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infiniteglitterfall · 1 year ago

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The vaccine is important because it makes it MUCH less likely that you'll have such a bad case of COVID that you have to be hospitalized.

Severe COVID causes way more damage.

But the vaccine doesn't give you much immunity.

Basically, it takes 2 weeks for your immunity to build, and then you have maybe 50%-60% immunity for a month before it starts dropping again. It ends up at about 20%-30% by month 3, then it drops to near zero after month 6.

Why yes, it IS fucked up that we can barely manage to distribute vaccines once a year!

Immunity from getting COVID is a little higher. But it drops in about the same amount of time.

There's some evidence that if you get BOTH -- COVID and the vaccine for the strain of COVID you got -- then you have good long-lasting immunity. But a shockingly low number of people have gotten the vaccine in the past year.

For me, the strongest reason to wear a mask in public is that it makes it easier for other people to wear a mask in public.

I've seen lots and lots of chronically ill and immune-vulnerable people say that wearing a mask is good allyship.

Because (1) it protects them from anything you might not know you have.

And (2) it makes it safer for them to be out and to wear a mask. It makes it more normal, it encourages others to do it, and it makes it less likely that people will be awful to them about it.

A mask protects both you and other people. If the last thing you heard about masking is that it only protects others, you are four years behind on any information about this stuff and you are in danger because of that.

(Doubly so if you think you know when you're sick/contagious. "It only protects others and I'm not sick, so" is a big part of why case rates have been so high.)

Even if I don't think I'm at risk in a given situation, someone else might be. I might be getting coffee at a coffee shop where someone's coworker has COVID and doesn't know it yet.

Which makes them very infectious.

I know that one from personal experience! My normally extremely-COVID-cautious ex went out to eat twice in one weekend, last fall. He didn't think he was at any risk. I guess because there weren't many people there?

Listen: COVID is AIRBORNE. Unless there's a lot of air filtration going on, IT HANGS IN THE AIR FOR 4-6 HOURS.

THAT IS WHAT AIRBORNE MEANS. THEY WERE NOT CLEAR ENOUGH ABOUT THIS IN THE BEGINNING oF THE PANDEMIC.

Anyway: he didn't think he was at any risk from that... so he didn't mention it, or wear a mask around anybody afterward.

Within 24 hours, he came to my house to pick up the kid, stood in the living room talking to my roommate for like 30 minutes, and gave her COVID.

Three days after that, both of them got sick, and he tested positive. and that's how I found out we were all getting COVID!

Maybe if I show up wearing a mask, at a coffee shop where one of the baristas is contagious, or at a grocery store where some other shopper is contagious, it'll inspire them to grab a mask and put it on. Or to get some and start wearing them.

Maybe it'll just brighten the day of someone else who's wearing a mask. Or who isn't right then, but does when they're around their immune-compromised friends.

Also, if you hate masks, consider whether that's because you only tried cloth or surgical ones.

Cloth masks are harder to breathe through. Surgical masks can be too. Both of them can make your voice sound muffled. Neither one is super effective, either; I think they average 60%-80%, depending on the number of cloth layers.

I haven't really had either of those problems with an N95/KN94 mask. Plus I really do love that I can mutter things to myself or pull a face without anyone knowing. And in cooler weather, they help keep your face warm!

My kid wouldn't wear them to school until I got him the cat-shaped ones. Now he's so comfortable in them that he frequently forgets to take them off in the car.

TL;DR: please help normalize mask-wearing by wearing a mask! wearing a mask is Cool and it Helps People!

know someone who enjoys horror stories? share this one! it's true!

hahahahahahahahahaha aarrggghhhhhhhhhh 3,000,000 deaths due to COVID-19 last year. Globally. Three million. Case rates higher than 90% of the rest of the pandemic. The reason people are still worried about COVID is because it has a way of quietly fucking up your body. And the risk is cumulative.

I'm going to say that again: the risk is cumulative.

It's not just that a lot of people get bad long-term effects from it. One in seven or so? Enough that it's kind of the Russian Roulette of diseases. It's also that the more times you get it, the higher that risk becomes. Like if each time you survived Russian Roulette, the empty chamber was removed from the gun entirely. The worst part is that, psychologically, we have the absolute opposite reaction. If we survive something with no ill effects, we assume it's pretty safe. It is really, really hard to override that sense of, "Ok, well, I got it and now I probably have a lot of immunity and also it wasn't that bad." It is not a respiratory disease. Airborne, yes. Respiratory disease, no: not a cold, not a flu, not RSV.

Like measles (or maybe chickenpox?), it starts with respiratory symptoms. And then it moves to other parts of your body. It seems to target the lungs, the digestive system, the heart, and the brain the most.

It also hits the immune system really hard - a lot of people are suddenly more susceptible to completely unrelated viruses. People get brain fog, migraines, forget things they used to know.

(I really, really hate that it can cross the blood-brain barrier. NOTHING SHOULD EVER CROSS THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER IT IS THERE FOR A REASON.) Anecdotal examples of this shit are horrifying. I've seen people talk about coworkers who've had COVID five or more times, and now their work... just often doesn't make sense? They send emails that say things like, "Sorry, I didn't mean Los Angeles, I meant Los Angeles."

Or they insist they've never heard of some project that they were actually in charge of a year or two before.

Or their work is just kind of falling apart, and they don't seem to be aware of it.

People talk about how they don't want to get the person in trouble, so their team just works around it. Or they describe neighbors and relatives who had COVID repeatedly, were nearly hospitalized, talked about how incredibly sick they felt at the time... and now swear they've only had it once and it wasn't bad, they barely even noticed it.

(As someone who lived with severe dissociation for most of my life, this is a genuinely terrifying idea to me. I've already spent my whole life being like, "but what if I told them that already? but what if I did do that? what if that did happen to me and I just don't remember?") One of its known effects in the brain is to increase impulsivity and risk-taking, which is real fucking convenient honestly. What a fantastic fucking mutation. So happy for it on that one. Yes, please make it seem less important to wear a mask and get vaccinated. I'm not screaming internally at all now.

I saw a tweet from someone last year whose family hadn't had COVID yet, who were still masking in public, including school.

She said that her son was no kind of an athlete. Solidly bottom middle of the pack in gym.

And suddenly, this year, he was absolutely blowing past all the other kids who had to run the mile. He wasn't running any faster. His times weren't fantastic or anything. It's just that the rest of the kids were worse than him now. For some reason. I think about that a lot. (Like my incredibly active six-year-old getting a cold, and suddenly developing post-viral asthma that looked like pneumonia.

He went back to school the day before yesterday, after being home for a month and using preventative inhalers for almost week.

He told me that it was GREAT - except that he couldn't run as much at recess, because he immediately got really tired. Like how I went outside with him to do some yard work and felt like my body couldn't figure out how to increase breathing and heart rate.

I wasn't physically out of breath, but I felt like I was out of breath. That COVID feeling people describe, of "I'm not getting enough air." Except that I didn't have that problem when I had COVID.) Some people don't observe any long (or medium) term side effects after they have it.

But researchers have found viral reservoirs of COVID-19 in everyone they've studied who had it.

It just seems to hang out, dormant, for... well, longer than we've had an opportunity to observe it, so far.

(I definitely watched that literal horror movie. I think that's an entire genre. The alien dormant under ice in the Arctic.)

(oh hey I don't like that either!!!!!!!!!) All of which is to explain why we should still care about avoiding it, and how it manages to still cause excess deaths. Measuring excess deaths has been a standard tool in public health for a long time.

We know how many people usually die from all different causes, every year. So we can tell if, for example, deaths from heart disease have gone way up in the past three years, and look for reasons. Those are excess deaths: deaths that, four years ago, would not have happened. During the pandemic, excess death rates have been a really important tool. For all sorts of reasons. Like, sometimes people die from COVID without ever getting tested, and the official cause is listed as something else because nobody knows they had COVID. But also, people are dying from cardiovascular illness much younger now.

People are having strokes and heart attacks younger, and more often, than they did before the pandemic started. COVID causes a lot of problems. And some of those problems kill people. And some of them make it easier for other things to kill us. Lung damage from COVID leading to lungs collapsing, or to pneumonia, or to a pulmonary embolism, for example. The Economist built a machine-learning model with a 95% confidence interval that gauges excess death statistics around the world, to tell them what the true toll of the ongoing COVID pandemic has been so far.

Total excess deaths globally in 2023: Three million.

3,000,000.

Official COVID-19 deaths globally so far: Seven million. 7,000,000. Total excess deaths during COVID so far: Thirty-five point two million. 35,200,000.

Five times as many.

That's bad. I don't like that at all. I'm glad last year was less than a tenth of that. I'm not particularly confident about that continuing, though, because last year we started a period of really high COVID transmission. Case rates higher than 90% of the rest of the pandemic. Here's their data, and charts you can play with, and links to detailed information on how they did all of this:

Here's a non-paywalled link to it:

https://archive.vn/2024.01.26-012536/https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-estimates

Oh: here's a link to where you can buy comfy, effective N95 masks in all sizes:

Those ones are about a buck each after shipping - about $30 for a box of 30. They also have sample packs for a dollar, so you can try a couple of different sizes and styles.

You can wear an N95 mask for about 40 total hours before the effectiveness really drops, so that's like a dollar for a week of wear.

They're also family-owned and have cat-shaped masks and I really love them. These ones are cuter and in a much wider range of colors, prints, and styles, but they're also more expensive; they range from $1.80 to $3 for a mask. ($18-$30 for a box of ten.)

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bratshaws · 2 years ago

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goodness gracious 95. brb x oc

a/n: *screams in seven different languages * bea's dress because holy shit ITS BEAUTIFUL

check out the fic's playlist made by the sweet @wiipes !!

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: FLUFF, WEDDING GOWNS?SUITS?? YES

chapters:

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23/24/25/26/27/28/29/30/31/32/33/34/35/36/37/38/39/40/41/42/43/44

45/46/47/48/49/50/51/52/53/54/55/56/57/58/59/60/61/62/63/64

65/66/67/68/69/70/71/72/73/74/75/76/77/78/79/80/81/82/83/84

85/86/87/88/89/90/91/92/93/94

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!!)

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @shrimping-for-all @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix

@lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @j-6o @louisahale @leobabbyyy @kulicny @winter-run @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes

She had only seen things like these in movies, where you take a group of your best friends to help you choose your wedding gown, so having the actual experience right now was almost surreal.

During the week she made sure to separate the bridesmaids invitations and send to the ones she chose. Seeing the women she held so dearly joining her in this brand new adventure made her so happy, especially since the bridal designer wasn’t in San Diego and they had to drive two hours to get there. She hoped Marcus’ friend could help her out, it’d be awful to drive all this way for nothing to happen.

It took them a while to find the actual store but once they did, both cars parked in the parking lot behind the three stories building. The group of women stepped out, Beatrice and Evelyn locking their cars before they walked closer to the glass doors that had a big ‘Welcome Brides!’ sign hanging on it. There were so many different dresses in there, with mannequins of different shapes and sizes, that Beatrice felt more excited than before.

She sent Bradley a message letting him know they already arrived, smiling when he replied with a smiley face and told her to have fun. As they neared the doors, they opened automatically and the inside of that store revealed itself for their eyes. It was enormous, with rows and more rows of wedding dresses as far as the eyes could see, a staircase led to the second floor and she could see more gowns by the opening there too.

A tan woman slowly approached the group, “I assume you are Beatrice,” the brunette nods, still speechless by the sheer size of that place, “I’m Lola, Marcus told me you were coming.” other people appeared by her side, all dressed to impress with colorful suits, “If you ladies could follow James to the second floor,I’d like to speak with Beatrice by herself.”

The youngest looking man behind her nodded to the other women, Shells gave her a thumbs up as she walked past, Evelyn reassured her they’d be waiting for her presence upstairs and the others gave her words of encouragement before disappearing up the stairs. Now that Beatrice and Lola were alone, the bridal designer offered her a smile, “Now, what would you like as your wedding dress?”

“Oh uh…I…I’d like something that shows my shoulders but it’s not too breezy since my wedding is in September and uh…well, I’d like something that makes me look…good?”

Lola’s smile widened, then she turned to the assistant that was kept behind her since the other went up, muttering stuff to him. Beatrice watched him walk up the stairs before Lola sweeped her hand towards the same direction, “Shall we?” the brunette nods shakily, walking up the steps to the second floor.

