#is getting to go stick my hands in some clay every monday

[the-ginger-is-loose-again]

Where it started

Middle pot was first ever, all of these are wheel thrown stoneware pottery

Figuring it out

Where we are now

#my pottery #pottery tag #my art #unironically my favorite thing in life rn #is getting to go stick my hands in some clay every monday #literally takes an hour to drive there and an hour to drive home #but it is the only art class not at fucking noon on a tuesday #might end up becoming a member of the studio #especially if i can nail down the creation of those juicers #i know what everyone is getting for christmas this year lol

[ssa-assclown]

What If We Kissed At The Library (& Then Got Each Other Off)? JK...Unless // Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

‼️18+, Minors DNI‼️

Summary: Spencer & his girlfriend (the reader) visit the local library. Smut ensues.

Warnings: handjob, public (but sneaky) (spoiler alert they do NOT get caught but still -), slight exhibitionism, fingering, established relationship, kinda fluffy very smutty

Word Count: ~2k

**originally posted on my ao3, link in my about!**

“God, I love this place,” you said, gazing up at the large, familiar building up ahead, the sun glaring down on you harshly from the sky. Your boyfriend, walking beside you, got a certain glint in his eye. You knew what was coming; you knew it, and you absolutely loved it - fun facts incoming!

“You know, the first libraries consisted of archives of the earliest form of writing - clay tablets written in cuneiform script, which were originally discovered in Sumer. Some dated back as far as 2600 BCE.”

“I didn’t know that,” you said earnestly, tugging on the door handle, glad your hand was occupied so you could keep it from teasingly pinching Spencer’s adorable cheeks - a form of endearment he often swatted away with a blush. “I mean, I knew about Sumer and Mesopotamia and all that, but I didn’t know it was the origin of the first written language. Or I guess maybe I did know, and forgot.”

He strolled in and you followed.

“The history of the written word is so fascinating. Reading about the way language has changed over time and for what reasons is one of my favorite subjects.”

“Well then it’s a good thing we’re here,” you said, a bit quieter as the pair of you walked past the information desk and the eyes (and ears) of the on-duty librarians. The cooling blast from the A/C felt like a godsend and you sighed. Spencer followed your lead up the steps to the second floor, which held most of the library’s collection. It was vast and colorful and welcoming, the shelves stretching out to greet you like a tree with too many branches. It smelled so comforting, the carpet and wood and paper. You breathed it in. You were home.

You started in the world history section, watching Spencer run his fingers over the spines, silently reading the titles to himself. He was so beautiful. You couldn’t help but admire him, even doing something as normal and relatively mundane as this. He could never be mundane, not to you, with his shoulder length curls, his pink pouty lips, his slender, tall frame. Spencer Reid, wearing a cardigan in 85 degree weather, his light olive skin tinted red from the heat, with one hand on his leather satchel, the other ghosting over books at remarkable speed. He looked like Cabanel’s fallen angel, but more angelic, more ethereal. He looked like perfection in dark jeans. His tongue swiped out for a moment to wet his bottom lip and that was enough.

Without saying a word, you slipped a finger under the hand that was gripping the satchel strap, tugging his hand into yours. Though he was still scanning the shelves, he reciprocated instantly, intertwining your fingers and giving your palm a gentle squeeze. He pulled you along down the aisle, occasionally sliding a book out to scan its front cover and back before returning it to the shelf.

“What were you thinking of checking out today?” you asked quietly.

He thought for a moment, a book in his hand, then turned to look at you. “Probably something about Germany, but I’m not entirely sure yet. What about you?”

You chuckled to yourself, then leaned in a bit. “I’d like something from art history, but...right now, the only thing I’m checking out is you.”

It took a second to register, but once it did Spencer shook his head, lips upturned and cheeks a bit redder. “Y/N...” he groaned at the cheesiness of the pickup line.

“Spencer...” you mock-groaned back.

He slipped the book into his satchel for safe-keeping. “Alright, let’s head to art, then.”

“Art history - “

“Yeah, yeah...right...”

He was flustered. Good.

You let go of Spencer’s hand as you surveyed the art history section, sliding the large books out of place and carefully sliding them back when you were through. After reading the back of a book on Monet, you felt Spencer’s eyes on you in your peripheral vision. You glanced up and sure enough, he was leaning against the shelf, chewing on his lip, gazing back at you.

It happened without either of you realizing it.

It was like some sort of instinct took over. You couldn’t wait. You couldn’t be rational. You couldn’t be reasonable human beings. You needed to touch each other and you needed to touch each other now.

You set the book haphazardly (but silently) somewhere on the shelf, knowing you’d come back for it later, and made your way to Spencer. His eyes looked so full of want, it was almost overwhelmingly gorgeous. You tugged on the collar of his button-up shirt and leaned up to kiss him roughly, teeth clashing briefly, his tongue making its way into your mouth without hesitation. He tasted like coffee and cherry chapstick. You sighed.

You felt him start to get hard as you pulled away. You met his eyes again and he nodded his silent permission. Both of you instantly checked your surroundings, finding the second floor to still be deserted, at least from what you could see from the aisle. The art history section was towards the back of the floor and so, quite honestly, you might not have been alone after all. But again, rational thought had flown out the window. Only lust and hormones remained, and unfortunately so did Spencer’s jeans, which were starting to get extremely uncomfortable for him. And so you surreptitiously undid his belt.

You heard his breath start to quicken. It made your heart pound faster in your chest. This wasn’t the first time you’d given Spencer a handjob in public, but it also wasn’t something you’d done frequently. It was mostly uncharted territory, especially since the only public places you’d done things like this were more enclosed and private - places like movie theaters, or ferris wheels, or private jets…

Every slight movement sounded ten times louder in the silence of the library. The jingle of Spencer’s belt buckle may as well have been a fire alarm, even with your carefulness. You gulped and undid the button of his jeans, faking a sneeze as you unzipped the fly. He chuckled under his breath at your inventiveness. Your mouth watered at the sight of the tent in his boxers, cock straining uncomfortably against the fabric. You wanted to taste him so bad, but you couldn’t do it here. Still, your stomach did a flip at the thought. Later, you told yourself. That was far too risky.

You looked up into his eyes for consent once more and he nodded eagerly, big doe eyes pleading for relief. You didn’t waste anymore time and slipped your hand into his boxers, wrapping your fingers around his dick and pumping him slowly.

He was even more eager than you thought, precum dripping from the tip, and god you wanted to taste him. You again fought the urge and brought the wetness down his length, using it as lube. He was so big. He didn’t look it, but damn was he packing. Though you were often on top, pegging the daylights out of him, it was so nice when you bottomed for Spencer. You held your breath, remembering how good it felt to have the cock in your grip fucking you into the mattress. Every single time, it was an earth-shattering, bruising, mind-blowingly good fuck, and Jesus Christ were you horny now.

Spencer bucked into your hand and you looked up to see his face, eyes gripped shut, trying his hardest not to make any noise. At home, he was like a pornstar, the way he moaned, all inhibition gone with his clothes. You knew it was hard for him to stay quiet here just like it was hard for you to not immediately fall on your knees and take him into your mouth. You twisted your hand a bit as you continued to stroke him and his breath stuttered, one hand resting on the shelf beside him so he could bite down on the skin there, the other clutching his satchel, knuckles white.

He was close.

You tightened your grip a bit, focusing more on the head, other hand making its way to tease his balls. He whined then - quietly, but still - and for a moment you completely stopped, terrified someone had heard. You were both frozen in place for a good five seconds before collectively deciding it was safe to continue, and you did so at a merciless pace. Spencer was breathing so fast and so loud you were certain if anyone walked onto the second floor, they’d think someone was having an asthma attack up there. His eyes shot open and you knew he was about to cum. You gave in and got onto your knees, taking him into your mouth as he came, thick cock spurting cum deep into your throat. Spencer’s hand that had been death-gripping his satchel strap threaded through your hair lovingly, and he sighed in contentment, sated and blissful. You swallowed his release fully and kissed his tummy, tucking his softening cock back into his boxers, standing up before you had him zipped, buttoned, and rebuckled, another fake sneeze aiding your stealth.

It’s amazing how well-fucked a man can look with just one handjob-turned-slight-blowjob. Spencer’s eyes were dilated, his lips red and slightly swollen, face flushed, hair sticking to his glistening forehead. He was still catching his breath, and you could see the mark he’d left on his hand from biting down to stay quiet - something the team of profilers back at work would probably have a lot of questions about on Monday. He pulled you towards him and kissed you quickly, then slowly, tasting himself on your tongue and shivering at the intimacy of it all. He pulled away and nuzzled his nose against yours, mouth falling open lazily. You traced those red, swollen lips with your finger and kissed him again, and when you pulled away he arose concerned.

“What about you?” he whispered. “You didn’t - ?”

You laughed shortly under your breath. “You think we can get away with more public indecency?”

He shrugged. “I owe you,” he whispered. “And,” he leaned in to your ear, “I want to.”

Your stomach flipped.

You nodded at him and his lips turned up at the corners. You were in a skirt, making this a relatively easier feat than the one previous. You braced yourself against the sturdy bookshelf, stepping onto a nearby step stool to give Spencer better access. He slid his hand into your thong, the fabric wet from watching your pretty boy come undone, and traced along your entrance briefly. He retracted immediately and fear shook you to the core. Had someone walked up behind you? “What - ? Oh,” you were speechless. Spencer had pulled his hand out to wet his long fingers, slipping them two by two into his mouth and sucking, looking into your eyes as he did it.

