#and this was before i started experimenting with particle hair on the horse

[blackskorpi0n]

🤠🤎💅🏾

#nadia solovyova #ts4 #ts4 render #blender render #blender 3d #3d art #the sims 4 render #sims #sims 4 #black sims 4 #black cowgirl #cowgirls #yeehaw #this has been sitting in drafts for 3 weeks #and this was before i started experimenting with particle hair on the horse #but i wanted to share this version bc idk i would feel bad for not sharing it #and this render gave me hell lord #ill do another cowgirl render soon but its going to be a different vibe from this one #click for better resolution #black simblr #black sims #simblr #the sims 4 #nadia files #oc: Nadia Solovyova

[treatian]

The Chronicles of the Dark One:  The Dark Curse

Chapter 168:  Dr. Jekyll’s Mr. Hyde

"Looks like someone's lost control of their inner beast," he commented, stopping his spell and revealing himself for the first time. His jaw dropped as he looked upon him.

"Who are you?! How did you get in here?!" Jekyll balked, finally finding his voice when the shock or him wore off. He couldn't tell, was he more afraid of his appearance, or that he'd just appeared by magic in his...was this supposed to be a home?

"Doesn't matter, dearie! But what does is that unlike that blowhard, Lyndgate, I am here to help you!" he joked, stepping forward to tug on his bow tie much like Mary had. An intricate design but…not one he fancied.

"I-I don't even know you! Why would you help me?!"

"Let's just say I have a vested interest in your work," he answered mysteriously. He wanted this serum to work, but more importantly he wanted to see what it would do if it did. "Now, do you want to get into that club or not?"

"How?" he asked with interest. The monster inside of him stirred just as Jekyll's had; monsters always did when there was blood in the water.

"Have you ever stopped to consider what you think of as weakness is really... strength?" he questioned, playing with a magnifying glass similar to the one Victor had in the Land Without Color. He set it aside. What was it with doctors and magnifying glasses? "Perhaps using that serum to get in touch with your deepest desires is exactly what you need."

"Even if you were right, the serum isn't finished. I-I can't get the active particles to suspend in..."

He ignored him as he blathered on. He used his magic to find what was missing from the potion. And then he used his magic to fix it. The doctor shut his mouth the moment his potion began to glow. He knelt down beside it when it finished, gasping and sputtering about in fear and wonder.

He laughed.

"All science needs is a little magic. Congratulations, dearie. You're a genius!" he laughed playfully hitting him on the shoulder. He was certain given his sickly color it would bruise. "Now, if we can just get that pwetty young friend of yours to finally notice you," he commented, walking back to the window.

"You mean Mary?"

"Oh, she's right within your grasp! The question is, how far are you willing to go to get what you want?" As far as he wanted him to go. Sometimes it was all too easy to get them to play into his hands. For, just as he wanted, he watched as dear Henry raised the bottle to his lips and swallowed down a mouthful.

The effect was almost immediate.

Jekyll began to scream as the serum coursed through him. The shirt on his back ripped, a seam split at the side of his pants. His either short or long dirty blonde hair began to recede and turn black, skin turned impossibly paler, and he watched as Jekyll clawed at his throat to pry off the bow tie that would have choked him if he hadn't. He tossed his head in the air and howled like he was a wolf instead of a man. There was something blue about him, something streaking through his skin, altering his face, his bones, his everything.

A moment later, the shrieking finally began to die down. The body writhed less and less with each passing second. Instead he crawled about on the ground for a moment, wriggling there like a confused worm until a hand finally slammed up on the table, followed by another. The being that had been created shook as he rose to full height, several inches taller than Jekyll had been a few moments ago. When he turned, the man in front of him presented him with a scarred face, bloody eyes, and a menacing demeanor, strong confidence the doctor didn't have before. This was not exactly what he had expected would happen with that serum. No, this was better. It was interesting. The serum would separate beast from man. Who was he staring at now? Beast? Or Man? And how would this creature, this new version of Jekyll react to dear Mary.

It was an experiment, one that it took him all of five seconds to come up with after Jekyll had said the potion wasn't done. It had the potential to be perfect for him. But first, he had to test it. The trouble was it wasn't Jekyll's theory he was testing, but rather his own.

Jekyll believed that his serum would separate a man's inner beast from his inner man. He believed it would do that too, he was hoping it would. The question was, what would happen once the two were separated.

He'd seen enough of Jekyll's life to know that his assumption was that he would be able to bring out a man's inner goodness. Good would triumph! The decent soul inside would be free, stripped of its monster's weakness.

His assumption was, that it was a foolish belief.

What he knew to be true was that monsters didn't go down without a fight. The Doctor believed the serum would bring out a person's goodness. But he was certain it would work the other way around. He was thrilled when Dr. Jekyll swallowed down that potion-serum. He was happy when he started screaming and growing, shifting and changing into something different. Not a man, but rather a beast. He just needed to test that theory and figure how who was who? And he knew exactly how he wanted to do it. Time, naturally, was short.

"Oh, now that simply won't do!" he exclaimed as the man before him faced him holding the tatters of Jekyll's clothes over his massive body. He summoned his magic and reproduced perfectly an outfit that he'd seen a gentleman striding around in when he'd first arrived. It fit him perfectly, but better yet, it made him look dashing enough to get into a party. Should he want to, of course…

"What-"

"No time for that, dearie!" he cried before the man could get a word out. His voice was now a deep timbre, a far cry from the squeak and stutter of Doctor Jekyll. It was perfect. "You have a ball to go to, and I have plenty to explain on the way. Shall we go?" he motioned to the door. The man looked around the lab, looked at the bottle he still held in his hand. Jekyll had taken only one swallow, but he wondered…how long would one swallow last. After all, one swallow of a memory potion was enough to rid one of memories for a week, one swallow of a hair growth tincture was enough to merely bring about peach fuzz.

"The serum that created you," he explained. "Best to carry it with you. You never know when you, or Jekyll, might be needing it again."

"Jekyll," he gasped. "I know that man. I know that man because…I am he!"

He looked as though he'd just discovered the moon was going to fall on him at any moment.

"Well, in a manner of speaking…shall we go? He's left me here to give all the answers you seek, but we are pressed for time!"

"You have answers."

"I have all the answers…including the answer to why you are here. Everyone needs a purpose…wouldn't you say?"

His eyes widened. He nodded his head "yes" and followed after him like a puppy. Adorable, even Dr. Jekyll's monstrous side was a bit of a disappointment. But he was working on a plan in his head, one that might test just how disappointing he was and just how much different, or alike, he was to his counterpart.

He made himself invisible to everyone but Jekyll, and down on the street once more he ordered the man to summon a carriage for them where he could safely reveal himself and not spend his energy on magic. Once they were in the carriage, he explained, with carefully chosen words what the serum would do, how it was meant to bring out the worst in Doctor Jekyll, meant to separate them. It had worked and who he was now was the result. The man listened eagerly as the horses clopped along the bumpy road, making him long once more for soft dirt paths. Or at least he listened eagerly until they arrived at that particular part of his explanation.

"The worst? Why would he do that?"

"So you can do what he can't," he explained with a smile. "Your counterpart…well he's a bit ridiculous; shy, unassuming, polite."

"And I'm not?"

"Perhaps…you're all the parts of himself that he doesn't want to be. My theory is that he has the ability to get what he wants, he just lacks the…let's call it 'confidence.'"

"Confidence…" he echoed.

He nodded. The trap was nearly set. "It's the same with dear Mary."

"Mary?"

"The woman he adores more than anything. She's a threat to his work, even if he doesn't know it. She also happens to be the daughter of a Mr. Lyndgate, a man who just so happens to have the power to give Henry exactly what he wants."

"Mary?"

"Oh, no, no, no…a membership to the Scientific Academy," he pronounced with a flourish. "Lyndgate has the power but won't make him a member, and Henry is too shy to…shall we say…push."

Jekyll nodded. He appeared confused but seemed to be taking it in at least. And he…he was looking for the final piece of his trap, "the bait" he supposed. It was the right time, and a glance out the window told him he was in the right place. He knocked against the carriage, letting the driver know to stop the horses. Nursing a mild concussion from the ride, he glanced out the window and into the ally beside the Academy. He wasn't worried about being seen, what he'd gathered from the couple's previous conversation was that they liked a little danger, liked to be watched. Just so long as their faces were hidden in shadow. He wondered how they'd feel about it after all this.

"It's also the same Mr. Lyndgate that happens to be just there…" he pointed out to Jekyll's monster.

The man pulled the curtains of the carriage back and looked down the ally, to a shadowed couple in a very compromising position. With his vision, the monster might not have been able to make out details, but he could see far more than he wanted to. Mr. Lyndgate, he currently had his pants open and his hands around the waist of a woman. Their mouths worked in tandem with their hips. Her leg was bent up at his waist hiding what no one wanted to see.

He tried not to think of Belle.

"Pretty thing, isn't she?" he commented to him instead. "Young enough to be the dear man's daughter."

The man jerked the curtain closed and sat back in his seat looking distressed. "What do I do about it?"

"That is the question, isn't it?" he answered mysteriously, unwilling to give the man the answer because seeing what he would do with the information he had was exactly what he wanted to see. He knocked on the cab again and the driver urged the horses forward. They said not a word to one another as they went around the block a time or two, giving the dear old man time to finish his tryst and pull himself together before they finally pulled up to the Science Academy again and the shadows were gone. Now he'd see what this "beast" was made of.

"Are you ready for your debut?" he asked as they stepped into the foyer. He was once again invisible to all others but Jekyll. The man who'd opened the door for them continued up toward the stairs to the place he could hear music and the low rumble of voices coming from. But the beast hung back.

"I don't feel like the same man," he growled, his voice now a deep timbre. He stared into the mirror that was waiting there in the foyer. His fingers gently touched the scar that ran along the side of his face. "I-I don't look like him, either."

"Because you're not the same man," he explained. "In fact, you're not a man at all, really. You're parts of a man...the parts, scars and all, that Jekyll wanted to hide from the world." He laughed as a new thought entered his mind. He couldn't step inside that room and call himself Dr. Jekyll, no one would believe him, and he'd never get anywhere near Mary. He needed a new name, and he knew what was fitting. "As a matter of fact, maybe that's what you should call yourself...'Mr. Hyde.'"

"If you're ready, Sir," the doorman inquired, turning back from him. He disappeared from Hyde's sight just as the butler came around the corner to escort him into the ball. The giant of a man looked around wildly for him, but he kept himself hidden. He'd given him all he needed to know, now he had to let him go and see what he did with that information.

#Rumbelle #Rumple #Rumpelstiltskin #Dark One #dr. jekyll and mr. hyde #Belle #ouat #ouat fanfiction #fanfic

[galaxylohnce]

VUD paladin headcanons!!!!

BTW this is based off of @voltronuniversaldefender ‘s reboot!!! CHECK THEM OUT THEYRE DOING GOD’S WORK

also i have read approx 2 headcanons and baRELY understand this AU so if there are similarities to anyone else or inconsistencies iT IS AN ACCIDENT AND IM SORRY

anyway this is just about the 4 confirmed paladins BET ill be doing more about Fa’rah/Takashi/Zahi/Ashanti once i know a bit more about their roles in the team!!

Alvaro Garcia Valladares

he has a twin. i don't make the rules, but he has a twin.

he has a big family. the biggest family. we’re talking, his mom has 8 siblings and his dad has 9 and there’s a 10 year age gap between him and his oldest sibling and he loves them all so much

natia is his best friend. i repeat, NATIA IS HIS BEST FRIEND!!!!

he’s also quite close with kiki. Natia and Kiki are the only two that he met before their great space adventure

he wasn't really sure of his sexuality at first. (i say this because i wasn't sure of my sexuality at first - im bi btw - and all the media i saw told me that any lgbt+ character was 100% sure of their sexuality form the day they were born, which made me doubt myself bc i didn't figure it out till recently, so i wanna see that in some media!! sometime!!) he probably figured it out halfway through having a crush on someone

the someone is akio, and he definitely tells Natia about it first

“natia... natia listen.... I have a crush on akio. freakin akio.... what do i do??? I’m bi, natia... I'm bi. what does this mean -”

“alvaro, I'm so proud of you, but this is a public bathroom and akio is right outside -”

GUARANTEE that the first time he saw Akio he just basically wanted to fight him but also flirt with him and had a slight moral crisis and ended up doing nothing

he is a goddamn sharpshooter, okay. he straight up becomes famous for it throughout the galaxy.

yet despite that he’s still insecure, and those insecurities prevent him from really getting together w akio until much later

he comes off as very suave and extroverted when you first meet him, but underneath it all, he’s actually really warm, personable and funny: not that anyone outside the team know that 

aliens on social media, probably: god, the blue paladin is so cool... i bet he’s amazing and awesome and eloquent...

meanwhile, alvaro: do u guys think i could fit my whole hand in my mouth or nah?

enjoys memes, and shares this love with kiki

basically an all around great guy. because he often felt like a seventh wheel at the beginning of the formation of the team, he always tries to include everybody as best as possible, going way out of his way to ask after people, even if they forget to ask about him sometimes :’)

Natia Nanai

first off: what a gorgeous name. seriously. incredible kudos, my dude. anyway on to the head canons for this gorgeous girl

probably alvaro’s soulmate. already mentioned this, but it needs reiteration. they are best friends

had a large family too (not as big as alvaros tho) and probably major relate to him with that big family dealio

v close with kiki. they complete each other on a technological level. 

natia is very, very creative. she and her sweet engineering know how are always instrumental in getting the Team out of tough situations

Akio: theres no way out of this we’re going to die -

Natia: bet?

she does say “bet” a lot. like, almost too much? but she's always right and valid when she says it

the villain: i’ve got you now!!!!

natia, under her breath: bet

the paladins, thinking: thank god, we’re saved

very soft but also badass as hell. she has a unique duality.

