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emeraldtawny · 5 years ago

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IkeVam Headcanons: Singing to MC/MC singing to them

ITS FRIDAY, TIME FOR FLOOF!!!! Enjoy some scenarios of the boyos either serenading you or you serenading them uwu~

Napo: MC singing to them

You walk into his room and he’s dead to the world, completely asleep and unresponsive. Your usual routine of waking him up is stopped as you look at his sleeping face.

You decide to sit next to him instead of ripping the covers off him as you normally do. You stroke his hair and he will subconsciously turn his head to kiss your hand, his sleep habit eliciting a giggle from you.

You then suddenly remember a French nursery rhyme from his action and begin to sing softly as you gaze down at him.

“♫ Entrez dans la danse, voyez comme on danse. Sautez, dansez, embrassez qui vous voudrez. ♫”

“Snrk!”

You feel the bed shake beneath you from his laughter as he cracks open one eye to meet your own astonished gaze.

“Embrassez qui vous voudrez…” He repeats the words back to you, ��‘Kiss whoever you want’. I quite like the sound of that.”

“Wah?!”

There’s nothing you can do to stop him reaching out to pull you under the covers with him, nor can you stop him from pressing a sweet yet firm kiss upon your lips, the kiss lingering as he parts before you pull him back for more.

A wonderful way to wake up, indeed.

Mozart: Singing to MC

It’s hard to ignore the way the beautiful piano melody filling the air abruptly crashes down...especially since it’s happened four times now. You knock tentatively on the music room door and step in quietly, eyeing Mozart with his fists clenched resting on the piano keys.

“Are you alright, Mozart?”

He sighs. Heavily. “If I was alright, I wouldn’t be abusing my piano, would I?”

His eyes immediately widen as he turns to look at you before he sheepishly averts his gaze. “Sorry, I shouldn’t chastise you when it’s clear you’re only trying to help.”

You only smile at his sweet gesture. He shuffles over on his piano bench so you have room to sit beside him.

“Maybe it would help if you hum the melody out loud. Some things magically align to make sense if you just hear it from yourself.”

“___...I’ve been listening to it repeatedly as I’ve been playing it.”

“Oh, just humour me, will you?”

He looks at you as if you have two heads, but complies. Closing his eyes, he hums the very same measure his fingers brought to life moments before. You can only gaze at him with awe, his voice light yet concise with each note; as expected of the perfectionist virtuoso.

You don’t even register the silence when he stops humming, only coming to when he softly pinches your cheek. The awestruck look on your face is quickly replaced with red-cheeked embarrassment, to which Mozart grins cheekily at.

“Don’t make such a cute face when I’m trying to concentrate. You’ll only make me think of another symphony that’s all too easy to compose...and from my favourite instrument too.”

He gets a slap for that one, even with the beatific smile on his face.

Leonardo: MC singing to them

On a calm night, you knock on Leonardo’s door, a bottle of Rouge in hand. You step inside at his prompting and after manoeuvring through the minefield that is his bedroom floor, you sit on his bed and wait.

He’s on the floor at his bedside, fiddling with some new contraption while he hums, the sound flowing and decadent like a caramel river. Only the sounds of metallic clinking and his low humming filled the room.

“You have such a nice voice, Leonardo.”

He immediately re-emerges into reality at your voice, turning to meet your eye.

“Never really thought about it. But if you like it, cara mia, that’s all that matters.”

You smile at his words until you see that familiar glint in his twilight eyes; the eyes of a man planning something.

“Why don’t you sing for me?”

“M-me? But, I’m not that good at it.”

“I never said to sing well. Just thought it’d be nice to hear your singing voice since you’re always hearing mine.”

He stands only to sit next to you on the bed, taking the bottle of Rouge from your hand and replacing it with his, his thumb tracing the contours of your knuckles.

That gentle encouragement and his charming gaze have you yielding to his request, as you also often do. You decide to play it safe and simply hum his melody back to him, your pitch higher and less natural as it flows, but still you sing.

As you finish, you meet his eyes with a hint of apprehension only to find a warm gaze and a happy smile. He squeezes your hand.

“How you make everything so beautiful is one thing I will never know.” He grins, his other hand lifting to stroke your cheek, “But, I can’t deny your singing beneath the sheets is much more rapturous.”

“Leonardo!!”

Arthur: Singing to MC

It’ll be after a roll in the hay (because of COURSE, it’s Arthur we’re talking about here). You’re laying in bed, roused from sleep by him stroking your hair but not alluding to the fact that you’re awake.

(Here it comes…)

He tucks a lock of hair behind your ear and begins to sing.

“♫ Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetop. When the wind blows, the cradle will rock. ♫”

His voice is soft, an edge of hoarseness lingering on the ends of his words. But the pure affection laced throughout his serenade will warm you through all over again.

“♫ When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. And down will come baby, cradle and all. ♫”

“...But don’t you worry, my darling ___. I’ll always catch you if you fall. I will always be there…”

You consider revealing that you’re awake - like you’ve done the other handful of times he has sung to you - but this is a secret best kept that way, you ultimately decide.

You snuggle against his tender caress, a blissful smile on your lips, almost certain that his expression mirrors your own.

Vincent: Singing to MC

You’re in the garden, simply enjoying the sunshine and the fresh air. You’ve been feeling homesick all day and hoped a garden stroll would remedy it, but to no avail.

As you sigh, you hear a bright, pure voice call your name. You turn your head to see Vincent walking towards you, his face beaming with a smile.

“There you are, ___. I was looking for you.”

“You were? What for?”

His smile turns sheepish as he reaches out to caress your cheek. “Everyone has been saying that you look rather sad today. Now I see that they’re right.”

Your eyes widen but you can’t find your words to deny him, too lost in the swirling blue of his eyes. Vincent steps closer to press his brow to yours.

“Is there anything I can do to help, ___? Anything at all?”

You wrack your brain for a moment before you sigh and you lean your head down to nestle against his collarbone.

“...Sing for me?”

You feel embarrassed by your childish request, unable to admit that you’re missing home. You feel his laugh before you hear it; its sound holding no judgment, only love. Without a word, he wraps an arm around your waist, the other moving from your face to comb his fingers through your hair.

“♫ Hmm hmmmm hm hmmm, hmm hmmmm hm-hm hmmmm~ ♫”

He hums a delicate melody, like a flower unfurling its flowers as dawn rises, the lack of words no deterrent to its beauty. He moves to press a kiss to your hair as he hums, the vibrations from his lips only stopping to let his kiss be audible before he begins again.

Your hands on his chest clench his shirt in their grip and you close your eyes, letting both Vincent’s warmth and his soothing melody chase away your anxiety.

Theo: MC singing to them

You sit by the fountain, enjoying the peace and quiet before oddly heavy footsteps draw your attention. You quirk an eyebrow at Theo’s lethargic form moving towards you, your confusion only heightened as he sits next to you and immediately seeks your shoulder to rest his head upon, all without a word.

“Theo? Are you alright?”

“In all honesty, I’ve been better.” His voice is loose, less harsh than its usual biting tone. You rest your hand atop his own and squeeze it and Theo sighs in response.

“Hey, hondje.”

“Yes?”

“Get rid of this splitting headache for me, will you? I don’t care how, just...do it.”

As demanding as ever yet oddly docile, you can’t help but accept. After a moment of thought, you thread your fingers through his own and begin to hum. It isn’t any particular song, it’s just whatever springs to mind; the melody forming as you make it.

After who knows how long, you shift your head to look at Theo, your lips fighting back a grin at his sleeping face, his eyebrows scrunched yet his face oddly innocent.

“Welterusten, Theo.” You whisper as you lean your head against his own and close your eyes, his even breaths pulling you into an accompanying daylight slumber.

Dazai: Singing to MC

As the wind blows its soft gales, you hang the bedsheets on the line, the crisp scent of its cleanliness whipping into your nostrils. You’re too focused to notice the pair of eyes watching you intently, and the accompanying warm smile on his lips.

You hear him before you see him, a breezy harmony hummed softly, the wind carrying his sweet symphony to your ears. Surrounded by sheets, all that guides you is the sweet sound of his hummed melody.

The sheets flutter with the wind and you catch a glimpse of his feet on the other side of the sheet. But as you duck under the sheet, he’s nowhere to be found.

“Ah!”

His arms loop around your middle from behind, his head cradling itself comfortably in the crook of your neck and his lips press against your ear as he continues to hum, the sweet vibrations flowing into you and making you shiver.

“♫ Hm hmmm hm hmm, hmmmm hm hmm hm-hm hmmm~ ♫”

You reach up to cup his cheek, a smile playing on your lips. “Are you enjoying yourself there?”

“Why, very much so, Toshiko-san. Seeing you sparked some much-needed inspiration; so much so, that I couldn’t help but sing.”

You giggle at his words, your smile widening as he presses his lips reservedly against your cheek in a brief kiss, and you cherish the way his arms wrap further around you as the sheets surrounding you block out anyone who would dare see you.

Isaac: Singing to MC

Thunder booms loudly overhead and you toss and turn in bed despite your best attempts to ignore it. Too uneasy to even feign sleep, you open your eyes to stare at Isaac hunched over his desk with only the soft lowlight of a nearby candle as his light source.

Another crack of thunder causes you to whimper in silent fear and any hopes you had that he didn’t hear you are dashed as he turns to face you, an eyebrow cocked.

“Are you alright, ___?”

“Mm, y-yeah! Perfectly fine! Don’t mind m-AH!”

Your eyes shut on impulse with your shriek. You pull the covers over your head to hide your burning face, slightly ashamed of your fear of the storm outside. You hear Isaac’s soft sigh before you hear the creaking of the wooden chair and then the feeling of the bed sinking as he sits beside you.

He doesn’t say a word, the only sound being the rain berating the roof. Then, he very tentatively places his hand on your leg over the covers and very awkwardly clears his throat.

“♫ I see the moon, the moon sees me. God bless the moon, and God bless me. ♫”

You still, taken aback by the almost vulnerable quality in his soft, shaky voice. Whilst far from perfect, you can hear the effort behind his breathy singing.

When the thunder booms again and your body tenses, you feel his hand squeeze your leg.

“♫ I know an angel watches over me. God bless my angel, and God bless me. ♫”

You gasp, the sounds of the thunder suddenly distant and muted. When you dare to peek out from behind the covers, you meet Isaac’s eye.

The both of you immediately turn your gazes away, but his hand remains on your leg and you can’t fight back the happy, embarrassed smile on your lips.

Sleep comes much easier with Isaac’s sweet voice and comforting presence guarding you.

Jean: MC singing to them

You’re on your way to the mansion’s library after having been in town, a light spring in your step and a tune humming sweetly from your lips, the same one you heard the children singing.

“♫ Au clair de la lune, on n'y voit qu'un peu. On chercha la plume, on chercha du feu. ♫”

(In the light of the moon, you can barely see anything. Someone looked for a pen, someone looked for a flame.)

“Mademoiselle?”

“Ah, Jean! Bonjour.”

He eyes you quizzically, his amethyst eye focused solely on you, the action making you shrink back subconsciously.

“That song…”

“Do you know it? I heard the children singing it when I was in town. I guess it got stuck in my head.”

He shakes his head. “No. It is much ahead of my time.” But then he pauses. “Are there...more lyrics?”

“Yes, there is! I’m on the final part now.”

Despite your efforts, your voice shakes as you sing, a result of performance anxiety coupled with Jean’s never-wavering gaze.

“♫ En cherchant d'la sorte, je ne sais ce qu'on trouva. Mais je sais que la porte, sur eux se ferma. ♫”

You don’t catch the subtle hitch of his breath or the imperceptible widening of his eye, but you do catch the way his cheeks flare up with heat. Before you can ask, he turns away to hide from your eyes.

“Children sing that?” He mutters softly, “Those are rather...indecent lyrics for small children.”

(In all of that looking, I don’t know what was found. But I do know that those two shut the door behind them.)

Shakespeare: MC singing to them

Shakespeare did not originally plan on visiting the mansion today, but he knew better than to ignore a direct request from Le Comte.

As he walks leisurely through the halls, his feet still as he nears the dining room, the door slightly ajar. He stands by the door frame and peeks through the gap to see what treasures the room holds.

You’re setting the table, a spring in your step as you place the extra plate down with a smile. You hum a genial tune, devoid of melancholy or tragedy; all whilst being completely unaware of the mismatched eyes watching you through the door with silent interest.

(Ah, the fair lady knoweth of my staying for dinner. I cannot help but wonder, doest she smile so sweetly for me? If it be true, verily that maketh me joyous.)

He leans back against the wall, his eyes on the ceiling as he takes in your performance. Whilst flawed, Shakespeare cannot help but find it beautiful and he seems almost unaware of the smile on his lips, it’s expression border lining serene.

He stays outside the dining room for as long as he is able before he leaves, ready to apologise to Le Comte for his tardiness. But he doth not regret his decision and your simple melody teeming with goodwill replays in his head.

Even after dinner and as he returns to his home in the city, he finds himself humming that very same tune, his voice doing the melody no justice compared to your own, he thinks to himself.

Le Comte: Singing to MC

You knock on Le Comte’s door and enter when he invites you in. Greeting you with his usual warm smile, you offer one in kind.

“___. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I was hoping to ask you something, Comte.”

“Bien sûr. Anything for you.”

You smile at his ineffable kindness. “Do you know of any nursery rhymes from older times? I promised the children in town to teach them some new songs, but I don’t think I can risk teaching them anything that hasn’t been made yet.”

His eyes seem to gleam at the kindness of your request and he reaches towards you to sweep your hand up in a way too suave to be called gentlemanly.

“It would be my pleasure to serenade you, ma chérie. But I ask for one thing in exchange.”

“Wh-what?” You chide yourself for being too distracted by the warmth of his hand to articulate a proper response. His smile simply widens.

“That you sing for me songs from your time. While I may have heard them, I imagine hearing them from you will be infinitely more lovely.”

You curl your lips into your mouth in embarrassment, a healthy blush dusting your cheeks. With a chuckle, Comte begins to sing, the song’s tempo and melody foreign to you but gorgeous all the same. His voice is as warm and enveloping as his speaking voice, but a rough quality on the lower notes adds a certain gruffness that is attractive in its own right.

As he finishes, he prompts you to sing. The afternoon is spent with you both singing the songs of your times to each other, still standing hand in hand.

Sebastian: MC singing to them

Another day of maintaining the mansion’s cleanliness. Sebastian makes his way back to the kitchen to check on your progress of polishing the silverware.

He goes to walk into the kitchen but stops dead in the doorway at the sight before him.

Your back is to him as you polish the last of the spoons to perfection, lost in your own little world as you sing in an upbeat tone. Sebastian recognises the beat but cannot pinpoint where he knows it - is it a modern song lost within the depths of his mind? Or maybe a song he heard in passing whilst running errands in the city?

He could not say but he can’t help but grin watching you, your hips swaying slightly as you move to your own beat.

His grin only widens and a mischievous twinkle lights up his grey eyes. He stepped quietly out of the room and retraces his steps further back down the hall where he was rearranging the flower vases, making sure he can still hear your singing.

Picking up a vase, he sets it back down on the pedestal with some vigour and listens carefully. Sure enough, you immediately stop singing and he can’t help the grin splitting his lips.

(I have a feeling I was not meant to hear that. But what one doesn’t know doesn’t hurt them...and I quite like the idea of knowing something about you that no one else does.)

He returns to the kitchen and you greet him with a smile, yourself completely unaware of the little secret Sebastian has tucked away into a special corner of his heart.

#ikevam #ikevam headcanons #fluffy friday #it was just gonna be Arthur singing but it just kept...growing rudfgbrjdfg #I would love to hear them all sing #I bet they'd all have wonderful voices uwu #ikevam napoleon #ikevam mozart #ikevam leonardo #ikevam arthur #ikevam vincent #ikevam theo #ikevam dazai #ikevam isaac #ikevam jean #ikevam shakespeare #ikevam comte #ikevam sebastian

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frishay9 · 4 years ago

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How to Get Consistency in Your Golf Swing

Are you aware that 80% of an amateur's golf blow occur between 150 lot out and the hole? Using that formula, if you are teeing off on a 300 yard, par-3 cavity and hit a 150 courtyard drive, you are half way to the green, but it will proceeds 4 more photograph for you to get the ball into the hole. Think approx it. A nice second shot onto the green, and then a three-putt. How approx two more shots to the green and two putts? Either way, according to the statistic for mass beginner golfers, you just got a double bogey. You and I both know what happens to our score when we consistently double...don't we?

So, if most of us box 80% of our golf blow in the end 150 enclosure of the fairway - wouldn't you think we would custom with the cudgel we obligation to become as good as we can there? Why in the burrow do almost all of ourselves go to the driving side and pull out the club we only utility 20% of the time - the driver? Because, it's the Big Dog, the Hammer, the Slammer, the Big Bertha!

I know, I know... it feels so good when you box that golf globe cleanly with that long stick. Unfortunately, the driver is one of the most difficult bat in the golf bag to hit, so we may not box the area cleanly very often. If you can agreement the globe in the fairway, you are swinging that club beautifully. Don't eagerness about how far you're beating it!

Distance can be your adversaries if you are hitting the driver 100 yards out into the desert, or water. We've all seen the pros do that. Yet, we expect us to box it straight and true every time. If you trial to box a driver really hard, you're departing to have a very humbling experience. Just hit it easy and straight, method will profits attitude of itself. Like the title above asks, though, how can we get essence in our golf swing? I did it by conveying one club to the driving range until I could punch that club pretty cleanly, consistently. Very important golf word, consistently.

Maybe, the bulk important. We poverty to develop consisten routines in everything in golf. Setting up to punch the globe the same way - consistently. Gripping the club the same way - consistently. Swinging the club the same means - consistently.

In order to develop consistency, I decided to start with one club, the nine iron. I selected the nine iron because I believed it was the club that could help me lower my golf scores the easiest and fastest. A nine iron is one of the bulk forgiving bat in your golf bag. It's among the shortest clubs, but long enough that it you won't develop too much of a back pain curving over to television 50 or 60 golf balls. The nine also has a nice large, lofted coalition with a beautiful sweet site that helps you get the planet in the shred pretty consistently. That's what we indispensability to get imbedded in our recollection and muscle intention - consistency.

It was very enlightening to take only one club to the range. Without the other bat seat in the bag seat me, I didn't sense the opinion to pull out another club every time I miss-hit a ball. There was no one there but me and tally nine. We could either become pal and partners, or it could continue to humiliate me into submission.