“Spencer,” you whispered reverently, and his eyes grew smug. He brought his hand back into your pants and started to rub your clit, you holding onto his shoulders a bit awkwardly. “I’m not gonna last long,” you admitted, and he quickened his pace, slipping two of his gorgeous fingers into you at once, leaning in towards your ear again.

“It’s okay, Y/N,” he whispered, biting gently on your earlobe. “Cum for me. Cum for me.”

And you did. He kept on going through your orgasm, fingers perfectly fucking you through each shiver and swear and whisper of his name. Then he pulled out his hand and licked it clean, staring into your eyes while he did it. He licked his lips when he was done. “You always taste so pretty,” he whispered, breathing ragged.

“God, I really do love the library,” you whispered back.

#criminal minds #criminal minds x reader #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #spencer reid smut #spencer reid x fem!reader #spencer reid x female reader #cm #mgg #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid oneshot #spencer reid one shot

[comfyswitcherblanketfort]

My Darling Cat Roommate

lmao this isn’t lambden, as the title may suggest. sorry folks

@stinastar hit me with some feels over and modern roommate au where Geralt just doesn’t know what to do to make Jask feel better and this happened. 

Warnings: We go into some Seasonal Affective Depression stuff here so like be careful with that if it triggers you, jask beats himself up a little, mentioning feeling numb at things that usually bring him joy, i swear in this one. I haven’t changed, dont worry lol

_______________________

Jaskier trudged home from work on Friday, exhausted but relieved he had the next week off. He wolfed down the leftovers Geralt had heated up for him and almost fell asleep on the couch before Geralt hauled him up and walked him into his room, where he promptly fell asleep on top of his duvet in jeans and his shoes. Sometime around when early morning coffee workers were getting up he undressed and snuggled under the warm blankets. 

When he woke to Geralt making a smoothie he was prepared to launch into a full ‘morning people’ rant, only to check his phone and realize it was 2pm. So, maybe he’d needed rest. 

It was still grey enough out that he shrugged and went back to sleep. 

When he woke up again it was dark and the TV was going. He wrapped up in his comforter rather than putting on sweats and shuffled out to the kitchen only because his stomach growled when he tried to roll over.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty!” Geralt called over his shoulder as he floated past with the pasta he’d left in the microwave. 

Jaskier just grunted a small “Thanks,” before he disappeared back into his room. He scrolled through various apps as he ate and rolled back into bed. 

He might have fallen asleep, he might not, but he certainly didn’t get out of bed until his bladder absolutely demanded it on Sunday morning. 

Geralt intercepted him in the hallway before he could make it back to his room, “You feeling okay?”

“Hm? Why?” Jaskier took a moment to respond, staring at Geralt like he’d grown a second head. He knew his hair was probably greasy but he couldn’t look that bad.

“You slept all day yesterday.” Geralt looked like he was diffusing a bomb rather than talk to his roommate, “Did something happen at work?” 

Jaskier just shrugged, “I’m just tired.” And a little numb.

Geralt nodded, “I’m headed to the store. You sure you don’t want me to pick anything up for you?”

“I’m okay, Geralt…” he sighed, slipping past his brick wall of a roommate to slink beneath his blankets once again and make himself as small as possible. 

It was late January and the Seasonal Affective Depression was in full swing. He should have bought that fucking happy light when it was on sale. Should have bought the Vitamin D tablets he saw last week. Should have let Geralt drag him to the gym a little more when he felt the initial dip. Should have blah blah blah. He thought over every little thing he knew would have helped that he just hadn’t done and sighed, pulling his blankets tighter around him. He knew he wasn’t going to do any of it until it got bad enough that his hair would stick to his forehead once he hit this point. Might as well hurry it along so it could be over with. 

Geralt knocked on his door, snapping him out of his mini spiral. He hummed, not even bothering to turn over until he heard the rattle of the doorknob. 

“I know you didn’t want anything, but… uh. I was in the bulk section. Got you the peach things.” Geralt’s voice was lower and softer than usual as he raised the frankly massive bag of peach rings for emphasis before he set them on Jaskier’s desk. 

“Than-” Jaskier coughed when his voice came out raspy and broken, “Thank you.”

Geralt leaned against the doorframe for a moment, a curious frown on his face, “Bake Off is on in an hour if you wanna watch it.”

Jask forced a smile and shrugged, “We’ll see.”

Geralt pursed his lips and nodded, pausing a moment before pushing off the doorframe, “Okay.” 

Jaskier stared at the peach rings for a while after Geralt closed the door. Eventually he compromised with his brain and rolled out of bed onto his knees, waddling a couple of steps until he could reach the rings then launch back to bed. 

Normally he would have almost cried with happiness that Geralt had gotten his favorite treat. He loved it when Geralt did little things for him or thought of him enough to give him something, but he felt rather indifferent as he shoved the twentieth peach ring in his mouth. 

Without warning his door opened just enough for a plate to appear and be gently set on his desk.

Geralt muttered, “For the sugar high…” before his hand disappeared and the door once again shut. 

Jaskier almost smiled when he saw the neatly arranged concentric circles of Totinos Pizza Rolls on the plate. He got to his feet to fetch them this time. 

Around ten that night there was another knock at his door that pulled him from an hour long scroll through tiktok.

“Jask?”

“Yeah?”

Geralt held a big grey bundle in his arms, “Do you- Uh. I thought- weighted blanket?” He held his arms out with a hesitant smile. 

Jaskier sat up, “But don’t you use it to sleep?”

Geralt shrugged, unfolding the bean-filled blanket and laying it over Jaskier’s legs, “I’ll be fine.”

Jaskier stared at the ceiling for a while after he left, confused by Geralt’s suddenly attentive behavior. He would have expected the grouchy man to enjoy the silence that came with his bad days. For how much Geralt complained about his loud music, he certainly wasn’t expecting gifts. 

Geralt left a note in the kitchen Monday morning saying he’d made Jaskier a breakfast sandwich with instructions on how to warm it up without it turning soggy. Jaskier stood in front of the panini press reading and rereading the note as he heated his breakfast like it was in Old English. He ate at the kitchen table this time, annoyed with the crumbs in his bed, and counted up all the little gifts he’d been brought. He could come to only one conclusion.

Geralt was part cat. 

He’d stopped functioning and Geralt kept bringing him mice. 

He smirked and sent him a quick text, “Thanks for the breakfast. 👌 V  good.”

After breakfast, he decided maybe he could change his pajamas, but he stayed tucked under Geralt’s weighted blanket for most of the day. Every now and then Geralt would text him something stupid Eskel or Lambert did, or a meme he found on his break, and every time Jaskier would grin and send back an emoji. Words were out of reach but Geralt frequently only communicated in emojis and one-word sentences. He should get the message.

Jaskier fell asleep around two, really asleep not just the fitful light sleep he’d been having the last couple of days. He was rousted from a dream about a talking panini press by Geralt tripping over a pile of laundry and softly swearing as he tried to right himself without crashing into the bed or Jaskier’s lute. 

“Geralt? Darling, what are you doing?”

Geralt finally caught himself and nearly blinded Jaskier with a smile as he straightened up, “Didn’t mean to wake you.” 

Jaskier sat up and scratched at his hair, “Yes, but doing what?” 

“Oh! Yeah. Uh. I-” Geralt, still grinning, pointed to a small fern in a bright orange clay pot sitting on his windowsill. 

“You got me a plant?”

Geralt was practically beaming when Jaskier glanced back at him. 

“Has anyone ever told you you’re a cat?” 

Geralt snorted, sitting down on the edge of the bed, “You’re feeling better?” 

Jaskier tilted his head, “I think so? What makes you say that?”

“You called me ‘Darling’.” 

A hesitant smile crept on Jaskier’s face. There was an echo of the usual all-consuming warmth spreading in his chest that he usually felt when Geralt smiled at him. He may indeed be feeling a bit better. Come to think of it he actually wanted to shower.

“I taped Bake Off. If you’re feeling up for a trek to the couch,” Geralt offered, forced nonchalance dripping from every word. 

Jask nodded, “Let me shower, then we can finish off the peach rings.” 

Geralt’s smile nearly stopped his heart, a sure sign he was nearing the land of the living again, “I got lasagna on the way home too,” he chirped as he jumped up and made his way to the door. 

“Hey, Darling?” It felt a little forced and goofy saying the pet name like that, but Jaskier just couldn’t help himself, “Thank you.”

Geralt’s smile softened, “Anytime.”

#listen yall idk who im projecting on more with this one #but the feels are strong and i yearn #geraskier #geraskier roommates #geraskier roommates au #roommates au #the witcher #the witcher modern au #the witcher roommates au #geralt of rivia #jaskier #seasonal affective disorder #seasonal affective depression #cw SAD #depression #thems some heavy tags for something meant to be fluff #that kinda just hits the nail on the head for the fandom tho yeah? #lol #soft geraskier

[crispyjenkins]

Secretly married obiwan x quinlan

(thank you all so much for your patience on this one! still figuring out my routine around my family and who i am as a person, but prompts are back to sunday and monday uploads!

i guess i just like the idea of quinlan and obi-wan gettin’ hitched really young? it certainly sounds like smth quinlan would do. HOWEVER can you just imagine them not getting into a relationship until the clone wars? (ノ*´◡`) maybe they’ve been dancing around it since they were padawans and finally decide to just say fuck it like anidala. 

that is not this story.)

