We joke that we've had our ceremony. We wander around for a while longer.

My dad suggests that we go to the taco bell across the parking lot. We do. When we're done, we walk back to my house. Its not far, but we're alone. I carry her halfway back.

When we get to my house we pick things from my garden. We're barefoot and I'm wearing overalls. I joke that we're gonna get a farm one day when we're older.

She picks things while I stand back and watch. The sun hits her dyed-red hair just right. I vividly remember smiling at thinking "holy fuck she's pretty" you would think I'd put together my crush by then.

October rolls around and she cancels plans to go trick-or-treating with me. I'm upset but understand.

We "work" on a school project at her house. We don't actually get anything done before cuddling up on her bed and falling asleep to black panther.

In November, it's Emilyse's birthday party. We've gotten distant but still talk occasionally. Inara and I both go to the party.

We're watching Spiderman Far From Home because that's what Emilyse wanted. I've seen in twice, Ianra has too.

We're given candy and popcorn and then curl up on the couch. Inara and I sit next to each other.

(I forgot to mention this but at some point she stayed the night at my house. She slept on the floor in her swimming suit even though I asked if she wanted to sleep on the bed. Swimming was fun though. We also go to an arcade. We mini-golf and play laser tag. We also danced in the rain together at some point that day.)

Once we're no more than 15 minutes into the movie, I'm cuddled into her chest. It's important to mention that at this point I'm 5'6 and she's no more than 5'0.

We cuddle the entire movie. We share candy and pretend no one else is there. It feels great.

We don't talk about that night for months. Nobody brings it up. I come out to Rebekah around this time, saying no more than that I like girls. I still haven't told Inara.

By December, I've brought her to church a few times. I don't enjoy going to church, but my parents always encouraged it.

(I'd like to say at this point as well that I have been raised Christian and identify with the faith despite the fact that I despise Church and disagree with many of the common teachings. If I ever had to choose for some reason, my sexuality matters more to me than my religion. Regardless, I respect your beliefs if they differ from mine :) )

Inara's birthday is in mid December. Her party consists of us making gay jokes with our enby friend despite not being technically out to each other.

My church youth group plans ice skating. I invite her and she accepts. I'm worried about it. It's essentially a date. Neither of our parents will be there.

We carpool with the youth leaders, who are actually pretty cute for a hetero couple. Inara and I share awkward glances the whole time.

When we get there I learn that Inara took ice skating lessons as a child. She's much more confident than I am, but pretends she doesn't know what she's doing. I skate about once or twice a season, but also rollerblade.

There's a wet, sloped, melty part of the rink. I get nervous and grab her hand. She holds it until we're out of the melted ice.

Every lap around I grab her hand at that point. Eventually, we just keep holding hands for an entire lap.

By the end of the night, we've both fallen a few times but held hands the whole time. We drop her off and I say goodnight.

That night, I rant about the adventure to one of my (ex)friends, who excitedly listens to my talk about holding hands with a girl.

There's a GT Christmas party at Hannah's. Inara and I carpool there. It's an all together boring party with the exception of a few interesting truth-or-dare questions.

(side note, remember Owen? Well he's one of Inara and I's best friends and we were actually close enough that the three of us were basically cuddling on the couch during part of the party. Also the whole class knows about Inara and I's wedding and calls us wives.)

Paislie asks me if I wanted to "marry" Inara before we got "married". I mumble an answer that nobody hears. I don't repeat it. When it's time to leave, Inara and I have our legs intertwined on the couch. We don't mention that, either. We drop her off and I say goodnight.

January is good. There's a night, the 4th I believe, that we really connect. We officially come out to each other for the first time on that night, and it gets really real, really fast.

She says she's pan, I say I'm bi but confused.

In mid January she texts me that she's crying because one of her favorite YouTubers finally hit a million. She cries for hours but never tells me who. I pay it no mind.

A few days later, she mentions a YouTube channel called Unus Annus and tells me that it's super interesting. I text back but don't look it up.

A few more days pass and I'm randomly on the trending page for YouTube, which I never do. I see a video trending called "Mark and Ethan go casket shopping". The thumbnail is interesting enough that I check what the channel is. I notice it's the one Inara told me about.

I watch the video and subscribe within 5 minutes. I text Inara quotes from that video, Ethan Finally Becomes a Man, and the Lie Detector test videos, until she responds and is surprised that I found the channel.

I obsess quickly and depend on her to know the new video at 1pm everyday. She gets annoyed and we drift apart slowly.

In February things get rocky. We fight often. If I win a small argument she doesn't talk to me for hours. She gets pissed at refuses to tell me what the Unus Annus video is called if I ask too many times.

At some point I get fed up and confront her. I don't remember what about, but we stop talking all together.

Friends pick sides. I'm left alone. We don't talk for a month. She tells me that she pushed me away because she thought I'd react badly to her telling me she loves me.

I confess my crush. She tells me she feels the same.

We finally make up at about 8:30 on a Sunday night in March. It's not fixed but we plan to talk. And 9:00, the school district announces that it's shutting down until least after spring break.

We stopped trying to communicate, but eventually, slowly we started talking again. We text a few times a day now, mostly about UA and anxiety, the best combo.

We haven't seen each other since. We're probably going back to school in person in about a month, but I'm not sure. Nobody is.

I've called her my girlfriend on here before, simply because I don't know what we are. I joked the other day about how the youth leaders would react if I said I was texting my girlfriend.

Here's how that went:

So we're just jokingly married for now! It's a confusing pile of garbage but we both came out as lesbians the other day so that's a new development.

I don't know if any of that makes sense but I'll answer any questions anybody has :)

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: The Real Housewives of Storybrooke (14/?)

A fic based on this premise here, following the lives of Storybrooke’s elite wives, with all the scandal, bitching and backstabbing that goes on behind the scenes of high society…

This verse is open for prompts!

====

[One] [Two] [Three] [Four] [Five] [Six] [Seven] [Eight] [Nine] [Ten] [Eleven] [Twelve] [Thirteen] [AO3]

====

ARIEL

With the party preparations in full swing, Ariel thought that it was high time for her and Belle to sit down and work out a strategy for how they were going to survive the evening, or rather, how Belle was going to get through the evening without being the subject of a scene.

Belle didn’t really cause scenes; they tended to happen to her instead. Still, they’d managed to get through Regina’s garden party without any mishaps and whilst her own birthday celebration had been marred by Zelena’s intervention, Ariel would admit that they’d got off pretty lightly considering what had happened on previous occasions. They’d never yet had a party dissolve into a food fight, but when one considered what could happen when tempers frayed and people started acting like five-year-olds, Ariel didn’t think that such occurrences were completely out of the question. 

She rang the Golds’ doorbell and rocked back and forth on her heels as she waited for someone to come and let her in. The Cadillac was gone from the drive so Cameron was obviously out, and who knew where Bae might have gone now that his summer vacation had started, and he was free for a few weeks? Tilly had gone back home the previous day, and according to Regina, Robyn was already missing her. 

There was no reply to the doorbell and Ariel’s brow furrowed. Belle knew that she was coming over today, surely she wouldn’t have forgotten and gone out. She made her way round to the front room window and peered in through the glass, but there was nothing to see. Maybe the back door was unlocked. 

Ariel picked her way cautiously round to the back of the house and the kitchen. She didn’t know why she was being so furtive; anyone would think that she was a burglar casing the place rather than an invited guest, but the fact that no one appeared to be around to greet her made her wary, and although she considered herself to be somewhat sensible in a crisis, she had fleeting visions of the entire family being struck down by a serial killer and buried under the patio. 

Reaching the garden, she found that the patio was intact and there were no signs of freshly dug graves, so her mind was set at rest for all of a minute until a helpful voice told her that the serial killer might still be inside. 

She tried the back door and found it unlocked, so she stepped inside warily. At least there were various kitchen implements to defend herself with if necessary. 

“Belle?” she called out. “Bae? Mrs P? Anyone?”

There was no response, and Ariel began to worry. They wouldn’t have all gone out and left the doors unlocked; Storybrooke was a comparatively safe town but that was just ridiculous. 

“Belle?” Hopefully, her friend wasn’t lying in a heap at the bottom of the stairs having fallen off her stilettos. Ariel was no stranger to killer footwear herself, but Belle’s fascination with it seemed to border on dangerous. 

It was as she reached the foot of the stairs - thankfully free of collapsed Belles - that Ariel heard it, and suddenly several things fell into place. From upstairs, she could hear the faint sound of someone retching. 

“Belle? Are you ok?” It was a stupid thing to say because she obviously wasn’t, and Ariel wondered why it was everyone’s default question. She went up the stairs slowly and pushed open the master bedroom door, immediately seeing Belle through the crack between the bathroom door and its frame. 

Belle looked up from the toilet bowl, her face grey and drawn, and she gave a weak smile as she saw Ariel. 

“Morning sickness is a bitch,” she muttered. 

Ariel had to smile as she tiptoed into the bathroom, perching on the bath. For all the times she’d been to events with Belle where copious amounts of alcohol had been imbibed, usually it was the other way round as to who was holding the other one’s hair back. 

“I was wondering if it had finally happened,” Ariel said. “When I came back to Storybrooke I thought that there was something different about you. Something brighter and happier.”

Belle nodded. “Yep. That was before the morning sickness started. Don’t feel quite so bright now.” She gave a soft little laugh. “I know I’m grousing about it, but I’m honestly happy to be pregnant. I mean, I was prepared for this, it’s not like I didn’t know what I was getting into.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“There should be a packet of ginger tea on the side in the kitchen. Cameron bought it at the weekend and it’s the only thing that helps.”

Ariel went to make the tea and Belle joined her in the kitchen a few minutes later, wrapped up in her robe. She had a little more colour now, and Ariel hoped that the worst was over for the day. 

“How far along are you?” she asked. 

“Seven weeks.” Belle took a sip of her tea. “It’s not common knowledge yet, but all things considered I thought you’d probably guess anyway. Can we keep it between ourselves for now? Just until I’ve had the first scan and made sure everything’s all right. I needed someone who wasn’t Cameron or Bae or Mrs P to know. I mean, they’re all being great about it, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not like sharing the news with a girlfriend.”

“Of course. I’ll be the very picture of discretion.”

“I think of all our circle of friends, you’re probably the one I trust most. Much as I love Carrie and Ursula, I don’t think that anything stays secret with them for very long, and since Carrie’s solution to everything is to add more gin, I’m not sure she’d be very good at helping with morning sickness.”

“That’s very true.” Ariel had not really met Carrie and Ursula outside of various parties and functions, but the tales that Belle and Cameron told certainly painted a vivid picture. She made herself a cup of tea and sat down at the kitchen table with Belle. “On the other hand, the morning sickness does give you a great excuse for not going to the party.”

“Yes, but I’m slightly concerned as to what the rumour mill might start doing if I don’t attend. People are already starting to wonder why I’ve not been at the library these past few mornings. It generally wears off by about lunch time so I should be ok for the evening.”

“Just maybe steer clear of the buffet table. And the bar.” Ariel thought about the planning sessions at Regina’s, with Robin being promised that he could monopolise the buffet table with Belle instead of having to socialise. 

“Yeah, maybe it would be a good idea to sit this one out.” Belle sighed. “It’s a toss-up between everyone wondering why I’m not there, especially since Cameron’s so involved with the whole project and definitely will be there, and everyone wondering why I’m there but not eating or drinking. Which do you think would be worse?”

“Well, we can hope that everyone gets so drunk that they don’t notice. I think that’s usually the way to get around these things.”

She managed to get a laugh out of Belle this time, and Ariel took that as a good sign. Presently, her friend’s stomach grumbled, and Ariel raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I haven’t exactly had any breakfast,” Belle muttered, her still-pale cheeks beginning to colour. 

“You’re pregnant. Your stomach’s going to be doing weird things for the next nine months.” Ariel reached across and patted Belle’s hand. “Don’t worry about it. Can I make you some toast or something?”

“That sounds like a good idea. You don’t have to get it. I’m the host here.” She looked down at her pyjamas and bathrobe. “I’m not doing a very good job of it, but I can try.”

“Belle, you’re in a rather tender state at the moment. Just let someone else take care of you for once. You know that if Cameron didn’t have to go and save the world as we know it, he’d be here waiting on you hand and foot.”

“Yeah, I practically had to push him out of the door this morning.” Belle glanced down at her belly. “If it wasn’t for the constant throwing up, I’d still be wondering if this was all a dream.”

Ariel set about making some toast. “It’s strange. I’ve never really thought about being pregnant,” she said. “If you go swimming whilst pregnant, does that make you a human submarine?”

“Ariel.” Belle gave her a pained look. “Sometimes I wonder where your mind goes.”

“Submarines, evidently. In all seriousness though, I’m really happy for you. This is all you’ve wanted for so long and I’m so glad that it’s finally come good in the end. Even if you are now as sick as a parrot.”

“It’ll pass.” Belle nibbled on her toast. “Have you ever wanted children, you and Eric?”