pulls a violet baudelaire: she puts that GORGEOUS hair up in a ponytail when doing work or whenever she has an idea

everyone on the team, regardless of sexuality, is low-key in love with her because she’s just so nice. no one can hate her. she's way too solid of a friend

speakinG of being a great friend: natia is 100% the secret keeper up in this bitch. everyone comes to her because they know she’s got the best advice around and will take their secrets to the grave

akio: idk man... alvaro is just rlly cute, u know?? but i can't tell him...

natia, thinking of alvaro literally whining to her about akio not even five minutes ago: christ

the mom friend. she always has all the things everyone needs on hand or in her lion, and she’s got it all going in terms of chore charts and family meals. she is the queen of figuring out times for team bonding and everyone loves her more for it

definitely started a board game night asap

she has a silent bravery about her that no one else can match. despite her trepidation, natia will always do what has to be done for the greater good. 

she is guided by her heart and her morals, and is easily the kindest person on the team

bc of this kindness, she is often the diplomat when conflicts arise between people on the team

she is seen by the general public (aka the galaxy) as a strong, morally righteous woman. kind of like rosie the riveter-esque??? she’s the symbol of justice and fairness. 

aliens: she's so... peacekeeping :0

natia, at kiki: throw me that wrench, or so help me god - 

basically, a queen who always considers everyone and works really hard to create a family, even when they're all so far from home :’)

Kiki Evans

generally over it tbh

“always tired, but always inspired” - kiki, on being asked why there were dark circles under her eyes

kind of standoffish. she’s not really about being nice, she's about getting the job done, and that can rub people the wrong way, since she is always the first to offer up the cold, logical solution

but underneath that, she’s just a computer science nerd who is loyal to a fault

she really is loyal. its almost dangerous sometimes, because she would put the universe in danger to save her friends, which actually comes into conflict with her typical cold, logical approach.

she has 0-1 sibling. she's every bit the single child. she cannot relate to living in a big family setting, and at first its hard for her to deal with before she warms up to everyone else on the team

she's a genius, and thus found school to be tedious. in fact, she got fairly bad grades, as she wouldn't do the work that she saw as pointless and boring

she is a meme connoisseur, and loves to quote vines, often assisted by alvaro

kiki, as they approach a giant black hole: HZZK

alvaro, catching on immediately: is... is that real???

she is a conspiracy theorist, for sure. the government is watching us all, trying to make sure we don't learn too much.... she’s sure of it, and akio is too

tbh, the first proper conversation she had with akio was about cryptids and how the government had hidden them from the public

she was friends w natia and alvaro from before, but it is akio she becomes closest with the fastest. in some ways, she feels more distant from natia/alvaro bc of how close they are with each other and  bc all of them have known each other for so long while akio is someone she got to know recently: he has no preconceptions about who she used to be, and she has none about him

plus, she and akio relate on many levels: both trans, both gay, both autistic, both theorists, and both loyal to a fault. she finds a real blood brother in akio :D

very openly gay. very. she's a space lesbian, and theres no denying it

kiki, meeting some random space girl: oh

kiki, moments later to akio: god I'm gay

akio, downing a glass of water but acting like its vodka or smthg: god, same

the public sees her as the cold and calculating techie, the brains of the operation

natia is her partner in crime. they finish each others sentences. they've got a tech connection going, babey

kiki: if we just cross-reference the zaiforge tunnel with the -

natia, nodding: particle consummator, of course we’ll get the perfect -

them, together: amount of energy!!!

everyone else: sorry wot

basically, she's a tech goddess with a splash of genius. she's uneasy and a bit awkward, but thats just bc she’s never been in a situation like this before. after literally 1 second with her, she opens up and is such a loyal friend. :’)

Akio Himura

wow this boy is gay and he knows it

he loves his parents (zahi, takashi, and ashanti) but god he will never admit it. not ever

alvaro, after listing his parents, 20 aunts and 100 cousins: and i love them all so much, with all my heart. what about ur family akio?

akio, not wanting to show weakness: they're nerds.

alvaro: um okay cool good talk haha :)

akio, internally: but i love them nd would die for them tbh... but i can't show weakness

he's so guarded after his biological parents left/died/disappeared. poor boy

definitely a single child, and definitely adopted

his parents love him SO MUCH. so much.

akio: why do i have three parents, dad?

takashi, almost crying: its simple. u deserve so much love, that it couldn't be contained in just two people. we needed three. its how its gotta be, my beautiful, sweet summer child

a yeehaw kind of guy. he grew up in the midwest riding horses before his biological parents died and theres a piece of him that will always be a southern boy

the kind of kid in school that pretends he’s a delinquent, but actually just has the aesthetic of a delinquent, and is truly soft

akio: hell yeah I'm a rebel. i logged onto disney.com without my parents permission

kiki, choked up: so brave

mothman is his love. his passion. all cryptids, for that matter. kiki is more of an all around conspiracy theorist: akio is in it for the cryptids 

he’s a bit awkward, and doesn’t totally understand all social cues/jokes. because of this, he stays away from memes, and is very guarded when meeting new people, especially after experiences with light bullying for not only his social ineptitude, but his upbringing.

considering that, his first meeting with alvaro was supremely awkward, and akio accidentally fought with him multiple times before they established a solid friendship

akio, having a gay panic: you are the light of my life

alvaro: sorry what??

akio, panicking more: I said, you wanna fiGHT WITH A KNIFE???

he pined after alvaro from basically day one, but had the foresight to actually know that he was pining, unlike alvaro who just floundered

of course he would never say anything

he is a stabby boi. he is unrivaled in swordplay, and enjoys routine. his natural affinity for picking up new skills plus his unrivaled work ethic basically DESTROYED everyone else when it came to swords

he’s loyal af and is always the first one to take action. akio is a “do something. do anything, but do it fast before we lose a chance to do something” kind of guy

the general public sees him as the fiery one: he’s the one with the fanciest footwork in a fight, and he’s very good with battle tactics. he can come thru with that strategy at the perfect times

he's a low-key emo. for sure. he loves MCR, but strangely dislikes other similar artists like p!atd and fob. 

kiki: but...brendon urie, akio....

akio, sipping tea: as a gay, i can appreciate the aesthetic. but no one can compete with MCR

kiki, exasperated: its not a competition -

basically, a slightly guarded boy with a real talent for defending the universe and his friends, but also an emo cowboy mess who is in love with alvaro and loves everyone :’)

WELL THAT ENDED UP LONGER THAN I EXPECTED. I HOPE U ENJOY AAAA

ALSO FOLLOW @voltronuniversaldefender !!!! its amazing, guys, really check it out :D

#vud #voltron universal defender #i love them asadjkdflkKL #vud headcanons #I HOPE YALL LIKE THIS #alvaro valladeres #natia nanai #kiki evans #akio himura

[killervibe]

The Snow Project

Notes: So I’m late for Day 3- Time Travelling, but the good news is that this means you’re getting two fics from me today!!! Here’s yesterday’s theme! I really liked this idea...Enjoy! Also, I’m having WAY too much fun with the abundance of fic. I wish EVERY week was Killervibe week!!! 

@killervibedaily

The Snow Project 

Cisco was in the middle of sketching a prototype for the Quantum Electric Multiplier Gun when Barry sped into the Cortex. 

“Hey,” Barry said, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Cisco looked at his garbage drawing and gladly pushed it away. “Yeah, What’s up?”

“Joe just told me about a really puzzling meta case at CCPD.”

Cisco looked intrigued. “Why is it so puzzling?”

Barry’s face lit up. “So this pedestrian, Nolan Fisher, about 50 years old, gets into a car accident, right? He was walking across the street with his eyes glued to his phone so he didn’t realize he was walking into ongoing traffic.”

“Okay…”

“Get this,” Barry said, getting all excited. “He loses an arm!”

Cisco’s mouth dropped in horror, “That’s terrible!”

“No, it isn’t!” Barry objected, “Because he gets in the ambulance and the paramedics realize they can just,” Barry made a funny gesture with his hands, “Pop!  Attach his arm back where it was just like that! No blood no nothing! Just like that he gained complete motion of his arm!”

“What?” Cisco screeched. “You mean like a mannequin?” Cisco paused. “Mr. Mannequin, that’s a good one.”

“Uh huh,” Barry nodded, “And it gets crazier. This guy claims he had this from birth. And not just that, his whole family can do it. His mother, father, maternal cousin…”

Cisco frowned, “But how is that possible? Metas only started appearing due to the particle accelerator or Devoe’s bus metas.”

“And the similarity in both were the dark matter,” Barry agreed. “But this guy’s medical tests show none.”

“There are more metas out there,” Cisco said. It’s not a question. It would’ve been, two years ago, but not anymore. Not since Cisco vibed with Caitlin her repressed memory where she had turned into Killer Frost as a kid. Caitlin asked him not to tell anyone, so he hadn’t. He kept quiet, but now he wondered if maybe he should be speaking up.

Barry threw his hands in the air, “Maybe there were other types of metas this whole time!” He looked around the room, realizing it was quieter than usual. Ralph was away in Wisconsin but... “Wait, where’s Caitlin?”

Cisco sighed, “She’s sick. She caught a cold so she’s staying home. Ha! That’s ironic.”

“Okay,” Barry said slowly, and you could tell he was calculating something in his mind. “Okay, that’s good actually.”

Cisco scrunched up his face in confusion. “You want Caitlin to be sick? That’s not being a good friend…”

“No, there’s a reason.”

Barry sat down next to Cisco and explained to him that apparently there was a doctor who researched into the possibility of superpowered humans about seventeen years ago with several examples. It was pretty much ignored by academia and dismissed as a joke paper, buried away. It was obvious however, based off descriptions of abilities, that one of them was a relative of Nolan Fisher. The problem? The contact information on the file was an old phone number and home address for the doctor, which was great. Except for the fact the research was published posthumously after the doctor’s long battle with multiple sclerosis.

“Who was the doctor?” Cisco asked.

Barry looked down at the brown folder. He opened it, then silently slid the papers across the table to Cisco.

Mr. Ethan Snow.

Cisco’s eyes widened. “Caitlin’s dad?”

“Yeah. Does Caitlin ever talk about him?”

“No,” Cisco admitted, “I know his death hit her hard, it inspired her to become a doctor, but it was also the driving force that put a wedge in the relationship Caitlin had with her mom.”

Barry worried his bottom lip into his mouth, giving Cisco a look.

Cisco knew where this was going.

“You want to go back in time and meet him, don’t you?”

Barry at least had the audacity to look sheepish. “Before you freak out, I asked Jay Garrick. If we meet him several months before he dies, Jay said us being there shouldn’t have much impact if we’re careful.”

Cisco mulled it over. He was still stunned. Caitlin’s dad. That was really interesting. It seemed too coincidental, for this to not have anything to do with Killer Frost. The more he thought about it, the more bothered he got. If Caitlin’s father knew about her, he should’ve told her. Maybe it could’ve helped, if Caitlin was prepared…

“I’m in,” Cisco said. “But we’re not telling Cait.”

Barry nodded, “I know you don’t want to keep secrets from her, but I think that’s the wisest choice.”

Cisco started to get excited. He heard all of Barry’s adventures from time travelling and after the Flashpoint fiasco. Unless he quit Team Flash and joined the Legends, he always thought it was something he’d never get to experience.

Cisco took a deep breath. “When do we leave?”

~.~

It’s 2004, and the first thing Cisco does is pull a Diggle and puke into a public garbage can.

“I’m sorry man,” Barry said apologetically as Cisco gagged.

It took a minute for Cisco’s stomach to settle. “I’m usually good with your speed travels but we were going really fast.”  

Barry found a map somehow and located Caitlin’s old home address. They were using the face morphing tech made for H.R. so to not alter anything should they run into Caitlin.

Hopefully they won’t. It’s the middle of the day and she should be in middle school.

Cisco flexed his fingers and opened a breach. They ended up right in front of Caitlin’s house.

To use the word house was being modest. It was a mansion.

They both took a minute to soak it in.

 Cisco whistled softly, “Damn, I knew Caitlin’s family had money but this house is…”

“Bitchin?” Barry joked, nudging him forward, “Come on, let’s go.”

They ring the doorbell and a middle aged nurse opens the door. Barry told her they’re visitors for Dr. Snow and the nurse beamed delightedly.

“It’s been a long time since he’s gotten any visitors from young people like you. Sickness scares people away, you know. It’s a shame, really. How about I go for my lunch and leave you with him for an hour? He’s having a good day. If you need anything, you can ask Meyrielle, the cleaning lady. She’s in the basement. Mr. Snow is in the living room.”

She stopped after she grabbed her purse.

“Who did you say you were, again?”

“We used to work with him when we were residents,” Cisco made up on the spot.

“Oh, that’s nice!” The nurse gave them another sunny smile and left.

Barry and Cisco shared a look. That was ridiculously easy.

They walked down the luxurious hallways with mahogany wooden floors and walls lined with what looked like expensive original paintings.

“Caitlin’s mom has an interesting taste of interior design,” Cisco mumbled as they made their way to the living room.

Barry knocked on the side of the door and peered in.

There was Dr. Snow, the Mister Dr. Snow, on the couch watching television.

Cisco marvelled. Caitlin looked a lot like him. He was very thin in places people only were when they were chronically sick, and he hunched over himself in an awkward angle. But he still had a full head thick of Caitlin’s brown hair. They had the same complexion, and a very similar face shape as well. A wheelchair was next to him and there were many pills in a pouch on the adjacent coffee table. Cisco was rather surprised, he was bracing for him to appear a lot worse.

“Hello, Dr. Snow? I’m Barry Allen and this is Cisco Ramon. We came to ask you some questions about something sensitive regarding your research and we were wondering if you had the moment to talk with us about it.”