  The greatest injustice of it all is that Quinlan and Master Tholme had just left the Temple when the council had sent him and Qui-Gon to Melida/Daan, just as Quinlan had not been there when Obi-Wan had been sent to the Agricorp. Quinlan had almost strangled him for that, when he’d shown back up from Bandomeer trailing behind his new master, and, honestly, Obi-Wan hadn’t blamed him.

  When the contingent of Jedi and their padawans arrive in the capital city of Zehava to help negotiate with Neild and the Young, Quinlan hugs him instead. 

  And Obi-Wan hasn’t eaten properly in weeks, he’s been sleeping in the sewers, and Cerasi’s blood is still caked under his fingernails, and Quinlan nearly knocks him over with the force of their collision. He wraps Obi-Wan up so tight it almost feels like they’d never even left the créche — he’s always felt more like home than the Temple, anyways.

  “Let’s not do that again,” Quinlan says, surprisingly in control of his voice for how wrecked he’d sounded after Bandomeer.

  With shaking hands, Obi-Wan hugs him back, twisting his fingers into the back of Quinlan’s robes until he can’t feel them anymore. “I’ll say goodbye properly, next time,” he promises hoarsely, feeling Master Qui-Gon prod at his mind in concern before Master Tholme leads him away. 

  Quinlan makes a distressed noise and hugs him tighter. “Or you could stop kriffing almost getting killed every mission, yeah? I swear by the Maker that if Master Yoda has to sit me down one more time to ‘break the news’ to me that you've gone awol, I’m going to throw you into a sarlacc.”

  Obi-Wan does suppose it’s a little unfair to do this to his friends nearly every time he leaves the Temple, but with a galaxy so big and so full of need, he knows he can’t promise that. 

  So he presses his forehead into Quinlan’s collarbone, releasing his hands just long enough to tuck himself into Quinlan’s robes instead, and nods against him anyways. “You’d have to find a sarlacc first, Quin,” he says, like making a joke of it will excuse that he’d almost gone and left Quinlan alone again. 

  “Don’t worry, I’ll just stick you on a desert planet, and with your luck, the sarlacc will find you.”

-

  The greatest injustice of it all is that Obi-Wan knows before Qui-Gon even opens his mouth what he’s going to say. No one ever looks at someone like that with good news.

  They excuse him from his last lesson so he can find a private meditation room to process, but Obi-Wan goes to Master Tholme’s apartment instead. He leaves the bedroom doors closed, the quartermaster will send someone to sort through their belongings later, and he settles on Quinlan’s meditation stool in the main room. He knows Quinlan has more belongings than is typically appropriate of a Jedi, but Tholme keeps the living spaces clean and bare, neutral colours blurring together until the white walls stare back at Obi-Wan in accusation.

  He should have known he wouldn’t be able to meditate, anyways.

  After Qui-Gon goes to bed, leaving Obi-Wan with murmured words of assurance and a ruffle of his hair, Obi-Wan slips out of their quarters in his darkest robes. He meets Luminara and Bant in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, and they know it’s impossible that their little escapade has gone completely unnoticed, but no one stops them from winding through the different fountains until they reach the one modeled to resemble a spring on Kiffu. None of them had ever been to Quinlan’s home planet, but Obi-Wan had come here often with him even in their créche days, and dropping to sit in the yellow dirt doesn’t hurt as much as he thought it would.

  Luminara sets a simple clay incense burner on the edge of the fountain wall, lighting it as Bant lays out a small offering plate with Quinlan’s favourite sweetcake; they don’t make Obi-Wan help as they go about fixing an altar with little bits from all their cultures, the water-filled quiet between them heavier so heavy it reminds him of those nights on Melida/Daan.

  “Did—” Obi-Wan swallows even though his mouth is dry. “Did you all do this for me, before?”

  His friends exchange a look before nodding. “Both times,” Bant says softly, lighting the last candle before joining him on the ground and for once not worrying about laying out a blanket first. 

  “Quinlan almost didn’t come to the second one,” Luminara admits, standing over the altar with her eyes closed as she breathes in the incense. 

  Obi-Wan simply nods, because that does sound like Quinlan, and he feels horrid all over again for making Quinlan go through this, twice. Inhaling a sigh, Obi-Wan finds the holodisk hidden away in his robes and sets it next to the incense. 

  None of them can bear to turn it on.

-

  The greatest injustice of it all is that, for some reason, Master Tholme did not contact the Temple before hitching a ride back from the moon where the unhappy locals had bombed their ship. And Obi-Wan knows Master Tholme didn’t tell the council they were in fact alive, because then the council would have told Obi-Wan.

  He feels it the moment their ship docks, Quinlan’s presence flooding his mind until his fingers tingle with it, and he shoots to his feet.

  The class of senior padawans stare at him in surprise, and Master Prweex stops mid-lecture, chirping in concer. “Is everything alright, Padawan Kenobi?”

  Breath caught somewhere in his throat, Obi-Wan doesn’t answer, and instead scrambles from the classroom, opening the door with the Force before he can slam into it. 

  Despite popular superstition, Jedi cannot teleport, but Obi-Wan honestly couldn’t say how he made it from the lesson halls to one of the main hangars, where a small group of Jedi masters stand next to a shamble of a ship that spews smoke from several panels. And, there, Master Tholme looking ragged and tired, robes still stained from the explosion and with a cast on his right arm, but Obi-Wan’s eyes snap immediately to the padawan on his side.

  Quinlan is a little worse for wear, and his braids hang around his shoulders instead of pulled up, not that Obi-Wan cares as he sprints the last few yards and launches himself at his friend. The masters step cleanly out of the way, likely having sensed his approach from a few hallways away, but Quinlan clearly hadn’t, yelping as he stumbles to catch him. It isn’t until then that Obi-Wan can accept that, yes, he had mourned him, but for some reason the Force had decided “not yet”.

  “Obes?” Quinlan asks softly when Obi-Wan doesn’t pull his head away from his chest. 

  “Hmm,” Master Rancisis chuckles, the sound edged in saddness. “Perhaps Kenobi needs a moment, Padawan Vos; it has been a long few weeks in your absence.” 

  And Obi-Wan is more than content to stay there the rest of the day, even though Quinlan smells like he hasn’t bathed in a week – and he probably hadn’t. Quinlan still hugs him back and bleeds worry into the Force, as Master Tholme gently runs a hand over the back of Obi-Wan’s head and sighs.

  “I know what Melida/Daan did to my padawan, so I can imagine what you’ve been through the last few weeks.” When Obi-Wan still doesn’t pull away, he continues, “You know, now that I think about it, during their clan wars the Stewjoni had a special marriage rite, when one thought dead returned to them.”

  “Master?” Quinlan asks in confusion, but Obi-Wan grips his robes tighter. He does remember Master Nu mentioning something...

  Master Tholme laughs, only a little rough, and steps away to join the other masters who have started slowly making their way from the hangar. “I suppose I thought it funny, padawan,” he says, “that, if I recall the ceremony correctly, you’re both halfway there already. You will meet me in the Halls of Healing when you’re ready? I’d like to get the cut of yours looked at.”

  “Of course, master. Gimme a few minutes.”

  “Of course, padawan.”

  Tholme sometimes did that, dropped little bits of trivia any time something jogged his memory, and he didn’t often mean anything by it; even with this in mind, Obi-Wan can’t help but hope.

  Quinlan waits until the masters’ footsteps recede, before gently tugging on Obi-Wan’s nerftail until he looks up. “I’ve got an idea,” he says with a roguish grin, and Obi-Wan is young and stupid and scared, and knows exactly what he’s planning.

-

  “You ready?”

  “This is probably illegal, Quinlan.”

  “Not according to Master Nu, it isn’t.”

  “Well, I’m probably going to Stewjoni hell anyways, I guess.”

  “Before we do this, I need you to promise me something, Obi-Wan.”

  “...”

  “We can’t let this get in the way, we can’t... We’re almost knights, Obi, we’ve worked too hard to lose that now. We’ll always have to come second to the Order, you understand that, right?”

  “Quinlan Vos, are you backing out on me? This was your idea.”

  “And you agreed! Stop laughing, I’m serious.”

  “I know you are, Quin. I’m somehow more ready now than I was ten minutes ago.”

  “Good. Because you know I would follow you anywhere.”

  “And I would follow you into this.”

  “Good. Now shut up and light the candle.”

-

  It’s Kit that brings Obi-Wan the datapad with all the forms for his induction onto the council, along with advice and a smile that makes Obi-Wan think maybe accepting the position had not been a mistake.

  Unlike either his master or his own padawan, Obi-Wan is efficient with his paperwork, he knows the quicker he gets it done, the more time he can spend not doing paperwork, just as he knows that to be thorough the first time is to avoid having to do it a second.

  Only one question on the forms gives him pause:

  Is the inductee married in any culture(s)’s customs, accidental or not?

  Well, it had been fifteen years since Quinlan had knotted a scrap of his own robes around Obi-Wan’s wrist, as Obi-Wan had done the same, and the Jedi Order is not made of fools, so he checkmarks the Yes box and adds Stewjoni below it, because he can’t imagine that at least the masters haven’t noticed by now.