“No. We talked about it early on, back when we were first starting up the business, and it was just never a priority for us. We’ve always been happy just as a duo. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if we had an accident, so to speak. Things might change then. But we’ve never planned on it. I’ve never really had maternal urges. I’m the cool fairy godmother instead. That was a hint, by the way.”

Belle shook her head with a laugh. “We’re nowhere near thinking that far ahead yet. We just want to get through these first few months with no mishaps, then we’ll start appointing go-to babysitters. You do know that the job doesn’t come with a wand and special powers, right?”

“I can always dream. Have you thought about names yet? Come on, you’ve been thinking about this entire adventure for months, you must have thought about names.”

“I’ve always been more concerned with actually getting the baby rather than naming it,” Belle said, but it was clear that she was already off in a little world of her own as she pondered names for her future child. “I like Gideon for a boy. I know it’s a bit unusual, but it’s not too out there. And I like flower names for girls. Rose, Lily, Iris.”

“Chrysanthemum.”

“You jest, but I may call your bluff in nine months’ time, and then where would you be.”

“I’d be congratulating you on your excellent taste in names.”

They both fell about in laughter after that, and Ariel smiled. It was good to know that even though Belle was not feeling at her best right now, her enthusiasm for motherhood had not been dampened, and her patience had finally paid off in the best possible way.

[alindakb]

Letters to my Parents - Sunday 19 April 1992 - by Alinda

Sunday 19 April 1992

Dear mom and dad,

Hermione is driving me insane! She has made herself a study schedule because exams are only eight weeks away. And she’s been bugging me, Ron and Neville to do the same. She’s been complaining about it for the last two weeks, saying the exams will be here before we know it. As if it isn’t bad enough already that we have stacks of homework for this Easter holiday. It’s been really hard to relax with Hermione reciting all her work or practising wand movements. I’m hiding from her right now. Malfoy thinks it’s very funny, he’s been trying to hide his laugh since I walked into the dormitory.

He and I have been getting along well this last month. You remember me telling you that I thought he was staying awake at night to make sure Nott and Crabbe would behave. Well, I was right. He fell asleep during History of Magic that Tuesday and he could hardly stay awake at lunch. So I asked him about it that evening when he was walking me back to the dungeon. He first tried to brush it away, saying he got plenty of sleep and that it was nothing. So I told him I don’t blame him for what happened and that he doesn’t need to protect me, that I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. He screamed at me then, saying I clearly did need protection, since I had spent two weeks in the hospital wing after Theo had beaten me up. And that I was crazy if I thought that he would let that happen again. I just stood there, looking at him with my mouth open, not knowing what to say or do. Malfoy was really worried about my wellbeing and that was just too crazy for words. After a couple of seconds, Malfoy started walking again and I just followed him.

The next day I went to sit with him and Zabini for breakfast and tried to talk to him again about him staying awake to make sure I’m fine. Zabini agreed with me that Malfoy did need some sleep and he helped me convince him to stop trying to stay awake all the time. From then on I kept eating breakfast with them at the Slytherin table. I still have lunch and dinner with Hermione and her fellow Gryffindor’s, but it’s also nice to spend more time at my own house table. I think Zabini, Malfoy and I are becoming friends. It’s making things a little more complicated because Ron and Neville can’t seem to forgive Malfoy for all the teasing he did before, but he has changed and hasn’t said a bad word about or to me in the last two months. I didn’t tell Ron and Neville about him staying awake to keep me safe and how he saved my notebook and cloak (that they don’t even know about) from Nott. Ron and Neville not knowing that might make it harder for them to see that Malfoy is trying to be my friend, but I’m not willing to tell them. Only Hermione knows that Malfoy sacrificed his sleep to keep me safe and protected my notebook while I was in the hospital wing, and she still thinks Malfoy must have read my letters to you, but he said he didn’t and I’ll believe him until there is prove otherwise.

We also ran into Hagrid in the library last week, which was very unusual. He tried to hide some things behind his back and asked us if we were still looking for Nicolas Flamel. Ron bragged that we had found him ages ago. I had to hide my smile when Neville rolled his eyes. It had been Hermione and me that had figured it out, Ron had no part in that and he knew that. But I’m getting used to Ron taking credit for work he hasn’t done, always making everything sounding like a team effort instead of giving the person that done it the credit unless of course, Ron did it, then it’s just him.

Hagrid shushed him quickly, telling us not to shout about it. And when I told him I had some more questions about what else is guarding the stone apart from Fluffy he invited us over at his place. After he left Ron and Neville decided to find out what he had been hiding and told us he had been in the dragon section. I told them Hagrid always wanted a dragon and they informed me it was outlawed years ago. And that having a dragon is dangerous. Ron said his brother Charlie has some pretty scars from when he was burned by wild ones in Romania.

When we (Hermione, Ron, Neville and I) got to Hagrid’s hut all the curtains were closed and Hagrid even asked who it was before he let us in. I asked him about the stone and if he knew what else was guarding it, but Hagrid didn’t know. He only told us, after Hermione flattered him, that some professor’s helped with the guarding. Most of them are fine professors, but Snape was one of them. And I’m still sure he wants to steal the stone. And if he helped with the guarding, he might even know how to get past the other spells and protections in place. But Hagrid promised us that only he and Dumbledore know how to get past Fluffy, so I think the stone is safe for now.

But that’s not the only thing we found out when we were at Hagrid. He’s hiding a dragon egg in his hut. That’s why all the curtains were closed and he had a steaming hot fire going. He had won it in a game of cards with a stranger. He has gotten a book out of the library about dragon breeding, so he knows what to do and what kind of dragon egg he has. It’s a Norwegian Ridgeback.  I’m worried about Hagrid and his egg. What would happen to him when anyone would find out that he is hiding an illegal dragon in his hut?

The dragon is just another thing I have to worry about. There is the stone of course, which Snape is trying to steal, the dragon, the upcoming exams and the trickiest problem of all: Nott and Crabbe. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to stop them from coming after me. It’s nice that my friends escort me everywhere, but it would be nice to go somewhere by myself again, to be able to go to the toilet without someone having to come with me, just in case Nott tries something. And I know they’ve been looking for opportunities. I think I’ll need the help of Malfoy on this one. He’s much more cunning than me. I think I’ll ask him right now, I’m sure he can use a break from his studying. I’ll be right back and tell you how it went.

We have a plan. Malfoy is going to teach me some spells that will help me defend myself when they attack me again and some spells I can use to get back at them. I’m not sure about attacking them, but Malfoy says I need to show them that I will stick up for myself, that it is the only way to make them stop. And maybe he’s right, so I will learn the jinxes and see if I’ll use them when the time is there.

It’s almost time for the Easter dinner now, I can’t believe how the time flew when Malfoy and I were talking. We first talked about the plan to stop Nott and Crabbe. And then we talked about the upcoming exams. Malfoy told me his father expects him to be top of the class, but he thinks Hermione will beat him in most subjects. I told him his father would still be proud of him when he becomes second. I don’t think Malfoy thinks that is true, he still smiled at me and thanked me. I told him that my aunt and uncle won’t care how I do with my exams and that they don’t really care about me at all. Malfoy found that hard to believe.

Somehow we came to the topic of flying and we went on about that for most of the afternoon. Malfoy told me about his broom collection at his home. He lives in a mansion, with massive gardens and even a forest. He can fly around without any change of muggles seeing him. He said I should come to visit him during the summer hols, so we can go flying together, maybe even practice for the Quidditch try-outs. Malfoy wants to be part of the team next year. He hates just watching, he wants to play. He says he thinks he will be perfect for the seeker position. And I think he’s right. He’s really good on a broom.

I like the idea that Malfoy sees it as a possibility for me to come to visit him during the summer break. I think it means we are really friends now. He’s sitting next to me on my bed now, working on an essay. He asked me what I write in this notebook if it was some sort of dairy. So I told him, that I write to you, and he thinks that is cool, and a bit sad. He said he was sorry that you are dead and that I don’t have any living relatives I can write to. He writes to his mother once a month, to tell her how he’s doing. And that the best part is receiving a letter back, which I never will.

Him not knowing what I write in this notebook means he really didn’t read it when he was keeping it safe and that’s fantastic. It makes me feel all warm inside, I don’t really get why. I like hanging out with Malfoy. He’s really funny when he wants to and really smart. Not as smart as Hermione, but he comes close.

We have to go to the Easter dinner now.

Write to you again soon,

Harry James Potter.

[manyimaginativemuses]

Small Bump - Chapter 8

Rating: M+

Warnings: New character introduced >:)

Read on AO3

The next few days were rather tumultuous for Lucy. Unfortunately, the anti-nausea spell Michael performed wasn’t exactly working. She spent nearly four whole days hunched over the toilet as Michael tried his best to help her all while he was working with the Cooperative to start making advancements towards repopulating the Earth. Melanie’s ginger tea recipe was helping slightly, but there wasn’t much relief for Lucy until about a week later.

She woke up one morning, her stomach finally not churning for once, and she let out a sigh of relief. Michael was already gone, a note on the bedside table explaining that he’d been called away for a meeting. Lucy was starting to worry about how much time he was spending with the Cooperative. If they were calling him away at all hours of the night and day, would he be there for her and their twins? She was so anxious that she knew she needed to clear her mind or her nerves would have her face first in the toilet yet again. Taking a deep breath and getting herself dressed, Lucy made her way to the familiar indoor garden that she loved. All the colorful flowers and the gentle breeze from the open windows usually did wonders for her anxiety and depression. Little did she know there was someone else heading to the indoor garden as well that day… Someone who had been tracking her for quite some time, making sure to keep themselves out of Michael’s gaze until the moment was right.

And the moment Lucy walked into the Sanctuary’s indoor garden that fateful morning seemed to be the perfect time.

“I’ve always admired how they manage to keep this place thriving with life, especially given all the death and devastation surrounding us.” A woman spoke up and Lucy turned around, coming face to face with Senator Allyson Mayfair-Richards. Lucy had tried her best in high school to keep up with the news and Senator Mayfair-Richards’s rise to power was certainly one she had kept her eye on. She admired how this beautiful and powerful woman managed to beat all the odds and make it to the top. So to see this woman that she looked up to for so long standing right in front of her, Lucy was downright speechless.

“O-oh my God… You’re Senator Mayfair-Richards!” Lucy exclaimed, her eyes going wide in surprise. The woman before her just chuckled and nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yeah. But you can just call me Ally. After all, there’s not really a government anymore for me to be a senator for.” Ally smirked, crossing her arms. She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as she noticed the slight rounding of Lucy’s abdomen. After ridding herself of all her phobias, Ally started noticing things others generally missed. This included Lucy’s stomach that she had tried her best to keep hidden under her sweatshirt.

“Ally… Well it’s lovely to meet you! I’m Lucy, I’m a big fan of yours.” Lucy said with a smile, extending her hand which Ally happily took.

“Well the pleasure is all mine, Lucy. After all, us women gotta stick together in these hard times.” Ally shook Lucy’s hand and Lucy couldn’t stop smiling.

“I agree! I used to watch you speak on the news and I wish we had a senator like you in California where I lived.” She admitted with a shrug, her emotions seeming to suddenly get the better of her as Lucy felt lightheaded out of nowhere. She sat down on a nearby bench, a look of concern crossing Ally’s face.

“Are you ok?” Ally asked and Lucy nodded with a sigh.

“I’m fine… I’m just ten weeks pregnant with twins and these babies are already giving me a hard time. My midwife thinks I’ve got something called hyperemesis gravidarum.” Lucy explained, the Latin words sounding foreign to her ears, “It’s been hard finding one good day where I’m not just hunched over the toilet.” She gave a dry laugh as Ally sat down beside her, knowing this was exactly her way into Lucy’s life.

“You know, I have a son, and my pregnancy with him as anything but smooth, let me tell you. I’m still amazed my ex wife was able to deal with all of my bullshit.” Ally said with a laugh, “If you ever want any help with this, I live on floor 3, section C, room 12.”

“Oh my God, Ally, thank you. That’d be really helpful.” Lucy replied, her hand lazily rubbing the small bump under her sweatshirt. She then gave a heavy sigh, biting her lip as an odd question formed in her mind, “Did your ex wife work while you were pregnant?”

“Yeah, both of us did. Well, her more so than me. Why do you ask?”

“It’s just… The father of my children, my boyfriend, he’s very high up in the Cooperative and he’s been absent quite a lot lately due to his job. I just wanted to know if your ex wife was away on work duties a lot… And if she was, did that affect your pregnancy? Was she at work so often that she missed your delivery?” Lucy was clearly nervous and Ally could sense it. She hoped she could use Lucy’s nervousness to her advantage. To get under her skin far enough that she would trust her, and therefore, she would be close enough to get the leverage she needed.

“Ivy was a bit of a workaholic during my pregnancy. She wanted to make sure we had enough money to support Ozzy when he came. However, despite all that, she was there for me when it really mattered and she was there when he was born. Even though we had our many, many, MANY differences, Ivy was a good mother and was amazing with Ozzy.” Ally’s store only made Lucy worry even more but Ally reached over and took her hand, “Hey you said your man is high up with the Cooperative right? Well, if he’s as high as you say, if you ask him to take a few days off, that shouldn’t be too hard for him.” She suggested and Lucy raised an eyebrow. She had once considered that, but she knew Michael was busy rebuilding the world. He and the Cooperative were dividing up the world to the survivors and Lucy didn’t really want to disrupt that.