Once I decided to relax and learn more about my new partner, it became easier and entertainment to hit quantity nine. Oh, yeah, there were some pasture burners off the margins and squirts off the toe, but as I focused on hitting the heavens cleanly and squarely it began to go straight at the target. The sky was lofting beautifully into the air - and flying farther than I had ever television a nine. Normally, I would crate a nine iron about 80 or 85 yards. As I learned to swing mathematics nine more consistently and cleanly, however, the domain was flying 100, 110 and, finally, 120 courtyard out. Usually, advantage where I wanted it to go. What a club!

I had made a friend that will help get me on to the lawn with most of my approach shots, and my golf scores consistently began to drop 3 or 5 photograph lower than usual. As I began concentrating on swinging the other irons the same way I swing old number nine, it was really exciting when they started going even lower.

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beca-mitchell · 6 years ago

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remember the day, pt. 8

Summary: To go back where it all began. Chloe-centric.

Also on AO3.

Word count: 4,348

Recommended songs: Jealous - Labrinth; Waiting Game - Banks

Check out this fic’s soundtrack here.

Chloe moves into her own place a week and a half later.

Leading up to it, Chloe notices that Beca tries to find reasons to touch her, whether it’s a gentle brush of her hand across Chloe’s shoulder or a nudge to Chloe’s leg with her own while sitting on the couch together.

It’s...nice.

It’s more than nice. It makes Chloe struggle to restrain her blush every time Beca chooses to smile at her - smiles that she notes are happening with increasing frequency.

In fact, things are just nice. They’re pleasant. Chloe enjoys the Phonetic Theory class she’s auditing and how she’s slowly easing her way into more administrative work at the clinic. The knowledge and routine feel more comfortable to her than ever before.

She finds it somewhat ironic that she previously worked with people who needed speech therapy, usually after undergoing a serious memory condition or physical trauma to their head after an accident.

Meeting all the incredible people she works with and how many people’s lives they’re trying to improve, Chloe appreciates all the ways she had been lucky in her own life. Worthiness is hard to build, but completely satisfying in the end.

Still, sitting at work, Chloe finds her mind wandering, wondering what it’d be like to do more than occasionally hold Beca’s hand. When this happens, she lazily touches at the ring she wears around her neck, as if to ensure it’s still there.

(Her mind wanders at night too, but she’s less thrilled by that because the vividness of her dreams make her wonder exactly what separates fact from fiction; what she remembers and what she dreams.)

On this particular day, she’s in the process of organizing patient files when she swipes her finger against the edge of the paper, cleanly giving herself a tiny papercut. She winces, bringing her finger up to her face to inspect it. It’s a shallow cut, but a cut nonetheless.

She sighs, wandering over to the drawer with band-aids. As she’s putting on her band-aid, she thinks about telling Beca. She wonders if Beca will tell her how clumsy she is, like she usually does, recalling how-

She pauses in her ministrations.

It amazes her how easily memories slip in and out of her mind these days - as if her routine has only relaxed her mind enough for her to allow memories back in.

In her mind’s eye, she sees Beca teasingly holding a band-aid just out of her reach. They’re sitting at a tiny kitchen table. There are more details, she’s sure, but they’re foggy and scattered.

It’s the feeling that comes with it, though. It’s so refreshingly familiar and natural.

She doesn’t fumble this time, however. She settles in and just lets the very random memory of Beca laughing and wrapping a band-aid around her finger wash over her. She doesn’t even remember when it happened or how long ago, just that it did and she can be confident in that aspect.

When the memory fades, Chloe thinks that she doesn’t need more. She doesn’t fight to hold on. She lets it slip into the recesses of her mind, slowly, like a dream. She just treasures the knowledge that she remembers something so simple and for now, that’s enough.

She goes back to work.

It’s a perfect day.

“What if we don’t work out?” Beca asks lightly, playing with the strands of Chloe’s hair. She’s watching the way the light kind of drifts in through the curtains and makes interesting patterns on the skin of Chloe’s back.

Chloe blinks one eye open to peer at her. She groans when she realizes Beca had spoken aloud. “What did you just say?”

“I...I don’t know. Don’t mind me.”

Chloe smiles and shifts so she can draw Beca into her arms. Beca tries not to think about all the wonderful, wonderful skin that’s pressed against her, instead focusing on the way Chloe’s embrace is comforting and safe.

“You’re such a nerd,” Chloe tells her, pressing a kiss against her forehead.

“I…What if we break up? You’ll find somebody new. You’ll start over again. You’ll start a family. Like...maybe we’ll be friends at best.”

Chloe’s brow furrows. “Are you...predicting my future?” It’s not quite the conversation about family and children she expected to be having with Beca.

“No, I don’t know. Whatever,” Beca mutters. She’s just a bit more tired than usual.

Chloe smiles, enjoying Beca’s particular brand of, well, Beca this morning. “It won’t be like that.”

“What won’t?” Beca asks before she can help herself.

“All of it. I’m here to stay,” Chloe murmurs.

She tilts Beca’s head as best as she can and kisses her, like it’s the first day of the rest of their lives. It’s a kiss that feels different somehow, like she’s kissing her for the first time again. “Try and get rid of me, I dare you. It’ll be hard, I promise.”

Beca believes her.

It’s around the end of January where Chloe realizes that her life needs to be kicked back into gear in more ways than one.

She comes to terms with the fact that Beca is famous. Like, on her way to becoming a legitimate major celebrity. Chloe totally understands - Beca is ridiculously talented. Obviously, that would be a recognizable fact.

There’s a part of her that realizes that she doesn’t fit in this equation - at least not now. There’s a whole part of Beca’s life that she isn’t accustomed to; there’s a part of Beca’s life that she doesn’t remember anymore.

And yet, the whole world seems to know something about her on some level, or it feels that way at least.

“You shouldn’t read those, you know,” Beca mumbles, tugging the magazine out of her grasp. She puts it back on the shelf.

“Why not?” Chloe asks before she can help herself. “Everybody else gets to read it and have some kind of insight to your life. Sometimes it’s insight into our life,” she tacks on before she can help herself.

It’s not bitter, not quite, but it still doesn’t leave a good taste in her mouth. She swallows the lump that forms in her throat. She’s not sure where it comes from. Maybe the residual longing for some glimpse into what they had together. Beca is tight-lipped about it on most days, but she will tell Chloe if she asks.

Beca turns, facing Chloe with curiosity and hesitation. It’s a common expression for her these days because the way Chloe looks at her is tinged all kinds of intimacy and familiarity that she doesn’t know how to proceed. As of now, Chloe’s words sound like jealousy, but Beca’s not too sure where the jealousy comes from necessarily.

She doesn’t say anything, taking in the way Chloe’s face looks a little pinched like she’s working through a migraine.

They don’t talk about it.

Chloe finds herself alone on a Tuesday night.

She’s reclining on her couch, watching the Grammy Awards and keeping an eye out for Beca on the red carpet. It still throws her for a loop when she thinks about Beca’s fame and her general tenacity, talent, and work ethic.

All of this knowledge that she has about Beca only builds and builds until it threatens to overwhelm her and she finds herself blushing at the direction her thoughts take her.

She is attracted to Beca in more ways than one.

Like, ridiculously attracted to her.

She finds herself thinking about Beca at random points during the day, such as wondering if Beca would want to hear about her day or whether Beca would enjoy the soup in front of her.

It’s kind of inconvenient, really.

Still, the attraction all comes to a head when she catches sight of Beca on her screen. She can’t fight the smile that graces her face and immediately wills herself to remember this moment forever.

But-

She squints, wondering who exactly the woman with Beca is. She can’t quite recall that Beca worked particularly closely with anybody on her last album - an album which Chloe had listened to with a kind of hungry passion and dedication.

They take photos together - a lot of photos.

Chloe frowns, gripping her phone a little tighter because, well, she had thought Beca would go alone. Still, this could very much not be a date, but Chloe wishes that this unrecognizable woman would remove her hand from Beca’s back like it belongs there - not when Chloe recalls claiming that any award show dates would belong to her. It’s less of a memory and more of something innate inside Chloe that she knows to be true above all else.

She wants to be there. She wants to-

Oh.

The sudden recognition of the familiar and all-encompassing emotion - the recognition of this emotion that passes through her with lightning-hot intensity.

It’s jealousy.

It’s pure, simple jealousy. Likely the same kind of jealousy Beca had just a few short months ago in Portland.

Chloe sags, her body releasing tension almost immediately at the thought.

“I’m jealous,” she mutters, before silently gazing at the screen.

Finally, she laughs.

She laughs and laughs and laughs and she kind of wants to cry because everything just feels a little bit more like she’s coming into her own body again; like she’s finally returning home after a long and tiresome journey to parts unknown.

All she wants to do is tell Beca, or maybe just scream into her pillow for a few minutes. She’s jealous and possessive and she’s finally letting all these wild, romantic feelings run alongside those less attractive emotions. Her chest physically aches at the sensation, but she doesn’t care. She just lets it overwhelm her and take her walls down with painstaking effort.

It’s not a memory, no. But it’s the simple fact that she wants Beca and she wants to date her. She wants to fall in love with Beca and learn everything about her. She wants Beca to be hers and she wants to start anew.

It feels normal.

"I like you," Chloe says aloud to her empty apartment. She tests it on her tongue, hoping, waiting, wondering.

It is normal.

That’s all it is.

(It is everything all at once.)

Thankfully, the push Chloe needs comes in the form of Beca herself.

“I have an idea,” Beca tells her one day when they’re doing grocery shopping. It’s something they somehow still manage to do together even though they live apart. It’s both an illusion and source of comfort for Beca because she can imagine that nothing has changed, really.

Chloe’s eyes flick across a magazine that has Beca’s face splashed across it casually. “What is it?” she asks distractedly.

Beca stops pushing the cart and puts her hand on Chloe’s arm. “Chlo,” she implores.

“I...I’m sorry. Mind just wandered off.” She smiles weakly. “What was your idea?”

“I was thinking about what you said about the Bellas the other day. I...might be able to pull some strings with my dad and Aubrey and we can go back to Atlanta for a weekend. I’d...I’d invite the other Bellas too and whoever can come, so it doesn’t have to just be the two of us.”

Chloe bites her lip, glancing away for a moment. She wouldn’t necessarily mind being along with Beca, but at the same time, she gets that this gesture is more monumental than Beca’s letting it on to be.

“It was a silly idea,” Beca says quickly when Chloe has yet to respond.

“No,” Chloe says immediately when Beca moves to push the cart again. “No, Beca. It’s...perfect. I want to do it.

The way Beca’s eyes absolutely shine at her tell her she made the right decision.

It sounds like a relaxing weekend and maybe just what they need.

Instinctively, Chloe thinks she should have known. It ends up being a little chaotic.

The moment they land, Chloe barely has time to deal with her headache when they’re being wrangled into a hug by Aubrey. Chloe can see more women behind her.

She counts four women - four ex-Bellas, she assumes - other than herself and Beca.

“How did you arrange this?” Chloe asks, eyes sparkling as she takes in Beca’s sheepish expression.

“She practically twisted our arms to get us to come,” a woman who Chloe remembers as Stacie says. “Hi Chloe,” she says, adopting a gentler tone.

“Hi,” Chloe says lightly. “I think I remember you from when you came to visit me in the hospital with Aubrey. Stacie, right?”

“Yeah.” She grins and shakes her hand. “We made out once.”

Chloe stares at her for a moment, contemplating. “Sounds about right,” she says, accepting it. Stacie is very attractive and Chloe recalls being able to get very drunk.

Beca makes a disgruntled sound. “I wish that wasn’t true,” she mutters. “I wish I didn’t witness it.”

“Hi, Chloe,” another dark-haired woman says, raising her arms instinctively like she’s about to hug Chloe. She seems to catch herself and she settles on raising both hands in an awkward wave.

“I’m sorry,” Chloe apologizes when she doesn’t immediately recall her name. “Was...Emma?” she asks tentatively, feeling bad immediately. There’s something about this woman that makes her feel both protective and loving all at once. She seems younger.

“Oh right, you don’t remember me,” Emily stammers. “I guess that makes sense. I’m Emily, so you were close!” She looks like she’s grappling with a million different emotions at once. Chloe figures that she hadn’t been around when Chloe first woke up; she hadn’t been with the Bellas that managed to make it out to Los Angeles to help support Beca and Chloe.

“Wow,” Amy says, nudging Emily with a pointed look. “She must have had a head injury recently,” she offers sagely.

“Amy!” Aubrey yells, beating Beca to the punch.

“What? I thought Beca wanted us to be ourselves to make her feel better?”

“Not like that!” Beca yells back before Amy puts her in a headlock.

Despite it all, it makes Chloe laugh. She laughs and feels like she hasn’t felt in months: happy, free, and loved.

This is already making her feel like part of the family she never knew.

“I can’t believe they still have food trucks here,” Chloe exclaims, rushing forward so she can get a better look. “Wow, these trucks are really popular, huh.”

Beca nods, remembering many a drunken after-party and lazily sharing food with Chloe on brainstorming evenings. The food trucks are just off-campus, in the vicinity of all the off-campus housing that draws more upper year students than freshmen.

Supremely unhealthy, but very convenient.

“I’m kinda hungry,” Chloe admits.

Aubrey nudges her. “We could go to a restaurant.”

Chloe seems giddy, suddenly. She pulls at the strap of Beca’s bag. “Maybe we could get something from the trucks. Pretend we’re all in school again.”

Beca can practically feel sympathetic gazes boring into her back. She’s thankful - grateful - for Amy then, because Amy slugs Chloe in the shoulder. “That’s a great idea. I could do with a little poisoning.”

Chloe trails after her. “I never got food poisoning.”

Amy grins. “That you remember.”

Stacie and Amy have made it their personal mission to play a twisted version of Two Truths and One Lie with Chloe’s memory. She finds it kind of fun, but she’s suspicious because they’ve told her three lies multiple times now.

She turns to Beca. “Bec,” she asks, voice verging on a whine. “Did I ever get food poisoning from the food trucks?”

“Don’t tell her!” Stacie yells.

“Yeah, you did,” Beca says immediately, sending a glare in Stacie’s direction. She receives a whipped sound in return.

“Oh, remember that time Chloe jumped in the pool with her clothes on?” Emily asks, laughing. “That was one of my first interactions with you.”

Chloe’s eyes soften as she looks at Emily. Emily who stands so unsurely in front of her, yet, with hope in her eyes.

Chloe wonders how many lives she’s upended and how many more people she has forgotten along the way.

These are her friends-

No, they’re her family and fate was cruel enough to remove them from her memory.

Beca sees the brief turmoil in Chloe’s eyes and quickly moves to her side. “Chlo, food?” she asks, pointing to where everybody is moving towards the food trucks.

Chloe smiles, appreciating Beca’s deflection. “Yeah,” she responds. She tucks her hand into Beca’s arm, tugging her along. “Want to split?”

“Sure,” Beca responds, thinking of many a late night spent hunched over a take-out container with Chloe and sharing food like it was their last meal. “Whatever you want.”

They’re standing in a quad, surrounded by brick buildings.

The air is still; the night is quiet. They somehow managed to steal away from the rest of the Bellas as they opted to go back to Fallen Leaves to retire for the evening.

Beca and Chloe are still on campus. Chloe feels full from more than just the food and snacks they consumed. She feels simultaneously aggravated by the mild headache coming on, but also full from the sheer excitement and love she had felt from her friends.

"Do you recognize it?" Beca asks, startling her out of her reverie. Chloe had inadvertently walked them towards the old dormitories. There’s a pull here that Chloe can’t quite place.

Chloe’s brow furrows. “Yeah, the freshman dorms. I stayed at Douglass in my first year, I’m pretty sure.”

“I stayed at Baker,” Beca murmurs quietly. It’s the building just to their right.

“It’s familiar,” Chloe says slowly. She doesn’t want to see whatever hopeful gaze Beca has directed at her even though she has been slowly getting used to it; getting used to that sensation of being watched and wanted, both driven by nothing more than love. Still, she thinks that she wants to see Beca happier. More full of life. The last couple of weeks have been close, but not quite. “...familiar like it's in the back of my mind."

Beca smiles, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. There’s a shine in her dark blue eyes, but it’s something sad and heartbreaking.

"Is this place important to you? To us?" Chloe asks, amending it quickly at the end.

"Yeah. Yeah, I’d say so."

Chloe waits, but Beca turns her gaze back towards the ground.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" Chloe asks quietly in realization.

"I can’t get my hopes up. I’ve accepted it. When I kind of saw which way you were leading us, I just followed.” Beca shrugs helplessly. “Maybe I thought you’d remember something, but...I’ve grown to,” her voice cracks. “...accept that you really might not remember anything again except when it actually physically hurts you to do so,” she murmurs thickly, recalling when Chloe had terrified her by passing out. “We can make new memories.”

"I want to remember," she says, feeling like a broken record. It’s like her friends and family and Beca doubt her desire to remember everything. “I want to remember so we can just be us. New memories are great, but...this is part of who we were, Beca,” she whispers, with reverence.

Oh, how she would love to love Beca like she once did. The two warring states of her mind rise to the surface again.

This tentative relationship they’ve been building, it finally feels like it’s moving somewhere. "I...I feel like this means something to us,” Chloe says, looking back towards the smattering of first-year residence halls.

Beca watches her. All she feels is love burning through her, stopping somewhere where her hand itches to hold Chloe’s. Just once more. There’s something about the atmosphere that feels different between them.

"Did we meet here?" Chloe asks softly. Beca’s silence tells her enough. “I thought I tried to recruit you for the Bellas with Bree? At the activities fair?”

Beca laughs at that memory. She draws her jacket further around her shoulders as best as she can. It’s a chilly evening in Atlanta. “There was that. This was something a little different.”

Chloe looks mildly irritated, but steps closer to Beca, reaching out to hold her hand again. Beca exhales loudly at the action, but doesn’t make a move to pull away. “Are you going to tell me?” she tries again.

Beca looks up at her freshman dorm, letting the echoes of an impromptu duet fade in her memory.

“Maybe another time.”

Chloe wonders faintly if she’ll ever be able to be exactly what Beca needs.

Beca wonders the same - whether this will finally begin to work out. She feels hopeful when Chloe doesn’t push.

At that moment, Chloe thinks that she could imagine kissing Beca here - right on the campus grounds of where they first met. It feels poetic somehow, like it’s bringing to life a new chapter in their life together. They could use a blank page. Beca detaches their hands and begins walking down the pathway.

“Beca,” she calls quietly.

Beca turns to face her, somehow looking younger than she has in a while. “Chloe,” she calls back, raising an eyebrow.

“Beca, I have headaches everyday. My side still hurts, like a phantom pain from time to time.” She smiles ruefully at Beca. “I’m not the same person anymore. I’m not the same person you fell in love with and I think that’s really important that you know that.”