Dr. Snow perked up immediately. “Oh, I’d love to discuss medicine with you. I miss practicing.”

Barry glanced at Cisco who nodded. They agreed to just go ahead and tell him everything. The man only had two months left to live and it was unlikely he would deny their story if Barry and Cisco could show him their powers to prove it.

“Bear with us,” Cisco warned, “This is going to sound crazy.”

Barry retold the entire tale. The time travelling, him being struck by lightning due to the particle accelerator explosion, his job at CCPD, including the particle accelerator explosion and being best friends with Caitlin. Finally, Barry asked about the Fisher case and what Dr. Snow thought about genetically hereditary powers.

Dr. Snow listened carefully throughout and explained his theory of mutant genes being a genetic possibility for having powers from birth.

“You mean like the X-Men?”

Dr. Snow nodded. “Maybe Stan Lee’s comics aren’t so fantastical after all. I believe although rare, there might have been...Metahumans as you say...Since the beginning of time.”

Barry was leaning forward absorbing every word that came out of Dr. Snow’s mouth, reminding Cisco a lot of how he used to act around evil Wells.

“How on Earth did you get so involved with this?” Barry wondered outloud.

Something twisted in Cisco’s gut. No matter how awesome Caitlin’s dad seemed, he was still hiding this from his daughter. How could he say all of this to two people he just met but not Caitlin, who should know?

“Because of Caitlin!” Cisco blurted out, and Barry turned to Cisco, wide-eyed.

Dr. Snow was so shocked he began to  cough and he shouted out in pain.

“I know that you know about Caitlin’s secret,” Cisco confided. “I understand you want to protect your daughter, but keeping her in the dark about this isn’t a good idea—”

“That’s enough, Cisco,” Barry cut him off, immediately apologizing to Dr. Snow, and tending to his side.

“I’m fine boys,” Dr. Snow waved off, but Barry asked Cisco to get him some water from the kitchen anyways.

“Please, let’s keep this secret between us,” he requested, his voice a little horse, as Cisco left the room.

Cisco was glad for the excuse to leave. Being here felt wrong. He was sorry he came. Cisco had to do something. He could feel it in his bones, there’s no way that he’s leaving 2004 without altering the timeline in some way. He realized these were a dying man’s last wishes to respect, but it also went completely against everything he stood for when it came to Caitlin: Doing what was best for her.

Cisco had his hand on the fridge handle when footsteps went thundering down the stairs.

Cisco froze.

A young girl shy of fifteen made her way through the house. She wore blue jean shorts and a yellow spaghetti tank. Her hair was in a ponytail and she looked downright frazzled.

It was Caitlin. Oh god. It was fourteen year old Caitlin. Cisco couldn’t breathe.

“Daddy?” She called, rushing past Cisco so fast she didn’t even notice a stranger was in her kitchen.

“Daddy are you okay, what’s the matter?”

Cisco could hear Dr. Snow reassuring her from the living room that he was alright but it was clear she wasn’t taking no for an answer.

It went quiet for a while, undoubtedly her father and Barry diverting questions about who Barry was and what he was doing.

“I’m getting you water,” she informed, and marched into the kitchen.

Cisco knew he was wearing a different face but he still felt utterly exposed.

“Why are there two strangers in my house?” Young Caitlin snapped.

“I’m also visiting,” Cisco told her. She opened a cupboard for a glass. Cisco opened the fridge and handed her a water bottle, trying not to stare at her like a creep.

He glanced at the time on their fancy electrical stove. “Shouldn’t you be at school?”

Caitlin’s face was very matter of fact as she poured the water from the bottle into the glass. She added some vitamin tablets and said, “I can stay home sometimes when Dad is having a good day. We don’t know how many of those he’ll have left.”

“You don’t seem to be the type to miss school,” he couldn’t help but say. Caitlin, his Caitlin, who managed two doctorates and a PhD in what…? Five years? She must’ve skipped some grades in high school. Cisco skipped two. That rigorous work ethic made even taking an early dismissal for a dentist appointment in eighth grade sound impossible.

Caitlin shrugged, “I don’t mind not going as long as I get the homework.”

Ah yes, there she is.

Caitlin continued, “Besides, there’s this girl, Lexi, she torments me at school for who knows why. Why would I want to spend my days there when I can be with him, right?”

No wonder Caitlin didn’t talk much about her life before college. This all just seemed so sad.

Cisco rested his chin on the palm of his hand and leaned his elbow against the marble counter, fascinated by this version of his best friend.

“You seem like a smart girl. What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Caitlin lit up, “A zoologist!”

Cisco snorted. The glare Caitlin shot him was a fetus compared to some of the ones he receives at Star Labs now.

“What about a doctor?” Cisco asked.

“Eh,” She sounded disinterested, “we’ve got enough Dr. Snows around here. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to give this to Dad.”

Cisco watched Caitlin go.

Barry walked into the kitchen as Caitlin walked out. He swiveled around her awkwardly in the doorway looking down at her and then up at Cisco repeatedly mouthing out Cait! and So Freaky! accompanied with many weirded out facial expressions.

“I got what I needed,” Barry said out loud, pulling out a high stool from the kitchen island to sit on.

“That’s great,” Cisco told him, sounding a little flat.

“I’m really confused,” Barry admitted,  “How does Dr. Snow know anything about KF?”

Cisco took a deep breath. “I vibed it with her the day we defeated DeVoe. It turns out...Caitlin’s first encounter with KF in fact happened four years ago, as in 2000. Not 2017,” he whispered. “She’s been repressing the memory.”

Barry’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head, “What the hell?”

“He knows Barry, he knew this entire time and just let her go on by herself.” Cisco was so anguished. Barry patted his shoulder sympathetically.

“It sounds like he’s trying to do the right thing. He really doesn’t want her to be burdened with this fear. Can’t you imagine how scary that would be for a teenager?”

Cisco knew to some extent that Barry was right. Still, it didn’t sit well with him. It would be so easy to fix it all right there and then. If Killer Frost is triggered psychologically, wouldn’t being mentally prepared for her arrival actually work to keep her at bay?

“Can’t we do something?”

Barry sighed. He got up quickly, looked left and right and then flashed Cisco out the house.

Barry started scolding Cisco in front of the Snow’s peonies.

“You know the answer to that already. We should be going. Now.”

“Please, Barry,” Cisco pleaded, “She’s had so much pain in her life. What if we could change that?”

“You’re not getting it,” Barry cried, “It’s because of me time travelling to try and save my mom that I screwed up the timeline! If it wasn’t for my interference, Caitlin never would’ve been Killer Frost to begin with!”

“And if we don’t do something now, she’ll run away terrified of Killer Frost in sixteen years because we kept our mouths shut instead of helping our best friend!”

“Anything dealing with Killer Frost is too risky!”

“Maybe it’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Cisco replied stubbornly.

Barry crossed his arms across his chest.

“Like Dante?”

The hurt on Cisco’s face was so evident Barry could’ve slapped him and it wouldn’t have looked any different.

“I’m sorry,” Barry apologized genuinely.

Cisco sat down in the grass, stunned into silence.

“That’s what happens when you tamper with fixed events,” Barry explained softly, ridding the patronizing tone from his voice this time.

“I know how much you care about Caitlin,” he continued, “I should’ve known this would be incredibly hard for you to stand back and watch. I shouldn’t have asked you to come with me.”

“I wanted to see a slice of Caitlin’s life when I assumed would’ve been a happier time. But when I spoke to her...She’s had it so hard, man. Since the beginning. All I can think about when I’m in this house is how she’s going to lose her father and then she’s going to fall out with her mom and then she’s going to lose Ronnie and her career. Her entire life has been like this.”

Barry kicked some fancy fertilized dirt. “I know.”

“I just wish we could do something.”

“I know,”  Barry said again.

Cisco squinted at the 2004 sky. “Hey,” he said, an idea forming in the back of his mind as a Ferrari blasting Usher’s Yeah!  drove by. “Maybe we can.”

~.~

They went back inside. They waited for Caitlin to go to the bathroom for Cisco apologized and promised Dr. Snow he’d keep the secret for Caitlin to find out—-If she ever does—In 2018 and not 2004. They also showed him some pictures of Team Flash and their Caitlin from their phones and reassured him that, all in all, Caitlin was happy and successful. He should be proud.

Dr. Snow brushed away tears, eternally grateful.

He really was a nice man. Cisco had to turn away for a moment to collect his emotions. If only Caitlin could have one more moment with him. Cisco shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He couldn’t even tell her about it.

They waved goodbye to Caitlin as she returned with blankets and snacks to cuddle  up with her father and watch a VHS.

“Hey,” Cisco said to Caitlin, who looked up from the television to him.

“Don’t give up, okay? Promise?”

Young Caitlin smiled a little, intrigued if not slightly confused.

“Promise the young man,” Dr. Snow nudged at his daughter, teasing her.

“...I Promise?”

Cisco hid his smile. “That’s all I wanted to hear.”

They left the house as the nurse came back from her lunch. “Aww, leaving already?” She pouted.

“Yeah, we’re pressed for time,” Barry told her, and they quickened their paces down the Snows cobblestone walkway.

“Come again!” The nurse called cheerfully.

~.~

Central East Middle School was just beginning their after school cheerleading practice of the day when Cisco breached right in front of Lexi Laroche and her stupid clique gossiping under the bleachers.

The girls all screamed.

“Hi!” Cisco enthused, “Which one of you little snakes is Lexi Laroche?”

The leader of the group stood up on wobbly legs. “Me.”

“I’m a superhero from the future,” Cisco said, “And I got informed that you bully Caitlin Snow.”

Lexi Laroche turned white. “I wouldn’t call it bullying…” She stammered. How quaint, Cisco thought, she had a french accent to accompany the French last name.

Cisco threw a vibe blast at a soccer ball. All of the air exploded out of the ball. The girls jumped, then huddled together. “Yeah,” Cisco said sarcastically, “And I wouldn’t call that exploding a soccer ball with my bare hands.”

Lexi gulped.

“This is what’s going to happen. You’re going to read this pamphlet about the dangers of bullying. It has a whole list of ugly things nobody wants to be called or have done to, but guess what? You did those. And you said that. There are far better things to do with your life. Like, say, expand your wardrobe beyond hot pink juicy couture sweatpants and bubblegum pink tube tops.”

Cisco pulled out the bullying pamphlet from his Vibe Jacket and gave it to her.

“Next, you’re going to stay away from Caitlin. I don’t want to see you behaving despicably like that to Caitlin or any other girl. Is that clear?”

Lexi Laroche nodded her head so fast she looked like a bobble head.

Cisco put his hands on his hips, satisfied. He seemed to have caught their attention well enough. He didn’t want to traumatize them.

“Good.” He opened a breach. “Bye.”

~.~

Barry brought them back to 2018.

As soon as Barry was certain Cisco wasn’t going to get dizzy and faint, he went straight to CCPD with his new information.

On the other hand, Cisco breached to a certain sick friend’s apartment.

Cisco walked down the hall towards Caitlin’s room. The lights were shut off and she was fast asleep.

He turned on her bedside table lamp and knelt on the floor next to her sleeping form. He whispered for her to wake up, placing a hand on her forehead.

No fever, that’s good.

She opened an eye and mumbled a groggy hello at Cisco. He waited for her to get her bearings and sit up in her bed. Cisco would’ve normally sat on her bed if she was injured or upset in the past, but she’s sick and he really doesn’t want her germs so he pulled up a chair instead.

“How are you feeling?”

Caitlin swallowed purposely and blinked a few more times, obviously attempting to come up with an adequate self-evaluation. “Better.”

“Good to hear,” Cisco threw a paper bag onto her lap.

She raised an eyebrow. “What’s this?”

Cisco bounced in his seat, “Just open it!”

Caitlin emptied the bag and out fell a box of cookies.

Caitlin gaped, “Choco-Hearties!? I thought they don’t make these anymore! Cisco!!” She slapped at his arm excitedly, “These were my favorite cookies growing up. How did you find them?”

Caitlin busied herself with opening the flaps and stuffed two in her mouth right away.

“I don’t even care that this hurts my throat,” she mumbled happily around her mouthful.

Cisco laughed, very much proud of his accomplishment. Also very glad that Caitlin was still too tired to notice Cisco blacked out the expiry date.

“Hey,” Cisco said casually, three Brooklyn-Nine-Nine episodes later. Caitlin was getting drowsy and her cookie box was three-thirds eaten. Cisco tried one and he too now understood why she wrote a letter of complaint to the company in ninth grade. Good thing he bought two more.

Caitlin hummed in response.

“I ran into one of my childhood bullies today, it reminded me of what you said about that girl who put gum in your hair, what was her name? Alexis?”

Caitlin frowned. “Lexi? She picked on me for maybe three months in eighth and then stopped bothering me. I heard she moved to France...Cisco I’m sorry I’m really tired.” 

Cisco ran his hand through her hair and tried to keep the silly grin out of his voice. “That’s alright. You sleep. I’ll check on you tomorrow.”

FIN.

#killervibe #killervibefanficweek #killervibefanficweek18 #day 3 time travelling #thatkillervibe #thatkillervibefic #the flash #flash fic #flash fanfic #Caitlin Snow #Cisco Ramon #Barry Allen #angst #and fluff #killervibe fic

[boy-banders-writings]

Flowers in Resin - Hongseok

Group: Pentagon Member: Hongseokkie aka toned bean Genre: Fluff with some angst Requested: Nope Prompt(s): “I will find you.” ; “Don’t forget me.” Length: short|medium|long|idk man

As the sun peeked between the makeshift curtains you rolled over and cuddled deeper into the blankets. The weight on your waist grew heavier as the body beside you moved and pulled you closer. You kept your eyes closed because you knew what morning meant and you wanted to keep it at bay a little longer.