(He would come to find that, no, they had not.)

-

i got a little carried away with this one, and didn’t entirely follow the prompt oops

#quinobi #quinlan/obi wan #prequel trilogy #au #secretly married au #i don't.... hate how this came out #obi wan kenobi #quinlan vos #tholme #qui gon jinn #crispy writes #fanfiction #prompt #prompt fill #ask #anon #ask box is always open! #angst with a happy ending #obiquin

[kairos-ed]

Obese anas let's start a thread!

Skin care! Food diaries! Hair care! People who have to lose 50-100+ pounds need a completely different regime from those who have to lose 10-20+ pounds.

Here's all I have learnt and added to my routine.

1) Use an exfoliator every day. EVERYDAY.

I use three different exfoliators alternatively.

This is my routine. I have two gentle exfoliators and one harsher exfoliator.

Monday & Thursday - Turmeric + Besan +Milk/Yogurt/Curd with a little coconut oil (you can use any carrier oil). This helps with brightening your skin and has helped me lighten the discoloration of the back of my neck (poc anas you know what I'm talking about), my underarms and my inner thighs, overweight/obese bodies are more prone to discoloration caused by chafing and rubbing of skin and this helps sooooo much. You can look up different youtube videos to find the recipe and DON'T TRUST THE VIDEOS WHICH SAY YOU CAN STORE IT. you can't store it if you've already added milk or yogurt to it, but you can store it if you've only mixed the dry ingredients. I just put the stuff needed for them in my bedroom so I don't have to go to the kitchen constantly. Don't store dry ingredients for more than a month cause it'll attract bugs. If it gets bugs then you don't necessarily have to throw it out, you can sieve it and use it again.

Tuesday & Friday - Oatmeal scrub. GRIND THE OATMEAL INTO A POWDER. Don't grind it too fine but till it looks like rice powder, properly grinded but still coarse. Trust me, grinding it up makes it so much easier to scrub with and it won't clog your drains. I add honey and some milk/water to it. DON'T ADD SUGAR. This is also a gentle exfoliator so adding sugar will make it too harsh and it'll be bad for your skin. I let it sit for 5-10mins so it becomes a paste and then use it to scrub my body.

Wednesday-Saturday - Coffee scrub. This one is the most common one BUT I've found using 2 parts of coffee and one part of sugar instead of the same quantity of both works better. My skin is soft and glowy and it helps with stretch marks. I add vitamin e oil and coconut oil to this (I use a shit ton of oil). And I store this in a glass jar. I make enough for a month at a time and I've had no problems with it being stored for long periods of time.

2) SCRUB YOUR BUTT

I know this is a no brainer but I wanted to add it here either way. I stand in my shower and scrub my ass cheeks and back rolls for 5 mins every day, it helps with toning the skin and lightens the strech marks you have back there and helps you avoid loose skin. I know our favourite thing to scrub is our stomach and boobs (if you have em) but give your butt and back rolls some love too, your thighs need to get exfoliated too. I usually relax in the shower for a few mins with the scrub on too. Idk monkey brain says wait for it to work.

3) DITCH YOUR LOTIONS

I know I know, we have all seen the ads saying they work BUT we have a LOT OF BODY, lotions are expensive and gets soaked up by your clothes or evaporates immediately. Use body oils instead, they stick to your skin the whole day and you can SAVE BANK. I make my own body oil with coconut oil + black castor oil + olive oil + peppermint oil and vitamin e oil but you add whatever you feel like to it. Oils help a lot more than lotions.

4) BODY DYSMORPHIA/GENDER DYSPHORIA GANG I GOT YOU.

I have both of these and sometimes depression makes it hard for me to look at my own body. I skip getting a shower when it gets too bad and I know exactly how it feels like to not shower for weeks. During these slumps I have made it a rule to shower atleast once every 3 days. I know it's not hygienic to not shower everyday but I also hate my body don't come @ me. I use EXFOLIATING GLOVES to wash my body (even when I'm using my diy scrubs). They clean me better than just using my hands and soap or a loofah. I use the gloves as scrubs and this has helped me with skin infections caused by not showering (I said don't come @ me). I also only use anti bacterial/fungal shower gels now. They help kill any bacteria growth which happened on your body during the time you didn't shower. I have stopped using loofahs cause the net is bunched up so it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria especially cause you might not use it for long periods of time between showers cause of the absolute chaos in my brains.

4) HAIR CARE

We will lose hair. It's gonna be fine! Use peppermint oil with a carrier oil, I use black castor oil. It helps stimulate your hair follicles. Onion oil is great too, I've found that coconut oil makes me lose the hair on my head so I steer clear from it. Oil atleast once every 3 days and let it stay over night. It makes your follicles stronger and nourishes your hair.

5) PEDICURES

We will sweat a lot and during this time you need to take extra care of your feet, do diy pedicures atleast once a week and wash your shoes every weekend too. ALWAYS wear socks.

Fungal infections are a real thing people.

6) SUNDAY ROUTINE.

You might have noticed that I don't have a scrub for Sunday and it's because I have a completely different routine for Sundays. Its my pamper yourself routine. I use SKIN TIGHTENING AND FIRMING FACE MASKS BUT! ALL OVER MY BODY. I stole this from Alexandra girly talks. I use Aztec indian clay and white clay with Apple cider vinegar for this. I make a paste and sit with it for an hour. It might seem like a lot but honestly I just watch bobs burgers and the time flies by. I have also used stuff like orange peel (NOT PEEL OFF) face masks, and other face masks on my body. It helps with avoiding loose skin.

7) IF ITS GOOD FOR YOUR FACE IT'S GOOD FOR YOUR BODY.

TONER! USE TONER ON YOUR SKIN! I have a mini shower in the morning too, it's not a whole ass routine but I just wet my body with warm water and let the steam open my pores and just clean myself with water essentially (I don't really need to use soap again cause I shower at night and I live in a hot place so taking a shower twice isn't a big deal) I then use toner (use any liquid toner and put it in a foaming pump and use the foam it's easier) all over my body and then use sunscreen and oil. (Yeah I oil my body twice a day). I do this before going out so that the sunscreen protects my skin.

I'll add more when I think of more stuff. Add to this if you have anything!!

#obese ana #plus size ana #overweight ana #poc ana

[aoifeanamadan]

After School Special

Fandom: Minecraft YouTube rpf (mcyt)

Word count: 3888

Relationship: DreamNotFound (DreamxGeorgeNotFound)

Summary:

The sky is blue, the sun is hot and Dream hates George.

He really hated him, all smug and sarcastic and closed off. Where Dream was friendly, loud and outgoing, George was quiet and pretentious. It was like he thought he was above everyone else.

Needless to say, neither of them were over the moon when they found out they had to spend two months working together in weekend detention.

Support this work on AO3 :)

Chapter One: Spanish? 

Dream was an early riser, he always had been. It was nice to wake up to quiet suburbia, to see the world jostle into life. He witnessed the cellophane peace stretch and tear. The house was quiet before sunrise. It felt delicate, holy. It felt like it was all his. Dream could wander, tiptoe around the soft quiet. It was like he was the only person left on the planet.

Lie-ins felt wrong on a cellular level. They made him feel a dirty kind of guilt, the missed opportunity. Every day since he was a child, he was up before the sun. And every day he watched the sunrise while eating breakfast. It was gorgeous. Watching the sweet pinks and dusted oranges floating up from the horizon assured him he was there, he was human.

It felt right, millions of years of evolution proving him right. Once the sun was up, the house got moving.

He loved the mornings, seeing his family bleary-eyed and cotton-mouthed. It was a different kind of vulnerability, one coated in familiarity. It made him certain that they were all there. Real and familiar and the same as always.

On the first morning of his senior year, Dream missed the sunrise. I was nothing ominous or scary, he just overslept. His alarm clock’s batteries had run out the night before and Dream couldn’t wake up without the siren blare. His sister had to knock on his hardwood door as she passed on her way downstairs.

Dream wasn’t superstitious. Witches didn’t scare him, he thought spells were bullshit. But missing the sunrise on the first morning of his last year of school, it scared him a little bit. He didn’t realise it at the time, head stuffed with shitfuckshitshit I’m going to be late , that end of the world feeling that comes with waking up late on a Monday. But the thing that scared him was the uncertainty, the proof that things were changing soon.

Normally, once the house was moving enough, he could take a shower without feeling guilty for shattering the peace of the sunrise. It was always the same, hair first then his body, his teeth.

No matter how many times he washed and changed his bedsheets, the night always made him feel dirty. Seeing the water go down the drain felt like seeing the air rushing into his lungs, his blood pumping. It was certain, it worked. Always the same soap, the same shampoo.

That morning, he had to run to the shower. Dream liked routine, a plan, but he liked efficiency more. Even his shower routine was streamlined to be as time-effective as possible. He’d had the same shower gel since he was 11, fresh and clear.

It was just his luck that his Bubble Cucumber & Aloe Vera Hair & Body Wash would run out the first morning in 7 years that he was running late.

But, he adapted. The family soap felt gritty against his skin. It felt like there was a snail leaving a trail of lime behind it. Dream felt dirty, the night was ground into his skin. But, ‘a positive attitude was his most important accessory’ according to his mother, so he got on with it. He showered, he got dressed and he rushed his way downstairs.