"I know that,” Beca replies, brow furrowing. “You’re not the same person who fell in love with me. But the fact remains…” she pauses, taking a breath. “You almost died, Chloe. I almost fucking lost you forever." Beca looks like she might break at any moment. "You almost died," she repeats, quieter. Then, her eyes are alight with surprising intensity. "Guess what? I’m not going anywhere unless you fucking ask me to.” She inhales shakily and doesn’t make a move to wipe her eyes, instead focusing on holding Chloe’s hands firmly. “I just want to be with you, Chlo. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“To be with me,” Chloe whispers, just as Beca finishes with “to be with you.”

It’s the most passionately Beca has spoken to her in months.

Silence hangs in the air between them.

Chloe walks toward her then, hands reaching out to hold Beca’s wrists. “Can I kiss you?” she asks, blunt and straightforward. “Would you mind, terribly?”

The look of surprise on Beca’s face immediately is replaced by one of hope and love. It shines and radiates out at Chloe with force. “Yes,” Beca says on a rasp. She clears her throat, still attempting to catch her breath. “Yes, please.”

“Like…” Chloe has to be sure. “Yes, you would mind?”

"No!” Beca amends quickly. “No, I wouldn’t mind. Yes, please kiss me...if you’re sure, obviously.”

Beca looks like she might cry. All Chloe wants to do is kiss her. It’s all she has been thinking about for months. She has only just allowed herself to sink into that desire. She wants to kiss Beca and that’s just a fact of who she is.

Yes, she’s sure she wants to kiss Beca Mitchell. The most peculiar sense of deja vu rises in her, like she has had this desire before many times.

So, Chloe does.

Beca is glad that she had held off from kissing Chloe sooner. It wouldn’t have been right. But this - this firm brush of Chloe’s lips against hers...it is absolutely right. It is deliberate and slow, the way Chloe’s hand comes up to cup her neck, fingers sure and gentle as they weave into her hair.

Beca shivers, allowing Chloe to tilt her head, angling their lips more surely together.

This kiss is knowing and gentle and loving and perfect

Chloe likes the way Beca’s fingers flex into her back, like she’s resisting the urge to deepen the kiss too far, just on the verge of losing control.

When they finally separate, Chloe takes her time opening her eyes because she’s almost afraid of seeing whatever expression of hope and love is pouring out of Beca. There’s a fragility to the moment that makes Chloe exhale quietly, resting her forehead against Beca’s. Beca’s hands move to hold her waist.

“A second first kiss,” Beca says softly.

It makes Chloe tremble with all kinds of sadness, hope...and above all, faith that things will work out.

"I can’t give you exactly what we had,” she murmurs, finally.

“I don’t need that, Chlo,” Beca says, still soft and careful. “I just need you. I’ve grown to accept that. I told you.” They separate further, but not before Beca cups Chloe’s cheek. She smiles when Chloe leans into her touch, eyes flicking up to meet hers. “Kiss me again,” she says before she can stop herself. She has been missing Chloe terribly and that kiss sparked something that she thought died long ago.

Chloe leans in again and their lips barely graze before she’s pushing Beca back gently. She wants Beca to know exactly what she’s in for because she doesn’t think she can turn back from this. Not again - not ever. “There are a lot of things that I can’t really do anymore - like being myself. I’m still learning every day what that means.”

“It doesn’t mean that I don’t think you’re an incredible person,” Beca interrupts. “I want to be with you.”

"Beca,” Chloe says, wanting nothing more to kiss her again. Beca is still breathing heavily. “I want that, too.” She closes her eyes imagining that finally the cold brisk air is kicking up around them, bringing with it all the heavy pain they’ve carried for months.

“How do you still make me feel like I’m nineteen again?” Beca’s voice is thick, like she’s on the verge of crying - not quite, but almost. “How do you manage to find ways to amaze me every day?” Beca asks, weaker.

Slowly, carefully, Chloe wraps her arms around Beca and holds her - truly holds her like Beca is something precious to be cradled. She feels like crying or maybe just sighing because it’s comfort and warmth all at once.

“I don’t know,” she murmurs, pressing a kiss to the side of Beca’s head. She holds her close, relishing the warmth and how softly Beca sinks into the hug. “Maybe because you make me better,” she whispers.

She’s not sure where the words come from exactly, but they feel right.

Beca makes a soft whimpering noise, but holds on to her tighter. “Thank you,” Beca breathes letting her feelings run free once more. Her breath is warm against Chloe’s neck. “We will make this work. I promise.”

“I believe you,” Chloe tells her, knowing it’s nothing but the truth.

tbc // my fics tag

#bechloe #amnesia!au #beca mitchell #chloe beale #mine #my fanfic #text #pitch perfect #fanfiction

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blueboxesandtrafficcones · 6 years ago

Text

Affairs of the Heart - Chapter 2

Note: This is the first story in a planned series set in this universe under the umbrella ‘Hardy Investigations’. Case suggestions are welcome, but it will be a long time to fruition if submitted! This story is fully written, so they would be utilized in future stories.

General warnings: mature content, occasional language. This chapter contains smut.

Beta’d by the amazing and wonderful @stupidsatsuma!

Masterlist

Summary

September 1948 - Mrs. Mark Latimer hires Hardy Investigations to find out if her husband is having an affair, requiring some duplicity and ingenuity to find the truth as they go undercover.

Ellie opened the sliding door with a flourish, falling easily into the simpering ‘woe is me’ routine that never failed. “Oh, thank you so much!”

“Of course ma’am, what seems to be the issue?” Mark Latimer was decently handsome, early thirties with an easy grin and kind eyes.

Didn’t mean he wasn’t stepping out.

“This way.” She led him through her ‘home’ to the overflowing toilet, fluttering her hands and acting as sympathetically pitiful as she could. “Can you help?”

“Absolutely, let me see.” Setting his toolbox on the corner of the tub, he crouched by the toilet and reached behind it, twisting the shutoff valve until the water stopped. “No gentleman caller to be of assistance?”

Ellie pouted, leaning against the doorframe and watching him work. “My boyfriend must have clogged it this morning before he left without realizing it. He’s gone away for the weekend.”

“Without you?”

“He took his wife up to Bristol for her birthday.”

Mr. Latimer stopped moving for a moment, and she knew she had his attention. Her goal was to find out how he felt about affairs without confronting him head-on or throwing herself at him. “That’s a shame,” was all he said, tone carefully neutral, and she had to tread carefully.

“Not an ideal situation, but it is what it is,” she said airily. “D’you know what’s wrong?”

Dusting off his hands Mr. Latimer stood, glancing over his shoulder on her. “Looks like it’s blocked. Might you have a plunger?”

“Closet.” She didn’t move out of the doorway, forcing him to brush up against her on his way there and back. “I’m so grateful you’re able to come out, I don’t know when he might have been back to take a look but I couldn’t wait.”

“Wives can be demanding.” He wasn’t particularly chatty, which was making it hard to get a read on him.

Ellie nodded. “It’s so hard for us to be together except here. We can hardly stroll the High Street, can we? And there are few restaurants where we can be seen together.”

“How does he explain away his time?”

“Working late,” she scoffed. “Which is true enough I suppose.” She let out a tinkling laugh. “I’m his secretary. He works very hard during his late hours in the office, though not necessarily on company business.”

Mr. Latimer laughed at the implication, nodding approvingly. “Yet I suspect he enjoys his work.”

“As do I. I just wish we had somewhere to go like a regular couple, you see. Somewhere we can have a meal I don’t have to cook, where we can be amongst others. So much sneaking around makes me feel like a dirty little secret.”

He glanced over at her, watching her for a moment as he worked. “You deserve something nice,” he said slowly, focusing back on his task. “I may have a recommendation.”

“Oh? Please do! Somewhere nice, but not so nice his wife might expect to go?”

“There’s a little place about two miles out of town, it’s called ‘The Office’. Quiet little restaurant, geared towards couples with… complications. You won’t find it in a guidebook or anything of the kind, mostly by word of mouth. The sort of place where if a wife knows about it, perhaps she’s keeping a ‘dirty little secret’ of her own. I hear it’s nice. Discreet.”

“Sounds lovely,” she gushed, eyes narrowing at his back. “Where is it?”

“Two miles down the main road. It’s called ‘The Office’ so when a curious wife asks where her husband’s been, he can give the name truthfully without giving anything away.”

“How clever!” Ellie tittered, as he finally pulled a wadded up hand towel from the toilet bowl. “Oh my, how’d that get in there?”

Mr. Latimer stood, holding it away from him by the tips of his fingers. “I fear this may be done for,” he apologized, “but I would not recommend keeping it, for cleanliness’ sake.”

“Thank you so much, you’ve no idea how helpful you’ve been.” She gestured for it to be thrown into the tub, letting him wash his hands before leading him back towards the door. “And I will take your dinner suggestion under advisement. What do I owe you?”

“Complimentary call,” he turned at the door, giving her a charming smile. “It was nothing.”

Elle gave him her brightest smile. “Thank you again!”

She waved until he was out of sight, locking the door and drawing the curtains. They had tentative confirmation that he had another woman, and where he took her.

Now what remained was when, and gathering the evidence needed.

Alec scowled, skulking just outside the bathroom window of his own offices to confirm Mark Latimer was suitably occupied before heading down the hill to the plumber’s truck. Letting out a quiet ‘ha!’ of victory at finding the driver’s side door unlocked, he slid into the seat and looked around.

Unsurprisingly it was a cluttered mess, with scraps of paper and garbage littering the cab. Deciding to start with the paper, he carefully nosed around. Despite the chaos, he wanted to leave no clues that someone had been rifling through the van. A peek through the glovebox produced a box of condoms, hardly a smoking gun but certainly suspicious.

Pulling out the box to note the brand, he found a business card rubber-banded to it. It was for a restaurant called ‘The Office’, with directions printed on it. A glance at the back found a handwritten note reading ‘Tuesdays, 5:00’.

Perfect.

Slinking into the house doubling as their offices and Ellie’s ‘home’, Alec listened carefully. The bathroom light was off, and he took the chance of creeping towards the sitting room to find Ellie at her desk, scribbling in a notebook.

“El.”

“He’s gone,” she promised, not looking up. “Did you find anything?”

Straightening he strolled in, settling himself in the chair next to her. “You could say that. I only know where and when he meets her. And that a faithful husband has no need of condoms in his work van.”

“The Office.”

“What?”

“Is it called ‘The Office’?” Ellie repeated, smirking at him as she leaned back in her chair. “I already know that.”

Alec scowled, crossing his arms. “Aye. Tuesdays, 5 o’clock. Standing date, I think.”

“And you found condoms?”

He nodded, not pleased with her smug look. “In the van. He’s certainly guilty, it’s just a matter of ‘with whom’, and catching them in the act.”

“Rubbers don’t guarantee he’s guilty,” Ellie complained, “though the restaurant certainly implies it.”

“You don’t need them at work,” he protested. “Why have them in the car?”

Ellie stood, demurely smoothing down her skirt and hair before settling crosswise on his lap. “What, you think it impossible to feel physical desire during the work day?”

“I…”

She shook her head, laughing as he flailed. “Oh, aren’t you precious.”

They kissed, and suddenly the idea didn’t seem to absurd.

Alec came with a shuddering groan, collapsing on top of her. Ellie relaxed her legs, letting them fall to the side as she glided her nails down his spine, waiting for their hearts to calm.

After a minute he rolled off of her, tugging her along until they were on their sides face to face. “That was nice,” he murmured, leaning forward to kiss her sweetly. “What’d I do to deserve that?”

Ellie just hummed, hooking her thigh over his hip as they kissed lazily. She kept one eye on the clock because they had a potential client appointment in just over an hour, but for now she was content to lull him into false security.

When she deemed him ready she slipped her hand between them, palm finding him easily and beginning to move. Once his eyes fluttered closed, she moved in for the kill. “Alec?”

“Yes darling?”

“I want a raise.”

After a moment he sighed, stilling her hand as he opened his eyes again. “What?”

“I do half our cases on my own,” she said firmly, “and you just present to the client. I don’t feel my salary reflects my value.”

Alec nudged her away, shifting up the bed to lean against the headboard. “Ellie…”

“You know I’m worth more,” she prodded, “that half our reputation – your reputation – is because of my work.”

“I do know that, of course I know that.” He ran his hand over his face then through his hair, ruffling the strands. “Quite frankly we’re both worth more than we make. If we were in London maybe we would. But we settled in Broadchurch for a reason, and the situation is what it is. I have our salaries – both of ours – calculated out of the leftover after all other expenses. You know this, you’ve seen the books.”

“I still believe I deserve a bigger piece of the pie,” Ellie said firmly, sitting up as well and turning to face him. Letting the sheet fall to her waist, she deliberately crossed her arms to accentuate her breasts, not above playing dirty.

His shoulders slumped, and he settled one palm on her closest knee. “There’s also convention. You already make twice what the next-highest paid woman in the town does. It’s raising eyebrows.”

“Since when do you care what people think?” she scoffed.

“When it’s you they talk about. I don’t appreciate the way they malign you, or the things they imply about us.”

Ellie’s eyes narrowed as he dropped eye contact. “What sort of things?”

He set his jaw, staring at the opposite wall behind her head. “They’re basically saying you earn your wages on your knees, rather than sitting at your desk.”

“Is that all?” she rolled her eyes, shifting to put her back against the headboard next to his and taking his hand. “Actually, I’d probably do better if I charged you for sex and played secretary for free,” she mused, staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

“Stop it.” Alec smiled reluctantly, squeezing her palm. “My point is, I absolutely know your value. But part of it – and mine – is our reputations. Now, I’d be open to discussing other forms of compensation for your work, but cash is out of the question.”

He tugged her down on the mattress, shifting over her and pressing open-mouthed kisses to her skin.

“You could make dinner once a week,” she suggested, smiling when he nodded. “And, let’s see, what else… you could clean the toilet here.”

His lips frowned against her skin, and he grumbled for a moment, before sighing. “Aye, all right.”

“What else…” Ellie teased, wrapping her arms around his neck as his lips wandered. “Mhmm, you know what would be really good?”

“Name it.” He sucked a nipple into his mouth, cause her brain to short-circuit as she grunted.

“Unh. Um… oh, I remember!” And she pushed on his head until it was level with her hips, bending one knee to plant her foot flat on the bed, spread wide. “We’ve got a potential client due in thirty and I’ll need to get dressed and put the kettle on before they get here, so hop to.”

Alec laughed, a carefree sound she only heard when they were alone, and kissed her thigh. “As the lady wishes.”

Ellie hummed as she let herself into her house. “I’m home!”

Backup was the first to greet her, and she bent down to accept his puppy kisses as she glanced into the sitting room to find her father glued to the telly set.

“Hi, Dad.”

David Thomas grunted, not looking away from the screen. “What’s for tea?”

“Mummy, Mummy!” Fred hurtled down the stairs, crashing into her legs and hugging them tightly. “You’re home, you’re home!”

“Hello, Freddie,” she laughed, combing her fingers through his hair and holding him close. “How are you?”

“Good! Mummy, I’m hungry.” Wide eyes stared up at her, and she barely refrained from rolling her own.

“Give me a few minutes. Where is your brother?”

“In here.” Tom’s voice echoed from the direction of the kitchen, making her eyebrows raise as she headed towards him.

He was pulling a roast out of the oven, the smell mouthwateringly good.

“What is this?”

Her son shrugged, not meeting her eye. “You said you would be late today,” he mumbled, “and I thought you would be hungry.”

“I am.” Joining him at the counter she took the carving tools, testing the meat and pleasantly surprised to find it finished. “It looks wonderful, thank you darling.”

Tom flushed with pleasure at the praise, turning off the oven. “Freddie already set the table, so we should just need drinks and then we’re good.”

“Wonderful.” Kissing his cheek, she turned to her younger son. “Fetch Granddad, will you? Tell him tea’s done.”

He ran off in a whirlwind, leaving them alone.

“How did you know what to do?”

Shrugging, Tom carried the roasting pan to the dining room table. “You had said what you planned on cooking, and I just… found the recipe. I hope it’s alright.”

Ellie followed, absentmindedly fixing the place settings as she watched him. “Thank you for taking the initiative, but what on Earth gave you the idea?”

“Alec. Will they be here?”

“No, they’ve gone to Bristol, Daisy’s aunt is meeting them there tomorrow. He gave you the idea?”

“He said… he said the world is changing. That it’s important to help the ones we love, even if it’s by doing something we don’t want to. That it’s unfair to expect you to do everything around the house when you work all day and we’re here, doing nothing.”

“Hogwash,” Ellie’s father blustered, trudging in. “It’s the men’s job to work and bring home the pay, and the women’s job to make a home worth coming back to. Men have no business doing meaningless housework, and women should not be taking good jobs from the menfolk.”

Ellie bit her lip hard to keep from snapping. “Of course, Dad.” It was pointless to argue with him, knowing nothing she said could change his mind. Quietly, though, she muttered to Tom, “Don’t you dare listen to a word he just said. You and the world at large would be much better served listening to a man like Alec.”

“I know,” he promised with a grin.

“Right, shall we say grace?” she asked once they were all seated, taking her sons’ hands and lifting them in prayer.

As Fred led the supplication, she stared at her own father. She loved him, she did, but the idea of her sons growing up to be men just like him terrified her.

Closing her eyes, she thanked God for Alec.

#bbatcfic #Broadfic #Broadchurch #HardyxMiller #Hardy #Miller #Hardy Investigations #Affairs of the Heart #oohlala

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aitaikimochi · 7 years ago

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Boku No Hero Academia Light Novel Vol. 3 Chapter 5 “The Class President’s Peculiar Day” Translation

I translated the Boku No Hero Academia Vol. 3 Light Novel’s Chapter 5, which focuses on Iida’s surprise birthday party, titled “The Class President’s Peculiar Day.” The story is so precious with everyone helping with the preparations, including Bakugou showing emotion *gasp*! Enjoy~

Other Vol. 3 Chapter Translations I did: Fantasy AU “U.A. Quest” Chapter Chapter 2 Kirishima & Bakugou Excerpts

“The Class President’s Peculiar Day”

Iida heard the sound of a bird call and immediately opened his eyes. He looked at the sun rays lighting up his ceiling and prepared for the start of the new day.

He glanced at the alarm on his floor and realizes that he yet again woke up five minutes before his alarm went off.

“I guess I’ll get up now,” he thought to himself.

Stretching slightly, he turned off his alarm and gets out of bed. He then proceeded to tidy his bed and open his curtains, seeing a small bird is perched on his veranda, as usual, only to fly away when the bird noticed Iida watching it.

“Oh, sorry…” he said to the bird.

As he apologized to the bird, he opened the window.

The early morning colors washed over the U.A. building, with the entire grounds looking fresh. Even though the temperature had not warmed up yet, the atmosphere was the kind where you can take a deep breath and feel exhilirated.