You hoped he wouldn’t have woken up from your movement but the sigh and kiss to your forehead told you he did. You remained motionless though, wanting to bask in his body heat and the feel of his arms around you a little longer.

“I know you’re awake.” He hummed, his fingers tracing delicate shapes onto your bare back.

“Let’s pretend we’re not. You know what today is.” You moved to tuck your head under his chin and kissed the base of his neck. “I don’t want our time together to be over yet.”

“You could stay then, wait until next the time.”

“You heard the shaman.” You sighed, forcing your tired body into a sitting position. “He can’t accurately predict the next chance I would have to go home...” You pulled the blanket up to cover yourself and fidgeted.

“I know but we could have a life together. We could get married, have kids, you’d never have to worry about anything ever again. You did tell me that you’re stressed out back in your time...” He paused, watching you. “That everything was going wrong.”

Hongseok was right, back in the future everything was falling apart for you. You’d just been fired, broken up with, found out your mother was marrying her boyfriend from hell, your dad was leaving the country to chase some women he’d met on his latest vacation. Back in 2017, life for you was awful but it was your life. You knew that while things were treacherous and difficult at the moment things would all work out in the end.

When you slipped down a set of steps and hit your head you never thought you’d wake up a few hundred years in the past. At first you thought the bump to your head caused you to experience a rather realistic dream. But when the local shaman sought you out because he saw you in a dream and knew there was something off about you, it made it real for you.

Your time spent in this time period would have been a hundred times worse if Hongseok hadn’t found you and taken you in to find your family. You learned quickly you woke up the daughter of a local merchant who had been missing for a few days. It was tough to adapt to life in the past but you managed and Hongseok is a huge part of that.

Six months ago you were scared and alone, wanting to find any way back home. Now though, now you had a reason to want to stay in the past and that was Hongseok. Very quickly the two of you clicked and he started pinning after you. In fact, by the end of your first month he had confessed that he had feelings toward you and wanted to act on them. Even though you hoped you wouldn’t spend much time in this current period, you found yourself drawn to him. Soon enough, you accepted his feelings and the two of you became the talk of the town.

When the Shaman from your second day came to you saying he had another dream about you returning home you were excited at first. Then you realized you’d be leaving Hongseok and your heart broke. It was even more heartbreaking knowing it was so soon, he gave you today’s date a month ago.

The two of you had been spending every moment together knowing that when you left, the heartbreak would be earth shattering. 

“It is.” You admitted, smiling sadly. “But regardless, that’s my life.” You turned towards him and maneuvered to sit between his legs. “And as much as I would love to stay here with you and grow old together... whatever happened to me back in my time leaves my family in the dark.”

“Will you tell me about yourself then? What you look like? What you do with your life.” His hand locked with yours first before playing with your hand.

“I’m a foreigner.” You laughed. “I look nothing like I look in this body.” It felt weird saying that. “My eyes are a lighter color, my hair too. I’m a little shorter with a little more meat on my bones.” You laughed a little, feeling funny describing yourself to him like this. “I’m a student, studying in college and working part time on campus.”

“Campus?” Hongseok’s clueless look made your heart clench.

“Right, uhm, a campus is a plot of land with buildings on it that students go to for classes, some of the buildings the students live in.”

“Ah, okay.” He smiled at your fingers locked with his. “What do you study?”

“Right now, I’m undeclared. I’m taking classes in various topics to find what suits me.”

“Is it fun?”

“I think it is.” You nodded once. “I like learning new things so taking various classes is really fun.”

“Do-- Do you think I’m with you in the future somewhere?”

“What? Like reincarnation?”

“Yea.”

“Maybe.” You smiled at the idea. “If I knew, I’d have found you already.”

Looking up you found his focus on you already. You leant up and kissed him. Trying to prove to him how you felt. That you did love him even with the short time you had together. 

“If you’re somewhere back in my present time, I will find you. I don’t know how but I’ll find you.”

“I.. have an idea.” He looked embarrassed, his cheeks flushing. 

He moved you forward so you were no longer leaning against him and he stood up from the bed. He moved to the simple set of drawers on the opposite side of the room and pulled a silk cloth from the top drawer. You admired him as his tall and lean frame moved about the room, his pants hanging loosely upon his hips. He chewed on his lip for a moment before turning to face you and moving back to the bed.

“I had this made for you back when we found out about you going home.” He placed the small silk bundle in you lap. “I don’t know if it will go back with you because I really don’t understand this traveling through time concept but in hope that it does, I think I’ll remember you this way.”

You watched him for a moment before looking down at the bundle in your lap.

“Go on.” You picked up on his nervous giggle.

Slowly you unknotted the top of the bundle and slowly pulled the corners of the silk back. In the middle of the cloth sat a small pendant hanging from a simple string. It was beautiful, so simple and beautiful.

“I don’t know if you recognize it... It’s a few cherry blossom flowers hardened in resin. The uh, the first time we met it was in the beginning of spring when the flowers were just blooming. And uh, our first outing together was out in town for the spring festival.” He started rubbing the back of his neck. “It was really beautiful to see you so overwhelmed by the scenery and the trees. I wish I had a way to capture that moment. You took my breath away and I just associate the beauty of cherry blossoms with you... I hope this makes sense.”

“Seokkie...” You tried to keep the tears at bay. “This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten.” He sighed, thankful you liked it before you threw yourself at him. “Why did you have to go and do something like this? It makes it harder to leave.”

He held you, rubbing your back when the tears fell. His chuckle was sad and you heard the tingle of tears. The two of you cried in each other’s arms for a few minutes. Once the sniffles ended and the breathing returned to normal you two couldn’t help but laugh.

“We should get ready, we’ll need to meet the Shaman soon.”

“Will you put in on for me first?” You held the necklace up, already moving to put your back to him.

“Of course.”

He took the pendent from you and swept your hair to the side. His fingers traced the skin they touched sending chills through your body. He worked the metal bead through the loop slowly to fasten the necklace around your neck. Once it was done he pressed a kiss to your shoulder.

“I’m going to miss this. Being this close to you all the time.”

“We’ll get back to this one day.” You turned and nuzzled your nose into his neck.

With a huge sigh the two of you forced your bodies from the bed to dress yourselves, or rather each other. Hongseok helped you into your robes and you tied the belt of his robes. After the two of you were dressed you made a simple breakfast together and ate in comfortable silence.

Around the time you were cleaning the small table of your dirty dishes and scraps there was a knock on your door.

“Miss (Y/N)?”

“Ah, Shaman, come in.” You bowed, beckoning him into your small home. “It’s that time isn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so. If I knew of the next warp in time I’d encourage you to stay but it is nearly impossible for me to know.”

“It’s okay, we know.” Hongseok joined you by your side and grabbed your hand. “Thank you for letting me know about the chance to return home, I appreciate it. Shall we get going?”

Both men nodded. You and Hongseok followed the older man outside and towards a waiting horse. Hongseok retrieved his horse from the stable and together followed the Shaman.

The static in the air raised the arm on your arms only causing you to tighten your hold on Hongseok’s waist. The crackling in the air got stronger as your party got closer to the warp. Hongseok slowed the horse down to match the Shaman and soon stopped. The Shaman pointed towards an area to the right, it seemed normal until your focused and could see the air buzzing. You could see the particles in the air vibrating and bouncing off each other to create a rift.

You crawled down with Hongseok’s help and slowly moved towards the rift. The closer you got the more your own body vibrated.

“Just what did you see in the dream Shaman?”

“I saw you, Miss (Y/N), saying goodbye to Mister Hongseok and walking into the rift. I saw you back in your own time I think, it was a strange place, where you woke and were surrounded by people.”

“Ah, okay.” You retreated to Hongseok and held him tight. “Seokie, I love you. I have loved you for a while now and I’m sorry I can’t stay with you. I’ll be looking for you in the future.”

“Don’t apologize. My life has changed for the better since you came into it. Although I wish we had more than just six months together I’m thankful for every moment.”

“Don’t forget me, okay?” You smiled, praying the tears didn’t fall.

“I could never.” He kissed you. 

His hands cupped your face, your salty tears infecting the sweetness of the kiss and the moment. You wanted to remember him warmth, his taste, his smell. You wanted to remember everything about him. Now that the time is here you wished you had spent more time together, wish you had stared at his face longer to memorize his features. You wished you had kissed him more, held him more.  You wished for so much more time and many more memories but you didn’t have that.

“I will find you okay? I promise. We’ll reunited and get the life we want.” Hongseok kissed you a few more times. He wiped your tears with his thumbs and watched you with glossy eyes. “I want you to promise that you’ll live a happy life until I find you. Talk to your parents, get a good job, focus on school. I believe in you.” One last kiss before he sighed. “We need to say goodbye now, while I’m still okay.”

“I’ll be looking for you. Goodbye Hongseok.” You hugged him one last time. Kissed his cheek one last time. He held your hand and walked a little closer to the rift with you.

“Goodbye (Y/N). I’ll see you soon.”

With one last squeeze, your hands fell to your sides and you turned towards the Shaman.

“Thank you for everything Shaman. I hope the rest of life treats you well.”

“Thank you Miss (Y/N). Get home safely.”

You nodded and bowed to them both. With a last wave to Hongseok you turned towards the rift and let the vibrations take over your body.

When you opened your eyes both you mom and dad were in your hospital room. Your father was holding your hand while he slept with his head on your hospital bed. Your mother was sleeping in one of the large lounge chairs on the other side of the room.

“Mom?” You croaked. “Dad?”

You smiled warily when your dad jerked away and started crying. You mother woke from his sobbing and started sobbing too. After they calmed down they explained you had fallen and hit your head and you’d been in a coma since. A few days over six months and they were so worried you weren’t going to wake up. They explained they had been praying and spending every moment they could with you, talking to you in hopes of waking you up. They apologized for being so distant and begged for forgiveness all before the doctor came to check up on you.

Three days later you were given your personal items you were brought to the hospital with and signed out by your parents. As you were changing into your own clothes and going through the things they returned to you you found a strange item you never remembered having before.

“Excuse me, are you sure this is mine?” You showed the necklace to the nurse changing the sheets on the bed.

“Yes ma’am, you were wearing it when you were brought it. I made sure it got back to you, it’s too beautiful to lose.”

“Uhm, thank you.”

You admired the necklace. The pendant was a few cherry blossom flowers hardened in resin on a simple string that latched via a bead pushed through a loop. It sparked a happy feeling in your chest like your heart was swelling. As quickly as that feeling came it was overshadowed by a deep sadness. You weren’t sure where the necklace was from or where the feelings came either but you fastened the necklace around your neck. Quickly putting the last of your things into the duffel bag your parents brought you, you met them in the first floor lobby.

Your father met you and pressed a kiss to your forehead and told you again that he was glad you’re okay. As he was taking your bag from you and turned to leave, you bumped shoulders with someone entering the lobby.

“Excuse me.” The male spoke quickly.

“Hongseok, c’mon! Hyoyong could have actually broken his leg this time!”

“Coming Hwitaek!” Tall and very pretty, he turned towards you and smiled. “Sorry about that. Have a good day.” The necklace caught his eyes. “Oh, your necklace is beautiful.”

“T-Thanks.” You answered. “Have a good day as well, I hope your friend is alright.”

You nodded at each other and parted ways. That feeling of indescribable sadness returned as your followed your father outside. You looked back in time to see the stranger, you assumed was named Hongseok, looking back at you too.

#pentagon scenarios #pentagon #hongseok #yang hongseok #pentagon hongseok #pentagon angst #time travel AU

[bestbuyhours1000]

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As indicated by the nutritionists that made this outrageous 'Keto' diet plan, "our members are just permitted to eat 20 grams in a day. A few people on keto follow a net-carb plan (deduct the grams of fiber from a food's all out carbs) and are permitted to eat more carbs in a day.

The prominence of keto has been soaring in the course of recent years so it's no big surprise that it was incorporated as one of the eating regimens on ITV's Save Money: Lose Weight, Health & Fitness, Fat Burn a famous arrangement wherein various eating regimens are looked at dependent on their adequacy.

The Keto Diet dependent on my Keto All Day Cookbook

XLS Meal Replacement Plan

The Detox Diet Radical Metabolism

The Vegan Diet

Calorie-Controlled Plan Pinch of Nom

Try not to consider it until you've attempted it! Did you realize that eating just 25 grams of carbs a day is hard? All things considered, just by taking the Slimfast Keto for 28-day Ketosis Diet Plan challenge you will be set on a high-fat and low-carb diet.

A ketogenic diet, AKA a

Slimfast Keto Challenge

, is basically a truly low-carb however high in fat eating regimen, in which your body is constrained into creating more ketones in the liver.

It's these ketones that are utilized for vitality.

The odds are you've in any event knew about the Keto Diet, or maybe you've heard it referenced under one of its different pretenses, for instance, a low-carb diet, a low-carb high-fat eating regimen, or just the last's abbreviation the LCHF diet.

At the point when you eat anything with a high carb content, your body promptly responds and creates glucose and insulin.

The insulin that is emitted into your body is created to help process the glucose in the circulation system and convey it to where it needs to circumvent your body.

At the point when your body utilizes glucose as the main wellspring of vitality, it likewise implies that your fats aren't required.

28 Days Custom Ketosis Diet Plans

The

Slimfast Keto Challenge

isn't just an ordinary eating routine; It's a lifestyle - and something that many have discovered incredible achievement - from superstars to wellness models, your neighbors ... so you can eat everything. your preferred things.

The Keto 28 Day Challenge is an online guide that goes about as your emotionally supportive network, sustenance mentor, and weight reduction master to proceed onward to the keto way of life to get the best condition of your life and accomplish. ideal wellbeing.