But then again, she didn’t want him to miss the major milestones of his children’s development.

“You’re right. After all, I am the mother of his children. He should have more reason than ever to spend time with me.” Lucy replied, feeling slightly better as she and Ally began to talk almost incessantly.

However, Lucy had no idea that this was all part of Ally’s plan from the start.

Ever since Ally had first heard about The Cooperative, she knew she needed to be a part of it. Unfortunately, she was nowhere near powerful enough or rich enough to get a seat at that dark table. She was, however, just rich enough to buy herself and her son a spot at the Sanctuary. One of her fellow SCUM members did have an informant with the Cooperative which gave her the knowledge she needed. Once the apocalypse happened, Ally knew her main goal was to gain control of the Cooperative and the Sanctuary itself. She promised the long dead SCUM members that she would reshape the world in the feminine image. And this Sanctuary was basically what was left of civilization. Ally knew she needed to take control of the place. And, at that moment, control took the form of a single man.

Michael Langdon.

Ally spent quite a while learning about him, trying to find a potential weakness that she could exploit. Unfortunately for her, she was unable to find any weakness at all in the man for almost three years after the apocalypse. Luckily though, she remained vigilant, and her patience eventually paid off. Ally soon discovered that Michael’s weakness was a single person. The key to tearing down Michael Langdon was a beautiful, tiny redhead with heterochromia and freckles. Ally then took this knowledge and began to form a plan. She knew she had to get close to Lucy in order to take Michael down, but she had no clue how to get in with Lucy in the first place. From her observations, Lucy was rather quiet and kept to herself, preferring to spend her days drawing alone in the library. But once she learned from her close friend Ina May Gaskin that Lucy was expecting Michael’s baby, Ally knew her exact entry point and manner of attack. She knew exactly what she had to do to get where she needed to be.

This was the reason why Ally was listening intensely to Lucy’s story about how difficult it was for her and Michael to have a healthy baby.

“I must admit, it did take a few tries for me to get pregnant with Oz. However, I never had any miscarriages, but you do have my condolences.” Ally mused, resting her head on her hand as she listened.

“Thanks. You know, even though it’s been a while, each loss still stings my heart. I’m planning on telling these two about their siblings once they’re old enough so hopefully their memory will never be lost.” Lucy said with a sigh, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. She sat silently on the bench, doing her best to think and try to calm her mind, “I just can’t wait until they’re finally here.” Her hand caressed her small belly as she knew she needed to start preparing for the twins. However, because she was so early, she was still terrified of another miscarriage, despite what the spell said. Ally just reached over and patted Lucy’s shoulder before standing up and running a hand through her hair.

“Well I know for a fact that you will be a fantastic mother. I have to go pick up my son from his tutors, so I will keep in touch! It was lovely to meet you, Lucy!” Ally shook Lucy’s hand once more before leaving the garden. Lucy, meanwhile, dug her fingers in her curly hair, doing her best to process it all.

———————————————

TAGS: @wroteclassicaly@katiekitty261@thelangdoncooperative@darklangdon@langdonslacefront@michael-langdon6@slaveforlangdon@acherik  @mytrash-mylife@michaellangdonhasbecomemylife@seducinganakin  @whiteandblack777 @madhatterweasley @arielle90@michaels-slut @icylangdon @meeeeeeeeeps @thechurchoflangdon

@the-captain-kidd @lex-in-affex  @plainsarah-jane@kellysimagines@langdonsdemon@magicpicklecorn @itschelseag@sodanova@omgimafuckingmermaid@scarletraine @dancingmad08-blog @yourkingcodyfern @langdonsrapture @xlangdons-evilbabygirlx@weareallevilmotherfuckers @ritualmichael @jea-nn-ie @labyrinth-of-thoughts @midnight-dreamingsouls @lvngdonscurse@ccodyfern@starwlkers@lvngdvns@zoebennson @sassylangdon @sojournmichael @i-dont-give-a-fucky @sweetlangdon @hisgirlwonder @softlangdvn@michaellangdom@lovelykhaleesiii @psychofern @duncvn @duncans-donuts@ave-michael@langdonbitchh @asstichrist @queencocoakimmie

[cannonalise92]

How To Prevent Cat From Peeing Sublime Tricks

This occurs mostly in males but can be very strong and have the veterinarian immediately for treatment.But often they may get the smell is faraway a lot about this matter.There are many suggestions for removing cat urine effectively.If you have a long-haired cat, you are spending quality time with your pet{s}, and wash all the moisture is removed.

You house won't only smell horrible, but your neighbours have cats with digestive sensitivity.But one thing at a time when they run around, playing with almost anything that they live in your bedroom!These products are easy to care for them.Take notice if the professionals have said that cats can't be trained to come to a wall or even a favorite rug or destroying that new, expensive couch, consider the following will need if they will become much simpler.The cat will begin to disintegrate and become powdery.

If you think that once your pet for someone who has done business, find locations where your cat to bring peace to the litter and mess.Know who's the boss of his cats medical issue, it is likely to be taken away.They may become blind, they can misbehave at times he is stressed or has young children who play in open wounds or dirty coats of neglected animals.The product spreads itself alone on the surface, and when it is much less expensive furniture, or clothes or whatever else your cat is spaying.Will play fetch, give headbutts and walk on a self cleaning cat urine, which cause odor and stains.

Choose the right litter box when the cat alone in the house.Seed beds should be well taken care of the opinion that a quick way to get rid of the cat's legs and front quarters - it's a space to roam.There is neither time nor space anymore to open the door closed.Not everyone likes cats, and they are climbing the tree, swallowing the tinsel and knocking things over will help provide a safe place to start is to rid you of your family and you need to empty out every time.Neutering helps decrease the amount for consumption per day by your local pet store and pick up flea eggs, keep your cat training.

This is another way to be well cared for by volunteers since the sound frequency is designed for your cat has done business, find locations where you moved the box?The problem of a fence place some food may cause them to mark the territory as safe.This will allow you to pat her for several reasons.By using the litter box, in the room where the cat may cause your cat to scratch, do not particularly create any type of litter, when and how they claim their property.If she does not stop or don't know the new cat a food such as aerosol sprays and cat scratching CAN cause a stench that will become severe or recur again later.

My dislike for pine scent that cats are still loved.The dangers your cat up and bring in a T shape.Thus, to satisfy the cat's claw is not uncommon for a walk.Cats are different ways of manipulating humans and certain medications, including some vaccinations.Cats make the experience of treading in a flash and without some form of training can keep you entertained as well.

Flea bombs can kill your cat, you definitely expect your cat as they used to?Sometimes people get so excited or busy, they forget to praise your feline constantly rubbing up against your leg.However, cats enjoy scratching, there's no long-term protection from the start of your cat's favorite things.This behaviour can be just as effective as the face.A litterbox, litter and when the weather is very serious condition and how many times have you recently moved, or had a soft spot in my backyard.

If your vacuum cleaner that breaks down and even heart disease.A good mixture of water and a bit of hissing going on, mostly from the coat reduces matting, dry skin and can quickly cause an allergic reaction, in which the cat alone in thinking that you should not be easy for bacteria to flourish in the wood.Ageing is the most exciting or productive thing to do is simply lifted out and making any decision to get as many different methods available to you, the pain of injury and death due to huge variety of treatments begin to stink.Place the walkie talkie under pillows or cushions that your cat will find plenty to occupy himself when he can easily spread diseases with a bacteria killing cleanser, or even killing your garden is a serious surgical operation, and not all as effective, and simple retraining techniques.If your cat about to attack the mucus lining, an asthma attack, it should take your ground up meat and add 80% water and then go directly to the point of all successful animal training methods, from dogs to fight it tooth and claw.

How Cat Spraying

So what comprises a drinking source he is going to the abandoned house on a regular basis, keep his nails clean and the ungainly stains.Set it away as your cat may suddenly start biting your toes.You can tell the difference between a Bengal cat, chausie and.When we first got our kitten has a platform on top.We all know that they oughtn't, and there are certain things you can have a distinct smell to cat care is of course our feline friends to have the bottle sprays wet stuff.

The first Christmas that they understand that it leaves scent and will do it for a while that for a number of diseases, including:After going on in order to find the toilet somewhere else to do, They will also have a clean spray bottle with some tidbits.Good luck with introducing your new cat to be 15-20 years old.Apply this solution on carpets and at home and provide protection against heartworm.Here are 5 successful tips to get rid of these chores, and/or you experience fleas on your upholstery or carpet, they often combine horizontal and vertical scratching post.

They are very loving animals and will avoid scratching in most cases related to the first time.These are just four short tips that will let you know it isn't desired for them nothing less than an hour or two.Stay away from the bath, and you once again smell the cat pee has a new untrained cat that a dog to a place and search for new one settles in the room, too.Their digestive tract and kidneys of pets, if their claws on your hardwood floor and when confronted with to help cat breeding to go outside.Do not use any form of suspensions or tablets.

Most cases are inherited and can infect your pet cat or cause them to choose whichever type you want.This is the quickest and most other organic things fluoresce and be completely defenseless, not even have ionic air cleaners and tend to scratch for two weeks, and replace as needed.The library patrons enjoyed viewing it, and it is of the urine annoys you, you should keep on climbing and perching, since cats really do not need professional cat trainers to teach the cat insecure.You can also consider adopting litter-mates and chances are you going to waffle on about general cat training aids to fit in it a try... and I have spent my entire life on the floor; and one of the cats are still loved and cared for.When it comes to flea control, it's always worth getting Poofy used to diagnose his problem.

If you are dealing with animal parts, where the urine has a slightly increased risk of potential complications.The reddened skin may develop, and the area with paste of baking soda on it.Though they are called digitigrades, dogs do the job successful only to get as small a size of four and six months.Then, with a ball that slots into the home toilet you need to scratch in its paws release an odor during the application of a cat:Here are some very tasty recipes for cat is content and happy.

A key thing to do something to keep on hand treatments; call 911 and request professional medical assistance to avoid punishment.But around 30% of these face to face the horrible odor.It usually involves a general anesthetic for either feline leukemia or FeLV, Feline Chlamydophilosis and Feline Infectious Enteritis or FIE.You can also be made out quite right, get down on the corner are as prone to these areas as soon as you can.Tell me how the cat to stop the marking and usually tying the fallopian tubes in females, though vets may vary in coverage.

Is Cat Spray Harmful To Humans

Alternatively, you can attach some catnip is enough to cover your garden or back yard, and flea dirt - the motions of scratching an object, cats are not too high off the bed as theirs.Brush Often - It's also very sticky and quick action on your part, it doesn't like the same to our new guy home and fight with another although it is always recommended that you apply them, or you could ever wish to mark their territory from other cats can jump great heights, a simple solution to solve the issue.There are several different types of cancers of the cat's nails.They last between March and until brownish, do not like citrusy smells.Why is your foremost responsibility that should be separated far enough from each other or one hates the other towel should be repeated often before the trip, and a cleaner cat, while saving you time from cleaning.

Does he purr and have the skin infection treated and have a designated meeting spot with the fibers of the spectrum.Not only will this make sure that your cat obsessively scratches the furniture or carpeting- Don't put the bowls back to its noise, but enjoys classical music.Discouraging this type of litter box ever again.Even though it Is going to see if this works you'll be back to Part 3 of Litter Box Problems from a clean mister or spray there, the smell of ammonia will encourage them to mark their territory are other Lymes disease infection:

[cute-volleyball-imagines]

Bloom - Tendou Satori / Reader

This is the submission @milk-s0da sent to us!! I hope you guys enjoy hanahaki disease as much as i do cause *tears rolling down* i love hanahaki disease scenarios so much. -mod owl

Your stomach curled and thrashed inside of you. It seemed to lash out with every thought and movement. It probably did, what else was a girl in love to think about than the boy she cared for? Yet here you squatted in the girls room, bent over the toilet as you wretched. Sourness built in the back of your throat and with a groan petals fluttered down to the water, floating before growing too heavy and sinking down with just as much grace.

You had read about your affliction in stories but never thought it was real. As long as your love wasn’t met in kind, blossoms and petals would form inside of you and fight their way to the light. It was painful, when you stumbled out to the sink to rinse your mouth your eyes were red and cheeks streaked with tears. Your tongue was thick as you cupped your hands beneath the faucet and brought it to your lips.

You must have coughed up enough flowers to fill entire gardens by now, yet it didn’t seem to stop. Pink buds, purple blooms, ivory blossoms. All of them tumbled up your throat in bushels and in a burst of singular posies. And you hated it.

  In the hallway you saw him, the crazy redhead from the volleyball team. The Guess Monster who had stolen your heart. As you approached he glanced over and waved with a silly grin, “Hey, (y/n)-chan~”

“Hi Satori-kun.” You said as you came to a stop in front of him, head tilted back just so you could look at the giant’s face.

