#either way it IS my bedtime & i must go to bed unfortunately <3

[megan0013]

I wish you would write a fic where an unfortunate series of events requires Uncle Otto and Aunt Nomura to babysit the Stricklake kids. And maybe teach them baby crimes as required by a whole separate set of shenanigans

(i think this fits into the only constant universe quite nicely if we ignore the fact that otto is dead in that story + it’s easier to use my stricklake baby’s names vs ‘the big one’ or ‘the little one’ or ‘the little smartass who acts far too much like his stuck up father’)

there’s a wedding. barbara and strickler must attend it. not because they really care for the people getting married, but because it’s being held on a beach in cabo at some super swanky adults only resort whose website is plastered with pictures of the most gorgeous sunsets they’ve ever seen and they haven’t been on a vacation in years - they deserve this damnit

this means they need to find someone to watch the kids for a few days

unfortunately, the responsible adults are all busy that weekend. ophelia’s parents are in town, jim and blinky are heading to vancouver to discuss trade agreements with a clan of forest trolls, claire has a retreat scheduled with her coven, and toby has finals to study for. even steve, and lawrence by extension, will be out of town for some football coaches convention

which leaves the last two people on earth (because they reached out to aja and eli on akiridion 5, too) - otto and nomura

it takes some blackmail and bribery finessing on strickler’s part to get them to commit but he eventually talks them into it. nomura needs to be in town for some meeting with ‘investors’ anyway, and otto’s got some sort of stake in her business venture so he doesn’t mind tagging along

“the children are five and seven,” the poor, delusional polymorph thinks with a shrug when the three-way facetime call ends. “how hard can it be?”

well...

DAY 1/3

this isn’t the first time nomura and/or otto have watched the kids. in fact, they’ve spent a lot of time with strickler’s spawn. nomura is rory’s idol. and otto’s not too weird, they guess. but that doesn’t mean either changeling is particularly equipped to care for two small children for a whole weekend

case in point - nomura knows walker likes pepperoni on his pizza. she’s watched the kid inhale three pieces within five minutes. it’s a well-known fact. except, it isn’t anymore because the second she sets a slice in front of him he turns up his little nose and tells her he’s allergic to pepperonis now. he’ll have sausage, thank you very much

they blatantly cheat at board games

and they won’t allow anything on the tv that’s not animated even though both are watching youtube videos of people watching youtube videos on their tablets

and how many snacks do these kids need?! they just ate a whole pizza!

and while neither have ever had a problem putting rory down for a nap before, bedtime is apparently sacred in the strickler-lake household these days because the little girl loses her shit when she realizes her father isn’t there to read her a story. she really goes off the deep-end when otto tries to impersonate him and just “I WANT MY REAL DADDY RIGHT NOW”

strickler is so fucking smug about it the next day

DAY 2/3

nomura is awoken at the ass crack of dawn by a wired walker jumping on her bed. from the sound of otto’s muffled squeals of terror, rory is doing the same in the room next door

both kids have already polished off a couple bags of chips but want doughnuts, too. otto jumps at the opportunity to get out of the house, leaving nomura to clean up the gallon of milk spiled all over the floor after rory swore her parents let her pour it herself (they don’t)

they go to the park. it ends in tears

they go out to lunch. it ends in tears

they go to a movie. it ends in tears. otto’s, this time. because the hit to his bank account is astronomical

by the time they get back to the house, nomura and otto are exhausted - the kids aren’t - and otto wakes up from his little nap on the couch an hour later with a frowny face drawn on his forehead. they used permanent marker

at four, they all head to the some warehouse for nomura’s meeting. which is when things really get interesting

because *magical artifacts*. that’s what the investors are interested in. small ones. the size of a marble, maybe smaller. just big enough to fit in a five year old’s nose. which is exactly where it goes when otto tries to head-off a tantrum in the car by letting rory look at the pretty colors the jewel casts. obviously, it gets stuck

otto, in horror: “oh no”

nomura, eyeing him in the rear view mirror: “what? otto? otto, what? otto! what’s the ‘oh no’ for?!”

they don’t take her to the hospital because barb will definitely find out if they do, and neither changeling is too keen on getting something stuffed up their noses in retaliation for not stopping strickler’s spawn from doing it in the first place. they’ll just explain the situation to their clients and ask for a little more time until they can find a solution to the problem

except these are not fine, upstanding citizens they’re working with and the only viable solution they can see is to (pick your favorite villain accent): “just cut off her nose”

which, no

at some point during the conversation, otto notices walker has managed to disappear from his side. so that’s fun

the polymorph quietly excuses himself to go search high and low for the little runaway. he finds him ten minutes later when the little shite jumps out from behind a pile of crates and scares the ever-living bejeezus out of him

walker, having recognized the look on otto’s face as the one his father wears when rory tattles on him for pinching or kicking or trying to give her a swirly, whispers a panicked “oh frick” and, understandably, books it

meanwhile, nomura and rory have been stuffed into an old, unused office as the bad guys argue just outside the door. nomura’s contemplating her next move when rory holds up a bobby pin and grins: “don’t worry nom-noms. i got this”

(turns out she taught herself how to pick locks months ago in order to break into her brother’s bedroom, hack his tablet, and subtlety sabotage his minecraft game on a daily basis)

now, two things happen at once - 1. nomura kicks the office door open, and 2. walker accidentally smashes full speed into one of the men holding them captive. something incriminating goes flying out of the pockets of one of the henchmen as walker, then otto, falls on top of them. there’s a moment where time seems to freeze, and then the main client growls at the henchman: “really, scott? i thought our daughters were friends”

police sirens can suddenly be heard in the distance

nomura pushes the kids forward and out, ignoring otto’s panicked little screeches as they hurry into the car they left parked around the corner

walker: “step on it!”

rory: “on the double, man!”

it’s all very nostalgic for nomura and otto (that exact phrasing, specifically) but there’s no time for reminiscing as they speed away from the warehouse

the second they walk into the house, the adults are just. done. and otto’s like: “well that was fun but i think i’ll go to bed now”

rory: “it’s seven o’clock. the sun’s still up”

nomura: “are you two… ok? with everything that just happened? you’re good?”

walker shoots her an incredulous look: “uh, yeah! that was so cool! like we were in a movie or something! i took down a bad guy all by myself!”

nomura: “pretty sure you blew detective scott’s cover, but ok. i’m happy you’re not traumatized”

rory: “you’re the best babysitters ever”

DAY 3/3

the next morning starts the same as the day before but with the addition of nerf guns and ten times the excitement. nomura and otto literally count down the hours until strickler and barbara return, even going so far as to track their plane

oh shit. they forgot about the magical marble thing still stuck in rory’s nose. now they’re really counting down the hours because “we have to get this thing out of her nose or barb’s going to kill us!”

(they’re not nearly as afraid of strickler)

but nothing works, and as the car pulls into the driveway nomura and otto are furiously playing rounds of rock-paper-scissor to determine who has to tell the parents about their little misadventure when rory sneezes and the damn thing pops out easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy

nomura and otto are both: “really, kid”

anyway

they all lived happily ever after once nomura and otto gave their statements to the police and then swore to never watch over strickler’s spawn for more than an hour at a time ever again

#trollhunters #stricklake #writer games #meg answers #sorry this took so long #strickler: did you have a good time? #walker and rory: the best! otto took us to the park and nomura took us to a dangerous magic transaction #strickler: … #barb: … #nomura: i thought we agreed not to talk about that

[jesterjamz]

goodnigtht!!!

#olly orates #just checked my heartrate it was at like 72 bpm (usually its over 90 bpm) #so uh. maybe my chest just hurts A Lot #either way it IS my bedtime & i must go to bed unfortunately <3 #so tomorrows gonna be a wild ride for me !!! #today was good tho. finished chapter 14 ready to start writing chapter 15 & yknow ! yea !!! #still cant believe i legitimately just . speedran writing chapter 14 #i wrote like 20% of the chapter last week & monday #but then today i was like ''FUCK YEA WRITING !!!'' so yknow how it goes #also i drew some baldis today !!! i drew ross (aka my baldi <3) & i also drew owo & dean & kris & oughughghg .... baldi my beloved ........ #i was also gonna draw willie but i couldnt find a ref sheet so auhgughgg BUT THERES TOMORROW so yknow !!!! yea ! #these words sound incomprehensible to all of you huh. my apologies but i am being sucked right back into baldi hell <3 #6th grade me would be proud. #im gonna shut up now & go to bed GOODNIGHT EVERYONE i love u <3

[obeymematches]

Hi! How about obey me boys + undateables(you can do just the main boys if that is too much) reacting to their 2-5 year daughters felling down from bed and crying while they were sleeping and mg is also not around

Thank u!! 😍😘😊

okay!! thank you for sending in a request <3

i'm a little confused though; who is sleeping, the kid or the dads..? have a feeling it's the kid but-

also i'm only doing the main boys because i'm a lil busy today <3 but if yall want me to i can add the rest later i had fun writing this kfkhg

((the she/her pronouns in this refer to the kid as requested))

Lucifer:

Ok great start in his case who was asleep doesn't even matter.

His dad instincts never sleep; you bet the kid isn't going to get injured by falling if he is close by. Slightly overprotective ngl but we are talking about very young kiddo here so

Catches the kid with style - a hand behind her back, little one wouldn't notice anything of it.

Picks her up in his arms to calm her down and get a little bit of extra loving.

Starts rocking her a little so maybe she can fall back asleep quickly. He's got this don't worry about them while you're away!

"It is okay [Kid's Name], I'm here. Do you want to go back to sleep? Let me get Bubbles for you."

Bubbles is the teddy

Mammon:

He might have fallen asleep with his kid sleeping on his chest oop-

Listen he was tired but also he really wants to spend time with her!!

Unfortunately his dad reflexes aren't as good as the elders', but Mammon still manages to get the kid before she hit her head.

Yes she be hanging by her leg but that doesn't matter in the end right

Gently pulls her back up and puts her back on the bed, this time besides him.

Gotcha princess. Ya were lucky I woke up, ya know that?

He has no intentions of falling back asleep but he isn't quite awake yet either.

Leviathan:

He, too, thought it would be fine to slip into a quick nap while baby is asleep. He did the quick daily bonuses in his game already and he felt just a bit too tired to get into a raid rn, you know

Wakes up to the thump of his daughter hitting the floor, so by the time she starts crying he is already awake.

Nononono- how could I let this happen- It's okay, it's okay, let me see-

So relieved when he doesn't notice any harm on the baby. Both of them got very scared over nothing. In the future he makes sure to get coffee any time you are away from home

Satan:

He is somewhere between being awake and asleep when he notices his kid slipping from bed

A book falls from his lap as he bolts to the other side of the bed to catch her

Manages to stop her the very last second, but he did it.

Don't scare me like that, [Kid's Name]. If you want another bedtime story just say so next time, ok?

Tickles her a little before he sets her down for another story. Yes the book that fell of before was a kid's book. That one story is the favorite of the kid and he has to read it every time. Often several times in a row. No wonder he gets a bit sleepy, he knows it word by word now.

Asmodeus:

He wasn't asleep but he wasn't quite paying attention, as he was busy leaving you voice mails about what happened during the day since you were gone

Very detailed stories about what the kid ate, when, how great potty training is going, etc. No she didn't wake up to his voice.

He almost drops his phone when he hears her crying-

Oh mY loRD [Kids' name], what happened?? Are you okay?? Show me where it hurts-

Gets so scared he calls you up immediately to get home and never leave him alone again. He can't do this after all, it was going so well but look at them now

Beelzebub:

He went on a quick trip to the kitchen when he hears crying. Must rush back, dropping everything.

Doesn't think anything serious happened but crying is still scary, you know

Blames himself so hard when he thinks about how easy this could have been avoided.

Shhhh beautiful, it's okay, it's okay- let's get a band-aid, come on.

Picks her up in his arms and doesn't put her down until you get home. That is the only way she can be now if you aren't around-

Rocks her gently so she falls asleep, but this time in a safe place

Yes he put a band-aid on her little forehead just in case. Placebo is great with kids this age

Belphegor:

If anyone, then he was sure fast asleep when the accident happened. He wakes up to his kid's loud cries, immediately making him turn into his demon form. Nobody messes with his kiddo-

Stares at his kid and around the room, not really understanding what is going on as he sees nobody else here-

Calms down so much when he realizes she just fell off the bed. Turns back into his human form instantly.

Come here baby, it's fine. Let me kiss it better. Better, right?

Oh so gently puts her back to bed after the forehead kiss, this time making sure he is between her and the edge of the bed. Can't believe he got so scared over nothing.

#obey me #omswd #om! swd #obey me shall we date #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me headcanons #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me belphie #shall we date lucifer #shall we date belphie #shall we date leviathan #swd mammon #swd obey me #om! hcs #om! headcanons #obey me hc

[pazumane-archive]

Closing Time - Asahi x Reader

Characters: Asahi Azumane, female reader, original female character, small Taichi cameo

Relationships: Asahi Azumane x Reader

Genre: Fluff, hurt/comfort if you squint, SFW but 16+ please

Warnings: Alcohol, general drunken shenanigans, emetophobia (mentions of vomit), bad language

WC: 6.4k

Author’s Note: Hi everyone! This is a totally self-indulgent bedtime-scenario-type story because there is simply not enough Asahi/Reader content out there and I adore him. It’s also my first time writing in 2nd person, so PLEASE feel free to send me any feedback, please just be kind :) I really don’t like to use y/n, so I only used it a couple times towards the end when I wasn’t sure what else to do lol

The preview begins with the bolded text below and fic continues after the cut :)

Reblogs appreciated! <3

You weren’t planning on getting this drunk. But by the time it got to be about 11:30, you didn’t know what else to do. You had put so much effort and energy into making yourself look nice just for your date not to show up. Your roommate was out of town, so instead of going home and pouting, you figured you might as well have some fun while you were out. But you’ve never been good at exercising restraint, and the fact that you were alone wasn’t doing you any favors. But by closing time had rolled around, you could hardly see straight. You needed help, so you call upon an old friend.

“Do you have anybody you can call for a ride?” Kawanishi asks.

Kawanishi’s the bartender at this izakaya, and over the course of the night, you spent most of the time talking his ear off. He’s nice enough, and held pleasant conversation for the last few hours. He says he used to be a volleyball player, and had even played on the same team as a one of the guys on the Japan National Team. You forget to ask him which school he attended, but he probably was tired of talking to your drunk ass anyway, so you don’t bother asking. “Yeah,” you say, digging in your purse for your phone. “Are you sure? I can call a cab for you if you need it,” he offers. “Nah,” you say, hiccupping between words. “I’ll call somebody. Thank you though.” “No problem,” he says. “Just try to make it quick.” You scroll through your phone, trying to figure out who to call. Your roommate’s out of town visiting her parents, so she’s a no-go. You could call Kokomi. Honestly, she would deserve the 2AM phone call for setting you up on this failed blind date in the first place. Ever since you moved to Tokyo last month, she was constantly trying to set you up with somebody, whether it was a friend, a coworker, or some rando that she had met on the train. Unfortunately, all of them were jerks. And this one was the biggest jerk of all. You silently curse yourself for going along with her antics again.

“He’s great, you’ll love him!” “You said that about the last three guys you tried to set me up with, Kokomi.” “Please!! You’ll never know if you don’t even give him a chance.”

Well, you gave him a chance. And it ended up with you all alone, drunk as hell in an unfamiliar part of the city. You dial Kokomi’s number, but it goes straight to voicemail. “Bitch,” you mutter. You unlock your phone again and look through to find somebody that might be able to take you home. You scroll back to the top of your contact list, and your eyes settle on another name. He lives just a few blocks away, and knowing him, he’s probably awake working on something anyway. You click on his contact and wait for him to answer.

*

The exhaustion’s starting to get to him. It’s the weekend and he can afford to stay up an extra couple of hours to finish this design, but the combination of fatigue and frustration are taking over. He sets down his pencil and moves towards his bed, until his cell starts to buzz. He glances over at the clock on the wall. 1:49 AM.

Who could possibly be calling at this hour?