28 Days Custom Ketosis Diet Plans As a dietitian, my patients get some information about a wide assortment of diets. One arrangement has overwhelmed the requests of late: the ketogenic diet. Since I've never put a patient on a careful nutritional plan I haven't attempted myself, I realized I expected to encounter it by and by. I dove in for 28 days with two carb-adoring feet and a mix of anxiety, Energetic & inspiration.

The 28-Day Keto Challenge gives a particular and complete arrangement for the 28-day keto diet. Presently, you may be asking why the show just takes 28 days and that is on the grounds that it takes around three weeks to frame a propensity. So toward the finish of the 28-Day Keto Challenge, you will have the option to proceed with this sound way of life change effects on the grounds that this will be a propensity.

Be that as it may, I won't surrender. I am going to cause the best of the food I get effectively and accomplish my objective weight regardless. While structuring my Indian Keto diet plan I have remembered some basic focuses:

Carbs and calorie separate for every dinner

Basic food thoughts, that are anything but difficult to cook and store

Suppers that can be conveyed to work

28-Day Keto Challenge is a famous eating style that is frequently hailed as the most beneficial supper plan for the human psyche and body. By wiping out high carbs or awful carbs from your eating regimen and eating more solid fats.

The best bit of leeway that they have, is that they can get any food examine its scanner tag, feed the information in any wellness application, and structure their eating regimen plan. In any case, in India, it is quite difficult. I live in a modest community in India, where it is a tough undertaking to secure food that is low in carb and sugarfree. For instance, before going on Keto, I had never known about almond flour or chia seeds. No almond flour is accessible inside 190 km of where I despite everything live. Also, the expense of chia seeds is comparable to a couple of silver loops.

28 Day Keto Challenge Review — Most individuals on another eating regimen have no arrangement. They realize what to eat and not to eat. They attempt new plans…

Yet, they DO NOT have a day by day intend to help them through the basic first month.

Without an arrangement, it's anything but difficult to succumb to peer pressure… to be ill-equipped… and to settle on terrible choices.

At the point when you structure an Indian

Slimfast Keto Challenge

plan for yourself, remember the cooking time and the timeframe of the realistic usability of the food. My eating regimen plan remembers dairy for the type of cheddar and paneer and utilization of stevia as the regular sugar. I surrendered dairy totally in light of the fact that milk is wealthy in lactose and can cause slowing down.

Without a doubt, you may need to change over certain elements for more advantageous other options yet you don't need to deny yourself or go through days tallying calories.

Thus, all things considered, that ONE slip-up is having no arrangement set up. Today I present to you an unmistakable arrangement. And afterward guided in excess of 416,387 fruitful individuals! It was the 28 Day Keto Challenge. Just follow this arrangement and you will succeed.

Ketosis Slimfast Fitness Challenge For Beginners

It's known as the "Learners Ketosis Slimfast Fitness Challenge for Beginners Course" and it's a Course that incorporates all that you have to Beginners, regardless of whether you don't understand anything about

Slimfast Keto Challenge

, or on the off chance that you are taking the test solo.

You won't have to invest energy conceptualizing dinner thoughts and testing plans… I've done it for you. Presently you can watch me as I find a way to changing your attitude for progress.

This month, I need to assist you with committing to your keto consume fewer calories AND appreciate delectable, solid suppers with your loved ones.

Regardless of whether it's preparing up heavenly suppers, or acing the fast and simple lunch pack, you'll get all that you have to assume the job of ace gourmet specialist

I get this inquiry from individuals on an about regular routine. A way of life change can be unimaginably overwhelming, and individuals are regularly so overpowered with clashing data, they don't have the foggiest idea where to begin.

All things considered, as the name would recommend, the keto diet depends on the possibility that the eating routine enables your body to create particles called "ketones" from your put away fat.

At the point when your body is fuelled by a keto diet, it changes from utilizing glucose as its vitality source to consume fat all the more proficiently. At the point when you bring down your dietary starches, you start to utilize your glycogen stores and lower your insulin levels (the vitality stockpiling hormone).

You know what I state to that? Take care of the business. That's right, much the same as the Nike advertisement. Do what needs to be done, and don't think back.

Each second that you put off beginning is one more day you put off your wellbeing. So you have to hop in and begin. Indeed, even if you don't do it consummately as it so happens, you've made the dedication and you're one bit nearer.

At the point when you are fuelled by ketones, you experience more steady vitality levels, improved temperament, diminished appetite, decreased irritation, and mind-blowing mental clearness. No more evening vitality droops!

In the long run,

Slimfast Keto Challenge

it turns out to be natural. In any case, toward the start, it requires some serious energy and exertion, and you may have a couple of stumbles en route. Furthermore, that is alright – we were all there once. Simply continue getting back on that horse.

At the point when you keep your carb levels low and your body begins consuming loads of fat for fuel (rather than sugar), ketones are made.

This state is classified as "wholesome ketosis".

These ketones go about as an unimaginably spotless vitality hotspot for your body and cerebrum. They likewise perform significant 'flagging' undertakings, such as hosing interminable aggravation.

You would then be able to accomplish stable lower blood glucose levels and your body will change from being a sugar burner to a fat eliminator.

So how are you feeling, Hope you liked it, If you have any type of information, you can contact us on Best Buy Hours & also comment true to your problem say it we are always connected to your service.

Keep Share & Comment

Thank You

#bestbuyhours ketochallenge ketosis slimfastketo 28dayketochallenge customketosisdietplans ketodiet ketodietfoods ketodietforbeginners ketome

[rxbxlcaptain]

Summer Away

Happy Birthday, @finns-roses​!! 

A while ago, after learning that we shared a love for horses, we discussed an AU in which Cassian’s family owned a ranch that Jyn visited for the summer. As a birthday present, I did my best to expand our discussed headcanons into a full fic. I hope I did it justice, my dear, and I hope you enjoy!!

AO3

If Jyn gained nothing from these two weeks, at least she’d have the landscape to enjoy. An hour outside out of the city and into the Arizona wilderness had its perks; mountains dotted the landscape towards the West, the tallest peaks dusted with snow, and to the East ran the Little Colorado River, which pooled into a lake on the property where Jyn now stood. Thanks to lake, small clumps of trees – real trees, not the cacti they had in the southern half of the state – littered the grounds.

It was, without question, strikingly beautiful.

“It’s just for a few weeks, Stardust.” Her father closed his door of the car and stood in front of her, resting his hands on her shoulders. “And then I’ll be home and you’ll be right there with me.”

Jyn nodded, determined to keep all signs of dissatisfaction with this arrangement off her face. Her father had been offered a chance to continue his physics research with scientists at CERN, the largest facility for particle research in the world, outside of Geneva. It was an opportunity Galen would be hard pressed to deny – in fact, it was an honor he had been working towards for years – but, knowing how much time he would spend in the lab, he worried taking Jyn to a country whose language she didn’t speak and culture she didn’t know would be dangerous, especially considering Jyn’s knack for finding trouble wherever she went.

So Galen had found another alternative for Jyn’s summer vacation: a family-owned ranch designed to give city kids a way to experience life working off the land. Wake at 5:30 in the morning, pastures of horses surrounding the place, work so hard you fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day. Or, at least, that’s the image Jyn had of the place.

Jyn wasn’t opposed the idea. Jyn enjoyed the outdoors, hiking and stargazing and the like; she had even gone through a serious horse phase as a child, but for eight years now, ever since Jyn’s mother had died before Jyn’s eighth birthday, her life had been centered around her Papa: she’d spent her days after school alongside him in the lab and her evenings curled up near him as they both read, her whatever book was currently assigned by her English teacher and him the newest publications in physics research. They were each other’s rock, the most important part of their lives, but, as Jyn grew older (college was only a few years away now), Galen worried perhaps he was too much a part of his daughter’s life, that perhaps he was stunting her growth by keeping her drawn to his side.

Hence the summer of separation, him to flying off to his work and her exploring who she was without her father to define her.

“That’s something you’ll be able to see here, you know,” Galen noted when Jyn didn’t reply, his eyes scanning the clear sky.

“See what, Papa?”

“The stars. Real ones, whole galaxies covering the night skies.” He smiled down at her. “Not the few we can see in the city.”

“They’ll make me think of you,” she assured him with a smile. (It did not wobble. It did not.)

“Oh, Stardust,” Galen said with a sad smile, “everything will make me think of you.”

A lump in her throat choked her next words, so Jyn threw her arms around her father’s neck instead, burying her face into the collar of his shirt, inhaling the scent of coffee and old books that clung there. Hugging her back tightly, Galen kissed the top of her head.

Jyn pulled away as someone called a hello from the porch of the property’s main cabin. A woman, a few years older than Galen, approached them, a boy, clearly her son, following a few steps behind.

“I’m Renata Andor, the property’s manager,” the woman greeted, a little bit breathless, as she reached them, extending her hand. Indicating the boy who followed her, she said, “And this is my youngest son, Cassian.”

“Jyn Erso.” She tried to smile (she really did) as she shook the woman’s hand and nodded to the boy. Up close, Jyn determined he was about her age, perhaps a bit older.

“And I’m her father, Galen,” Papa said next as he too took her hand.

“A pleasure to meet you both,” she told them, her smile stretched just a little bit too tight. “Cassian, why don’t you help Jyn take her bags inside, show her the girl’s cabin? I’ll give Mr. Erso a quick tour of the land.”

Cassian nodded, pulling the first of Jyn’s bags out of the open trunk. She yanked the second one onto her shoulder before he could reach for it, determined to show him she did know how to work for herself. His hand hesitated midair for a moment before he chuckled. Jyn stayed quiet as they trekked to the first of two cabins past the main house.

Cassian broke the silence first. “City girl, huh?”

Jyn gave the boy what her mother would have called call “a look.” The sarcastic, eyebrows-to-the-sky, “Do I look like I care what you’re saying?” kind of look Jyn had perfected before she’d started kindergarten.  

“Your boots are clean,” he shrugged, by way of explanation. They were, Jyn had to admit. The only form of boots she’d owned before this summer were wore out hiking boots that had covered the trails over South Mountain countless times over the years. Galen had bought new boots – real work boots, not the glittery kind of cowboy boots girls wore to country music festivals – for her a few weeks before. “I hope you didn’t spend too much money on them, because they won’t be clean by the end of the first week.”

“I’m not that delicate,” she shot at him. “I can handle a bit of mud.”

“Good.” As they neared the house, he asked, “Where are you from?”

“Phoenix.”

“Also good,” he grinned. “You know how to survive the heat.”

“Yeah,” Jyn agreed as he opened the door to the cabin, wiping his shoes off (those, Jyn noted, were covered in mud and noticeably not new) and ushering her in before him. “It’s called air conditioning.”

“I hope you’ll settle for cold water and some shade,” he told her with a half a grin, “because that’s the best you’ll get out here.”

Cassian left her alone to unpack after leaving her with some basic instructions. A packet waited on the bed labeled with her name, he told her, with a schedule and a map of the grounds; other campers would be arriving within the next few hours; she was free to explore until dinner, which would be served up in the main house, but he warned her to be careful around the animals until she got to know them. Jyn gave a quick goodbye to her father – knowing him, he’d delayed packing for his trip to Switzerland, and his plane left in a little under twenty-four hours, so he needed to return home soon – and flopped back onto her bed. (She’d been assigned a top bunk but, given how many sore muscles she expected to nurse over her time here, Jyn had considered it ideal to swap her assignment before her bunkmate arrived. None of the other girls milling around noted the switch.)

She met the other Andors at dinner: Estrella, the oldest and the only daughter, had taken charge of the kitchen by ordering the next oldest, Lucas, to carry the trays of completed food to each of the three long tables that filled the dining room. Cassian and his closest brother, Carlos, stumbled in the doorway at exactly six P.M., pointing at the clock and insisting to their sister they were, in fact, on time. She’d merely rolled her eyes before reminding them if they smelled of the barn (and they did bear the unfortunate marks of spending the last few hours surrounded by the horses), they would eat in the barn.

A chaotic stream of bickering reigned over the siblings until their mother walked through the door. Instantly, as if Estrella had not been waving her finger in her Lucas’s face a moment before, all the Andor siblings fell into an efficient assembly line, producing trays of steamed vegetables and rice and various forms of meat to stack upon the tables.

Mrs. Andor, whose curly hair had slowly escaped its neat bun over the day, leaving wasps of hair hanging over her temples, let out a large exhale seeing dinner prepared. Estrella rubbed a hand over her mother’s back as Cassian pressed a kiss to her temple.

Jyn, who was sitting between the girls who slept in the bunks beside her, Leia from northern Colorado and Shara from southern California, seemed to be the only one who noticed the familial exchange, most of the other campers absorbed in creating tentative friendships with the people they’d be sharing their bunks with for the next few weeks. Jyn thought she gained an important insight from her observations, however: while the city kids came to the camp to experience a few weeks away and perhaps to show off the new, fancy shoes they would rarely ever wear again, the Andors lived this life day in and day out. They ran a business, balancing keeping a horde of teenagers safe from livestock and themselves, as well as kept a ranch operating. Neither of which were an easy feat, but, combined, Jyn imagined it gave birth to extreme stress levels for all members of the family.

Regardless, Mrs. Andor greeted the campers, about 50 in all, who ranged in age from ten to eighteen, with a warm smile on her face. Each of the Andor children introduced themselves as well, and explained which part of daily activities they would oversee. Estrella ensured the campers completed their daily shores; Lucas led treks down to the river or to the mountains; Carlos and Cassian were in charge of the animals on the ranch (horses and cattle and pigs, oh my, Jyn thought with a smirk) and teaching the campers the proper ways to interact and care for them.

The campers were sent back to their cabins after dinner, with a suggestion from the Andors to take advantage of the early night; wakeup call would be early for their stay and they should enjoy the rest while they could. And, indeed, as the first fingers of sunlight danced over the colorful landscape, Mrs. Andor flipped the overhead light on in the girl’s cabin, calling them all to breakfast.