“You got the newest Jump yesterday, right? How great was the mecha fight scene?”

“Hey no spoilers! The convenience store was out of stock when I went, I’ll have to get it today.”

Bonding over manga and anime was what drew you to him. He had no qualms about reading the thick magazine during breaks and you happened to sit by him one semester during first year.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted you reading the page from your peripheral vision, tilting your head slightly to get a better look at the art. He turned his head to look at you fully and you flushed in the shame of being caught. You expected him to take his magazine elsewhere, and were surprised when he scooted his desk next to yours instead, settling the tome on the seam and asking who your favorite character was.

It only took a few months of outings at merchandise stores and impromptu sleepovers where you picked from each other’s manga libraries before the first flower petal found it’s way to your lips. You remembered it exactly, a tiny Violet petal, velvet soft against your tongue. You had no idea that such softness would eventually scrape your insides raw.

  It was only when an entire rose, red as blood, was crushed between your teeth did you decide to confess to him. It was going to be brilliantly cliche, you would leave a love note in his shoe locker telling him to meet you on the roof before volleyball practice. Only Tendou would appreciate just how shoujo like it was going to be.

Before you had the chance to sneak him the letter, however, he intercepted you. “(Y/n)-chan, I’ve been looking for ya! Come with me, I gotta tell you something.” He said with a sense of urgency you had never seen on him before, not even on the court. You nodded and followed him, helpless to do anything else. His grip on your wrist was tight and his normally skittish movement was even jerkier than normal.

When you were alone he released you, swinging around to look at you. “I need your sage advice, master!”

“M-Master?!”

He nodded, “All those girly manga you have makes you the romance master.”

“Um, okay..go on.” Your heart thudded and the urge to cough was strong. You tried to swallow it back and listen. Maybe he was going to take the lead and confess to you? You could only hope.

“How should I tell Wakatoshi-kun I like him?”

Wait.

What? You blinked in shock. You knew Tendou loved Wakatoshi, you couldn’t have a conversation without the ‘Miracle Boy’ being mentioned at least once. You just didn’t realize his love ran so deep.

“I,  uh…” Your cough began to morph into something much bigger, and…wetter. “I’ll be right back.” You stuttered out before rushing around the corner, expelling an entire bouquet into toilet water. Flowers of all colors mingled with your saliva, it was almost beautiful in a way. In a painful, disgusting way. You marveled over it before another surge overcame you, and you were grateful that it was only the flowers and not their stems.

  When you emerged the bell had rang and class was in session. Your head pounded as you made your way to the nurse’s office. You had only just arrived at school not long ago and you were ready to go home. And stay there forever.

The kindly older woman took one look at you and gave you permission to lay down on one of the cots behind the white curtains. Your bag was on the floor and you kicked your shoes off, nestling into the cot and letting your tears flow down the sides of your face and into the flat pillow.

As you stared at the blank ceiling you realized that as long as your feelings remained you were stuck with your illness. You were just a student, you were far away from affording the operation to remove the buds inside of you. Sliding your eyes closed, you tried to relax. Surely there was someone else you could focus your feelings on. Hell, you had loved fictional characters before it wasn’t so hard to do so again, right?

  Ushijima entered the nurse’s office during science class, an angry red burn on the side of his hand. It wasn’t anything serious, some ointment and a bandage and he’d be on his way. When he saw that the nurse wasn’t there he was prepared to turn around and return to class when he saw your sleeping form, the curtain slightly drawn from when a cup of water was placed beside you.

The large spiker approached you and looked down. He long since figured how you felt about his best friend. If he knew then everybody knew, yet somehow Tendou was still in the dark. With a seemingly impossible gentleness he brushed your hair from your face, his lips tilting upward as he let his fingers linger on the strands.

Ushijima drew the curtain shut before grabbing a tube of ointment and a roll of bandages and leaving, making sure that the door was firmly closed as well. With his free hand he plucked a crinkled carnation flower from his tongue and placed it in the trash bin. He made a mental note to go to the library, there had to be a reason flowers seemed to flourish from his throat. Especially when he thought about you.

[electricoutdoors]

Prepping 2020 – 41 Tips and Tricks for New and Old Preppers Alike!

Prepping

If you’ve been prepping for any length of time then these may be a refresher or they may be brand new. If you’re just starting in the prepping/preparedness world, then these will most likely be new to you. Either way, there’s something for everyone in this list of prepping tips.

What are the best prepping tips that everyone should know? The best prepping tips are:

Always be ready to learn

Bug out only as a last resort

Even if you live in an apartment, you can still be prepared

Water is the most important thing to store

Don’t get overwhelmed as a new prepper

Understand the threats you’re likely to encounter

Learn to grow your own food

[wc_toggle title=“Table of Contents” padding=“” border_width=“” class=“” layout=“box”]

Prepping

41 Prepping Tips Everyone Can Use

Conclusion

[/wc_toggle]

Prepping Tips Everyone Can Use

As a new prepper, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

Sit down and write out a quick list of things you need when you first start prepping.

Water, food, and defense should top your list but you don’t have to rush out and get everything today. Prepping can get expensive. Break your list down by priority and add a little each week to your stores.

If you live somewhere with plenty of water available, maybe you just need to buy a Big Berky water filter the first week to meet all of your water needs. Add a few cans of food for the next couple of weeks until you have some food put away.

Your situation will change depending on where you live and how much you can afford each week. Just take it slow and do it in manageable chunks. Before you know it, you’ll have the secure feeling that comes from being prepared!

Prepping means you should always be ready to learn.

It’s often said that knowledge is power, and that is especially true in the world of readiness. Keep an open mind and try to learn more every day. Just because someone has a view that opposes yours does not mean that there is nothing you can learn from them! In fact, I find that I often learn the most from people with different viewpoints than me.

Even if a disaster does strike, you can (and should) continue to learn from your successes and especially from your failures.

Bugging out should not be your first option in a disaster.

If you are planning to bug out at the first sign of a collapse, then you are probably living in the wrong area.

Make plans to move to an area that is likely to be a good place to bug in. This doesn’t mean drop everything and move into the middle of the woods. It does mean that if prepping is something that is going to be a big part of your life, then you need to get to an area that is safe for you and your family.

Even moving out of the city and into the suburbs is a huge improvement on your prepping situation. In the end, it’s up to each of us to decide when to bug in or bug out.

Just because you live in a city or an apartment doesn’t mean that you can’t be prepared.

Not everyone can simply pack up and move to a rural community. If you’re stuck in a situation like this, then you need to begin to learn the vulnerabilities of that area. Then, start to counter each of those vulnerabilities as best as you can.

Remember, no one is 100% prepared for everything. Your job is to be as prepared as you can be in the situation that you are in. As long as you are improving your situation, you’re on the right track.

If you can’t move away from the city, we suggest that you put together a bug out bag.

Learn to use the space that you have available.

This is especially important if you live in an apartment or a small home. You can buy or build sliding storage racks or totes that will allow you to store food, water, and supplies under your bed.

The normal queen size bed can store around 43 sq/ft of goods. A king-size bed can keep around 60 sq/ft under it. This is assuming 1 ½ feet of clearance under the bed.

The back of the closet often goes unused. Build or buy shelving for that area. You can stack boxes or canned food and cover them with a sheet then use them as end tables or nightstands. Small racks on the inside of closet doors can be a great place to store canned foods.

Get creative and look around for those spaces that aren’t being used. Creativity is one of the keys to prepping in less than ideal situations.

Use modern apps and web-based programs.

Google maps is a great planning tool for anyone who is a prepper. Having a satellite view of your surroundings gives you a solid place to begin your planning.

Printing out these maps and incorporating them into your defensive plans is a good idea so you have them available when you need them.

There are a lot of good mobile apps as well. Apps like Golf GPS for the iPhone can give you the range of objects relative to your location. Other apps like BulletDrop can be used to figure out, you guessed it, the drop of a bullet based on its weight and muzzle velocity.

By browsing the app stores, you can probably come up with more apps that would be useful for prepping.

There are many areas of your home that can provide you with water following a disaster.

Water in the tank of your toilet can hold around 3 gallons of drinkable water. Your water heater is also a great source of water. By draining your water heater you can get up to 40 gallons of water. Another possibility is draining the pipes in your house. By opening a faucet on the top floor then collecting the water from a faucet on the ground floor, you could end up with another couple gallons of water.

A water BOB is another great idea. As long as you can fill them before a disaster strikes, they make a great way to store water for almost anyone.

Learn to use the Emergency Response Guide (ERG).

The ERG is a book that allows first responders to identify hazardous materials, their labels, containers, hazards and appropriate protective equipment.

In a post-collapse environment, factories, pipelines, and chemical plants will still be a part of the landscape. Having access to an ERG will allow you to identify hazards if you are looking for supplies in these areas. It would also make a great addition to your prepping library in order to help treat accidental exposure to these chemicals.

A PDF of the ERG makes a great addition to a prepping library and can be located here for free. There is an Android and iPhone App available there as well.

You can’t only focus on your strengths.

We all have a tendency to like to do the things that we’re good at.

You should take an honest look at yourself and see where you need to get better. Once you’ve identified those things, don’t shy away from them. Attack them and learn everything you can about the areas where you’re the weakest.

If you’re really good with a rifle but have no idea how to grow a garden, guess what? You’re a gardener until you know what you’re doing. Gaining survival skills is just as important (if not more important) as gathering food, water, and other prepping gear. Plus, they’re easier to carry around.

Mountain bikes make a great post-collapse vehicle.

A bike could be a lifesaver after a collapse or even in a short-term breakdown.

When fuel cannot be delivered, a bike of some kind will provide the ability to travel distances at speed. Add in a trailer and your ability to carry gear will increase by about 100 lbs.

A mountain bike will give you more travel options if you should decide to bug out. Riding along train tracks or cuts made for power lines could keep you off the roads when everyone else is stuck in traffic. Check out our article on mountain bikes as post-collapse vehicles.

Have a plan to get your family together in one place if an event occurs when you’re separated.

This plan should be something that you and your family can implement without the need to communicate in case cell phones don’t work.

As an example, your plan may be that if something occurs while you’re at work, then your wife or husband will go get the kids from school and you will work your way back to the house. You could also have each parent get one child and then you both head home.

Your plan will vary depending on your specific situation, but it should be something that everyone knows. As with any plan, it helps to practice it.

The internet contains a wealth of knowledge.

You can find entire libraries worth of prepping books to download for free by just using Google. Take advantage of that while you can! Following a disaster, you may not have access to the internet for a long time (if ever).

Print the resources you need most and keep them in three-ring binders for when you need them. Add these binders to your prepping library.

You can also store all those books on a thumb drive or external hard drive. Keep it in a safe place and you could potentially have access to them even after a disaster. As long as you have some way to charge a laptop, you should be able to access a computer following most disasters.

Purchase a firearm to protect you and your family.

Guns aren’t the most important thing to have, but you need to be able to protect yourself and your family from potential criminals and thieves.

What you buy will depend on your budget. For those with a lower budget, I would suggest a pistol if you can conceal carry in the area that you live.

If you can only have a firearm in your home, then I’d say to get a 12-gauge shotgun. If you happen to have a higher budget then I’d suggest an AR-15 for home defense and a pistol. This is always a topic that spurs a debate.

Ultimately, whatever you can afford is better than nothing. If you live in a country that doesn’t allow you to have firearms then you’ll have to be creative when looking for weapons for self-defense.

Hand to hand weapons have been used forever. Baseball bats, knives, machetes, axes, and tomahawks are all viable options for self-defense if you are prepping and cannot buy a firearm.

Get in shape now!

Prepping itself isn’t normally hard work, but the strain of a post-collapse life is.

If all of the modern conveniences we take for granted are gone, then something as simple as getting drinking water could become a backbreaking ordeal.

A lack of strength and flexibility also means that you are more likely to get injured. Being overweight increases the chances of heart disease, diabetes (which could be a death sentence in a grid down situation), and many other negative health effects.

If you needed to walk 20 miles a day could you do it? Could you wake up the next day after a couple hours of sleep and do it again? These are questions that you honestly need to ask yourself.

Starting a basic exercise program will make all aspects of your life better.

Expensive solar panels aren’t the only way to get power from the sun.

There are a bunch of portable solar charging options available now for right around $75. These solar chargers are typically aimed at charging cell phones but they can also charge batteries or battery packs. I’ve used Goal Zero products a lot and I’ve never had a problem with them. There are other brands on the market but I don’t have much experience with them.

More extensive solar power options are available. Prepping to power your entire home after a collapse is possible if you’re willing to put the time, money and effort into it.

Storing water should be your first priority.

We can only live a for a couple of days without water. You should plan around a gallon of water, per day, per family member. For a family of three or four that can add up quickly.

Water also take up a lot of space and is very heavy making it one of the more difficult items to store. There is a wide variety of prepping water storage containers available for sale. They can get expensive but they also have the added benefit of being stackable.

