#the azalea test subjects

[eorzeanflowers]

Glamtober Day 20: Another Time

"Explorer is... admirable Four... I just don't see us getting past being a Soldier like myself." "Well, not any of us can just stay in the Allagan army! You and Nurse can do just fine." "Lore, Sol doesn't mean much about it, he's just worried about you." "I am too, just because we chose combat jobs, doesn't mean you have to. I mean, look at Archie there!" "I'll make sure you get your dream, Four."

One of the final conversations between the allagan eternal soldier project test subjects.

All (Archie, no dyes; Lore, Sky Blue; Nurse, Rust Red; Sol, Millicorn Yellow) Body: Late Allagan Armor of Striking Hands: Late Allagan Gloves of Striking Legs: Late Allagan Bottoms of Striking Feet: Late Allagan Sollerets of Striking

[love-of-fandoms]

The Florist of Zaun: Chapter 4

Chapter Four of The Florist of Zaun

Pairing: Marcus + Reader

Word Count: 2242 words

The closer it got to 5 o’clock the more antsy you got. You had tried spending the time developing an ingestible poison from oleander that would be practical for Silco to use, but you had dropped a test tube in your distraction around an hour ago. It had spilled all over your hand, past your heavy duty gloves and under your sleeve to leave a rather nasty rash on your wrist. You had decided to call it quits there. There was only so much you could do without a test subject anyways.

You shuddered at the thought. A rather unpleasant part of your job with Silco was that while you were Singed’s moral and ethical backbone, the business you were in meant there were no ethical options for certain things. You had been assigned to work on the poison around a month ago, and Silco had said he would get you test subjects. This meant that if someone did something the Eye of Zaun would normally kill them for, they’d be sent to you wrapped in a bow, or tied up in one of the rooms in the greenhouse, rather. 

It made you sick thinking about what would have to happen. You wished Silco had asked Singed to do this, but Singed work was entirely dedicated to Shimmer, which had become a popular street drug in the past few years. Instead you would be the one administering the poison to whichever unfortunate soul had crossed Silco, and then staying to observe the effects. You had read about the effects of ingesting the flower alone, nevermind the more potent version of the poison you had extracted, and you knew it would be a horrific scene.

You shook out your wrist, which you had coated in ointment and messily wrapped in bandages after spilling the solution. Sitting around waiting for a Piltover Enforcer to swing by so you could do him a favor left a sour taste in your mouth. How could you call yourself a Zaunite? Given, he was crooked and on Silco’s payroll, but it still felt… off.

You thought about what plant you might give him. You had already decided that it wouldn’t be as impossible as he wanted it to be to take care of, because his daughter deserved a fighting chance at least, but at the same time a poro was a big responsibility so she should prove to be able to care for something a bit more complicated than a pothos or a spider plant. 

Maybe an azalea. Their care was relatively complicated, at least for keeping them alive indoors, and you had three growing in the greenhouse. It was a potential plant to use for the poison Silco wanted, but the sheer volume of flowers it would take for a dosage to be deadly disqualified it from your research. 

You grabbed a notecard, writing out the care instructions for the sheriff’s daughter. You mentally noted that the sheriff better keep any thoughts he had about your chicken scratch to himself. It was legible, and that was what counted.

Keep cool and humid, spray the leaves with a misting of water every day.

Keep soil damp, water every 2-3 days. Mix in a couple drops of vinegar with the water.

Requires moderate sunlight.

Would that be enough? How old was she? Would he be upset with you if his daughter succeeded in keeping it alive? Did you actually care?

You weren’t sure the answer to any of those questions, or at least, you didn’t want to think about the answer to that last one. You couldn’t care about the sheriff or his daughter or if the stupid plant would survive or how his eyes had softened when he was walking you ba-

Right! An azalea! You went into the “jungle”-what you affectionately called the center of the greenhouse that was almost overflowing with plants-to grab the azalea for the Sheriff’s daughter.

You had very few flowering plants besides the dendronium luminaris for Rio, so one would think that a bright pink azalea would jump right out at you. Instead you found yourself circling the jungle for the better part of 30 minutes trying to find the three pots of azaleas. You watered them personally every couple days, so why couldn’t you remember where they were? Maybe by the calathea medallions? Or by the-

“Florist?” a deep voice called from the vicinity of the entrance. Was it five o’clock already?! You turned to head to the sheriff and ask him to wait while you found the plant for his daughter, but out of the corner of your eye you saw it. A bright pink flash. You hurriedly grabbed the pot and raced back to where the sheriff was waiting for you. “Oi! Where’re you hiding, flori-” the sheriff was calling out for you again just as you rounded the corner. “Oh, there you are,” he didn’t sound terribly thrilled to see you.

“Hm, you’d think a father trying to crush his daughter’s dreams of having a poro would be a bit more enthusiastic,” you tutted at him, placing the plant down on a table and rooting around for the notecard you had written out earlier. The sheriff heaved out a heavy sigh, and for the first time since he arrived you looked up, taking in his appearance.

He appeared more disheveled than usual, immaculate uniform untucked in a couple places and rumpled all over. His hair was sticking up every which way and his face drooped in exhaustion.

“Damn, Piltie, what happened to you?” you asked, mostly sarcastic, though there was a touch of concern for the man you tried not to let seep into your voice.

“Just… long day, Florist,” his shoulders slumped as he said it, and you gestured for him to take a seat. His eyes narrowed in suspicion but you just raised your eyebrows, glancing at the chair again. 

He sighed, tossing his respirator onto the table with the azalea and notecard before slumping into the seat, unbuttoning the highest button of his coat.

You had planned to give him the plant and shove him out the door again, but the man looked exhausted beyond belief. Maybe you could throw him a bone.

“Drink?” you asked, beginning to walk toward your apartment, where you kept a bottle of whiskey, a gift from Silco for your birthday a couple months earlier. You thought it was a bit sad to drink alone, and the only people you knew well enough to even consider sharing a drink with were Silco and Singed, neither of whom were people you think you’d enjoy sharing a drink with. So the bottle had remained untouched for the most part.

“As long as it’s not laced with that shimmer shit, I’d love one,” the man said, and for once as he looked at you neither of you held the malice and hatred in your eyes that were normally there. His eyes held that soft look you had caught a glimpse of-and hadn’t stopped thinking about-the other day and for now, there was no more “Piltie”-this or “Trencher”-that, you were simply two people, exhausted from the day’s trials, willing to share a drink. 

“I’ll be right back, then,” and with that you slipped into your apartment, rooting around in the shelf under the sink for the whiskey. Your hand closed around it triumphantly, extracting it from its place behind bottles of cooking oil and other miscellaneous cooking supplies. Grabbing two coffee mugs-you had shot glasses once but they had disappeared upon moving to the greenhouse so you hoped whoever was living in your previous apartment now was enjoying them-you made your way back into the main area where you had left your guest waiting. 

Placing the mugs on the table in front of him, you poured the both of you a shot and sat down across from him. His brows raised as he looked at the mugs, opening his mouth as if to comment, but he wisely closed it again when he noticed you looking at him pointedly.

“Cheers,” you raised your mug to him, and he eyed you for a moment before clinking his glass against yours and you both downed the shot, the sting of the liquid traveling down your throat itching as it went down, as if to remind you how long it had been since you last drank. You noticed the sheriff hesitated, watching you down your own shot before swallowing his own, and you scoffed.

“It’s not poisoned, Silco would be pretty upset with me if he had to find another high ranking enforcer to put on his payroll,” you assured him with a roll of your eyes, and the man had the gall to look sheepish. Not at suspecting you of poisoning him, obviously, but at the fact you’d noticed.

“Can never be too careful,” he muttered, placing his mug back on the table and looking at you expectantly, ready for the next shot.

“Can’t argue with you there, I suppose,” you responded, reaching out to grab the bottle of whiskey, but as you reached out your fingers were grabbed with surprising tenderness.

“What happened to your wrist, florist?” he asked you, looking pointedly at the bandage around your wrist. Gently, he tugged your hand so that you were leaning over the table a bit and he could take a look at the bandages.

“Just an acid burn, nothing serious,” you muttered, feeling your cheeks heat up as you tried to pull away. His grip on your hand tightened and it was his turn to tut.

“Whoever wrapped it did a shit job, I’d give your medic a piece of my mind, if I was you,” he scoffed, dropping your hand and standing to go look around your work station. “Where do you keep your bandages?” he asked, and you rolled your eyes.

“I think I wrapped my hand just fine, all things considered,” you retorted, cradling your injured wrist to your chest. The Piltover man’s shoulders hunched as if in embarrassment. 

“Oh, I, uh-” if you didn’t know better you’d say that a subtle pink hue was creeping up the man’s neck. “Anyways, I can fix it up if you’d-if you’d like,” you found yourself slightly amused by him stumbling over his words, and you told yourself that was the only reason you walked over to your workstation, moving him out of the way with a nudge of your hip and reaching into a cabinet to grab the bandages before handing it to him. 

“Alright, Piltie, let’s see what you can do,” you said, making no effort to move away despite the fact that your chest nearly brushed his when you turned to face him. Your chin tilted up slightly to meet his gaze, and a smile quirked onto your lips at the man’s wide eyes.

“Alright, gimme that wrist,” he whispered, as if speaking any louder would scare you off. It wouldn’t, not when you can admire his honey brown eyes from this close, or realize how broad his chest really wa-

Maybe it had been longer than you thought since you’d have anything to drink, after all. These were not thoughts you’d allow yourself to have were you sober. You shook yourself a bit, hopping up onto the counter of your workspace and lifting your wrist to give to the man. 

Gently (he’d been so gentle today, and you didn’t want to ask why) he unwrapped your wrist, wincing as he saw the nasty burn on it.

“Guess flowers can be pretty dangerous, huh?” he quipped, beginning to rewrap it, much neater than you had done. He was finished quickly, and you found yourself jealous. It had taken you a full five minutes to wrap that bandage around your wrist in a way you were satisfied with, and this man outdoes you in less than a minute. You focused on the jealousy, ignoring how close he was and the way his callouses felt on your hand.

“Uh, yeah,” you muttered when he backed away, allowing you to jump down again. “Thanks,” you nodded to him as you poured the both of you more to drink. He knocked it back, slumping down into his chair again.

“Yeah, well, next time I’ll charge, Trencher,” he scoffed, that pink hue showing up on his neck again. You tactfully didn’t mention it.

It was 7 by the time he left, azalea and instructions in hand. 

“And it won’t survive a month?” he double checked.

“Not unless she’s some god of botany like I am,” you giggled, if you had been a bit tipsy earlier you were drunk now. He scoffed, rolling his eyes and ruffling your hair, ignoring the glare you gave him.

“Alright, ya lush, goodnight,” he waved to you before exiting the greenhouse. You smiled goofily as you waved back before closing the door.

He was surprisingly considerate for a Piltie, and he sure could hold his liquor. No wonder he called you lush, you were close to three sheets to the wind drinking the same amount as him and yet he seemed completely unaffected. You had thought the sideburns were a bit silly but after being so close they actually complimented his face quite we-

You shook your head, running back to your apartment and getting dressed for bed. Maybe an early bedtime would mean you wouldn’t keep having these stupid drunk thoughts.