Jyn groaned, stuffing her face further into the pillow. She was much more of a night owl by nature.

“Up, up!” Leia ordered, her ever present smile clear in her voice as she poked at Jyn’s shoulder. “We gotta go get breakfast!”

Apparently she had no problem with mornings.

Jyn had just rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she and Leia headed for the stables and their first lesson with the horses. (The Andors didn’t serve coffee to the campers, Jyn discovered. Reasonable, considering how young some of the campers were, but Jyn inherited both her parents borderline addiction to the substance and the summer suddenly darkened without the presence of coffee in her mornings.)

Cassian stood by the fence of the paddock, rubbing the nose of a steel grey mustang as the group approached. He nodded to the group, still focused on the animal in front of him, until of the boys leaned towards the fence.

“Don’t touch it!” He warned, his voice sharp with urgency. The boy drew his hand back quickly, slightly abashed but confused. Cassian turned to the whole group. “The fences are all electrocuted to keep the animals in. Otherwise, the feisty ones like this one—“ he jerked his head to indicate the mustang “—would undoubtedly try to escape. Best to keep your fingers away from it.”

Beckoning them forward, he led them into the barn, pulling one of the older mares out of her stall and into the aisle.

“Before we can teach you to ride them, you have to learn to care for them. Here,” he pulled out a box of grooming supplies and showed the campers how to use the different brushes. After dividing them into groups of four and distributing brushes, Cassian walked three more horses into the crossties of the grooming stalls and had them copy what he’d just done.

“You’ve done this before,” he said over Jyn’s shoulder as he watched her rub a curling comb in small circles over the withers of a chestnut mare.

Jyn nodded. “My mother rode horses as a child and signed me up for lessons when I was younger. It’s been years, though.” She shrugged as the images of hours spent in a barn like this one filtered through her mind. Years had faded the memories, but the smile on her mother’s face as Jyn had warmed to the animals stood out to her.

Those memories, she thought, were half the reason her father had decided on sending Jyn here for the summer. A connection back to her mother, a gentle reminder that, though Lyra was gone from their lives, she stayed with them.

“Not bad for a city girl,” Cassian smiled. “But I’ll bet you road English, not Western.”

Jyn shrugged. “I had to leave something for you to teach me.”

The difference between the two disciplines, Jyn learned quickly, was vast. English saddles and bridles were more structured, built for elegance and show. Western tack was looser, designed by those who valued practicality and hours of hard labor. Jyn figured it wouldn’t be too difficult to transfer her knowledge of one to the other, but, with how Cassian teased her technique of tacking the horse, no such transfer was guaranteed.

Her riding lessons were years ago, she told Cassian the first time he assured her lessons would be a breeze for her, and she barely remembered anything she’d learned. Muscle memory, he assured her right back, was a powerful thing and she shouldn’t be so quick to doubt herself.

(When she was able to smoothly trot around the arena without nearly bouncing out of the saddle long before the other campers, he didn’t resist giving her an expression that read “I told you so.”)

Every day, Jyn found herself looking forward to her time in the barn with the horses. Call it nostalgia or perhaps her skill with the horses, but Jyn’s day brightened as she entered the barn and, on days when she didn’t have assigned tasks with the horses, found herself spending her free time with Cassian.

“How come you don’t share your gelding with the others?” Jyn asked him one day, leaning against the stall door as he groomed the steel grey mustang named Kay-too (a name a young Cassian had appointed for it, since the horse reminded him of Kay, his father’s mount with similar coloring).

“You’re more than welcome to try,” Cassian told her, “but even Carlos can’t ride this one. He’s too skittish around most people.” Cassian rubbed the horse’s neck, just behind his ear, and Kay relaxed under his touch. “We rescued him, so he probably had some bad experiences before he came here, isn’t very trusting now. My father was about ready to sell him when I started riding him.”

“Or you’ve specifically trained him to react that way to the strangers wandering around so you have one that’s all your own,” Jyn ventured, her tone teasing.

Cassian laughed in response, putting a finger to his lips. “Don’t tell my mother.”

The conversation descended into silence, Cassian’s brush and the other horses shuffling in their stalls the only sounds in the barn.

“My brother and I ride out to go check on the cattle at the end of the day,” Cassian blurted out after a minute. “You should join us.”

Jyn raised her eyebrows at him. “Is that allowed?”

“Not normally, but you ride better than the others,” Cassian shrugged, picking up one hoof to scrape out the dirt. “I’ll make an exception.”

“Hey, as long as it doesn’t interfere with dinner, I’m on board.” She and Cassian exchanged a smile and decided on a time to meet.

Carlos waved as she joined them that evening. “You’re finally joining us,” he remarked. “I mean, you’ve been here, what, two weeks already? I’m surprised it took my brother this long to scrape up the courage.”

Jyn was just about to ask what he meant – Cassian had no idea she could even ride when she’d arrived two weeks ago – but Cassian appeared then, insisting Jyn needed to tack her horse or they’d fall behind schedule. She didn’t miss the significant look passed between the two brothers as Cassian ushered her away.

“I bet this is beautiful as the sun sets,” Jyn said as they trotted towards the cattle. She pointed out towards the mountains, their snowy tips already glowing as the sun moved lower in the sky. “I can’t see them from my cabin.”

“Lucas will take you on a hike at sunset at some point,” Cassian assured her. “There’s a pit for a bonfire about there.” He pointed at a spot part way up one of the mountain trails. “It’s normally everyone’s favorite, seeing the entire ranch all lit up.” His voice sounded reverent, in awe of the beauty his home had.

“How long have you guys owned this place?” Jyn asked.

“Our parents bought it right after they got married,” Lucas said, “a million years ago or whenever that was.”

“We’ve only opened the camp a few years ago to bring in extra money after our dad died,” Cassian explained.

“Yeah, to keep that guy Krennic off or backs.” Lucas rolled his eyes.

“Krennic?” Jyn asked Cassian.

“Rich guy who bought the next property over. He really wanted this one, too.”

“Never understood why,” Lucas said, his voice distracted as he looked out over the herd. “Doesn’t do anything legitimate with his land. Just kinda keeps it for the hell of it.”

“Mom was tempted to sell this place for a bit,” Cassian told her. “It’s worth a lot more money now than when she and dad bought it. But we were all born and raised here and, well,” he shrugged as his voice got tighter, “it’s our last piece of dad. No one wanted to sell it, so Estrella came up with a plan to build this.”

Jyn hummed her understanding. That explained the kind of stress the Andors went through to keep this place alive and the guests returning. Jyn thought of the last piece she had of her mother – a crystal pendant she wore around her neck at all times – and then pictured selling it. She shivered at the thought.

“Must be weird, though, having stranger come and invade your family’s home.”

Cassian smiled at her. “I’ve enjoyed this summer.”

Jyn had the honor of meeting Orson Krennic herself a few days later when the man stopped by for what Cassian sarcastically referred to as a “neighborly chat.”

“All his visits do is stress out my mother,” Cassian complained when he appeared just after breakfast and Jyn could see why. The man was pompous, that much was clear, even from a distance. He held himself like he stood taller than he was and wore a loose, white shirt stolen directly from the set of an old western (“Who wears white to a ranch, anyway?” Cassian sneered, and Jyn couldn’t help up agree). His hair was too neatly combed and his hands too soft to have ever spent a day doing manual labor in his life. The entire Andor family was on edge while he was on the property.

“Come on,” Cassian suggested as the sun started to set over Krennic’s visit. “Let’s get out of here for a bit.”

Cassian led her along the river in a different direction than they traditionally hiked. A jagged rock formation jutted out from the shores of the river. Hidden in the middle was a flat rock surrounded by high sides, creating a natural seat the terrain.

“This was my spot when I was a kid,” Cassian told her. “Whenever I had a fight with one of my siblings, my parents knew to find me here.”

“It’s relaxing,” Jyn said, leaning back against the rock. The shaded air between the rocks was vastly cooler than the air outside and the bubbling river created wonderful background noise.

“I’m glad you think so,” Cassian said, settling next to Jyn. Their elbows knocked and their fingers brushed. For a moment, neither of them moved, before Jyn moved her hand over his, interlocking their fingers.

“You’re leaving soon,” Cassian noted, his thumb brushing over Jyn’s knuckles.

Jyn nodded. “Just a few days.”

“I’m glad you came this summer, but I’ll miss you when you leave.”

Glancing over at him, Jyn felt a tug on her heartstrings. Cassian had made the summer so much less lonely than she had imagined, given her someone to connect to while she was so far away from her father. “I’ll miss you too, Cassian.”

His eyes flickered between her eyes and her lips for a moment. He hesitated just a moment too long, because as soon as his head began to move in, a noise startled them backwards.

“Cassian!” Lucas shouted, his voice echoing between the rocks. Jyn and Cassian scrambling onto higher ground to find Lucas. “Come on,” he waved when they came into view, seeming unsurprised to find Jyn alongside his brother. “Mom’s going to notice if you’re missing from dinner.”

Three days later, Jyn’s bags were packed and sitting outside her cabin’s door, ready whenever Papa arrived to drive her back to Phoenix. She’d barely seen Cassian over the last few days, though whether that was because of any lingering awkwardness over their encounter – maybe he’d gone over all the reasons why kissing a girl who’d be leaving in the next few days was a bad idea and decided to let her down gently – or because he was busy with his duties on the ranch, Jyn wasn’t certain.

She’d resigned herself to never learning one way or the other as she spotted her father’s car driving along the long entrance road to the property when she heard her name called out. She turned and found Cassian, slightly breathless and still smelling of the barn, running her direction.

“I couldn’t let you leave just yet,” he told her, grabbing hold of her shoulders lightly.

“Oh really?” Jyn asked, her tone bordering on sarcastic. “And just when will I be free to go?”

“After I’ve done this,” he said and pressed his lips against hers, one hand coming up to frame her face. He pulled back after a moment, his eyes still closed, resting his forehead against hers. “But I’ll miss you.”

“If you ever miss me too much,” Jyn said, pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket and stuffing it into his hand. When she’d writing the note, Jyn worried she might have been following too much of the script of a romantic comedy, but she was glad she had it now. “Give me a call sometime.”

“I’ll do that,” he promised her, pocketing the paper. He glanced over her shoulder. “But, for now…”

“I suppose it’s goodbye for now, Cassian Andor.”

“Goodbye, Jyn Erso.”

She hefted her bag onto her shoulder, flashing back to when she’d been so reluctant to follow Cassian at the beginning of the summer. Who would have guessed she’d find it so difficult to walk away at the end of it?

“Hello, Papa,” she greeted, throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.” He held her close for a moment, before pulling back with a twinkle in his eye. He looked over to where Cassian stood waving before saying, “I take it that means you had a good summer, Stardust.” Galen barely contained the laughter in his voice as she dropped her bags in the trunk.

Gazing around at the beautiful landscape one last time, her eyes lingering on the boy leaning against the front porch railing a moment longer, she smiled. “You could say that.”

#therebelcaptainnetwork #dailyrebelcaptain #happy birthday!! #I hope you enjoy! #finns-roses #rebelcaptain #au #modern au #kat writes #apologizing now for all the random jargon that appears in here #I should have attached an equestrian dictionary #may still go back and do that #tbh #tell me if it bothers you and I'll do that

[offtosavetheearth]

July 20th, 2018

This morning I got up super late and didn’t have time to eat breakfast with Rina this morning. I was supposed to go to the café at 7am, but of course I didn’t get up. I met the class at 9am to go to the ETAPA Sustag Water Treatment Plant. ETAPA is Cuenca’s water agency, and they operate more than thirty water treatment plants. They also help protect the watersheds that are important to Cuenca’s water supply, and play an important role in managing Cajas National Park.

Our visit was guided by the workers of the plant. This modern plant in the southwest of Cuenca provides water to over 35,000 people; part of it comes from Cajas National Park, protected by this agency.

This plant operates according to ISO, the international standard of water quality. Javier, a chemical engineer, explained to us that the water comes from the river and is relatively pure because of the short distance it travels down the mountain. Once the water flows into the plant, at 200 liters a second, it passes through a sediment filter and then the inorganic coagulant aluminum sulfate is added, which creates clumps of bacteria and debris at the top. This process causes several simultaneous chemical and physical interactions on and among the particles. Within seconds, negative charges on the particles are neutralized by inorganic coagulants. Also within seconds, metal hydroxide precipitates of the iron and aluminum ions begin to form. These precipitates combine into larger particles under natural processes such as Brownian motion and through induced mixing, otherwise known as flocculation. During flocculation, aluminum and hydroxide absorb and enmesh particles in suspension and facilitate the removal of particles by subsequent processes of sedimentation and filtration.

From here, the water exiting the flocculation enters a sedimentation basin, also called a clarifier. It is a large tank with low water velocities that allows excess floc to settle at the bottom. The one we save was circular, where the flow of the water was center outward. As particles settle to the bottom of a sedimentation basin, a layer of sludge/mud forms on the floor. This mud is removed and dehydrated, to later return to landfills, instead of putting it back in the river as most water treatment plants do. While the sludge is separated, water runs to a rapid sand filter, moving vertically through sand which often has a layer of activated carbon above it. The top layer removes organic compounds which contribute to taste and odor.

The last disinfection method involves small amount of chlorine. The water must be moved to storage tanks, where for every one million parts water, 1 part chlorine is injected. This strong oxidant rapidly kills many harmful micro-organisms.

The international standard for turbidity is 5, but ETAPA exceeds all expectations by delivering water to Cuenca at .3. Since this water is cheap and subsidized, Cuencans use about 200 liters per person per day. Those in the suburbs (poorer people) pay 5 dollars a month, while richer folks pay about 15. Created nine years ago, this is one of the most modern plants, of the three large and thirty small ones with lower quality water. Monitored by 2 people every 8 hour shift, they are responsible for the drinking water of 40,000 people.