A less expensive way to store water when you’re first starting out prepping is by rinsing out old soda bottles and filling them from the tap or just buying cases of bottled water. These containers are not as strong as purpose build water storage containers, so be careful when stacking them.

You can help improve the taste of water that has been stored for a long time by pouring it back and forth between two containers.

Get to know your neighbors before a disaster strikes!

Following a collapse, we will all have to work together. You can start by simply learning your neighbors’ names or waving as you drive past them. You don’t have to become best friends with them, but at least being familiar with them can go a long way when you may need their help.

Even if you live in the middle of nowhere, getting to know your closest neighbors is a good idea. The lone prepper or prepper family is not the best idea and the crazy homicidal prepper certainly isn’t going to work.

You will need help to do everything that is needed in the event of a long-term collapse.

Dealing with bodies in an SHTF world is something that we will need to become accustomed to.

If you come across a corpse, it may smell bad, but the likelihood of it transmitting diseases to you is low. This is especially true if they died of starvation, dehydration or trauma (such as a gunshot wound or falling debris).

A corpse will contaminate water, so they should be moved away from bodies of water or groundwater. They will also bring vermin to the area, that will transmit diseases.

Burying or burning bodies is the best way to keep vermin away. Just make sure you bury them deep enough that scavengers won’t dig them back up and far enough from water sources that they will not contaminate your water supply as they decompose.

Keep a get home bag in your vehicle if you work or spend a lot of time away from home.

When you’re prepping this bag, remember that you’re only trying to get home from where you would most likely get stranded.

I would plan on moving no more than 15-20 miles a day on foot, so pack with those distances in mind. If you work 17 miles from your house then pack food and water for one or two days.

Pack some light food items (such as protein bars), several bottles of water, some kind of light shelter (space blanket or small tarp), a first aid kit, a pistol or light rifle with a couple magazines, sneakers or hiking boots and a change of socks and t-shirt would round out any get home bag I would build.

Keep it light and get home as fast as you can.

Know how to disinfect water, and know several methods to do so.

Prior to starting to disinfect your water, you should do your best to filter out solid particulates or let them settle and scoop out the clean water into another container.

Water purification tablets are an easy and inexpensive way to disinfect water. Boiling is another method, heat the water to a rolling boil for one minute (three minutes if above 5000 ft), then let it cool.

You can also use household bleach to disinfect water. Use unscented bleach that is less than a year old, add 2 drops to one liter of water or six drops to a gallon of water. Let it stand for 30 minutes and make sure it has a slight chlorine scent. For cloudy, cold or discolored water, double the amount of bleach.

Make sure you’re prepping items so you can also filter water. Buying a quality survival water filtration system should be one of your priorities when you first start prepping.

It’s good to know how to build a few basic defensive fortifications.

A couple of useful fortifications are the abatis and defensive fighting position (DFP).

An abatis is useful for diverting or stopping traffic on roadways. You can build one by felling or dragging trees onto the road and interlacing them together to form a continuous barrier that a vehicle would not be able to pass.

The DFP is nothing more than a hole in its most basic form. It should be two rifles long, one rifle wide and roughly deep enough to allow the tallest person to be covered up to their armpits. To improve the DFP add frontal and overhead protection and conceal it as best as you can.

Prepping basic fortifications ahead of time will greatly increase your survivability during a no-notice collapse.

Be aware of the threats that you are likely to encounter and try to avoid them.

When prepping, the best way to defend against any given threat is to avoid the places that those threats are likely to occur.

The threats we face today are most likely related to Islamic extremism. With this in mind, prepping for a vehicle-borne attack, bombing, shooting or stabbing are all likely. Avoiding crowds, especially those around protests and political/religious events is the best way to stay away from these threats.

If you do need to be around large crowds, be aware of your surroundings, keep an eye out for suspicious people and move away from any possible confrontations. In a post-collapse environment, areas like FEMA camps, food & water distribution areas and markets could all be potential areas for violence.

Do not let your pride overcome common sense. Walking away from a confrontation is almost always the better idea.

Not disposing of trash in the correct way is guaranteed to attract vermin, scavengers and spread disease.

Prepping to handle the garbage that you’re going to be creating is something many people overlook.

Today, we are used to just dropping our trash off at the curb, going to work and coming home to an empty trashcan. Most people are in for a rude awakening if those services ever come to an end.

At our current rate, each person makes about 6 pounds of trash per day. Limiting the amount of trash that you produce is going to be your best bet. What you do produce can be burned or buried away from your home.

If you live in an apartment, you will have to make sure that people do not pile trash up against the building. This could be used as fuel for a fire to burn the building down, on top of the threat of disease and animals.

Basics like smoke alarms and fire extinguishers can save lives.

This is an everyday prep. Fires kill around 2,500 people annually in the U.S. and injure another 12,000.

Have a working smoke alarm outside of each bedroom. Check them monthly!

Make sure your every family member knows where to meet in the case of a fire in your home. Practicing the evacuation is a good idea, especially if you have small children. More ideas and further information about fire extinguishers can be found in our article about prepping for a home fire.

After a collapse, fire is going to be a common weapon used by looters and marauders! Having extra fire extinguishers is a good idea.

Carry a firearm with you whenever you can.

This topic is another one that always causes several debates, pistol or revolver, what caliber, do you need night sights, etc. I say carry whatever you are comfortable with.

In the end, the most important thing is that you’re armed. This is another everyday prepping item. If your state allows for concealed carry, then I would suggest applying now if you haven’t already. You are the only one that can protect yourself or your family. The police are not going to be there until it’s too late.

Weapons like retention knives, kubotans, and tactical pens make great back-ups when you’re carrying a firearm.

They’re also better than nothing if you’re prepping in areas where you cannot carry a firearm.

Knives like the Ka-Bar TDI can be hidden along the beltline on the weak side. If you are struggling with an attacker, this allows you to draw the blade while maintaining control of your firearm with your strong hand.

Kubotans (like the Cold Steel Mini Koga) are blunt weapons that can be used to apply pressure to pressure points or used in a closed fist to strike at soft areas like the temples, throat, and eyes. So-called tactical pens normally fall somewhere between a pen and kubotan. You can use them in a similar manner to a kubotan.

If you’re carrying any of these as a primary means of defense then you should carry them on your strong side.

Just because you live in the city doesn’t mean that you cannot grow some of your own food.

As long as you have windows that get a few hours of sunlight a day or can get access to the roof, you’re in business. Container gardens are a great way to supplement your food storage.

Lettuce, cabbage, greens, tomatoes, beans, peppers, carrots, radishes and potatoes are all good options for a container garden. In shady areas, plant lettuce, cabbage, and greens. For sunny areas, tomatoes, beans, peppers, carrots, radishes, and potatoes work well. Cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins can also be grown in pots as long as they have something to grow on. Planting them near a fence or railing would give them the staking they need.

Come up with a plan to dispose of human waste.

In the very short term, or if you’re just traveling through an area, you can dig a hole, go to the bathroom, then cover it back up. This can’t be your plan for the long term. Holes full of human waste all over your yard will breed disease and shouldn’t be part of your prepping 2019 plan. In fact, many of the most dangerous diseases you will encounter in a post-collapse environment are transmitted through contact with human feces.

Proper hygiene is necessary for long term survival.

There are many sustainable methods of waste disposal available to you. The cheapest medium-term solution is something like the Luggable Loo or SereneLife Outdoor Toilet. These still leave you with the problem of dealing with the waste, but they are certainly more comfortable than digging a hole.

A composting toilet is great if you’re looking for a more permanent solution. The cheapest, long-term fix is the use of an outhouse. They’ve worked for centuries and there’s no reason why they won’t work again.

Learn how to stop severe bleeding.

Prepping to control bleeding is one of the most important parts of first aid.

For minor bleeding, apply pressure and elevate the wound above the heart. If you’re trying to treat heavy bleeding, don’t be afraid to use a tourniquet if the wound is on an appendage. For large, gaping wounds, you should pack the wound with gauze or a bandage impregnated with a hemostatic agent.

Our article on how to stop bleeding goes much deer into the subject.

Find several places that you can get water around the area that you live.

Lakes, streams, and ponds are all great places to start. Don’t overlook man-made bodies of water like pools and water hazards on golf courses.

Take a look at the horizon, chances are you’ll notice a few water towers in the area. Gathering water from them will not always be very straightforward. Getting a basic understanding of how they work before a disaster occurs is a good idea.

Examining the maps available at Water Resources of the United States is another place you can look to try to find water in your area. Make note of these water sources and mark them on a map in case you need them in the future.

Regardless of where your water comes from, learning where to get it and how to make sure it’s drinkable is one of the core prepping skills.

Build a bug out bag.

Building a bug out bag is often seen as a right of passage when you start prepping. Build it with YOUR needs in mind and it won’t let you down when you need it most.

What really needs to get discussed is realistic weights. I’ve seen some ridiculous weights quoted in different areas. Most people shouldn’t pack more than 45 lbs (probably closer to 35 lbs) in a bug out bag. If you’re just going to throw it in your Jeep and drive off, then put as much crap in there as you want. If you’re going to actually walk away from your house with it, keep it light.

Focusing on gear that has multiple uses will help you keep the weight in check a little better. Adding items that will let you filter water and capture food will last longer than carrying food and water in your bag.

Make sure you read about why a bug out bag is necessary.

Know how to use your food storage items.

Things like red wheat berries can seem completely foreign to you when you first start prepping if you don’t familiarize yourself with them.

Wheat berries can be ground down into regular flour with a hand grinder. White wheat is engineered from red wheat. Red wheat can have a bitter taste so it is normally mixed with more sugar than white wheat. Grinding red wheat into flour is good for making hard bread and white wheat flour is better for softer bread. You can also boil wheat berries and eat them whole.

Powdered milk can be used to make everything from yogurt to hot chocolate to cottage cheese.

Beans and rice a kind of self-explanatory but there are tons of creative ways to use them.

You don’t need to plan out complete meals, but I suggest printing out some basic recipes as well as some more in-depth ones to keep your food interesting. Food can be a great way to relax and provide a much-needed distraction and some comfort in really horrible situations.

Get hard copies of local maps.

They can be difficult to find these days with GPS and cell phones everywhere, but you should have hard copy maps available and know how to use them.

I like to have detailed maps of my local area and any areas I may stop along the way to a possible bug out location. Then slightly less detailed maps of the areas surrounding that. Finally, I keep a current American road atlas available as a good overall map of the country.

Consider keeping the materials for a homemade greenhouse on hand.

PVC pipes, PVC fittings, and heavy gauge plastic are all you need to make a basic greenhouse. This type of construction can be flimsy and won’t stand up to strong winds. Stronger materials will be needed if you live in an area that experiences high winds.

The ideal temperature for a greenhouse is 80-85 degrees. Make sure you can regulate and monitor the temperatures in your DIY greenhouse.

In the springtime, you can start your plants from seeds. Keep them in the greenhouse until there is no more threat of frost. In the winter, plant cold-resistant vegetables like lettuce. For long-term use, I’d suggest something along the lines of the DIY greenhouse kits that Bootstrap Farmer offers.

Collect rainwater can make water collection easier.

Something as simple as draping a tarp or large trash bag between two lawn chairs can be used to collect rainwater. A more advanced, permanent option, comes in the form of rain barrels. You can buy everything from aesthetically pleasing barrels that would fit naturally into your backyard, all the way to 100-gallon or 250-gallon barrels.

I like the portable rain barrels since they can be collapsed and stored until you decide that you need it. Ultimately, all you need is a container that can hold water and some way to catch or divert the rain into that container. Make sure the container doesn’t allow sunlight in if you plan on storing water in it for an extended period of time. This will help keep the growth of algae to a minimum.

There are tons of DIY projects out there for when you first get started prepping. Just search on Google for rain barrels.

Get it through your head that you cannot defend your home from the front door.

If you’re in a position where your home is, or could be in danger, from gangs, looter, marauders, etc. then you need to have security set up away from your house. This is one of the key things that a community provides.

Block access to your neighborhood with vehicles, concrete barriers, abatis or other barriers that can stop traffic from entering. Have only one way in and out and set up a checkpoint. Interview everyone that you don’t recognize. You’re asking to get burned out of your house if you think you can hide and wait for them to come to you. Defending your family is one of the main reasons that we get involved with prepping.

Keep your home and the surrounding area clear of dead trees and flammable debris.

In a post-collapse environment, I believe fires will be a source of many injuries and deaths.

Trees, leaves, and debris need to kept at a manageable level. Wood piles should be at least 30 feet from your living area. Make sure trees and branches aren’t touching your chimney. This may not be that much of a problem as you will likely be burning wood for heat/cooking. Use common sense when you are looking at your surroundings. Move flammable materials away from your living area if they could catch it on fire.

It’s really that simple but it’s also something that can be easily overlooked when there’s a lot going on.

Consider storing some modern adhesives and sealants.

Everyone loves duct tape and talks about how you can use it for everything. It’s an excellent product and you should definitely have some on hand but there are other things out there that you preppers should consider.