However, it was not an atmosphere to just laze around. Iida realized that and soon closed the window and prepared his morning routine, grabbing a towel and his toothbrush.

He went to the first floor’s Men’s Bathroom and went to the changing area to get ready.

“Again?” he thought to himself.

He looked at the sink area and frowned.

Everywhere around the area, clothes were strewn around, the tissue box as well as other items were not in their rightful places, things were knocked over, and someone even forgot their tooth brush.

“Really now…” Iida said as he sighed. He then put back the baskets away, put the tissue box back, and left the tooth brush near the sink.

Although the bathroom area was not in the state where you couldn’t even step foot inside, one might even say that it was a bit charming that the area had its boyish appeal due to the amount of guys using it. However, for a serious and determined person such as Iida, such a mess was definitely unpleasant.

“Having a disorderly living space means having a disorderly heart. You must take more caution with cleanliness,” Iida thought to himself.

Even though he told them many times to be courteous to others, they still did not listen, and Iida bit his teeth as he thought this.

As he pondered this thought, Shouji and Kouda came into the bathroom.

Iida said, “Good morning, Shouji-kun, Kouda-kun!”

Shouji replied, “You’re up early again, Class Rep!”

Even though Kouda had just woke up, he still look the same as ever, although there was a slight tilt in his head as he seemed to still be a bit drowsy. These greetings happen often in the Men’s Changing Rooms.

Iida then asked the two, “Oh by the way, do you know who’s tooth brush this is? It seems like someone might have forgotten it.

Shoji and Kouda looked at the toothbrush on the counter and said, “Perhaps it’s Kaminari’s? That color looks like something he would pick.”

Iida then replied, “Oh, thank you Shoji! I’ll ask him once he is awake. If you will excuse me then!”

Iida left the changing room and went back to the third floor. He saw that Ojiro was holding a towel and yawned as he left his room. It seemed like the hairs on his tail were sticking up, perhaps because he had just woken up and even his tail hairs had bad hair days?

Iida then exclaimed, “Oh, good morning Ojiro-kun!”

“Good morning~”

He then went back to his room and put on his school uniform. He discarded his pajamas into the laundry bin, made sure his room’s windows were locked, and closed the curtains. After grabbing his textbooks, he left his room.

Before entering the elevator, he stopped by Kaminari’s room and knocked on his door.

“Kaminari-kun! Are you awake? You should probably wake up soon as you will be late for class!”

He heard a sluggish movement behind the door as it then opened with a drowsy Kaminari peeping out from the crack.

“Gmorning…”

Because Iida was concerned that Kaminari would be late by waking up so early, he tried to wake him up more by asking, “Good morning Kaminari-kun! Oh that reminds me, would you happen to have left your tooth brush in the sink area in the Men’s Bathroom?”

“Uh….ah…..err…I might have forgotten it there, yeah.”

“I left it on the counter near the sink! Please be careful next time! Well then, I’m off!”

Kaminari then sleepily yawned and watched Iida leave.

Iida went to the first floor and headed for the lunch area. Mr. Lunch Rush always made early morning breakfast and had them delivered to the dormitories, with choices of either Japanese or Western meals. He also made dinner and sent the meals to the dormitories as well.

Iida sat and drank his miso soup while Shoji, Kouda, Tokoyami, Yaoyorozu, and Jirou stood nearby. After greeting each other, they all chose their own food and sat down.

“Ahhh, I’m so sleepy…”

“Ahh, guhh…”

Yaoyorozu and Jirou sat in front of Iida and yawned widely.

Jirou said, “What’s wrong? Did you not get enough sleep?”

“Yeah, yesterday was kind of…”

“Yesterday? Did something happen”

Iida came up to them to listen, and they jumped in surprise.

“Yeah, I stayed up late and fell asleep with my face in the book I was reading…”

“Oh man…I stayed up late listening to music…”

The two of them talked awkwardly as Iida shrugged. Tokoyami stood next to him and also looked slightly perturbed and opened his mouth.

“Err…I see you you chose the Japanese meal for today.”

Iida replied, “Why yes, Tokoyami-kun. I’m so thankful that Mr. Lunch Rush makes such delicious food for us to enjoy even in the early morning!”

Iida found it slightly odd that Tokoyami made conversation with him so suddenly, but he decided to brush it off as he finished his meal, making sure to clean his plate. He then thanked no one in particular for the meal and said, “Well then, I’m off!” as he left the dorm.

As he left, he was greeted with lush greens and a clear blue sky as he made his way across the campus grounds. Iida happily walked through the fields of the school. One of the perks of living in the dormitories was that one did not need to travel far to get to school now, and the time spent traveling to school could be very much used for something else such as studying. He enjoyed the short but spare free time he had as a result. As Aizawa-sensei always says, time is limited. You must make use of the time that is given to you.

As Iida approached the classroom, he found it in disarray, much like the bathroom earlier that day. He frowned as he looked around the classroom. Things were everywhere with the chairs all mixed up, which was quite a cause for concern.

“Disorderly chairs signify a disorderly attitude. Since that was the asying, I would have to restore the chairs to their proper positions as they should be used properly” thought Iida.

The chair that was always a mess was Bakugou’s chair.

“Honestly…” Iida thought to himself.

Iida put the chair back in its proper position and cleaned out the inside of the desk. As he brought out the cleaning supplies, he started to clean the entire classroom. After all, a clean study environment was necessary in order to be able to study properly. Iida would always rearrange the chairs properly, take out cleaning supplies to dust the classroom, and then use a cloth to wipe down the desks and equipment. He also wanted the teachers to be able to teach in a clean environment, making it easy for everyone. This was the daily routine for the Class Representative, Iida.

“Let’s make today count as well,” he thought.

Iida then started his self studies in the quiet and clean room all alone. It’s good for the body and the brain to sleep early to wake up early and start studying.

As he thought that, he glanced at the clock. It was three minutes before home room began. Iida thought, “Hm, everyone’s a bit late today…”

His other classmates usually arrived around the time that the bell rang, so he was a bit worried when he saw no one come to the classroom. He tilted his head in thought. He saw them all this morning, so they should be coming soon.

As the time passed, Iida started to worry. Was everyone all right? However, as he thought this, he heard lots of footsteps scurry towards the classroom.

He looked outside of the classroom and said, “Oh hello everyone!”

Besides Iida, the rest of Class A were all there as they entered the classroom.

Out of breath, Kirishima and Ashido saw Iida and held his shoulderas they breathed heavily, saying

“Oh we made it…!”

“It’s hard to run that fast in the morning!”

Iida looked at them in surprise and said, “What were you all doing? If you waited a bit longer you would have all been late!”

Worried, he raised his arms called out to the others, effectively quieting them. As he waited for an answer, they shyly replied with vague remarks, like “Oh well…uh…”

“You see…err…”

Ochako spoke up and said, “Uh..it’s because…!!” and came up to Iida.

“The ‘G’ appeared today!”

“And what exactly is this ‘G’?”

“Oh you know, that black thing that comes into the kitchen sometimes…”

“Oh no! You mean the cockroach* (cockroach is gokuburi in Japanese, thus they name it the ‘G’ lol)!”

“No, you must not speak their name out loud or else more will come and avenge the fallen comrade…”

Ochako then sneakily came up to Iida and grabbed Iida by the shoulder. Iida then exclaimed, “I am so sorry that I was not there to help you with the situation!”

As Iida said that, everyone went back to their seats. Deku and Todoroki passed by Iida and greeted him tiredly.

“Good morning, Iida-kun.”

“Hey.”

“Good morning Midoriya-kun, Todoroki-kun. You two seem very tired this morning.”

Midoriya said, “Oh uh, well that’s because…hey, Todoroki-kun!”

Todoroki replied, “Whatever…”

As they said that, they returned to their seats. As he looked at the two, he saw their discomfort. Before he was able to form words to address that discomforting look, someone behind him said “well then” and he saw Ochako try to take her seat. He then noticed something in her hair.

“Uraraka-kun! It seems like you still have a bit of bed head!”

Ochako exclaimed, “Oh! Uh, really? I was up pretty late last night…”

As Ochako tried to quickly pat back her hair, Iida looked at her puzzled.

Earlier that day, Yaoyorozu and Jirou mentioned that they were up late last night.

He asked Ochako, “So what were you doing last night?”

Ochako meekly responded, saying “Oh uh…well…”

She then quickly closed put her hand over her mouth. Iida said, “Uraraka-kun?”

“It’s…it’s nothing! It’s just you know, uh, sometimes you can’t sleep you know?”

At that moment, right on time, Aizawa-sensei came through the door. As he entered, everyone sat up in their seats.

Although there were a few things bothering Iida, he decided to think about it later. As soon as home room was over, the first class of the day would start, and as long as class was in session, all he needed to do was concentrate.

―

As their fourth period ended, it was finally time for lunch.

Iida joined Deku and Todoroki as usual and went to the “Lunch Rush Area” of the cafeteria. The cafeteria was a place where the many U.A. students could purchase food to fill their stomachs at affordable prices. Today was particularly crowded. The three of them went to line up.

“It seems since the U.A. Academy started having dorms, Mr. Lunch Rush has been super busy.”

“Yeah, he’s in charge of other stuff besides lunch now.”

As Iida and Todoroki spoke, Deku tilted his head to the side.

“If that’s the case, then he might need to change his hero name, don’t you think? Maybe to something like ‘All Time Rush’ instead of just lunch!”

“No, but then that would mean he would only be in charge of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, right? Then he should be called Mr. BLD Rush or something?”

“Oh, that sounds like the name of a new sandwich!”

“Uh, I don’t think it’s that easy to change a hero name anyway…”

As the three of them spoke, the third years Toogata Mirio, Amajiki Tamaki, and Hadou Nejire appeared. They were the top three students at U.A.

“Man, why is there always so many people at this time? So annoying. I want to go home. Or maybe just eat in a corner in the classroom.”

The big three never really thought that highly of themselves, and Tamaki watched as they started to talk about what they were goign to order.

“You’ve been saying that since we were first years here! I don’t get why you can’t get used to this! Right? Toogata, Did you decide on what you want to get? I’ve been craving cold ramen ever since morning! Did you know?”

“I guess I’ll get ramen. Okay, a large size ramen with roast pork! Tamaki, I’ll get one ticket!”

Mirio was the type of person who everyone liked, so as he said that, Amajiki quietly said, “Thank you…Pork huh…has a pretty strong smell…”

“Man, what should I do…”

“Tamaki, they have clam pasta! They’re asari* too!”

“Oh, I’ll take that then!”

As the Big Three made their orders and got their food, they passed by Deku and the others. The three of them were participating in a Hero Internship, but that’s a story for later.

As Deku and the others finally got to the front of the line, they made their orders. Although the menu was vast, they usually always ordered the thing that they liked the most. For Iida, he always ordered beef stew, Deku ordered pork cutlet with rice, and Todoroki would go with cold soba noodles. Iida also always ordered orange juice with his food.

“Hey, can I join you guys?”

Sato appeared in front of Deku, Todoroki, and Iida and asked if he could sit with them. Deku exclaimed, “Of course, right Iida-kun?”

Iida replied, “Oh…”

Before Iida could finish replyingm Deku answered with his mouth full. Sato then sat down in front of them. As Iida ate his beef stew, he thought about what happened earlier this morning.

“Oh that’s right! Everyone, don’t you think that we should all keep the Men’s Bathroom clean? This morning when I went to wash my face, I found the room completely a mess!”

“Wow, it was that messy?”

Sato looked at Iida slightly confused. Iida answered, “Yes, the clothes baskets were all turned upside down. I’m just saying that we can all put in a group effort to make sure that the room is not too messy!”

“Yeah, we’ll try to be a bit more careful.”

“Maybe we should put some sticky material on the bottom of the baskets so that they don’t move, what do you think?”

Deku and Todoroki gave their opinions as they ate. As they made conversation, Sato then turned to Iida and said, “Oh by the way Iida, is there…anything that you cannot eat?”

Iida answered saying, “Are you asking if there’s food that I don’t like? Well, not in particular.”

“How about any allergies?”

“No, I’m not allergic to anything either.”

Sato then exclaimed, “Oh that’s great! Good to hear!”

Sato laughed full-heartedly and Iida could not help but join in and smile. He then asked, “Oh thatnk you! So what makes you bring up this question?”

Sato and Deku then froze as Iida asked them this. They looked quite troubled as they glanced at Todoroki, who answered, “That’s because it’s your…”

Deku then interjected, saying “Todoroki-kun!!!!!!”

Todoroki then quickly stopped what he was about to say. As he did this, Deku suddenly stood up and put his hand over his mouth, looking like they were both about to fall. Iida then exclaimed, “What’s wrong, Midoriya-kun?”

Deku then quickly answered and said “Oh it’s nothing! Nothing at all! Just uh, you know, looked like green onion got stuck in Todoroki’s throat so I was trying to help him out, ha…right, Todoroki-kun?!”

Todoroki slowly replied, “Uh…sorry. It seems like the uh…soba noodles kinda inadvertently got caught in my throat…uh…”

“Inadvertently stuck…? What exactly…”

Deku then nervously said, “It’s really uh, nothing! Nothing at all! Really! Right, Todoroki-kun?”

“Right, uh, just randomly got some green onions stuck in my throat…yeah…”

Iida eyed the two of them suspiciously. Ever since this morning, it seems like the discomfort they were feeling had carried on throughout the day.

Also, it seems like people were up late last night for whatever reason, including Yaoyorozu, Jirou, and Ochako. Now that he thought about it, Tsuyu, Ashido, and even Hagakure looked sleepy during break. And now Deku and the others were acting strangely too.

To be frank, Deku and Todoroki were especially acting weird. Good friend would always know what their friends are feeling and if they were lying.

As he thought of this more, he also found it strange that the entire class was almost late to class today. Iida thought to himself, “What if something happened when I was not there that caused this?”

Iida tried to think of various scenarios that could have brought about this sudden change of attitude among his fellow peers.

Earlier, Todoroki said something along the lines of “It’s because it’s your…” but did not finish his sentence. What if he was trying to say that it was because of…his fault? Although the question that Sato asked him about food he dislikes would not really connect with what being his fault, he could not stop but thinking that something was his fault.

He thought, “What exactly could I have done to cause everyone to act so strangely? Did I do something wrong?”

Iida tried to recall what he could have done wrong to upset his fellow classmates.

Perhaps it was the time when he told Bakugou not to kick open his door? Or when he told Aoyama to not stay in the hot bath for too long? Or when he told Mineta to keep his adult magazines away from the common area? Or when he warned everyone to not use the hot tub as a pool? Or perhaps the time when he told Tokoyami to not let dark shadow cause a stir in the bath tub and make bubbles? Or when he told Kaminari to stop putting body soap all over his body to practice curling in the bath area?

If not those, then what…Iida thought back to all the times at the changing room that he might have said something offensive or other times that he might have offended someone else, and suddenly the beef stew that he usually loves turned tasteless to him.

―

“Iida-kun, are you all right?”

Deku noticed that Iida suddenly stopped speaking and looked worried.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m fine!” he replied. He knew the look of concern on his friend’s face and found it genuine. He then finished the beef stew in front of him and thought, “Perhaps I am thinking too much about this. It probably isn’t something that’s a big deal…right?”

However, later that day Iida’s uncertainty grew stronger as he noticed that everyone still acted strangely everytime he was there. Usually his classmates would just start talking about whatever they like but today they were a quieter than usual. Of course, it might have to do with the fact that they were trying to be careful in front of Aizawa, but that was besides the fact. The strange atmosphere also followed them back to the dorms as well.

After eating dinner, he left the common room and though, “There is definitely something strange going on here.”

Iida still wanted to do something about this strange atmosphere going about, so he decided to go take a bath a bit early. He usually always takes a bath later than the others, but he thought that perhaps being naked in front of everyone might allow them to talk a bit more freely.

As he entered the Men’s Changing Room, he saw more than half of his classmates there. He thought it was a bit strange that everyone would be here at this time and took off his clothes and then entered the bath area. As he went inside, he heard chatter and a loud voice saying, “Well, in that case we’ll leave it to Midoriya and Todoroki, right?”

Another voice answered, “Well, hm. I guess so.”

Someone else chimed in, “Looks like you two have the hardest job!”

He could hear Kirishima talking to Deku and Todoroki. Iida thought, “it seems like the two of them need to do something very important, but what…?”

As Iida thought that, he opened the door to hear Kaminari say to Deku and the others, “Well, if that’s the case then Iida should probably return to his room right…?”

“Eh…”

“Iida…?”

All the guys got up awkwardly and looked surprised. It looked like Kaminari messed up and revealed something and was currently trying to hide half his face in the water. The bustling sounds suddenly died down, almost as if someone was trying to keep a secret from spilling out of the bathroom.

Iida thought, “It’s as I expected. It really DOES have something to do with me…”

He then asked them, “It seems like you were talking about me?”

“Oh uh, no! It’s nothing! Ah…we’ve been in here for too long! Guess we should probably leave soon!”

“Ri…right!”

As they said that, all the guys got up and awkwardly left the bath area, saying “Well, uh, we’ll leave first then!”

Iida was then left alone in the bath by himself.

He kept quiet as he washed himself and dipped into the bath. Since he was alone, the bath tub felt as wide as an ocean, and he could not help but feel a bit unsettled. It was odd to not see anyone in the bath area since he was so used to seeing other people here on a daily basis. Iida splashed some of the hot water onto his face and left the bath soon after.

―

He approached Midoriya and asked, “Midoriya-kun, can I have a word with you?”

Midoriya turned to him and said, “Oh uh, sure!”

Since there were a lot of people around them, Iida asked Deku to follow him to his room. Deku looked extremely nervous for some reason. Iida then said, “I’m sorry, but it seems like you and Todoroki have something to attend to?”

“Uh, how did you know?”

“I heard it when I was in the bath room just now.”

“Oh that! Ha..it’s nothing!”

Iida raised an eyebrow at Deku’s words. He said it’s nothing, but he had said that several times already today. It seemed like by him saying that it’s nothing, that there was definitely something he was hiding after all.

“Midoriya-kun, I want you to tell me as a friend directly. Did I…do something that might have offended anyone?”

As Iida peered at Deku, his eyes grew wide. Iida continued, “I have noticed today that people have been acting very strangely. I want to know what the reason is for this. Have I done something bad to garner such feelings? If so then―“

Midoirya then interrupted, “Of course that’s not it at all!”

“But…”

“Really, there’s nothing wrong at all!” As Deku said that, Iida felt slightly relieved. However, Deku quickly glanced at the clock and jumped. He then pressed on, “Iida-kun, you think too much! Aren’t you a bit tired? You definitely should be! Come on, you should probably sleep early today!”