In between lunch and the second lecture of the day, I went to NY Pizza and got a Pepperoni pizza and a coke. I know this is stupid, but I am a regular at that store because American food is the only thing that is keeping me sane while away. It makes me feel more relaxed, and I have Ecuadorian food all the time with Rina, so I don’t think it’s necessarily a waste of this opportunity. Also, it was one of the first times I ventured out alone without a group. I purposefully got lost twice before I had pizza, so I could learn how to find my way back and navigate the city. Let me tell you, it was a proud moment when I found my school again for the second time in a row. I got even braver, and went past CEDEI to a really beautiful coffee shop.

I came to get an iced latte and work on my logbook, but something really…unsettling… happened to me while I was waiting for my drink. A little Ecuadorian girl ran into the shop and made a bee-line straight for my table. She was talking really fast and making a texting motion with her hands, because I had my iphone out. But, she wouldn’t make eye contact with me. I simply said “no habla espanol”, but I did catch the drift of the question. She needed to use my phone to text her mom. But she didn’t appear frightened? Or lost? She kept waiting at my table and I said again, “lo siento, no habla espanol” and looked away from her. I looked up a second later, and she was nowhere to be found.

A couple of friends from the group came to meet me at the coffee shop (LOOK WHO IS INDEPENDENT & LEADING THE PACK NOW), and we talked about how we were starting to get over the whole foreign country thing and the daily annoyances in life were getting to us. I think that means we are comfortable here? Anyways, I talked about how the wooden bed that I sleep on is killing my back and my neck, and another student talked about how they were ready for homestays to be over. I agreed, I felt that I had gotten all that I could out of my homestay experience, and there was not really anything left to observe. I basically just say good morning and good night to Rina, and we visit after dinner for about 20 minutes talking about our day. It’s hard to get past the language barrier and bond, but we have a few times over things like politics and family.

It was the weirdest thing though….we were walking out of the coffee shop and I saw that girl again. Except she was with her mom a couple blocks down from the coffee shop, and they were walking the other direction really fast. I don’t want to assume the worst but I am 99% sure that her mom was sending her around the area to steal from tourists. Dr. Knapp was talking about it a couple days ago…and woah. Wow. Wtf. CHILDREN ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SACRED, INNOCENT, AND PURE!!

I am in another culture though. And even if I wasn’t in another culture, I don’t know the families situation or how badly they need money. I understand what it is like to be tight on money, but never to the point of that type of desperation. It is a sort of mixed feeling that I felt. Confused but…understanding at the same time…yet not understanding. I still don’t know what to make of it. At what point is it not wrong to steal, and is it different based on culture?

I got nice and calm though when we had our traditional medicinal lecture. Sisa Pacari Bacacela Guaman, a Quichua-speaking member of the Saraguro nation, lectured in Spanish on traditional and indigenous use of plants, with demonstrations.

I was REALLY liked this lecture because I’m into essential oils and smells as a source of meditation and relaxation.  

Sisa explained to us that the definition of sickness is when there is nonviolent conflict between the spiritual and physical world. We are simply molecules all interconnected, and our physical being experiences pain when there is an imbalance. Their traditional medicines have been used 18,000 years before the existence of Christ, and they classify plants in terms of power, gender, and altitude.

Plant introductions began with the altitude category. Chukirawaa, known to detoxify the body when consumed for nine days, is only found in the Andes at 2500 meters above sea level. Tipo, consumed as a tea for altitude sicknesss, is also found in the high Andes. Laurel, oxcilliar to Tipo can be rubbed into a pulp and smelled.

Gender was next, starting with Alpal Paleo, a feminine plant for allergies that is a symbol for earth, and can be consumed as a tea or applied as a salve. The feminine plant Yerba, or San Antonio, is used for the skin, throat problems, and contains penicillin. Caballo Chupa or horse hair can be feminine or masculine, with the masculine type being thicker and used for digestion and detoxification. Shuyu, a refreshing feminine plant that helps with fever, works well with the Caballo Chupa plant. A masculine plant, flor de tio, helps with respiratory issues and bronchitis. You use three flowers, three eucalyptus leaves, and three nettle leaves in a tea for nine days.

Lastly, Power classification discussed the San Pedro cactus, which can range from three to fifteen spines, with the most powerful ones having the most spines. It can grow 1-7 meters tall and only the most advanced shaman, at level 7, can handle this plant. Druda, mixed with other medicinal plants, is used for external cleansing and looks like a bunch of tea leaves. Machua, for anemia and mineral deficiencies, is related to the potato and can be used for menstruation and prostate issues.

A cleanse was preformed after the lecture on Autumn. Sisa discussed the four elements, earth, fire, wind, and water, which are used in cleansings, typically preformed in sacred places. Ours was of course of simulation of the actual performance, but similar to how it would be practiced. Fire is the most important element in this representation, and is masculine because it represents the sun god and nucleus of energy. Water is feminine and ties to the physical world, air is masculine and important for every civilization ever founded on earth. Lastly, earth is feminine, and strongly interrelated to water. All societies recognize these elements, but some have stopped caring about pivotal points of nature for financial gain. For most medicinal plants, they must be taken for nine days total. This is because the ninth constellation in space is the most balanced. You may not take the medicine for more than 27 days.

Rose water was applied to our hands once the cleanse was finished. I really enjoyed the smells, such as the burning of the plants, and the scents that filled the room during the ritual. I hope to use more natural oils and plants when I return home, to relax and meditate.

This is kind of weird but after the cleanse I walked around Cuenca for three hours. It didn’t really seem like anyone was doing something I wanted to be a part of, and I didn’t want to go home either. I felt that I needed to venture out as well, since I was becoming braver about my whereabouts in the city. I was proud of myself because I found all of the places we visited during the city store, even the piti mas shop. I zoomed out of my own perspective, and realized that everything in Cuenca is about two blocks away. I am located in the central part of the city, and even if I did get lost again, it would not be that hard to find my way back.

It also helped that I used my maps; before I didn’t know that T-mobile allows free international data roaming, so now I can use my location on the maps to walk back home. I spent most of the time walking back and forth from the plaza near my house, and I sat there for a while watching the community participate in free salsa classes. What was weird to me was the actions of the local police during these classes. They all hung around the ladies salsa dancing, and took group pictures together. I thought that these classes happened pretty much every day, so why they would feel the need to document it was a mystery to me.

Rina texted me around 9 pm, wondering where I was. I felt guilty because she thought that Ginger and I were going to watch a movie with her, but we just dipped. My burner didn’t work so Autumn texted her for me. More guilt came when I arrived home and realized that I missed Abuela’s birthday dinner. Things like this repeatedly happen because we just can’t understand each other. Usually when I say I have plans or am going somewhere later, it is just ignored. A lot of times I feel like I’m the family baby being carried around on errands.

But nothing can really be done about that, unless CEDEI decides to give everyone bilingual families since this is an English program. I feel that somewhere between UT and CEDEI there is a miscommunication about the purpose to this program. Dinner was pasta with cut up hot dogs, which was nice because of how heavy pasta makes you feel. Side note: I find it strange how often hotdogs are randomly incorporated into dishes; in America we usually serve babies little cut up hotdogs. Most likely I am assuming it is because they don’t have access to a lot of quality meat. As was mentioned before, the cows they raise up here typically taste pretty tough since they are walking up and down the slopes of the Andes. The proportion of the meat is something I am definitely not used to. In Texas the majority of my plate is meat, but here the meat is the smallest portion, with most of the plate being potatoes, rice, and vegetables. VERY carb heavy, but in a different way than the United States. I miss big steaks and pulled pork sandwiches, but also feel healthier and more energized here.

Listening to my playlists and walking around maximized comfort in this city, and gave me the breath of America I needed. This is also the longest I have been away from my boyfriend, so I got emotional walking around. I think a lot about how much fun he would have here, and how I wish he could experience this other world with me. But independence, self-reliance, and self-confidence is something I’ve always needed to work on. I generally focus on others needs rather than my own, so after this trip I think I will try to practice self-care, and do things for my own peace of mind. I have always wanted to be healthy mentally, physically, and emotionally.

So cheers to new goals and being selfish!

[danithebookaholic-blog]

SPOTLIGHT!

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From Frights to Flaws (Alyssa McCarthy’s Magical Missions #1) 

By Sunayna Prasad

Publication Date: October 20, 2018 Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Synopsis:

Twelve-year-old Alyssa McCarthy longs for a better life. She lost her parents at age seven and her aunt at nine. Her uncle also enforces unfair rules. But Alyssa discovers something she has never thought existed before… magic. A wicked sorcerer hunts her down. He kidnaps her from her ordinary New Jersey town to Yanowic, an enchanted island in Fiji.

Alyssa is trapped in the country due to a giant shield covering it. She must defeat dangerous creatures and the evil wizard in order to leave. But with sorcerers and enchanted technology getting in her way, can Alyssa succeed?

Originally published in 2013, the book has been updated to its full potential with edits, while keeping the storyline the same.

Goodreads

Excerpt:

Chapter One

Rain banged against the window. Alyssa looked up from washing her lunch dishes and stared at it. At least she could daydream while no one else noticed. After all, how else would she spend life without family fun—or even love?

Her uncle enforced strict and unfair rules. Alyssa longed for the kind of life she’d lived before her parents had died in a car crash five years ago. She’d only been seven at that time, and now she couldn’t experience things like many children her age.

Unless . . . she could find her godfather’s phone number and secretly call him. She hadn’t talked to him ever since she’d also lost her aunt three years ago. But she recalled his kind attitude. Her parents had even designated him as a legal guardian.

But something seemed off with the raindrops. They turned grayish blue and darkened into black, looking as if ink fell from the sky. Alyssa leaned closer, squinting to determine the shapes it formed on the window. The rain formed—letters. No. That couldn’t happen. But a message formed as the rain plopped on other parts of the window. Nature couldn’t change its laws, right?

Yet, the message finished putting itself together. Alyssa gasped at what it said.

Your life will never be the same again, Alyssa McCarthy, as magic will interfere.

What? Alyssa had never believed in magic. She’d been told at a young age that it hadn’t existed. Everyone on Orion Street was ordinary—at least, Alyssa had thought that ever since she’d moved here, right after her parents’ deaths.

Turning around, she saw her babysitter, Mrs. Hutchinson, examine the kitchen floor. Alyssa’s eleven-year-old cousin, Hailey, watched the progress. Hailey had mopped the floor. Would she earn a break now? Ever since her uncle, Bruce, had hired Mrs. Hutchinson, Mrs. Hutchinson had admired the way Hailey had done her chores more than Alyssa.

“Hailey, you can take a break until your next chore,” said Mrs. Hutchinson. “Alyssa, get back to work. You’ve been staring at the rain for too long.”

“Okay.” Alyssa turned back—only to see the message gone and the rain back to its normal transparency.

“What did I say?” asked Mrs. Hutchinson. Alyssa sighed. “Fine, I’ll finish washing the dishes.” She scrubbed her dish and glass with soap under warm running water. Her eyes focused on just those. No way would she want Mrs. Hutchinson to catch her looking out the window again. Mrs. Hutchinson was only in her sixties, but she’d sometimes seem to forget that was 2010 and not 1960 with her guidelines. Yet, it had taken Alyssa a while to realize that she wouldn’t even tolerate the mildest kind of nonsense, such as getting distracted by a windowpane when having to perform chores.

Now that she finished washing her dishes, Alyssa put them to the side and grabbed some paper towels to dry them.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Mrs. Hutchinson asked. Alyssa stopped. “I’m just—” “The last few times I was here, you left little bits of food on your dishes.” “But they were stuck.”

“Let me inspect them. Also, if something is rubbery, you have to wash it again.” “Why?” “Because clean dishes aren’t supposed to be rubbery. And boy, did you do such a sloppy job. Look at that stain on your sweater.”

Alyssa looked down. “That looks like chocolate.” Alyssa blushed and arched her eyebrows. “Hey—it’s just water.” She covered the stain at the bottom of her sweater’s V-neck.

But Mrs. Hutchinson waved her index finger. “Don’t you ‘hey’ me, Alyssa. That’s rude. In my days, kids respected their elders. We never would dare talk to them that way unless we didn’t mind them smacking our bottoms.”

“Things change.” “Not when I’m here, they don’t. Now let me do my inspection.” Great—an inspection! How long would Mrs. Hutchinson take? She might spend a couple minutes or maybe twenty. Alyssa crossed her arms and tapped her foot. She wanted her break now. She wished to read, rest, do a small craft, like lanyards—anything but wait for Mrs. Hutchinson to finish her task.

“Mrs. Hutchinson?” Alyssa asked. “Whatever you need to say, wait till I’m done,” she said. Alyssa sighed. She continued to watch Mrs. Hutchinson run her finger down the middle of the front of the dish. She then rubbed it back and forth. When she put it down and nodded, Alyssa figured out that the dish had nothing on it.

Mrs. Hutchinson spent a few minutes of running her finger down the glass. She put it down and turned to Alyssa. “You’re good. Now what did you want to tell me?”

“Um . . . if I tell you, can you not give me a hard time?” “Okay.” “There was writing on the window.” Mrs. Hutchinson pursed her lips and tilted her head. “Really?” “Yeah.” “Nonsense.” “No, really, it was there.” “There was nothing there when I came, and there’s nothing there right now. So don’t tell me stories.”

“But it’s not a story.” “I don’t want to hear any more. Now it’s time for your next chore.” “Aw, but I wanted my break.” “Too bad. You have to go vacuum the living room.” Alyssa dragged her feet toward the living room and took the vacuum from the corner. She cleaned and thought about that writing as well as how Mrs. Hutchinson wouldn’t believe her. Would a nicer babysitter have believed her? Mrs. Hutchinson had watched her and Hailey for three years, and not once had she smiled or assisted with anything.