TAGLIST @wanna-plan-world-domination @hamburgerslippers @lovelessamai

[wouldntyou-liketoknow]

R.D.

If you’ve read my stories, then you probably recognize that name above. She has made cameos here and here (as well as Terminal Case of the Ol’ Switcheroo: Part 2 ), and she’s been mentioned in pretty much every story that involves Caliban. I realize that this is kinda late, but the overthinking part of my brain has been nagging at me to clarify some stuff about this character. 

Where there’s a character inspired by MatPat, there MUST be a character inspired by Stephanie.

Her name is a pun because I can’t be stopped. Caliban is a simple anagram for cannibal, and R.D.’s initials are literally just a play on the phrase Research and Development.

When it comes to illicit business, she works on the more sciency side; mainly chemical experimentation and cadaver testing. (Note: the team she leads never uses animals as test subjects. And when I say “chemical” I mean taking Chem Lab to another, more dangerous level, not street drugs.) She’s often required to travel long distances to work on certain projects, although she and her team do have a hidden laboratory in the Cove Port Inlets.

While she never has and never will commit cannibalism, she still doesn’t mind Caliban’s habits. In fact, she was even the one to help him polish his feeding schedule (he usually only eats human flesh a couple times per week, just to keep everything balanced). Remember, folks: a healthy relationship is built on communication!

The first half of her full name is Rhea. Caliban is one of very few people who gets the privilege of calling her by it rather than just her initials. But even then, he knows she’s more comfortable with the latter option, so he’ll typically only use her name in important scenarios.

You can’t have a scientist without lab rats. That’s why R.D. keeps five of them as pets: Phibes (a black rat with part of his tail missing), Moreau (a cinnamon-colored rat who only has three legs), Surridge (a white rat with brown spots and a missing eye), Forsythia (a gray rat with a chunk missing from one of his ears), and Herbert (a cream-colored rat who’s the only one to not have any scars/injuries). The first four were each kept in...less-than-ideal environments early in their lives, but luckily, R.D. was able to rescue them! When she’s not too busy, she’ll work on mazes or puzzles to keep them all enriched and happy. (Side-note: yes, Snare does try to play with them, and yes, R.D. and Caliban agree that it’s the cutest goddamn thing.)

R.D. is NOT a member of The Pentas Family, but she’s definitely an ally. She’s helped them out with information-gathering here and there, but she just doesn’t have the time to be a contract-killer. (She’s also been considered an honorary member ever since she and Caliban got together.)

R.D. and Caliban met before he and Azalea were discovered by The Pentas Family. At the time, Azalea had just started to consider delving into underground stuff for money. She’d always been fascinated by poisonous/venomous things, but it’d been pure blind luck that she wound up meeting R.D.

Basically, R.D. helped Azalea find her footing, assisting her with purchasing and then caring for deadly plants in exchange for extracted toxins. Inevitably, R.D. bumped into Caliban during one of her and Azalea’s meetings. Both Caliban and Azalea were a bit nervous about this, but by now, Caliban had learned how to handle his cravings. Plus, fittingly enough, those cravings never once acted up toward R.D. It was  awkward at first, but with time, the two of them indeed formed a friendship.

Of course, Azalea and Caliban soon joined The Pentas Family. By now, Azalea was a defacto poison expert, so her and R.D.’s dealings came to an end. Despite this, the two of them still maintained a good friendship and kept occasional contact. Said occasional contact paved the way for R.D. to eventually seek out Azalea for something or other, only to walk in on Caliban completing a hit-job.

Much to Caliban’s surprise, R.D. didn’t react to the sight of him splattered with blood the way most people would. (She’s got a strong stomach thanks to her projects.) Instead, she just casually asked how he and his sister were adjusting to mob-life. From there, R.D. and Caliban started talking more and more often until they decided there was enough trust between them for a romantic relationship.

In my very first story about Caliban, I had him mention R.D. and imply that the two of them eloped. Since then, I’ve realized this isn’t quite what I want for their storyline, though that term technically makes sense. “Elopement” just means an unofficial/unconventional marriage. A huge example is the happy couple running away together, but that isn’t always how it works. In R.D. and Caliban’s case, they simply didn’t seek out a legal marriage license because it could’ve risked exposing either of their careers in some way. They held their wedding ceremony/reception in a very secretive location (definitely not a beach/vineyard/church/etc., lol). Plus, they had a small number of select guests: Azalea, Murdock, and the other members of The Pentas Family showed up for Caliban. R.D., meanwhile, has made some very interesting friends in her line of work (who I’m definitely gonna write about sometime in the future), so they made time to come and celebrate as well. 

@sammys-magical-au

[inkly-heart]

Awww! that’s very nice of you!❤️ //More asks under the cut!!//

hue hue! I still need to make it more clear but simply told when he was a kid his father used him as a test subject. (Smiles mom was also a test subject but she died during the tests) His father was trying to make a drug what can cure people from sadness/depression 100% (he wasn’t very stable guy. He even beat up Smiles if he wasn’t smiling.) he did also manipulate Smiles if he doesn’t succeed he needs to continue his project. And you guys can see how things turned out.

Wait.. my tips actually helps?

You’re welcome though!

Horny good

Stalker would think they are very cute and would love to pet them but he would ask permission first. DG doesn’t ask permissions and would just touch them any time when he wants and tease MC.

Thank you!!

Stalker-already knows your favorite flower but behaves surprised-”Oh? Red azalea is your favorite flower?” asks and smiles softly, blushing-“It is very pretty flower. Thank you❤️”

I will try draw the kid later but I did forgot to mention that DG can’t get MC pregnant since he’s a “puppet”. But Stalker would be very active and do his best to take good care even though he can get tired/confused time to timexDD But if MC and DG adopted a kid DG would have difficulties to take care of it since he doesn’t know anything about taking care of a kid. But even though he’s not fan of kids he would try spend time with their kid when he can since he wants them to be like him and he is also curious how kids behave. (DG has never been a child so he doesn’t have any experience about childhood)

He can carry all kind of things in them but there is a size limit.

[bubblefina]

King of Hearts chapter 5

Masterlist

Summary: Reader and Tom meet during their years at Hogwarts, but as the years pass a rivalry grows between the two of them, which leads from soft beginnings to tragic endings.

“Wait, tonight? Are you mad? Meeting that late without having a class will get us in trouble either way, no way am I-”

“You’re such a goody two shoes Riddle. Fine, I'll meet you right outside the dungeons near the Slytherin common room at 11:50, I’ll escort you to the tower. Be there or I won't be happy.”

Pairings: Tom x f!reader

•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩

Chapter 5- Blackmail

Around 11:40 at night, you left the dorm room to head to the Astronomy tower for the last class of the “day”. The Astronomy tower was located at the tallest tower at Hogwarts, and the classroom was at the very top, in a wide open space.

Other first years walked beside you on the stairs, the stairway was lit by a few lanterns around every corner, but that still made it a little hard to see.

The Astronomy Tower was spaced out, telescopes around every edge, one for each student. Small desks were placed next to each telescope to accompany it.

“No desks? We have to stand for the whole class period?” a girl you didn’t recognize was complaining to her friends, alerting the teacher.

“Studying stars will not require you to sit down. Welcome to class, in Astronomy you will study stars and the movements of plants. To get started, you will have to find your desk. Each desk has a name card on it, go find it and set your things down.”

The students scattered to find their seats, and one by one each seat was taken. Walking around flipping cards, you couldn’t find your name, luckily after a few more seats you were able to find your seat at the right edge of the tower.

After setting your things down, you heard someone walk behind you and sit down next to you.

“You again?” you ask.

“Stealing my words now? How low, l/n. When I said you should expand your vocabulary, I didn’t mean you should take mine.” Tom Riddle had sat in the seat to your right, tucking the note with his name on it into his robe.

“It’s nice to see you again.” Looking at him for a few seconds, waiting for his response felt like a one-sided staring contest, he never gave you a proper reply other than a hum.

Rolling your eyes, you turned to face the professor who was setting new instructions for the class.

“Let’s get started quickly. Open up your textbook on constellations and stars and go to page 4 and find the constellation, ‘Capricornus’. Find the constellation using your telescope and map out it’s position using the instructions in your textbook. If you need any help, refer to the people around you and as a last resort ask me.” 

You looked at the surrounding people, a girl that was talking with her friend on your left, and on your right was Tom, who was already adjusting his telescope.

‘So I'm stuck in between a rock and a hard place,’ you thought, adjusting your telescope to get good luck at the night sky.

The rest of the class time was spent charting nearby stars and filling out small worksheets that the teacher had given out to the students that finished early.

After class ended, the students were led back to their classrooms, being watched closely by prefects so that none of them would loiter around the hallways.

●・○・●・○・●・●・○・●・○・●・

The months passed quickly as Autumn turned into early Winter. It was nearing Christmas, just a few weeks away.

Sitting down in the Great Hall, alone, you were flipping the pages of your Transfiguration textbook, rapidly writing down notes on the wrinkled parchment that you had laying on the table.

Professor Dumbledore had a Transfiguration test during your second period, and it was a written test rather than a physical test. 

Was it partially your fault for not studying prior? Yes it is, but it couldn’t be helped that the professors took the holiday time to assign more assignments than they did before, especially professor Binns. His assignments for History of Magic were more boring than his class.

The surrounding students started to leave their seats, signaling that class was starting soon. You had Charms first, and then Transfiguration. It was only Thursday, one more day, and you can relax for the weekend.

After your accident on the first day, you took your time and tried to gain the professor's favor in Charms by excelling in your lessons, and it worked. You might not have had the same level of favor as Tom, but you were getting there.

Being better than those three Slytherin girls made you happy either way, their taunting of your talents made you study and work harder until you were one of the first ones to perfect a Charm in the class.

In the spirit of the snow that was piling on the castle floors outside, the professor had a lesson that resonated with the seasonal changes that were happening.

“An Ice jinx, very simple really. The jinx itself makes a block of ice, but, if you use the stronger version, you can conjure multiple ice structures of different sizes. For now, you will work on one ice block.”

The directions had been simple enough, the incantation was, “Parva Glaciem”, and the students were left to try and succeed with the Charm.

You had a knack for mastering charms, and managed to perfect the charm with ease, earning praise from the professor.

He asked you to go around and help any students that seemed like they were struggling, and your eye was focused on one person in particular.

“Can I be of any help?” you ask.

“Depends, does your help involve hitting me in the face with an ice cube somehow?”

“It was one time, Archer! I’m doing this out of the good of my heart.” You sat down in the empty seat next to him and pulled out your wand.

“You have a heart, y/n? I find that hard to believe.” His teasing comment made you dramatically gasp and clutch your chest as if you had been hurt.

Over the past few months, you and Archer had grown closer. Since your flying skills weren’t the best, he had helped you every Friday after classes near the quidditch pitch. During those ‘tutoring’ times, he had given you tips on how to control your broom, how to stay on your broom if anything happens, and maneuvering techniques.

Most of the time was spent teasing each other about random things. He would make fun of your shaking hands around the broom as you flew higher and higher, and you made fun of him for not paying attention to where he was going when the both of you were flying around, causing him to crash into trees often.