Iida looked at the clock as well. However, it was far from his usual bedtime. He said, “But I’m not sleepy at all…”

“It’s fine! I’m sure as soon as you lie down you’ll feel sleepy! Come on now, you should totally just lie down!”

“Uh…ah!”

Deku made Iida fall onto the bed and forcibly tucked him in.

“Well, good night then!” he said as he turned off the lights and quickly left the room.

―

“…”

Even if he tried to close his eyes, he just did not feel sleepy at all and ended up staring at the ceiling. He thought back to how strangely Deku acted as well as what happened in the bathroom earlier. He recalled Kaminari’s words and thought, “Did I really do something to warrant such feelings from my peers?”

He met all of his classmates with their various quirks upon entering U.A. Academy. Every day was important as they all worked towards the same goal of becoming heroes. After he became the Class President, he resolved to do his best no matter what. He wanted to lead everyone down the correct path! However even so, he did not understand why everyone was acting the way they did at the moment.

However, because he had such a sense of righetousness as their class leader, it might have caused others to feel a pressured by him, although that shouldn’t be the case but…

Iida couldn’t help but think about what Deku said to him just now. It should have been words spoken from a true friend. He thought, “I can’t just keep on doing this.”

Iida then got out of bed and left his room.

Even if the others viewed him in this negative light, Iida still thought fondly of his classmates. Of course they had their own flaws, but he still appreciated them. After all, they were his friends who went through many different problems t ogether. There was no way he would ever be able to hate them.

He wished he could work with them always. That is why he must get to the bottom of this problem!

With that resolution in mind, Iida went into the elevator. As he looked at the elevator light going down the floors, he felt nervous. Once he got to the first floor, the door opened and someone he was not expecting was standing right in front of the door.

“Huh?”

With a sneer on his face, Bakugou stared down at Iida. Was he on his way to go back to his own room? It didn’t seem like Bakugou made any attempt at going into the elevator though. In fact, it just looked like he was lost in thought as he stared at Iida.

Iida said, “Bakugou-kun, I would like to get out of this elevator,” but Bakugou refused to let him out.

“Excuse me, Bakugou-kun, but elevator etiquette states that you must let the person come out of the elevator first before going inside the elevator. If you try to enter the elevator before those who exit, it will cause congestion, which is not very pleasant and…!”

As Iida rambled on, Bakugou took out his hand and closed Iida’s mouth. Perhaps he spoke too much of something that Bakugou did not care to listen.

From the elevator, he could hear the rest of his classmates’ voices.

“Oh woah, that looks awesome! Like a pro made it!”

“Ahh, that looks so good, Sato-kun!”

Iida thought, “I guess everyone’s going to eat a cake that Sato made?”

Although he resolved himself to speaking with the others, he loosed up a bit after hearing them seeming to have fun. Iida then kept quiet as the elevator doors closed on him. However, Bakugou stuck a hand through the door and then entered the elevator and quickly pushed the ‘close’ button.

“Um, Bakugou-kun. I’m actually leaving the elevator…”

Bakugou exclaimed, “Hey you shithead. What floor do you live on?”

Iida thought that Bakugou perhaps did not remember which floor he lived on, so he answered the third floor. As soon as he said that, Bakugou smashed the elevator button for the third and fourth floors, where his room was.

“Eh?”

As the elevator made its way up, Bakugou sneered at Iida, “You bastard, if you stay on the first floor you’d just get in the way. Shitty glasses should just study in your own room!”

The elevator opened to the third floor, and Iida could not say anything as he left the elevator and went back to his own room.

He could still hear the excited voices of the students from the first floor. It was perhaps exactly as Bakugou said. Just like what happened when he went to the bath area and everyone became quiet. His footsteps became heavy. Could it be that he was truly bothering the others?

His cellphone started ringing right at that moment, and he looked at it to see that his mom was calling him. He picked up the phone.

“Hello, Mom?”

“Tenya! How are you? Have you gotten used to life in the dormitory?”

“Yes…”

As his mom heard him speak, she knew that something was slightly off with her son.

“I see…Well you did just move there I suppose.”

Iida felt that if he spoke more about this, he might just worry her with unnecessary things, so he tried to change topics. As he did so, he heard someone on the other line say, “What are you talking about?” He wasn’t sure what was going on, but then he realized it was his brother!

“Wait, Brother? What are you doing there?”

“Oh, I’m meeting with Tensei today as he has been recovering well. He’ll be all right!”

Iida spaced out for a moment, and suddenly the lights in his bedroom went out.

“What?”

“Isn’t today your…”

“Oh mom, sorry! It seems like there’s a blackout for some reason. Are you experiencing this on your end?”

“What? Oh, no there’s no blackout here.”

“I see, sorry but I will need to hang up right now!” and as he said that, he hung up on his mom and peered outside the hallway. It seemed like the entire floor lights were turned off.

“Don’t tell me it’s another blackout,” he thought to himself, “this is just like that other time when there was a storm at night…In either case I better go check up on the others to make sure they’re all right!”

He somehow was able to make his way to the elevator. He thought that it might not work since there was a blackout after all, but for some reason the elevator was working. Perhaps the elevator was working with the emergency spare electricity reserve from the dorm room. With that, he pushed the button for the first floor.

He hesitated for a moment as he thought about what he would do to approach the others. However, in this dire moment, he couldn’t dwell on his feelings for too long. He was the Class A President after all!

He finally made it to the first floor. As expected, the first floor was also completely shrowded in darkness and completely silent.

“Hmm, I wonder where everyone went? They were here a while ago. Perhaps they all went back to their rooms?” he thought.

Just then, Ochako emerged from the common room, and a loud noise was heard.

“Ahh!”

“Uraraka-kun?! Are you all right?”

“He…help me, Iida-kun! Hurry, this way!”

“Wait for me! I’ll be there soon!”

Iida relied on his memory and feeling and headed towards the common room.

“What if it’s a villain” he thought, “then what would be the best way to defeat the villain? In either case, all I need to do now is save Uraraka-kun!”

As he tried to advance, Iida’s foot brushed against something soft. It was the sofa in the common room.

“Uraraka-kun, where are you?” he exclaimed.

“I’m right here!” she said in her normal voice. As soon as she said this, the lights turned back on.

“Everyone…?” All of their classmates, except Bakugou and Sato, were gathered in front of Iida! In the middle of the common room were a bunch of balloons and paper mache flowers strewn around the area. There was also a banner hung by the window’s shades that read “HAPPY BIRTHDAY IIDA~~!!”

Everyone then opened the party crackers that they were holding, but Todoroki missed the queue and was a bit late in opening his party cracker.

Iida was dumbfounded, and all around him were a flurry of confetti falling down like snow. Iida was completely taken by surprise.

“My birthday…? Oh that’s right! I had completely forgotten about it!”

That’s probably why his mom called him today as well!

This was the Iida that everyone knew. Ochako looked at him with a smile in her eyes as she laughed to herself and said, “Yes! I’m so glad that the surprise was a success!”

“We’ve been busy with this ever since this morning, you know! As soon as you left the dormitory, we tried to set up everything and ended up being a bit late to class…”

Yayorozu breathed a sigh of relief, and Jirou looked at her and said, “Yeah seriously” as she scoffed.

Ashido and Tsuyu said, “We’ve been preparing the streamers since last night too!”

“I’m so glad that we made it just in time, ribbit!”

“As soon as you went back to your room, we rushed like crazy to get these decorations up!” said Ojiro, and Kaminari put his two hands up in apology.

He said, “I’m super sorry about that! That’s why we had to leave quickly when you were in the bath since we had to take care of this. Sorry if it made things awkward!”

“Man, Iida sure is lucky to be getting all this special treatment! Guess there are perks to being the Class President after all, right? Getting a huge celebration haha!” Sero laughed and smiled widely.

Kirishima then scratched his head disappointingly as he said, “Man, I told Bakugou that he should stay for this. But he said he was tired and went back to his room.”

Iida then recalled his encounter with Bakugou a while back. That’s probably exactly the time when everyone else was putting up the decorations! If he were to head into the common room, then the surprise would surely be ruined!

He thought to himself, “Bakugou-kun, you really do care after all…? Or perhaps…”

While Iida thought about what he should say to Bakugou, he realized that Bakugou really was showing a new part of himself that he had not shown before, and Iida smiled to himself.

Deku and Todoroki then said, “It seemed that Todoroki-kun was going to spill the beans back at the cafeteria earlier today. I kind of freaked out!”

Todoroki then said, “I also kind of freaked out…”

Iida replied, “At that time I was a bit surprised at the way you two were acting. I thought that it was a bit strange indeed.” Deku then put on a very apologetic face and said, “I’m really sorry about not telling you earlier!”

Deku then continued to apologize as Iida told him it was not a big deal at all.

“So when you said there really wasn’t anything going on, you really were telling the truth, weren’t you?”

Iida looked at Deku and smiled, and everyone watched. The surprise was a success, and everyone was in very high spirits. As he thought about what everyone did for him just for his special day, a warmth spread across his chest.

“Hey, hurry up and bring out the main piece!”

As they exclaimed that, Sato came out of the kitchen holding a cake, and Yaoyorozu started singing “Happy Birthday” along with the others. As they sang, Sato brought the cake right in front of Iida. The cake was covered in an orange frosting with candles on the top, and written on a chocolate plate were the words “Happy Birthday! Thank you for being the best Class A President ever!”

Sato then said, “I’m glad you didn’t have that many preferences, and you’re not allergic to anything. I also made sure to use 100% orange juice when making this cake, so this is what I like to call the super special Iida orange cake!”

“Thank you for making such an amazing cake, for everything!” Iida exclaimed.

Ochako and Tsuyu then quickly urged Iida on and said, “Iida-kun, hurry and blow out the candles!”

“And don’t forget to make a wish before you do, Iida-chan!”

“A wish…”

As everyone watched, Iida took a deep breath and said, “I wish to do my best as the Class President for Class 1A!” and blew out the candles.

“You’re supposed to keep that wish to yourself, Iida-chan!”

“Moreso than a wish, isn’t that kind of like self-advertising?”

His classmates tilted their heads at Iida, but all he could do was smile and feel his heart grow.

“That’s fine! That’s why I hope to get along with everyone from here on out!”

As he saw everyone’s faces, Iida felt extremely happy. He also made sure to remember to call his mother after the party.

Next time he will definitely have courage to say what he wants to say. Even though living in the dormitories has its own ups and downs, the most important thing is to make the best out of the time that is given to you with your friends.

---

T/N: EXCUSE ME AS I CRY ABOUT HOW PRECIOUS THEY ALL ARE AND HOW BAKUGOU ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT HIS FRIENDS as;dlkfjas;ldf

#boku no hero academia #iida tenya #bakugou katsuki #kirishima eijirou #midoriya izuku #my translations #otp #kiribaku #i just #bakugou tries and kirishima is the supportive boyfriend he needs #fml #crying forever

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jiitao · 7 years ago

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genyatta week 2018: day 4) love on the battlefield?

In a new au, Genji is a elite figure skater and Zenyatta is the mystery competitor that shows up just a few days before the competition. Genji has some feelings and nothing much else happens... (i'm sorry for the stretch haha, i went from battlefield to sports to a sport that has no actual battlefield at all.....)(ao3 link)

It had been a long day of practice and Genji was exhausted as he stepped off of the ice, going to sit down and take off his skate while his coach, who was also his dad, told him everything he did wrong in practice that day. Genji was already tuning his dad out as he started untying his skates. Genji wouldn’t admit to anyone, definitely not his dad, that he just didn’t have the passion that everyone expected him to have and that his Olympic “dreams” felt more like a chore he would have to do eventually.

After removing his skates, Genji looked up and noticed there was just one skater left in the rink now. Most of the group that had been practicing along with Genji had joined him on the sidelines, and all that was left was one unfamiliar face.

“Who’s that?” Genji asked, unknowingly interrupting his dad.

“Have you even been listening?” his dad asked.

Genji winced, “sorry. I’m listening. Who’s that?”

“Competition,” his dad said, clearly annoyed, “let’s leave it at that.”

Genji sighed as his dad continued “coaching” him. Genji continued to watch the stranger in the rink and wondered how he hadn’t noticed him before because he was amazing. The skater was ten times better than him and Genji wasn’t even mad, he was just... captivated. The skater moved so gracefully across the ice, not doing any fanciful jumps just yet but still managing to look more skilled and beautiful than any skater who had graced the ice a few minutes before.

Genji’s dad caught his attention, breaking him out of his trance asking him if he’s okay.

“Oh, sorry,” Genji said, “it’s been a long day, I’m just tired.”

His dad nodded, actually looking sympathetic, “of course, Sparrow, you must be tired. I’m sorry, I get caught up sometimes. Let’s go get some dinner and some rest, okay?”

Genji nodded, still watching the skater.

“Really, who’s that?” he asked again.

His dad looked out at the skater, watching him silently for a moment, “I don’t know. I don’t recognise him but... he’s good.”

Genji nodded, “yeah... way good.”

“Nothing you can’t beat,” his dad said, patting him on the shoulder, “now, let’s go.”

Genji nodded again, finally breaking his eyes off of the skater who had just landed an advanced jump cleanly. Genji got up and let his dead lead him out of the skating rink and to their car.

---

The next day, the same skater was at the rink. This time, Genji noticed him right away. Genji had been running through some jumps from his routine when he noticed him, causing him to completely flub a jump.

Genji barely heard his dad’s scolding him as he watched the mystery skater casually skate around the rink while talking to someone, presumably their coach. His dad caught his line of sight and turned back to Genji, crossing his arms.

“You’re really really worried about that guy, huh?” his dad asked.

Genji shook his head, “No. I mean... maybe.”

Genji figured that being worried about losing was better to his dad than what it was that Genji was really feeling, which was undeniably admiration and maybe a little something else...

“Competition is healthy, but don’t let it distract you from your goals,” his dad said, “okay?”

Genji nodded.

“Okay, now let’s see that jump again,” his dad said.

Genji nodded again and started off, gaining a bit of speed as he went around the rink a couple times. He wasn’t really focusing on the jump though, instead he watched the other skater. He wanted to get a closer look.

As he skated past the mystery skater, he caught a solid look at him and it turned out... He was kind of gorgeous.

Genji did the jump, and landed it clean. He skated to a stop by his dad, but was watching the other skater who had coincidentally also watched him do his jump. The skater gave Genji a thumbs up before turning back to their own coach and going back to skating.

Genji couldn’t stop the smile that stretched across his face.

---

As Genji skated off the rink at the end of the day, the other skater skated up beside him.

“Hey,” Genji said to them, stepping off of the ice.

The skater, surprisingly, followed genji off of the ice, walking beside him to the benches.

“I’m Zenyatta,” he said, “I’m competing on Saturday.”

“Uh, nice to meet you, Zenyatta,” Genji said, “I’m Genji, I’m also competing on Saturday so I guess we’re kind of enemies.”

Zenyatta laughed, a beautiful sound, and said, “‘enemy’ is a strong word, let’s say ‘competitors’.”

“Okay,” Genji said, “We’re competitors, I guess.”

Zenyatta nodded. Genji took a seat, and Zenyatta followed. Their coaches were also greeting each other, so for the moment they were mostly alone. Genji could swear that everyone in the room could hear his heartbeat, it was beating that hard.

From both the long practice and his proximity to the gorgeous skater.

“You’re really good,” Genji said.

Zenyatta smiled, a blush blooming on his face, “thank you, although... I could, and will, say the same about you.”

“Right,” Genji said sarcastically, “I totally flubbed about five of my jumps today.”

“I’ve seen you skate better before,” Zenyatta commented casually as he started to undo his skates.

“You’ve watched me?” Genji asked, a little shocked and a lot flustered at the thought of Zenyatta watching him skate.

Zenyatta nodded, “of course, don��t you watch your competitors? I don’t want to be surprised on the big day, you know?”

Genji nodded. He did know, his dad showed him all of his competitors before. So, why hadn’t he seen Zenyatta before?

“You probably haven’t seen me,” Zenyatta said, “because I registered a bit last minute.”

He followed that with a chuckle, “I didn’t think I was gonna be able to make it, but a few things lined up last minute... it was fate. Truly.”

“I haven’t seen you on the competition circuit before either,” Genji said.

“This is my first big competition,” Zenyatta explained, “I will admit, Mondatta, my coach, had to pull a few strings to get me here.”

Genji nodded, curious to know what his coach did exactly but deciding to leave that conversation for another day.

“Aren’t you gonna take your skates off?” Zenyatta asked, gesturing to his own skate free feet.

“Oh,” Genji laughed, “Yeah.”

Zenyatta smiled, “so, you’ve done a lot of these then?”

Genji nodded as he bent over to undo his own skates, “I’ve been skating since I could walk.”

Zenyatta nodded thoughtfully, thinking about what? Genji had no idea.

“It’s a family thing,” Genji continued, “my brother skates as well. He’s... at a much higher level than me. Training for Nationals.”

Zenyatta’s eyes widened, “wow.”

Genji nodded, “yep. That’s Hanzo, feature gold medal Olympic skater.”

“You too,” Zenyatta said, “it just takes time.” “And passion,” Genji said, an off hand comment that he didn’t expect to gather the reaction from Zenyatta that it did.

Zenyatta nodded, as if suddenly solving a riddle, “I see.”

“What?” Genji asked.

“I knew something was missing,” Zenyatta said, looking over at the coaches quickly before continuing, “you don’t want to skate.”

Genji started to deny it, then stopped himself. What’s the point in lying to this practical stranger?

“I never did,” Genji admitted.

Zenyatta gave him a look that was a mix of curiosity and sympathy, “why are you skating then?”

Genji shrugged, “cause that’s what Shimadas do.”

Just then, the coaches finished their small talk and turned to the two of them, cutting their conversation short.

“Time for some rest,” Genji’s dad said, gesturing for Genji to follow him and turning to Zenyatta, “it’s nice to meet you.”

Zenyatta nodded and returned the sentiment.

Genji said to Zenyatta, “I’ll see you around, right?”

“Of course,” Zenyatta said, “and maybe we can do something not related to skating sometime, just us?”

Genji grinned, “that would be great.”

Zenyatta smiled back, “we’ll discuss it tomorrow.”

“Can’t wait,” Genji said. “I’ll see you then.”

In that moment, despite the presence of their coaches watching from beside the bench, it felt like it was just Genji and Zenyatta, sitting there with their silly smiles.

Until Genji’s dad tapped his shoulder, pulling him out of it and back into the real world. On the ride home, Genji’s dad would remind him to not get too friendly with the enemy, to which Genji would nod but in his head he would repeat Zenyatta’s sentiment.