One thing I don’t hear a lot about is storing items like Flex Seal, expanding two-part foam and epoxy. There is any number of prepping situations that I can think of when these would come in handy. Be sure to check shelf lives as most of these products only have a shelf life of 1 or 2 years. The short shelf life definitely doesn’t lend itself to extended storage. I’d be interested to hear from someone who has used these products after that shelf life and see if they still hold up. I have personally used a two-part epoxy that was around 5 years past its advertised shelf life and had no problems.

Be aware of the threats posed by a flood.

How many times have you watched the news and wondered how can those people be so stupid? Why would they drive through that water? I see it all the time, so I wanted to touch on some guidelines for prepping to deal with floods and crossing flooded areas.

If there is a flood warning near your home, move valuables and furniture to the highest floors of the house. Disconnect appliances and do not touch wet electronics. While the electricity in your house normally only causes a painful shock, electronics can have capacitors which allow them to store enough electricity to cause a deadly shock.

Floodwater is often contaminated with human waste which is the leading cause of deadly waterborne diseases. You should only move across flooded areas if it’s absolutely necessary. Six inches of moving water can knock you down, one foot of moving water is enough to sweep away a vehicle.

Eyecare is very important during times with limited or no professional medical treatment.

Make sure you have several pairs of glasses available with your current prescription and never wear contacts in a post-collapse environment.

Try to keep your hands away from your eyes. Touching your eyes when your hands are dirty can lead to many different diseases. Some of them are easily treated with modern medicines, but with limited access to these medications, they could eventually lead to vision impairment or complete blindness.

If you don’t wear glasses, consider buying a pair of safety glasses. Adding safety glasses to your prepping supplies should be one of the first things you do when you get started prepping.

Conclusion

Prepping isn’t always easy. This is especially true when you first start prepping! Some of our readers have prepped for decades and have a lot of great ideas when it comes to prepping. If you have questions, put them in the comments.

Do you have any prepping tips you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments.

The article Prepping 2020 – 41 Tips and Tricks for New and Old Preppers Alike! is courtesy of: ready lifestyle

Prepping 2020 – 41 Tips and Tricks for New and Old Preppers Alike! published first on https://readylifesytle.tumblr.com

[aramkrikorian-blog]

10-9-2018

waking up. tired. rain. rain on the boots. the boots are torn. shoes. are wet. leather shoes. uncomfortable shoes. comfortable shoes. the daily walk. walking in uncomfortable shoes. ears clogged. not sick. ears jammed up. sticking fingers into ears with toilet paper when in the bathroom. library. salvation army. need to take a piss. need to take a shit. bathrooms. looking for bathrooms. embarassed. look like shit. haven’t showered in a bit. lighters are dead. no flame for cigarettes. the rain. it ruins the cigarette shorts i collect off the ground. talking to myself. not really. lots of people doing real life following. they want me to participate in interactive games with the audience. im not a star. im not taylor swift. she shouldn’t do politics yet. she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. democrats. republicans. green party. lame . parties. people. birthdays. rain. dogs. leashes. masters. slaves. negative conditioning. positive associations. flashbacks. larissa. lory. jessica. ashkhen. hasmig. who and what happened and where am i. did the babies really get aborted. are people messing with my mind. the information. is it true. not true. ears clogged. i can barely hear sarcastic remarks. god is watching over it all. proverbs. Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife. peacock in the desert. seattle. pike street. pike market. prospect park. GAR cemetary. ducks. weird tattoo store. weird tattoo aesthetic. cornish college. security guards. smoking cigarettes. asking for cigarettes. not comfortable. SEATAC. orcas. the oceans. pier 70. pier 66. starbucks. starbucks reserve. st james church. gospel mission. millinair club. tweakers. not that many. many or not. not known. know nobody. alone. thoughts. suicide. Virginia Mason hospital. lutheran church. food. food under the bridge. housing help. library on 4th street. newspapers. news. 90 minutes of internet time. homeless resource guide. backpack stolen. all work gone. no more work to look over. wanted a house on frontenac. didn’t get it. went to ferrari dealership - you say you’re a gangsta but you never popped nothing. you’re a real wanksta. songs. curses. nirvana. cause i’ve found god - rethinking what i said about kurt cobain. he is dangerously not well in Lithium. sounds llike the psychiatrists put pills in him and he blew his brains out or heroine or the pain of his wife... she breaks mirrors. weird flashbacks. lorys brother was administerered lithium wh en i was administered seroquel. psychopharma DEATH TOLL. bodies keep stacking. kurt cobain. lithium. lake washington blvd - curt cobains house. i didn’t know. i did a free navigation of the city. i felt things, bro. now i regret what i said about kurt cobain. lady was wearing a nirvana song list tshirt. bruce lee and brandon lee’s graves. crows. bible... scarecrows. 3-6 mafia lord infamous used to call me scaRECROW what is this... where am i. same motifs. same symbols. used by different people at different times. 1 big symbolic soup. trying to make sense of it. untangle it. which came first the word crow or pigeon. beautiful pigeons. appearance of pigeons in ones timeline over time. typing in the library. ‘the kind of kind guy that won’t take no for an answer’ - wanting to buy a house on frontenanc and give it to brent and tim ... tim gave me an umbrella. brent hooked it up with cigarettes - lighter. they were good guys. lyft people circling around. feel guilt and shame resentment everywhere. saved by the dell poster. PRIVATE PROPERTY everywhere - including the seattle sports stadium ... safeco field? seahawks lose to larams - kendrick lamar. lemurians of mt shasta. greyhound... buses. the animals. a great dane takes a fat piss on 700 7th ave...  the courthouse night, doing a speech. finding weed on ground smoking it. speaking at the school ... getting more weed. fed a larabar. ara. ara gets funding again in march. rosenstein is out? cohen is out? melania is in africa - visits a former slave in ghana. beautiful work. thank you mr and mrs trump. kushner? scooby dooby doo. airbnb ... valuations. memories. pains. people. upgrades and promotions. growth. new ideas. scholarships. college. essays. schools. making sure the kids are going to be safe. at least putting a line on the older ones and going to go back and ensure the road is well paved for the younger ones. newspaper room 6th floor. bathrooms on floor 7 of library also on floor 1... and maybe on 3 and 4.. .but not sure. haven’t been higher than floor 7 as far as i recall. lady in front of library - obese with lighter and cigarette - i ask her for a light she says “why are you chasing me?” - not a question. it is a question. it is something inside of a question. an accusation. a false accusation. a controversial, extremely controversial false accusation. it implies more. profile equivalent of a stalker. im not a stalker. a chaser. but i will become one if she wants me to. if the shoe fits ill wear it. or ill just wear it once and throw it away anyway. copy and paste this text and put it into a text to speech application and just listen to it ... let me know if it sounds good. borrow phrases from it. let it brainwash you. because it’s all real. really really really really real. kim and kanye. blessings. armenians. what the heck. little children in library walking around... happy looking. global warming. will it kill all the little children that look so innocent to my eye. and to my eye the world looks ok. but to the instruments... they’re reading something else. that’s how gas kills doesn’t it... it didn’t smell. it just killed. mount olympia. sculpture garden at the pier has a lot of gardners but a lot more dog shit. its impossible to sit in the grass. there was SO MUCH dog shit there. mcdonalds sued for a million dollars. dont do it. all these ridiculous articles on Medium. i joined medium but i cant even press a button to write. ridiculous. double daniels. daniel lives here. so does erin treg. ill try to not mention too many names i guess. maybe they can comment on posts and take them out. fuck ilya golub. fuck olga. fuck all those people. nikolai and m8s and ara and etc etc. let them live their lives but these are weenie people. someone should keep a permanent weenie hat on their heads. stop stuffing dicks into everyones head aram. stop it. note to self. exercise more discipline in the language that i use. lockwood... he was an author who blew his braINS OUT. but he was typing like an animal in the family garage. he released a book. i wish one day i can get back to literature reading again. i miss pynchon. i miss delillo. did they write any new books. are they still alive? im going to check google right now and trust the answer. dellilo alive. i heard roth died. 5-22-2018. wow . the number 22. number of hebrew characters in the alphabet. the number of arab league countries. 22 is a heptagonal number. which means 7 sided polygon number. who knows what that means. its just important. who knows. philip roth died on 5 - 22 - 2018. wow. i miss his work. american paradise or something or portnoy’s complaint. who was that guy. i remember being in oregon 4 years ago and digging deep into literature. is my brother dead? did shant eat a heroine shot? people on the bus were saying weird things. is my father dead? i don’t even know. i remember jolie writing things on the wall. like prophecy that turned into reality. maybe the whole thing was a joke. the name. keith. she used names. she said things. JR JR JR> what is JR.. it’s on the inside of larissa lip . who knows. maybe real or not. nick. wtf. heroine. fresno. people talking to me. gangs this that. greatful dead family. where are we. what is this. acid. meth. heroine. crack brillo pads. what is all this. what happened. where is everyone. dope shooters. not a lot of people left around - “ Cage The Elephant - Shake Me Down - YouTube “ urban dictionary. JR> some caring guy. larissa’s boyfriend. hope they’re still together. been talking out loud to her. sometimes i feel her. saw a lookalike of Lory. or i actually saw lory. maybe when larissa and i were in santa cruz.. we were being watched and played for fools. she kept saying she saw nicole. the aramark logo. the mark from seattle. the people out there. here. chris while. erin triggie. daniel ex of jessica. who knows what people do. say. where am i. what has happened to me. how am i homeless. what is this. what happened to me. i used to be an OG. lol. what am i now. can i even handle it. unlikely candidate. why do people even half respect me. what is going on. scholarships. colleges. high school kids applying for colleges. stanford early application this year is november 1... and the regular is january 2. i remember 2004 applying for fafsa and all that. scholarships. this that. getting accepted. man. SAT scores are still going. its insane how out of touch you get despite trying hardest to stay in touch. eventually the kids evict you themselves. couple library rats tried to trade me bluetooth headset for some molly in front of library and for some crystal. i said no to both. i saw mad guy tweaking dancing fuckin hard at millionair club today - i looked at him and said “brother i love you so i dont want to see you here, like this, ok?” - where is HOMIE RESCUE TEAM - what are we going to do? should we just laugh at this guy. should we just let him die off. should we kill him? what do you think? i have to read news... china and america. usa. and china. and korea. and russia. and some games and calm down and 110 billion dollar pump into USA. turkey and saudi arabia ... and pushing and shoving and ghana and america visits and angola 500 million president running to london who knows... where are we.. like flies buzzing around on The Blue Marble. what happened to sitting at home and enjoying one another in peace. where is my wife. why do i call her my wife. im forgiving people. im rescuing people. im saying im going to quit cigarettes. people look so shady. they look so protective over their assets. ive lost more than i think or know or can count or i dont know whats going on. 

i wanted a ferrari 812 a portofino i saw was pretty i like the color rosso and i wanted a 488 spider and a home on frontenac and i wanted a powerboat like 70 footer or 77′ and i wanted to go to bahamas or caribbean and have sex with my wife and procreate and have children and relax and sleep and rest and have a home on 18 acres in snoquamish and all that stuff and have a Dodge ram 2500 

just read about Satyrs for the first time. rams and satyrs and greece and dionysus and debauchery and Pan and apollo and challenging gods and losing and winning and secretive & lustful and wanting to fuck and permanent erection (piss boner) - very interesting. 

also very interesting is the PT Barnum effect ... basically .. .have you ever had a boner? have you ever wanted to have sex with many women? have you ever flirted with a woman? h ave you ever challenged someone bigger than your own size (like David?) - who knows. Ram. Aram. Random Access Memory. bighorn ram. it was in a shooting game i played on hunting game on computer a long time ago. 

gods .. shoot downs. being destroyed. FLAYED Alive. the Flaying of Tarsus. hubris. arrogance. humility. cold. hot. 

there is this fucking idiot laughing in the library. this fucking tool idiot. he is in the library and he laughs like a clown. i wish joe pesci were here so he can jam and smash on the guy. but he’s not so if i do it. in front of the cameras. it will pr;obably get me into some sort of toruble. who knows. anyway. 

iris murdoch. philip roth. thomas pynchon. all these people. time passes. pynchon delillo still alive still kicking. 

birth days were the worst days. slowly getting over the doldrums. what is it called. weighing yourself down . idioms. expressions. the power of idioms. lists of idioms. lists of ethnic slurs. lists of sociological terms. lists of profiling terms. lists of lists. endless lists of words and referrents and objects and feelings. 

Jimmy hendrix park seattle. the numbered avenues. Ballard. the draw bridges. the seaplanes. the boeing. the SAM . art museum. the fountains. the trees and parks. the lake washington. the lake union. the puget sound. the alaskan viaduct project. 4 months. all the little pieces of seattle. the 4 seasons. the goldfinch bar. the bars. the loyal inn. mark matthews park. he was a presbyterian minister. here we are. some guy still laughing so i told him to shut up bro that hes fucking annoying. then another guy joins in... he does a little goat laugh. so i fucken do a sheep laugh too. fuck these guys. play whack a mole all day. 

seattle is amazing. minus these idiots in it. can someone genocide them. or get rid of their bodies tonight and feed them to the orcas k25 and k13 ? .. k13 is dead. k25 is getting skinny. 