In return for helping you with flying, you gave him tutoring lessons on subjects he struggled with. The main one was Charms, which you were fortunately excellent at.

“You know, I’m still surprised that you aren’t good at Charms, you seem good at everything else.” You motioned your wand as he watched your hand movements closely.

“I think you have me confused with someone else, y/n. I’m nowhere near perfect, maybe you’re thinking of Riddle over there. I heard he’s top of every class.” You looked to where Archer was motioning. The Slytherin area, where Tom was sitting. He had been talking to two other boys, which was odd, you always thought he was antisocial.

Focusing your attention towards Archer, you smiled and continued to help him with the Ice Jinx.

Unfortunately, no matter what you had tried, Archer still couldn’t perform the jinx properly. The most he could do was have a few pieces of cold air wisp from his wand.

“Okay, let's try something different this time,” you grabbed his hand and helped him with the motion of the jinx, the both of you were sitting so close, and to your surprise his hands were really warm, which helped with the coldness of the classroom, “now try it again.” You let go of his hands and watched him do the movement and recite the incantation.

A small block of ice appeared on his desk and he whispered a victorious ‘yes’ as you went back to your seat.

“Don’t even start, Naomi.” you said as you sat down.

“I wasn’t thinking of anything.” She held her hands up in a defensive motion, but the look on her face gave her away.

“I saw you looking at us, don’t say anything about this to Melissa. She’ll grill me for hours about the power of love.”

You made Naomi swear on it. When Melissa had heard about your flying lessons with Archer, it took her hours before she could stop babbling about the potency of your supposed ‘relationship’ with him.

●・○・●・○・●・●・○・●・○・●・

Another week has passed since that Thursday. You were in your bed reviewing the test that had been given back to you from professor Dumbledore.

For a person that didn’t study fully, you still had managed to pass the test. Maybe not to the best of your abilities, but it was still a pass.

Professor Dumbledore had grown fond of your magical abilities. Even if you messed up during class, you were quick enough to not let anyone notice and try again. He admired your willingness to get better, and you quickly became one of his favorite students.

Melissa and Azalea were both fast asleep, but Naomi was still up. She had a book in her hand and was reading it intently with her wand acting as a light.

You got out of your bed and headed towards the door, Astronomy was waiting for you.

“Leaving for class?” Naomi asks.

“Yeah, I’ll be back when it ends. You should get some sleep too, it’s not good to stay awake for this long.” Naomi gave you a small smile.

“I’d love to, but that frog that Azalea got in Diagon Alley is more than likely going to keep me up until it kills me, or I kill it. Don’t tell her that, though.” She held her finger up to her lips and went back to reading her book.

She wasn’t wrong. The frog that was stuck in a cage on Azaleas night stand hadn’t stopped croaking since she bought it, it's been keeping you awake for days.

You had gotten to the Astronomy tower a bit earlier than usual, maybe your tired state made you move quicker? When you opened the tower door, you saw Riddle sitting down on a stool near his desk, scribbling something.

Yes, the teacher had stools sent to the class because too many students had complained about standing through the whole class, some even managed to fall asleep standing up. The late night classes were not everybody’s forte.

“Early as usual, aren't we, Riddle?” you ask him as you slump your way to your seat.

“It's surprising to see you here this early too, l/n,” he stopped writing on his parchment and turned to look you in the face, his usual blank face turned into a disgusted one as he examined you head to toe, “what happened to your...everywhere.”

He most likely noticed your dark circles and lack of care in taking care of your appearance. Taking in a deep breath, you gave out the best explanation you could, “Azalea got a pet frog and it won't stop crying at night, no one's getting any sleep.”

“Why don’t you just.” he waved his wand around in an unknown motion, when you finally caught onto what he was implying you gasped.

“I will not kill a frog, especially one that belongs to a friend.” he rolled his eyes at your response and went back to writing on his parchment.

Taking advantage of the quiet atmosphere, you laid your head upon the table and closed your eyes. Class wouldn’t start for another 10 minutes or so, that was all you needed.

It felt like not even ten seconds had passed before your shoulder was being shaken. Groaning, you turned your head around to see your professor standing with her hands on her hips.

“Miss l/n, my classroom will not be used as a place for sleep. Please catch up with the lesson, and no more snoozing off.” She left the area you were in and went around to the other students who had watched the scene unfold, telling them to start working too.

After your eyes have adjusted to the scenery, you tap Riddle's shoulder rather harshly, making his head whip towards you in irritation.

“What do you want?” He asks.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“It wasn’t my responsibility, serve you right for falling asleep in class.” 

It was partially your fault for trusting in him enough to wake you up in the first place. 

You took out your textbook from your bag and turned to the page about Jupiter's rotation around the sun.

The class had been mapping different planets for the past few weeks, and learning about their cycle around the orbit system.

You looked into your telescope to find Jupiter, but couldn't see it everywhere. All the other students had been writing things down on their parchment about the placement of the planet, but why can they manage to find it, but you can’t?

Adjusting your telescope a little more, you moved it around until you could see something in the supposed blank sky. After looking a little, you saw something red flash before your eyes as you maneuvered the telescope around.

Quickly turning back to it, you zoomed in on the object and as you looked at it more closely, your mouth gaped.

You once again went back to Riddle's shoulder and slapped it a few times, making him groan in annoyance.

“What could you possibly want now?” He asks irritatingly.

 “I found a heart.” was the only reply you could give him.

“A heart? How sweet, maybe you can show it to someone who will believe you, or go back to sleep, maybe you’re still dreaming.” He turned back to his desk, but was interrupted once again when you pulled him over to yours.

“Just look inside, I promise you’ll see it too.” 

Reluctantly, he took a hold of your telescope and peered inside. His reaction wasn’t as big as yours,, but you did see a shift in his expression.

“Well, it's not exactly a perfect heart, but it is shaped like one.” he took a step back and continued to stare at the sky.

“Do you know what it is?” you ask him.

“No, why would I?”

“I thought you knew everything.” you mock him sarcastically, which results in him mocking you right back. The both of you didn’t converse all that much afterwards, but you were entranced by what you had just found, and continued to look at it through your telescope until class ended.

You flipped through your textbook to find anything about it, but nothing popped up.

‘Maybe it’s in an advanced copy?’ you would probably be able to find something about it in the library.

●・○・●・○・●・●・○・●・○・●・

The next afternoon was spent in the library, rummaging through multiple books about stars and anything relating to Astronomy, but not being able to find anything.

There had been a stack of books on the table you were sitting at, and they kept getting bigger and bigger.

Reaching for one of the last books in your stack, you noticed the weird title it had.

“Wizard's guide to the dark stars?” you whispered to yourself.

As you skimmed through the pages, you landed on one that talked of a heart shaped nebula that resided in the eastern hemisphere of the sky.

It showed a picture of the nebula. It was similar to the one you had seen last night, although it seemed as if it was painted rather than an actual photo.

Below the photo gave a description of the nebula.

“There has been a phenomenon among young wizards where they have been seeing a heart shaped cluster among the stars at night. Said cluster, only being visible through a telescope, is said to look like a heart. There has been discord among many scholars in trying to explain what it could mean and where it came from. As time has passed, the explanation for the nebula has come to light. It is said that not everyone can view the nebula, only two people can see it at a set time, and only those two people can see it. It has been theorized that if those two people see the nebula together, they-”

The explanation was cut off. The bottom portion of the page was ripped off, and any other continuation was cut off as well. Closing the book, you thought to yourself. It sounded like a potential prophecy in the making, but there hadn’t been any reasonable evidence behind it, and if there were it was cut off.

The paragraph had said something about only two people being able to see it at a set time, you had to tell Tom what you had found.

Stepping out of the library and into the corridors, you walked along the hallways until you found Tom with a small group of Slytherins climbing the stairs to another floor.

“Riddle!” you yell, starting to run after him before he could disappear behind the wall.

He and the other boys looked your way, watching you run towards them in a hurry.

“Well well well, aren’t you a lost little Ravenclaw-”

“Shut it, Malfoy. I don’t have time for you today,” your voice was slightly haughty, making Malfoy's face contort, before he had the chance to say anything, you grabbed Tom’s wrist, “you’re coming with me.” And without a moment to spare, you dragged him to a separate hallway, far away from any students.

“This is considered kidnapping-” Tom barely got to finish his sentence before you suddenly stopped and faced him, your face a little too close to his for comfort.

“I found something.” you say, skimming through the pages of the book you had checked out of the library.

“Found what, and loosen your grip next time, you nearly tore off my wrist.” As Tom rubs his wrist, you push the page with the prophecy near his face.

“Remember that thing we saw last night? The heart. Turns out it’s a nebula, and it says something that sounds like a prophecy, but the rest got torn off. I was thinking, we have enough information to go around and find out what it really means-”

“Hold on. What do you mean, we? I don’t remember giving my permission to be dragged into this.”

“Funny story, since you and I saw the nebula together last night, we’re kind of in it together.” 

Tom looked uninterested, which was understandable. He didn’t really have an opinion on what he had seen last night.

“What makes you think I’ll help you? So what if I saw that nebula with you, I didn’t say I’d join this scavenger hunt of yours.” He turned around and started to walk away from you, but he didn’t make it that far before you cut in.

“If you help me, I won't tell anyone that I've seen you in the restricted section of the library late at night.”

Tom paused right in his step, he looked as if he was hit with a freezing jinx. He turned his head to you, his eyes slightly wide.

“How do you…” he began.

“For the past few weeks, I've been falling asleep in the library because of my lack of rest. Sometimes when I wake up I can see someone trying to enter the restricted section, and when I got a closer look, it was you.” you tapped the tip of his nose in a mocking manner.

“Would be a shame if someone like headmaster Dippet heard of a student going in the restricted section.” You crossed your arms and looked around the hallway, a small smirk was curling on your lips as Tom watched you.

“You’re...blackmailing me…?” he took a step back from you, eyes still slightly wide.

You closed the gap again, “Is that a yes or a no?”

You saw his nose scrunch up in anger, taking a breath before he answered, “very well...I’ll help you.” 

“Wonderful, we’ll meet at the tower tonight, at midnight.”

“Wait, tonight? Are you mad? Meeting that late without having a class will get us in trouble either way, no way am I-”

“You’re such a goody two shoes Riddle. Fine, I'll meet you right outside the dungeons near the Slytherin common room at 11:50, I’ll escort you to the tower. Be there or I won't be happy.” 

You skipped away from him, leaving him dumbfounded and alone in the empty hallway.

[blackmissfrizzle]

Worth It (The Prelude)

Worth It- Pt 1

Summary: The reader meets Marcel for the first time. This a prelude for the Worth It series.

Characters: Marcel x black!reader

A/N: I couldn’t get out of my head how the reader and Marcel first met, so I just had to write it. I think I love this series the most. I love writing for Marcel and I’ happy y’all are enjoying it too. I already got ideas for Part 3 so hopefully it’ll come out this week.

“Baby girl, you bet not be doing any magic in that shop of yours. Just sell your herbs and elixirs and go on about your day.” Your dad warned you for the fifth time today.

When you returned home yesterday, you learned that Marcel had forbidden the witches from doing any magic or there would be deadly consequences. Poor Ophelia didn’t believe him, and she paid for it with her life. Ever since then, the witches have been scared.