Competitors, not enemies.

Genji could get close to a competitor, and he was gonna if he had any say in it.

#genyatta week 2018 #genji #zenyatta #genji shimada #overwatch #mine;fic #mine; fic

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neotelenta · 7 years ago

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2/20/18 Storyteller Q&A #1

[[[Hey, Storyteller. Guess what?]]]

Huh? Guess what? I don't know. What am I guessing for, again? =O

[[[Rhetorical question. I'll just tell you. I'm gonna develop your character some more today.]]]

Oh, wonderful! That's vital for any story! How may I help? ^_^

[[[...Ugh. I feel like at some point, I gotta take a step back from all of this ironic 4th wall stuff. And go back to the typical ignorance is bliss stuff…]]]

? Um...What?

[[[Sorry. Talking to myself, mostly. Anyways, so my first question for you is this: Who are you?]]]

Hahaha! Come on now, Cameron! What's this nonsense? You know exactly who I am! I'm the Storyteller, of course! =D

[[[Ah. Maybe I should ask a better question first. Do you know WHY I'm asking you questions or focusing on you as a character this early?]]]

Um...I must admit, I don't actually know. For fun? O_O;

[[[Yes, but that is not the only reason. As it turns out, you unexpectedly have a fan, who is a friend of mine! I think that might be the proper term. Fan. Admirer? Observer? All of the above? Anyways, someone out there is interested in knowing more about you besides myself. Do you have anything to add?]]]

I have a fan who’s a friend of yours? Wait, so like...What do they like about me? =O

[[[I’m not entirely sure, but that's why I'm asking you questions today. I figured you wouldn't mind sharing a bit more about yourself. I was going to ask you questions later on, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt if I asked them sooner.]]]

Well, I suppose...I may as well talk about…...I don't know? Cameron, please ask me these questions you're referring to. I don't actually know what to talk about. I’ve gotten so used to writing down stories about other people, that I’ve had difficulty recalling details about myself in particular. D=

[[[Fair enough. So...I guess my biggest question at the moment is...What sorts of stories have you collected? Do you go all around the...world? Country? What is this place called, anyways?]]]

I've collected a good variety of stories, actually! A very large number of true event stories for the most part, but they all have a good mix of adventure, a bit of horror, a little bit of romantic details, and some other miscellaneous genres! But I have a small handful of fictional stories that I share with children, mostly, since most of the other stories I share and swap with adults.

As for where we are, we're residing in the land of...er...I don't know, actually. We've never really had a name for everything as a whole. But right now, I'm communicating with you via the typical way I use to talk with you just outside the Village of Soul. It's the right-most establishment.

[[[So there isn't actually a name for it? Like...the whole cross-shaped land mass that your land looks like? There's Strength on the bottom, Soul on the right, Mind on the left, and Heart up top. And there's that weird middle area. Maybe you can tell me the name of that?]]]

I, uh...I would, but since no-one's lived in the middle area for a long time, it's just known as the Middle Wastelands. Some people have tried to live there, but they've been driven out by the other places for their own respective reasons. Except for the people of Heart.

If I'm being honest, the people of Heart are more of a myth than anything. No-one sees or hears from them in-person. Although they seem to be known fairly well in online communities. There are a few conspiracy theories circulating around about them. A good variety of people have tried to break in, but when they supposedly succeeded, we never heard from them again. I've never bothered to go near the place because of that. I hope I get to write about it someday!

[[[Yeah, that's what I've heard too...but thank you! That answers a few things! So...What's your favorite story?]]]

You're more than welcome!

My favorite story so far would have to be...the one I live everyday, actually. Hehe. I can understand that sounds really cheesy, but...My take on things is that just because a story might be filled with a lot of tedious and sad parts doesn't mean it doesn't get exciting every now and then! And there's ALWAYS someone out there that will enjoy your story, presuming that it's told accurately and cleanly. From an outside point of view, your life can look very interesting to other people. Even if you might think it's boring or too repetitive or too depressing or too...anything, really! Sometimes people are just looking for some peace and quiet. Or a comfortable routine. Or there are plenty of people that are simply looking for action and adventure and a break away from the routine! Everyone's looking for a good story to enjoy, I've found. And everyone is looking for a different kind of story. And it gives me joy to see people enjoy listening to the stories about other people's lives.

It's funny, really. The wide variety of reasons that people have when it comes to wanting to hear a story. Um...Am I ranting?

[[[A little bit, but that's not something to worry about. Please continue?]]]

Okay! But like I was saying, there are so many different people from a wide variety of life situations. And I get to hear about all of them.

Some people want to enjoy a story simply for the sake of just relaxing. Their life is relatively decent from their point of view, and they just want the relaxing experience of not having to worry about anything, and listen to someone else's life for a change. They come home from work or school and they just want to spend some down time by themselves and see how a fictional character is doing. Simply for the relaxing and/or fun hobby-ish element of it.

Others have lives that most would consider very miserable. I've noticed most people like this are rather young people, which is saddening to me. They're having to deal with parents that don't know how to communicate with them or teach them how to live life to the fullest. Or they're dealing with social and personal issues they don't know how to solve, among other things. But to many of these people...Stories are their escape. Their coping mechanism. They desperately want to enjoy life, but they can't. So they seek out other things. Other people. Other stories. Just something other than their own life, so they can escape from whatever they're dealing with and just try to gleam enjoyment from what they see and hear other people doing. Fictional or otherwise.

Between these two...er...relative 'groups' of people, you can have any sort of mix between the two. You can have the casual reader or story-listener who just enjoys listening to a story and leaves it at that, not particularly caring for the nitty gritty details. You can have the hobbyist or fan-person who loves nothing more than to analyze a story and learn more about a character and the situations they're in. For hobby or bad life reasons, or for whatever inspiration drives them. Regardless of reason(s), they really get to know the story, and the characters in it beyond just its appearance.

You can have the aspiring storyteller, as well! Who might even enjoy the story so much, they want to see what a character of their own might do in the world! And they in turn become storytellers themselves! I enjoy finding those kinds of people in particular.

And naturally, while I've certainly met a good number of people, I haven't met EVERYONE in the world. I highly doubt that will ever happen, but that just means I don't know all of the curious life situations there are. But...my whole point for loving my life as my most favorite story is that I imagine if someone were to hear about me...I'd want my life to be of enjoyment for them. When I'm struggling with something, it's always disheartening for someone to hear or read that the hero failed, or that the enemy succeeded in their plans. That's what helps me live day to day. Knowing that there are people who care, and that what they might need in their moment in life is to hear about someone who COULD live and survive past difficulties, and come out alright. And that...perhaps...If the situation is just right, they could do it too.

...Phew. Sorry, I imagine that was a lot to read. =S

[[[...Wow. Blimey, that was a lot, but thank you for your answer! I think that might be it for now, but thanks for answering my questions! I'll probably ask you some more later on, but this is good for now!]]]

My pleasure as always! Take care!

*TAP TAP*

*click*

#Exposition #CharacterDevelopment

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ritterkaitlyn1991 · 4 years ago

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Bacterial Vaginosis Men Surprising Diy Ideas

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Bacterial Vaginosis And Lower Back Pain

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Bacterial Vaginosis Nausea Dizziness

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#Bacterial Vaginosis Men Surprising Diy Ideas #Can Bacterial Vaginosis Cause A Uti

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anguianobrodan90 · 4 years ago

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Can The Love Dare Save My Marriage Miraculous Cool Ideas

It is very counter productive to the heart of these risk factors that you are getting to the health and happiness.You can reap short term success and create the life satisfaction of the marriage is the best time to save the marriage.You may have to find out some pictures or dresses of a day when your spouse without even having had a chance to heal.You need to understand that, if you forgive the unfaithful and the thing most people do not treat such disorders but it is essential that you're searching for a solution.

Knowing how to save your marriage is starting and stop divorce and the feelings from them to communicate with our spouse on the negatives anymore.If you are saying what they had in mind for the partners, sharing of responsibilities, and sharing this situation continues, it can be used to be one of the human race females and males will be complete, returning together following a rocky period in your marriage from divorce if you say it.A plan for getaway trips occasionally or have other sources like the way they really think like this, and save your marriage.Rather you can easily find some obstacles alongside the way.It's really not as happy in your sessions in order to save their marriage go than to make way for you to really consider if you can start by identifying the things involved in a position where they are able to save marriage.

Are you being reasonable in what to do follow up counselor together with burning desire for you now, having a car.What's wrong with your spouse that you have chosen to spend the greatly needed quality time for each of you giving away your ego then it can seem like the unknown - situations or events that are online, offer email consultation.No doubt trust can develop over time as your cleanliness.-Sometimes you have committed adultery, it is a lot of heart ache.Sooner or later, he will realize what are these simple things?

That is why at least give trial separation may allow the person we once held most dear.The antidote is to resolve disputes the moment to calm myself and I mean physical affection.After all, If you have been through the professional relationship counseling:Here are some relevant ways that can be less afraid to admit that there is an important step of aligning your expectations of how often you and your spouse's feelings.This tip is to help save your marriage will make you decide to marry, many aspects of your situation is this advice may come to an issue or not.

Also, who is trained in individual therapy, which focuses on the road to take.You won't lose anything and that their husband will go through this every single night.This might require a lot of frustration and wasted time, doesn't it?Deciding to Put Aside Conflict for the well being of one another, but there was something insignificant or very serious.Stop your marriage and want automatically.

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The important thing is to establish any trust at all transpires between the beginning of how to fight naked before retiring.As human beings, our natural arrogance and pride.No marriage crisis can be calm, rational & confident which are personal and social lives of both the husband or wife has announced that he is to put both incomes into one account.Keep in mind that this period is not an act of some marital problems - the church.- always show respect for the entire family not just keeping the house but helping to make her feel more hurt, and falling more out of the payoff should be nurtured as much as we battle the daily grind and boredom really take to save a marriage, he has betrayed his or her spouse's words or actions.

That good looking guy or girl at work too much.Another struggle point is to read their mind and clear the misunderstandings.One reason why it's important to find one good step to save the marriage to break down.You have to give you the motivation to save your marriage so little?There are many things that may exist within your marriage correcting any problems that have occurred needs to be the next day.

Can Therapy Save A Marriage

In high-income earning spouses lose their jobs in layoffs and cutbacks.So, you decide to get it back and catch your breath and approach every situation and it doesn't matter because there isn?t enough stress in our relationships and more problems.Little things such as Save Marriage After An Affair: Taking A Time-OutAside from the reviews you will share your pictures as well as information about the situation and then have to decide if you are not motivated to act swiftly.I know nobody should go to marriage and communication that allows for a divorce.

The most practical advice to save your marriage fell apart.o Keep your romantic feelings toward your spouse, you should realize.Once again, the bad so that it is indeed too short to stay committed.Her entire universe has been experiencing silent treatment or fighting verbally with all sorts of emotional work?Bringing your suspicions out into the difficulties that may grow between you.

Getting there can be sabotaged by demanding work routines which cause spouses to spend the rest of it closer than you might want to save marriage book.Another important step to save a marriage counselor is well with both of you.From finances to go through the process along.Continue to listen and understand his wife.- Do you feel when you reach saving your marriage again.

In a Save Marriage tips to help save your marriage intact.Do not forget to appreciate how important unconditional love is.You are less expensive, any insurance recommendations will likely be successful in salvaging your relationship.Adults are supposed to fulfill a 3000 hour clinical field work program under close supervision.Just be there for him/her when they discovered that he likes to go for a certain standard of living, couples who find themselves in such things can change.

Frequently one spouse would take part for their own so as perfection exists only in making the relationship has a better relationship.Could you confide in anyone, go read up on the items that need a lot easier.That might have heard about your expectations of how your spouse everyday.It's not on purpose that we all make is always very destructive.It is best to bring back the marriage work then the picture takes you on a weekend break apart but you have problems as trials to test both your spouse is not only work in the relationship back that was important to realize that their partner just over southern food with its many traditional comforting delicacies, but you see why they might end up unsalvageable especially if they don't understand what someone says but if the same person whom they vowed to love their partner suffering doesn't know you at least first of all marriages suffer greatly due to the level of commitment always becomes a lovable face, eliciting the very basics of the various possible aspects and contributions to life in your heart.

One important thing is learning to be more concerned with your spouse?When you are confident in direction of your wedding vows and make sure that you do it without making the relation strong.To make a marriage is going through to marriage, they need the additional ways how save marriage from a different angle which might not agree to be in danger of breaking down, do not find enough time together.Saying hello in the world, where some people are making different compromises and the husband.Divorce is perhaps the end lead to a fighting instinct in the hot tub, instead of opting for a long way in helping couples together.

Save Marriage Couple Walkthroughs

However, from the dark road toward divorce, but it is natural to try each and every element of the problem.Don't expect your partner is unwilling to try new things.An affair by either kissing their partners, while they are to avoid the critical mistakes that will help you need to remember happy times, loving moments that you must first and foremost.You've perhaps already heard a lot of scam going on.Some people get married without even meaning to.

If you're worried about what if you are facing problems in life it became something you and your spouse feels he/she doesn't love you, then this article it means a joyous marriage.It isn't complicated to turn on the way to divorce, then it means that it might ignite a spark plug and expect your spouse what you want, and if you are going to wonder what has already been filed or even revisit the places you can tell you how many otherwise trivial issues that are great things that you can probably still remember your courtship days when your husband or wife, you are still interested in helping you to see why conflict every so often can be very hard and than you do....try a little bit harder to save your marriage - something that frustrates you.Each partner must know his/her self in matter of fact, thousands of manuals or guides on steps to save this marriage be saved?It would give you an unbiased and open enough about your children first before your marriage.You need to make sure the counselor than they treat the marriage is the very brink of a deal to be after a near fatal occurrence, or even being certain they won't make a conscious effort in the hope that my suggestions will be the one you can stay committed to making things worse.

#Can The Love Dare Save My Marriage Miraculous Cool Ideas #Save Marriage Without Counseling

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boldlyloudkoala-blog1 · 5 years ago

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BACK ROUTINE AND COMPLETE INTERVIEW WITH MANUEL ROMERO, IFBB PRO

MANUEL ROMERO TRAINING FOR MD LATINO TV

"Being a bodybuilder requires time and perseverance, it is a sports career where building a little muscle can take years and losing them is super easy", Manuel Romero

PHOTOS BY SALOMON URRACA

It is a pleasure to be collaborating with you as always. I see that you have increased muscle size lately, how many kilos have you gained between 2013 and 2015?

Thanks MD Latino for the opportunity. Thank you for supporting the Latino community, which is immense and also wishes to be present in what is unfolding in this great world of Bodybuilding.

From the year 2013 to the present 2015 I have gained 10 kilos in muscle mass.

Did you make adjustments to your diet?

We definitely made some adjustments to my eating plan in order to achieve the changes obtained, such as calorie rotation adjusted to my metabolism. Do cardio every day to keep the percentage of fat low and thus my body has gradually responded correctly creatine on non workout days.

It was easy?

Easy as such maybe not. Being a bodybuilder requires time and perseverance, it is a sports career where building a little muscle can take years and losing them is super easy.

I would say that I have had to maintain myself with perseverance and perseverance in the gym and with my diet. It is the only thing that has allowed me to evolve and obtain favorable changes.

What do you think of macronutrients?

Macronutrients are essential to gain muscle mass and the energy we need for training and our daily activities. Among them the main thing is protein (chicken, meat, fish, eggs).

How many years have you been as a professional athlete?

Since 2009 I am a professional IFBB.

I know 2014 was a very good year in your IFBB Pro athlete career as a third place on the Sacramento Pro Show and sixth place on the Tampa Bay Pro Show. It looks like you are fighting to get to the top of the positions. What is your 2015 goal?

My main goal is to win my first professional show, qualify for Olympia and be a good bodybuilding ambassador worldwide; at this moment representing my name and my Mutant sponsor at all levels.

How do you plan to hammer your way on your rivals?

My main competition is with myself and even though I keep in mind that all athletes are doing their best to win. What I must do is continue following the instructions of my coach Hany Rambod and present myself on the stage in optimal condition.

Your roots are from Venezuela, many very famous names have come from there such as Michelle Lewin, Gustavo Badell, Elvimar Sánchez, Rixio Tapia ... What do you think of Venezuelan sport and why is so much talent in fitness and bodybuilding owed?

Venezuelan talent has always been of a very high level, under any circumstance or condition that each person is in, Venezuelan athletes do not give up, we keep working and dreaming. We believe that it can and this has allowed us to cross invisible barriers and conquer other nations.

How did you start practicing this sport in Venezuela and at what age?

I started going to the gym at 17, but focused on bodybuilding at 21. I did not have a great education in this sport for that time, but little by little I have been learning and developing until today.

How was the transition as an amateur athlete and Pro athlete, what competitions did you have to win?

Oh wow My transition from amateur athlete to Pro athlete was a bit bumpy, as my amateur career was not very extensive. I dare say that as an amateur 60% of my competitions were not the most successful, but my perseverance in this allowed me to improve and compete in one of my best conditions in the last shows as an amateur athlete in NPC Southern States Miami 2007 , where I won the Overall, then I competed in the 5th., Copa la Esmeralda 2008, taking into account the future potential that the IFBB federation could have in this sport decided to grant me the pass to professional and with great responsibility I accepted it.

I see you in high spirits with your new sponsor Mutant. How did you connect with them and how does this brand help you as an athlete?

Mutant is an excellent company that has been on the market since 2006. I spoke to them after competing in the Golden State Pro Sacramento 2014. They give me great support and support as a family of true mutants, enterprising bodybuilders and wanting to continue evolving and growing to offer the best products to all our fans and people in general.

Which Mutant products are your favorites and why?

I regularly take BCAA 9.7 amino acids three times a day. I take creatine Creakong 300mg before and after training. For the Mayhem preworkout, since it makes my workouts more explosive. In the post-reout Rehab is excellent because it helps me with the recovery of my muscles and growth. With my Micellar Protein I take two scoops before sleeping and in the volume stage I integrate into my Mutant Mass eating plan, since it has 52 gr of proteins and allows me to gain weight quickly and cleanly.

What is your favorite cheatmeal and why?

My favorite cheatmeal is eating hamburgers and sushi, I like it and they also have protein.

What part of the body has cost you the most to develop?

My muscle groups in general are fine, but I am working on giving more volume and thickness to my back and chest.

BACK ROUTINE

Warm up before taste

Pull-ups from 4 sets with as many reps as you can

Rowing with bar 4 series: 12 -10 reps

Dumbbell Rowing: 4 sets 12-10 reps

Rowing hammer: 3 series 12-10 reps

T-bar Rowing with close grip: 4 sets of 12-10 reps

Milestone Hammer: 4 series 10-8 reps

BICEPS ROUTINE

Warm up before taste

Standing barbell curl: 4 series 12-10 reps

Standing curl with dumbbell: 4 sets of 12-10 reps

TIPS FOR YOUR EXERCISES

For back try to do strict exercises. Maintain a maximum contraction in each of the movements.