His socks thudded softly against the carpeted stairs as he jogged into the kitchen, wearing shoes in the morning wasn’t right in his brain. He was pulling his jumper on over his head as he walked in, really it was inevitable that he’d walk into the door frame. There was a red mark on his forehead under his hairline. Fuck. His sister’s laughter only added to the heat building in the back of his brain.

Dream was a creature of habit, he knew what worked. And why fix what’s not broken? Two slices of white bread toast (with the dial at setting 2) with blackcurrant jam, butter on both sides and no crusts.  A glass of orange juice without bits. It was an easy breakfast, it worked. He never felt hungry before lunch.

The bits in orange juice were gross, the way they congealed on the side of the glass. Just the sight of gravity dragging them down the inside of the glass, leaving a trail of orange guts and gore, it was enough to make him squirm.

So, naturally, when Dream reached to pour the orange juice that morning, he was met with a stream of obnoxiously bit filled orange juice. Dream took his deep breaths, but the rise and fall of his chest made his skin rub against his t-shirt. The feeling of the shirt sticking to his wet, slimy skin was the final straw. He punched his hand twice, squeezed his eyes shut and stood up.

In hindsight, taking the carton and pouring it down the sink was an overreaction. But at the time, despite the protests from his sisters, it seemed like the only option. There would have been no issue other than a new shortage of orange juice, but Murphy’s Law was at play.

Just as Dream was going to throw the emptied carton in the bin, his mother walked in.

“Oh Clay, for God’s sake. I had just bought that!”

Dream got into Sapnap’s car five minutes late with toast in his mouth, ‘thoroughly sorry for wasting perfectly good orange juice’ but more sorry for being seen throwing it away.

“What took so long dude?” Sapnap was smiling from the driver’s seat. The second Dream got in, he put his head on the dashboard. Sapnap only got an exaggerated groan as a response. Dream didn't lift his head.

“Okay!” Sapnap, still grinning, started them on the journey towards school. His predictions about how their senior year would go were a welcome distraction from Dream’s building stress headache.

It was easy, it always was. Dream and Sapnap, Sapnap and Dream. They knew each other better than they knew themselves. Dream didn’t need to pretend to be excited or upbeat. He just had to be there. And he was. And so was Sapnap. And that morning, that was enough for both of them. To know they had each other, each in the other’s corner.

Sapnap talked the whole journey and Dream loved him for it. They understood each other, knew what the other needed. That morning, Dream needed a distraction while Sapnap needed to get the nerves of a first day back at school out of his system.

By the time they were parked, they were running behind.

Dream was late to his first class, physics. He got into school just as first the bell rang but the receptionist wouldn’t let him past. He tried to protest but was only met with a lecture about time management. They didn’t want to hear about his excuse, his mother’s lecture about food waste.

“Well, how could I ‘manage my time’ if my mother was the one keeping me back? What am I meant to say to my mother? I’m not about to tell my mom to shut up.” Dream was almost pleading by that point. His day had gone from bad to worse, to worse, to worse.

“I’d be careful before taking that tone with a staff member if I were you, Dream.” Dream wanted to hit back, stand up for himself, but he swallowed his words. The receptionist didn’t care what he had to say, they were just happy to get him in trouble. Drunk on power and projecting their highschool experience onto Dream. This wasn’t worth the trouble it would cause.

Dream just nodded, bit back his ‘Fuck you’, apologised and headed to the other office for a late note, appeased only with a muttered whisper of ‘total bullshit’ as he walked away.

Such was the tyranny of high school.

When he finally got into the class, equipped with his note, the teacher barely paid him any attention. He didn’t even want the note. He just told him to sit down in any empty seat, then he went back to his diagram of magnetic fields.

Dream surveyed the classroom and was met with a packed grid of chairs. He could see his friends, all the way at the back of the class. It felt like light-years away. They were all frowning at him in sympathy. Dream didn’t like it at all, he didn’t want anyone’s sympathy. Bad was the only one who wasn’t looking at him like he just told them his puppy died. He was tapping his watch and mouthing ‘Don’t be late’. Dream smiled back sadly and shook his head.

The only empty seat was in the front row next to Weird Sarah. Dream bit the inside of his mouth to keep from getting mad, and sat down next to her.

He turned to her, hoping to make some kind of friendship using the ‘positive attitude’ that his mother so valued, but was only met with the sight of her picking her nose at age 18. She turned to him and glared.

Dream thought that might be the final straw, after everything that had gone wrong. His head felt like a tea kettle, he was surprised other people couldn’t see steam coming out of his ears.

But, he counted his deep breaths and clenched his fists until he could refocus on electromagnetism, or whatever the teacher was talking about.

Dream had been so focused on not letting everything from the morning get to him then and there, and culminate into a public rage, he had forgotten to pay attention. He was completely lost.

The teacher must’ve noticed the look on Dream’s face, because it was then he chose to engage  Dream in the lesson.

“Dream, can you tell me how to label exhibit 6.3?”

The words felt like a death sentence. Dream just stared blankly back at him, turning red. Everyone was quiet, all witnesses to Dream’s public execution by way of embarrassment. He wanted to yell, to tell them all he wasn’t stupid he was just panicking. Instead, he sat there in the silence. Any other day he would have had some cocky, charismatic answer but that Monday he had nothing.

He could feel his classmates’ eyes burning into the back of his head, looking at him expectantly. Dream couldn’t have remembered the answer right then if he had a masters degree in electromagnetism. The silence was starting to become painful. He had to say something.

“No?” It came out as more of a question than an answer. The teacher looked at Dream, disappointed. It was too early for this.

“No Dream, you cannot, because you were too focused on staring at your blank notebook. Pay attention please.”

The teacher, Mr McCarthy, was a nice man. He was old - maybe fifty or sixty - with grey hair and frail shoulders. He had three grandchildren and two kids of his own. His youngest grandchild, Lucy, was the apple of his eye. He liked golf, reading and the Netflix programme ‘Too Hot to Handle’. He was a good teacher.

None of that mattered to Dream, who at that moment felt like his teacher might have actually been the devil.

The embarrassment was burning in his chest, in his hands. And he hated it. He didn’t get embarrassed. Dream did not get embarrassed. He got mad and angry and mean, but not embarrassed. So, he flicked the switch. The blood that was flowing to his cheeks changed course to his ears.

He felt it building up inside him again, the same anger from earlier was rushing back in to suffocate the embarrassment. This whole class was fucking bull, what did Mr McCarthy even know about jackshit?

Dream didn’t even hear him open the question up to the rest of the class. He only heard George’s response.

“It’s particle radiation.”

George said it easily, nearly muttering. He didn’t even have to think about it. The class went silent. Dream heard Bad mutter an “Oh no.”

One thing everyone knew about Dream was that he did not like to lose. Ever since he was a kid, everything was a competition. Who could brush their teeth fastest? Who could finish the storybook first? He once stayed up for 27 hours just to make sure he was better than Sapnap at Call Of Duty. He was competitive to the core. It’s easy to be like that when you’re used to winning. Every time he was the best at something, it fueled him to be the best at something else. It was an easy cycle, the blueprint never failed him.

Dream didn’t lose, but somehow George always found a way to put him in second place. Ever since they were kids. When they were doing races, George was faster. When they were doing rock, paper, scissors George was luckier. When they were doing spelling bees, George was smarter.

Dream still didn’t lose, how could he, but he also didn’t win. And that wasn’t acceptable.

George knowing the answer to Mr McCarthy’s question was his final straw that morning.

“Yeah, of course he would need to answer.” It was a mutter to Sarah, under his breath. Sarah didn’t even glance towards him. But, in the silence of the classroom, it was 1000 decibels. Everyone froze, thankful to have front seats to their own personal soap opera.

“What’d you just say?” George’s head snapped towards Dream, all aggression and thought out anger. He was giving Dream a chance to retreat. Everyone knew he wasn’t going to take it. Dream wasn’t the type to retreat.

“I said of course you would need to prove how smart you are to the whole class.” Dream was looking back at him, matching his anger. Nobody was talking.

“Boys,” Mr McCarthy, bless his soul, tried to intervene. It was a lost cause. No one even noticed him. “Just because you’re mad that you didn’t know the answer. Stop acting like a little bitch.” George was talking as if he was speaking to a younger brother, scowling at Dream. He sounded like he barely cared about what was happening. It looked like he would be cold to the touch, like a statue. It made it look like Dream was throwing a tantrum

“George!” Mr McCarthy had never heard George swear before. Dream had. Everyone in the class had. George had been swearing like a sailor since he was eight.

“I’m a bitch? Coming from you? You fucking weirdo-” Dream’s anger was only building. Seeing George look cool and collected while he felt his face heating up made it worse. He stood up, the clatter of the stool bouncing off the walls.

“Boys!” That was the final straw for Mr McCarthy. He slammed his book down on the desk as he yelled. No one moved. Dream was left standing, breathing heavily. It was like they’d been snapped back to reality, remembering that there was actually a teacher in the room. Even if it was only Mr McCarthy.

He pointed his bony finger at Dream and then at George.

“You two. Outside. Now.”

In life, there were some simple truths. The sky was blue, the sun was hot. And, Dream and George hated each other.

But, in the same was the sky had been red in the beginning and the sun would be nothing in the end, it hadn’t always been that way.