She could hear her friends’ voices in one of the many fitting rooms they had there, Shells’ over the top laughter making it obvious where they were. She follows Lola to another door, her friends’ laughter getting louder meaning they were just a few feet away from them, a door that opens a whole new world of wedding dresses.

She had never seen so many, she couldn’t help but gently touch one closest to her, biting her lower lip. Beatrice looked back at Lola, whose dark brown hair was now up in a bun and her suit jacket was removed, “Very well,” she grabs a measurement tape, telling a woman named Heather to follow her, “Let’s take your measurements.”

Beatrice couldn’t help the sharp inhale upon hearing those words, but she nodded, trying to cover how nervous she was getting already. What if she suddenly says there were no dresses her size? What if she says there’s no way she could help? Beatrice’s eyes clenched, trying to get rid of the fear and the doubts by overlapping them with thoughts of her and Rooster, of him smiling at her, or him saying he loved her and that she’d find something.

She was so into her head she didn’t see Lola was finished already, the bridal designer offering the young woman a small smile before turning to her assistant to separate some dresses for her. Beatrice peeked one eye open when she heard the sound of the hook dragging over the metal rack, Lola’s assistant pulling some dresses off and leaving the rest behind, walking away from the room, “Very well, let’s try some on.”

“You…you have dresses my size?” but she almost slapped herself for forgetting about the mannequins outside.

Lola laughs while trifling her fingers over the dresses, “Of course I do, I have dresses every size.” she pulls one out, holding it in front of Beatrice, “Let’s try this one on.” Beatrice nods, biting her lower lip as the two walk to the little changing area on the corner of the room.

The changing area had a hallway on the outside that led to where her friends were seated, she could still hear them talking amongst each other. After Lola helped her out with the dress, she led her to the outside, holding out her hand as Beatrice held the ends of the dress up so she wouldn’t trip on it - or Heaven forbid, rip it - the bridal designer knocked on the little door twice to signal they were coming, the voices immediately lowering as James’ opened it.

Lola walked out first, still holding Beatrice’s hand and leading her outside, the other women gasped and squealed amongst each other. Beatrice looked up seeing her friends comfortably lounging on a white U shaped couch, sipping champagne and looking mesmerized at what she was wearing, “This is our first option,” Lola said, walking Beatrice to a platform in front of a tri-mirror, the brunette stepped on it and finally saw her reflection.

It was a beautiful dress, she had to admit, turning her torso this way and that to see the rest of it but she didn’t…feel like it was the right one, “Well…” she turns to her bridesmaids, “What do you guys think?”

“It’s really pretty.” Phoenix says with her hand propping her chin up, “I like how it flares by your feet.”

“I like the color,” Halo adds, “It’s a bit of a off-white? Kind of.”

“It’s nice…but it’s not you.” Shells comments and Evelyn nods, sipping her champagne, “I mean, yeah, sure, pretty, whatever but it’s not…Beatrice’s dress. It’s wearing you more than you wearing it.”

Beatrice hums, looking at her reflection and holding the ends of the dress again. She had to agree, this dress was wearing her. She turned to Lola, almost apologetically so, to let her know that this dress wasn’t really communicating with her as she liked, but the bridal designer just smiled and took her away again.

It took a few more dresses, a few more opinions and a few more champagne flutes until Beatrice found one that called her attention. It was beautiful hanging there, she felt her breathing shake as Lola helped her put it on and Beatrice’s hands trembled as she grabbed the ends of the dress, redoing the same way as before.

The second she walked out, she heard nothing. No gasps, no murmurs, absolutely nothing, she looked up at her bridesmaids to see all of them were staring wide eyed, Shells had her hands covering her mouth and Eliza looked ready to cry - alongside Nat who was honestly doing her best to hold the tears back. Beatrice licked her lips, mentally preparing herself before she stepped on the little platform, keeping her eyes closed.

When she blinked her eyes open…she couldn’t really believe that this woman on the reflection was her.

She didn’t know where to look first, the heart shaped bustier was delicate, embroidered with tiny lace leaves and flowers that traveled all the way down to the flare of her waist and at the beginning of the long skirt, a skirt that was flowy, made out of tulle and long enough that it draped down the platform pooling by the floor. The sleeves followed the bustier, with tiny leaves on the edge but they had the same fabric as the skirt, long to her wrists, billowing in a bell like shape. The color was almost like a very light peach,so light you’d think it was white if you saw it from afar, it was beautiful.

She looked like a princess.

Beatrice’s only noise after a while was a disbelieved laugh, her eyes stinging with tears the more she looked. She turns on the platform, looking at the dress’ open back that dipped just below her shoulder blades with the leaves still adorning the small area close to the zipper, “Oh…wow…” she whispers, sniffling quietly as she looks at her reflection.

“And now the grand finale.” Lola says as one of her assistants brings something, “Bend down a little?”

Beatrice blinks but does as she says, feeling something scratch her scalp a little and the soft flutter of something falling on her back. As she straightened to once again look at herself, she couldn’t stop the tears nor the smile as she saw the various flowers - fake ones of course - adorning her head and the little dark green bow that kept it together on her head, “There, you look magnificent.” the bridal designer smiles, stepping back so the bride to be could admire herself even more.

Beatrice sniffles again, trying to keep herself together, tapping the corner of her eyes to get rid of the tears before she ends up bawling in there. The little Beatrice, the nine years old one who used to wear her mother’s wedding dress around the house and played as if she was getting married, was having a blast inside her brain.

This dress was better than she ever hoped for, it was beautiful, it was magical, it looked like she stepped right out of a fairy tale book. Beatrice’s eyes stung with tears, she still couldn’t believe that she really was going to get married, that she was wearing the dress of her dreams and that it fit. The dress hugged her figure perfectly, there were some adjustments to be made but she was so happy with how she looked. “Oh, God.” she sniffles again, “I didn’t even– what do you guys think?”

The women looked at her like she was crazy, some of them were definitely crying - yes. Nat was the main one - Shells being the first one to break the dumbfounded silence, “Are you crazy? It’s amazing,Bea!Look at you!!” Beatrice sheepishly looked down at herself, running her hands down the tulle skirt, “It’s…incredible…it’s so beautiful, I think I speak for everyone when I say it’s literally your dress.”

“I agree.”Evelyn replied, her friend’s normally calm voice coming out a bit choked up, “It…it’s meant for you Bea, it was meant for you.”

‘You look so amazing.”Halo then said, as Phoenix fanned her eyes the best she could, “I think that’s definitely the one.”

Beatrice smiles in thanks, turning back around to face the mirror, her eyes moving all over the dress one more time, her eyes shining with tears that rolled down her cheeks when she smiled. This was her wedding dress. She had a wedding dress. It was all surreal and amazing and…insane. She was going to get married just a few months and everything she and Rooster were organizing was going so smoothly.

Even the honeymoon trip was already set up, they were going out of season so it’d be a lot easier to walk around and enjoy it. She just wished…her nonna was there, to see her walking down the aisle with the man she loved, she wanted her to see how happy she was. She hoped she was at least looking down at them from Heaven, giving them her blessing. “Well, um,” she clears her throat, “Since this is the chosen one…I think we can work on the bridesmaid dresses too?” She turned to Lola for confirmation and the woman just nodded with a smile, “I-I’ll just change back and we’ll work on it okay?”

“That’s fine!” she hears Shells’ voice once she enters the hallway, “More champagne for us!”

“I don’t like this one,Mav.”

Pete gives his nephew an unimpressed look, watching him hold up a purple tie to his neck only to pick up a blue one instead, then repeat the process, “You have been trying to choose one for,” he checks his watch, “Ten minutes.”

Bradley tsks, holding the red one up one more time, “Our wedding’s colors will be fall colors,” he explains, “So I want to find something good and I know shit about color theory,I should text Bea and ask her.” he wanted to, the last time they talked was hours ago when she got to the bridal store and that was it.

He wanted Pete to help him find a nice suit, he had a few but he’d never wear one of his old ones on his own wedding. Besides, his uncle was his father’s groomsmen back in the day and he’d repeat the role at his wedding, there was no one else he’d trust this much - except Beatrice, of course. “Then get something maroon.” Mav says with a shrug, looking down at the selection of ties “Or keep it simple, keep it black.”

“No, the suit is already going to be black,I want a pop of color.”

Mav tried to hold back the sigh, rolling his eyes instead. Honestly, watching Rooster literally preen himself while standing in front of a mirror with the black dress pants of his wedding suit and the dark gray vest with the white shirt underneath reminded him so much of Goose. He also joined his friend in the search for the perfect suit, so it was like the past was repeating itself in front of his very eyes.

Rooster ended up grabbing the maroon tie, wrapping it around his neck and tying it quickly, which to Mav brought him back to the time he helped Rooster when he was much younger…at Goose’s funeral. Poor boy still had no idea why he was there, no idea why he was dressed as such and Carole was, understandably, too nervous to help him out.

So Pete took it upon himself to kneel in front of the blonde boy and tie the light blue colored tie around his collar, giving him the best smile he could muster under the circumstances. And to see him doing the same motion but for a completely different reason was…making Mav very emotional.

He wished Goose and Carole were here, he wished they could see their boy prepare himself for his wedding. He knew they were, but he wished they were here physically. Rooster was much bigger than Goose, taller and broader, but the mannerisms were still the same: the nervous mustache brushing, followed by the hands going down his chest to fix any creases on the vest and the subtle quirk of his lips when he was pleased, “I kinda like this.” Rooster says, turning around to face Mav, “What do you think?”

Pete looks at his nephew from top to bottom, then purses his lips with a nod, “Looks good to me.” the positive words made the younger pilot smile, turning back to face the mirror as Pete grabbed the suit jacket that was on the corner, handing it over to Rooster. He quickly slid his arms inside the sleeves, shrugging his shoulders and buttoning the middle of it, once again running his hands over the length of the suit.

Bradley looked like he was glowing, the apples of his cheeks were flushed a light red and his smile was wide and toothy, brown eyes glinting with tears, “I like it.” he says quietly, “We just need the flower here and it’ll be perfect.” he says gesturing to the breast pocket, dropping his hands by his sides to slide them inside the pants’ pockets, turning this way and that to have a better look of himself, “Mav…I’m going to get married.”

“Yep,” he chuckles, “Having cold feet already?”

“Fuck no.” Rooster laughs, forcing the words out, “I’m happy as fuck, Mav. I just…you know I never ever thought about getting married and yet here I am. I don’t regret anything,Mav.I really don’t.”

“I know you don’t.” Mav says from behind him, walking closer to his nephew to look up at him, clapping his shoulder, “I’d be really upset if you regretted it.”

“I’d ask you to slap me if that happened.”

Both men laughed at the joke, Rooster’s head snapping to the side where his phone was as soon as he heard Beatrice’s ringtone - Mav bit his lower lip to hide his smirk when he heard it was Waiting for a Girl Like You by Foreigner - quickly accepting the call with a smile already starting, “Hey,gorgeous. How’s the dress hunting going?”

“It’s been going great!” she says sweetly, “I already found it.”

“You did?”

“Yes, it’s really beautiful, Roos. I won’t spoil it for you but…yeah, it’s great. How about you? Did you manage to get a nice suit?”

“Sure did,” after a few hours of trying, he eventually chose the usual black, “Just choosing a tie to go with. Any suggestions?”

“Well…I think maroon is a pretty nice color!”

He looks down at the already maroon tie, then looks back at Mav, “Yeah, Mav suggested it too.” his uncle just rolled his eyes and shook his head with a disbelieved smile, “Anyway,” he lowered his voice to a whisper, walking farther from Mav,”How long until you come back?” not that he was missing her already, he really wanted her to have fun with the girls. The scream Nat and Halo let out when Bea told them she wanted the two to be her bridesmaids still echoed in his brain.

“Um…I think in a few minutes? We are finishing the bridesmaid dresses.” she says and he hears her feet taking her to an area where the talking is louder, “And then I want to check the flowers with my aunt, but I’ll be home really soon,I do have to work later tonight after all.”

“Ah, okay.”

“You sound upset?”

“I’m not upset,I was just…hoping we’d have lunch together,” he turns around just in time to see Mav giving her a knowing grin and he immediately looks away, “But if you can’t–” the sound of her laugh was enough to make him melt on the spot.

“Well, maybe I can speed some things up. I can talk to my aunt on the phone after all. Do you have a place in mind?”

“Hmmm, no but I think we can figure something out, don’t you?”

Beatrice laughs again, the sound faltering until she speaks, “Well,I’ll let you know when I leave, okay? Meet you at home?”