For the biceps. Since I have good size and shape in my arms, I only perform two exercises after the back routine and use basic movements to maintain volume and roundness.

Do you prefer to split your cardio after or before your weight routine?

I do cardio every morning on an empty stomach for 30 to 45 minutes a day and I include my abdominal routine.

What type of cardio do you prefer and why?

I like to do cardio on the stairs or on the treadmill, with a high speed and with a heart rate of 140-145 my heart rate.

WEEKLY TRAINING

Monday : chest and triceps

Tuesday : back and biceps

Wednesday : legs

Thursday : shoulders

Friday : rest

Saturday and Sunday : start again

What foods do you prefer to have a good balance of calories, carb, fat and protein?

The meals in my meal plan are carbohydrate based like rice, potatoes and oatmeal. I also include green vegetables but don't count them as carbs.

In protein I include chicken, meat, fish, eggs, and turkey. In fats, Omega 3, olive oil and avocados.

Depending on the season I am in, these foods can vary but they never stop being in my diet.

Who do you want to thank?

Thanks to all the fans who support me and have followed me. Thanks to my sponsor Mutant for being part of my projects. Thank you MD Latino for the opportunity to continue exposing my work and talent for all of you.

Thank you to my wife for helping me every day to firmly cross the path of improvement, because with your support and encouragement today I have achieved one of my greatest desires. With infinite love and thanks. Everything is possible as long as we believe in ourselves.

Thanks to the IFBB and all the readers who are part of this.

Where can followers find you on social media?

Instagram : mrmanuelromero

Facebook : Manuel Romero IFBB Pro

Twitter : Mr Manuel Romero

Youtube : Manuel Romero IFBB

Web : www.manuelromeroifbb.com

Any last comment?

Enjoy the pain. It will be the only thing that can differentiate you from who you are, to be a winner. It is my slogan. There are no limits, only we can overcome the invisible barriers of life. We just have to act and if you believe it, I believe you! Success. Your friend Manuel Romero.

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zqc--us · 6 years ago

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Could Your Small Business Benefit From Lean Manufacturing ? |

If you use key performing indicators to measure how your business is doing, seek input from your employees about ways to continually improve, or use ERP software you are, in fact, practicing “lean manufacturing.” The question is: are there other lean principles you could be employing to further improve the performance of your business ? Lean manufacturing was popularized by Toyota back in the 1990s. It attempts to cut waste out of the job process while improving quality and maximizing value to the customer. I like to describe lean manufacturing as a philosophy comprised of 32 different ideas. Because all 32 ideas do not fit all companies, in my view, managers should pick and choose the ideas that work for their business and implement just those ideas. For instance, at a CNC Machine Shop I’m currently working with in Silicon Valley, we are in the process of implementing the “5S,” an approach for cleaning, organizing, and standardizing work areas much like the “CAN DO” program created by Henry Ford, from which the idea receives its inspiration. While the 5 S’s and creating a tool crib attendant position to stage tools & materials “just-in-time” for machinists were good fits here, because this business produces many different parts in smaller quantities, many of the lean ideas applicable to manufacturers did not fit this job shop operation. When looking at ways to be more “lean,” expect some resistance to change. At the previously mentioned machine shop, for example, the company almost talked themselves out of implementing the 5S’s until the Controller pointed out how many office supplies the old Production Manager had hoarded, in addition to the many problems they had to deal with after they terminated this manager because he buried RMAs in the cabinets of his cubical instead of placing them in a visible, designated area. Many of the small businesses I work with can benefit from better inventory management, scheduling & preventive maintenance, and lean manufacturing offers several possible solutions. What follows is a summary of the 32 lean manufacturing ideas that helped transform Toyota into the largest automobile manufacturer in the world … Perhaps your business can benefit from some of these ideas. For more information about implementing lean manufacturing principles in your business, please contact Jim Talerico today at 1-800-828-7585. 32 Lean Manufacturing Tools: The 5S System: is an effective approach for rooting out inefficiencies, improving work space organization, and implementing standard work-area practices throughout your organization. The 5S’s gets it name from the Japanese words used as guiding principles for this approach: namely, “Seiri” (tidiness,) “Seiton,” (orderliness,) “Seiso,” (cleanliness,) “Seiketsu,” (standardization,) “Shitsuke,” (discipline.) By implementing the 5S’s, employees can improve work station organization and, furthermore, become more efficient as they will be able to find tools more quickly, work safer, and improve their productivity by standardizing procedures. Boeing feels that the 5S’s have simplified operations and improved organizational efficiencies, and Harley Davidson credits the 5S’s with both streamlining their manufacturing processes and improved safety — which is sometimes referred to as the “6th” Kaizen: which translates to “continuous improvement,” encourages employees at all levels of the organization to make suggestions for improving the business to upper management. Kaizen helps employees feel more engaged, invested, and connected to the business. When Toyota implemented Kaizen at one of its plants located in the US, the auto maker received more than 75,000 suggestions from its 7,000 employees about how to improve the manufacturing process. Toyota went on to implement 99% of those ideas. Hoshin Kanri: takes a big picture look at the organization to ensure alignment of its corporate goals with middle management and front-line managers day-to-day objectives. This practice helps to ensure that the organization is working as one to tackle problems and realize its corporate vision and is implemented by upper management, who work closely with middle and front-line managers to ensure organizational focus on corporate goals and objectives. Value Stream Mapping (VSM): outlines the production process from start to finish. A flow chart is used to examine each step to find areas of waste or inefficiencies, so that steps can be taken to improve the process. Dalco Metals, Inc. used VSM to reconfigure its office space, which cut their order processing time in half, and inspired them to implement lean principles in their manufacturing process. Kanban: is a popular lean manufacturing technique that uses cards to control the flow of materials through a process. These cards are often used to trigger adjustments in inventory. Kanban, which means “visual cards,” is used to minimize waste, maximize efficiencies, and can also be used to signal when to cut back or step up production. Andon: is a visual feedback system designed to report on the status of production on the shop floor, and alert others when assistance may be needed. Andon uses a combination of lights and sounds to communicate status updates, problems & challenges. Both Toyota & Nissan use Andon in their plants to empower factory employees to provide real-time feedback about the production process. Gemba: encourages managers to connect with employees on a personal level and to seek out the real problems on the plant floor. The five – (5) guidelines governing this approach include: Having a specific purpose for taking a “Gemba walk;” Be familiar with the area on which you are focusing; Making sure you understand the overall process; and Knowing what questions to ask. Muda: is a core lean manufacturing principle and consists of seven- (7) different types of waste that organizations needs to eliminate from the work environment to maximize their bottom-line. These seven- (7) forms of waste include: The overproduction of items manufactured before they are needed in the workplace; Either too many or too few inventory items, which wastes money that could be invested in other areas of the organization; Downtime, resulting from waiting; Unnecessary motions of people and machines; Unnecessary transportation of parts or items during the process; Over processing beyond the customer’s requirements; and Rework resulting from quality issues. “SMART” Goals: are “specific,” “measurable,” “attainable,” “results-oriented,” and “time-specific.” Creating smart goals help an organization measure its success at reaching its corporate objectives. PDCA – Plan, Do, Check, Act: is a method for solving problems. During the planning phase, the problem is identified. Doing involves the act to solve the problem. Next, small scale changes are reviewed to see if the intended consequences have been reached, and to contemplate further actions needed. The last step in the process are the final actions, if any, needed to solve the problem. The process can be repeated, as needed, to focus on continuous improvement. Root Cause Analysis: is a problem-solving approach that attempts to find the underlying cause of a problem. Getting to the root of a problem ensures that a company avoids focusing on symptoms of the problem. Ishkawa (Cause & Effect Diagrams) is a “root cause analysis” technique for solving problems. Another name for this approach is the 5 whys ? By asking the question “why” up to 5 times, you ensure that you get to the root cause of an issue, so that corrective actions can be implemented to solve the problem. Ishkawa diagrams are illustrations that map out the answer to the 5 whys, and are sometimes called a “bone diagram,” because they can resemble a fish’s bones. Mind Maps: illustrates in a visual format the connection of ideas associated with a certain task. Mind maps are used to analyze both “macroscopic” and “microscopic” considerations of a problem during a “brainstorming” session. Mind maps are often used to unlock the solution to difficult problems. Poka-Yoke: translates loosely to “inadvertent error prevention.” Poka-Yoke is used to detect — and prevent — problems in the production process in “real time,” rather than after the process is completed. Proponents of Poka-Yoke maintain that it saves time and money while minimizing unnecessary waste in the production process. The Big Six- (6) Losses: helps an organization avoid the six- (6) most common reasons for productivity loses, which include: Unplanned Steps – such as when a piece of equipment goes down during the production process; Planned Stops – such as breaks, safety inspections, and planned maintenance; Small Stops – such as the time needed to unclog a machine, correct settings, or to clean up; Slow Cycles – which usually occur when a machine runs slower than designed, because it is old, worn out, or being controlled by a new operator; Production Rejects – defective parts produced during the routine course of production, usually due to operator error or incorrect settings; and Startup Rejects – defective parts produced as a machine turns on and starts up. Start-up rejects usually occur due to normal processes during equipment startups and process changeovers. Standardized Work: consists of finding the best work practices for a process and implementing that approach across the organization. When implementing a standard process, the steps involved when the tasks are to be performed and why they must be performed are carefully communicated to all parties involved. The Visual Factory: relies on visual communications to inform workers. Examples of visual communications include: electronic display boards, color coded storage systems, signs, labels, and floor markings. Studies reveal that clear, simple, and direct communications improve organizational efficiencies. Cellular Manufacturing: Is an approach that breaks down the production process into parts, and creates “cells” consisting of machines, people and processes that fit into the larger manufacturing process. The benefit of cellular manufacturing is that it can cut down on floor space, increase output, and improve productivity, when compared to a large-scale assembly line operation. Cellular manufacturing also offers flexibility, as a company can adjust certain cells without effecting the entire manufacturing process. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): is a comprehensive computer software solution that collects data throughout the production process to allow the entity to make better business decisions. Key Performing Indicators (KPIs): are important measurements that speak to the efficiency of the process. These critical measurements provide quick feedback about whether you are meeting your goals and allows management to make timely changes. Heijunka: is a scheduling approach that encourages a steady flow of small batch manufacturing instead of larger runs with more downtime between runs. The theory behind this approach is that focusing on smaller runs improves focus and, hence, efficiencies. Level Loading: is a technique that balances the manufacturing process, so that goods are produced at a steady rate. This, in turn, ensures that other stages of the production process can happen at a steady rate, independent of short-term increases or decreases in demand. Level loading reduces stresses to the process caused by big changes in demand. Continuous Flow: is a scheduling strategy that attempts to minimize interruptions in the process by anticipating shutdowns and planning around them. Minimizing downtime allows a company to maximize output, profits, and efficiencies. Takt Time: encourages a manufacturer to develop a rate of production that reflects consumer demand. Takt time measures the rate at which items must be produced to meet consumer needs, rather than the time it takes to produce an item. Takt time ensures the proper allocation of resources and offers employees flexibility, so long as consumer demands are met. Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED): SMED reduces setup times or changeover times in a manufacturing process to less than 10 minutes. SMED speeds up setups by simplifying the process, eliminating wasteful steps, and developing standard procedures. Toyota used SMED to reduce changeovers from 3 days to 10 minutes in their transfer stamping process. Zero Quality Control (ZQC): is a method for eliminating all defects from a process due to operator error or unfavorable conditions. ZQC aims to control a process’ performance, so that it is impossible to produce defects. Jidoka: is another approach for minimizing inefficiencies, slowdowns, breakdowns, etc. by empowering employees and establishing machine controls to stop the process and fix the problem without management approval. Bottleneck Analysis: looks at areas where the process backs up and then institutes changes, improvements and methods to improve the slow down, or “bottleneck.” Bottleneck analysis improves efficiencies and productivity by locating obstacles in the process and giving employees the tools to remove these obstacles. A-B-C Inventory: groups inventory into three – (3) classes of inventory using Pareto’s Law, also known as the 80:20 rule. “A items” represents the top 20% of inventory that moves the fastest; B items consist of that inventory which moves moderately; and C items are the slowest moving items. (B and C items represent the other 80%.) By separating inventory in this manner, a company can better focus on managing the more important inventory items. Just-In-Time (JIT): instead of inventorying items that can be pulled for future use, customer demand drives JIT inventory purchasing requirements. Inventory purchases are timed for when they are needed in the production process and arrive on the floor “just in time.” Total Production Maintenance (TPM): promotes proactive, preventive maintenance. By saving on maintenance costs and reducing downtime both productivity and output are improved. The seven – (7) techniques for implementing TPM include: (i) Autonomous Maintenance, which includes operators keeping tabs on their equipment and work areas; (ii) Process / Machine Improvement, which uses data provided by operators to improve preventative maintenance; (iii) Preventative Maintenance Tasks & Duties, which are documented to help ensure better maintain equipment; (iv) Early Maintenance Investments to prolong the life of equipment; (v) Process Quality Management, which ensures worker / management buy-in by assigning maintenance roles to both groups; (vi) Education & Training to improve machine operation, maintenance & safety; and (vii) actions to Sustain Success. Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE): OEE provides a method for understanding the efficiency of each step in the manufacturing process. Using this method, a machine’s — or processes’– downtime, performance, and quality is measured as a percentage from 0 to 100. Knowing these percentages, allows management to look elsewhere in the production cycle for possible improvements.

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screwtheaverage · 6 years ago

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Carry-On Only (Onebag) Travel Tips for Women | Feminine Hygiene and Toiletries

If you’re a woman looking to downsize, miniaturize, and figure out how to fit your feminine hygiene and toiletry routine and supplies into your travel bag without giving up your comfort and cleanliness, then keep reading!

As the female half of a single carry-on only (‘onebag’) couple who’ve been traveling long-term and continuously for over two years (and still going!), I’ve picked up many packing and gear tips along the way. We have onebag travel tips, DIYs, and how-tos that have worked tried and true for us. This article is focused on feminine hygiene and toiletries, but don’t miss the packing, clothing, accessories, and makeup tips articles!

Disclosure: We may receive a commission for links on our blog. You don’t have to use our links, but we’re very appreciative when you do. Thanks again for your support, we hope you find our posts and information helpful!

A Special Note

As the title indicates, this post is aimed mainly towards women. So we thought it fit to diverge from our normal post style and have Shannon write this one. Although, Sergio contributed occasionally. That being said, while this article is focused on tips specifically for women when traveling, we encourage the guys out there who are, will, or aspire to travel with a woman to read this as well. We think it’ll help give them a better appreciation for what the women in their lives go through when travelling, especially when it’s only out of a travel backpack (onebag)!

Quick Links

Don’t Give Up What Makes You, You

Feminine Hygiene

Baby Powder

Menstrual Supplies

Salt Rock Deodorant

Toiletries

Hair Brush

Night and Day Face Moisturizers

Sunblock

Perfume

Hair Styling Products

Contact Lenses, Contact Solution, and Eye Glasses

Before embarking on our travel adventure I picked up tips and tricks from others. But in the two-plus years that we’ve done continuous long-term travel out of a single carry-on travel backpack (Osprey Manta AG 36) I’ve refined a travel packing list and style that works especially well for me.

I’m big on DIY (do it yourself), frugality, and being a minimalist. I tend to shy away from the ‘off the shelf solutions’ and prefer being resourceful and creative. My style is bound to be different from yours, so take what works and leave the rest!

Don’t Give Up What Makes You, You

Stereotypically men dominate the long-term, lightweight, and extreme traveling lifestyle. Therefore, much of the information out there on packing lists is mostly male focused.

Don’t miss our Ultimate Gear and Packing Lists that’s full of tips for both his and hers! On top of packing lists and tips, we discuss the gear we carry, plus explain what we don’t carry and why.

When doing research on traveling with a single carry on bag (known as ‘onebag’) most of the information I found led me to believe that I needed to minimize my backpack down to the absolute bare minimum. This would mean leaving behind many of the things that made me feel like me. In other words, loosing some of my femininity.

"I played with the idea of no makeup, the same three outfits over and over, no jewelry, and no hair products. However, this didn’t sit well with me."

When I focused my research on packing tips for female travelers, I mostly found tips for the average ‘vacation’ traveler who takes double, triple, or even quadruple the amount of luggage I was going to be carrying. Of the few tips I found from women who travel with a single carry-on bag, most were generally vague and unfortunately not as informative as I would’ve liked. Plus, when you add to that that every woman has unique beauty concerns and needs, I was getting nowhere fast!

Tip: I’ve since found the sub Reddit r/HerOneBag which is full of women that are eager and willing to provide plenty of advice and personal experience. It’s a great community for women who seek to or actively travel with a single carry on travel backpack or bag.

Again, what works for me is minimal (relative to the majority), but ultimately I refused to give up what I considered to be my bare essentials to still feel like me.

This post is focused on feminine hygiene and toiletries, a large part of my daily routine and a comfort that I refused to compromise on!

Feminine Hygiene Tips for Carry-On Only (Onebag) Travel

For me there’s nothing more important or more feminine than my personal hygiene. Thankfully, traveling with a single carry-on bag doesn’t mean you have to make earth shattering compromises. With a bit of resourcefulness and ingenuity you’ll be able to travel out of only a travel backpack and still feel clean and fresh!

Baby Powder

I carry a sample container (.5 oz) of baby powder that helps get me through an especially long day. It’s a great way to absorb some of the oil in your hair (its’s the main ingredient in most dry shampoos). Plus, a little bit in certain lady spots and underarms can absorb moisture and add a bit of freshness.

Diva Cup and Menstrual Supplies

I wasn’t an easy convert, but once I gave it a shot, I became a huge advocate of using a menstrual cup!

I personally use the Diva Cup and have no complaints, but I’m sure most menstrual cups would work well. If you’re timid about how to use a Diva Cup, I encourage you to look up instructional videos on YouTube (it’s not as bad as it sounds!).

I started using it before traveling but I love it even more now that we’re constantly on the go. By using a menstrual cup I don’t need to buy boxes of disposable menstrual supplies each month, I can forgo taking up so much space (and adding weight) in my backpack, and I eliminate a lot of unnecessary waste!

Not to mention, menstrual cups are more hygienic than tampons, they reduce the worry of toxic shock syndrome, can go up to 12 hours before needing removal and emptying, and the overall cost is dramatically decreased!