After vacuuming the carpet for about five minutes, Alyssa decided that she had tidied the floor enough. So she stopped and put the vacuum away.

“Hailey, you and Alyssa need to go get the mail now!” Mrs. Hutchinson called, facing the staircase.

“Coming!” cried Hailey.

Another rule Uncle Bruce had placed on Alyssa and Hailey was they could only go outside together. He worried about people taking them or something, even though Alyssa would turn thirteen next month. But that rule had been placed because a few months ago, Uncle Bruce had heard about a seventeen-year-old boy who had been shot while skateboarding in his neighborhood. Violence could even happen here in Bursnell, New Jersey.

Hailey and Alyssa headed to the closet and put their raincoats on until Mrs. Hutchinson said, “It stopped raining outside.” “Already?” asked Alyssa. “Yes.” Mrs. Hutchinson went to the bathroom. The girls walked outside toward the mailbox. Alyssa pulled the mail and headed back toward the door. But mud bubbled from the ground near the house. It piled up, looking like horse manure, and grew as more soil emerged. Alyssa dropped her jaw and stared at it.

“Alyssa, what’s going on?” Hailey asked. “No idea,” said Alyssa. The dirt stopped piling up, but it continued to bubble, and the effects spread throughout the whole pile. The bubbles stopped popping up and down. Alyssa and Hailey gasped as they expanded. They kept their mouths open as the bubbles merged together, each one attached to another, forming a single bigger shape. Alyssa and Hailey stepped back as the now giant bubble swelled. And it . . . popped! Particles of exploding mud landed on the girls. They shrieked.

The front door opened to reveal a glowering Mrs. Hutchinson. “What the heck have you two been doing?”

“T-the mud . . . it e-exploded,” said Hailey. “Nonsense!” growled Mrs. Hutchinson. “Get inside!” The girls returned inside, pulling and wiping the mud out of their hair. Alyssa could spot the mud in her straight pale-blonde tresses, unlike Hailey, who likely needed more patience to search for globs in her elbow-length red locks. But Alyssa’s hair fell a few inches past her hips, so cleaning out the mud would take longer, even with the shorter layers in the front.

“How could dirt explode?” Mrs. Hutchinson stomped. “I-I think it was magic!” exclaimed Alyssa. “There’s no such thing as magic!” screamed Mrs. Hutchinson. “Alyssa, you’re twelve years old. You’re too old to say things like that!”

“But nothing else can make mud explode!” Alyssa said. “Mrs. Hutchinson, we swear it did!” whined Hailey. “Enough!” snapped Mrs. Hutchinson. “You and Hailey—go upstairs and take showers!” Alyssa followed Hailey up the stairs and heaved a sigh. How else would the mud have splattered all over them? Mrs. Hutchinson couldn’t have thought they’d play in the mud like small children.

“Alyssa, can I shower first?” asked Hailey. “Sure,” said Alyssa. As Hailey strode into the bathroom, Alyssa walked into her room. She scratched more mud off her skinny jeans (the only jeans she’d worn ever since they’d come into style) and the back of her hand. She stood by her bed since she wanted to keep it clean.

She considered the writing on the window and the exploding mud. Someone wanted magic to interfere with her life, but who, and how come?

Also, why hadn’t she ever seen wizardry before? Why would her parents and others tell her that it hadn’t existed? Did sorcery just start on earth? Had it hidden somewhere? There had to be some reason why no one had ever believed in it.

Alyssa thought about the possibility that maybe magic might only interfere if she stayed here in her uncle’s house. Maybe if her godfather could arrange with his lawyer to let her move in with him, sorcery would hopefully leave her alone. However, unlike science, anything could occur with magic, which meant that it could follow her wherever she went.

The sound produced by the bathroom’s running water ended, which let Alyssa know that Hailey had finished. Now she could have a turn.

After about five minutes showering, Alyssa stepped out and headed back to her room. She put on leggings and a long shirt. But she gasped at something appearing out of nowhere on her bed. Now that had to have come from . . . magic.

Approaching it, she saw that it was a folded piece of paper. She opened it and read it.

Hello Alyssa McCarthy,

You must be wondering about the writing on your window, the exploding mud, and the note that appeared here. Who was responsible for them? You’ll find out at some point.

Anonymous

Anonymous? How dare someone create incidents and not say his or her name! Alyssa needed to know his or her identity in order to report him or her. She didn’t want strange, magical occurrences to keep happening.

Regardless of that, now she had proof to Mrs. Hutchinson that the writing and exploding mud had occurred. Mrs. Hutchinson had seen her write before, and this looked nothing like hers. She handwrote in a half-print and half-script style. This, however, was pure print.

Alyssa jogged down the stairs and carried the note. “Mrs. Hutchinson, I have something to show you.”

“Not right now, Alyssa.” Mrs. Hutchinson left the kitchen. “You and Hailey have to go wash my car.”

“But it’s quick.” “You can show me after you’re done with my car.” Mrs. Hutchinson turned to Hailey, who emptied the dishwasher and put dishes away. “Are you almost done?”

“I think so,” said Hailey. “How many dishes do you have left?” asked Mrs. Hutchinson. “Uh . . .”

Hailey looked at the top rack. “Four.” “Okay, hurry up.” Mrs. Hutchinson turned to Alyssa. “Why don’t you go put that piece of paper away?”

“But this is what I need to show you.” “Do I have to repeat what I said before?” “But—” “Alyssa, do as you’re told.” Mrs. Hutchinson pointed to the staircase. Alyssa sighed. This note contained so much crucial information. Only that paper itself had evidence to show that those incidents had occurred.

After putting the note back in her room, Alyssa headed down the stairs and walked with Hailey toward the garage. The two grabbed sponges, buckets, and soap for washing cars. They filled the buckets with water and scrubbed Mrs. Hutchinson’s car.

“I wish we had another babysitter,” muttered Alyssa. “What was on the piece of paper?” asked Hailey. Alyssa told her. “Who wrote it?” “There was no name on it. Just ‘anonymous.’” A girl whistling turned Alyssa’s attention away from the car. She leaned her head toward the sidewalk and saw her friend from grade school, Madison Jennings, riding her scooter.

“Hi, Alyssa,” said Madison. The wind blew her long dark-brown waves across her face. She stopped at Alyssa’s driveway, and her hair went limp. Hailey and Alyssa ran up to greet her and ask how she’d been.

“I just moved onto Draco Drive a few days ago,” Madison referred to a road off Orion Street.

“So how do you like the middle school?” asked Alyssa. “Oh, I go to Catholic school now,” said Madison. “What about you?” “Hailey and I are homeschooled now,” said Alyssa. “I never got to tell you.” “That’s okay,” said Madison. “So you guys want to come over to my house on Saturday?”

“What time?” asked Alyssa. “I’ll ask my mom and let you know,” said Madison. “Okay, bye, guys. Nice seeing you again.” She rode back in the direction she’d come from as Hailey and Alyssa waved goodbye to her.

After washing the car for another ten minutes, Alyssa and Hailey cleaned up and walked back inside. A snore suggested to Alyssa that Mrs. Hutchinson slept. Huh? She never napped while babysitting.

Alyssa strode toward the living room and saw Mrs. Hutchinson asleep on one of the couches. Hailey followed her. “Why is Mrs. Hutchinson sleeping?”

“I don’t know,” said Alyssa. “Can you show me the note?” Alyssa nodded and led her up the stairs. She opened her door but gasped at what she saw. The note that she’d left on her bed was gone.

“Where’s the note?” asked Hailey. “It was right there,” Alyssa pointed to the bed. But another piece of paper appeared onto the mattress. Alyssa picked it up and read it.

Hello again, Alyssa,

I have put your babysitter to sleep to reveal magic to you. You’ll find out why she is sleeping later.

Anonymous

“Not again,” mumbled Alyssa. “Why won’t they say their name?” She showed the note to Hailey.

“Let’s go call my dad before anything happens,” said Hailey.

How much worse could this get? Alyssa thought as she followed Hailey down the stairs.

Purchase:

Amazon

Author Bio:

Sunayna Prasad has published a few books between her late teens and her mid-twenties. She has won a Pacific Book Review Award for her novel, Wizardry Goes Wild, which will return as a new edition, like From Frights to Flaws. Sunayna also has a blog on different creative and entertaining topics, including writing and fiction. It is called “Sunayna Prasad’s Blog”.

Aside from writing, Sunayna also likes to cook, do art, and watch videos online. She has graduated from college in May 2017 and is looking to continue more writing as well as hold a graphic design job soon. Sunayna lives on Long Island, NY.

Website / Twitter  / Blog / Goodreads

From one bookaholic to another, I hope I’ve helped you find your next fix. —Dani

Have a book you’d like to suggest or one you’d like me to review? Please feel free to leave your comments down below.

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[5millionfriends]

Healthy Body and Healthy Mind Lead to Good Life

A healthy life is important to lead a good life. Our health is like a wall pre-requisite to draw a picture. We are the architect of our own health. Either we prevent being unhealthy or cure the damage already done. Physical fitness is very vital. Fitness is a relative term. A sprinter should have a different degree of fitness as compared to a music teacher. There are many more dimensions one can bring to define fitness. Depending upon the required level of fitness, one should take appropriate steps.

More than five billion people live in this world. The body constitution of each one of us is different. The calories needed for every individual is different. There is no one common prescription for everyone in this world. Let us take few examples. The energy level needed for a professional designer is different from a taxi driver. To prescribe a labourer to grab a cereal bar for breakfast is ridiculous. My dad’s friend, a chain smoker died at the age of 83! Believe me, I observed him leading a healthy life. I am not recommending you to smoke to live a healthy life. I try to drive home the point that you should not get carried away by exciting information that is available around you and go overboard to apply in your daily life also. That is dangerous to a healthy life.

While we cannot have five billion suggestions for physical fitness and healthy life, we can identify common needs for all of us. Whether you are an Olympic champion or an office clerk; a celebrity or a hair dresser, only three appropriate steps have to be taken by you. Look at your eating habit, physical fitness exercise and exercise for the mind. You can build further with many bolts-on to achieve laurels in life.

We can use our common sense to lead a healthy life. It does not require great knowledge about science or medicine or physical exercise. Leave that to the specialists. We are all aware that food is very important for sustenance. Our body is a mysterious workshop containing various machines. Food is its input. The machine processes the food and provides energy to the body to do our daily life activities. If the input to the machine is more than its capacity to process, obviously the machine will break down. If the quality of input to the machine is not conducive to the construction of the machine, again the machine will collapse. Apart from the quality and quantity of intake, we should pay attention to timing. There is a saying. I am sure all of us know this. We should eat breakfast like a prince. In the after noon, we should eat lunch like a king. In the night, we should eat meal like a beggar. The digesting power during the night is very poor. Also there is no physical activity involved in the night when we sleep. So allow the stomach t be half filled. Have your dinner couple of hours before going to bed. When we wake up in the morning, if we take a glass of water, it helps for the body to hydrate to prepare for the day’s job. How we cannot start our car with 4th gear, the same way we should consider our body. After 10 hrs of empty stomach when we break the fast, we should start with simple and easily digestible food. Basically we should start with first gear and move on. In my view, to have physical fitness, 3 times of intake – morning, afternoon and night is sufficient. Perhaps refreshment between lunch and dinner can also be incorporated. The key driver is to scrupulously follow the routine timing of intake. This is a good recipe for a healthy life.

Our stomach is the origin for all our ailments. Even the main reason for bad breath originates from the stomach only. If we do not take care of our stomach and brush our teeth with costliest tooth paste and wash our mouth with most expensive liquid mouth wash, the bad breath will not vanish. We should keep our stomach clean by taking appropriate quantity, quality of food in routine timings. It is easier said than done but not impossible. You know who is the culprit? It is our tongue. If we pay heed to the taste, then we would not be able to control the quantum. It does not mean that we should not enjoy the taste. In fact the tongue contributes to a great deal for healthy life. When we enjoy food, we feel good. Feeling good is a sign of healthy life. If someone asks you to take only green vegetables to have physical fitness, there is no difference between us and herbivores. But the trick is not to cross the limit of moderation. That will be counter productive. Give importance to the taste but be careful. We should eat to live and not live to eat.

Many of us believe that being slim leads to a healthy life. One of my friends is slim but has cholesterol. It is a wrong notion. The body structure of each one of us is different. An elephant should not try to become a horse. Nature has created that way. What is important is to prevent becoming over weight or obese or under weight. If the damage is done, consult specialist to get back on track. Do not perform any physical fitness exercise without the proper guidance of a physical education expert. Sometimes you are the expert of knowing your own do-s and don’t-s. The first day when I went to learn Tai Chi, Chinese version of Yoga, the master told me to rotate my neck clockwise and anticlockwise as a warm up exercise. However I was earlier told by my orthopedic surgeon not to rotate my neck to recover from a type of spondylities I had. What was good for others did not suit me. There will be many such situations where we should use our wisdom. Especially we have to be careful on physical fitness exercise.

Life is a series of experiences. If our experiences are good we say the life is good, otherwise we say the life is bad. Mind determines whether an experience is good or bad. Healthy life is achieved by the combination of healthy body and healthy mind. Mind does not exist in our brain. Mind is a subtle matter manifests in our astral body between our soul and physical body. The food we eat is converted into energy by the blood and the finest particles of food reach the subtle mind and then to still subtler intellect. While healthy food definitely supports for a healthy mind, nevertheless exercise to the mind is also very important to have a healthy life. Yoga is considered to be one of the best forms of giving exercise to the body and mind. A branch of Yoga has physical fitness exercise also. Meditation is another form of giving healthy exercise to the mind. These have to be practiced with the help of specialists. This is the body-mind-intellect complex. A simple but effective understanding and application of the above will go a long way to attain a healthy life.

Source by Jonathan R

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