“You bet, gorgeous.” he replies, “I love you, see you in a bit.”

“I love you too, Roos. See you in a few!”

She finishes the call and he’s left staring at his phone background like a little boy with a crush, which honestly was how he always felt with Bea. His heart just somersaulted everytime she was around. He hears someone clear their throat, looking over his shoulder to where Mav was still watching him, arching one eyebrow with amusement, “Well,Romeo, is your Juliet coming or not?”

“In a little bit.” Rooster replies, ignoring the nickname and stepping in front of the mirror again, giving himself another once over to check the suit on all sides, “We’ll meet up at home, so,” he starts to remove the suit jacket, “I’m going to change and pay for this. Bea agreed with the maroon tie.”

“She’s a smart girl, of course she would.” Rooster sent a glare towards his uncle, but didn’t say anything else, just walked to the changing room to go back to his Hawaiian shirt, white top and jeans.

Once he paid for everything, clearly glad with his purchase, he tried to not sound giddy when they walked out. Which wasn’t working, because he was talking miles per minute, enough to make Pete just let him do his thing and be quiet, walking besides his godson with a little smile. Seeing Rooster so happy was a delight and he’d want that to happen as often as possible - which honestly, ever since he met Beatrice it was.

Rooster was already a good boy, a good man, but Beatrice seemed to bring the best in him. And the wedding was honestly a long time coming, of course it took a few months but he was right by telling Penny they’d tie the knot soon enough. Unfortunately, the two men would have to part ways after Rooster got a message from Beatrice saying she was already home and Pete once again had to hold back his smile at how Rooster just lit up like the Fourth of July reading her message.

Both men hugged each other as goodbye, Maverick watching the blue Bronco disappear in the distance with his head shaking ever so slightly, looking up at the sky, “Your boy.” he mutters, “Your boy is a mix of both of you and it’s incredible.” he laughs before hopping on his bike,riding the opposite way Rooster went to.

#bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x oc #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw x reader

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kageyama-ritsu · 3 years ago

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Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Screenshot Let’s Play and Transcription

Since June of last year, I’ve been doing a mostly-on-sometimes-off playthrough, transcription, and Let’s Play of the Steam and GOG port of Higurashi When they Cry/Higurashi no Naku Koro ni on Something Awful. Someone else actually already made a forum-based, screenshot Let’s Play of this game years ago (and finished it!), but half of the images in the first arc are broken and it’s a little hard to parse.

So I thought, why not kill three birds with one stone? I can create a proper transcription of Higurashi that will be saved on its own dedicated server (the LPs in Something Awful are archived both on SA and lparchive.org, the latter once it is completed). I can also reread this sound novel that I am incredibly fond of.

Most importantly, I hope that this LP gets more people to read Higurashi. For people who either don’t want to pay 50 dollars on Steam/GOG for all of the arcs or sit down and commit 60 hours to watch video footage of a game released in 2002, this format lets you read it at your own pace in just a couple of days.

This is how the LP is presented. People who are familiar with and/or fans of Higurashi will notice a few things about this— and my choices are explained in the masterpost (which you can see as soon as you click the link to the LP). I also recorded every update in video form and put a link to it at the top of every update. (Higurashi is a sound novel after all, not a visual novel.) The recordings also have some fantastic voice acting, so check that out if possible.

I update three times a week on Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday.

Here’s the link.

My sales pitch, for those uninitiated to Higurashi or do not know why they should read it, is under the cut.

Some people may know of Higurashi because of its rather infamous Studio DEEN anime adaptation. The yandere anime or whatever.

(This is the cover of a Higurashi video game released in 2014 but the art is pretty similar to the anime’s ssshhhhh)

In the game, you play as Keiichi Maebara, a city boy who recently moved to the peaceful and close-knit village of Hinamizawa. While he initially spends his days playing various games with his new friends, the discovery of a string of disappearances and murders that happen in the village set him on a path towards conspiracies, paranoia, and a fight for his own life.

One of the game’s more memorable aspects is how it endears you to the characters through the slice-of-life aspects of the story, until those idyllic days slowly morph into something much more sinister. That in and of itself is nothing new in the horror and thriller genre— pretty much every dime a dozen horror movie starts with a peaceful suburb being threatened with a serial killer or monster on the loose, after all.

Where Higurashi differs is that it doesn’t stop there, but starts pulling the reader in, makes them want the horror and thrill to stop, for the idyllic days to come back. They start off engrossed in the wonderfully unsettling atmosphere that the author, Ryukishi, crafts with nothing but images, text, and sound. As they read one arc after another, they gain more questions even as some are answered.

Because, surprise— Higurashi is a slife-of-life, comedy, horror, suspense, thriller, murder mystery.

Every arc takes place in the same timeframe: June of 1983, but things are different. Something that happens in one arc doesn’t happen in another arc, and vice versa. Even though the characters do not retain their memories of past arcs, they still perform different actions at different times as strings are pulled behind the curtain. As someone with an omniscient viewpoint of the entire story, it is your job to piece together the puzzle and figure out just what is causing the deaths in Hinamizawa.

If that interests you, I’ll link the Let’s Play once more at the end of this post. The first post is the masterpost, which has even more information on the game as well as the LP itself. If nothing else, please read the trigger warnings. Higurashi is not a kind game to those who are squeamish. This may only be Ryukishi’s first big work— his writing and pacing is fairly rough for the first two arcs— but there’s a reason this game so thoroughly took over the fandom consciousness in the 2000s. His writing is, if nothing else, completely his own and paints vivid depictions of the cruelty humans have to live through every single day.

(A tidbit to note is that the author used to be a social worker. He writes about the topic with great skill but it is all very hard to watch/read.)

The game is also uh…very anime. It was initially sold in Comiket, after all. If you have a low tolerance for anime bullshit this might be a hard read for you. But underneath everything, the story is, at the core, a very touching one about the bonds between friends. Higurashi has a heart, no matter how ugly its exterior may seem at first glance, and I urge you to give it a shot.

Here’s the link again.

By the by, if you’re interested in a more “straightforward” murder mystery (more of an actuual murder mystery, much less straightforward), you should check out Ryukishi’s next work, Umineko no Naku Koro ni, which someone else already LPed. If you want to see how he might be like, trying to, solve…world conflict…?, the person who LPed Umineko also did one for the first arc (or Phase as it’s called) of Ciconia no Naku Koro ni. It’s all a bit vague for Ciconia, we really only have one chapter to go off of. None of these “sequels” require knowledge of the former entries to enjoy them.

#higurashi #higurashi no naku koro ni #higurashi when they cry #when the cicadas cry

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reidyoulikeabook · 4 years ago

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Sometimes You Just Don’t Know the Answer

4 times you don’t know the answer, and the 1 time you do

This is the 2nd part to Personal Google! (You don’t have to read it to understand this, but it exists if you want to).

Ship: BAU!reader x Spencer Reid

Summary: You’d call yourself a pretty educated individual, and most people wouldn’t argue with that, given that you’re a member of the BAU at Quantico. There’s just something about your best friend Spencer Reid that gets you all tongue tied.

Warnings: Mentions of cases and case-typical violence, mentions of alcohol, Spencer and Reader being idiots again.

Word count: 3k

A/N: The feedback (in asks and the tag reblogs) for Personal Google was so lovely and encouraging and I am very grateful for it! I only made this account a few days ago and I’m already so glad I did :) I hope this is a satisfactory second part and, requests are open!

(This is the Reid I’m imagining here)

“What is up with you and Reid?” Emily’s volume is unmoderated at the best of times but right now it’s like she’s trying to alert the entirety of Virginia to your dating woes.

Dating woes might be a stretch, actually. Somehow, just her implication that something is happening between you and Spencer (even though it isn’t, unless you count two exhausted idiots falling asleep on each other and being too bashful to ever mention it again), is enough to get you feeling uncharacteristically shy.

“Nothing,” you shrug, “Well. I don’t know, honestly, nothing I guess? We haven’t spoken about that night.”

Emily’s eyes rake over you, and you can tell she’s waiting for you to continue.

“There’s nothing!” you object, “We just, it was accidental, we fell asleep because we were watching a documentary and we were tired and neither of us fell asleep on purpose.”

She laughs, dry and amused, “At this rate, you’ll be lucky to have sorted things out before you’re 50.”

You scowl, but it’s only because you know she’s right.

***

You don’t have much time to think about your situation with Spencer for a few weeks, considering the rate at which the cases come rolling in. This newest one arrives within about two days of the last one you’d just wrapped up. It’s actually kind of rude, you’ve decided, that the serial killers of America have decided to deny you two weekends in a row.

You’re briefed on the case quickly: four women have gone missing over the past 7 months from a small town in Ohio. There’s no distinct pattern that can be discerned among the victims, the oldest is 60 and white, the youngest is 23 and Asian-American. However, the first three have been found dead in the past two weeks, all within a mile of each other and all killed with the same MO: ligature strangulation.

“So we have no idea how he’s choosing them,” you say.

“No,” Hotch replies, with a sigh.

Meaning that this is probably going to take a while. Spencer senses the way you tense up a little as you absorb that fact. So he goes out of his way to sit next to you on the plane. Once the discussion about the case is done, he nudges you gently, “Did you bring a book?”

You shake your head, “I finished the one in my go-bag. Didn’t have a chance to replace it.”

“Would you like to read this with me?”

You place your hand on his wrist, gently turning it so you can see the cover, “Spencer this is written in Greek.”

“I can translate,” he says.

You move closer to him then, your head resting just against his plane seat and your chin almost jutting against his shoulder.

“Is this okay?”

He nods. The remaining 45 minutes of the flight are spent with him reading to you softly, adding in his own thoughts as he translates and sometimes going off on little tangents. By the time you land you’ve entirely forgotten about your ire with the case. You’re focused only on the characters he introduces you to, who are clearly in love even if they’re too stupid to see it, and the way his nose crinkles a little when he reaches a word with no direct English translation.

Whhat you don’t realise, is that you end up folding into him: head pressed against his chest. Somehow, neither of you notice how you naturally gravitate towards each other. Some pair of profilers.

Hotch sends you in different cars to the precinct, and you’re soon reminded of your frustration as you’re caught up in the hub-a-bub of the case. It’s not until you’re leaving the station, after a long and relatively fruitless briefing with the medical examiners and local PD, that you even have time to acknowledge Spencer properly again.

And even then, it’s only when Hotch says.

"You'll be sharing a room with Reid, alright?"

He’s only really asking as a formality. Nobody questions Hotch’s assignments for them. So why, then, do you feel yourself flush a little.

Why then, do you feel so embarassed replying, “Alright.”

***

There was nothing much to be nervous about with sharing a room, as it so happened. The past day and a half had been a whirlwind since the unsub had snatched a fifth victim. You’d been sleeping in shifts, making sure that some of you were awake at all times to keep working.

You were working on the geographical profile with Spencer, and had taken to driving around to look for landmarks at night, when there was nothing much else to do. There were maps but sometimes it helped just to get things embedded in your brain. And now, at 4am, you’re bursting into the conference room occupied by Spencer and Rossi, because you might just have got something.

"I have an idea,” you say, and before anybody can even respond you’re scribbling hurriedly on the whiteboard.

“Slow down kiddo,” Rossi laughs.

“Sorry I’m just,” you cut yourself off, slightly flustered and tapping your foot with frustration as you try to put the last pieces of it together, “Diana Matthews.”

“Yeah?” Spencer responds.

“She was the one who lived on Lakefield right?” Rossi asks.

Annoyingly, you can’t remember off rote. Spencer sees the pinch of frustration in your brow. He senses that you’re heading for the case file.

So, he answers, “Yeah 38 Lakefield Drive.”

Smiling gratefully at him, you breathe a sigh of relief, “There’s three different stores in the area for this local electronic repair company, Gladston Digital, in this area. Two of them aren’t accounted for on the maps because these are from last year, and one of the ones on Google is pinned to the wrong street, there are two Minister Avenues and one’s on the complete opposite side of town.”

Denoting the map with annotations as you go, you continue, “All of the victims had residences within a mile of one of the three stores. And we interviewed the area manager, Paul something, he manages all three stores. He came to speak to me and Hotch while we were scoping the area.”

“Inserting himself into the investigation,” Rossi notes, “Fits the profile. A stalker like that would want to remain an illusion of control.”

“I just need to get Garcia on the phone to see if it checks out.”