When they were younger, much younger, everything had been different. When they were kids, five years old, maybe six, Dream, George and Sapnap had been real friends, or as real a friendship could be at age nine. Sapnap had been the glue holding them all together. He was a mediator, no matter how hard he tried to start the joking fights he was always the one to end the serious ones.

Sometimes Dream thought that without Sapnap, he and George wouldn’t have made it past the age of 10 without killing each other. They were always fighting, over catch, snap, tip the can, even tic tac toe.

Things changed as they got older though. Where Dream and Sapnap got more confident, bigger, taller, stronger, George went quiet. He wasn’t shy, he just seemed mad. He was all snark and edge and frost. He retreated into himself totally, Dream never had any idea what he was thinking. By the age of ten, Dream was sure George hated him, so he decided to hate George back even harder.  

The more time that passed, the more he believed his story. That George had shut him out, and Dream was only acting in self-defence.

After all, George was weird. Where Dream was loud, the life of every party, the centre of the school community, George was quiet and pretentious. It was like he thought he was better than everyone else because he didn’t engage with the school.

Everyone wanted to be Dream’s friends, everyone except George.

Bad came into the picture in high school, all kindness and unconditional friendship. He was just what Dream and Sapnap had needed, he kept them human. Bad stopped him from being a bully. Sapnap had always said to be nice because it was the right thing to do. Bad said to be nice because empathy was a virtue, he explained his experience growing up, how just one person being nice to him could’ve changed everything. He made Sapnap and Dream kinder.

Where Dream hated George, all sarcasm and snark, George seemed to have a vague dislike of Dream. It was as if he didn’t even care enough to dislike him. Even if Dream didn’t want to admit it, on some level he knew that he hated George more than George hated him. This only spurred him on to hate George even more.

Sapnap tried to stop him. Him and George were still good friends. He didn’t let them talk about each other and never told them anything about the other. That was Sapnap to a T, as loyal as they come. No matter how many times he started fake fights, Dream knew he’d always be there if he really needed him.

But, standing out in the hall in the middle of what should've been a normal physics class, Sapnap was not there. Mr McCarthy and George, however, were right in front of him, and they were on route to the principal’s office.

A solid telling off later, his third of the day, George and Dream had received their punishment. For swearing and publically fighting during physics, they were sentenced to two months worth of weekend classes together.

It was that or four months of after school detention. Dream didn’t want to admit it, but he had George to thank for negotiating it down to what it was. Dream would never tell a soul, but it was a tiny bit badass to see George debating the principal while she was mid-rant.

Dream was a lot more grateful than he was letting off.

If he wanted to stay on as the first striker on the soccer team, he needed to be at every practice. And practices were after school, exactly when their detention was first scheduled. He couldn’t have Sapnap out on the soccer field without him to pass to, how would he cope with the loneliness?

George had after school commitments as well apparently, considering how hard he fought to get the mandatory attendance to the weekend classes the school ran instead. He argued that him and Dream could improve their schooling and learn to co-exist, instead of sitting in silence and letting their hatred simmer.

They were even allowed to pick the class, as a way to start them on their journey of cooperation.

Once they left the office, miraculously still alive, Dream turned to George. He tried to push down the automatic response of ‘Fuck this guy’ in order to choose the class they would take. Before he could even open his mouth, George was talking.

“We’re doing English.” Before Dream could reply, he was walking away. Asshole.

Dream chased after him down the hall.

“Hey, hey!” George didn’t even turn around until Dream was tapping his shoulder. Asshole.

“Huh?” George had the audacity to look confused. “What do you want now?”

Dream just looked at him in disbelief, shaking his head. He was so fucking obnoxious.

“Why would we do English? I wanted to do-” Dream hesitated. He hadn’t actually thought about what he wanted to do, too distracted by what an idiot George was for speaking for the both of them without consulting him. Dream realised his pause for too long. “-Spanish.”

Dream did not want to do Spanish.

“Spanish?” George was looking at him like he was an idiot. It made Dream want to double down even harder.

“Yeah. Spanish.” It didn’t even sound convincing to his own ears.

“You don’t do Spanish.” George was getting annoyed. Dream was proving everything that he thought about him right.

“I do!��� Dream didn’t know why he was committing so hard to his lie. He didn’t want George to know he was right, God knows how smug it would make him.

“Speak some Spanish right now then.” George was challenging him. It caught Dream off guard. He hadn’t expected the exchange to go further than him saying he wanted to do Spanish, which he did not.

He would’ve spoken some, but never having learned a word of Spanish made that a bit difficult. He hesitated too long for it to be believable.

“No.” Dream’s brain was stuttering. He was trapped in his own lie. This was exactly what his mother always said would happen if you lied, you’d get trapped in it. “No?” George looked at him, smirking like an idiot. Asshole. Of course he would like watching Dream in misery, Sapnap was wrong about him.

“No.” They both stood there in the hall, Dream prayed for the bell to ring and give him an excuse to leave. The bell did not ring.

“Okay then. We’re doing English. For one, we both actually do it. And you need the help.” Before Dream could protest, George walked away. Dream wanted to punch him.

His mother didn’t take the news well. Most parents wouldn’t be over the moon hearing that their child was going to be in weekend detention for two months. Dream tried to spin it as a fun afternoon class but that plan was derailed when his dad came in holding the phone, with the principal on the other end of the line.

In school the next day, after spending twenty minutes complaining to his friends, Dream found George during lunch.

“Hey, I’m going to need your number.” Dream didn’t bother with manners. They were well past that point. He was just following the orders of his mother, who wanted them to co-operate completely. She figured Dream would need George’s number.

George looked up from his friends, eyebrows raised. When he saw Dream, he got up. They walked just a few steps away from the table.

“George, your number?” Dream just wanted to get it over with so he could go back to his friends and complain about the whole situation

“Oh yeah, it’s 08 fuck you 69.” George rolled his eyes, taking the phone from Dream’s hand.

He saved his contact under Gogy <3 and walked away. Dream was left scowling at George’s back.

#dream #dreamnotfound #dream smp #dreamxgeorge #dream/george #georgenotfound #enemies to friends to lovers #mcyt #minecraft #minecraft youtube

[badwolf-in-the-impala]

~Welcome to the Neighborhood - Ch.10|Finale Chapter~

Moodboard made by me @badwolf-in-the-impala. None of the pictures are our, just the editing.

A/N: So, I suck and completely forgot to post on Monday! Big surprise there lol but that Holiday/three day weekend shit really threw me off XD Anywho, I hope you guys enjoy! Edited to add: I’m a dumby and forgot to include this is the final chapter XD I fail at life today lol!

Warnings: Angst....so much angst. Mentions of death/murder, non-major-ish(?) character death, explosion, mentions of pregnancy...Did I mention angst?

Word Count: 4,858

|| Previous Chapter ||

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

After Clay stormed out, Gemma went back home to check on him after making sure to clear Kacey’s room of any and all liquor, making sure to tell Half-Sack not to let her have anything harder than beer, and even there to cut her off after 2. Opie bailed, hopping down to the store to grab Kacey two pints of ice cream, as she’d cleared them out within the first few days of her downward spiral. The rest of the club went about their day, nothing much to do with their collective minds on how to get Harper safe without starting a feud between the Mayans again. Jax stuck around, mostly to keep an eye on Kacey. As he watched her wander around, play a solo game of pool, he found himself smirking to himself as he thought about how, if they managed to get her back, Harper would kill him if anything happened to Kacey.

After a while, he became increasingly restless and told Kacey and Half-Sack both that if she needed him to grab him from the garage, deciding to get a jump on Kacey’s engine mod that Harper had gotten for her birthday. With Jax gone and the clubhouse empty, Half-Sack sat around for a while, twiddling his thumbs before deciding to restock a few things. Everything was quiet until the sudden ringing filled the empty space. Kacey heard the sound, but kept cleaning up Opie’s room; At least it was something to keep her hands and mind busy so she didn't go completely insane. When it didn't stop she threw down the basket of clothes and all but stomped out and down the hall, but by the time she reached the corner, Half-Sack had picked it up. Before he could even say ‘Hello’, Harper began screaming at him, hysterically. He blinked and said, “Harper!? Hey, it’s Half-Sack, hold o-Jesus, Kacey, alright, alright!”

The second Half-Sack said her sister’s name, she rushed at him, punching his arm trying to get the phone from him. Once he passed it to her, she shouted, “Harper!? Is that really you!?”

When she heard the laughs between her sister’s sobs, Kacey’s eyes filled with tears, relieved to hear the sound of her voice as she said, “Yes! Yes! Kacey!?”

“Where are you, Harper?! We’ll come get you!” Kacey said. Harper gave a small whimper, accompanied by a sob.

“No, don’t. I mean not here. I’m at Nico’s. We-I have to get out first.” Harper said.

“Well, you have to get out of Oakland! Where can we meet you?!” Kacey asked. She turned to Half-Sack and all but shoved him out the door as she hissed, “Get Jax!”