Asahi picks up his phone, surprised to see your name on the screen. His heart skips a beat in his chest, both from excitement and nervousness. Aside from his teammates, you’re one of the only people he bothered to keep in contact with after high school. The two of you had even met up a few times since you moved to the city, but he never would have expected you to call at this hour unless… unless something is wrong. “Hey you, what’s up?” He says, choking back a yawn. “Hiiiii Asahiiii!  I tried to call Kokomi but she didn’t answer her phone… could you come pick me up?” Your voice is thick and your words are almost unintelligible as you speak. It’s obvious that you’re far from sober. “Where are you?” Asahi asks, failing to mask the anxiety in his voice. “Are you okay? Are you safe?” “M’fine,” you slur. “But I…” Suddenly the call drops. Asahi calls you back in a panic, his heart racing as he waited for you to answer. You could be in danger and he’d be powerless to help you. He doesn’t even know where you are. “Hello?” A man’s voice comes through the speaker. “Who are you? Where is she?” Asahi asks frantically. “Relax, man. I’m just the bartender,” he says. “Look, your friend’s next to me, but she’s on the verge of passing out. Can you come get her before she pukes all over my bar? She’s at Zoetrope. You know where that is?” “Of course, I’m on my way now! I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Asahi says, grabbing his apartment keys and putting on a pair of shoes. He’s out the door almost immediately.

*

Kawanishi presses your phone back into your hands. Your head is spinning so fast that you struggle to keep your eyes open. “Is he coming?” you ask. “Yeah, he’s on the way,” Kawanishi says. “He’ll be here soon. Now do me a favor, don’t get this drunk the next time you come into my izakaya or I’ll have to kick you out.” “You’re kicking me out???” “Only if you start throwing up,” he says under his breath. “I’m not going to throw up!” you exclaim, suddenly becoming very aware of the churning in your stomach. You grumble, slumping over the bar. You squeeze your eyes shut, the spinning in your head only getting worse with every breath you take. You feel like you’re going to die, and honestly, between the embarrassment of being stood up and the wave of nausea coming over you, you’re ready to welcome that death with open arms. “Hey!” Kawanishi says, smacking the bar next to your head. “Your friend’s going to be here soon, don’t fall asleep or I’ll throw you out on the street myself.” “I’m sorry, Kawanishi-san.” You sit up slowly and cradle your head in your hands once more, trying to make the world stop spinning.

Please get here soon, Asahi.

*

Asahi sprints down the street as fast as he can towards the izakaya. He’s sure that he looks suspicious running down the street alone at night, but he doesn’t care. You’re in trouble, and he’s the only person that can help you. He finally makes it to the bar and hastily pulls the door open. You’re dressed beautifully, and your makeup and hair are exquisitely done. Unfortunately, the way you’re slumped over the bar makes it obvious that something’s wrong. He’s not sure what happened, but whatever it was, it must have been rough. The bartender gently helps you out of your seat, and Asahi can’t help but think that he looks very familiar. You straighten up and as soon as you make eye contact with Asahi, you perk up. “Asahi-san!” you exclaim, rushing towards him and almost falling over. You crush him in an unexpectedly tight hug. “Long time no see, big guy!” “I saw you three days ago,” he says under his breath. You continue babbling unintelligibly, and Asahi looks up at the bartender. “Did she close out her tab?” Asahi asks. “I took care of it already,” the bartender replies. “Please just make sure she gets home okay. She’s had a rough night.” “Yeah, of course,” Asahi says. “Thanks for helping her out.” “No problem.” Asahi peels your arms off him and starts to nudge you towards the door. Just before the two of you leave, Asahi stops and turns back to the bartender. “Have we met before?” he asks. “I played for Shiratorizawa. Didn’t think I’d see you again, Karasuno Samurai.” Asahi frowns slightly. He hasn’t heard that nickname high school, and it’s weird hearing it again now. “Right,” he says. “Well, thanks again. Have a good night.” Asahi leads you out of the bar and down the sidewalk. You hold tightly to his arm, stumbling over yourself. He braces you against his side, and you take this opportunity to tease him a little bit. “Do you like my outfit, Asahi-san?” you ask, pressing into his side. “Yeah, it’s really nice!” he answers nervously, turning his head to hide the blush creeping up his cheeks. He’s not lying – you look beautiful, both your top and your skirt accentuating your curves in all the right places. But it would be wrong to say anything more than that while you’re in this state. That wouldn’t be fair to either of you. He brusquely clears his throat and keeps walking as soon as the light signals that you can cross. “I dressed up extra nice tonight, but it didn’t even fucking matter,” you grumble, your voice breaking slightly. Asahi either doesn’t hear you, or does hear you and decides not to say anything. “I’m soooo glad you’re here,” you say, drawing out your words even longer than you were a minute ago. “I’m sorry, this is super embarrassing! I should’ve figured this out on my own.” “It’s okay,” Asahi says. “How long have you been in Tokyo again?” “A month? I think?” “Exactly,” he says. “You probably don’t know your way around that much. I’d feel terrible if I wasn’t able to help you find your way home.” “Meh,” you say. “I’ve had the worst night of my fucking life, so maybe it would be better if I passed out in a ditch somewhere.” “Do you want to talk about it?” Asahi asks. “No,” you answer quickly. “Okay.” You start blathering again and Asahi has to practically drag you down the street behind him. The station just past his apartment has a train that can drop you right by your building. He can just take a cab back after he gets you home. He considers inviting you stay the night at his place since it’s right there, but he’s afraid of being weird, so he doesn’t say anything. The two of you come to a stop at the train station… which is closed. “I’m sorry,” Asahi says remorsefully. “I guess the train stopped running at midnight. I’ll call you a cab.” He goes to pull his phone out of his pocket, but you grab his hand before he can. “Can I stay at your place tonight?” you ask sheepishly. “I… my roommate is out of town. And I’m really not doing good right now. I just really don’t want to be alone.” Despite how out of it you’ve been since he picked you up, Asahi sees nothing but complete sincerity in your eyes. Tonight must have been really rough. “Are you sure?” he asks. “I’ll just sleep on the couch- or a futon if you have one!” you say, nodding. “Okay.” Asahi turns back towards his apartment and you follow closely behind him, not letting go of his hand the entire time.

*

Asahi helps you across the threshold of his apartment and sits you down on a chair by the door. “Asahi-san, you’re so handsome with your hair down like that,” you say, reaching up to twirl a finger in his long chestnut tresses. “And you’re loopy,” Asahi mutters, disentangling your fingers from his hair. Once again, he finds himself hiding a blush. He’s not used to being showered with compliments, and he knows you wouldn’t be saying this stuff if you were sober. He kicks off his shoes and kneels down in front of you, helping you take yours off. “How are you feeling?” he asks you. “Can I get you some water or a some–” “Why didn’t you ask me out when we were in high school?” you ask suddenly. “I think I made it pretty obvious that I had a crush on you. It’s all I could think about when you were holding my hand back there.” “I – I, uh,” Asahi stammers. You burst out laughing, startling Asahi. It’s that same boisterous laugh you’ve had for as long as he could remember knowing you. You were always self-conscious about it in high school, but your laugh has always been one of Asahi’s favorite things about you. Despite the fact that it’s at his expense, he’s glad to see your mood improve. Asahi considers your question for a moment. He really liked you too back then, and everyone knew it. Suga and Daichi constantly teased him for it.

So why hadn’t he asked you out back then?

Well, for a number of reasons. He spent so much of his third year focused on volleyball that he didn’t have the mental or emotional capacity for much else. He hadn’t even planned on going back to school after graduation until Nishinoya helped convince him to pursue his passions. He felt directionless, and he didn’t want to burden anybody else with his indecision. But most importantly, he was scared you’d reject him. Suga was right. He really was a coward. He’d dated a few people since high school graduation, but none of them made him feel the way you did, and they didn’t treat him as well as you would have. Which begs the question – why hasn’t he asked you out since you moved to Tokyo? He pushes the thought to the back of his mind. This isn’t the kind of conversation to be having when you aren’t even able to form a coherent sentence. Asahi’s thoughts are interrupted by your hand on his shoulder and a loud hiccup. “I should wash my face. Can I wash my face?” “Sure,” Asahi says, helping you stand up. You stumble forward, but he catches you easily and pulls you back to your feet. He quietly leads you to the bathroom and sits you down on the edge of the bathtub. “I’m sorry,” you say. “I’m a mess.” “No, you’re not. Hold on a second,” he says, opening the drawer under the sink. He pulls out a small package of makeup wipes and takes one out. He kneels in front of you and begins wiping the makeup off your face. “I know they’re not great for your skin,” he says. “But it’s better than nothing, right?” “Why do you even have those?” you ask between hiccups. “Do you wear makeup? I mean, it’s obviously fine if you do, but it doesn’t really seem like your thing.” “I don’t, but you never know when they’ll come in handy! I do work with a lot of makeup artists,” he says, somewhat defensively. You get the sense that he’s lying about something, but Asahi changes the subject before you can probe him any further. “So what were you doing there by yourself?” he asks. “It’s not safe to be alone so late at night.” Clearly this was the wrong thing to ask. All the negative emotions and thoughts you were having all even spring to the forefront of your mind, and you start to cry. Asahi starts apologizing profusely, but you wave him off. “It’s fine,” you sniffle, wiping a tear away from your cheek. “Kokomi was trying to set me up with one of her friends, but he never showed up.” Asahi sits back on his heels. Kokomi is another girl from Karasuno that ended up in Tokyo. She wasn’t in the same class as him, but he remembers how loud she always was in the hallways. Honestly, both of you were always loud, but you’ve always been much more considerate of others than Kokomi ever was. “Shit,” he mumbles. “That really sucks. I’m sorry.” “Yeah. It does suck.” Asahi grabs another wipe and asks you to close your eyes. You do as he says, and he lightly wipes off your eye makeup. He’s worked with enough models to recognize that you’re wearing false eyelashes, so he gently pulls those off too. You feel yourself start to wobble on the edge of the tub, so you grip his arm to steady yourself. “I’m sorry,” you whisper. “It’s okay,” he says. “You don’t need to keep apologizing to me.” “Do you think there’s something wrong with me?” you ask suddenly. “Wait, what?” “I just… this keeps happening to me. Everyone always says that it’s because they’re not the right person for me, but it’s starting to feel like there’s just something wrong with me instead,” you say, choking back a sob. “I know I just moved here, but I’m just so lonely. I hate feeling like I’m not good enough.” Asahi tenderly wipes a tear from your cheek and cups your face in both hands. “Hey, look at me. There is nothing wrong with you,” he says sincerely. “That guy is an idiot and a jerk. If he had any idea how extraordinary you are, he never would’ve done that to you.” You can’t bring yourself to look him in the eyes. You don’t feel like you deserve to be spoken to like this – with such genuine kindness and sincerity. Asahi makes you feel so good. So special. He always has. And he’s just so… tender, especially for somebody who looks as intimidating as he does. You wonder if those feelings from high school ever truly went away. You sit up straighter and try to smile at him, but your stomach flips unexpectedly and violently. “Asahi-san?” you ask, gripping his shoulder tightly. “Yeah?” he replies. “Toilet.” Asahi moves out of the way as fast as possible. You hunch over the rim and retch into the toilet bowl. Asahi quickly scoops up your hair and holds it behind your head as you throw up. “Please, just leave me,” you mutter. “I’m gonna fucking die here.” “I’m not going to leave you here and you’re not going to die,” Asahi says, gingerly picking up the last loose strands laying on your neck and holding them back with the rest of your hair. Your back tenses up again before you begin heaving once more. Asahi tucks his nose into the collar of his shirt, careful to make sure that he’s out of your field of vision. He wants to be there for you but he had a weak stomach himself and the sight and smell of somebody else’s vomit is something he knows he won’t be able to handle. You mumble weak apologies between hacks, but Asahi just ignores them and rubs your back gently. After what feels like an eternity, the churning in your stomach finally stops and you reach up towards the flush handle. The exhaustion in your body and heart finally begin to catch up with you, and your hand falls back to your side. “I got it. Do you think you’re done?” Asahi asks, coaxing you back up into a seated position. You nod, too tired to try to speak. Asahi quickly tugs his shirt back down from his face before you can see and closes the toilet lid. “I’m sorry,” you mumble. “Don’t be,” Asahi says, flushing the toilet. “I’m your friend. I want to help you. And I’ve already told you that you don’t need to apologize to me.” Asahi helps you sit on the top of the toilet and rises to his feet. “Don’t go anywhere,” he says, scurrying out of the room. Although your eyes are closed, you still feel your body swaying. More than anything, you just want to go to sleep. Asahi pads back into the room and presses a wooden cup into your hands. “Drink this,” he says, turning on the faucet. Even though drinking something is the last thing you want to be doing right now, you go ahead and lift the cup to your open mouth. Cold water passes your lips and washes away some of the disgusting taste in your mouth. It feels gross, but you force yourself to drink all of it. Asahi takes the cup from your hand and turns the faucet back off. You flinch at the feeling of a damp washcloth on your face. “It’s okay,” Asahi says gently, cradling your chin with his free hand and angling your face up. “Just cleaning you up a little.” You murmur in acknowledgement and Asahi continues to wipe your face down. You almost fall asleep sitting on his toilet, but he gently shakes you to keep you awake. “Stay with me for another minute,” he says softly. “You can go to sleep soon. You’re gonna be just fine. I promise.” His words and his voice are so sweet that you want to cry. A couple rogue tears drip from your eyes and onto his hands. “I’m sorry,” you say once more. Asahi sets the washcloth on the counter and starts to pull you to your feet. You struggle to stay on your feet, so instead, he carefully scoops you into his arms and carries you out the bathroom. You don’t care where you go, you just need to sleep. Asahi’s pretty certain you’re asleep by the time he deposits you on his mattress. Your chest rises and falls slowly as he pulls his duvet over you. He begins to make his way to the couch, but stops when he feels you grab his hand. “Please don’t go, Asahi-san,” you whisper. “Please.” You tug harder at his fingers and he knows he can’t refuse you. He ends up sitting on the edge of the bed holding your hand until you fall asleep.

*

As soon as your quiet snores permeate the silence, Asahi untangles his fingers from yours. He brushes a loose strand of hair out of your face and he can’t help but let his eyes linger on your sleeping face for just a moment. The moonlight trickling through the window illuminates your hair and casts a silvery glow on your skin. Despite the awful night you’ve had, you look absolutely radiant. He feels himself blushing again, but he takes some comfort in the fact that he doesn’t have to try and hide it this time. Not while you’re fast asleep in his bed. He’s far too scared to admit it, even to himself, but he’s fantasized about falling asleep next to you many times before. But in those fantasies you weren’t drunk and crying over another man. Asahi sighs, stands up, and moves over to the dresser as quietly as he can. After setting a few things out for you, he goes into the bathroom, gets ready for bed and heads to the couch for the night.

*

By the time you wake up in the morning, you feel like you’re going to die. You can’t remember what exactly happened the previous night. The last thing you remember clearly was talking to the bartender about high school volleyball, of all things. Your head’s pounding, and your stomach aches painfully, screaming at you to please eat something. You don’t open your eyes, fearing that it would somehow trigger another round of vomiting. Eventually, you force yourself into a seated position and open your eyes. The bedroom you’re in is small, but pretty well-decorated. It’s decently tidy. The only mess is a few crumpled up clothing designs discarded on the floor next to the trash bin.

Designs? Did that mean?

You’re at Asahi’s apartment. In his bed. Your eyes widen in panic.

  What happened last night?

You’re still wearing the clothes that you wore to the bar last night. And there’s no evidence of him ever being in bed with you. You reach over towards your phone, which has been graciously plugged in for you and set on the bedside table. That’s when you notice the note along with a sleeve of crackers and a glass of ginger ale.

Good morning!

There’s a set of clothes you can wear at the foot of the bed and a spare toothbrush in the bathroom. Feel free to take a shower if you want. Extra towels are underneath the sink. Please have something to eat and drink too. You’ll feel better if you do.

-Asahi

P.S. Please don’t feel bad. It’s okay.

You grab a few of the crackers from the bedside table and eat them, washing them down with the ginger ale.

Why does Asahi have to be so damn considerate? The whole situation is so embarrassing.