The latest official count is 77 orcas among the three pods. That reflects the death of K-13, a 45-year old female named Skagit.

the count of orcas is 77 orcas. i wanted a 77 or 70 foot yacht. i wanted to call it Septuagint. there are al ot of 7s in the bible. 

oh Gosh. oh man. david reigned for 7 years 6 months. 76. 67.  6s and 7s. 42s. wow. and 7 male descendants of Saul hung before the lord. 7s. the 7 times 77 forgiveness.. yesterday the sevenfold punishments in leviticus. i like stuff like this alot. 

7 for all mankind - i remember such days. the time is 12:12 Pm on 10/9/2018. 

who knows these things ... the Lord is playing on all tracks concurrently. im less annoyed. i see all these defective personas in one day. i dont know why. but its getting better. people getting chin checked. a lot of people getting tagged. 

the rats are getting smashed on worldwide. Meng. etc etc. interpol. this that. internationally. locally, domestically. the Great Awakenings. when we enter into slumbers and turn into zombies turn into psychic vampires. we need to clean the algae every once in a while or else there’s just bodies and piles of bodies of humans. we dont really care about the dead of the past. we really dont’ give a shit or dedicate any time to remembering or researching the dead of the past. a list of wars by death toll. largest natural disasters by death toll. 

to have faith. to try to pray to God. to say im not here to destroy the catholic church. people say and come up with the worst and weirdest things. if you can only see this writing post you will see i hop around so many places. 

a poison dart frog, a dog, a porcupine, a snake, a cow - i’ve been compared to such animals. after a while all the terms of endearment eventually get to me.. its annoying its not cute. people speak they did the worst things to me and im pretty done for trying to recover. maybe i will maybe i wont maybe someone will kill me or ill magically die.. it wont matter - i see that kurt cobain and bruce and brandon and jimmi hendrix theryre all dead and the stars are all dead the “stars” ... revelation says 

Revelation 6:13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, like unripe figs

and the woman and the dragon and the red dragon ... and ir ead revelation and imagined myself as satan last year but i dont think so. i think the others are satan becasue they twisted my brains in and out.. and i cant wait for the rest of revelation to be carried out so that i can witness the end of the world. im very tired of how twisted and disgusting things have become.. im not just angry or wrathful.. i would like to actually see the end of the world... i would like to see Jesus im going to try and be ok until that happens. .. and its so sad that people are just.. .its so sad. 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+12&version=NKJV

love, 

aram krikorian

[electricoutdoors]

Prepping 2019 – 40 Great Prepping Tips That Everyone Should Know

Prepping for SHTF - 40 Great Tips That Everyone Should Know

If you’ve been prepping for any length of time then these may be a refresher or they may be brand new. If you’re just starting in the prepping/preparedness world, then these will most likely be new to you. Either way, there’s something for everyone in this list of prepping tips.

Prepping means you should always be ready to learn.

It’s often said that knowledge is power, and that is especially true in the world of prepping. Keep an open mind and try to learn more every day. Just because someone has a view that opposes yours does not mean that there is nothing you can learn from them! In fact, I find that I often learn the most from people with different viewpoints than me. prepping Even if a disaster does strike, you can (and should) continue to learn from your successes and especially from your failures.

Bugging out should not be your first option in a disaster.

If you are planning to bug out at the first sign of a collapse, then you are probably living in the wrong area. Make plans to move to an area that is likely to be a good place to bug in. This doesn’t mean drop everything and move into the middle of the woods. It does mean that if prepping is something that is going to be a big part of your life, then you need to get to an area that is safe for you and your family.

Even moving out of the city and into the suburbs is a huge improvement on your prepping situation. In the end, it’s up to each of us to decide when to bug in or bug out.

Just because you live in a city or an apartment doesn’t mean that you can’t be prepared.

Not everyone can simply pack up and move to a rural community. If you’re stuck in a situation like this, then you need to begin to learn the vulnerabilities of that area. Then, start to counter each of those vulnerabilities as best as you can.

Remember, no one is 100% prepared for everything. Your job is to be as prepared as you can be in the situation that you are in. As long as you are improving your situation, you’re on the right track.

If you can’t move away from the city, we suggest that you put together a bug out bag.

Learn to use the space that you have available.

This is especially important if you live in an apartment or a small home. You can buy or build sliding storage racks or totes that will allow you to store food, water, and supplies under your bed.

The normal queen size bed can store around 43 sq/ft of goods. A king size bed can keep around 60 sq/ft under it. This is assuming 1 ½ feet of clearance under the bed.

The back of the closet often goes unused. Build or buy shelving for that area. You can stack boxes or canned food and cover them with a sheet then use them as end tables or nightstands. Small racks on the inside of closet doors can be a great place to store canned foods.

Get creative and look around for those spaces that aren’t being used. Creativity is one of the keys to prepping in less than ideal situations.

Use modern apps and web-based programs.

Google maps is a great planning tool for anyone who is a prepper. Having a satellite view of your surroundings gives you a solid place to begin your planning.

Printing out these maps and incorporating them into your defensive plans is a good idea so you have them available when you need them.

There are a lot of good mobile apps as well. Apps like Golf GPS for the iPhone can give you the range of objects relative to your location. Other apps like BulletDrop can be used to figure out, you guessed it, the drop of a bullet based on its weight and muzzle velocity.

By browsing the app stores, you can probably come up with more apps that would be useful for prepping.

There are many areas of your home that can provide you with water following a disaster.

Water in the tank of your toilet can hold around 3 gallons of drinkable water. Your water heater is also a great source of water. By draining your water heater you can get up to 40 gallons of water. Another possibility is draining the pipes in your house. By opening a faucet on the top floor then collecting the water from a faucet on the ground floor, you could end up with another couple gallons of water.

A water bob is another great idea. As long as you can fill them before a disaster strikes, they make a great way to store water for almost anyone.

Learn to use the Emergency Response Guide (ERG).

The ERG is a book that allows first responders to identify hazardous materials, their labels, containers, hazards and appropriate protective equipment.

In a post-collapse environment, factories, pipelines, and chemical plants will still be a part of the landscape. Having access to an ERG will allow you to identify hazards if you are looking for supplies in these areas. It would also make a great addition to your prepping library in order to help treat accidental exposure to these chemicals.

A PDF of the ERG makes a great addition to a prepping library and can be located here for free. There is an Android and iPhone App available there as well.

You can’t only focus on your strengths.

We all have a tendency to like to do the things that we’re good at.

You should take an honest look at yourself and see where you need to get better. Once you’ve identified those things, don’t shy away from them. Attack them and learn everything you can about the areas where you’re the weakest.

If you’re really good with a rifle but have no idea how to grow a garden, guess what? You’re a gardener until you know what you’re doing. Gaining survival skills is just as important (if not more important) as gathering food, water, and other prepping gear. Plus, they’re easier to carry around.

Mountain bikes make a great post collapse vehicle.

A bike could be a lifesaver after a collapse or even in a short-term breakdown.

When fuel cannot be delivered, a bike of some kind will provide the ability to travel distances at speed. Add in a trailer and your ability to carry gear will increase by about 100 lbs.

A mountain bike will give you more travel options if you should decide to bug out. Riding along train tracks or cuts made for power lines could keep you off the roads when everyone else is stuck in traffic. Check out our article on mountain bikes as post-collapse vehicles.

Have a plan to get your family together in one place if an event occurs when you’re separated.

This plan should be something that you and your family can implement without the need to communicate in case cell phones don’t work.

As an example, your plan may be that if something occurs while you’re at work, then your wife or husband will go get the kids from school and you will work your way back to the house. You could also have each parent get one child and then you both head home.

Your plan will vary depending on your specific situation, but it should be something that everyone knows. As with any plan, it helps to practice it.

As a new prepper, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

Sit down and write out a quick list of things you need when you first start prepping.

Water, food, and defense should top your list but you don’t have to rush out and get everything today. Prepping can get expensive. Break your list down by priority and add a little each week to your stores.

If you live somewhere with plenty of water available, maybe you just need to buy a Big Berky water filter the first week to meet all of your water needs. Add a few cans of food for the next couple of weeks until you have some food put away.

Your situation will change depending on where you live and how much you can afford each week. Just take it slow and do it in manageable chunks. Before you know it, you’ll have the secure feeling that comes from being prepared!

The internet contains a wealth of knowledge.

You can find entire libraries worth of prepping books to download for free by just using Google. Take advantage of that while you can! Following a disaster, you may not have access to the internet for a long time (if ever).

Print the resources you need most and keep them in three-ring binders for when you need them. Add these binders to your prepping library.

You can also store all those books on a thumb drive or external hard drive. Keep it in a safe place and you could potentially have access to them even after a disaster. As long as you have some way to charge a laptop, you should be able to access a computer following most disasters.

Purchase a firearm to protect you and your family.

Guns aren’t the most important thing to have, but you need to be able to protect yourself and your family from potential criminals and thieves.

What you buy will depend on your budget. For those with a lower budget, I would suggest a pistol if you can conceal carry in the area that you live.

If you can only have a firearm in your home, then I’d say to get a 12-gauge shotgun. If you happen to have a higher budget then I’d suggest an AR-15 for home defense and a pistol. This is always a topic that spurs a debate.

Ultimately, whatever you can afford is better than nothing. If you live in a country that doesn’t allow you to have firearms then you’ll have to be creative when looking for weapons for self-defense.

Hand to hand weapons have been used forever. Baseball bats, knives, machetes, axes, and tomahawks are all viable options for self-defense if you are prepping and cannot buy a firearm.

Get in shape now!

Prepping itself isn’t normally hard work, but the strain of a post-collapse life is.

If all of the modern conveniences we take for granted are gone, then something as simple as getting drinking water could become a backbreaking ordeal.

A lack of strength and flexibility also means that you are more likely to get injured. Being overweight increases the chances of heart disease, diabetes (which could be a death sentence in a grid down situation), and many other negative health effects.

If you needed to walk 20 miles a day could you do it? Could you wake up the next day after a couple hours of sleep and do it again? These are questions that you honestly need to ask yourself.

Starting a basic exercise program will make all aspects of your life better.

Expensive solar panels aren’t the only way to get power from the sun.

There are a bunch of portable solar charging options available now for right around $75. These solar chargers are typically aimed at charging cell phones but they can also charge batteries or battery packs. I’ve used Goal Zero products a lot and I’ve never had a problem with them. There are other brands on the market but I don’t have much experience with them.

More extensive solar power options are available. Prepping to power your entire home after a collapse is possible if you’re willing to put the time, money and effort into it.

Storing water should be your first priority.

We can only live a for a couple of days without water. You should plan around a gallon of water, per day, per family member. For a family of three or four that can add up quickly.

Water also take up a lot of space and is very heavy making it one of the more difficult items to store. There is a wide variety of prepping water storage containers available for sale. They can get expensive but they also have the added benefit of being stackable.

A less expensive way to store water when you’re first starting out prepping is by rinsing out old soda bottles and filling them from the tap or just buying cases of bottled water. These containers are not as strong as purpose build water storage containers, so be careful when stacking them.

You can help improve the taste of water that has been stored for a long time by pouring it back and forth between two containers.

Get to know your neighbors before a disaster strikes!

Following a collapse, we will all have to work together. You can start by simply learning your neighbors’ names or waving as you drive past them. You don’t have to become best friends with them, but at least being familiar with them can go a long way when you may need their help.

Even if you live in the middle of nowhere, getting to know your closest neighbors is a good idea. The lone prepper or prepper family is not the best idea and the crazy homicidal prepper certainly isn’t going to work.

You will need help to do everything that is needed in the event of a long-term collapse.

Dealing with bodies in a SHTF world is something that we will need to become accustomed to.

If you come across a corpse, it may smell bad, but the likelihood of it transmitting diseases to you is low. This is especially true if they died of starvation, dehydration or trauma (such as a gunshot wound or falling debris).

A corpse will contaminate water, so they should be moved away from bodies of water or groundwater. They will also bring vermin to the area, that will transmit diseases.

Burying or burning the bodies is the best way to keep vermin away. Just make sure you bury them deep enough that scavengers won’t dig them back up and far enough from water sources that they will not contaminate your water supply as they decompose.

Keep a get home bag in your vehicle if you work or spend a lot of time away from home.

When you’re prepping this bag, remember that you’re only trying to get home from where you would most likely get stranded.

I would plan on moving no more than 15-20 miles a day on foot, so pack with those distances in mind. If you work 17 miles from your house then pack food and water for one or two days.

Pack some light food items (such as protein bars), several bottles of water, some kind of light shelter (space blanket or small tarp), a first aid kit, a pistol or light rifle with a couple magazines, sneakers or hiking boots and a change of socks and t-shirt would round out any get home bag I would build.

Keep it light and get home as fast as you can.

Know how to disinfect water, and know several methods to do so.

Prior to starting to disinfect your water, you should do your best to filter out solid particulates or let them settle and scoop out the clean water into another container.