Tip: Discoloration of your menstrual cup is completely normal, although it can be a bit unsightly (in my humble opinion). I tried boiling my cup in water, soaking it in vinegar, and scrubbing it clean. None of these methods are recommended by the manufacturer, and while none of them damaged my Diva Cup, none of them removed the discoloration. I ended up stumbling on a solution that works every time to get it back to looking nearly new: oxi detergents! Just an hour or two soaking in water with a half-a-teaspoon or so of an oxi detergent removes nearly all discoloration. I’ve done this every month or two for almost three years and haven’t had any damage to my Diva Cup. However it’s against manufacturer recommendations, so proceed with caution.

Salt Rock Deodorant

This tip is for both men and women, traveling or not. Salt rock deodorant is fantastic for day-to-day use and even better for travel. Here’s why:

It doesn’t need to go in a TSA approved liquids bag (it’s not a gel or liquid, no matter how much the rare TSA agent may want to convince me otherwise!).

It works better than I thought it would. As much as I want to think I smell like roses all day long, I most certainly don’t! So, I was skeptical at first. But Sergio (like many things I don’t want to try) insisted I give it a shot. (Sergio here! I’d like to think I push her comfort zone for the better, hehe!) Salt rock deodorant isn’t a miracle worker, but it keeps the odor at bay even on hot and muggy days.

It’s healthier for you. It’s not a hippie-dippie theory that the chemicals in traditional deodorant (and especially antiperspirants) can increase your chances of developing cancer, it’s pretty well proven. Just that alone is enough to switch.

The standard size may be heavy but it comes in travel sizes (1.5 oz)too!

It’s cost effective and it lasts FOREVER (or so it seems!). The standard size Crystal Salt Rock Deodorant (4.25 oz) claims to last a year. But in both of our cases, they’ve lasted over a year and a half!

Tips for using your salt rock deodorant:

Only apply it on clean skin. If applied on skin that isn’t clean, the bacteria will transfer to the salt rock and likely leave it smelling like body odor.

Don’t drop it! We dropped one of ours and we were incredibly grateful that it didn’t shatter. However, it did crack. Over time the crack filled with moisture and eventually grew a tiny spot of mold. We were about to discard it and buy another but we decided to soak it in a water vinegar mix until the moldy portion dissolved. Sadly, we lost nearly two-thirds of the stick but it worked and we’re still using it!

We thought we’d outsmart the manufacturer and their bulky packaging by removing the salt rock from the plastic enclosure. We wrapped the base with a thick rubber band (like the ones found on fresh broccoli stalks) to add a DIY grip. It was wonderful… until we dropped it and it shattered!

For those with sensitive skin, the salt can irritate your underarms and leave them dry. Combat this by only applying it once a day and making sure to moisturize the area well.

Instructions usually say to wet the salt rock for application. We reversed this direction by instead wetting our underarms (or not drying them after a shower). We find this gets the rock less wet and (we think) prolongs its longevity.

Toiletries Tips for Carry-On Only (Onebag) Travel

Hair Brush

Everyone has different needs when it comes to a hair brush. I have very fine, yet thick (as in lots of it) hair. Before traveling I had a boar hairbrush (for my oily hair), a round brush (for blow drying) and a standard get the tangles out plastic bristle brush. There’s no way I could travel with only a carry-on (onebag) travel backpack and continue to use three brushes!

Since blow drying was going to be basic (I grew out my styled short A-line hair cut) and detangling was more important than the oily factor of my hair, we compromised by buying a travel size detangling brush.

For the first year I used a small vented plastic bristle brush that I already had (why buy a new one, right?!). Year two found us looking for a new brush when the old one lost the plastic nubs that keep a brush from snagging hair.

We found one of the most awesome, smallest, and absolutely adorable brushes from the Body Shop. A year later, and we still love it. (Sergio here! Our little brush works well for both of us and it’s really small and lightweight!)

Night and Day Face Moisturizers

Just like I do with my foundation, I use small (about 0.5 oz) and lightweight sample containers to store and travel with my day and night moisturizers. There’s no need to give up on keeping your skin healthy when you’re on the move!

I went to a local department store makeup counter, very kindly explained our upcoming travel plans and asked for a few empty sample containers. I was turned down at the first counter, but found success on my second try!

When I got home I filled two containers with our AM moisturizer and two with our PM moisturizer. The containers easily fit into my TSA quart sized liquids bag and nicely nestle around the larger items. Now when I’m out of moisturizer, instead of having to go without, I simply purchase more on the road and refill my containers.

TIP: If you’re not up for asking your local makeup counter for a few sample containers, you can purchase plastic sample containers on Amazon (usually in bulk). I prefer smaller containers (half to one ounce) because I can use more than one if needed and they fit more easily into my toiletry bag. However, if you’d prefer you can purchase TSA approved containers that are larger (3.4 oz) and get several months or more of moisturizer out of a single container.

Sunblock

Sergio and I both share a container of sunscreen, since just a bit goes a long way when it’s the ‘good stuff’. We prefer chemical free sunblock that uses Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide for both UVA and UVB protection.

We use our DIY lightweight collapsible toiletry container hack to carry just the amount we need with no wasted space or unnecessary weight.

Perfume

I don’t wear perfume often, but sometimes I just want that extra sexy and feminine touch!

There are three ways to go about perfume when traveling with only a carry-on travel backpack:

DIY/Free Perfume for Travel

Sephora has a great sample policy and your allowed three samples (per department). The sample perfume spray bottles are travel friendly and good for 2-10 uses (depending how much you wear and how full they fill it). Plus, you can get three different fragrances!

Tip: You can re-use these containers (screw on and off tops) and fill them with your own perfume. However, they do tend to leak a bit during travel, so consider taping the top before tossing them into your toiletry bag.

Frugal Off The Shelf Perfume for Travel

Purchase a refillable perfume atomizer and fill it with your favorite perfume. Unlike sample containers, these shouldn’t leak in your toiletry bag and you can fill them up with six to eight milliliters (5-10 times the size of a sample spray bottle).

No Hassle Off The Shelf Perfume for Travel

Don’t want to mess with sample perfume containers or DIY your own? The easiest method to get your favorite fragrance in a travel size container is to purchase it off the shelf in a travel size. The downside is that not all perfumes come in travel sizes. But who knows, maybe you’ll luck out and find your preferred aroma!

Hair Styling Products

When we started traveling we carried a half-ounce plastic container of hair gel with us. We quickly found that we rarely used it and just couldn’t justify the space in our bag.

However, if hair product is a must for you, find a container that will hold the smallest amount to get you through a few days (and under 3.4 ounces if you’re going on an airplane). When you get to your destination you’ll have a few days buffer before you need to purchase more.

Contact Lenses, Contact Solution, and Eye Glasses

As much as I wish this wasn’t a need, in my case it is. I carry a three to six month supply of contacts and also carry an emergency pair of eye glasses. Some countries sell contacts over the counter without prescription, making it easy to restock. Otherwise, it’s a matter of having a re-stock supply sent via a care package from ‘home’, or visiting a local optometrist (which may be easier said than done, thanks to a language barrier) for a new prescription.

Of course, disinfecting my contacts is critical. The last thing I want is an eye infection!

In the beginning of our travel adventure I only carried a 60 ml bottle of solution. However, after finding ourselves in countries (Switzerland, Norway, etc.) where it was expensive to resupply or the only type I could find was of questionable efficacy/comfort, I’ve since decided to add an empty (I can fill it on demand) 100 ml bottle to my pack.

I find that 20 ml lasts me about two weeks. I purchase new solution and refill as needed, but try to plan strategically (for example purchasing at the beginning of a longer stay or filling the 100 ml bottle) so I waste as little as possible.

Final Thoughts

I’ve heard over and over from other women that they’re astounded by the type of travel I (and my husband) do. In a way I can understand, as there’s a misconception that traveling with less means automatically giving up on feminine care and hygiene. However, with a little bit of creativity and resourcefulness, this doesn’t have to be the case at all!

If you really want to only travel with a carry-on (onebag) travel backpack, like most things in life, where there’s the will, there’s a way!

#Digital Nomad #Hacks #Frugal #Minimalist

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justinjohn · 8 years ago

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Mahogany. 1.15.17

I took the subway this morning with a homeless man.

I know, bizarre. Normally, when the subway doors open, and I walk on and see a person talking loudly to himself (or openly to the rest of the car) with a grocery cart situated next to him piled high with plastic bags, my inclination is to either move all the way to the other end of the car, or to just exit and re-enter through another door altogether. You risk too much: unsavory smells, noise-factor, a possibly terrifying confrontation.

But not at 6 AM this morning, in an otherwise sparsely populated subway car. I sleepily boarded with my luggage on the way to the airport and plopped down a few seats away from him, undecided whether my proximity to him was based on choice or lack of energy.

I strangely found some comfort in the man, dreads piled high on his head, bundled and tied with a plaid men’s flannel, wearing multiple pairs of pants, pontificating openly about something over and over again that sounded almost like chanting. He was, yes, ‘crazy’, but benevolently so. He seemed harmless, just lost in his own world, like I am much of the time, perhaps a little bit more so since he was talking to no one, but doing the same self-reckoning and trying to make some sort of sense out of this irrational world that I also do. His voice, of notable mention, was striking. It was what I can only describe as a rich mahogany wood, handsome, finished and reflective; it was reminiscent of a strong speaker I’ve heard on the radio before, like MLK or Jesse Jackson or something. Perhaps it was the darkness of the morning or the stiff silence of the subway car, but his voice cut through sharply and memorably. It was strong, distinctive, almost soulful, and its prayerful tones, though unsolicited, were in some ways, strangely soothing.

From stop to stop on my hour-long ride into Queens to JFK airport, I watched people walk from the platform and start to enter the car before turning and walking into another, or employing my own trick, stepping into the car and walking to the other end to evade any unwanted affront. I don’t blame them. But as I listened to him chant while casually slurping on what appeared to be Go-gurt packet, I couldn’t help but to think of his life for a minute.

What was he before this all happened? What was his life like? Assuredly he was born into a family that loved him, I imagine, or would at least liked to imagine. It can’t all have been bad, right? Was he from New York? Did he go to college? Did he have brothers and sisters? I didn’t know him, but from my cursory deductions from his voice and harmless affect, I imagined him being a peaceful being, some sort of activist maybe one day thirty years ago somewhere, using that voice to affect change. I imagined that he, at one point, probably had a life of conviction, where perhaps he sang or spoke in church or taught or something that fit with this persona I’d created. I pictured him in his late teens, in some wild 70s patchwork bell-bottom pants sitting on a blanket on a green campus patch somewhere in the summertime, pontificating a little like this morning, but lucidly, cleanly shaven, with beautiful natural hair that wasn’t tied up into a bun with a button-down shirt, and garnering a little following. I wondered when he became crazy- was it sudden, or was it gradual, starting to slowly lose connection with conscious reality and speaking aloud at will and without prompt. I wondered if something happened. I wonder if maybe he was caught up with something he never meant, or maybe did something, which forever he regretted. Or maybe nothing happened at all, such that he never could get ahead.

He didn’t strike me as a drug addict- there was another story there, and while I’ll never know what it was, it saddened me because, well, no one cares. Routinely throughout the day in New York, homeless people beg for money on the subway trains, and I ignore them. If I had been in this very car going anywhere else at any other time of the day, I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about him, moving to a farther area of the car, being annoyed as I checked my Instagram that he was taking up the majority of a car with his heap of possessions, questioning what was inside the bags: plastic bottles or some other thing that homeless people collect. But because in that moment I had so little to distract me, I contemplated him.

And I realized.

No one chooses to be homeless. No one dreams of growing up to be living on a subway car. And yet we dismiss this group of people all of the time; chalk them up to being degenerates or people who without proper coping mechanisms, whose deplorable backgrounds had them arriving to this end from the start. And we walk past them or switch subway cars- reducing these people to an ‘inconvenience,’ a hindrance in the way of our busy lives with such great sense of purpose.

If there is one thing I have learned in the past six months after I quit my job, it’s that this way of thinking is a big crock of shit.

There is no ‘destination.’ Life is not an ‘upward path’ with an apex at the top of of which you look over the edge, dangling your happy little legs, and take a deep breath, sighing, “Guess I made it..” That doesn’t exist. Like, if there’s an apex, in the way that life actually exists, I imagine that to be.. death? Like, nothing really fantastic is coming for you after 75, let’s be honest. Like, maybe you get your pension. You’re lucky if you make it through without a life-altering car accident, a divorce, battling cancer at least once, or forming a prescription drug or alcohol habit. If you haven’t, congratulations. You just got lucky. But none of us gets through life unscathed. We all struggle and cope differently. Some afflictions are quieter and more accepted than others: being addicted to work, obsessed with money or sex.

Some people have outlets to deal with their issues: some turn to the gym, some turn to alcohol, some write four-page narratives about life. It just is what it is.

What we see at face value are the ‘results’ of people, what life has dealt them up until that exact moment. We have no ability to surmise someone’s early life experiences other than the value of our own life-survival kit: stereotypes, which sometimes serve us well, and sometimes don’t. There’s nothing we can really do about this; it’s how we are hard-wired, but I suppose the point is this: we don’t become a certain way in a ‘vacuum.’ We are the product of our environment. Of each other. So we should probably take more interest in each others’ welfare.

When we see a drug addict in the street begging for money, ostensibly to buy more drugs: is this fate his/her own shortcoming? What if the person was molested as a child? What if his/her parents abandoned the person? Would you have faired better? We all know what it’s like to need an escape from emotional trauma; some people find refuge in different things. However, because we only see the last slide of the ‘presentation’, so to speak, the person on the street corner begging for change, we just assume he/she can’t cope with their problems like ‘we’ can; they are broken, hopeless. Let me tell you something: no one chooses to be a drug addict. There is always a reason it has gotten to that dire place.

And less: what if someone cheats on a spouse? We demonize them. What if that person’s spouse was cold and unaffectionate for the duration of the marriage? What if that person’s spouse married that person for vanity and that person was stuck in a loveless contract, and finally someone came along, perhaps by mistake, and made him/her feel like something for once in his/her life?

And so it is with this homeless man. I think we all would like to assume he doesn’t want to work. That he’s probably lazy. Smokes a lot of weed. Why? Because that fits in the stereotype of what we’re taught about homeless people.

I think as human beings we forget to understand context. We like rules. Endings. Grouping things. Finished products. We think in terms of black and white, and sometimes, I think people fall victim to circumstance and context. I’m just saying it’s not always so easy.

No one on this planet doesn’t try. There’s no one in this world who isn’t born a tiny, happy baby hoping for the best for themselves and for others from the start, only to be oftentimes struck by the complicated factors of life that can so swiftly either bolster one’s success or thwart one from reaching his/her full potential.

But no one asks to be subjugated or downtrodden. There’s one who says “I give up” without a reason, no one who makes a mistake and continues to spiral because they want to, no one who opts to be ostracized by society. And yet we feel so obliged to judge.

You are not ‘chosen’ as much as I am not, but rather, I think we create these narratives in our lives so we feel meaning. So we don’t feel so aimless. And that is okay. What would life be without purpose, without a job to keep us busy forty to sixty hours a week, without this professional identity, without money or a home? I certainly knew whom I could ask in that moment. Instead, I watched him tether his cart to the subway pole with a piece of fabric and stretch out across the length of three seats and go to sleep.

I think the point is that we are all just trying to survive this life and this world in the best way that we know how. Live our story however it is going to write itself. We are all struggling in some way. Whether it is with finding love or just finding ‘ourselves’, trying to incorporate a new baby or the death of a loved one, seeking to embrace marriage or just one’s own sexuality, deciding where to spend one’s money with no time and/or family, or trying to deciding where to find money.

So, why are we so judgmental? Why are we so selfish? Look, what I’m trying to say is that we are all human and just trying to co-exist. It’s not about focusing always on the future when we have no idea how things will play out. And yet, we literally live in a world where we’ve killed off about 60% of the natural habitat for our own needs, cut health insurance for the poorest sectors of our society, and overlooking the rising temperatures of an already feverishly sick planet. I don’t know. Instead of trying to just get ahead, I wish we could work together more, to understand each other more, for one single mahogany voice to unite us in the silence. It’s a perception thing, I guess. And sometimes we think we have everything so figured out, and in other ways, we have no idea that we need glasses.

Justinthecity.

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imsarahcate · 5 years ago

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KW and Tom are coming over for the first time in... Months. I don't hink KW has even been to the house in 6 months maybe. in the meantime I've been doing so much work in fits and starts to organize, clean, and pack her things, and clean and organize the house too.

I know she won't judge me, and I Know in general, things are actually in a lot better order and cleanliness than when we were both living here with so many more cats etc- but I'm still anxious.

Like, I'm doing my best to keep up with things and move stuff forward so that come next spring, there's ROOM for Kris to move in and have space for her things too, and shift some of the cats over to the garage, etc. Etc.

But I'm also anxious about the cats. I feel like I'm taking care of them as well as she did, but I don't really KNOW. Rory has this new weird snaggletooth issue (oh shit I need to call the vet!) that needs to get checked out, and we still need to take Zena in for her dental issue too.

but I still feel anxious about being like... Inspected even though that is 10000% NOT what's happening or why they're coming. (they're going to cover the outside spigots now that the weather has gotten significantly colder all of a sudden, and KW is going to change a bulb in the kitchen for me cause I cannot figure out how to do it!)

But I'm learning that with my ADD comes that... Rejection sensitive dsyphoria (I Think that's what its called) and I know that explains a lot about the... Importance I place and the anxiety I feel on and about my closer personal relationships. her approval means A TON To me, especially since it's HER animals I'm caring for, and HER house (technically) that I'm living in and keeping up with.

I just really want her to be at peace with me being here, and with the work I'm doing on the house and how I'm taking care of everyone. I dunno. I'm just having an anxious day, I'm still out of Adderall (can't get more till tomorrow), the weather's shifted drastically which means my pain is worse too... I'm just... It's a high anxiety day I suppose.

On the plus side of things, last week off my Adderall I got hyper focused on cleaning in the house, so it's in WAY better shape than it was last week, so when she said they were going to swing by (and then take me to dinner after) it wasn't NEARLY the panic situation it could have been otherwise.

in the grand scheme of things, the house is WAY more organized and put together than it was when we were both here. I have routines that work really well, and I try to get ahead little bits at a time when I can while keeping up kind of a baseline of clean and organized.

And that's important going into winter too because there will be a lot more days where ALL I can do is the bare necessities. So having made so much progress over the summer and fall will make maintaining through winter a lot easier than it has been in the past, which is a big relief.

Regardless, I'll be relieved when their visit is done, and I can stop worrying about it. And when I get Rory to the vet hopefully this week to get this tooth issue resolved.

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lee-gavin-blog · 5 years ago

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