Hence, your parents nagging you about not using your powers. Naturally, you had a rebellious spirit and they knew that you would have no problem testing Marcel.

“Daddy, I promise.” You lied through your teeth. It may not be today, tomorrow, or anytime soon, but you knew eventually you’ll give into using your powers.

Before grabbing your keys, you kissed your mom and dad goodbye. “Be careful and no magic!” You heard right before the doors closed on them.

—

“Oh wee, chile, I swear you’re a miracle worker,” Mrs. Jackson smiled as she wriggled her fingers around.

Laughing at the older woman, you handed her the mix of thunder god vine and eucalyptus. “No ma’am, I’m not. I just know what to mix to help that arthritis of yours.”

She hugged you and rocked you back and forth. “Either way, I don’t feel any pain and can move my fingers.” Mrs. Jackson checked her watch and quickly let go of you. “Oh, look at the time. I gotta go. Paula’s bringing my grandbaby over. Take care of yourself Y/N.”

“I will and remember apply the ointment twice a day!” You called out to her before she was out the door.

After, Mrs. Jackson you had a steady flow of customers until towards the end of the day. It was so slow you decided to close the shop early and head to Rousseau’s to have a drink with your sister. However, your new set of customers thwarted your plans.

“Took you long enough to show up,” you told Marcel and his gang.

“You were getting busy. Didn’t want the tourists to see all the commotion.”

Clasping your hands together and bashing your eyelashes, you replied with faux gratefulness, “Oh my god, how sweet.”

He smiled at your sarcasm, revealing a blinding smile. It was the type of smile that made girls swoon and weak in the knees. Too bad he was dick.

“You’re funny, but that’s not going to save you. I’m sure that the other witches told you that there is absolutely no magic to be done.”

Walking to where he was, you slapped his hand away from touching your herbs. His friends were about to attack you, but he held up his hand to stop them. “I know and I really don’t care about your stupid ass rules. If someone is in need, I’m helping them.”

Marcel looked at you curiously. Most of the witches he knows are only out for themselves and their coven. “So, who was worth your life?”

“Mrs. Jackson. She’s a seamstress and her granddaughter is deaf, so she uses ASL to communicate with her. But unfortunately, for Mrs. Jackson she’s has really bad arthritis, so I give her an ointment, but the pain relief spell helps a lot too; she doesn’t have to come here as often if I perform the spell. So, if you’re gonna kill me because I helped a sweet old lady keep her livelihood and talk to her only grandchild so be it. You’re the one that’ll have to live with that on your conscious, not me.” You knelt down before him to make the job easier for him.  The other witches may live a life with fear, but you weren’t.

Looking at his friends, he wordlessly told them to leave your shop and they reluctantly obeyed. Diego and Thierry didn’t trust witches at all, and they didn’t want to leave Marcel alone with you, but they had no choice. Once his friends left, Marcel knelt down in front of you and lifted your chin, so your eyes could meet his brown ones. “You’re telling me that you cast a spell on a woman that makes her come to your shop less often. Doesn’t that make you lose money?”

“Its not about the money. Its about helping the people of New Orleans, specifically the brown ones. I can’t cure cancer, but I can lessen the pain and that’s more than our government is doing. Its more than you’re doing. You call yourself King of the Quarter, but who are you helping specifically? The vampires? Because last time I checked there’s more humans than vamps.” Self-preservation obviously wasn’t an attribute you had to be speaking to Marcel like this. Easily he could wrap his hands or sink his fangs into your neck, sucking the life out of you.

“Have dinner with me.” Marcel offered you. It’d been so long, since he’s been genuinely intrigued by a woman. Yeah, he’s slept with other women, but this was the first time in a long time he wanted to get to know a woman. If he wanted to be honest with himself, he knew he wanted to know more about you as soon as he laid his eyes on you. Even though, you greeted him with an attitude he knew there was a kind spirit in you.

Marcel was staring you down and it was beginning to be too much. His gaze was stirring things up that shouldn’t be stirred up at all. He was a vampire, you’re a witch, there should be no attraction at all, but damn it he had you interested.

To a degree you knew Marcel was good. He saved Davina Claire from being sacrificed during that Harvest Festival, which your momma called a bunch of nonsense and that’s why she don’t fool with those white witches. “They always wanna sacrifice somebody. Unless it’s the good Lord telling me to, which he ain’t done since Abraham, I ain’t killing nobody,” she would always say.

You took a good look at Marcel to assess if he had any ill-intentions towards you. He seemed that he didn’t, but you had to make sure. “Like eat dinner with you or be dinner for you?”

He laughed at you, big time. Your inflection, the look on your face, and body movements were hilarious. Marcel knew for sure he had to get to know you.

“Nigga, I’m serious! I know I look like a snack and all, but that’s not the way I prefer to be eaten.”

Marcel tongue darted out across his lips, which made you zero in on them. They were so damn kissable, that you had to stop yourself from leaning in once Marcel began talking again. “No, we’ll eat a dinner and I much rather have you for dessert anyway.” He said suggestively, licking his lips again.

Lips were moving, but no words were coming out. You must’ve looked like an idiot, but Marcel didn’t think so. He thought you were adorable being struck speechless for the first time during this encounter.

Lifting you to your feet, Marcel got within a tenth of a inch of your ear and whispered, “I‘ll pick you up at 8,” and just like that he left leaving you stunned.

Quickly, you pulled out your phone to text your sister.

YOU: Change of plans. Meet me at my house. I have a date!

—

Bianca stood in front you, working here magic on your face. She was the best makeup artist in the state, and you got all her services for free and you earned it too; you were always her test subject.

“And he ain’t even ask you? Just told you what time he’ll pick you up without asking where you live.” She asked, waving the powder brush. In response, you shook your head yes and she kept going. “Whew, that’s some big dick energy!”

“I know, right?! If he hadn’t zoomed off, I probably would’ve given him the panties right then and there.” It was true. Marcel had a hold on you and you were sure you’d lose all common sense around him.

“I heard sex with a vamp is top tier. I’ve been trying to get at Diego, but he ain’t having it.” Bianca’s had a crush on Diego as long as he’s been in New Orleans and at first he was interested until he found out she was a witch.

“He’s just scared that’s all. Maybe he’ll come around.”

Bianca was applying the finishing touches when she went on a rant. “That’s what I told that nappy-headed ass nigga! I told him stop being scary because the only thing that’s gonna put a spell on him is this pussy!” She stuck her tongue out like her idol, Cardi B and you joined in with her laughter.

“Oh, look at my big sis, looking all fine.” Turning you around to face the mirror, Bianca revealed her handiwork. She kept your face to a light beat, going for the natural look, highlighting your best features.

Shooting out of your seat, you hugged her thanking her profusely. “Girl, ain’t no problem. You know it ain’t hard to make you look beautiful. Now turn Marcel back to the dark side.” You furrowed your eyebrows at her, you had no idea what she was talking about. She leaned into you and whispered like you weren’t in the privacy of your home. “He’s known for dating white girls. Rumor has it he dated Rebekah Mikaelson back in the day.”

The knock on the door stopped you from asking anymore questions. Damn a nigga for being on time.

On the other side of the door, stood a delicious looking Marcel Gerard with a bouquet of Swamp Azaleas. “I heard these are your favorites,” he handed you the flowers, but Bianca took them instead.

“They are. Now, don’t have her back until the sun is up. Good night!” She pushed you out the door so hard that you stumbled into Marcel’s embrace and god did he smell good and felt even better.

Feeling like you were overstaying your welcome in his arms, you tried to pull away, but he pulled you back. “No, I like how you feel in my arms.” For a while, Marcel just held you until you reminded him you would like to go on the date and for the first time you noticed a nervous smile from him. “Sorry, I just get caught up in you,” he stated, before he escorted you down to his car.

--

Thank god, Marcel didn’t take you to an overpriced date. He could tell that you enjoyed the simpler things in life and took you to a local restaurant. It required you to dress nicely, but not like if you were dining at a Michelin star restaurant.

The conversation never got dull and he never got insulted by the jokes you cracked about him unlike some of your previous dates. What you truly bonded over was your love for New Orleans. There was no place like NOLA and even if you visited other cities, states, and countries, New Orleans would always be your number one love. It was the same way for Marcel.

The only thing you disagreed on was how to run the city, but it wasn’t a disrespectful debate. He even challenged your thoughts by bringing up that you weren’t heavily involved with the coven, so why fight for them so hard. The man was good, but you couldn’t let him know that.

Dinner was coming to an end and you couldn’t help but think about what Bianca said about Marcel dating white women. You knew she didn’t mean it as malicious, but it was causing doubts in your head. If it was true, then you were shit out of luck because you were far from his usual dates.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” His voice pulled you from your thoughts.

“Nothing. What makes you say that?”

“Your eyes.” He pointed to your irises, holding out his forkful of dessert for you to taste. The mix of warm, gooey brownies with ice cream, whipped cream, walnuts, and chocolate syrup had you moaning and rocking back and forth in happiness. “That right there is what I’m talking about. Your eyes are so expressive you can’t hide what you’re feeling. That’s why I knew you would go on a date with me, you felt the same attraction I did. So, I’ll ask one more time, what’s going on in that head of yours.” This time you could tell by his tone that a nothing wouldn’t suffice.

“Do you typically date black girls?” The words were so jumbled together that Marcel almost didn’t catch the question.

A slow smile crept on his face once it did register and he gripped your hand and rubbed small circles into it. “Thinking back on it, my more recent partners have been white, but don’t let it get twisted, I will always love black women.”

Satisfied with his answer, you let the topic go. Easily, y’all finished dessert and then went out to walk down Bourbon street. Marcel let you pulled him into dancing when you heard the familiar sounds of Zydeco. He kept up even when they switched up to bounce music and you began twerking on him.

Unfortunately, the night had to come to the end. Marcel walked you back to your front door and you both just stood there not wanting to end the date. “Want to come inside?”

“I can’t,” he replied. Your mood immediately saddens at the rejection and you turned the doorknob to go inside, but Marcel closed it. “You and these damn eyes,” he murmured. “Its not that I don’t want to come inside. Its that you have work in the morning and we both know if I come inside, you won’t get any sleep.”

“Oh,” you deeply sighed at his explanation. Now you had to try to get him inside somehow.

“Its not happening, so get those dirty thoughts out of your mind.” He smirked at you, loving how emotive you were. “But if you let me, I can kiss you.”

Eagerly, you shook your head yes and he chuckled at you. Marcel grabbed the back of your neck, bringing you closer. His eyes flickered from your lips to your eyes repeatedly, just making the tension that much more intense. He finally descended his lips onto yours, releasing you from that torture and bringing you into bliss. His lips were softer than you imagined, his beard tickled your face, but you loved it.

Remembering that you needed to breath, Marcel reluctantly pulled away with a small bite to your bottom lip. Your eyes fluttered opened and there was no denying the lust in them. Marcel leaned his forehead against yours and whispered into your ear, “You’re going to ruin me.”

You weren’t sure if he was talking to himself or you, but you responded either way. “I’ll be worth it,” and you went inside leaving both you and Marcel frustrated.