Half-Sack took off across the lot as Kacey continued to speak with her sister.“I-I don’t know. I-I’ll find a way to get out. Um, what-what about Lodi? Have-have Jax reach out to the Bastards. Nowhere near LKQ. I-I told Marcus about Alejandro.” Harper said. Kacey was stunned. The first night after she caught Bastien with Sara, they hightailed it out of Oakland, getting as far as Lodi before they had to stop for the night. Once Harper told Kacey who Sara was, she realized the deep shit she’d just gotten them in and they ran. While hiding in the junkyard, Nico managed to track them down and sent one of his best men after them. Alejandro decided he’d try to get some sort of justice for his brothers and attempted to rape Kacey, but Harper was smart and brought her gun in case anyone gave them trouble along their escape. One shot to the head and Alejandro dropped dead. They thought they had gotten away with it, but weren’t confident enough to leave the junkyard just yet. Unfortunately for them, Alejandro had told Nico and Bastien both where he found the girls and within a matter of hours, the sisters were on the backs of their men’s bikes, heading back to Oakland. It took a week for Nico and Bastien to figure out how to cover up Alejandro’s death, most of that week was when Harper’s beatings took place.

“Kacey?” She hadn’t realized that her sister stopped speaking, and she was so stunned by the fact Harper told Marcus, she was left speechless for a moment.

“You-You told...N-Nico didn't hurt you?!” Kacey screamed.

“No! Marcus grabbed him and they just left. Kacey, I need to leave now.” Harper said, her voice beginning to shake.

“Okay, Harp-” Jax rushed in, Half-Sack behind him and said, “Is that Harper on the phone?!”

“Yeah.” Kacey said. A wave of relief washed over Jax’ face as he sighed and said, “She’s in Oakland? If she can get out, tell her to go to the Bastards clubhouse in Lodi! Get the number and text her the address! I’m gonna call T.O.”

He turned to Half-Sack and said, “Tell anyone where we’re going and you’re dead.” Half-Sack nodded and crossed his finger over his chest, holding up both hands as Jax rushed to get his guns. As he ran down the hall, he yelled to Kacey, “Tell her!”

“Yeah, I’ll tell her, Jax! Harper?” Kacey said, returning to her sister.

“I’m still here!”

“Okay, listen. I’m going to text you. Jax said to go to the Grim Bastards clubhouse in Lodi. Just go. I’ll text you. When you get somewhere safe, check it and meet us there!” She said.

“Okay. I-I’m gonna leave now. T-T.O. knows I’m gonna be there? I’ll have to steal Nico’s bike!” Harper said.

“Harp, don’t worry! We’ll tell them! Just go!” Kacey jotted down the number for the burner she had and ripped the paper off the notepad, stuffing it into her back pocket. Reluctantly, Kacey hung up and called out, “Jax?!”

Before Jax could answer, Opie walked back in, bags in one hand and a 6 pack in the other. Looking between Half-Sack and Kacey, he said, “Um, did I miss something here?”

Kacey whirled around and said “Harper called, Jax and I are going to get her.”

Opie blinked and said, “What? Harper called? Where is she?!”

Kacey shook her head. “I can’t...I can’t tell you, it’ll be better that way for everyone in the long run.” She added.

Opie sighed and shoved the bags and 6 pack into Half-Sack’s hands, Half-Sack a little stunned before he dashed off to the kitchen to put it all away. “Kacey, you can’t just take off! What if Nico follows her? What if Bastien does?! They’ll have you both and Jax is outnumbered!”

“Just trust me, Ope!” Kacey snapped as she started for their room to grab her own pistol. “She has an opportunity, Nico is gone. We do this now, or we lose our chance, and I’m not about to let that happen!”

Opie groaned and rubbed his face as he followed her, snatching the pistol right out of her hand as she grabbed it off the desk. “Kacey. Think about this for a minute! You two going alone?! I won’t let you! We can call the Bastards to go over there, see if the Niners can get to her. You’re not going!”

“She’s going, Ope. Whether you want her to or not.” Jax said, adjusting his Kutte and holster, stepping into Opie’s room. Opie blinked at his best friend and gave a soft scoff.

“You’re okay with this? Just the two of you?” Opie asked.

“Harper has one shot at this, Opie. Either I go by myself and she trails along until she gets caught, again.” Jax said, giving Kacey a look. “Or she comes with me and I can protect her! Besides, we’re gonna put a call into T.O. I’ll make sure some of his men are on the lookout for Harper and can get her before Nico does. Ope, we’re gonna be fine.”

“He’s right, Ope, and you fuckin’ know it...Nothing anyone does is gonna stop me from getting my sister back. So you can either rat us out to Clay, or you can help by letting us take your truck...Please Opie. I’m begging you. Let me do this.” Kacey added, her expression pleading as she stared up at Opie. Opie sighed and ran a hand over his face before he cupped Kacey’s cheek and kissed her slowly. He gripped her waist, never wanting to let her go, and stared down at her, brushing her hair out of her face.

“You come back to me, Kacey. Do you hear me?” He said. Kacey smiled and nodded, pressing her forehead to his for a brief moment before Opie looked up at Jax, tossing him his keys and said, “Bring them both back, Jax. Alive, please?”

Jax caught the keys and smirked, taking a hold of Kacey’s upper arm and said, “You got it, brother.”

As he pulled Kacey out the door, she swiped her gun off the desk, sticking it in the back of her pants as they both rushed out the door, jumping into the car and flying down the street.

~

Harper managed to pick herself off the ground, next to Nico’s bike. When she realized the bike had run out of gas and it was still a ways from the Bastards clubhouse. Just up ahead was a gas station and when the bike stopped just on the other side of Interstate 5, Harper had the idea to push the bike along and gas the Softail back up. But when she realized she never stopped to swipe Nico’s cash or Sara’s credit card, everything hit her at once. The pain from her bruises and wounds slammed into her, making her legs give out. When she hit the dirt, she sobbed, every nightmare of a thought running through her mind; Nico would have found Sara by now, if she wasn’t dead, and would be hot on her tail. At any moment, headlights could come over the highway, headed right for her. She’d be taken back and there was no way Alvarez would let her live after this, especially if Sara died.

Once she let the waves upon waves of doubt and fear wash over her, she frantically text her sister; Double, triple texts, until Kacey finally wrote back.

‘We’re almost there, Harper! Hold on!’ Kacey wrote

‘Kacey, I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere! I can’t even make it to the gas station! Please hurry!’ Harper typed, her fingers flying over the buttons, hands shaking and making so many mistakes, she was afraid Kacey wouldn’t be able to read it. She leaned against the bike and steadied her breathing. Harper was never the one who was a mess. She always let Kacey be the one who became hysterical and frantic because Harper was always there to help her back up, even when she herself was afraid too. She was proud of her sister for being so strong and determined and she wanted nothing more than to have her sister by her side again and be in Jax’s arms.

Just as she let go of her fears, agreeing with herself to sit tight and wait, the revving of an engine followed by bouncing headlights came into her vision. Her eyes widened and she froze in fear. She had the thought, when she was in the midst of her fit, to just run as fast as she could and hide from whatever car pulled over. But she was in the middle of nowhere and she hadn’t passed any cars on her way there. She never thought one of her worst fears would come true and now she was frozen in place, a sitting duck for Nico, if that happened to be him. When the truck seemed like it would just fly past her, she was able to move as she sighed, relieved. But at the last second, the brakes squealed as the truck drifted into the empty field where she was. With the lights so bright in her eyes, she couldn’t see who was in the car and finally accepted her fate, positive this was Nico coming for her. She closed her eyes and waited, no doubt Nico would shoot her on sight and be done with it. As the tears streamed down her face, the lights turned off and the doors opened.

“Harper!?” Her eyes snapped open as Kacey ran to her sister, slamming herself into her, hugging her tight and sobbing. She was so stunned that she was holding her sister, that she fell apart, clinging to Kacey and sobbing along with her, slowly sliding off the bike and onto the ground. Kacey pulled away and took her sister’s damp face in her hands, looking over all the bruises that marked her face, neck, chest and arms. Kacey’s eyes welled to the point of blindness and she sobbed, “Harper, I’m so sorry…”

Harper shook her head and opened her mouth to say that it wasn’t her fault, but another hand grabbed her gently, pulling her up and holding her close, Jax’s lips finding hers in a deep kiss. Harper wrapped her arms around his neck, breaking the kiss with a sob that she couldn’t hold back. Jax pulled Kacey into the hug as the three of them stood there, holding each other as the sisters cried and Jax buried his face in Harper’s hair, silent tears trickling down his face.

Before they could break apart or do anything else, shots sounded in the air as another truck sped toward them, sliding in the dirt as it stopped. Jax pushed both girls behind him, reaching for his gun.

“Don’t even think about it, Teller!” They heard Nico shout as several other guns were cocked before they even saw the three other men get out of the truck, along with Nico.

“It’s over, Nico!” Jax shouted, holding out his arms, trying to shield the girls as best he could. Harper gripped his arm as she watched Nico get closer, his gun never leaving Jax. His men stayed near the truck. Nico laughed and said, “Not by a long shot.”

Flames soared through the air and collided with the windshield of Opie’s truck, shattering it. The trio quickly moved away, despite Nico’s orders for them to stay put. He fired a warning shot, the bullet narrowly missing Harper’s leg.

“Don’t fucking move again, Jax! Hand over the bitches and you walk out of here alive!” Nico shouted.

“Fuck you, Nico!” Kacey shouted, stepping out from behind Jax. Harper shushed her and pulled her back behind him.