Spencer just watches, slightly in awe, as you make the phone call to Garcia. She manages to cross-reference bank statements and emails, showing that all five of the victims had taken something of theirs in for repair sometime in the year before their disappearance. And he feels something in his gut. Pride? Maybe. That’s certainly a part of it.

But there’s something else in there too. Your eyes meet his, with a flicker of recognition. He realises what it is then: marvel. Your brain works so fast, and that’s not novel to him, he knows you’re intelligent but there’s just something about how fast you manage to put it all together. You conjure something out of nothing, a link that he’d missed. And he’s reminded, again, that he has to try and keep up with you sometimes. He wonders if you know that.

Probably not, he thinks. You’re rambling down the phone and gesturing with your hands, in a way you may or may not have picked up from him, and all he can think is how you look so in your element. And beautiful.

He’s a little embarassed about how normal it feels for that last observation to pop into his head.

***

“To _____!” Prentiss cheers.

8pm has rolled around. Since your revelation 16 hours earlier, you managed to confirm your thinking, apprehend Paul Bader, and save the fifth victim. All in all, a pretty good days work. It’s not just down to you, but everyone’s singing your praises so loudly it’s making you a little embarassed.

Even Hotch sets a drink down in front of you, squeezing your shoulder, “Really good work today ____.”

Fair to say you’ve probably peaked there.

Spencer is sat to your left, sipping at a Mai Tai that you know is going to have him giggly in about an hours time.

“I wasn’t trying to keep you out before,” you tell him, “I was going to come and wake you up when I got back but you were in the conference room.”

He smiles, “I know. It was my shift to sleep.”

“Bet you’re paying for that now.”

“A little,” he chuckles, “It’s worth it.”

"I just didn’t want you to think I was hanging you out to dry. You know, to make myself look good,” you decide to press further: mostly just because the team has sung your praises and that kind of attention makes you shirk at the best of times. Let alone when you’re sat with the guy responsible for creating half the damn profile.

His eyebrows furrow. You worry for a minute about what he’s going to say, but then, “I would never think that about you. We’re a team.”

He squeezes your hand. Maybe that’s your favourite thing about Spencer, really. More than the fact he remembers to get your caffeine just how you like it, more than how gentle he is with just about everybody he encounters, more than his relentless enthusiasm for your questions about whatever pops into your mind. No, it’s his modesty. The way he doesn’t even think for a moment to be prideful or arrogant about his intelligence. He genuinely roots for you in every moment, you think.

“Are you okay?” he asks, “You seem a little..quiet.”

It wasn’t until he mentioned it that you realise you’d let your thoughts run away with you, “No. I’m good. Just thinking about how good of a teacher you are.”

“You think so?”

“Of course I think so. You’ve taught me. I didn’t know the first thing about geographical profiling when I got here two years ago. I could barely read a map,” you laugh, keeping your tone sincere, “You’re a really good teacher Spence. I feel like I learn so much from just being around you.”

“I often don’t give you much choice.”

You smile, “I wouldn’t want you to. Really. I’m always interested in everything you have to say. I think you know that. But I wanted to tell you anyway. So you’re sure.”

He’s incredibly grateful you get pulled into a conversation by Morgan, giving him a moment to process.

A lifetime of being insecure. Of feeling like nobody was interested in what he had to say but not being able to really control whether he said it anyway. All this time being insecure in himself, and you liked it. Complimented him on it, even. Considered him a teacher. He doesn’t think he could articulate, in any of the languages he speaks, the sense of peace that brings him.

-----

The Mai Tai’s do make him sleepy. Buzzed, but sleepy. After being bought rounds by Hotch, Morgan, and Spencer, you’re feeling exactly the same. It’s only 10:30pm by the time you decide to make your departure for the night. This is much to the chagrin of Emily, who lolls against Rossi’s side demanding that you stay.

“Some of us have been up since 4 this morning, breaking their backs to keep this country safe,” You tease, putting on a melodramatic air just for affect, “Besides, you’re going to regret this when you have to be up and back on the jet in the morning.”

“You will, especially since you still owe me that report,” Hotch teases, with a smile.

Emily rolls her eyes, “You two are no fun.”

She’s joking, goading you, but unfortunately for her you have a sleepy Spencer nuzzling against you which is a far more pressing matter to deal with.

“Come on Spence, let’s get you to bed,” You say, gently wiggling out from under him and offering him your hand.

He pouts at the momentary loss of contact. It’s subtle. You catch it though. He links his fingers through your own, holding your hand properly, and you try not to read into it too much. He’s tipsy. He’s tired.

Ignoring the deliberately obvious eyebrow-wiggling from Morgan, you make for the lift.

“You didn’t have to come to bed just for me,” Spencer says, “I feel bad for taking you away from the others. I’m not that drunk, I could get myself to bed.”

You shake your head, “I wanted to go to bed with you.”

His eyes snap to you, a grin playing on his lips.

“I mean, I wanted to go to bed. And we’re sharing a room. So I’m going to bed with you. As in we’re going to the place where bed is, together.”

He’s just enough tipsy to be confident enough to jest, “Sure.”

You roll your eyes, “You sound like Morgan.”

“What did Morgan say?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know exactly what Morgan always says whenever anybody goes off together.”

“That they’re having sex,” He giggles, tipsiness shining through again.

“Yes, Spence, that they’re having sex.”

“But we’re not.”

The elevator dings as you arrive at your floor, saving your brain from delving into the implications of what he’s just said. And whether that was a disappointed or netural tone.

He hasn’t let go of your hand. He walks to the door with you, still keeping your hand in his. It’s hard not to let yourself read into it now. How holding hands with him could be such a casual thing. Hard not to imagine walking through bookshops with him, one hand in yours and the other picking books off the shelf he thought you’d like. The domesticity of it sickens you.

Then he lets go to cross to the bed.

“Aren’t you gonna put your pyjama’s on?” You ask.

“I wasn’t gonna sleep yet,” he says, “I was gonna...”

He looks bashful, suddenly, self-consciously licking his lower lip, “I was gonna ask if maybe you wanted to watch something with me. You can pick. I always pick.”

“This an excuse to get me in bed with you again, Spence?” You tease, just past tipsy enough not to care that this is the first time you’ve even acknowledged that night.

"Yeah, the Pearl Harbour ruse doesn’t work twice,” he jokes.

You wish you could find the courage to tease him more. Unfortunately, the liquid courage seems to have run out, and the topic somehow feels too delicate to touch.. Instead, you change quickly into your pyjama’s. Together, you pick something to watch, settling down. You’re suddenly thankful for the single bed, the necessity to be cozied up against him as you watch. To feel his chest, every beat of his heart. You swear it’s beating fast. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking.

***

Just like last time, you wake up huddled against Spencer. Unlike last time, there’s no Emily banging the door down to drag you to the police station. No, it’s quiet.

You can’t see what time it is because there’s a Spencer between you and the clock. Your phone is in your back pocket but it’s hard to find any motivation whatsoever to move when you’re like this: face pressed into his chest, his head resting atop of yours so a single curl of his hair tickles your nose, his hand on your hip holding you against him.

His eyelashes flutter, “Are you awake?”

“Yeah. I just woke up.”

He smiles, “Me too.”

“Looks like we did it again.”

“Looks like we did,” his voice is quiet.

“Do you want me to move? If I’m...I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

His free hand comes up to your chin, tipping it so you’re looking him directly in the eyes. His pupils are dilated. In the dim light it’s hard to place the look on his face exactly. But it’s soft.

"C-Can I kiss you?” the question spills quickly from his lips, like he’s afraid he’ll change his mind if he doesn’t get it out fast, “I just. I don’t know if that’s what you want too, I’ve just really-”

"Kiss me, Spence. Please kiss me.”

The smile on his face would have made you fall in love with him, if you weren’t already. And then he kisses you. Barely. Your lips are just grazing against one anothers. You tilt yourself upwards, towards him, giving him a better angle. Then he really kisses you, capturing your lips in his. It’s sweet, it’s soft, it’s...it’s everything. It’s everything, how his hands tangle themselves tentatively in your hair, how he kisses you so deeply, drinking you in.

His hand cups your cheek, then he’s pulling back, just a tiny bit, to mumble against your lips, “I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”

The only appropriate way you can think to verbalise your agreement, is closing the gap between your lips again. There’s an urgency to it this time. Your lips move quickly, passionately. He swipes his tongue across your lower lip and you let him in, your tongues delicately dancing together. He’s good. He’s good and you don’t even notice the morning breath or faint taste of rum, it’s just Spencer.

When you finally come apart, you’re out of breath.

“I didn’t think you’d ever do that,” you say, “I was worried I was reading this whole thing wrong.”

He frowns then, that little nose crinkle appearing again, “I thought I was too obvious.”

“So did I. Maybe it’s best if we don’t tell Hotch how bad we are at profiling each other. He might rethink his decision to take us on.”

He laughs, “Not being able to profile when somebody’s in love with you might be a cause for concern. There are several obvious phyical signs of love, including dilation of pupils when looking at the object of your affection, heart rate synchronisation.”

“How am I supposed to know if our heart rates have synchronised?”

He smiles. Pressing a finger to your lips, he dips his head in the small chasm between your two chests. In the silence, in the early morning quiet, in the absence of all distraction you can hear it. The steady thrum of your hearts, pounding away at identical paces. The sound that told you that some part of you had always known.

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

Tagslist: @takeyourleap-of-faith @sassiest-politician (let me know if you’d like to be added/removed from this list)

#spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader #imagine spencer reid #reid x reader #spencer reid #spencer reid fluff #imagine criminal minds #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds x you #bau!reader

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officiallycake-blog · 2 years ago

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An update: friend, I am so tired, I barely know where to begin.

About a month ago, my toddler got sick in the nursery. It wasn't a major cold, but it was enough to make her super (and I can’t stress this enough) SUPER clingy. She will cry for me for over an hour if I leave her with my grandparents (who are literally her favorite people after me and my husband, and who are also my go-to babysitters). In fact, we visit my grandparents decently often together, and it's gotten to the point that she will cry as we enter their house - even if I'm staying with her - because she thinks I'm going to leave.

She has also started crying when my husband puts her to sleep. We're talking "screaming at the top of the lungs," "thrashing around to such an extent that it causes physical harm to my husband" kinda crying. Which means I've largely been the one putting her to sleep. But also, she's gotten so so much worse at sleeping. Within the past week, between her one nap and one bedtime and the many, many times she wakes up in the middle of the night, I've been spending 4 hours per day putting her to sleep, and that's not an exaggeration. She's never been a good sleeper, but it's like she's a newborn again, and nothing that has worked in the past has been working now.

I mean, we've always co-slept, but prior to this month, we were so close to weaning her off of that. And it used to be that I could just hold her hand from a distance to put her back to sleep; now I have to full-on cuddle her for a 50% chance that she'll settle down.

Part of it is probably that she's potty training (and making satisfactory progress there). A big part of that is that she now has an awful schedule. (I'm cutting her naps to 1hr/nap because I need her to sleep at night). (Although, honestly, it's really hard for me to enforce a schedule because if I do then I never get to see anyone, and I'm so, so isolated here). Another big part is that she has another cold again - courtesy of the one time we put her in nursery on the day we played d&d.

When I did the math to optimize our social outing potential, the "likelihood of my toddler getting sick in the nursery" was 60%, but for these past two months, it's literally 100%, which I guess makes sense with school starting and seasons changing. And we're not talking major sicknesses like hand foot and mouth or COVID or the chickenpox; they're just colds, but I am so sick of my kid getting sick. My husband really wants her to socialize at church - she has no cousins or siblings out of the womb yet or friends she sees more often than once per week. And I also know that when she starts kindergarten, it'll be good for her to have some basic immunity to minor colds. But more than any of that, I. want. to. sleep., and I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to put a toddler to sleep many times over only for her to wake up and wake up and wake up and wake up because she has a stupid cough. (I ended up tabling that convo with my husband, but we are coming back to it later. She's wearing him down too).

I'm exhausted. And beyond the fact that I literally haven't been sleeping anyway, I'm pregnant, and there's nothing more frustrating than being worn down to the bone and then having a good old case of pregnancy insomnia. My house is a mess. I can’t be bothered to cook, so we've been eating too much trash. I do have a decent amount of time, but I’m so tired that instead of doing helpful things like Bible reading or dishes or even just crafting, I've been scrolling through Reddit (which is really taking a toll on my mental health, ugh. I need to uninstall that app).