You contemplate just grabbing your phone and getting the hell out of his apartment, but you’re not going to pass up the opportunity to shower. You finish the last of the crackers, chug down the ginger ale, and grab the spare clothes at the end of the bed. You turn the doorknob as silently as you can and awkwardly creep down the hall towards the bathroom, stopping briefly to peek in the living room. Asahi’s fast asleep on the couch, clad only in pajama pants and a pair of fuzzy socks. His hair is down and messily splayed across the throw pillow he’s resting his head on. Quiet snores pass his lips. He looks cute. Your eyes trail from his face and down to his stomach. Despite quitting volleyball after high school, he seems to have mostly maintained his athletic form, except for a tiny little layer of pudge on his lower stomach. The corners of your lips twitch up into a smile, until that little voice in the back of your mind reminds you of your place.

Quit staring, you perv! You need to get out of here!

You hurriedly continue down the hallway and jump into the shower as soon as you get into the bathroom. You think that maybe if you clean up fast enough, you can get out of Asahi’s apartment before he wakes up. However, as soon as you step into the shower, all worries about rushing out disappear into the back of your mind. You bask in the hot water, the steam clearing your sinuses and relieving some of the pain in your head. You silently thank the gods that Asahi actually uses conditioner, and not just 3-in-1 like most of the other men you were previously…. acquainted with. Although, it makes sense to you that somebody with hair like Asahi’s would have a strict haircare routine. As you shower, fragmented memories of last night start to come back to you.

Being stood up at the bar. Calling Asahi for help. Puking your guts out in his bathroom. Him carrying you into his room and laying you down on his bed. Him staying by your side until you fell asleep. You wishing he would’ve crawled into bed with you and held you through the night… Wait, what was that last part?

As soon as you’re done rinsing the conditioner from your hair, you step out of the shower and swiftly towel off. You find the spare toothbrush Asahi mentioned, take it out of the packaging, and brush your teeth with his toothpaste. The dry, gross feeling in your mouth is quickly replaced with a minty fresh taste. You slip on the sweatpants and t-shirt that Asahi left for you and dry your hair. Thankfully, Asahi isn’t as huge as most people make him out to be, so while the clothes he left out are a bit big on you, you’re not drowning in them. You’ll just bring them back some other day. You start combing through your hair, and that’s when you hear it – the sound of somebody padding around in the apartment. Shit. Once the footsteps quiet down, you rush out of the bathroom and towards the front door. Asahi eyes you as you scoop up your shoes, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Good morning!” he says kindly. “How are you feeling?” “I’m so sorry Azumane-san, it won’t happen again!” you say as you throw open the door and rush into the hallway. “Hold on, wait up!” he says as you pull the door closed behind you. You run all the way to the stairs at the end of the hallway and go to call Kokomi for a ride home. That’s when you realize that your phone is still plugged into the wall in Asahi’s room. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. You turn around and trudge back towards his apartment. Before you can even knock, the door opens slowly. Asahi stands there in just his pajama pants, holding your phone out to you. “You shouldn’t leave without your phone,” he says. You thank him and take your phone, a blush creeping up your cheeks. You try not to stare at his bare chest, already feeling like a creep for ogling him while he was sleeping. “Your clothes are still in the bathroom, too,” he says. “I can go get them for you. Or I can just wash them and give them back to you another time if you want to leave.” “No, that’s okay,” you say, covering your flushing cheeks with the collar of his shirt. “I’ll get them. Can I come in?” “Of course.” Asahi steps out of your way and you head straight for the bathroom, avoiding looking in his eyes. Asahi never gets angry, and you know he wouldn’t be mad at you over something like this, but a lingering sense of shame still washes over you. You scoop up your clothes and leave the bathroom. As soon as you cross the threshold into the living room, the smell of coffee and frying fish washes over you. Asahi stands in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. In the time that you were in the bathroom, he put on a Black Jackals sweatshirt and threw his hair into a loose bun. “Do you want a cup of coffee?” he asks, smiling at you and pouring his own cup. “It’ll help with the hangover.” You stand there and ponder his offer for a moment. Sensing your hesitancy, Asahi suddenly turns back to the stove and mumbles something that you can’t quite make out. “What did you say?” you ask. Asahi rubs the back of his neck, a nervous habit he’s had since you were kids. “I don’t mean to pressure you to stay or anything! I just thought it might help for you to have something more than crackers and ginger ale.” “You’ve done plenty to help me since last night,” you say. “But I’ll take that coffee if the offer is still on the table.” “It is!” Asahi says a little too enthusiastically for his own good. You can’t help but smirk as you take your seat at the kitchen table. Asahi pours you a cup of coffee and slides you a bowl of the rice and fish he made. You thank him quietly and start to eat. He slides into the chair across from you and eats his own breakfast, eyeing you carefully. “What?” you ask after catching him staring. “Since when have you ever called me Azumane-san?” he asks. “I don’t know,” you mumble into your coffee mug. “I didn’t think we reverted back from first name basis,” he says. “I thought we knew each other better than that.” “I don’t know,” you say, a devilish smile crossing your face. “Care to explain why you actually had those makeup wipes in your bathroom drawer? I doubt your makeup artists are coming over to your apartment.” Now it’s Asahi’s turn to blush again. “My ex-girlfriend left them here,” he says. “Felt like a waste to just throw them out.” “Ex-girlfriend?!” you exclaim suddenly, startling Asahi and causing him to drop the wipe on the floor. “I didn’t know you were seeing somebody!” “Yeah,” he says, throwing the wipe in the trash and grabbing a fresh one. “We broke up a while before you moved to the city. She left a bunch of her stuff here and refused to come pick it up. I think she was just too embarrassed to see me again. I got rid of most of it a while ago, but I kept some of the more… uh, utilitarian things.” “I’m sorry,” you say sincerely. “Why did you break up?” Asahi feels a slight pang in his chest. He met his last girlfriend through his job. She was nice enough, and things seemed like they were going okay until he showed up at her apartment to surprise her for their 6 month anniversary, only to find another man in her bed. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” you say. “It’s fine. She cheated on me with some other guy,” he says, his expression darkening. “I think they’re engaged now.” “Shit,” you say. “What a bitch.” “Woah, settle down, it’s okay –” “No, it’s not,” you say firmly. “You deserve someone way better than that. Somebody that treats you with the love and respect that you deserve.” Asahi knows you’re right, but he doesn’t really want to press it. That whole mess had done a number on his mental health, and he really doesn’t want to burden you with his emotional baggage. He adjusts his glasses again and forces a smile. “You know, you should really take your own advice,” he says. You try to think back on what you had said to him last night. The details are fuzzy, but you remember crying. A lot. Instead of answering him, you shovel down the last of the rice and fish. “Thank you for the meal,” you say. Asahi smiles and nods at you before beginning to clear the dishes away. You stand up and stop him, insisting that you clean up yourself. As you finish drying the bowls, your phone buzzes. You check it, only to see a handful of missed texts from Kokomi.

Ono Kokomi [8:32} Hey!! Sorry I missed your call. How was he?  (°◡°♡) [9:14] That good?  (^.~)☆ [9:18] Or that bad?! (;;;*_*) [9:57] HELLO?? (ﾉಥ益ಥ)ﾉ [10:32] ARE YOU ALIVE?!?!?!  〣( ºΔº )〣

You roll your eyes and quickly type out your response.

Y/N [10:33] Yeah, no thanks to you. (￢_￢;)

Ono Kokomi [10:34] Was it really that bad?

Y/N [10:34] He didn’t even show up. (╥_╥) [10:34] Azumane picked me up at 2 AM because I was too drunk to go home alone. I stayed the night at his place. [10:34] Speaking of which, can you come pick me up? Not really in a state to take the train and I think you owe me one.

Ono Kokomi [10:35] (⊙_⊙) [10:35] Spill. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Y/N [10:36] There’s nothing to spill. I threw up in his bathroom and he slept on the couch. Can you just answer my question please? (҂` ﾛ ´)凸

Ono Kokomi [10:36] Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m on my way, lovebird. (￣ε￣＠)

“Everything okay?” Asahi asks. “Yeah,” you say, slipping your phone back into your pocket. “Kokomi’s going to come pick me up.” “Are you sure? I can take you if you want,” he offers. “Yeah, she’s already on her way,” you say, setting the bowl down and turning to face him. “Besides, you’ve done more than enough for me already over the last twelve hours.” You silently pick up your things and walk towards the door. Asahi rises from his chair and awkwardly clears his throat. “Do you have all your stuff?” You nod and smile. Before you open the door, you approach him and wrap your arms around his waist. He shyly hugs you back, hoping you can’t hear the rapid pounding in his chest. “Thank you, Asahi,” you whisper. “You’re amazing.” You let go first and leave his apartment quietly. As soon as the door closes, Asahi walks back into the living room and flops down on the couch. He covers his face with his hands and groans. This morning was almost too much for him – seeing you in his clothes, eating breakfast together, you hugging him before you left. It was all so painfully domestic, and he wishes it didn’t have to end. If only he wasn’t such a coward, he would’ve asked you to stay longer. He doesn’t know how long he lays there until he finally decides to get moving for the day and finish that piece he was working on when you called last night. He checks his phone and sees your name pop up on the screen.

Y/N [11:00] I’m home. Thanks again for babysitting me last night. Whatever did I do to deserve you as my guardian angel? ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊˚ [11:00] Or was that Noya-san? I forget. (^ω~)

Azumane Asahi [11:01] Lol. You’re welcome. And that was what we called Noya in our club days, but I don’t mind you calling me that too (* ^ ω ^)

Y/N [11:03] Let me make it up to you. [11:04] Come over for dinner tomorrow night?

Asahi almost drops his phone on his face. His fingers fumble as he types his response. He waits a moment before sending it, rereading it ten times to make sure he doesn’t come across as desperate.

Azumane Asahi [11:07] I’d love to. Do you want me to bring anything?

Y/N [11:08] That’s not necessary. I owe you a nice dinner. [11:09] You still like tonkotsu ramen?

Azumane Asahi [11:10] I do!

Y/N [11:11] It’s a date! See you tomorrow! (☞°ヮ°)☞ ☜(°ヮ°☜)

*

“You said nothing happened last night,” Kokomi says, staring over your shoulder at your phone. “Nothing happened, Kokomi. Now leave me alone,” you snap, tossing one of your throw pillows at her. She deftly catches it and plops down on the couch next to you. “Please,” she says, swatting you with the pillow. “The only reason you two haven’t gotten together is because you’re the densest people on the planet. I bet he’s flopped down on his couch right now thinking about how he doesn’t even want to wait that long to see you.” “Shut up,” you grumble. Kokomi’s phone rings and she quickly checks it. “Anyway, I have to go meet Kaito,” she says. “Got to go. Let me know how your date goes!” She waves and practically skips out the front door. You lay down and start making a shopping list for ingredients for tonkatsu ramen. As soon as you’re done, you set your phone down and cross your arms over your face.

“I bet he’s flopped down on his couch right now thinking about how he doesn’t even want to wait that long to see you.” No, Kokomi. That’s me.

#asahi azumane #azumane asahi #asahi x reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu #haikyuu fic #haikyuu fic writer #asahi x female reader #asahi x you #asahi x yn

[fallenfurther]

Rival

Happy Thunderbirds Day!!

I thought I would post a little bit of fluff to celebrate (Though I did wear Thunderbird 1 and 3 on my lanyard at work :D ) and get in there before the Whumptober posts start.

This is a little something that I found out the blue having forgotten I'd written half a fic with @selene-tempest in it. She's not demanded much for a while but this one needed to be finished. Enjoy!

**********

John stepped in time with the music, one hand on the hip of the most gorgeous woman in the room. His other hand was in hers which he raised high so she could twist beneath it. The edge of her black and deep purple dress brushed against his trousers as she turned. The lighting in the ballroom was perfect, as expected from the old English mansion. Penelope would never throw an event that didn't pass muster. All his family was somewhere nearby, either dancing with guests or snatching up as many of the canapés as they could. For once, John was able to enjoy the evening, with Selene he could happily dance the night away, avoiding small talk with most of the guests. The last time he'd been forced to come he'd been told the life stories of seven different people with no interest placed on his own. Though John should have expected to have a rival for his wife's attention. So far he'd managed to steer clear of him, but as the pool of women he hadn't danced with reduced, it was only a matter of time. John let his eyes dart around the room, scouting him out.

"Who are you looking for?"

John gave Selene a guilty grin; she knew him too well. Before he could answer a hand fell on John's leg. His rival didn't even reach his hip and dressed in a slightly ruffled black suit, he seemed irresistible to women. With his sparkling blue eyes and dimples, he was a favourite at the party.

"My turn. Dance with me, Selene!"

John glanced down at his nephew. Scott, as Selene's best friend, could wrangle many favours out of her, but his son was twice as bad.

"I'm dancing with Selene right now"

Those blue eyes turned to glare at him.

"No, it's my turn."

The little hand started to push on John's leg. Did the child really think he could push his way between him and Selene? John turned to Selene, who was smirking at the situation. Thankfully, she held her ground.

"I'm dancing with John right now. I'll dance with you later."

That little lip puckered even more.

"No."

Suddenly the pressure on John's leg was gone and the child was in the air.

"I told you to leave them alone."

Scott held the mini-version of himself to his face. In matching suits no one could doubt who the child's father was.

"My turn to dance with Selene."

"And she said not now."

The boy struggled in his father's arms, obviously wanting to be put down so he could continue his attempt to barge between his aunt and uncle.

"Come on, I don't think you've danced with Mrs Langley yet and she's free."

Scott carried the child away with a hand waving toward a friendly older lady that often frequented Lady Penelope's balls. If John remembered correctly she had two sons who were both married but had no grandchildren. She would fall head over heels for the youngest Tracy.

"You'll have to let him dance with me at some point."

John gazed into his wife's eyes as they started to move around the floor again. He wouldn't have minded giving the boy a dance, if dancing with Selene wasn't the best part of being at the event.

"All I have to do is delay it long enough for him to get tired and go to bed."

John slipped his hand around her waist and stepped in closer. His heart rate increased at the contact and a sly grin crossed his face. Selene grinned as their eyes locked.

"I know exactly what you're thinking."

They pressed their lips together, a little longer than appropriate for the setting, but John was past caring. They stayed close for the next dance, energy buzzing between their bodies. Only twenty three minutes until it would be socially acceptable to leave. Penelope had offered them a guest room but they had declined, preferring to head back to London and Selene's cosy little flat. Her car was outside and John had stayed away from the champagne that floated around the room in the hands of the most experienced wait staff. All he had to do was wait.

"I need a drink."

Selene kissed John's cheek before she twisted and sauntered away. Hastening after her, John scouted the room for his nephew. He stood beside Selene as she leant on the bar, asking for her favourite cocktail.

"Oh, you must be John Tracy."

John turned slowly, plastering a smile on his face instead of groaning. The speaker was a tall beanpole of a man, with neat silver hair and a thin hand outstretched. Respecting social convention, John shook the offered hand.

"I am indeed, and you are?"

"Sir Henry Tumblewood."

"Pleasant to meet you, Sir Tumblewood. Have you met my wife, Selene, yet?"

John twisted so his back was against the bar, revealing Selene and bringing her into the conversation.

"Hello fair lady, pleasure to meet you. I am Sir Henry Tumblewood."

John caught Selene's eyes flick at him as she fought a laugh. It appeared Sir Tumblewood would have fitted in well a few hundred years ago. Selene smiled as she took the man's hand to shake it, however Sir Tumblewood twisted it and started to bow down, lips pursed. Thankfully the man's grip on Selene wasn't too strong as she whipped her hand away, shaking it slightly before her fingers wrapped around the glass again. Sir Tumblewood rose with elegance while his previously soft eyes gave Selene a stern gaze. The witch just raised an eyebrow in challenge as she sipped her drink. The aristocrat appeared only slightly disgruntled at her response, making John suspect she wasn't the first to decline his graces. Unfortunately for John, the man turned straight back to him.

"You were just the Tracy I was hoping to meet. You see, I've always had a passion for the sky; you should see my collection of vintage meteorology instruments. I have the most wonderful selection of barometers and a few very unique pyranometers, but I digress. While I have been enjoying my retirement, I need a little something to keep myself busy. I'd like to study the mesosphere, and maybe branch a little into the thermosphere, and seeing as you probably know a lot about that area, I thought you'd be the right person to ask for advice."