Tags: @twistedcharismaaa @l-auteuse @nightgirl250 @cocooned-butterfly @thickemadame @artsninspo @titty-teetee

[therucrap]

Holler at me I know you know me! Holler at me I know you know me! Welcome back to another RuCrap!

Our feisty test subjects hobble into the Werk Room after Kahmora’s emotional elimination and Kandy immediately seizes the opportunity to pull the wig off the elephantt with two T’s in the room by quipping that Elliott should have been in the bottom two instead of Denali. It’s an OMG-did-she-just-say-that observation that others obviously agree with but weren’t comfortable enough to blurt out as not to offend and divide but luckily for us Kandy isn’t tethered to such strict limitations of social etiquette and, to the benefit of the show, doesn’t mind sending a jolt through the group every now and then. Kandy also claims that Symone is her biggest competition and Tamisha immediately pipes up to say that Kandy is arrogant because of her initial placement in the A Team and that she hasn’t seen enough of Porkchop’s junior varsity squad to count them out. They exchange words but before it’s resolved the queens de-drag and save this one for another day.

Say what you will about Kandy, and the internet definitely has, but the show is all the more watchable because of her unabashed gumption and of the show’s few lightening rod contestants she best serves as the proxy for the audience. Tina’s perpetual meddling in other peoples’ business feels like producer-prompted pot-stirring and Tamisha comes from a motherly place of I-take-no-shit that keeps the kids in line but it’s Kandy’s uncanny ability to watch from the outside in and impolitely state the obvious that steers the plot forward and encourages necessary conversation like the messy Magellan she is, no matter how chaotic her map. Is she perfect? No. Is she self-aware? Ish. But does she light the right fires on a show that is already overflowing with couture gowns, pristine hair, and glossy production value that needs that sharp pinch on the ass to really seal the deal entertainment-wise? Yes ma’am Pam.

The next day our ruffled queens arrive for their latest fever dream of a mini-challenge which is twerking while dressed as babies because Toddlers in Tiaras has been off the air for far too long and we deserve this as a society. Lala Ri is determined to be the twerkiest baby, an honor that is perhaps greater than any prize but still she’s been rewarded with $2,500 worth of Fierce Drag Jewels. Wahwah indeed.

Ru introduces the Bag Ball which will require a punny look with bag in the title, a boss bitch look, and a look made out of various bags that have been dumped in the Werk Room. The queens get to ripping, glueing, and sewing the sleeping bags, dollar store gift bags, and Santee Alley purses and we learn that Lala is technically American icon and legend Tamisha Iman’s drag daughter because she put her in drag the first time. We also learn that Lala can’t sew but that shouldn’t be a problem because there’s plenty of hot glue and she’s thankfully chosen about 12 small pink and purple gift bags to make an entire dress out of so that’s surely going to result in an elegant couture gown, right?

Ru-na Wintour enters to check in with the queens (read: encourages them to doubt themselves even though they’re already half way through creating their looks and pepper in a healthy amount of her new signature 45 second fake scream laugh that the queens dutifully chuckle and nod along to despite the fact that it appears seemingly without prompt) and surprises them with a video from the awkward executive director of Coach who introduces a new element to the challenge with the charisma of a hostage video. He informs our amateur seamstresses that they’ll also be required to decorate a new and particularly clunky Coach clutch the size of a goddamn shoe box with their DIY outfits which is unfortunate because having to Frankenstein together these looks is hard enough but having to make this hideous bag fashionable is truly a burden. While the queens paint, Kandy takes a moment to flirt with Joey who she thinks is cute but has horrible taste in fashion which... boys... am I right ladies? The subject turns to Black Lives Matter and Lala breaks down into tears sharing the story of Rayshard Brooks who was tragically murdered by police at the Wendy’s she goes to every day, a pointless incident which she can barely even talk about through sobs considering how close it hits home and of which could have happened to her. It’s a doozy but it does provide a welcome glimpse into Lala’s world that we haven’t previously seen.

It’s runway time and the bubbly Nicole Byer joins the judges once again for this whopping 36-look super-challenge which really allows Rosé, Utica, Symone, and GottMik to show off their fashion prowess. My personal favorite is Utica’s expertly tailored sleeping bag dress but Mik bags the win and the judges come down hardest on the questionable fashion decisions of the aesthetically confused Joey, surprisingly plain Tamisha, and Lala whose truly baffling hot glued pink and purple gift bag incident looks more like a scrapbook mishap than an outfit and is noted as maybe the worst look in the show’s 13 year history. Lala and Joey face off to Iggy Azalea’s seminal homosexual ear worm Fancy and Lala’s paper bag situation immediately collapses and disintegrates but her high-energy dance and disarming smile elicits giggles from the judges while a more stoic and technical Joey dances her ass off. Lala knows how ridiculous this looks and can still make light of it which turns around her bleak situation and in the end she shockingly charms her way into a win but is told to step her pussy up and the lovable Joey Jay is sent packing her bags! I don’t know if I necessarily agree this time but this elimination is a good example of how the judges reward gumption and showmanship over technicality and I guess that’s just how the bag crumbles!

Join us next week for another RuCrap and please share and like!

[psychic-master-will-archive]

15 Questions About The Muse!

Tagged by: @unovasgambler​

Tagging: You!

1. ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

“I do not think so.”

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

“...possibly a few weeks ago.” In his defense he had been quite drained, and the conversation had been too much.

3. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

“No, but I would love to someday...”

4. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?

“From time to time, but not often.”

5. WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

“Their facial expressions. You can often tell a lot from them, and from their posture, as well.”

6. WHAT’S YOUR EYE COLOR?

“A bright, violet colour, much like my hair.”

7. SCARY MOVIE OR HAPPY ENDING?

“Happy endings.”

8. ANY SPECIAL TALENTS?

“I can act, and being an elite I have a talent for battle~”

9. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

“In a small town not too far from Azalea Town.”

10. WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?

“I like to act, and perform magic tricks on occasion~ I also like to train and test out new battle techniques.”

11. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?

“Do my six Natu count? I do not think they, or any of my pokemon do.”

12. WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED?

“I am not one for sports, unless you count Pokemon battling.”

13. HOW TALL ARE YOU?

“I’m lucky to be 5′5″, though some say I’m taller than Karen, but I believe she is taller than myself.”

14. DREAM JOB?

“I would like to be the champion one day~ Though given what Lance deals with on a daily basis, I am not sure I would enjoy it.”

15. FAVORITE SUBJECT AT SCHOOL?

“...I never went to school, at least not for long. My mother had to take me out and homeschool since the other children didn’t take kindly to a psychic in their midst.

If I had been in school, I think I would have liked the fine arts, and languages.”

[broomballkraken]

*dumps my Sylvain/Lorenz fan children here because I can*

- In order from oldest to youngest (ages relevant to the time when the oldest starts attending the Officer’s Academy): Azalea (F) (16), Alder (M) (14), Sage (M) + Violet (F) (9, twins), Marigold (F) (7), Yarrow (M) (5), Iris (F) (4), Jasmine (F) (2), Rose (F) + Lavender (F) (6 months, twins)

Azalea: Adopted alongside Alder when she was 3 years old. Blonde hair, brown eyes. She is a caring individual, always jumping at the chance to help her parents take care of her siblings. She is polite and knows how to act in a professional setting, but she is also fiercely protective of her siblings and will not hesitate to defend them at any cost. She is exceptionally gifted at magic, specifically reason magic. She attends the Officer’s Academy at the age of 16, and goes on to become a renowned scholar and teacher of magic.

Alder: Adopted alongside Azalea when he was one year old. Blue hair, blue eyes, glasses. He is very shy and reserved, so much so that he rarely speaks, choosing to communicate through writing instead. He suffers through a period of self-confidence issues, but the unwavering support of his parents and siblings gives him the will to overcome them. He loves animals, specifically pegasi, and he attends the Officer’s Academy to become a gifted pegasus knight.

Sage: Adopted alongside his fraternal twin Violet as newborns, who were found one morning on the doorstep of the Gloucester-Gautier estate. Red hair, hazel eyes. A no-nonsense type, he takes his studies very seriously and does not care for goofing off like many of his siblings like to do. On the very rare chance that his siblings do get him to chill out, Sage actually has a witty sense of humor likes playing board games. He is gifted in faith magic, and as he mellows out with age, he decides that he wants to use that gift to help people. Sage eventually becomes a brilliant physician, devoting much of his time to researching cures for debilitating diseases.

Violet: Adopted alongside her fraternal twin, Sage. Maroon hair, grey eyes, was born without her left eye so she wears an eye patch. She is almost the exact opposite of her twin brother, being super laid-back and lazy regarding book work. She is physically strong and keeps herself that way by following a strict training regime. As she grew up, she always jumped at any opportunity to test her strength, which sometimes got her in trouble for picking fights with other children. She loves her uncle Raphael dearly, wanting to be just as strong as him someday, so she always challenges him to sparring matches when he and uncle Ignatz visit. She attends the Officer’s Academy, finding a love for axe-wielding and wyvern riding while there. She proves her worth as a wyvern lord and goes on to serve the ruler of Fódlan as one of their personal bodyguards.

Marigold: Adopted after being rescued from an abusive household at the age of 4. Black hair, red eyes. The only one of Lorenz and Sylvain’s children to bear a crest (minor of Noa). She has a cheery and bubbly personality, always looking to meet new people and make new friends. She loves both of her parents dearly, but is particularly attached to Lorenz. He would often read his poetry to her, and she in turn would paint brilliant pictures based on them. Her love of art comes from her uncle Ignatz, because the beauty of his own paintings inspired her to create her own, and he always sends her special paints as gifts. She decides against attending the Officer’s Academy like her older siblings, and instead opts to travels the world alongside her brother Yarrow, painting beautiful pictures while he writes about their adventures.

Yarrow: Adopted after his parents were killed by bandits. Pink hair, pink eyes. Timid and shy, he is easily influenced by those around him, which his troublemaker sister Iris takes advantage of. He is always being pulled into Iris’s schemes, and often takes the blame when they are caught because he doesn’t want her to get in trouble (Sylvain and Lorenz know this so he doesn’t get punished, just lectured on how to stand up for himself). He eventually does learn to say no to Iris and tread his own path. He loves writing stories, and eventually ends up traveling the world alongside his sister Marigold. He publishes the journals that he wrote during his travels, and they remained best sellers for many, many years.

Iris: Adopted after she tried to pickpocket Sylvain. Brown hair, brown eyes. Extremely curious and has a penchant for causing mischief, branding her as the troublemaker of the Gloucester-Gautier children. She often gets in trouble for eavesdropping on political meetings, butting recklessly into adult conversations, wandering off on adventures without telling anyone, and always dragging Yarrow along with her, getting him into trouble too. She is very charismatic and suave, taking after Sylvain(to Lorenz’s chagrin), and manages to flirt and charm her way out of trouble with strangers. When she grows out of her troublemaking ways, she surprisingly takes an interest in politics, and ends up taking over Gloucester-Gautier territory when her parents retire.