All of which is to say that d&d was not going to happen on Sunday. Friday night, she slept night for a grand total of four hours, and then Matt woke up with her cold. (I tested negative for COVID, so I strongly considered dumping them and coming alone to play, but (1.) I needed sleep so badly, especially since I only slept four hours Saturday night, and (2.) It’s really, really hard to justify leaving my kid for so long when I know she's going to make whoever is watching her (even my husband) so miserable.

And I can tell the difference between my kid throwing my tantrum and my kid being scared. I don’t know why she has been so clingy to me, but I do know she's not just throwing a tantrum. She's genuinely afraid of being away from me, and especially of going to sleep without me.

So I'm really, really, tired. And my second kid is due in less than 20 weeks, and I am so, so, so not ready for her yet. Pray for me, friend! And let me know how I can pray for you.

#at the very least #i have been working on the kailon backstory #(gotta get the d&d urge out somehow)#maybe i'll have something for you by the end of this week?#we'll have to see

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jade-parcels · 4 years ago

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💫mushroom tea💫

Keaya Alberich is a hardworking man. When he isn't at the Knights of Favonius headquarters or patrolling Mondstadt, he’s out clearing hilchurl camps or interrogating members of the abyss. In all of your time together, it's rare to see him off of work. If anything, you had not anticipated him taking a day off in the middle of the week like this.

Kaeya had let you borrow a sword for a commission since your own needed sharpening. After using it, of course you were going to bring it back however, he was nowhere to be found. Not only that, his office was locked and his name wasn’t on any of the dispatch sheets displayed in the main hall. The only other place you could think to check was his house though it felt ridiculous to try. Kaeya rarely stays in his own house, he’s always out doing something.

So you set off down the stone stairs, past the city’s center and Wagner’s blacksmithing tent to stand on the captain’s doorstep. You knock and wait… And wait.... No answer. You knock again, louder this time, still nothing. Just as you’re stepping away, you see the curtains flutter in the window, an eye peering at you from between the fabric. You’re looked over once or twice before the door is pulled halfway open, the hinges creaking unpleasantly.

“Hello darling...Ah, I wasn’t expecting any visitors today” Apparently not, you’ve never seen Kaeya so disheveled before. His hair is a mess around his shoulders, he doesn't seem to be wearing anything besides a robe and he’s holding a teacup which looks like it will fall out of his hand at any moment. Then his eyes meet yours...

His eyes are red, pupils blown wide. You almost can’t see the blue of his eyes, just your own reflection in the black “Kaeya? Are you alright?” you lean in to block the door so no one could see in “You look awful”

Kaeya scoffs, rolling his eyes “You’re so kind and caring, sweetheart. Look, It’s my day off! I only get one per month, though I’d make it count” He raises his cup, taking a sip. Whatever it is smells horrific “If you want to talk more, you’ll have to come inside. I’m quite tired of standing”

You follow him inside, raising a brow as you watch him slowly make his way to sit in front of his fireplace. His eyes fixate on the fire, a dopey smile spreading across his face as he watches the flames dance.

“Kaeya…?” No response “Kaeya?” You try again, crossing the room to sit next to him on the floor. He hums a little, acknowledging your presence but he keeps staring at the bright flames “So...Are you having a nice day off?”

“Uh huh”

“Is this what you’ve been doing all day?”

“Yeah”

“Are you-“

“Sweetheart, please… Enough talking” He finally tips his head to look up at you “You can join if you want, I have plenty of tea to go around but otherwise… Please be quiet” He reaches up to caress your cheek, giving it a pinch before turning away again. You can tell he’s trying his best to not be rude to you. You observe him for a minute or so, watching as he grins at the flames, occasionally sipping his tea. His posture is so relaxed, you rarely get to see him so laid back. It must be tea, right? You peer over his shoulder into the floral tea cup, grimacing at the greenish brown liquid inside. It looks thicker than tea should be, not to mention the smell.

“I know you told me to be quiet but can I ask what this is?” You gesture down to the cup and Kaeya lets out dorky giggle

“You’ve never seen mushroom tea before?” He sets the cup aside, reaching over to take your hands in his own. They’re uncharacteristically sweaty “Sometimes I wonder about you, you really need to get out more” He laughs again “Mushroom tea has some… How do I put it- Special properties. Hallucinations, relaxation, floaty feelings, it’s lovely. But expensive”

“So ‘mushroom tea’ is code for drugs?” You ask, unable to help but feel surprised “I never thought you were into that”

“No! No no, no drugs here. It’s all natural, honest! And it's a treat I don't often partake in! As I said, it's expensive! This stuff comes all the way from Natlan and can cost up to five thousand mora for teaspoon worth” Kaeya groans dramatically, letting his head fall into your lap “But let’s not talk about mora or work, that’s the last thing I want’

“We don’t have to talk about work” You run your fingers through his hair, working through a couple knots “You mentioned hallucinations...What do you see?”

“Naked women~” he winks up at you before dissolving into another fit of breathy giggles. You can’t help but laugh with him “Besides them, I just see colors. Lots of yellow and green- it’s like Albedo’s painting the inside of my eyelids. You should try it, I wonder what you’ll see~”

You aren’t one to be peer pressured but after an hour of pestering, you decided a few sips couldn't hurt. Well, they didn't hurt but they did do something. The tea started working minutes after entering your system. You felt lighter yet your head felt heavier, colors danced at the edges of your vision and you could make out strange shapes in the fire before you. If this was how you felt after a sip or two, you couldn't imagine how Kaeya felt after drinking this stuff all morning. The look on his face said it all though, he was having a great time. Warm arms snaked their way around you, pulling you into a sweaty hug. You decided to take the rest of the day off with him, work could wait awhile.

Recipe added to inventory: Funny Mushroom Tea

Ingredients: Pops’ tea(x2), suspicious mushroom(x1), milk(x1), sugar(x1)

Effects: ATK -15% for 300s, DEF -25% for 300s, HP -10%, stamina -60, sprinting speed -50% for 300s

#genshin impact #kaeya alberich #kaeya x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin imagines #genshin impact writing #unedited so please ignore errors :')#alternate title: Kaeya gets high pffttt

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just-run-it-out · 3 years ago

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I was meant to go to the football this evening but I just cannot be bothered and have decided to have a home-y day instead. My bf and I slowly got ready this morning and headed into town to pick up some lunch and check out a local charity shop. I had a good feeling I would find something today and I absolutely did. Scored a dining table and chairs for $60 that was exactly the size and colour I wanted. It won’t fit in our car but I’ve asked my dad to come up with his car tomorrow morning and we’ll hopefully be able to fit it.

My bf will still go to the football and I’ll just spend the rest of my afternoon cleaning, baking, watching stranger things and go to the gym. Not going to the football just opens up so much more time because I’m not spending an hour each way going in plus 3+ hours at the game.

It’s been such a busy hectic week and I got some feedback from the centre I help organise that I felt was a little unfair although I think it’s because they don’t have all the context. In short, I’m emotionally drained.

Yesterday my co-worker came in with her baby too and explained a bit why she kept it a secret. It was basically a domestic violence situation and I feel so awful that she had to go through that.

My manager told us that we’re going to get flexible working arrangements soon where we can work up to 50% from home. It’s already super flexible at the moment anyway but it’ll be nice to have it in writing and not feel like I have to ask.

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bump1nthen1ght · 4 years ago

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Deep Blue Sea (Shark Merman x Reader) Chapter 2

Pairing: Gender Neutral! Reader/Shark Merman

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Soulmate AU

Warning: Slight description of Animal Violence. Nothing too graphic, but if the genre of stuff you see on Shark week isn’t for you, skip over the part denoted by the *******

Word Count: 3530 words

Summary: You learn more about Cruz and about yourself

Prologue

Chapter 1

“-and then he just leaves. What do I even do with that?”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh,” Your roommate hums, refilling up your glass of wine. “And you don’t have his number, so you can’t call or text him right?” You take a large sip, nodding and trying not to spill wine on your pajamas.

Well, kind of.

You hadn’t told anyone about Cruz, not even your family, because frankly you didn't know where to start. But when you walked into the apartment, sullen and dragging your feet, your roommate, Caitlyn, had offered wine, ice cream, and a willing ear. That's when the floodgates opened (with some modified details, of course).

“We’re meeting at our usual place in a couple days, I just…”Another sip of wine,”...hate sitting here, not knowing what he’s feeling, what I did, how I’m feeling.” You set down your glass and throw yourself back against the couch, sinking into the cushions. “I feel so stupid, like a fucking teenager, and I hate it.” Caitlyn sets her own wine glass down and nudges the half-empty ice cream carton towards you.

“It’s for the best your feeling all this now, then you can come at ‘im all composed and articulate. Really throw him off his game.” You grab a spoon and the carton, Caitlyn patting your shoulder as you take a pathetic bite.

“You’re right but I-I don’t even know. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“Sounds like this guy’s got you hooked. At least that’s a start right?” Caitlyn hums, pressing her chin into her palm. “To be completely honest, Sam took a couple days to warm up to me. And I never told her this, but she gave me hardcore pretentious vibes on our first date.”

Caitlyn gives a long spiel about her awkward first soulmate date (“Seriously, who brings up ‘the superiority of vinyl’ on the first date!”), and if you were in the mind to be a good roommate, or hadn’t heard this story before, you might’ve listened closer. But only one question was occupying your thoughts; Did Cruz like you?

--------

You arrive at the boardwalk an hour early. You don’t immediately go to the tidepool, instead choosing to take a long walk on the beach, taking a moment to calm your racing heart and collect your thoughts.

You like Cruz. You like him as much as two people who just met can, despite a less-than-romantic first impression. But does he like you?

You never thought you would have to ask your soulmate that.

There’s a small thwap as you slap your cheeks, heat simmering your skin even as the cold water laps at your feet.

This is ridiculous. You’ve talked twice. Caitlyn and Sam have a thriving relationship (You should know, you share a wall with Caitlyn) and even they got off to a rocky start.

The pit grows in your stomach, thinking of Cruz’s disinterested stare as he swims into the open ocean. The weight of it almost sinks to your toes.

You shake your head, slapping your cheeks once more.

Today is a new day. Just go through the motions _____.

You reach the tidepool, setting down your picnic blanket and bag. You grab one of your notebooks and prop it open as you bite into an apple. You’re 30 minutes early, might as well get some reading done.

The waves crash and pull against the rocks, pleasant studying ambience, but is interrupted by several clicks and abrupt, out of rhythm, splashes. You look up, immediately in awe of the sight.

About 50 feet away from the entrance to the tidepool is a pod of dolphins, breaching out of the water. You grab a pencil, your phone, and your notebook, tiptoeing through the tidepool to get a better look.

Good choice wearing water shoes today.

From closer up, you notice the distinct lack of dorsal fins and realize they must be Northern White Whale Dolphins. 60 of them have congregated in a group, most likely scouting for easy food or taking a rest.

Their pod is pretty small though. What are they doing so close to the shore?

The pod continues to play as you take shaky photos with your camera, trying to balance your notebook and pencil in the crook of your elbow. Through your viewfinder, you spot a familiar shape, not 30 feet from the pod, peeking his head out of the water. Cruz’s black eyes narrow into focus before he fully submerges. Your eyes widen as you lower your camera.

The water above Cruz rushes as he swims closer and closer to the pod. You tuck your phone back into your pocket as you finagle your way up to a nearby rock. You need a better view, and it might be best to be out of the water while this happens.

The dolphins haven’t noticed Cruz yet, still gliding along the waves. There's a quick flash of his strong back before he dives even deeper into the water. The rock slightly digs into your stomach as you lean over to get a better look.

What I wouldn’t give for a drone right now.

Before long, there is a burst of clicks, the largest dolphins quickly surrounding the group and issuing them away. They’ve spotted Cruz, but one is a little too slow.

Cruz’s dorsal fin cuts through the water, close enough to the surface that you can make out the details of his determined face. His eyes have latched onto the slowest dolphin and his speed increases exponentially. His long tail flicks back and forth as he gains on it.

*******

The dolphin flips into the air, trying to gain distance. But like a flash Cruz’s large hand shoots out of the water, getting a hold of the dolphin’s tail, and pulls. You see his shoulder and tricep bulge as the dolphin thrashes in his grip. His head once again breaches the water as he digs his other clawed hand into the dolphin’s side, raking into it as he pulls the dolphin closer to him. The two tussle and wrestle against each other, going in and out of the water as the dolphin tries to push Cruz away.