"I don't agree with your logic there, though studying the mesosphere and thermosphere are tricky and would require significant funds."

"Do not worry yourself about funds, my dear boy, I have more than enough. Despite coming from old money, I made some good investments in my early years which has allowed that wealth to increase significantly."

John wanted to finish the conversation and his eyes glanced at his wife and her drink, which was still half full. A dance had just started so he might be able to convince her to join the next one. John just had to find a way to politely excuse himself.

"Well, I do know of a few companies who are…"

"I don't want to invest in companies! I've done enough of that. I want to build a rocket that will take the equipment up into the mesosphere."

Sir Tumblewood's voice had sharpened and he was clearly offended at John's most reasonable suggestion. Did this man not know of the many rules and regulations there were regarding research into that part of the atmosphere? A rocket or significant vessel, as he was suggesting, would need so many permissions and inspections before being allowed to launch. Despite his frustrations, John put on his best tone to try and calm the man.

"Sir, I didn't mean to offend you, however the legislation around sending rockets and similar devices up into the mesosphere would make it extremely difficult for you…"

"I have a friend who has done it. He's already advised me on the licences I will require and even allowed me to survey his previous designs..."

John didn't like being interrupted, particularly by someone who wanted his help but didn't respect his opinion when it was given. He could already tell this conversation was going to go nowhere. John was only half listening to Sir Tumblewood's drabbles as he turned to Selene. His heart dropped as a small figure raced towards them.

"Selene!!"

The cry made everyone around them turn, and even Sir Tumblewood paused, as his nephew flung himself into Selene's legs. That small face gazed up, surrounded by the fabric of her dress with sparkling hopeful eyes.

"Dance with me, Selene."

Scott appeared, having briskly followed after the boy.

"Oh my, isn't he just the most handsome little thing!"

A well dressed lady had appeared on Sir Tumblewood's arm, her pleasant weathered face betraying her age.

"Please, Selene."

John gazed down at the boy, knowing he was about to watch his wife be led onto the dancefloor, leaving him to converse with Sir Tumblewood without backup. Both Selene and Scott were about to speak when the lady beat them to it.

"Go on, dear, give the lad a dance. He's smitten with you."

"It's actually getting close to his bedtime."

Scott tried to explain, crouching down to his son's level. John’s brother placed his hand on the child's shoulder, bringing himself into the child's focus.

"It's bedtime."

"Noooo!"

A small lip puckered as fists clenched the fabric of Selene's dress.

"Come on."

His nephew shook his head and pressed his little body into Selene's legs. Scott gently encouraged he's son to let go, though it wasn't having much effect. Selene's cocktail was suddenly being held before him, and John just took it. There was only one way out of the situation without causing a scene.

"One last dance with Auntie Selene, okay? Then Daddy's going to take you upstairs to bed."

A wide dimpled grin radiated up at her and a hand stretched out asking for hers. Selene accepted the small hand in hers and was slowly led away. Scott stood and took Selene's place beside John as the pair started to dance before them.

"Isn't that just the sweetest thing?"

John caught Scott shaking his head out the corner of his eye, the man's gaze firmly on his child. Selene had to bend over so she could hold her nephew's hands, and John couldn't help but smile as the pair grinned at each other. The boy bounced around, forcing Selene to turn in circles, though he started to slow down very quickly.

"Now, Mr John Tracy, we were discussing the project and the legislation around it. Like I said, my friend has informed me of the licenses I will require and I was wondering if you could offer some suggestions on the matter of design. I've seen a few of my friend's, and they are extravagant to say the least, however they did pass muster and showed some success…"

John forced himself to listen, keeping one eye on the dancing pair. It appeared the night really was catching up with his nephew. After his pace had slowed, Selene had scooped him up and danced with him in her arms. They pair swayed together happily while Sir Tumblewood babbled on at John.

"Excuse me for barging in," Scott's voice was full of authority, though John hadn't realised he was listening, "this friend of yours sounds a lot like Langstrom Fischler."

"You know Mr Fischler?"

Sir Tumblewood brightened up at the mention of the name. It appeared Scott was on the money.

"I do, in a professional manner. That man's designs are world renowned for being poorly designed and a safety risk to anyone onboard or in the vicinity. If you are unwilling to listen to my brother, and prefer Mr Fischler’s guidance, then I can assure you your endeavours will be in vain."

"I beg your pardon! Mr Fischler is the son of a good friend of mine, a friend whose reputation is infallible."

"I'm sure your friend has a spotless reputation, but I am informing you that his son does not share that reputation."

Selene returned with a content young man in her arms. Their nephew's head was resting against her shoulder, the late evening obviously catching up with him.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to tend to my son."

Scott held out his arms to his child, who turned back to Selene and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Love you, Selene."

"I love you too, sweetie."

A hug later and the boy was in his father's arms, displaying his teeth with the biggest yawn John had ever seen him do. John checked his watch as he passed Selene her cocktail back. She sipped it gratefully. John slid his hand behind her so it was on the small of her back.

"Have you enough energy for one last dance before I chauffeur you back to London?"

"I do."

John kissed her, before turning back to Sir Tumblewood.

"You'll have to excuse me, Sir, my presence is required on the dancefloor. Have a pleasant rest of the evening."

Selene slid her empty glass onto the bar before looping her arm in John's. Just ahead of them Scott turned.

"See you two back at the island. Have fun."

His brother gave them a cheeky grin and a wink, which John let slide as a small hand waved goodbye.

"Bye, bye."

Scott headed over to the mirrored wall where Penelope and Gordon were standing, deep in conversation with some of the other attendees. It would be rude to leave without thanking the host, and John would be doing just the same in a few minutes. As they stepped into the dancers, the music slowed and gave time for people to change partners before the next dance began. They didn't go too far onto the floor before turning to face each other. John guided Selene in close, stealing a kiss before the dance started. They swayed slowly, eyes on each other, enjoying the moment but also eager to head back to Camden for some privacy.

#thunderbirds are go #john tracy #selene tempest #thunderbirds fanfiction #scott tracy #scott's son #baby tracy #dancing #soiree #rival #fluff #cute little boy

[punkscowardschampions]

Jimmy & Janis

Jimmy: ? Janis: didn't wanna wake you Janis: had to go get Grace Jimmy: is she alright? Janis: erm, loosely Janis: it's a whole situation you don't need to worry about but she's not about to be murdered so yeah, for our purposes Jimmy: you alright? Janis: just really Janis: I don't know Janis: yeah Jimmy: It's my turn to steal a car Jimmy: say the word, babe Janis: cheers Janis: step up from what she was working with, even if I'm not sure you'd pass a breathalyzer yet, like Jimmy: challenge accepted Janis: 👮💪 Janis: don't actually though, just so we're clear Janis: you should go back to sleep Jimmy: tell it to the 🐕 Jimmy: she's followed me all about everywhere I looked for you Jimmy: 🙄 Janis: awh Janis: I'm sorry Jimmy: Again, tell her 'cause 🏆💪 late night trampoline champ, me Janis: make it up to her, obviously Janis: if Ian wasn't 😡 enough over the kids, the kebab shit she does will send him over the edge, like Jimmy: She's alright she's had a walk to the scene of your failed crime with me Jimmy: Ian'll be 💔 as Sharon or whatever her name is Jimmy: let's call her mum Janis: damn, are YOU alright? Janis: didn't pull a shotgun did she Jimmy: I didn't pull a muscle or owt either 🥇 tah Jimmy: What kind of Romeo would I be if I'm not coming through a window or chucking shit at it, like? Jimmy: not real 💩 though, you're alright Janis: dead impressive, you Janis: and probably for the best, can they get DNA from shit? Janis: idk Jimmy: might do if I were 45 and it had 🩸 in it Janis: 😂 this is gross Jimmy: *goals Jimmy: I reckon we're proper starcrossed now, she were fuming Janis: of course, tbh Romeo was lucky she weren't just emptying her chamber pot when he was lurking Janis: oh god Janis: she always is so don't take it personal Jimmy: might've helped if 1. I could remember your name Jimmy: 2. Twix didn't near get in a 🐕 fight with hers Jimmy: 3. I never said 'same, mate' when she said she had work in a bit Janis: 🙄 Janis: well, as your luck would have it Janis: may have unintentionally started a widespread family drama so Janis: gracie, meet bus Jimmy: it ain't my fault or bad luck if your parents gave more than one of you J names and if not, easy guess who I meant Jimmy: described you and owt so Janis: sure it was so favourable Jimmy: 'course Jimmy: 😍😍😍 Janis: just made that face at her, yeah Jimmy: what kind of poet do you take me for? Jimmy: obviously prepared something on the way Janis: if you were any kind you'd tell me you dreamt it, boy Jimmy: 💔 Jimmy: Oi, I'm not reading my dream diary to you, dickhead Janis: 💔 Janis: I'll just be bored on my walk then Janis: rude Jimmy: Impossible to be bored with a kebab or how pissed Gracie must be to have agreed to that Jimmy: she'll be dreaming about them calories and waking up to 💀👑 death threats Janis: it is very tempting to DM her a mukbang but Jimmy: if you don't, I'll stop waiting here like your 💔 missus and come do it Janis: shaz suits you Jimmy: there's your warning, Jules Jimmy: and it don't end in a y so how could it possibly? Jimmy: Ian's never wrong Janis: hot Janis: x2, duh Jimmy: 😏 Janis: oh, before I forget Janis: she said sorry Jimmy: I get it, our kid drives me to drink an' all Janis: 'scuse you, I'm responsible af Janis: she's just talking a lot Janis: more than usual Jimmy: she's wasted then? Janis: don't take much Jimmy: pisshead and a lightweight 💕 Janis: oi Jimmy: tah for only twinning with your 💕🍺 Jimmy: keeping it 🥇 Janis: 😒 Jimmy: I miss you too, girl Janis: really Janis: 🤔🤔🤔 Jimmy: You don't reckon I'm 💔🎻😭? Janis: tis your default so Jimmy: Oi Janis: what Jimmy: Are you gonna stay? Jimmy: there, at yours Janis: idk Janis: might have to Jimmy: I weren't lying to your young, fit nan Jimmy: I do have a shift in a bit Janis: firstly, ew Janis: secondly, eww Jimmy: and thirdly? Janis: alright, see you later then Jimmy: No Janis: what? Jimmy: Don't just go again Janis: I didn't mean Janis: I meant I'll probably stay here then, for all the reasons Jimmy: 👌 Janis: I miss you too Jimmy: Then just Janis: I'll come back as soon as I can Janis: but probably be at the CG the way this day's going Jimmy: You gonna bring your hungover sister? Janis: why you wanna see her so bad, like Jimmy: now that she's nicked you off me, I do Janis: Babe Jimmy: What? Janis: you're just really Jimmy: 😡😡 yeah, me and your nan Janis: was going to say nice Jimmy: Piss off Jimmy: You're the one saving Grace Jimmy: I'm only here 😭😭😭 Jimmy: me and the 🐕 Janis: debatable that Janis: she's a good dog too Jimmy: You're a good girlfriend Jimmy: next time just tell me you're going Janis: I will Janis: promise Janis: you were just so 😴 Jimmy: I don't care if I'm 💀💀💀 wake me Jimmy: I thought Janis: I know Janis: in hindsight Jimmy: if you're gonna sober up enough to ever have 2nd thoughts about owt I've said, at least write it down somewhere Jimmy: save me a 💀💌 Jimmy: you know I'm basically illiterate Janis: i ain't Janis: i won't, like Jimmy: You still like me then? Janis: of course I do Janis: think drunk grace spits so much truth I'm reconsidering, like Jimmy: Being in love with Mia is enough to put anyone off, to be fair Jimmy: even my ex weren't bad as her Janis: the 💔 is very real here Jimmy: I can imagine, won't, like, but easily could Jimmy: got the orchestra following you home, babe Janis: take it, like Janis: at least those losers won't have bad intentions Jimmy: they ain't gonna piss about 🎻s to play Jimmy: and they know how 💪💪💪 you are Janis: who don't tbh Janis: 👊👊👊 Jimmy: my dad and Sharon Jimmy: might've missed your chance to show her but 🤞 Ian won't die before we can kill him Janis: I'll be back 🤖 Jimmy: 👍 Jimmy: I want you back Janis: trust me, rather be there, even if I weren't somewhere this shit Jimmy: can't you get here somehow? Jimmy: both bigheads, gotta be able to make it work Janis: I'm 🤞 they'll reckon she's in a worse enough state that they'll put her to bed and I can make my exit Jimmy: Get to the CG and I'll meet you there, open up earlier than planned Janis: I am only in it for the lattes Janis: 😍🤤 Jimmy: There you go then Jimmy: 🔑💕 Janis: honestly, was opening up meant to be a punishment or the #ultimatewingmanmove Janis: thanks.. graham Jimmy: Let me know after I've taught you ☕🎨 Jimmy: ultimate skill for the CV that Janis: also so important to me Janis: career progression Janis: only so far all the 💸 will take me Jimmy: #obvs Jimmy: good acoustics in there if owt else fails Jimmy: for your 😇 voice Janis: your 😈 one Jimmy: You're so Janis: your fault Janis: and your problem now so Jimmy: Your own fault Jimmy: but no problem Janis: you Janis: just Janis: you know Jimmy: you baby Jimmy: it's been you this entire time Janis: I can't Jimmy: Bollocks, there's nowt you can't do Jimmy: 🥇 girl Janis: I really fucking like you alright Jimmy: It's alright with me Janis: good Jimmy: You wanna do something when I'm done being paid to serve? Jimmy: just me and you Janis: yeah Janis: like what, I mean Jimmy: have a think Jimmy: I will an' all Janis: 👍 Jimmy: 👌 Janis: 💕 Jimmy: 😍😍😍 Janis: 😏 Jimmy: 😘 Janis: 🤓 Jimmy: 💔 Janis: 😎 Jimmy: 😏 Janis: the amount of times I've saved her from the road/bushes/tripping over thin air tonight when I could just let her 💀 means you're gonna be so nice to me, right? Jimmy: I'll be nice to you 'cause I want to Jimmy: Grace don't come into it Janis: even better then Janis: just reminding you, such a 😇 Jimmy: still got your song in my head Jimmy: weren't likely to forget Janis: just my name Janis: standard Jimmy: I know your name, Juliet Janis: Well I know how to make you say it so Janis: who's the real romantic here Jimmy: been saying it's you since day 1 Jimmy: no need for a twitter poll Janis: so what you're saying is, I win Jimmy: Nah, I do Jimmy: you're with this miserable dickhead Jimmy: I get the last true romantic Janis: don't do yourself dirty Janis: you're alright Jimmy: Tah Janis: you could've swooned a bit Janis: really meant that, dickhead Jimmy: Calm down, I felt it Janis: ugh Janis: feel a bit sick Jimmy: Shut up Janis: oh lol Janis: meant that too but unrelated Janis: probably the kebab Jimmy: such a pisstake you Jimmy: Alright well 🤢 before you get to me, like Janis: charming Janis: some nurse you are Jimmy: Grace will hold your hair back for you, all the practice she's had Janis: yeah, such a help her rn Jimmy: better not set her off 🤢🤢🤢 an' all then Janis: shut up Jimmy: Baby Janis: you reckon I could push her in and run Janis: before either of them come Jimmy: 👍 Jimmy: top plan Janis: yeah? Jimmy: Depends how sick you feel Janis: sicker if i have to stay Jimmy: If you have to stay, I'll just come to you Jimmy: Get someone to cover Janis: nah, don't need to do that Janis: they're just gonna wanna talk so I'll just have to ignore them like usual Janis: just gonna be a bit Janis: frantic, tonight and I'd rather not Jimmy: 🤢 that'll 💀💀💀 the chat Janis: 👍 Jimmy: It'll be alright Jimmy: like you said, she's in no state to do owt but 😭 or 💤 Janis: all the more reason to snatch me Jimmy: why what've done? Jimmy: you* Janis: long story Janis: what ain't I done 😎 Jimmy: *😈 Janis: exactly Jimmy: Stop flirting with me Jimmy: I get it, you're well fit and mysterious Janis: you have no idea, mate Jimmy: Tell me then Jimmy: didn't get a bedtime story so Janis: break my heart in a minute Jimmy: 🎻🎻🎻 Jimmy: Pete can keep his 🎸 working for me them Janis: wouldn't know where to begin, like Janis: without a 🎻 or 🎸 Janis: 🤞 they don't know either Jimmy: been a bit of a weird night, yeah? Janis: yeah Janis: some of it was good still Jimmy: I'll always give you good weird, babe Jimmy: promise Janis: thanks, really Jimmy: I wanna do more Jimmy: what can I? Janis: don't go nowhere Janis: stay Jimmy: Alright Janis: I know it's weird Janis: to say Janis: just a weird night yeah Jimmy: Why do you reckon it's weird? Jimmy: You're allowed to want me to be about Janis: I dunno Jimmy: You've not done this before, have you? Jimmy: that'll be why Janis: navigated a drunk grace home? Janis: unfortunately not my first rodeo Jimmy: 🥇 #bants mate but not what I meant Janis: what do you mean then Jimmy: You didn't get me? 💔 Janis: how ungoals Janis: have to dump me Jimmy: subtle Janis: shut up Jimmy: not me who did a 🌙 flit, were it? Janis: if Cass ever manages to get herself in half a state, you've got a free pass, like Jimmy: Leave it out Janis: yeah Jimmy: seriously Janis: alright Janis: ain't said anything Jimmy: 👍 Janis: well you know the drill Janis: wish me 🍀 Janis: come find me if it gets to a couple of days Jimmy: that ain't funny Jimmy: but alright Janis: I know it ain't Jimmy: have a look at where I said leave it out then Janis: well I mean it, we're there, like Janis: not gonna be accused of 👻ing again Jimmy: so go on and crack on Janis: fine Jimmy: 👌 Janis: [let's say she can get out in a reasonable amount of time like shh cali not now] Janis: at work? Jimmy: [a 😒 selfie to show he is] Janis: another day another dollar Janis: want me to come see you Jimmy: I won't take you to get that as a matching tramp stamp, rich girl, but it'll do well on the 'gram Janis: you gonna do it for me Jimmy: obvs, nowt I wouldn't 💕 Janis: find the cleanest biro you can then, dickhead Jimmy: [selfie of him with a pen in his mouth like this'll do] Janis: 😏 Janis: stop flirting with me and start flirting with your customers Jimmy: uploading my nudes to the CG insta, hang on Jimmy: just gotta keep one arm round Doris so she don't 💀💀💀 Jimmy: didn't have her hip done that long ago Janis: such a talented multi-tasker Janis: defs need a raise Jimmy: 🥇 Janis: you need anything Jimmy: other than a raise? Janis: do my best Janis: such a fan of mine, dennis Jimmy: who ain't, babe? Janis: oh, some ginger prick, appaz Jimmy: What? Janis: of the many enlightening things gracie came out with, the fact some lad reckons I shagged his bird was the funniest tbh Janis: catch me brawling for her affection Jimmy: 🙄😏 can't take you nowhere Jimmy: get back in the closet for a bit tah, you're showing me up Janis: oi, don't take his side Janis: worst bf ever 💔 Jimmy: It's been a few hours now, like Jimmy: What did you reckon 💕 and 🌹? Janis: obvs Janis: no less for me 👑 Jimmy: good, won't have to chuck this bunch back on the ⚰ for a bit then Janis: don't worry, when it comes to it, seperate your yelp review and bf one Janis: not that rude Jimmy: career progression really is important to you, eh? Jimmy: so hot Janis: top priority Jimmy: I'll let my manager know Janis: Busy shift? Jimmy: You want a smoothie that bad? Jimmy: I'll sort you out with a queue jump, babe Janis: just sound it Janis: I can wait Jimmy: If I sound 😒 and 😫 that'll be 'cause I am Janis: hold your nose and down 'em all, like Jimmy: just neck this lass' espresso in front of her Jimmy: #savage Janis: 😂 Janis: I think it's funny, get on board jeremy Jimmy: if you ain't put owt in the suggestion box, now's the time, girl Janis: will do Janis: reckon I'm gonna shower and sort myself 'fore I come though Janis: pretty wrecked and all Jimmy: You had any sleep? Janis: nah Jimmy: Get some, dickhead Janis: I've survived on less, it's alright Jimmy: That weren't what I asked Janis: didn't really ask, more demand Janis: time and a place to be all 🤤 babe Jimmy: Here's me demanding you don't pass out in the CG then Jimmy: and your warning that I will draw on your face Janis: fair Janis: but Jimmy: but what? Janis: I just wanna see you Jimmy: I'll wake you up when I'm done Jimmy: you know how much I love the bus ride to yours Jimmy: Why are you trying to deny me my fave thing? So rude Janis: I'm your fave thing Janis: ruder Jimmy: So I don't want you to 💀💀💀 Jimmy: just sleep Janis: okay Janis: I'll try Jimmy: 🧸💕 Jimmy: I'll try not to be jealous Janis: I hope it smells enough like you so I can 😴 Jimmy: put my hoodie on, I'll be there as soon as Janis: Okay Janis: try not to fall into the steamer Janis: I'd miss your face Jimmy: Me an' all Jimmy: need it to rest my 😎 on Jimmy: and how would I 🚬? Janis: keep those 👂s and 👃 in tact Janis: gobhole still be there Jimmy: 👍 Jimmy: I get it, you'd miss my 👂 the most Jimmy: do it for you then, baby Janis: how would I even show my 💕 Janis: don't bear thinking about Jimmy: I might think about it Jimmy: just a bit Janis: 😏 hm Janis: idk if that will help me sleep but Jimmy: I'd say sorry but it'll only sound fake Janis: never fake, us Jimmy: could obvs say the same about that ginger dickhead and his gay missus though Janis: how rude to try and get rid via slandering my name Janis: literally just got this rep girl Jimmy: I'll have a scrap with him but it's probably best if you don't touch her Janis: get her to do a police sketch Janis: did she imagine it or Janis: who knows Jimmy: maybe she fucked your sister but Grace don't want 💀👑 to dump her so she's saying it were you Janis: 😱 Janis: falls apart when they're off-again already Janis: but let's spread that instead, obvs Jimmy: #trueloveaintneveroff Jimmy: soz for the stuff of nightmares though, Judith Janis: truly, gonna have her as my sleep paralysis demon Janis: come through 👑charming Jimmy: Hang on, I fucked up but I can fix this Jimmy: [voice memo that's like a bedtime story because he's a nerd on his break and is obvs gonna use his time wisely to make something up] Jimmy: stick that on, you'll be alright Janis: [does] Janis: this is Janis: why are you the cutest I hate it Jimmy: shhh Jimmy: 😴😴😴 Janis: okay but I had to let you know Janis: earnt being bigheaded this time Jimmy: 💪🏆 Janis: 🌃 Jimmy: in a bit, girl Jimmy: [we should say he does go to Cali's so she can wake up whenever to him being there and sleepy snuggling her, gutted for the bear obvs] Janis: ['hey' so buzzin' like] Jimmy: [says it back so softly because all 😍 at how cute she is sleeping] Janis: [when you don't know what to do with yourself badadadum] Jimmy: [a kiss hello is what he should do though because cute and a mood] Janis: [the l word keeps coming like it is time] Jimmy: [that ILY curse, hello to you, my friend] Janis: ['how was the rest of your shift?' yawning so snoozy] Jimmy: [when you just snuggle into her even more than you were like is that an answer or do you just wanna, there's no way to know] Janis: [have that snugg time lads you've earnt it] Jimmy: [just let him be soft 5ever and hold her and kiss her as much as he wants thank you world] Janis: [he gonna need sleep too so have at it] Jimmy: [mhmm be the big 🥄 boy] Janis: [enjoy all that hair we know you do] Jimmy: [shameless] Janis: [just listening to the story again] Jimmy: [I also like to think Pablo had to let him in for my own lols] Janis: [yasss if it was either of cali they'd wanna talk ew] Jimmy: [and Grace is dying so] Janis: [poor girl lol] Jimmy: [if Mia comes knocking she ain't coming in, nobody wants to see you hun especially Pablo] Janis: [oh lord, tryna bang him when she's home i see u] Jimmy: [we all know she would] Janis: [snek, have a field day 'cos JJ are there too] Jimmy: [true] Janis: [too bad bitch] Jimmy: [imagine how unsympathetic she'd be even if Grace was actually dying, the friend we all want obvs] Janis: [i imagine she's like ellie's mum and just talks about herself like literally oblivious] Jimmy: [honestly, suck it up buttercup, am I right?] Janis: [lmaooooo]