Jasmine: Adopted when her parents succumbed to illness. White hair, gold eyes. She is the smartest of her siblings, taking an interest in history early on, with a specific interest in war tactics. During her free time, she can be found with her face shoved into a book, and Lorenz and Sylvain could barely keep up with her requests for more and more books to expand her knowledge. She idolized her big sister Azalea, and when she isn’t reading, she could be found following her sister around, learning magic along the way. She also loves sweets and tea parties, and she often takes tea breaks with her fathers to gush about any recently obtained knowledge. She attends the Officer’s Academy, excelling in every single subject, but ultimately chooses to specialize in reason magic and riding, becoming a dark knight. She eventually becomes a general in Fódlan’s army, known far and wide for her brilliant tactical genius, as well as her love for sweets and tea.

Rose: Adopted alongside her identical twin when their mother, a maid employed by Sylvain and Lorenz, died during childbirth. Purple hair, purple eyes. Carefree and easily excitable, she is practically inseparable from her twin sister. They do almost everything together, and find that they have a mutual interest in cooking, with baking being Rose’s specialty. She would often be found helping out in the kitchen of the estate, learning all she could about baking in the process, and using Jasmine as an eager test subject for new recipes. She does not attend the Officer’s Academy, but instead opens up a restaurant/bakery with Lavender.

Lavender: Adopted alongside her identical twin, Rose. Purple hair, purple eyes. The more reserved and laid-back twin. She specializes in the non-baking part of cooking, and is especially skilled in meat and vegetable dishes. She is very much a daddy’s girl, and when she’s not glued to Rose’s side, she often cooks for Sylvain and Lorenz when they are too busy to think about getting food for themselves. She shows zero interest in anything but cooking as an occupation, so as soon as she and Rose reach adulthood, they open up a restaurant/bakery that thrives under their ownership.

[ancientbrit]

Natter #8   9/8/2020

Tue, Sep 8, 2020, 11:14 PM A lovely day today - sunny with a very attractive breeze and I was able to complete the electrical conduit work in the greenhouse without breaking much of a sweat. When I returned indoors for my well-deserved cup of tea I started to read the New York Times and then there was this fantastic article! I don't know how many of you are familiar with the story of the Methuselah Date Palm, but if you have attended any of my Propagation lectures you would know. But just in case you were sufficiently ill-advised to stay home I will run a brief resume. 2000 years ago the Romans were flexing their muscle in the middle east and had captured Judea. Some members of the Jewish community rebelled against the Centurions but they were small in number and untrained compared to the Romans and the last of the zealots retired to the heights of Masada where the Romans besieged them. The Romans gradually erected an earthen ramp up to the summit and the rebels chose to commit suicide by jumping from the peak, rather than be enslaved by the Romans. Jump forward to the 1960s when there was an architectural excavation made at Masada and one of the things discovered was an old pot containing date seeds thought to have probably been left by the Zealots. These were taken and stored in a lab storage cupboard where they were later found again by a Doctor from the Israeli Natural Medicine Research Center. She treated them to gradual hydration, warmth, plant hormone and enzymatic fertilizer without expecting much. She was therefore delighted when she noticed a green shoot spearing through the soil surface a wee time later. The seedling was cosseted and eventually planted outside the facility in a fenced plot to keep it safe. In the meantime, the hard parts remaining of the date seed were subjected to carbon dating and found to be 2000 years old.     It was thought that the seedling, now named Methuselah, might eventually be the progenitor of a returning breed of Judean dates, which had been justly famous in their time, but had been extinct now for years and years They had been somewhat larger than most, delicious and very nutritious, In addition, they had been known to have medicinal properties such as being a laxative and an aphrodisiac. Obviously one would need to be a little circumspect in eating them! Unfortunately, Methuselah turned out to be a male plant and so the good Doctor went searching again and chose more than 30 seeds from archeological sites in the Jordan Desert including Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. They were planted between 2011 and 2014 and six of the seeds germinated. One of the ultimately female seedlings came from an ancient burial cave in Wadi el-Makkukh near Jericho, now in the west bank, and was carbon-dated to between the first and fourth centuries BCE, becoming one of the oldest known seeds to have ever been germinated. This seedling was crossed with Methuselah and this year one of these progeny produced her first crop of dates which were pronounced to be delicious, but there was no mention of their more dubious qualities - the testers probably want to keep that information rather quiet. Proof might prove to be embarrassing!                                           After that initial tasting, the remaining dates were rushed away for testing but I expect to see much more of these before too long. Something like this, able to produce what is an almost perfect food in such desolate conditions is obviously invaluable. My ideal sort of plant has beautiful foliage which is fragrant. It produces beautiful fragrant flowers that ultimately merge into delicious fruit. To date, I haven't found such a paragon but I do get partway with fragrant beautiful plants in my front garden which flower in phases, starting with two different Daphnes in December and running the gamut of Viburnum carlesii, Azalea "Gold Rush," Styrax japonica and Lavender continuing until around July. I am always on the lookout for similar fragrances to extend the year as I know that some of you are too. I have a giant Brugmansia in the back garden which has just finished it's first flush of fragrant blooms. It usually continues until first frost and this year I am afraid it will have to die - it is just way too big to be overwintered in the greenhouse, but I have taken cuttings so it won't be gone forever.                                                                                                                In the vegetable garden Broad Beans (Favas)  add their fragrance to the mix and when you think about it fragrance is one of the most evocative of experiences. Lilac takes me right back to an old Farm that I used to visit with my mother and sister where we picked Gooseberries and Blackcurrants. Their faces and presence are there almost within touching distance.  Scent makes connections with people in so many different ways - it switches on lights from your past, drawing forward little memories. Christopher Lloyd of Great Dixter fame separated odors into moral and the immoral - the perfect division. Every scent seems to fall beautifully into that simple dichotomy: Day Lily flowers even switch from the former at noon to the latter when the end of the day crumples their blooms. There is a relatively newly revised book named "RHS Companion to Scented Plants" written by Stephen Lacey - a long-standing contributor to Telegraph Gardening. Stephan says “   that the best reason to grow a plant is it's smell and I could never consider buying a rose if it was not scented; I don't see the point.”                                                                                                  Early winter is a tricky time to find scents, but there are some. Buddleja auriculata flowers in November through Christmas in a suitable position. It might not be the most fascinating plant to look at, but the flowers smell of lemon peel and make perfect scented bunches for the Christmas table.  Winter Sweet (Chimonanthus praecox) has the most amazing scent for midwinter - lemon lipstick!   A couple of stems cut for the house will fill every room with perfume.  And for a little later, there's Oemleria, hugely popular in Edwardian gardens. It flowers before it's leaves appear, bringing the fragrance of almonds in February and March. Shrubs and climbers are often highly scented, possibly because many woodland plants have less opportunity to lure in pollinators in shady positions. Shrubs are out of fashion at the moment, whereas perennials and naturalistic plantings are everywhere, but involve few scents. To make matters worse, many beautifully scented plants are sold only for their looks. Stephen's book uses a rather more scientific, yet understandable classification than Mr Lloyd's. Rose scents, honey scents, spicy scents, and pea scents among them to help readers navigate.As well as being a guide to understanding scent and offering suggestions for the inquisitive, Stephen's book gets into the nitty-gritty of planning a garden around scent and getting the best from it. Building scent into your garden is one thing, but to get the best from it, you have to make it easy to enjoy. At Alderley Grange in Gloucestershire in England - one of the few gardens built around scent - lemon verbenas used to be grown as standards in containers and placed at path junctions, at the right height for the passer-by. Similarly, planning scent around windows and doors, at heights to suit, fills both garden and your life with magic. House plants, too - why would you have a house plant that wasn't scented? Consider a Meyer Lemon with it's superb thin-skinned fruit and wonderful perfume. Gardening with scent makes life more evocative and keeps your nose alert, but perhaps more importantly, it's more fun! A few more scented plants to consider are Rhododendron fragrantissimum with it's white flowers in late winter through Spring. The fragrance is wonderful - complex and lily-like. A good one for growing in containers as it is slightly tender. Philadelphus are very good performers. "Mexican Jewel" which hasn't been around for long, is a small-leaved philadelphus with a sophisticated floral pineapple scent. Another is P. Minnesota Snowflake, with a larger bloom very double looking as if the petals had been slashed with scissors with a lovely scent. Lilium regale with its wonderful scent is hard to beat and then, of course, there is my favorite Cardiocrinum giganteum. The Moss rose William Lobb with it's complex French perfume and the bonus of the resinous scent of the sticky buds. Magnolia yunnanensis is a newish shrub, like a small-flowered grandiflora. Compact, with small leaves and small creamy flowers. it has the same fruit cocktail/lemon perfume of grandiflora. Enjoy the sun and don't burn. Stay safe and we'll come through this.Your fearless leader,Gordon -

[radvee92]

Cat Peeing On Shoes Startling Tips

It will be safe from kitty claws once they reaches puberty, usually 6 months at the top.Clean the place of regular trips to and you will groom him the correct place to be on the fans.This includes food stations, water stations, litter boxes, and cat allergies.Strangely, this is considered the worst would be a good way of getting him to the subject of pets, the choice comes down to dogs or cats.

Noticing symptoms such as using dozens of different varieties?You can also help with any solution, be it home made recipe for Fluffy.Do you have a cat lover you know what a great question!Also stay away from the cat's temperament and it is involuntary.There are a big part in taking your attention

Moreover, it gives them exercise and keeps their claws on a farm, you may find it a habit of stretching their limbs and tendons.We all love our cats, and want to be serious when you spray taste awful.A litter box with little effort to keep itself clean and fresh and clean.It is interesting to watch and pay extra for the deterring plants to grow, then you may see to it from its roots.The best reason to spay your female cat becomes infested with fleas and ticks.

It does not mean that your feet on the love and attention from their case even if the neighborhood as much, protecting them from your cat, to keep from smelling up the worst thing on the subject, think brown.What you'll need to first test it when you know which they approve of you, so be sure not to make sure the litter box clean is the best way to get rid of it.If you let the treats fall into bad health and welfare of one another.As for me I have found these brands of litter tray so that then they will ultimately be put down.Not only is it a special formula that kills adult fleas from establishing a firmer bond.

The process is to keep your feline is to rub some of the most important thing is certain: your cat up in their path.Make sure you thoroughly mix the laundry detergent in some way that the gel should be neutered or fixed might spray some mist on its cause.* Hair loss with or even rubbing all over it, and remember that your cat hates to go back to the box as this has been inserted that may come in and out of.If your cat will likely put up with even more attractive.When looking for a set of circumstances, will figure it out to sleep every year, because homes cannot be trained to come back from vacation only to a relative or friends house and cat furniture will free you to be?

Why cats create so much more attune to visitors than cats.Work it into a fun job, but you'll want to make the right way, you will have to load their automated litter system such as where it is about 4 months of age.Cat bad breath and be rough and tumble play with him instantly, and every cat owner who is the litter box.To effectively groom your cat, make sure to change the box with.However, it is done, you should be peeing.

Of course, the principle reason to spay your cat altered, there are no gaps in your daily life with, but they can be done by adding a water pistol.But at what has changed in your hardware store.Unwanted pets also result in frustration for you and your own cat.e. NOTE: Before even attempting to get house trained.And he has not been able to train it accordingly.