But Cruz is limber, keeping a tight grip on the dolphin as he maneuvers his body alongside it. His torso raises up as he pushes the dolphin down under the water and into submission. Cruz then yanks the dolphin’s front upwards and out of the water, grip still tight on it’s rear, before opening up his maw and tearing into the dolphin’s neck. He rips his head back and forth until the dolphin stills, a large pool of red slowly cascading around them.

*******

Your pencil hangs loosely in your fingers as you watch, eyes locked on Cruz. You think the struggle must’ve lasted only 20 seconds, but in the moment, it felt like hours. Cruz’s chest heaves as he takes another bite, serrated teeth easily ripping the flesh, as casual as the lobster roll from your last meeting.

Blood drips from his mouth and covers his claws. His cards his fingers back through his hair, leaving crimson streaks that shine against his black locks. Cruz bites off another mouthful before heaving the dolphin onto his shoulder.

As a large science nerd, you’ve always enjoyed watching nature in progress. But a new, exciting, vaguely uncomfortable feeling stirs in your gut as you watch Cruz suck in his fingers, picking out stray bits of meat from his large, sharp teeth. A feeling like a shiver rushing down your spine and heat in between your legs.

Oh my god. Why was that the hottest thing I’ve ever seen?

Cruz turns away and submerges himself, giving you a nice shot of his defined back muscles as he sums up his hunt. You can’t take your eyes off his form moving just below the water, even as your 5 PM alarm goes off.

You knew Cruz was larger, and far stronger, than you, but seeing him in his element reminds you just how easily he could tear you apart.

God, and I kind of want him to.

As he swims further away from the shore, you see two black dots in the distance. You take out your phone again and open up the camera to zoom in.

Speaking of huge. Holy shit.

The focus is a little blurry, but it’d be hard for you to miss the massive mermaids. With only their shoulders and up out of water, they still tower over Cruz by at least a head each. Both have long black hair, intertwined with what looks to be seaweed and various types of shells. The one on the right is holding two larger masses over her shoulders, positioned the way a lumberjack would hold a fallen tree. Cruz reemerges with his dolphin in tow, frighteningly small.

Cruz’s gestures indicate they’re having a conversation, mostly one-sided. The dolphin on Cruz’s back bounces as he talks animatedly, his hunt small when compared to the two weights the right mermaid carries. With your old phone you can only catch a glimpse of the left mermaid’s lips moving. Cruz’s energy dims as she continues and he seems to sink deeper into the water.

The left mermaid holds out her hand. Cruz hesitates, then throws his dolphin into her arms. She swings it over like it weighs nothing and then shakes her hand as if to shoo him away. The right one rumbles with laughter. Cruz nods, solemn as the two submerge and swim away.

Cruz stays there for a minute, looking out at the horizon. When he finally turns, his movements are lethargic as he swims towards the tidepool.

You scramble down from the rock and quickly tiptoe back to your blanket, fumbling to stuff your notebook and pencil back into your bag.

Cruz glides in, his eyes not meeting yours, locked in thought.

“Hey Cruz.” You wave, struggling to catch your breath from your impromptu rush.

Cruz slowly looks up at you, still slightly downcast.

“Hey. Sorry I’m late.” You shake your head furiously.

“It’s no problem! I got her kind of early, and then I saw you hunting and didn’t want to bother.” Cruz’s eyes widen a bit, before her recoils into himself and sheepishly rubs the back of his neck.

“Oh, sorry. You probably didn’t want to see that….” You once again shake your hands and head back and forth.

“No! No I-, I actually thought it was super cool!” Cruz quirks his eyebrows.

“What?”

“Yeah! It was like my own personal Shark week. Like wow, you looked amazing out there.”

Cruz’s cheek tint a cerulean blue, the corners of his lips turning up at the sides as he fiddles with his fingers.

“And those dolphins are the fastest kind around here, but bam! You were on them like a firecracker, kind of wish I had a slow motion camera.” You laugh, before realizing Cruz probably didn’t understand half of your analogies. “You looked uh, you were really good at it.”

Well duh, you idiot. He’s a shark.

“Thank you.” Cruz shoots you a tiny smile, blush still running across his face and down his neck. The ensuing silence is only slightly uncomfortable, as Cruz’s blush stays strong and you're sure you develop one of your own. You try and focus on something else to calm down, but catch a glimpse of his biceps, and fail miserably.

“Oh, that’s right.” Cruz reaches over and sticks his hand in between two nearby rocks. His brow furrows before his eyes light up, and he pulls out a….handbag?

It’s loosely sewn together with kelp, made of some sort of seal skin and closed with a seashell button. Cruz pops it open and begins to rummage inside.

“Gotcha.” Cruz pulls something out of the bag, before turning and hiding it behind his back.

“Uh, whatcha got there?” Cruz smiles, his blue blush painting his face from top to tip.

“I found this thing and thought you um….might want to look at it?” Cruz pulls his arm in front, revealing a reflective white shell, just a bit longer than his palm.

“It’s not a crab, but I thought it was neat looking so….”

You slowly move towards him, gesturing to ask if you can hold the shell. Cruz nods, almost shoving it into your hand.

The color is completely white, sharp, almost polished-looking. It carves into several rings before sloping into a point. It’s empty, the inside free of any sand or tiny algae.

“Do you know what it’s called?”

You look back to Cruz and nearly brush your nose against his. You realize how hot his body heat is as he leans over you to look at the shell. Your shoulders just barely touch.

As if dipped into boiling water, your face alights into red and your body convulses to jerk away from the heat.

“Yeah-Yes! Actually I do, it’s-it looks like a Kellets W-Welk. Well, the remains of one’s shell anyway.”

Cruz stays close, letting out a small “Ohhh.” as he squints his eyes to get a closer look. It’s the most on-land you’ve seen him, with the water lapping at the base of his tail. Sitting down, your head only comes to his clavicle. The uncomfortable burning stirs in your gut.

“Is it a hermit crab?”

“Not, it’s a sea snail. They're not really on land like crabs.” You brush your thumbs over the shell’s ridges. “There are quite a few varieties of sea snails around here, lots of beautiful shells. Their babies look pretty cool too.”

Cruz nods, eyes intent, and it reminds you of the elementary kids you saw when working at the aquarium. Your heart skips as you futilely try to fight the smile on your face.

“Can you eat ‘em?”

You chuckle and Cruz’s face grows a darker shade of blue. “Yeah, you can. You’ve got a good eye for snacks huh?”

Cruz pouts playfully, blue still awash on his cheeks. “Maybe, but I’m not always thinking about food.” Just as he finishes, you hear his stomach rumble. You stifle your laugh with your hand and Cruz grabs his stomach angrily. “Sh-Shut up! It’s almost dinner!”

The two mermaids flash in your mind. You see Cruz handing over the dolphin as they swim away. Then you see Cruz, furiously cracking open crabs with a single-minded purpose. The smile drops from your chin.

How often does that happen?

Cruz was small for a Great White. You hadn’t even thought about why. You don’t even know if you want to.

“They’re pretty tasty, but their shells are a lot more fun.” Cruz furrows his brow again. “Here, let me show you.” You scoot yourself closer to him, putting the white shell against his ear. His eyes widen and he leans backwards a bit from your closeness, but the shell still lingers by his ear. “Do you hear it?”

Cruz stills, furrowing his brows even deeper, but then they rise in surprise. He leans back towards you, tentatively grabbing your wrist and pulling the shell closer.

“Its-”

“The ocean.”

The same childlike wonder from before flushes on his face as he looks at you, bringing your stomach a flutter. Cruz presses his head down closer to the shell, the bottom of his cheek now touching your palm. Cruz’s skin is cool against yours, slightly damp, and you feel the hint of roughness as his chin brushes against your wrist.

“How-How did you-”

“My mom showed me once. I mean, technically it’s the echo of the blood coursing through your ear, which reverberates and sounds like waves crashing. But it’s still a neat trick.”

“Oh, I see….”

From this close, you can see the small freckles which dapple Cruz’s cheeks, peppering across the bridge of his nose and up onto his forehead. Specks of dark blue, black, and green contrasts against his light gray skin, like the setting sun catching the pulling tides.

In the moment, you long to touch them.

So you do.

It’s so….soft.

As your thumb brushes up his jaw, the mottled colors are overwhelmed and overshadowed by Cruz’s furious blush. Cruz moves away so quickly that he unfurls his grip on a nearby rock and loses his balance. He braces himself and hisses as his thin skin nicks the corner of a rock.

“Oh my god, I’m so-so sorry! I just- oh my goodness are you okay?” You retract the shell closer to your chest, your other hand outstretched to steady Cruz. When he flinches away, you pull it back. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have invaded your personal space like that.”

Cruz's chest heaves but he doesn’t move or say anything. From the corner of your eye you spot a tiny bit of blood leaking onto the rock.

“Oh shit, wait I-I should have something.” You whip around to your backpack, shuffling and pushing aside your notebook to find your emergency first aid kit. Water wells in the corner of your eyes as you frantically search. You desperately try to will the tears away.

Stupid, stupid, stupid stupid-

Your inner insults are interrupted when your fingers brush against the familiar plastic fabric pouch. Before turning back to Cruz, you hastily wipe your eyes.

“Here, this should help.” You hold out the small thing of gauze and an antiseptic wipe. Cruz slowly takes them, fiddling with the gauze until it's undone. He picks up the antiseptic package with the tips of his forefinger and thumb, eyes squinting as he tries to read the small text.

“That’s to clean the wound with, to get the gross stuff out.” Cruz’s eyes narrow even further, brushing his thumb over the paper wrapping. Tentatively, he plops the unwrapped wipe on his wound. He looks back, clearly confused. “You have to unwrap it first, then wipe it.” His blush returns as he jerks his eyes away from you, embarrassed with you watching.

“I could do-”

“I’ve got it.” Cruz snaps, finding the perforation and ripping it off quickly.

“Okay, but it’s gonna sting-”

“Ow, shit!” Cruz curses as he presses the wipe against the apex of his cut, whining and biting his lower lip.

“If it’s hurting that means it’s working.” Cruz nods, but he hastily wipes the wound and sighs as he crumples it up.Cruz wraps his cut with medical precision, reminding you of boxers right before a match. He cuts the gauze short with a snip of his teeth

“Wow, you're really good at that.” Cruz snorts.

“I don’t need any jackasses going into a frenzy anytime soon. That would be the perfect end to this shit day.”

Your heart freezes as your stomach drops, and you recoil into yourself. The nausea of guilt washes over you. And then that makes you feel even worse, and so the cycle continues.

Cruz notices your sheepish, downtrodden stare, and frantically waves his good hand.

“Wait, shit, no, thats-thats not what I meant. Uh…” He loses track of his sentence, mouth agape as he looks for words. “I mean….thank you.” He fiddles with his claws. “For the bandage, a-and the food a couple days ago. This is...nice.”

You’re almost embarrassed by how quickly his praise perks you up, rolling over your tense muscles like a masseuse.

“Thank you for the shell, it was very thoughtful of you.” Cruz sputters.

“I just passed by it on a swim, it wasn’t a big deal. The reefs got a ton of them, so, y’know.”

You don’t know, but it’s cute watching him fumble with his words. He’s so bashful for an apex predator you saw kill a dolphin not 20 minutes ago.

“I could even-well, it’s close that we- we could go sometime? You and me?” Cruz fiddles with his claws once more, and you wonder if it’s a nervous compulsion. “It’s a little ways away from the coast but with me carrying you, we could probably see a lot.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.” Cruz’s nervous smile is much more lopsided than his regular one. It accentuates the dimple on his left cheek.

“I would love that.”

-----------

You decide to meet up early on Saturday to get a head start on the sunlight. You leave the boardwalk giddy, your nerves tingling pleasantly with pre-plan jitters. All this energy means you might have to spill to Caitlyn once more, just to let it all out. You’ll most likely tell her you two are getting breakfast by the beach, maybe stop by an aquarium.

Looking at all the coral and the crustaceans. Just me, in Cruz’s arms-

You stop, your nerves bubbling up under your skin, like steam is blowing out of your ears as you think about what is in store for Saturday.

You’re still not sure how Cruz feels about you. But there isn’t a show of a doubt now; You have a crush on him.

----------

Cruz sits in the water, cracking open a leftover oyster he had left in his bag for emergencies. Emergencies like being so flustered he can't possibly go back to the pod, not without looking incredibly suspicious.

He brushes his thumb over his cheek, and it’s almost like you're there again.

So….soft.