[ishmaeltorres-blog]

Ladies Health and Beauty Secrets

As a woman is a bit more than having feminine organs, is learning how to understand one's body at different stages of life and anticipate the small ailments before they become real problems. A mans needs if you were a 17-year-old girl can't be exactly like when you are a 57 yr old. However, regardless of how old you are, previously or another, being women, your wellbeing and beauty will probably be impacted by one of the following conditions: facial wrinkles, vaginal infection, abnormal menstruation, breast drooping, women infertility, cellulite, stretch-marks, spider vein, varicose vein, menopause, Constipation, depression, vitamin deficiency, along with the list goes on. On this page, I strive to pay many health and beauty tips to help you become and grow a great woman. If you Value your overall health and wonder, this post is Specifically made for you. The way to Have Healthy, Beautiful Skin? Every woman is fine with having a radiant skin; unfortunately, many don't figure out the cause of their skin problems. Every day, our body is attacked by pollution, sunlight, sweat, stress, abuse of all kinds such as tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy junk food. To have a healthy, beautiful skin, you will need to turn back results of those aggressors by adopting the home chef including eating a healthy diet routine workouts, and sleeping. However, sometimes, all these efforts every day are not enough. The harder we advance in age, greater the body requires small attentions that need just a little cosmetic. My advice for your requirements is employing all natural skin products. All natural products, applied regularly, can help greatly to shield your thing in the ravages of time and pollution. After all feminine beauty to please men therefore making you feel better about yourself. Finding yourself beautiful is vital to reside in harmony yourself among others. Maintain skin and also clear. Taking care of your own self is caring for your skin on a regular basis. Cleaning the skin must be made daily using items that do not alter its natural balance or damage it. The skin is encountered with external aggression. By its peripheral position, the skin is unavoidably attacked by dust, pollution, which mingling towards the sebum and sweat disrupt into your market of their surface. You may need natural antioxidant cream to correct those damages. Today, unconsciously, people often running of gels or anti-aging products which are, nearly all of times, do more harm to the skin. Know that those products can enhance your skin's likelihood of UV damage. Caring for your face That person is your passport; never neglect it. Your skin of your respective face is consistently assaulted from the environment: temperature too much or lacking, wind, pollution, temperature changes. It has to be paid by the application of an anti-oxidant cream. Protective cream or restorative cream, the option of your cream depends on your skin and your needs. Living in cities, cold, working outdoors or in a confined place, your cream facial should also give you a a higher level protection that suits your way of life. It has to be adapted to the nature on the skin (dry skin, oily skin, mixed skin), the option of your moisturizer is essential to better protect the skin of your face and permit it to obtain the right balance.

Femininity of your beautiful neckline The arms and chest areas have become sensitive and they are an indication of femininity that many of us would rather discover. But often, recent years pass, by incorporating kilos way too many, rather than enough physical exercise, mean that our arms, our breasts are no longer as energetic as before and grow an actual complex. These areas are extremely fragile since they don't have true muscle support and are therefore at the mercy of rapid aging, wrinkles, skin falling and flaccid. For, too frequently, the neck and chest are forgotten in the good care of daily hydration. However, they have to be washed, hydrated and treated exactly the same because the face. To preserve the elasticity of the skin of these areas, it is very important apply each morning a nourishing and moisturizing cream, the constant maintenance to make use of a lightweight massage which will activate the superficial microcirculation. Use a special cream by massaging lightly and gently from the center of the breast to hide the entire breast and as much as the neck. Intimate hygiene Often taboo, the subject of individual hygiene is frequently not discussed despite the importance it takes. What are the gestures to comply, products to use, learn all relevant information. Because staying fresh can be a daily concern either way well-being and health, intimate hygiene should not be overlooked. Be simple and natural with your vaginal care; any negligence or overuse of chemical can result in vaginal issues. In the relationship, vaginal odor is really a tough problem for both partners. It really is embarrassing for your female, and frustrating to the male. What products to use for personal hygiene? All products, shower gels, soaps and bubble baths variety are not necessarily designed for intimate hygiene. Often too aggressive, their pH (acidity level) differs from that regarding the skin and doesn't respect all-natural balance. The acidity of genital mucous assists you to make sure the repair of vulvo-vaginal flora essential to preserve the feminine genitals of fungal infections and diverse. Hygiene and menstruation Whether you use tampons or pads, change them regularly, about every 4 hours (except through the night where one can keep these things until morning). If you use tampons, make sure you pick the model adapted to the flow of one's menstruation, this varies involving the beginning along with the end of your respective period. A tampon too large and absorbing, following the cycle, can irritate the vagina and lead the introduction of a fungus. In the same manner, a tampon changed too much is usually a supply of irritation. Healthy and delightful legs Take care of your legs. The legs are some of the female assets, but can also be a source of great importance and inconvenience. Those who have heavy legs, spider veins or Restless legs syndrome understand what Come on, man. If you wish to attract men, focus on your legs, they say. Most men get fired up by way of a hot woman's legs. Men love investigating women's hot, sexy legs; maybe there is a secret for the reason that. What could affect the sweetness and health of one's legs? - High heel shoes, consumption of alcohol and cigarettes with an unbalanced diet are common aggravating factors of poor the circulation of blood and so pain within the legs with obviously appearance of cellulite, stretch marks and small vessels that burst. Advice to possess beautiful and healthy legs - The basic option would be regular exercises with additional precisely jogging and jumping. The legs acquire, through regular exercises, greater finesse and elasticity. Their muscles develop harmoniously along with the system normally takes profits with improved the circulation of blood. Diet Numerous researchers state that a wholesome nutrition is really a positive alteration in skin rejuvenation. Your beauty has a close relationship using what you take in. You might be the foods you eat, it is said. However, even though you consume a nutritious diet, you also have to do not eat shortly before bedtime. Do your very best self to nibble on at the very least 3 hours before going to bed. Eating late may cause chronic indigestion, resulted in acne, halitosis, stomach fat, eczema, and psoriasis. Adjust your diet to your life (sedentary lifestyle, active, sportive), your complaint (pregnant, obese), your actual age (children, youth, adult, elderly) in order not to produce imbalance in your diet. Energy needs vary depending on sex along with a great number of other factors. Finding natural and safe products for girls? Vitalfoodstore.com invites you to definitely discover throughout its pages, tricks and tips so you are, on a daily basis, the very best of your form plus your beauty. Each product features a full page of knowledge in order that every response is the most appropriate in your questions. Products manufactured designed for women needs: Everything you always aspired to learn about natural women care. Advice to apply daily to reside in a much better life. For more information about https://weblamdep.vn web portal: look at here now.

[so-flashtastic]

Ain’t no prince waiting for me

Soulmate AU Pairing: Barry Allen x reader

Summary: In spite of her tattoo, Y/N Y/L/N has given up this soulmate thing. She simply doesn’t believe it, she’s convinced that she’s doomed to never find her true love. But will an unfortunate event change that?

Warning: Eddie’s still alive!! He’s not going to die in my AU either;))

A/N: OK, so I have always wanted to do a soulmate-AU, I simply find the clichés adorable! In this one, the soulmate thing is the partner’s first words the first time they meet each other, but hey! If you liked this, and want m to make another soulmate-imagine, send me your idea! Enjoy:))

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“I’m telling you, Blaise, I just don’t believe in it!” Y/N was yet again arguing with her best friend about the idiotic soulmate thing.  “How can you not believe in it? This is how life works, how God have made it easier for us to find one another!” It was almost pointless to continue. The two had two completely different ideologies. Blaise: the girl who believed in fate, in God, in the stupid tattoos. And then there was Y/N: the one that believed in science, in random happenings and that were convinced she would die alone.