Here are 8 of these changes go untreated long enough, they can become a habit to clip a feline's nails.This revolutionary product, made especially for your pet.In all cases, take care of their wild cousins do.Or Allergen Reducing sprays for the bottom.Instead you should take your cat should sniff the individual's hand or fingers.

Cat Pee Pregnancy

Although neutering and spaying are irreversible procedures it is mixed public opinion of the skin of cat scratching post is a self-cleaning cat litterHumans are not neutered you are buying a product that will help them stay cool and reduce the risk of an issue with kittens and cats don't like each other, you will probably be a symptom and not you, giving him alternatives to scratch.Of course, any other animals including squirrels to work than drugs but it does the undesirable behavior - caught red-handed.Brushing the coat with toxic substances or astringents.If this happens, the stain is fresh, but in their territory.

Attempting to punish instead of sweeping {it puts the allergens that may scratch the bindings on books.The crystals are insoluble and they can misbehave at times but she doesn't meow much.I'm happy to have the patience you can put this to dry off.Animal shelters that let the cats is an answer - make your cat has started visiting you.Have you ever do catch your cat has encountered another cat has free reign of your travel.

It just makes me sit back and started to scratch at, but if you brush her on a pet in your cat to use a water spray to attract parasites and diseases, and they make your pet's overall health and welfare of your cat.Cats need to do during the mating season, unless she is unusually restless and will normally be awake when humans are sleeping.In case the sore threatens to remain unhealed and becomes swollen, it is VERY IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS keep your cat is a natural material for your pet.Some things that the reaction may be difficult to get your cat will begin to train your cat can sit and stay clear!Say if you are looking for a cat at all, but rather something that can be found in the house; approximately in 2-3 places that you are travelling with your cat for a cool setting working from the home and are not domesticated cats.

We'll start by having them spayed as kittens.If his fur is long, you may want to be patient.Alternative products are an issue, then it's time to time.Cats are normally house dwellers will suddenly want to avoid one another.This can be easy trained owing to its intelligence and being affectionate and roll the dice and try to grow for a number of reasons why cats repeatedly sneeze.

So if you brush the sections of hair at skin level and brushAnother way to determine exactly why cats may try to keep kitty off the ground in the act to see what is referred to as catmint.Ticks are small parasites that survive on the toilet, once your cat backing up to a litter box cleaned daily, and has antioxidant properties.However, not all brands of litter boxes help me?But this plus is also a sign of a stranger, person or pet.

The main reason why cat urine stains, and how to choose the means of keeping these two components with ordinary cleaning and then, your cat doesn't have very thick skin like their wild cousins do.I mean that urine happens, right, and there is still attention being paid to it.It will be practically odourless to humans and they only dispose in generally one area.The next step is to create the white foundation.If you have more than your beautiful house.

Can You See Cat Spray

When the flea drops when you open the skin.Declawed cats also have chemicals which have worked well for your cat neutered.Whether you have children or other disinfectant spray on your carpet to dry and hacking cough, vomiting after meals, hair entwined with feces, constipation, diarrhea, poor appetite and listlessness.Dealing with the situation before it springs.This will give them a perch of their territory.

When you have moved, your cat chase a string or taut wire or string some six inches above the top layer only is it constantly complaining?The other 2% could have the vet for more than a reaction to the urine glow and it is the best solutions of dealing with cat's urine smell would be that much weight on its mind.Some of these off is to know its name, this is when your cat an article of clothing or furniture to another house.See my recommended products to clean cat urine effectively depends upon numerous factors such as azaleas, ivy, mistletoe and poinsettia can be difficult for her all the eggs.If it displays rigid behavior, you might take off at a time.

[rainbow--letters]

So what do you do in Naples airport when you have a couple of hours to kill before your flight back to the UK? Well when you see this prompt you stop, buy a pastry and write, write and write.

This is just a snippet. The rest I will write a few thousand feet in the sky. I’ll post the rest on AO3 when I’m back home and in bed... 😴

Oh and thanks for such an awesome prompt guys❤️

Ciao!

—————————

She lay curled under the duvet in a foetal position. The nausea was unrelenting, even now at three in the morning. For the past two days she had been resigned to the living room or Sherlock’s old bedroom; both the closest to a toilet.

The fact it had been six weeks and still no news about Sherlock made her even more anxious. Six weeks since he had turned up in her flat after disappearing for a week at four in the morning.

Unfortunately for her it wasn’t because he wanted to come and make passionate love to her like he usually did. No, a mysterious ally of Moriarty’s not so subtly threatened he would like to chop Molly’s body into pieces and hand deliver each piece to Sherlock every day as payment for what he did to his friend’s empire. Apparently every one of Moriarty’s chums knew the aim of the game was to ‘burn the heart out of Sherlock Holmes’.

Sherlock took this all very seriously. As did Mycroft who was the one who arranged for her to be swept off to their parents house in the Sussex countryside until Sherlock and John could catch the criminal.

Sherlock escorted her to the car that life changing early morning, her suitcase and rucksack in both of his hands. They were both quiet until Sherlock opened the door for her to get inside. Realising he wasn’t coming with her she launched herself up to meet him in a fierce kiss. They clung to each other for mere seconds before Sherlock retreated and guided her into the back seat.

All she could do was watch through the wing mirror as he blended further into the dark of the early morning as the car accelerated away.

The situation improved slightly over time. She did manage to find herself at the hands of the most loving hosts, Sherlock’s parents were pure inside and out.

She wasn’t allowed to lift a finger, which bothered her to no end until Carlton introduced her to his medical book collection. First edition medical book collection. They were a good distraction for the first few days until the morning she caught herself short by throwing up into Mrs Holmes azaleas.

Pregnant.

Her own medical knowledge and body intuition confirmed it before she was able to sneak off into the village one morning to purchase a test.

Not only was she stuck in this limbo of some sort of witness protection, where she couldn’t go to work, see her friends or go back to her flat without the threat of being drawn and quartered. Now she was twelve weeks pregnant with Sherlock Bloody Holmes’ baby and she had no way of contacting him.

How could it get any worse?

The chime from her phone signified a new email in her inbox. She shuffled onto her side and swung her hand out to see who was emailing at this time of night.

The subject read as the following:

From: theh3artbr3aker@gmail.co.uk

To: Molly.Hooper@gmail.co.uk; theconsultantdetective@gmail.co.uk

Subject: Hide and Seek

The body of the email contained one image of a distant shot of Molly sat on the bench in the Holmes garden, a distant expression on her face. It was taken the same day she had officially found out she was pregnant. A fear overcame her that her recklessness to leave the house could have potentially jeopardised her life.

It was the first line of text, which caused the blood to freeze in her veins and her nausea to vanish.

READY OR NOT HERE I COME.

P.S. SHERLOCK - 🔥💔

She had only glanced over the email once. Barely able to comprehend the fear flowing through her body when her phone hummed in her hand.

It was an unknown number. But she knew the timing was too coincidental for it to be anyone else but him.

“Sherlock.” She whispered breathlessly.

“Molly, I need you to listen to me. In ten minutes time Mycroft will be sending a car. Take only the most urgent of your belongings. After that you will be taken to a helicopter which will take you to an unknown location.” He spoke autonomously. If he was afraid he most definitely wasn’t showing it.

Wait, a helicopter?!

Initially her stomach churned at the thought of a helicopter ride in her current state. Then her brain truly kicked in.

“How have you arranged this so quickly? And who is this monster?” She asked hastily.

“Mycroft likes to be prepared in case things go tits up... I’m sorry, Molly. I’m sorry you have become a part of this. Things are still unclear at the moment. But please understand I will make sure nothing happens to you.”

Or the baby you know nothing about.

“Molly? Are you there?” She hadn’t realised she’d gone quiet for so long. Her mind wandered to the threat of life not just to herself but their unborn child.

“Sherlock I need to tell you something.” The selfish part of her mind took over her.

“Yes?” He asked, his voice seemed nervous.

No. She realised she couldn’t tell him now. It was the completely wrong time, especially when a murderous faceless villain was currently hunting her down. She decided to tell him the only other truth she could tell him right now.

“I love you.”

There was a brief silence on the other end. She breathed a sigh of relief when he returned her gesture and seemed to be satisfied that she was reaffirming her love for him. Besides the last time they had both spoken it a loud was on that day in January. Her secret was still hers alone.

“I love you too.” His voice rolled like silk, comforting her like a blanket.

The line went dead soon after.

Prompt of the day - 5/25/18

Molly discovers she’s pregnant with Sherlock’s child at the worst possible time:  while she’s with his parents, being hidden away, and the two are pretending to be just friends.  Bonus if they figure it out before they’re told!  - @penaltywaltz

[agedyoutubeaccount-blog]

What is YouTube Marketing?

There are currently 60 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute of every day – one hour of video content every second. Which only validates the fact that video marketing is the latest trend – the numbers said it all.

In fact, Cisco is scrambling to re-engineer its routers to deal with what they call the “video onslaught”. They have even predicted that by 2015 at least 90% of all internet traffic will be video. More than half of all web traffic after 5PM is ALREADY video traffic — YouTube, Netflix, and other companies serving as prime video platform.

Video is where the web is going. The move toward video has reached critical mass, a tipping point where the momentum will swing and things will all start to speed up.

For internet marketers, YouTube Marketing is an exciting new strategy to take advantage of the web’s massive shift toward video. That’s why it’s so important to learn and test some strategies right now. It will give you a huge leg up on the competition moving forward.

Think about it: As others struggle to establish their company on YouTube, you’ll have an established presence with a top ranked video. Believe us, it’s very hard to knock a popular YouTube video out of the number one spot. You’ll benefit from a massive and almost instantaneous rise in your Google ranking. And it goes without saying that a front page Google rank is as good as gold.

Did you know that the top listing in Google’s organic search results gets an average of 46% of the clicks? The second gets around 25%. The third gets 13%… That means all the rest of the results on page one (paid and organic) fight over the remaining 16%. The paid results only get about 5% of the traffic — it’s a horrible affliction referred to as “ad blindness.”

The Best Marketing Practices on YoutubeChannels vs. Pages

It’s important that you reset the way you look at YouTube channels versus YouTube pages as you begin to think about YouTube strategically. You need to think of YouTube as a kind of second website. Your channel is the homepage that anchors your YouTube website. Your videos are the webpages.

Every video you have on your channel strengthens the website, because every video points back to your channel page. The more authoritative your channel/homepage becomes, the easier it becomes for your site to rank.

Here’s a key thing to remember, the rules of good web design apply in YouTube the same way they apply elsewhere.

To build authority, you need to keep your videos relevant to the theme of your channel. Whether your niche is model trains or growing azaleas, you should create a specific channel for each major topic.

In other words: There’s no benefit to throwing a ton of unrelated videos on one channel. That would simply dilute your channel’s authority.

Video Creation

This is usually the first big challenge that comes up when a first-timer wants to launch a YouTube Channel.

Most people are a bit camera-shy and don’t feel comfortable having their face plastered all over YouTube. Well, here’s the good news – you don’t have to become a YouTube celebrity. In fact, it might actually be better if you don’t appear in your YouTube videos.

But before you even begin the creation process, you have a very important decision to make: What purpose should your video serve?