#my writing #monster romance #monster x reader #reader insert #shark merman #merman #shark merman x reader

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whatdoesshedotothem · 3 years ago

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Sunday 9 June 1839

8 50/..

12 ¾

fine morning F60° inside and 58° outside at 9 50/.. am downstairs at 10 instead of nine as I had fancied till seeing the clock and Robert Mann – stood talking ¼ hour then asked him to wait – breakfast at 10 ¼ in about ½ hour – then had Robert Mann in the little breakfast room till sent him into the servants hall to dinner at 12 ¾ and had him afterwards from about 1 ¼ for an hour – at luncheon with A- before one – but could only get her to take ½ glass of Madeira and ½ a biscuit – had the plan of the estate and had a thorough colliery talk with Robert M- Long goit cannot be stopt at any reasonable expense – Robert would not undertake it at £100 – he and Joseph quite satisfied at my decision to stop the colliery – it had just occurred to me before breakfast to put up the engine at mitham mill than offer to sell it to Messrs. Hird and co. – but another plan now (after breakfast) occurred to me – if I stop the colliery now, Mr. Rawson and his trespass escape me altogether – this is the most grievous thing about it – and he would be worse than ever – he might indeed think now, he could do as he liked – if his works were in such a state that he could easily get back into my territory, he might steal with impunity – and I could do nothing – chancery could not help me – obliged to give nine days notice, said Robert, and that time enough for R- to make all safe in – I proposed driving 2 board heads up to the extremity of my boundary, and getting vent by a pit sunk in Charles Howarths’ land at the low point of the Pumplane little plantation –

plan of driving 2 board heads

supposed the pit to be 70 yards deep sunk at 20/. 70.0.0

mine to take off upper bed water driven at 6/. suppose 100 yards 30.0.0

2 heads at 1/9 or 2/. per yard 600 yards 60.0.0

if done in 30 weeks wages Joseph Mann and Robert Fielding 21/. + 2/6

and engine in coal and oil etc. at 35/. per week = £42.2.0x30 = 123.0.0

Pit frames and sundries 27.0.0

310.0.0

about 350 yards cube of scale from the new pit wind pit

carting down to the meer and filling at 8d.

mine and heads would be yielding 50 or 60 yards of coal per day – say 50 yards at 8d. = 33/4

- say 12/. = suppose 21/. per day x 6 x 30 = £189

Suppose the coal to pay ½ the expense – Robert seemed much pleased with this plan said I should then certainly see after R-‘s trespass and by keeping the colliery going be more likely to make a good agreement – thought I had better agree with the little people than with Stocks – with the Spiggs co. Messrs. Emmett, Wilkinson, Norris etc. – gave up the thought of sending for S- the 2 Manns to consider over this plan, and give me an estimate of expense and let me know whether it would be possible to keep S- out or not – or whether if the Dumb mill loose should be brought up, he would be benefited in spite of me – all this to be well weighed – off to church at 2 ½ - waited 10 minutes – Mr. Horsfall did all the duty – preached 35 minutes against self-justification from Mark x.22,21 20 minutes at Cliff hill – Mrs. AW. well as of late and particularly talkative – people broke into Lightlciffe church last night, but did not take anything – I mentioned 1st time our going as soon as we could but could not yet tell the day – but if I did not see her again, it was goodbye – home at 5 ½ - A- and I walked down to the meer and round to its head and took a turn in the walk and came in at 6 ½ - dinner at 6 ¾ took a turn in front of the house till near 9 – then coffee – A- read French – looked into the paper came upstairs at 9 ½ and till 12 wrote out Friday and yesterday and all today – very fine day – went over the house about ¼ hour ago with A- fancying we heard somebody – no traces of anyone

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my-aria-nails · 3 years ago

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Would you have the option to go outwardly debilitated?

No. Your expert should be arranged fittingly to apply the paste and lashes in a way that is absolutely harmless. Your eyes are closed the entire period of the strategy. Despite how horrible a touchy reaction may get, you will not at any point go outwardly impeded. The more awful case circumstance is that you needed to go to the eye expert to get unequivocal eye drops to treat an excessively touchy reaction.

What happens when you cry?

If you experience any duplicating or trouble during the technique, making your eyes tear or making you cry, this is an enormous admonition and you should totally make some commotion. You may must have your expert change the glue. Getting Natural Eyelash Extensions Oregon should be a thoroughly torture free understanding.

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People need all different sorts of looks — certain people go for performance, and some pick something more ordinary. The benefits of mink Natural Eyelash Extensions Oregon are that they are more cushy looking and lighter all things considered, so they put less pressure on your lashes. Mink lashes moreover come at a more noteworthy cost.

How every now and again do you need to get Natural Eyelash Extensions Oregon patched up?

Standard Eyelash Extensions Oregon last through a full improvement example of typical eyelashes, ordinarily six to around two months. Taking everything into account, because each individual's lash improvement is somewhat factor (just hair advancement), I propose light lash support every three to four weeks to keep a full look.

Do Natural Eyelash Extensions Oregon drop out all through a particular time span?

Since each lash extension is joined to a single eyelash, they will exit typically close by the customary improvement example of each lash. We endorse a last detail every three to about a month.

Right when a fresh master applies lashes, the individual consistently applies one made lash to three to four typical lashes, making bundles or the lash cushion and quitter. Likewise, your lashes might exit if you pick at them or endeavor to pull them out yourself, which is a significant no-no. However, if you avoid those two issues, your lashes ought to stay immaculate.

Would you have the option to shower or swim right away? Are there things you should absolutely avoid?

Get water a long way from your lashes for the underlying 12 to 24 hours after application or last subtleties. Water can cripple the paste before it is set and cause lashes to tumble off. The after-care changes depending upon the glue used. For instance, with stick for fragile eyes, oil-based things or beauty care products removers around the eye locale are not recommended. Using water-proof mascara on the extensions isn't proposed for a glue, as it is hard to take out and can truly pull off the lashes carelessly when endeavoring to take it off.

Is it okay to similarly wear mascara?

In the event that you are expecting to wear mascara in any case the developments, simply use it on the tips of the increases and with an outstandingly light hand. This will be adequate to give your eyes that "fly" close by the increases. Using mascara at the establishment of the increases will get very clumpy.

Will your normal lashes get injured or hurt?

The best dream is that Natural Eyelash Extensions Oregon ruin your own lashes. They don't. At whatever point applied precisely and properly, they are ensured and don't obliterate the strength of your ordinary lashes. Be sure not to rub your eyes or pull or pull on the extensions since this can cause lash mishap and even mischief to your customary lashes. In the event that lashes are applied properly and to each individual lash, they won't quitter.

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xplr-beauty · 5 years ago

Text

Ateez: August Dates ~ Week Two

Second part to the Ateez date series! (If you haven't read the first part, it's fine they aren't super connected)

Also it's 4:24a.m. and I did not proof read so sorry for any mistakes I am the tired.

Hongjoong:

Drive-In Movie

You and Hoongjoong got dressed up and headed to the store to buy snacks for your movie night

One of your favorite movies was playing at a park near your house and your boyfriend thought it would be fun to take you to go see it

At the store you guys raced through the aisles to get all the snacks and drinks you wanted, then to checkout in a hurry so you wouldn't be late for the movie

Hongjoong kept telling you to calm down and relax, saying you have plenty of time before the film starts as he laughs at you softly and slowly looks at all the options just to annoy you a bit

You would pull at his arm telling him to just hurry up and pick a snack so y'all could go, at this he would tease you with a 'hmm but maybe I want this snack? Or to try this one?" As he grabbed several packages and read the ingrediates in them very slowly

You would pout a little, or give him an angry glare, either way it would be enough to make him hurry up and choose a snack much faster

Finally leaving the store you guys drove to the park that the movie was being held at, everything was set up old school cinema style and looked pretty retro and 50-60's themed

Making it in plenty of time before the movie started, Hongjoong drove up to the perfect spot and parked the car asking you if you'd rather sit inside the car and watch or if you wanted to sit on the trunk/outside of the car

Whichever you decide, you guys began setting up.

OUTSIDE THE CAR: Hongjoong took the blankets and laid them out on the hood or back of the car while you grabbed a couple pillows and set them up. Joong took out the snacks and set them between you guys before picking you up and sitting you down on the car, before sliding up beside you. He took an extra blanket and covered you up, asking if you were warm and comfortable. After you were ready to go, he laid his head down on you shoulder and leaned up just far enough to kiss your cheek

IN THE CAR: climbing into the backseat together, HongJoong plopped his feet up onto the middle console and you laid your legs over his lap. He pulled you onto his chest and got you all comfy, he made sure you had plenty of blankets, sat the snacks within arms reach, got whatever else you needed set up for you before he wrapped his arm around your shoulder and began eating snacks while staring at the screen waiting for the movie to start

Soon, the movie began to play!!

You guys laughed together, said the lines in perfect timing with the characters, he pointed out his favorite part "ah, this is my favorite scene!" With an excited squeel like tone as he edged closer to the screen a bit

Every now and then he would kiss the top of your head or feed you some of the snacks, offer you some drink silently or squeeze your shoulder/hand just as a reminder he's there

Once the movie was over he 'woow'd the film and complimented it, discussing the film with you before cleaning up the mess and either walking around with you for a bit or driving you straight home if you were too tired

If you fall asleep on the drive home, he'll be in pure heaven with how adorable you are! He wouldn't even bother waking you, he would carry you straight to bed once you got home. (Even if you don't live together, he would also pay respects to your parents/roommates before he leaves thanking them for letting him carry you to bed so you didn't have to wake up from your precious dream) of course, he would leave you with a kiss on your forehead

Seonghwa:

Amusement Park

It's been a while since Seonghwa has been to a good amusement park but hearing you talking about them for weeks on end now, he feels like it would be wrong not to take you

Once you both have free time on a day of nice weather, Seonghwa would take you to a fairly new amusement park only a couple hours away

On the way to the park, you guys would decide what rides you were most excited to try out, discussing taking pictures together and eating some good food. You were both really excited

The worst part of the day was standing in the line to get into the park. You were so eager to go on rides and see the park it felt like hours before you got inside

Once in the park however, it was worth the wait! Everything was better than you imagined, more magical than you were expecting. Every single ride looked tempting, all the characters in the park walking around looked fun and so cool, there were little food stalls full of unique and aesthetically pleasing foods, you didn't know where to start.

Seonghwa pulled out his camera secretly while you were in awe of the park and he managed to snap an embarrassing photo of you in front of the entrance, in the photo you looked like you had drool running out of your gaped mouth in excitement!

Seonghwa pointed out three rides for you that were all at the entrance, suggesting you start with a ride to get your blood pumping before heading around the park

The first option was a Go-Kart themed bug mobile racing arena, the second a 'BATMAN' rollercoaster ride, and lastly the 'CYBORG' a 7 story high anti-gravity thrill ride

GO-KART: if you choose the Go-Kart racing, Seonghwa would chuckle slightly as he takes you by the hand and leads you through the crowd of people and towards the colorful building near by. Inside you both got to choose your carts, he got into a purple and orange spotted beetle with a silly face as you got into the one beside his. Seonghwa struggled to put on his seatbelt, looking around the kart in utter confusion. You roll your eyes a bit before hoping out and running over to help your man buckle up, teasing him lightly before getting back in your kart. Once the race started, you guys drove around the garden like track racing up and down the four lane track as you cheer and laugh as you pass by one another. The ride was short but oh so sweet! You would hollar at him a bit as he sped past you on the last lap, though you were able to quickly catch up!