Water purification tablets are an easy and inexpensive way to disinfect water. Boiling is another method, heat the water to a rolling boil for one minute (three minutes if above 5000 ft), then let it cool.

You can also use household bleach to disinfect water. Use unscented bleach that is less than a year old, add 2 drops to one liter of water or six drops to a gallon of water. Let it stand for 30 minutes and make sure it has a slight chlorine scent. For cloudy, cold or discolored water, double the amount of bleach.

Make sure you’re prepping items so you can also filter water. Buying a quality survival water filtration system should be one of your priorities when you first start prepping.

It’s good to know how to build a few basic defensive fortifications.

A couple of useful fortifications are the abatis and defensive fighting position (DFP).

An abatis is useful for diverting or stopping traffic on roadways. You can build one by felling or dragging trees onto the road and interlacing them together to form a continuous barrier that a vehicle would not be able to pass.

The DFP is nothing more than a hole in its most basic form. It should be two rifles long, one rifle wide and roughly deep enough to allow the tallest person to be covered up to their armpits. To improve the DFP add frontal and overhead protection and conceal it as best as you can.

Prepping basic fortifications ahead of time will greatly increase your survivability during a no-notice collapse.

Be aware of the threats that you are likely to encounter and try to avoid them.

When prepping, the best way to defend against any given threat is to avoid the places that those threats are likely to occur.

The threats we face today are most likely related to Islamic extremism. With this in mind, prepping for a vehicle-borne attack, bombing, shooting or stabbing are all likely. Avoiding crowds, especially those around protests and political/religious events is the best way to stay away from these threats.

If you do need to be around large crowds, be aware of your surroundings, keep an eye out for suspicious people and move away from any possible confrontations. In a post-collapse environment, areas like FEMA camps, food & water distribution areas and markets could all be potential areas for violence.

Do not let your pride overcome common sense. Walking away from a confrontation is almost always the better idea.

Not disposing of trash in the correct way is guaranteed to attract vermin, scavengers and spread disease.

Prepping to handle the garbage that you’re going to be creating is something many people overlook.

Today, we are used to just dropping our trash off at the curb, going to work and coming home to an empty trashcan. Most people are in for a rude awakening if those services ever come to an end.

At our current rate, each person makes about 6 pounds of trash per day. Limiting the amount of trash that you produce is going to be your best bet. What you do produce can be burned or buried away from your home.

If you live in an apartment, you will have to make sure that people do not pile trash up against the building. This could be used as fuel for a fire to burn the building down, on top of the threat of disease and animals.

Basics like smoke alarms and fire extinguishers can save lives.

This is an everyday prep. Fires kill around 2,500 people annually in the U.S. and injure another 12,000.

Have a working smoke alarm outside of each bedroom. Check them monthly!

Make sure your every family member knows where to meet in the case of a fire in your home. Practicing the evacuation is a good idea, especially if you have small children. More ideas and further information about fire extinguishers can be found in our article about prepping for a home fire.

After a collapse, fire is going to be a common weapon used by looters and marauders! Having extra fire extinguishers is a good idea.

Carry a firearm with you whenever you can.

This topic is another one that always causes several debates, pistol or revolver, what caliber, do you need night sights, etc. I say carry whatever you are comfortable with.

In the end, the most important thing is that you’re armed. This is another everyday prepping item. If your state allows for concealed carry, then I would suggest applying now if you haven’t already. You are the only one that can protect yourself or your family. The police are not going to be there until it’s too late.

Weapons like retention knives, kubotans, and tactical pens make great back-ups when you’re carrying a firearm.

They’re also better than nothing if you’re prepping in areas where you cannot carry a firearm.

Knives like the Ka-Bar TDI can be hidden along the belt line on the weak side. If you are struggling with an attacker, this allows you to draw the blade while maintaining control of your firearm with your strong hand.

Kubotans (like the Cold Steel Mini Koga) are blunt weapons that can be used to apply pressure to pressure points or used in a closed fist to strike at soft areas like the temples, throat, and eyes. So-called tactical pens normally fall somewhere between a pen and kubotan. You can use them in a similar manner to a kubotan.

If you’re carrying any of these as a primary means of defense then you should carry them on your strong side.

Just because you live in the city doesn’t mean that you cannot grow some of your own food.

As long as you have windows that get a few hours of sunlight a day or can get access to the roof, you’re in business. Container gardens are a great way to supplement your food storage.

Lettuce, cabbage, greens, tomatoes, beans, peppers, carrots, radishes and potatoes are all good options for a container garden. In shady areas, plant lettuce, cabbage, and greens. For sunny areas, tomatoes, beans, peppers, carrots, radishes, and potatoes work well. Cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins can also be grown in pots as long as they have something to grow on. Planting them near a fence or railing would give them the staking they need.

Come up with a plan to dispose of human waste.

In the very short term, or if you’re just traveling through an area, you can dig a hole, go to the bathroom, then cover it back up. This can’t be your plan for the long term. Holes full of human waste all over your yard will breed disease and shouldn’t be part of your prepping 2019 plan. In fact, many of the most dangerous diseases you will encounter in a post-collapse environment are transmitted through contact with human feces.

Proper hygiene is necessary for long term survival.

There are many sustainable methods of waste disposal available to you. The cheapest medium-term solution is something like the Luggable Loo or SereneLife Outdoor Toilet. These still leave you with the problem of dealing with the waste, but they are certainly more comfortable than digging a hole.

A composting toilet is great if you’re looking for a more permanent solution. The cheapest, long-term fix is the use of an outhouse. They’ve worked for centuries and there’s no reason why they won’t work again.

Learn how to stop severe bleeding.

Prepping to control bleeding is one of the most important parts of first aid.

For minor bleeding, apply pressure and elevate the wound above the heart. If you’re trying to treat heavy bleeding, don’t be afraid to use a tourniquet if the wound is on an appendage. For large, gaping wounds, you should pack the wound with gauze or a bandage impregnated with a hemostatic agent.

Our article on how to stop bleeding goes much deer into the subject.

Find several places that you can get water around the area that you live.

Lakes, streams, and ponds are all great places to start. Don’t overlook man-made bodies of water like pools and water hazards on golf courses.

Take a look at the horizon, chances are you’ll notice a few water towers in the area. Gathering water from them will not always be very straightforward. Getting a basic understanding of how they work before a disaster occurs is a good idea.

Examining the maps available at Water Resources of the United States is another place you can look to try to find water in your area. Make note of these water sources and mark them on a map in case you need them in the future.

Regardless of where your water comes from, learning where to get it and how to make sure it’s drinkable is one of the core prepping skills.

Build a bug out bag.

Building a bug out bag is often seen as a right of passage when you start prepping. Build it with YOUR needs in mind and it won’t let you down when you need it most.

What really needs to get discussed is realistic weights. I’ve seen some ridiculous weights quoted in different areas. Most people shouldn’t pack more than 45 lbs (probably closer to 35 lbs) in a bug out bag. If you’re just going to throw it in your Jeep and drive off, then put as much crap in there as you want. If you’re going to actually walk away from your house with it, keep it light.

Focusing on gear that has multiple uses will help you keep the weight in check a little better. Adding items that will let you filter water and capture food will last longer than carrying food and water in your bag.

Know how to use your food storage items.

Things like red wheat berries can seem completely foreign to you when you first start prepping if you don’t familiarize yourself with them.

Wheat berries can be ground down into regular flour with a hand grinder. White wheat is engineered from red wheat. Red wheat can have a bitter taste so it is normally mixed with more sugar than white wheat. Grinding red wheat into flour is good for making hard bread and white wheat flour is better for softer bread. You can also boil wheat berries and eat them whole.

Powdered milk can be used to make everything from yogurt to hot chocolate to cottage cheese.

Beans and rice a kind of self-explanatory but there are tons of creative ways to use them.

You don’t need to plan out complete meals, but I suggest printing out some basic recipes as well as some more in-depth ones to keep your food interesting. Food can be a great way to relax and provide a much-needed distraction and some comfort in really horrible situations.

Get hard copies of local maps.

They can be difficult to find these days with GPS and cell phones everywhere, but you should have hard copy maps available and know how to use them.

I like to have detailed maps of my local area and any areas I may stop along the way to a possible bug out location. Then slightly less detailed maps of the areas surrounding that. Finally, I keep a current American road atlas available as a good overall map of the country.

Consider keeping the materials for a homemade greenhouse on hand.

PVC pipes, PVC fittings, and heavy gauge plastic are all you need to make a basic greenhouse. This type of construction can be flimsy and won’t stand up to strong winds. Stronger materials will be needed if you live in an area that experiences high winds.

The ideal temperature for a greenhouse is 80-85 degrees. Make sure you can regulate and monitor the temperatures in your DIY greenhouse.

In the springtime, you can start your plants from seeds. Keep them in the greenhouse until there is no more threat of frost. In the winter, plant cold-resistant vegetables like lettuce. For long-term use, I’d suggest something along the lines of the DIY greenhouse kits that Bootstrap Farmer offers.

Collect rainwater can make water collection easier.

Something as simple as draping a tarp or large trash bag between two lawn chairs can be used to collect rainwater. A more advanced, permanent option, comes in the form of rain barrels. You can buy everything from aesthetically pleasing barrels that would fit naturally into your backyard, all the way to 100 gallon or 250 gallon barrels.

I like the portable rain barrels since they can be collapsed and stored until you decide that you need it. Ultimately, all you need is a container that can hold water and some way to catch or divert the rain into that container. Make sure the container doesn’t allow sunlight in if you plan on storing water in it for an extended period of time. This will help keep the growth of algae to a minimum.

There are tons of DIY projects out there for when you first get started prepping. Just search on Google for rain barrels.

Get it through your head that you cannot defend your home from the front door.

If you’re in a position where your home is, or could be in danger, from gangs, looter, marauders, etc. then you need to have security set up away from your house. This is one of the key things that a community provides.

Block access to your neighborhood with vehicles, concrete barriers, abatis or other barriers that can stop traffic from entering. Have only one way in and out and set up a checkpoint. Interview everyone that you don’t recognize. You’re asking to get burned out of your house if you think you can hide and wait for them to come to you. Defending your family is one of the main reasons that we get involved with prepping.

Keep your home and the surrounding area clear of dead trees and flammable debris.

In a post-collapse environment, I believe fires will be a source of many injuries and deaths.

Trees, leaves, and debris need to kept at a manageable level. Wood piles should be at least 30 feet from your living area. Make sure trees and branches aren’t touching your chimney. This may not be that much of a problem as you will likely be burning wood for heat/cooking. Use common sense when you are looking at your surroundings. Move flammable materials away from your living area if they could catch it on fire.

It’s really that simple but it’s also something that can be easily overlooked when there’s a lot going on.

Consider storing some modern adhesives and sealants.

Everyone loves duct tape and talks about how you can use it for everything. It’s an excellent product and you should definitely have some on hand but there are other things out there that you preppers should consider.

One thing I don’t hear a lot about is storing items like Flex Seal, expanding two-part foam and epoxy. There is any number of prepping situations that I can think of when these would come in handy. Be sure to check shelf lives as most of these products only have a shelf life of 1 or 2 years. The short shelf life definitely doesn’t lend itself to extended storage. I’d be interested to hear from someone who has used these products after that shelf life and see if they still hold up. I have personally used a two-part epoxy that was around 5 years past its advertised shelf life and had no problems.

Be aware of the threats posed by a flood.

How many times have you watched the news and wondered how can those people be so stupid? Why would they drive through that water? I see it all the time, so I wanted to touch on some guidelines for prepping to deal with floods and crossing flooded areas.

If there is a flood warning near your home, move valuables and furniture to the highest floors of the house. Disconnect appliances and do not touch wet electronics. While the electricity in your house normally only causes a painful shock, electronics can have capacitors which allow them to store enough electricity to cause a deadly shock.

Flood water is often contaminated with human waste which is the leading cause of deadly waterborne diseases. You should only move across flooded areas if it’s absolutely necessary. Six inches of moving water can knock you down, one foot of moving water is enough to sweep away a vehicle.

Eye care is very important during times with limited or no professional medical treatment.

Make sure you have several pairs of glasses available with your current prescription and never wear contacts in a post-collapse environment.

Try to keep your hands away from your eyes. Touching your eyes when your hands are dirty can lead to many different diseases. Some of them are easily treated with modern medicines, but with limited access to these medications, they could eventually lead to vision impairment or complete blindness.

If you don’t wear glasses, consider buying a pair of safety glasses. Adding safety glasses to your prepping supplies should be one of the first things you do when you get started prepping.

Conclusion

Prepping isn’t always easy. This is especially true when you first start prepping!

Some of our readers have prepped for decades and have a lot of great ideas when it comes to prepping. If you have questions, put them in the comments.

Make sure you read our article Prepping 101 for more prepping tips! Do you have any prepping tips you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments.

Prepping 2019 – 40 Great Prepping Tips That Everyone Should Know is courtesy of: Ready Lifestyle Prepping Blog

Prepping 2019 – 40 Great Prepping Tips That Everyone Should Know published first on https://readylifesytle.tumblr.com