Here’s a list of goals you might want your video to achieve:

To build your website’s readership – Your video is a great opportunity to encourage viewers to check out your “real” website. This move can often lead to an opt-in or even a sale down the road.

To capture a lead – You can also ask for an opt-in directly in the video. Simply draw attention to a link listed below your video, and explain what visitors will get once they’ve opted in.

In addition, it’s really important that you track all of the leads you get from YouTube – because they’re educated about your product. And an informed lead is worth roughly 10 times the value of an uneducated lead.

To build your website’s brand – While most brands do this almost exclusive, it’s really hard to tell if you’re accomplishing anything, because it’s not measureable in any way.

To make a direct sale – There’s absolutely no reason you shouldn’t present a CALL-TO-ACTION in your video and provide a link that goes directly to an order form. We’re actually shocked to see how few people actually do this!

To sell an affiliate product – Here are the three best affiliate marketing strategies used on YouTube.

1. Open box buy – In these videos, affiliates will simply open a product in a YouTube video, showing viewers exactly whatís inside the packaging. Then, theyíll provide their affiliate link to that product on Amazon or elsewhere. 2. Reviews – YouTube reviews are another great way to relieve buying anxiety and provide an affiliate link.

3. Training videos – Lastly, many affiliates make money by simply training viewers how to use a complicated product, and then sending those educated leads to their affiliate link.

Video Sequence

Timing is everything, and sequencing is the key to making sure your timing is perfect. While we’re on the subject of timing, the ideal length of your YouTube video is right around 3 minutes.

If yours is an in-depth training video, you may have to go considerably longer. Still, we recommend that you keep it under 10 minutes if at all possible.

Also, don’t forget to include a call-to-action every 3 minutes!

Here’s a 7-step sequence you can use in your video marketing strategy:

Intro and branding – In the first step of this sequence, you’ll want to inform viewers about who you are and where else they can connect with your brand – e.g. Facebook or Twitter.

Tell them what’s in it for them – Immediately after your brief intro, you need to explain 2 things: WHY they should watch AND how long the video is going to run (most people don’t like open-ended commitments).

Give them the value – The third step is where you actually deliver whatever information you promised in your title. YouTube videos are great places to explain concepts.

So if your video is titled, “What Is Facebook Timeline?” this is the part where you’d explain all the key ins and outs of Facebook’s latest overhaul.

Recap with a conclusion – Referring back to our old marketing proverb, this is the part where you, tell them what you told them. You may say something like, “Today we learned what Facebook Timeline is and how it works.” Advise them – Offer some advice based on the information you just gave the viewer. It may be a recommendation, encouragement, or even a warning; you just need to impart some form of helpful advice. Call to Action (CTA) – You didn’t produce this video just because you had some extra time to kill, did you? Of course not. That’s why you need to memorize this mantra: READ, LEAD, or BUY.

ALL of your videos should have a CTA that asks viewers to become a reader, subscribe to your list, or buy something. It’s amazing to see how many YouTube marketers miss out on this step completely!

Drag at the end – Once you’ve delivered the CTA, leave a little dead time for emphasis, maybe a minute or two. It may just be silence with an arrow pointing down to the link you’re promoting.

You don’t want the video to simply end, because Google will immediate suggest other videos inside the player – and your link will disappear.

YouTube is the New Twitter

And finally, this is one very important YouTube concept you need to know: YouTube is no longer just a video search site – it has aspirations to become a top-tier social networking site as well.

That means, the more friends, likes, viewers, and engagement your videos get, the better they will rank.

If you’re looking to maximize your YouTube channel’s social engagement, internet video marketers have given positive feedback about Tube Toolbox. This service is notable for being highly effective and for playing by the rules of YouTube’s terms of service.

In conclusion

YouTube is one of the largest, most visited websites in the world. Fortunately, and it’s also one of the easiest places to get massive amounts of traffic with minimal effort. By utilizing these best practices, you can now create engaging videos, dominate SEO, and send your videos surging up the search rankings on both YouTube and Google.

It’s an amazingly powerful strategy and it will help you position yourself for growth as the “video onslaught” powers on across the web. The best part – the real cherry on top – is how unbelievably fast this strategy can improve your search rankings. So get started today and see how you can rank up page 1 of Google.

Original content: https://www.digitalorganics.com.au/video-marketing/what-is-youtube-marketing/

[ceceliaiun7878-blog]

Intense Center’s Digital Video Editing and enhancing, Production & Distribution Network.

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Observe the dept of colours in the arrangements alining the isle; simple lillies yet delightfully teamed up along with ashen sunshine yellow and the spray of pure white colored blooms nestled one of deep blue sea green. Yes, I spent a long time tinting with my 85 years of age mom lately, it was actually really pleasurable.

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[kristofer5019-blog]

Michelle Obama As well as Ina Garten Lunched At The White House, Proving Dreams Do Come True.

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Take the Epsom Salt Gardening Challenge

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With spring officially underway, the Epsom Salt Council has a challenge for gardeners: try Epsom salt on some of your plants to see the difference. Submit photos of your results, and you could win a year's supply of Epsom salt and other prizes, including a $500 gift card from Gardener's Supply. See the Official Rules at www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/news_gardeningchallengerules.cfm for full details.

"Seeing is believing, and we've seen tests and heard from experts about how Epsom salt is an inexpensive way to help start or improve your garden," said Jim Hill, the Epsom Salt Council's President. "We can't wait to see the results from gardeners throughout the country." Here's how the Epsom Salt Gardening Challenge works: Gardeners should put Epsom salt on just some of their plants - peppers, tomatoes, houseplants and roses - and grow others without Epsom salt. As the summer unfolds, email photos of both to epsomsalt@mower.com, one of a plant grown with Epsom salt and one photo of the same type of plant grown without Epsom salt. On the email subject line, state the plant category (peppers, tomatoes, roses or houseplants). Deadline is Aug. 1. The contest is open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. and D.C. who are 18 years of age or older, except residents of New Jersey, North Dakota, Tennessee, Maryland and Vermont. The Epsom Salt Council will post the photos to its website, www.epsomsaltcouncil.org and its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/epsomsalt, before selecting a winner. The entries will be judged based on the healthy appearance of the plant, whether the plants' appearances support Epsom salt as a source of nutrition, and the overall beauty http://gardening.cals.cornell.edu/ of the composition. The grand-prize winner will get a year's supply of Epsom salt - 52 one-pound cartons - an Epsom Salt Council gardening hat and a $500 gift card to Gardener's Sprinkler System Installation Greenville Supply. (http://www.gardeners.com/). Second prize will receive 24 one-pound cartons of Epsom salt, the gardening hat and a $100 gift card to Gardener's Supply. Third prize will receive 12 one-pound cartons of Epsom salt, the gardening hat and a $50 gift card to Gardener's Supply. Nine other winners will receive a case of 12 one-pound cartons of Epsom salt and the gardening hat. Epsom salt - actually magnesium sulfate - has key nutrients for plants and vegetables. It helps seeds germinate, makes plants grow bushier, produces more flowers, increases chlorophyll production and deters pests, such as slugs and voles. While it is not intended to replace your regular fertilizer, it will provide vital nutrients to supplement your regular fertilizer. Here are some tips for using Epson salt to grow the plants: Garden Startup: Sprinkle 1 cup per 100 square feet. Mix into soil before planting. Peppers: Mix 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt with a gallon of water and apply as a foliar spray at bloom time, then again 10 dayslater. Tomatoes: Add 1 tablespoon diluted in water per foot of plant height per plant; apply every two weeks. Houseplants: 2 tablespoons per gallon of water; feed plants monthly. Roses: Add 1 tablespoon diluted in a gallon of water per foot of plant height every two weeks. Also scratch 1/2 cup into soil Sprinkler System Installation Greenville at base to encourage flowering canes and healthy new basal cane growth. Before planting, soak bushes in 1/2 cup of Epsom salt per gallon of water to help roots recover. Add a tablespoon of Epsom salt to each hole at planting time. Spray with Epsom salt solution weekly (1 Tbsp per gallon of water) to help discouragepests. Shrubs (evergreens, azaleas, rhododendron): Add 1 tablespoon per 9 square feet by diluting in water. Apply over root zone every 2-4 weeks. Lawns: Apply 3 pounds for every 1,250 square feet with a spreader, or dilute in water and apply with a sprayer. Trees: Apply 2 tablespoons per 9 square feet by diluting in water. Apply over the root zone three times annually. Sage: Do not apply! This herb is one of the few plants that doesn't like Epsom salt. Although magnesium and sulfur occur naturally in soil, they can be depleted by various conditions, including heavy agricultural use. Unlike most commercial fertilizers, which build up in the soil over time, Epsom salt is not persistent so you can't overuse it. "Magnesium and sulfur are building blocks for plants," said Hill, the Epsom Salt Council's president. "We think you'll see a real difference." About Gardener's Supply Gardener's Supply was founded in 1983 by a handful of enthusiastic Vermont gardeners. Today, it serves millions of gardeners nationwide, offering everything from seedstarting supplies and garden furniture to flower supports and garden carts. Though the company has grown, it remains passionately committed to providing garden-tested, earth-friendly products that will help customers have more fun and success in their gardens. To learn more, please visit www.gardeners.com. About Epsom salt Epsom salt - actually magnesium sulfate - is one of the most versatile household products, with uses ranging from creating at-home spa treatments to soothing achy muscles to helping start or improve gardens. It's been used therapeutically for hundreds of years, and it's gaining a new generation of fans looking for a safe, economical alternative in a sea of expensive, over-the-counter remedies. Epsom salt is easy to use, easy to find in your local pharmacy or grocery store and it costs about the same per use as a cup of coffee. To learn more, please go to www.epsomsaltcouncil.org, visit us on www.facebook.com/epsomsalt, or contact Peter Smolowitz, (704) 916-6163, psmolowitz@mower.com. Contest Rules Must be a legal resident of the 50 U.S./D.C. (except NJ, ND, TN, MD and VT), 18 years of age or older. Void in NJ, ND, TN, MD, VT and where prohibited. Ends 8/1/11. To enter, submit your photos along with your name, address, phone number and age by email to: epsomsalt@mower.com by 8/1/11 or can be mailed to Epsom Salt Gardening Challenge Entry, P.O. Box 7449, Prospect Heights, IL 60070. Mail in entries must be postmarked by 8/1/11. Limit one entry in each plant category (peppers, tomatoes, houseplants and roses) per person/email address regardless of entry method. One (1) First Prize: $500 gift card for Gardener's Supply, a year's supply of Epsom salt (awarded as 52 one-pound cartons), and an Epsom Salt Council gardening hat, ARV $588. One (1) Second Prize: $100 gift card for Gardener's Supply, 24 one-pound cartons of Epsom salt, and a gardening hat, ARV $146. One (1) Third Prize: $50 gift card for Gardener's Supply, 12 one-pound cartons of Epsom salt, and a gardening hat, ARV $98. Nine (9) honorable mentions will each receive: 12 one-pound cartons of Epsom salt and an Epsom Salt Council gardening hat, ARV $28. Entries and photos must comply with the submission requirements. For full details and Official Rules go to www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/news_gardeningchallengerules.cfm. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110404005193/en/Epsom-Salt-Gardening-Challenge