BATMAN ROLLER COASTER: If you decide to pick the roller coaster, Seonghwa would nod in slight anxiousness as you run towards the ride and he follows after you slowly. After waiting in line for a good while with Seonghwa squeezing your hand beside you, its finally time to ride the coaster. Sitting beside you, he would shake the bar a bit to make sure it was locked in tight before the roller coaster began creaking it's way towards the tall climb. The ride was really cool and full of high top drops, loops, and swirls. Sometimes you were upside down, sometimes you were dropping down 15 feet at 50 miles per hour before going on a wingover corkscrew descent fast enough to plaster you to your seat

CYBORG: heading down to the metropolis section of the park that was close by, Seonghwa made a few jokes saying you may be too short to ride and teasing you a lot. However once you made it, it became clear you are not too short! Getting onto the gondola side by side, Seonghwa locks his harness in place and checks yours to make sure it's tight and secure enough, feeling very overprotective in this moment. Soon the ride would start lifting off the ground and spinning on all three axis flipping you guys upside down and all around as it goes fast and then faster and you fly head over heels. The ride had you laughing, maybe screaming, maybe aloud Maybe on the inside. It just had Seonghwa making that 'what am I doing with my life?' Face as he questions silently how the rest of the day will go. Soon the ride lowered to the ground and you were let out of your seats. You would ask Seonghwa if y'all could ride again as you teater totter side to side finding it hard to stay balanced on your own two feet

After this, you walk around for a bit and take photos, either with Characters or fancy props around the park

Between photographs, you two go on more interesting rides, maybe stop for food and some drinks. He takes you into a couple gift shops if they look interesting enough. Basically, he let you dictate the day for the most part

Every now and then he would go all 'mama Hwa' mode on you, yelling for you to stop running, telling you to take his hand as you walk through crowds so you don't get lost, squatting down to tie your shoes, wiping your face as you eat. He would pull you into a gift shop and purchase sunscreen, helping you apply it in the middle of the store saying its too hot and you're gonna get burned if you don't take precautions. He would scold you a bit if you hurt yourself before taking care of your injury for you. He was just, very protective! He even had you guys stand in the shade after every few rides just to make sure that you wouldn't over heat

As the day went by, you guys rode most of to every ride you wanted to go on, he bought you a few things you wanted even if you insisted he didn't have to. He got a keychain with your name on it to add to his key ring so he'd always have a piece of you with him

Before you guys went home, Seonghwa with you on his back and bags in his hand, he stopped to buy a year round pass so you could come back whenever you wanted to. Afterwards, he carried you to the car and buckled you in, kissing the top of your sleeping head and scolding you quietly for making him carry you (though he really didn't mind and he actually quite enjoyed it!)

It was quite dark when you guys ended up leaving and Seonghwa struggled a bit to drive the few hours home but every time he looked over and saw your peaceful face, he felt stronger and was able to get you home safely

Yunho:

Stargazing

You both were very excited to watch the stars together tonight, all day you walked around looking for the perfect spot which ended up being; the roof OR the garden in the backyard right

Either way, Yunho carried out blankets and set them up to make it more comfortable for you both, he also took out a telescope (if you chose backyard) to make things easier to see

BACKYARD: Wrapped in blankets and standing at the telescope, Yunho looked first in order to place it prefectly in a gorgeous spot before passing it to you to look through. You took turns using it, either him bending down to see little things as you gaze between him and the sky, or you looking through the scope as he holds your waist from behind

ROOF: Sitting on the roof together and pointing to different sections of the sky he traced random patterns out with his fingers, one eye squinted shut as he talks in a cartoon voice pretending the stars are cartoon characters and trying to make you laugh

Throughout the night you look for the constellations and Yunho 'helps' you look for them before eventually asking what they look like and what exactly should he be looking for cause all he can find is an octogon cluster, a few small hearts, Spongebon and Patrick playing leapfrog and a pirate hook

Upon successfully making you laugh, Yunho would grab you by the waist and lay both down together with you in his lap as you stare up at the stars and talk about how peaceful the night sky is

You share your dreams, talk a little about astrology, and discuss your future together as you hold hands and cuddle closely while crickets chirp quietly near by and the faint sound of an owls howl fills the air

Soon it begins to run and Yunho runs you inside so you don't get wet and sick before he grabs the blankets & other things to keep them from getting damaged and unusable

Inside together, you a little wet but mostly dry since he covered you with his body and Yunho soaked from head to toe, you guys both laugh a little

You pull out a towel you had grabbed while he was getting the blankets and things, and you immediately begin to pat him dry as you scold him for risking getting sick

"If I get sick it just means you'll have to nurse me back to health." He whispers a bit while staring into your focused eyes

Yeosang:

Skateboarding

At the skate park, Yeosang was teaching you how to skate (or teaching you a new trick if you already know how to skate)

He would demonstrate the steps going very slowly so you could learn and understand what he was doing before letting you try step by step

Teaching you how to kick off for this special move Yeosang would show you 2-3 times before helping you onto the board (if you need it) and watching you try to do the same thing he did as he follows semi close behind to help prevent you from falling off just in case

You guys would practice as many times as you needed too before you got it right and he would fist bump nothingness in excitement before cheering you on and letting you know he knew you would get this. "Yes, I knew you could get it! Fun isn't it?"

He would help you step by step repeating this as many times as possible until you learned the full trick, he would catch you every time you began to fall, teach you in different ways if he saw you struggling to much and even when he got frustrated he just took a deep breath and let you know he's proud of you even if you are struggling to get a hold of this

Once you finally nailed the trick he clapped and jumped up into the air cheering in joy for you before running over and pulling you into a big hug or high fiving you, or both as he shows that big smile of his and asks you to do the trick once more as he secretly records you and saves the video to a private file full of photos and videos that he has taken of you

Before you guys leave the park, you both free skate a bit, you may both stand on the skateboard together as he holds you waist and takes you around in a circle, or you may play a little game of skateboard tag together

If you get tired and want to sit for a bit Yeosang would ask of it was okay for him to skate alone or if you'd prefer he sat with you, he didn't want you to feel alone but he really wanted to skate as well and today was the perfect day for it

Eventually you guys leave hand in hand, Yeosang lets you ride his skateboard on the way back home as he holds your hands and guides you, confusing him as he skips the turn onto your street and instead leads you to the ice cream joint and pizza parlor near by insisting ice cream & pizza tastes best after skateboarding all day, you would have to agree to this!

San

Beach Volleyball

Playing volleyball together on the beach, you and San ran back and forth on your repsective sides chasing after the ball and taking turns hitting it back to each other

You both let out little grunts of exhaustion as you ran, occasionally you would fall and he would let out little laughs before going up to net and checking on you

You would get so happy when he fell so you could laugh back at him before checking on him

You both were being very competitive today not wanting to lose, but also not really keeping track of points

One time you went to hit the ball and it bounced off the net hitting you in the face instead. San laughed so hard he fell to the ground holding his ribs unable to breath, you laughed as well which is why he didn't feel bad for laughing

In the end, you were alright but slightly annoyed at your lovers behaviour

Soon, another couple came up and asked to play against you guys meaning you and San had to work together

You thought it would be really easy since you guys are dating after all meaning you know each other pretty well but uh no, no it wasn't so easy

Throughout the match you and San kept running into each other, accidentally tripping over one another, or just avoiding the ball all in all cause you thought the other one would get it

The couple asked for a lunch break, upon seeing you guys struggling

During lunch, you and San discussed your game plan, one of you would take the front the other would take the back and you would call out your moves as you went to hit the ball

After getting back to the game you again realised that maybe this isn't as easy as you thought

Yes, one of you took front the other took back and yes that made it easier but you both forgot to call out your moves ending in each of you chasing after the ball or running into each other

Eventually, you got things worked and you were able to work well together resulting in a good game! And a fun time

After the game once it began to get dark, the couple invited you to a beach bonfire and roasting food for dinner. San let decide what you guys should do, he was fine either way!

Mingi:

Driving Through the City

It was about 10pm and you and Mingi were driving around the city, blaring the radio and dancing as well as singing along to all your favorite times

As you drive past buildings you point out special memories together. "That's where we went to watch that musical for your birthday" he pointed to a Broadway studio. "We used to get ice cream over there when you were stressed and needed an escape from work!" You pointed towards an ice cream joint two buildings down

This continues for a while as you turn down random streets and explore the city lights and the beauty of the nightlife after hours. Suddenly 'Photograph' by Nickelback (or any song you like about fond memories) plays and you both sing along, or really belt out, the song while holding hands and being very dramatic and extra with your little car performance

The windows were down and your hair was flying all over the place, the sunroof was open and the moon was shining perfectly onto your face it was a picture perfect moment straight out of a music video or movie

Until Mingi handed you his phone and asked him to take a picture of him at a red light. "Make me look sexy!" He joked loudly as you laughed and rolled your eyes taking pictures of him and treating him like he's your own model "oh right there, ah yes, perfect! That's the one, okay I see you!" You cheered and complimented him making him turn red

Handing him back his phone Mingi asked "do I look shmexy baby?" He went all geeky on you but you still told him he looks perfect before asking why he cares so much just for him to reply with

"I'm sending these to a hot girl!"

You were turn to him so slowly and smack his arm so hard it turned red in an instant. You kept hitting him a bit and yelling at him asking who this 'girl' is as he only screams 'ow' repeatedly

Soon your phone dings and you back away slowly, turning to look at your phone to see he sent all the pictures to you, with some random lettering from his hand slipping between you smacking him

"YOU! You're my hot lady/baby. My sexy girl/man!" He faked cried as he held his arm before the light turned green and he started driving again

You kept apologising and laughing awkwardly, to which he would only stick his tongue out at you and 'tsk' at you

Soon he pulled over to a cookie place on a not so well corner of a secluded street, you guys come here a lot. They have the best white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies ever! And even better fudge chocolate cookies. Actually, all there cookies are bomb.

Getting out of the car and running over to Mingi you kiss up and down his sore arm as he opens the door and walks in after you

You guys order your cookies and grab some drinks before sitting on a staircase outside, Mingi makes you sit in his lap as your payback for the car incident. As you sit together he keeps begging for a bite of your cookie even though he ate all of his without sharing

You have to deal with his 'aaahhh's the whole time you eat, even if you did decide to share he would keep doing this with his mouth wide open like a baby bird

After eating, you walking up and down that one street hand in hand. Mingi usually runs ahead of you but with it being night time, he wanted to stay close by you in case something happened to you or someone came by

After your little walk y'all hop back into the car and finish up your drive home

Wooyoung:

Spa Day

You and Wooyoung decided to stay inside today

You made homemade face masks, that you are each currently wearing, you did foot soaks and you have him a massage as a way to relax him

Currently, Woo was laying on the floor on his tummy his legs crossed in the air as he hums and paints your toe nails his favorite color, black.

You were falling asleep on the sofa, laid back a towel in your hair that Wooyoung washed for you, your face mask on and cucumbers over your eyes. Your hands flat on top of news papers on either side of you, the polish on your finger nails still needing time to properly dry.

Wooyoung began to sing acapella softly belting out and singing one of your favorite songs as you lay there relaxed

After he finished painting your nails he set the heels of your feet up onto a fluffy cushion to give you the utmost comfort

Next he took a bottle of lotion/cream and began rubbing it into your legs, slowly massaging the lotion from your ankle and rolling it up your calves, behind your knee and back down again giving both of your legs a massage as he continued to sing

You whispered words of thanks that be smiled too and felt happy about

He moved onto your arms and shoulders after finishing your legs

After that you both washed your faces off and took silly pictures in the mirror before Wooyoung asked you to please do his eyebrows

YES: You hopped onto the sink counter, tweezers in your hand as you pulled your boyfriend closer to you. You began plucking away stray hairs and he began complaining about the pain while still asking you to keep going. You were as gentle as possible and finished soon

NO: If you don't feel comfortable with this you would simply explain to your boyfriend that his eyebrows are perfect and they don't need to be plucked or touched up.

Your Spa Day was full of relaxation and spending time with Wooyoung, win-win for you!

You end your day by cuddling together on the sofa/in bed and taking a nap together peacefully

Jongho:

Summer Festival

The two of you wore your flower crowns that you mafe each other at the last stall as you walked from stall to stall chucking out goods and participating in lots of activitred

They had an archery stall where if you won you got a teddy bear, it was really cute. A brown bear in a sunflower tutu wearing a sunflower crown

Another stall was for pottery, either making your own pot or you could buy someone else's

The booth next to that one was full of beads for making necklaces or bracelettes, there were a lot of tutorial sheets available to help out

Of course food stalls were located between booths - spread out of course but you did have options - from Indian food and some great Chicken Tikka or Tacos a few stalls down. A Korean stall offering tteokbokki and gimbap a little ways off, or you could eat at the food court on the other side of the festival

After visiting all the stalls that caught your eye, you and Jongho set up a blanket in the shade and sat down to play some card games and other games such as Mancala and whatever small game fit in his bag

After hours of playing games, maybe kicking a soccer ball back and forth, the concert finally began.

You guys turn to face the stage, your drinks in your hands as you lay together in the back away from everyone else

Mid concert you would stand up sort of wobbly and reach your hand out to Jongho, pulling him up and making him dance with you as you laugh with him side by side

You both had fun as you swirled in circle to the melody, waved your hands in the air and jumped up and down. The night was beyond perfect

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