“You will never understand, B, I will never have what you and Hunter have,” this provoked Blaise, how could her almost perfect, best friend think so little of herself? “Of course you will, your wrist is proof of that, now stop the bullshit talk, Y/N,” her tone short and sharp.  “But Blaise, I swear I’m cursed or something! My younger siblings have met their partners, my whole family has always found their soulmates at a young age. All of my friends have their partners, heck you and Hunter have a kid, Blaise!”

“You’re not cursed, Y/N,” “Just look at this Blaise, it’s pure evil, my tattoo says ‘wow’! That can be anyone, it can be a creep, a jackass, it can be any guy on the planet!” “You need to stop being so pessimistic, Y/N, it doesn’t suit you,” Blaise kept her mouth in a thin line. “The complex is weird and unnatural,” “You can’t just say that!” “Watch me!” Y/N challenged, and shouted at the top of her lungs, which made Blaise just want to disappear. So she dragged her friend through the park. “Don’t wake Amos, Y/N,” she excused, and their discussion stopped there, the next talking-topic being how Y/N was doing at work.

“It’s so cool,” “It’s not that cool, Cisco,” Barry chuckled. His friend, teammate, and colleague had not stopped looking at his wrist in awe. “But it is! I mean, come on! The damsel falling in love with her hero – it’s a classic!” Cisco referred to the words ‘Holy crap, it’s him!’ “You know, it can also just be a girl that doesn’t like me or something, or-“ "Nope, this right here, my man, is a line said in adoration,” Cisco patted Barry’s back, and they went back to their work. 

Y/N sat on the Haydens’ couch as her friend walked around her apartment. “He gets to bed at-” “Seven, you know Blaise, I have babysitted Seany before, I know the drill: Dinner’s at 5, so that’s out of the way, if he’s hungry I can give him some fruits, bedtime’s at seven, but it’s no crisis if it gets closer to eight, and there’s food for me in the fridge for me to take whenever I want. I’m not the teenager neighbor you had to book last minute, B,” It was Blaise and Hunter’s date night, and as usual Y/N was there to babysit 'lil Sean.

“Of course, of course! I’m so sorry, just a bit nervous,” Y/N rolled her eyes at her friend, this was what happened each time, and Blaise would always start excusing herself for not 'trusting you enough’. This time, the difference was that Y/N managed to make that part take less time, and she pushed her almost hyperventilating best friend out the door to her husband.

“…And the Flash saves the day yet again,” Y/N closed her laptop and looked over to the other end of the couch, where the Flash’s biggest fan of the age of 3 laid with a clear view to her feet. “Kiddo, that was the last article, sorry bud,” “Have you checked Iris West?” What that still amazed Y/N about Sean, was that in spite of his lack of abilities when it came to naming the alphabet, and counting to fifteen like the other kids, he had this huge interest in The Flash – which made him speak of certain journalists as if he knew them. “We just read Iris West, Seany, I’m sorry,“

“What does yours say, aunty Y/N?” Sean looked at her wrist, which Y/N huffed at. 'What is it with this world? Why are everyone so eager on those stupid tattoos?’ But she pulled herself together and forced a smile. "You see, Sean, aunt Y/N isn’t as lucky as all the other ones, her tattoo doesn’t work,” “It doesn’t?” The little boy looked up at her with big, worried eyes, which by some way made Y/N feel bad for him. “No, but I’m sure yours work! Mommy’s and daddy’s worked, I’m just a bit less lucky,”

“Do you think the Flash has a tattoo?” Sean asks, which make Y/N laugh – if those words had come out of any other’s mouth, she would have rolled her eyes. “I believe so, yes,” “You are very pretty, aunty Y/N,” right there was one of the many reasons Y/N loved Sean. Sure, he wasn’t the best at keeping a conversation – that boy was more distracting than any kid Y/n had ever met. But in the end, Sean was this great, funny, bubbly guy that Y/N loved hanging out with. “Thank you, that was a very nice thing to say, you’re very handsome as well,"  "What if Flash is your soulmate?” Y/N almost choked, but before she could say anything, Sean continued: “Or maybe Patrick, he’s very cool, he works with the big kids,” exhaling, Y/N was relieved her little random, darling duckling was back.

The all too familiar sound of metal meeting glass rang through the room, and so Barry tried his best at not sinking deep into his chair. “I would like to make a toast…” It was his beautiful best friend, Iris, and her fiancé Eddie’s engagement party, and even though he couldn’t be more happy for the two, he couldn’t shake off the sad feeling in his heart. His parents, his friends – it even seemed like the little kids that were running around had found their partners for life. Barry couldn’t take one step anywhere, without being reminded that he hadn’t found his soulmate yet. 

“You know, I met my mate at the age of 13,” the drunk next to Barry stated. “I heard the most regular age to meet is between 9 and 23,” Was it Eddie’s cousin that said that? “How 'bout you, Terry? Found the love of your life yet?” 'How did I even end up here?’ Barry smiled at the old man. “No, but I-” “Gary! His name is Gary, grandpa!"  "I’ll just go and find Iris,” Barry enlightened to the little party, and then left to do just so.

“Barry! Hey, I haven’t seen you at all tonight!” Iris had clearly gotten a few glasses, but when she saw right through the fake smile of Barry Allen, her tipsy state disappeared right away.  “Uhm, babe, I’ll just go get more ice,” once Eddie had given his wife-to-be a kiss in acknowledgment, the two best friends found their way to the porch.

Iris had a feeling what had caused barry’s light frown but had let him talk out about it anyway.  “Barry, you’re going to be fine. Look, I’m sure your girl’s just right around the corner, whomever up there would be a real ass if she’s not,” her last comment made Barry smile. “Yeah, of course,” he nodded, regretting that he’d taken his best friend out of her own engagement party.

It wasn’t an everyday thing for Y/N Y/L/N to go to Tiffany’s to eat her breakfast. Thing is, she always had a wish to do so – let her inner Audrey Hepburn shine. So today, she could happily cross it off her bucket list. What she hadn’t thought of though, was Central City being a slightly criminal city, with many jewelry-loving evil metahumans. So in her little black dress, matching gloves, big dark sunglasses and pearl necklace, Y/N witnessed the first robbery in her life. ’It will be fine, Y/N. What’s the odds of anyone coming and ripping off your grandmother’s pearls in the middle of the streets? Oh God, what have I ever done to deserve this?’ Y/N thought of her earlier words to herself, almost shaking by the thought of the scene she frightened happening.

She waited for the alarm that never came and looked around herself. One babysitter strolling with a toddler, a man in a suit, and herself – that meant two witnesses if anything happened. When the nanny and the businessman soon disappeared, Y/N decided to try her breakfast at Tiffany’s another time. 'Time to use those ninja-skills you brag about to Sean,’ “Oh hello,” A not-too-friendly voice spoke up behind her. 'Oh merde,' 

Deciding to pretend she hadn’t heard him, Y/N sped up her pace, walking as fast as a girl in heels could. Suddenly she felt her necklace get pulled backward so hard she got troubles breathing, making her whole body follow. “That’s some lovely piece of woman your jewelry got there,” that must have been the lamest, creepiest pick-up line Y/N had ever heard. With no one in sight, she tried her best to distract his attention away from robbing her. But instead of saying: “The pearls were my grandmothers”, whimpers escaped her lips. “Flash,” the meta behind her seemed both tense and annoyed. If she could, Y/N would have breathed out in relief, but that being difficult, she tried her best just breathing normally.

Usually, when Barry went into Flash-mode, he didn’t notice the ones around him that weren’t in danger. His eyes were on the metas, and the metas only, so when he was done defeating the telekinesis, had sped him off to the old particle accelerator, his next task was at hand: Double check on the wounded. Though when he did came back, there weren’t many people at the crime-scene. “Wow…” Barry said quietly, taking in the rich girl’s appearance. Her hair was sat up in a weird, kind of snobbish way, but that suited her in a way. And her lips! Her beautiful, pink lips, parted a bit because of the shock probably. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see the color of her, most likely, stunning eyes. The pearls were placed against her collarbones perfectly, and along with the black dress she looked very put together: Very higher-class: Very not the kind of people Barry hung out with – or were in his league.

At that same time, Y/N had just thawed from her frozen state: It was actually the Flash. He was in front of her. And before she could stop herself, the words spilled form her lips: “Holy shit it’s him,” All she could think about was the face behind the mask. Would his smile match the warm, green and kind eyes? Would his personality do as well? Would he be a stuck up jerk, or the nicest guy possible? She wanted to see him, the real hero under the suit. Though just when she saw a blurred picture of him opening his mouth, Y/N lost control of her now numb body, and passed out.

“Now that’s one fine looking lady you got there, Bar,” Joe said, looking over to the other room at the rich girl.  “Pretty good catch if she’s not a monster,” Cisco sucked on his lollypop while following Joe’s gaze. She’d been unconscious for about an hour, and Barry still hadn’t moved his attention from the sleeping beauty. “Yeah…” He had answered, hoping for just that.

Y/N had found out, the hard way, that it was a terrible thing to pass out. Not only the uncomfortable feeling of not being able to see for seconds before she lost it, but also losing control of her legs. When she heard unfamiliar voices around her, Y/N decided it was for the best not to open her eyes completely just yet. “Pretty good catch if she’s not a monster,” 'Oh dear God. I’m in my Holly-costume,“ "Yeah…” 'This honestly can’t get worse’Y/N kept thinking about the endless choices of near futures she had. Her rescuers could be kidnappers. The kidnappers could jury her in many ways, and considering her choice of outfit, robbery didn't seem impossible. 'Oh please God almighty, please say they're not rapists!' "Hey, is it normal for unconscious people to have nightmares?" 'Crap, Blaise was right, I really need to work on my poker face! God dammit Y/N!' Deciding her little act didn't hold, Y/N opened her eyes, the first thing she saw being a wrist with black ink.

"Wow..." That was the second time that day. Barry just couldn't stop himself, her eyes... They were the absolute perfect shade of Y/E/C.  "Shit," the stranger girl's words were almost impossible to catch, but Barry did, and saw her eyes glued on his tattoo. His eyebrows furrowed, what was she doing? But once their eyes locked for what had to be the third time that day, he understood. "It's you," he stated. His soulmate nodded. "I'm Y/N, Y/N Y/L/N," She whispered, still looking deep into his eyes. "Barry Allen," at that he closed the gap. They kissed. Her on the bed, and him hovering over her. It didn't take may minutes before Cisco made a big deal out of it. "I told you, man!" He outed right after a wolf whistle. And the happy couple smiled. They had finally found each other. After all that time.

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A/N: The hard part of writing such clichés as a soulmate imagine, is that it’s almost impossible to write good! SO I hope the cuteness (hopefully there’s some cuteness in here…) made up for the bad writing and crappy ending:))

#Barry Allen #barry allen imagine #barry allen au #barry allen imagines #barry allen one shot #barry allen x reader #grant gustin #grant gustin imagines #grant gustin imagine #grant gustin one shot #grant gustin au #barry allen oneshot #grant gustin oneshot #grant gustin x reader #The Flash #the flash imagines #the flash imagine #the flash au #the flash one shot #the flash x reader #the flash oneshot

[lykanthropa]

The legend of the Medic

Summary: Aimeric tells his offspring Jeremy a story about an apple hating doctor and his servant. A story that will open the eyes of the future Scout

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

 Boston, Massachusetts 1954

“Are you already in bed, Jeremy?” “Yes, dad!” Aimeric enters his son's room. The little whirlwind lies cuddled in his bed. The Frenchman folded his arms in front of his chest and leaned against the doorframe. “Teeth brushed?” “Yes.” “Did you give Mama a goodnight kiss?” “Yes!” A smile flash over the face of the otherwise so strict papa. “Very good. That sounds as if you deserve a bedtime story.” “Yeeaahhh!” Aimeric sits down on the bed and pulls the blanket slightly higher. “What shall I tell?” “About vampires!” “What?!” “I want a story about vampires!” “’ow did you get it? ‘ow do you know this word?” “My brothers have watched with me a vampire movie.” “What was that? I can’t believe it! If your brothers visit us again, I will flay them alive!” Jeremy flinched. He pulls his blanket over his face. He doesn't like his father to be loud and he doesn't want his brothers to get in any trouble. He loves them so much! Aimeric reassures himself quickly as he hears his son whimpering. Carefully he pulls the blanket from his head. “Hey, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. I didn't want to be loud.” Jeremy hesitates briefly, then jumps up and hugs his father. He returns the embrace. He presses his little son to himself and caresses his back. “It’s okay. But you are not allowed to watch ‘orror movies.” He puts Jeremy back and covers him up. “Why not?” “Because you get nightmares.” “But I didn’t get any nightmares.” “And what about your mother? What would she say if she should find that out?” “Please don’t tell her! I don’t want to make Ma sad.” Aimeric looks at his son. “Mhm… Alright. I won't tell ‘er.” “It remains our secret?” “Yes, it remains our secret. But you have to promise me that you will never do that again. You're only six years old.” “Promised! I love you dad.” “I love you too, junior.” Jeremy jumps up once again and hugs his father. And, of course, he replies the embrace again before he puts him down again. “So. But now you stay lying down. After all, you want a story, right?” “Yeeeaahhh!” “All right, then… I won't tell you about vampires, but I'll tell you about the legend of the Medic.” “The legend of the Medic?” “In the fantasy world Germany lives the Medic together with ‘is servant Heavy in a dreamy old town called Rottenburg.” “Why is his name…heavy?” “Because he is a big, ‘eavy Russian.” “What is a Russian?” “A mythical creature, just like Germans. So, the Medic is active only at night. Only at this time does he visit the children…” “Is he Santa Claus?” “No. As I said, there are no Germans, but Santa is real. You know that, do you?” “Yes, dad~” “The Medic does not visit all the children, but only those who were naughty.” “What is he doing with the children?” “He gives them an injection.” Jeremy pulls his blanket up again. “A-an injection?” “Yes, an injection. Naughty children get an injection.” “But… I got an injection, too. So am I…naughty?” Aimeric laughs. “No, no. You got a vaccination. This is something else. Only if you get an injection from a German Medic, it means you were naughty. And since there are no Germans, you don't need to be afraid.” “Does the injection hurt?” “If it's from a German Medic, yes.” “.........”Jeremy whimpered softly. “But the Medic ‘as a weakness, which people use to keep ‘im from their children.” “…garlic?” “Apples.” “Oh no!” “They cut them into slices and hung them outside the window of the children's room. Because one thing you have to remember. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” “I thought the saying means that you don't need a doctor if you eat a lot of apples because apples keep you healthy.” Aimeric puts his arms in the sides. “If you know so well, why don't you eat apples regularly?” “I don’t like apples… They are boring.” “But you like to drink apple juice, don't you?” “I don't have to chew these apples.” Aimeric sighs. This boy… “Okay.” “What is Medic doing on the day?” “During the day? During the day he sleeps in his villa, feeds his doves and plays chess with his servant.” “So the Medic is an old man?” “What makes you think that?” “Because only old people sleep in the day, feed doves and play chess.” “………” That kid… „Shall I tell the story now or would you rather sleep?” “I'm quiet now!” “Well. Medic and Heavy are sitting together at a game of chess when the big, old grandfather clock ‘eralds the start of the midnight time with a loud gong…”

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“Aaaand… checkmate!” “Oh no… Heavy lost again.” “Don’t worry about it, my friend. At some point you will defeat me.” “Heavy does not believe that. Doktor is too smart for Heavy.” “Ach Heavy. What would I be without you?” A clock gong dins through the old living room. “Oh? Already midnight? How time flies when you amuse yourself.” “Does Doktor have to sting children again?” “Yes, Heavy.” Medic wants to be on his way to his doctor's room to get his syringe when he notices his look. “Don’t look at me like that.” “But Heavy feels sorry for children.” “Well, the brats would have had to think beforehand if they wanted to be cheeky.” “But they are just children. Children are sometimes something...cheeky.” “Nein, nein, nein! That will not work. If the parents are not able to properly educate their kids, they must reckon with the consequences. And what is the best way to child education than a big, painful syringe? A good beating might not be wrong, too...” “Can Doktor not stay at home one night? Heavy feels uncomfortably alone at night.” “Unfortunately this is not possible. I have an important job to fulfill. It will not last long either. I promise.” “………”

A little later Medic sneaks through the sleeping Rottenburg. Past the Kritzhaus, the Humboldt Sauermilch Molkerei GmbH and Otto's Café. There is a strange odor in the night air, but Medic does not think anything of it until he reaches the first house. The boy who lives there simply does not learn his lesson. Medic was already with him three times. As often as with no other child. And today is the fourth time. The little one is a veritable whirlwind. He is loud, wild and loves to swing his little baseball bat. And with this he has pelted a squirrel with nuts, which he had previously stolen from the rodent. Somehow, he will get it. Some children are simply stupid and often need a slap on the butt. And the slap is in the form of a big syringe. Children are afraid of injections. And especially this rascal shouts loudly at the injection. But still no improvement of his behavior. Then the best things come in fours. Whatever. Medic loves it to give a shot.

He skilfully climbed up the outer wall of the house. “I’m coming, little boy~” The children's room is on an advantageous side. The houses are close together, but this is the last house near the bridge. The next houses continue beyond the bridge. That is, Medic has free backwind and below him the river. This strange smell grows stronger, the higher Medic climbs. And when he reaches the window, he realizes what's stinking here. An apple chain is hanging bevor the window. “Apples…?!!!” Medic automatically pushes himself off the wall, and since he cannot fly, he rushes down the ten meters and hits the water with a loud bang.

Heavy sits in the old reading chair, with a book in his hands and his reading glasses on his nose as the door opens and Medic stands in the frame. Soaking wet. “Doktor! What happened?” The good-natured Russian rushes over to his master, with the blanket of the chair, and places it around him. “Come in and sit down.” “Thanks, Heavy.” Heavy fuels the open fire. “What happened?” “I don’t know either… There are apples hanging in front of the windows of the children rooms.” “Apples?” “Yes. Sliced and attached to a leash.” “Oh… Everywhere?” “Yes. After I crashed into the river, I tried it somewhere else, but in vain. Apples everywhere. Well, I've lost my syringe anyway. Probably in the water.” “Poor Doktor.” “How do they know that? How do these stupid people know that apples are my weak spot?” “………” “Heavy…” “D-da, Doktor?” “You have nothing to do with it, do you?” “………” “Heavy. Don’t lie to me.” Heavy begins to tremble and the tears stand in his eyes. Then he fell to his knees before Medic. “Yes, it is true! It is Heavy's fault!” Medic jumps out of the chair and stares furiously down at his servant. “How dare you to delude me? Heavy!!” “Heavy is sorry! Heavy is sorry!!” “That's what you do when I sleep in my operating room on my operating table during the day, ja? Why? Tell me why!” Heavy wipes the tears from his face. “Heavy is so worried about Doktor! People are angry at him because he's poking their children! Heavy is afraid that one day they will hurt him with torches and pitchforks.” “Hurt me? Such a nonsense. These village idiots don't dare to go near to my house.” “Please stop it, Doktor. Heavy has never understood why you're doing it anyway.” “Oh, we've done that one! I do this because... because... Because I just have to do it. I'm a Medic.” “Heavy still does not understand it.” Medic sighs beaten. “It’s okay, Heavy. You don’t have to understand that. Stand up.” Heavy obeys. “Doktor is no longer angry?” “No, I'm no longer angry. But what am I to do now? I have to get to these children. It does not work with these damned apples.” “Maybe Heavy can help.” “How?” “By eating it.” “…what do you mean eating?” “Heavy loves apples.” “………!” Medic feels an urge to gag. “Since when do you like apples?” “All along. But Heavy has never dared to say that to Doktor.” “Did you secretly eat apples behind my back?” “Heavy-“ “No! Don’t say it. I don’t want to know it.” “But Doktor asked.” “I know I've asked, Heavy!” “...……” “I’m sorry… Please wait here. I'm going to get a new syringe and my 3 meter stick.”

Shortly after, Medic and Heavy sneak through the town. Heavy always wanted to go for a night walk with his master. Unfortunately, he has completely different interests. “Here we are, Heavy.” Medic is standing again in front of the house, from which he had fallen into the river. “This time I'll get you, you brat.” “But Doktor-“ Medic raises his hand to silence his servant. “No, Heavy. I get the thing down there now and you take care of it disappearing once and for all, understood?” Heavy nods. Medic uses his stick to bring down the apple chain in front of the window. It's not that easy. He has to stretch a little to get at that. “Hnngh! Come… down here…finally…!” “Chain is be fastened, Doktor.” “I can see that myself, Heavy.” Suddenly the apple chain breaks and falls down, directly in Medics direction. He does not react fast enough and it lands on his head. “Aahhhh! Take it away! Take it away!” Helpless and panicked, Medic gestures with his arms in the air. Heavy takes the apple slices and starts eating them. Medic turns away in disgust. “Now, that I know of your apple fetish, there will be no more kisses on the mouth in the future.” Heavy is hurt. “So, I'm climbing up there now and doing my job. You're waiting here. And don't let anyone see you, understood?” “Da, Doktor.” Again Medic climbs up the outer facade. Now that the apples are gone, he can open the window unmolested and enter the children's room. He quietly sneaks to the bed. The syringe in the right hand, while the left hand grips the bedspread. With a jerk, he pulles it down, lifted the syringe over his head to jab out. But he freezes in his movement when he realizes that the boy is not in bed at all. “What the…?” “Take that, you stupid vampire!” “What?!” The boy suddenly stands next to him, spraying a stinking, yellow liquid in his face. Medic freezes. “What is this?” “Apple juice.” “WWAAAAAHHHHHH!!” With a header, Medic jumps out of the window into the river. Meanwhile Heavy payed his attention to a street cat, who had crossed his path. But the doctor's cry had scared her off. “Doktor!” Heavy fished his master out of the water. “So ein Mist…” Suddenly, the lights of the houses of Rottenburg go on. “Let's get out of here, Heavy!” “Da, Doktor!” Heavy loads Medic on his shoulder and as fast as he can he brings himself and his master to their house, their safe place. They lock the front door. “What do we do now?” “I don’t know, Heavy. Such a thing has never happened before.” “They'll come for us, will not they?” “Nonsense! These are villages. Cowards. They are too be afraid of doing it.” “Death to the doctor! Death to the doctor! Death to the doctor!” The ominous singing comes nearer. As Medic and Heavy look out the window, they discover the inhabitants as they approach their house with torches and pitchforks. “Doktor?” “Yes, Heavy?” “Heavy has liked to work for you.” “Thanks, Heavy. And I thank you for the fact that you don't reproach me because we will burn shortly at the stake because of me.” “Death to the doctor! Death to the doctor! Death to the doctor!” The mob stops in front of the front door, furiously wave about with the pitchforks and torches. A couple of apples fly to the house wall and windows. Medic pushes one open and stares furiously down at the crowd. “What do you want?” “You have terrorized our children the longest time!” “I terrorize your children? Your children are terrorizing the whole town! And this is your own fault because you are just too stupid to educate them properly! I am doing nothing but giving them a lesson! A good beating might not be wrong, too...” “You monster! Go back to the hell hole you came from!” “Your ungrateful bunch! Stupid heap!” “Get out of our town and release the poor creature you force to work for you!” Medic turns to Heavy. He only shrugs.

The mob gets louder. A torch is thrown at Medic. But he can avoid it. It lands in the room behind him and sets the expensive carpet on fire. “Blow out the fire before it reaches my chemicals!” Heavy grabs the carpet and whirls it through the air. “Heavy, no!!” “Sparks fly through the room and one of them land directly in the test tube with the glycerine. “Raus hier!”

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“Then there was a ‘uge explosion and the two were never seen again.” “………” “………what?” “The story was stupid. You're really not a good storyteller.” Aimeric crosses his arms. “Why?” “Because it was not about vampires. Besides, you used a lot of words that I didn’t understand. For example, fae...fish. What does that mean? There were no fairies and fish in the story.” “Aha... ahah... ah. Listen, my son. This remains our secret too, okay?” “What do I have to hear?” Aimeric freezes. “Ma~” Suddenly, Jeremy's mother is standing in the room. Her arms akimbo. A sign that she is angry. “What do you teach our son for words?” “Oh, mon petit chou-fleur! I uh… I didn't think ‘e would listen so well.” She grabs him by the ear and pulls him up. “For today you have told enough stories.” “Are you telling dad a story now?” “Yes I will. But you sleep now, honey.” “Yes, Ma~” She bends down to her son and gives him a loving kiss on his forehead. “Good night, my child.” “Good night, Ma~ Good night, dad~” “Good night, boy…”

15 years later, Badlands 1969

“Woohooohooo!” “Can you not even keep your mouth shut for once?” “Are not you excited to work as a mercenary?” “No.” “Hey, are ya really father and son?” “Yeah, the old man is really my father. Freakin' unbelievable, isn't it?” “Hahaha! Nice to meet ya. My name is Aberdeen. I'll be the bomb specialist here.” “Cool! And who are they?” “Soldier, Pyro, Sniper und Engineer.” “Sounds as if we're complete.” “No, unfortunately not yet. Two are still missing.” “And what job do they do?” “Hey! They are there! Attention!” Soldier barks. A slender and a wider, larger man enter the room. “Hello. My name is Mr. Ludwig and I am the team doctor. This is Misha, the man for the heavy weapons.” “The Doc and the fat ass, then?” Ludwig gives Jeremy an unimpressed look. “We prefer Medic and Heavy.” Jeremy freezes. Medic and Heavy...? That cannot be... Oh, what am I thinking? Then they are Medic and Heavy. As long as these two are no German or Russian. They don't exist anyway. “You have strange accents. What state are you from?” “We don't come from America. I'm German and Heavy comes from Russia.” Jeremy freezes again. Soldier groans. “Great. A Nazi and a communist.” “Wait, wait, wait! There are no Germans or Russians at all.” Medic and Heavy exchange glances. “You told me at the time that there are none!” Aimeric lights a cigarette. “You told me!” “God dammit! You went to school for 13 years! It's not my fault if you don't payed any attention in ‘istory and geography.” “Hahahaa! Did ya really believe that, lad? Do ya believe in Santa Claus?” “Well… yes.” The team laughs at the freshly baked scout. He turned to his father. “You told me nothing but lies!” “I did that because you were still a child. As you grow older, you learn automatically what is real and what fiction. It’s not my fault that my son is an airhead.” Scout growled angrily and then rushed to the Russian without warning. He jumps to his chest and takes him by the scruff of his neck. “How did you survive the explosion?” “I can ‘ardly believe you've remembered that.” “Sure I remember! The story was so lousy that I couldn’t possibly forget it! And you two! How did you survive the explosion?” “Are you don't feeling well, boy?” Medic asks worried. “Shall I give you a sedative injection?” Injection?! “Nnnnooooo!” Scout hurriedly moved away from Heavy and Medic. “Don’t touch me, you vampire! Frankenstein! I warn you. I have energy drinks with apple flavor!” “Okay” Medic answers. “But apple juice would be better. And real apples would be more healthy.” Scout presses both hands to his head. “Argh! Fuck you, Spy!” Scout rushed off. Aimeric takes relaxed a pull on his cigarette. “I ‘ave a feeling as if today is the last day my son called me father.”

#TF2 #tf2 scout #tf2 spy #tf2medic #tf2 heavy

[marcusssanderson]

5 Habits To Unleash Your Inner Beast and Calm Confidence

ME·DI·O·CREˌ mēdēˈōkər/

Adjective – of only ordinary or moderate quality; neither good nor bad; barely adequate.

Synonyms: ordinary, average, middling, middle-of-the-road, run-of-the-mill, commonplace

  According to Dictionary.com, the word “mediocre” originated from the Latin “mediocris”, which means “in a middle state, literally, at middle height. Part of the word “ocris” came from old Latin, translating to rugged mountain, or apex.

Too many people today are willing to settle for mediocre: to be in the middle of the mountain, almost there at the top, but not quite finishing.

But along the way, we saw an obstacle or some distraction and turned aside.  Comfort won out over the dream. A route to a dream worth having is rarely comfortable. We have something within us that can be incredibly successful. We see the beauty of that mountain and we want to reach the summit so we can see the view from the top.

But the journey to obtain that view is often difficult and fraught with danger and distractions. There are plenty of steep cliffs and loose rocks that make our footing unstable. Good thing there are inns and respite areas along the way that call for us to just take it easy.

It is only those that know how to unleash their inner strength and be a beast that can muscle through the difficulty to get to the top. How? By forming habits.

  Here Are 5 Habits To Help You Be a Beast and Achieve Success

1) Morning Rituals

The desire to be a beast is within every living soul, ready to be unleashed and set free to pull you through the challenges and help you bypass distractions that WILL come into your life. Tasting success early in your day can awaken it, setting you on course to shape the rest of it.

While different for everybody, these morning rituals (3-5 small tasks) can give you a sense of accomplishment. The quote from the movie Better Off Dead comes to mind:

“I think all you need is a small taste of success, and you will find it suits you.”  

These need to be simple things that you can do pretty much regardless of what your schedule looks like. Things on my morning ritual list include a four-shot espresso, prayer, Bible reading, a shot of apple cider vinegar, taking a multi-vitamin, flossing, and making my bed.

I finish all of those things before I do anything else. When I do that, I know that my day won’t have been totally wasted. The beast likes success and will want more. Wake him up with daily morning rituals.

  2) Daily Evaluation

What in the world is going on in your head?

In order to be a beast, you need direction. If your mind is cluttered and distracted, you can bet that she will run in a thousand directions and get nowhere.  

Early in your day, look at those things that you expect to take place. Consider past mistakes and resolve to make sure that whatever those tasks are, that you will do it right this time.

What does right look like? How should you walk into that meeting today? What are you going to do when that annoying person stops you in the hallway? Visualize as many scenarios as you can. Evaluate how you did handle them in the past. Evaluate how you want to handle them if they should come up again.

Consider your personal ethos. How can you live up to your own high standards today? The beast needs direction: evaluation can help you direct her so that she serves you and does not harm you.

  3) Annual Life Analysis

The beast likes challenges. Once a year, it is good to sit down and envision them, so that the beast within can start to get excited. 

When I was a child, I had a dog that loved to go for a walk. The difficulty was that he would practically pull my arm out of the socket when he took off. The excitement for him was overwhelming (even though I rarely went where I wanted to go).

When the beast gets excited, he will pull you toward the mountain top (as you have given him direction). At least once a year, I like to track where I spend my time for a full week. At the end of the week, I summarize where I spend my hours. I nearly always find something that is taking more of me than I realized.

In those areas, I strive to find some way to get more bang for my time. The other habit I have is sitting down and setting goals to achieve for the next quarter or the year ahead. When I imagine achieving those goals, I can sense my desire to be a beast roaring with excitement! I know there’s no holding myself back now.

  4) Circle of Friends

When you hang out with winners, you’re more likely to be a beast, hungry for success. If those beasts within your circle of friends speak the same language, they will motivate each other to do great things.

Surround yourself with men and women who long to achieve as badly as you do. If you spend too much time with family and friends that are content with the status quo, they won’t you achieve. Unfortunately, if you spend too much time with those who have sleeping beasts, yours too, will want to nap and waste time.

Seek out those who are full of energy and strength, those that want to get to the mountain top and see that view. Give the beast a good set of friends to push them.

  5) Bedtime Rituals

Your day is almost over. How do you draw a great day to an end?

When my kids were small, we developed some good rituals that helped them go to bed without a major struggle. Bath, jammies, bedtime stories, along with bedtime prayers and they quietly disappeared into dream land. The bedtime ritual gave them a sense of normalcy and security.

Even as adults we can gain the security that comes from bedtime rituals. Before I go to bed, I set up the coffee maker so all I will need to do in the morning is turn it on. I know that my morning brain struggles with the setup, but my mind at night can do this right. I set out my journal and my Bible so that I can find it without waking up my wife. With those tasks done, with either a hot shower or bath, I am ready for bed.

I have calmed my mind and all that I could do in this day is complete. I can sleep peacefully knowing that I have given my all. I also know that the beast is also getting settled, focused on calming down. It is in the calm that the beast is being strengthened, awaiting to be unleashed in the morning.

  ~

Those that have gone on before are telling us of the view from the top. Regardless of how good a communicator they are, it is impossible for them to accurately describe the view.

So you must strive to see it for yourself. Take a breath, be a beast, and climb to the top. I expect to see you there.

The post 5 Habits To Unleash Your Inner Beast and Calm Confidence appeared first on Everyday Power Blog.

[borngeek-blog1]

Dean and I just got back from the most amazing trip to Cape Town. It was all part of my grand plan. I figured that before we emigrate, I should see Cape Town, especially seeing as everyone raves about it as their favorite city in South Africa. In fact, before I ever met Dean, I was planning to do a trip around the world and the only city I really wanted to visit in South Africa was Cape Town. In the almost ten years I’ve lived here, I’ve visited most of the urban centers and national parks, but had missed out on the Mother City… until now. And wow, what a trip!

There are so many things that made this a fantastic holiday. We saw incredible sites, tasted so much deliciousness, saw people we love and also simply reveled in each other’s company. It was everything a vacation should be, and definitely a destination that I would love to revisit in the future. For sure when we come back to South Africa when Harley (and maybe one day, baby #2) is older to visit, I’d want to return to Cape Town. I really tried hard to chronical this trip more than usual – friends always laugh at me and Dean because we will go places and come home without a single picture. So I tried my best to take more pictures – I don’t think any of them will do our trip justice, though.First up, the flights. I was honestly dreading flying with a toddler. What if she was cranky? What if she screamed the whole way? What if it was the worst trip and made me dread the intercontinental journey even more? Well, I shouldn’t have worried – Harley was a dream! The airports were pretty easy thanks to having my Ubuntu carrier. I could strap Harley on and still get around without any issue. However, she really doesn’t like being in the carrier when I sit down – either at home or on the plane. So when I sat down, I unstrapped her from the carrier and just held her on my lap. On the flight down to Cape Town, she nursed for take-off and napped a little bit, otherwise just playing and being pretty chilled during the flight and landing. On the flight back home, she slept the whole time. She fell asleep before take-off and woke up when we were getting off the plane. What a dream – I can only hope she’s this easy when we face those ridiculously long flights when we emigrate.

Upon arrival in Cape Town, we grabbed our rental car and off we went to our little cottage for the week. When we went to Knysna a few months back, Harley slept in camping cots (or those bad co-sleeping experiences) in our accommodation. But this place didn’t have a camping cot for her. Instead, they had a fold-out sleeper couch that was my new favorite thing. We would make the couch into a bed, complete with sheet and duvet. Then I’d crawl into bed with Harley and nurse her to sleep, but once she passed out, all I had to do was sneak out of the bed. No lifting, carrying or putting her down, all of which are known to be opportunities for a little one to wake up. It was divine and made bedtime, as well as midnight wakeups, so, SO much easier.

Okay, so day one was already jam packed. After we got the keys to our cottage and had a quick chat with the hosts, we went for a quick walk around the area – we found our local shopping center to buy water and any other supplies we might want or need, and then off we went. We started out at Eden on the Bay in Big Bay. Thanks to it being mid-week, it was empty and beautiful. In fact, it’s so beautiful that National Geographic even has a giant frame so that you can take the perfect picture of Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean. Of course, I didn’t use that, though – I opted to take my own image by the dunes, and then forced Dean to take a picture of me and Harley when we sat down for lunch.

  After I had some sushi, Dean had a burger and we determined that Harley was happy with a plate of chips AND a small ball of sushi rice, off we went to Durbanville Hills. Dean did a wine tasting while I did a wine and chocolate tasting… That resulted in us sending home a case of wine and buying a couple slabs of accompanying chocolate. I adored the look and feel of that particular wine farm. Each one we went to was lovely, but Durbanville Hills was just so clean, fresh and open, plus it has an incredible sculpture garden in the tasting area. The pieces cost about as much as a small car, but that didn’t stop me from admiring them and wishing for all the space and money to have one in my home one day.

We ended up back at Eden on the Bay in the evening, heading to Saints for some truly delicious burgers. I had the Sweet Child of Mine, which comes with bacon, caramelized onions, and camembert while Dean had the Smoke on the Water, which actually featured a pork and chorizo patty. The portions were large, Harley loved the normal and sweet potato chips, and it was the perfect end to a delicious day. It wasn’t even our first full day in the city, and I was rather impressed.

The next day, the weather was beautiful. Following recommendations, we went to Bread and Butter and I had the most delicious, decadent breakfast – French Toast that’s served with camembert sandwiched between two slices along with some crispy bacon. Yeah, such a hard life.

After filling up on bread and cheese, off we went to Table Mountain. Parking was a bit of a mission, but we managed to find a spot and then took the cable car all the way to the top. The ride itself was beautiful, but once on top, there were the most incredible views. I think my favorite view, though, was of Dean carrying Harley in the baby carrier. He wanted to see what it was like, and was pretty quickly convinced that it’s the ideal way to carry her around when she isn’t in an active, run around and cause trouble kind of mood. I totally failed to take any pictures on top of Table Mountain, but here is Dean with Harley in the carrier.

After Table Mountain, we headed down to V&A Waterfront where I hoped we could catch the ferry to Robben Island. I remember doing Alcatraz as a kid when we visited San Francisco, and I was really intrigued by Cape Town’s island prison and all the history it held. Unfortunately, the tours were booked out for the day. I was advised to book online, but when I went to do so, I saw so many terrible reviews. People were stuck on the island for hours without the ferry service to bring them back, people said the tour really wasn’t that great… just complaint after complaint. They had told me at the visitor’s center that the tour was four hours, but I had figured we could always leave early if necessary. Well, if the ferry might not run and we could be stuck there, it just wasn’t a risk I was willing to take with a toddler along for the ride. Maybe next time we visit.

Instead, Dean and I hung out at V&A where I bought some new, Star Wars-themed Haviannas, and then we sat at Mitchell’s brewery and happily drank beers and had snacks. We were pretty tired when we eventually got home, and just picked up more snack food and chilled in our cottage for the evening.

The next day was blustery and chilly, so we went on a bit of a road trip. It was amazing! We went down the coast and drove through all the small towns, my favorite of which was Kalk Bay. Next time we are in the area, I really want to spend some time there browsing galleries and eating in all the cool looking restaurants on the wharf. Instead, we drove on through and got to Boulder Beach, so named because of the giant boulders (duh!). There, we got to see penguins! So cool!! Then we carried on south and made it to the Cape of Good Hope, the most south I’ve ever been in the world. We were quite lucky because at each place the weather cleared just long enough to see whatever site, with the rain continuing as soon as we were back in the car.

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On Thursday, we saw two of our very dear friends, Gerhard and Carla, and their son Finn. They moved down to Cape Town a few months back, and we have missed them a lot. It was so lovely to catch up, to talk and laugh and just generally be the way we always are together. It’s so totally comfy being together, to the point where when it was time for Finn’s bath, we threw the babies in the tub together. Too cute! I wish I could show you how adorable their kid is, or just how much fun we all had, but we were too busy enjoying each other’s company (and the incredible offering at The Spice Route in Paarl) to take any pictures.

Friday was the last of our real touristy experiences, and we decided to head to a local brewery that makes a beer Dean likes when he can get it up in Joburg – Jack Black. We managed to have a tour of the brewery, and a tasting, and buy some cool swag as well. Harley also seemed to enjoy it all, mainly because of the pretzels.

From there, we went to Groot Constantia, a Dutch manor house, and wine farm. It was a beautiful area and cool to see – the architecture was so intriguing because it pretty much showcased the types of houses Dutch people would make if they had all the room to work with. We had a delicious lunch there (are you noticing the trend here? If we stayed in Cape Town much longer I would have needed an extra seat on the plane!) and then returned to our cottage for a bit of downtime before meeting up with some of the amazing staff and community people from my day job at Critical Hit.

Already by this point in the week, I’d noticed a significant change in Harley. She had discovered her “no” ability, and it was not only adorable but really rather useful. Sure, it’s frustrating when you offer her something and she refuses, but at least through a process of elimination, I can now figure out what it is that she does want. Want the yogurt? No! Want the spoon? No! Want to put on your shoes? …. Ah, nodding – must be that. It feels like we can sort of communicate a bit more now, and it’s fantastic.

Beyond that, I’ve written before about Harley finding her appetite. Well, it was such a lifesaver on this trip. Wherever we sat down, we’d order our drinks and a plate of chips (fries) for her. Yes, I know, chips aren’t the most nutritious, but at least she’d eat a few bites and not be cranking. Thereafter she’d join in on my sweet potato fries, chicken, sushi or whatever else. When we were in the national park driving through to the Cape of Good Hope, it was so very cool that Dean and I could get coffee and pick up a small bag of Nik Naks (yes, again, I know it’s not the healthiest) and she was happy to snack away in the car while we drove.

On Saturday, Dean and I went out to meet part of my amazing mom tribe. These fellow moms became my friends at the start of the year when we were all going to do yoga together. They have since become an important part of my support network. We talk throughout the day, pretty much every day. Whether it’s just to vent about kids, husbands or work, or to share concerns or ideas, encouragement or inspiration, these ladies have become an integral part of my life. Of course, when we went to Cape Town, I had to meet the ones down there. So Cassey, Mandy, and Jonelle all converged on Stellenbosch to meet up, laugh, chat and eat and drink all the things. We were seriously missing Eleanor, but it was such a fabulous chance to finally meet in person.

Plus, our kids got to all play together, which was quite possibly the cutest thing ever. Initially, Harley was very clingy, but by the end, she was relaxed and causing mischief along with the others. Playing in an ice bucket with a stick, chilling on the grass, cruising around the picnic table. It was so adorable, and then Charly took things to a whole other level as she stroked Harley’s head and told Mandy that she missed stroking baby hair! Mandy also managed to take my new most favorite picture of Harley. Please can we all pause and appreciate how gorgeous this is:

Then Cassey and her lovely husband and adorable son took us into Stellenbosch proper to see the city and eat ice cream and explore the botanical gardens. It was a wonderful, chilled way to end the day. We made our way back to Cape Town, where we ended up back on Saints for some more burgers with colleagues. Our last day was pretty much spent just packing up and getting to the airport, where the slow lounge was divine and made the whole return experience so stress-free. Harley could wander around a bit while I ate yet more delicious nibbles and Dean drank coffee. Oh, and of course there was wifi, too.

Al in, it was one of my best, most delicious holidays I’ve had as an adult. We used to go on amazing vacations when I was a kid, but this was a new era and truly divine. I see now why people love Cape Town, and I would happily return to the Mother City for future holidays. I really want to go back and see more – more wine farms, Kalk Bay and maybe even make it to Robben Island. But at least now I feel like we can emigrate knowing that I’ve seen so much of what South Africa has to offer, and truly know it is a beautiful, delightful country.

Our Cape Town holiday was one of my best vacations Dean and I just got back from the most amazing trip to Cape Town. It was all part of my grand plan.

#Cape Town #holiday #South Africa #travel

[iblogwithgrace]

1. Hello, give us a background about yourself?

- Hi! My name is Azadeh and I am a multimedia journalist and blogger based in New York City.  I recently graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and I work at Vanity Fair on their video team.  Pretty much all other moments of my time are dedicated to either spending time with my family or blogging!  

2. As a female blogger, how would you describe the general perception ofyour field when you tell people about it? What do you wish is being donedifferently?

- What an excellent question!  I think for the most part, people don't take it seriously, but only because they don't really know that blogging is a BUSINESS!   Especially when you monetize it, like I have.

It's not just curating an outfit and posing for pictures.  When you collaborate with brands, you have to make sure you are being professional, following their requests, and representing them correctly.  And why wouldn't you?  They will notify other brands of how professional you are, and your network grows! :) 

If I had to wish for one thing to be done differently, it would be for bloggers not to get too competitive with each other!  Style blogging is predominantly female and I love going to events and meet ups to network and exchange ideas.  I've made some pretty beautiful friendships through blogging, and I LOVE meeting up with fellow blogger babes to discuss business strategies.  Unfortunately, I've also met some bloggers who don't care to do because they think it will retract from their own success.   

3. Describe a typical day in your life, from the time you wake up tillbedtime? And, how many hours do you work on a post?

- My typical day is has two parts.  It starts around 6 am when I wake up, do my morning routine, and head to work.  Then it starts again around 5:30 pm- it's like coming to my second job, haha!  Pitching, writing posts, scheduling, styling outfits, the list goes on!  Some nights I'll have events or blogger meet ups.  I'm usually in bed around 10, I can't function without sleep!  Photoshoots are usually scheduled for the weekend.

If you could see into my head, you would see I'm always thinking about what I can do to grow the brand, how I can engage better with my audience, or what posts I should be working on.  I send pitches every week to brands and platforms for collaborations, sponsorships, campaigns, or features.

4. What are the greatest pressures and pros of being a blogger?

- The biggest pressure for me is finding time to do everything I want to!  I have so many big ideas I wish I could start on!  I'm a beats at time management, but unfortunately I don't have the time to dedicate to right now.  

As for pros, I am truly doing what I love. :)  AzArAm used to be a personal style page, but has become a platform for the modern #GirlBoss.  It is such a beautiful feeling when I get messages from readers around the world saying I have motivated or influenced them in a positive way!

5. What are the necessary skills needed to succeed in your field? And, whatkind of experience do you think upcoming bloggers are expected to have?

- I think one of the biggest skills needed is patience.  No matter what you want to do with your blog, or where you want to take it, you MUST be patient.  Your platform is like your baby (or plant or pet!).  It needs to be constantly attended to, and from there it will grow.  

Another very important skill, especially for up and coming bloggers, is to really understand the playing field.  Social media is going to be your biggest asset, but you HAVE to know how to use it.  If you want to blog because you truly enjoy sharing a positive message and want to connect with others, then you should do research on how to expand using social media!

6. What does it take to be successful in your field?

- I truly think success is personal.  Some people think success in blogging is when you have half a million followers and get a campaign with a super high end brand, like The Blonde Salad.  I have met many bloggers, and every one has a different goal.  For me, it's positively influencing others.  If someone comes across one of my motivational posts and it somehow impacts them in a good way, then that to me is success!

7. What is your aspiration in life?

- I aspire to never settle, to always express gratitude, and to live a life of service.

8. Do you see yourself as accomplished?

- I do in ways.  I have over come a LOT in the last few years.  I was in a bad place in my life and made bad choices.  But I got my life on track, finished school studying my love, journalism, then got my masters from an Ivy League!  But I always say, "I didn't come this far to ONLY come this far."  That's not my quote by the way, I see it on motivational Instagram pages!

9. As a very busy human, how do spend your free time?

- With my family!  I'm lucky they live close by.

10.    And, what are your favourite hang/chill out spots in your city?

- This is a tough one!  New York is everything to me.  I do love the West Village though.  And probably the MET.  I will never ever get tired of the MET!

11. Are there things you miss about your childhood?

- Nap time!

12. Is your current position where you thought you will be at this stage?

- I think about where I was a few years ago, and where I am now and it truly amazes me.  Like... I did that?  I overcame these bad things?  I've had a lot of negative people in my life and no one believed me when I would talk about the things I wanted to do.  But here I am, living my dream! :) 

13. What used to be your greatest weaknesses, and how did you overcome them?

- There truly is so much power in positive thinking! :)  I'm human, I still talk myself down sometimes, but I snap out of it pretty quickly.  There is NO time for negativity.  Life is short and beautiful and we should be grateful!

Does this answer the question?  It made more sense in my head, haha! 

 14.  What do you do on Saturdays?

- If I can I go see my family, but if not then it's a combination of photoshoot, brunch, and art galleries.  In the summer- BEACH!

15. What are you most proud of?

- How far I've come.  Especially Columbia! :)

16. What's the last thing you do before you sleep?

- Gratitude and praises to the most high! 

Can't get enough of Azadeh, catch up with her, on her blog click here

I hope you enjoyed our spotlight post on today's featured blogger. If you will like to be featured on this blog, or know someone who should be, shoot us an email [email protected] and we'll get back to you.

That's it for today guys, I will see you in my next post.

Love and Peace,

Alexandra.

#IFTTT #Blogger