“You’re not taking the girls, Nico. So forget it. Not Kacey, not Harper.” Jax said. As the men continued to argue, Jax taking a few steps away so if anything, he gets shot before the girls, Kacey secretly slipped her pistol into her sister’s hands. Harper looked at her and said, “What are you doing?”

Kacey gave her a smile, pressing the weapon into her hands and said, “One Shot.”

Harper inhaled, sharply, and nodded, biting her lip through her smile and cocked the pistol, raising it as she stepped away from her sister. When Nico’s gun shifted from Jax, he turned and said, “No! Harper, put it down!”

“No, Jax! This is so much less than he deserves!” She hissed at him. Nico laughed, bending backwards a little, he was so amused. When he finished, he sighed and said, “Are we still playing this game, baby? You don’t have the nerve. You lost it all, One Shot. You didn't take the shot then, and you won’t take it now.”

“Do you want to fucking test me, Nico? I’ve had enough of your bullshit! This ends now!” Harper shouted. Jax had backed up, keeping an arm across Kacey. If he couldn’t bring back his woman, he was going to make sure he at least brought Kacey back. He’d keep at least one promise he’d made. Nico smirked and lowered his gun.

“Baby. It’s over. Accept it.” He said, in a sickening sweet taunt.

“Accept this, bitch.” Without hesitation, Harper fired. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the bullet left the gun and dug itself right between Nico’s eyes. His smile dropped, as did his gun, his eyes going dead before rolling into the back of his head and he slumped to the ground. Taking slow and steady breaths, Harper lowered the gun and went to him. She stared down at his body and said, “You didn't call me One Shot for nothing, my love.”

Harper looked at the other men, who stood in shock and awe that their leader laid dead before them. She raised the gun to them and said, “You all know I’m still capable to taking you out, one by one, before you even have a chance to lift your gun. Get the fuck out of here or join him.” They didn't need to be told twice. In a frenzied fury of terrified Spanish, the Mayans scrambled their way back into the truck taking off back toward Oakland. Once their tail lights were gone, with a harsh breath, Harper’s hands began to shake, the pistol dropping to the ground, and her knees buckled as she collapsed in the dirt. Jax rushed to her and pulled her away from Nico, hauling her up and holding her close. He couldn’t help but emit a light laugh as he looked down at her.

“Jesus Christ, Harper.” He breathed. Harper gave him a small smile as she struggled to breathe. All the adrenaline that went through her body within a matter of minutes left her drained and exhausted. Suddenly, 8 more shots were fired that made Jax and Harper flinch and move away, looking around. Breathing hard and standing over his body, Kacey had her gun pointed at him.

“That’s for my sister.” She spat. Kacey turned to the couple and smiled. “Can we go home now?”

Both Jax and Harper, with a mix of emotions, chuckled as Kacey headed over to them. Just before she reached them, Opie’s truck exploded, tossing the trio onto their backs. Kacey groaned and rolled onto her stomach before slowly raising up on all fours then standing. Jax gave a soft chuckle and said, “Well...This is gonna be hard to explain…”

He looked to Kacey, as she dusted herself off, and she gave him a look. Jax chuckled and sat up as he said, “At least we have you safe now, Harper...Harper?”

When Jax turned to look at her, she didn't move. Her eyes were closed and her body was limp as a ragdoll. Horrified, Jax gently laid her flat on the ground and gave her a soft shake. “Harper. Harper, look at me!” He shouted.

“Harper?!” Kacey rushed over to her as Jax quickly stood, ripping his phone out of his pocket to call T.O. “Harper? Harper, wake up! You can’t do this to me!” Kacey sobbed hysterically as she cupped her sisters face, searching for some sign that she would be ok. Her fingers drifted down to detect the faint pulse that still beat slowly.

“Listen, man, just get the fuck down here!” Jax shouted into his phone. “She’s unconscious and needs to get to a hospital!...Get down here, now, T.O.! We’re on the other side of 5 near the Love’s Gas Station! Now!”

Snapping his phone shut he turned to Kacey, hoping she’d gotten Harper to wake up.

~

The steady beeping woke Harper. She slowly opened her eyes and gave a small whimper as she tried to move. Her body felt like it had been hit with a ton of bricks as she looked around. There was rustling in the corner and a brief fear shot through her as her vision was still blurred. Her memories of that night came back slowly, so she knew Nico was dead, but that didn't mean Bastien or Alvarez hadn’t snuck into her room. But as a gentle, warm hand rested on her arm, she turned and smiled, tears welling in her eyes as she whispered in relief, “Gemma.”

Gemma smiled at her and kissed her cheek. “Welcome back, baby. We were afraid we were gonna lose you there for a minute.” She said, gently sitting on the edge of the bed. Harper whimpered as she shifted, still looking around as she asked, “Where-Where am I?”

“You’re at St. Thomas, sweetheart...You’re home.” Gemma said, gently. Harper closed her eyes and sighed, tears streaming down her face. Finally, feeling came back into her body and she felt her arms wrapped in bandages and bandages on the back of her head. There were so many IVs sticking out of her arm, she could hardly move it.

“Where-Where’s Kacey? And Jax?” She asked, the EKG machine she was hooked up to rising steadily. Gemma held up a hand, trying to calm her and said, “Easy, Harper. They’re both fine. Jax is getting some coffee and Kacey’s getting checked out. She’s okay, but they’re checking her for a concussion and she has a few scrapes.”

“What about Alvarez? Gem, I-I shot Nico.” Harper said. Gemma raised an eyebrow and tilted her head as Harper added, “I killed him.”

“No shit.” Gemma said with a laugh. “I didn't know you were one of us.”

Harper sighed and said, “Gemma-”

“Calm down, Harper.” Gemma said. “Clay got a call from Alvarez. He wants a sit down. He’s found out some things and he’s talking peace. Stop worrying. Everything is fine.”

Before Harper could ask even more questions to give Gemma even more gray hairs she’d have to dye, there was a knock on the door and it opened, the doctor walking in. She glanced at Gemma then smiled at Harper as she said, “Hi. Um, I’m Margaret Murphy, I’m one of the administrators here. Your doctor is caught up on his rounds and I’m gonna take over from here.”

Gemma stood and said, “How’s she lookin’, Doc?”

“Oh, um, I’m so sorry, but I need to speak with Miss Calhoun alone.” Margaret said, giving Gemma a polite smile. Gemma scoffed and said, “She’s my daughter-in-law. Whatever you have to say to her, you can say to me.”

“Gemma.” Harper said. She turned to Harper as she said, “Can-Can you give us a minute? Please?”

Gemma glanced at the redhead before scooping up her purse and saying, “Sure, Baby.” She looked down at Harper and smiled as she added, “I’ll go check on Kacey for you.”

Harper gave her a small smile, letting Gemma give her hand a soft squeeze before she walked out. Harper gave a broken sigh and shifted as Margaret came over to her bedside. “Okay, Doc. lay-Lay it on me.” She said, her voice shaking. She didn't know why she was afraid, but if she asked to speak to her alone? It couldn’t be anything good. Margaret gave her a warm smile and said, “Well, everything is looking good, you’re beginning to heal nicely. And, um...It looks like the baby didn't suffer any trauma.”

Harper’s stomach dropped as she stared at the redhead, stunned. “I-I-I-I’m sorry. The-The what?” She managed to squeak after a while. Margaret blinked and said, “Oh, dear. You-You weren’t aware you were pregnant?”

“No.” Harper said, still trying to wrap her mind around it all. Margaret sighed and looked over her charts, double checking to see if she made a mistake. Finally, Harper said, “No, no, no, no, no. I-I can’t be pregnant. No. I-I can’t. I...I was only there for a week...And a half at most! No, I-I can’t have his baby. No, no, no, no-”

As the EKG began to beep wildly, Margaret tried her best to calm her down. “Okay, honey, shh. Miss Calhoun, I need to you relax.” She said, calmly. Harper whimpered and said, “Run-Run the tests again! I-I can’t be pregnant! You-You can’t tell this soon! It’s only been two weeks!”

“Okay, well, you can tell after two weeks, dear, but,” Margaret checked her clipboard again and said, “The tests show you’re about 8 weeks.”

Harper took a breath and looked up at her. She took a moment, trying to get her timeline straight and said, “I-I’m how far?”

Margaret smiled as she glanced at the EKG as the beeping got back to a steady pace. She looked at Harper and said, “8 weeks, dear.”

Margaret kept talking, but Harper didn't hear any of it. She was thankful she wasn’t having Nico’s child, but somehow, knowing she was carrying Jax’s made her worry even more. They had yet to have the sit down with Alvarez and that, in and of itself, was still up in the air. She just killed his nephew and stabbed his niece. Gemma said he wanted to talk peace, but for all Harper knew, it was all a ploy. Her fears had grown over the last two weeks and made her skeptical of everything. Finally, Harper resolved to at least get out of this damned hospital and she’d figure it all out then.

~

After two more days, Harper was discharged. She managed to dodge getting an ultrasound, not wanting to draw questions until she figured out how she felt about it all. Once she was back home, things soon fell back to normalcy for the next week, at least until the day came for the sit down. To the surprise of the club, Gemma and the sisters, Alvarez wanted the sit down to happen at the clubhouse. While the club was suspicious, Clay allowed it, everyone strapped and ready in case there was any funny business. Clay wouldn’t let Gemma into the Chapel, but when Alvarez requested that Harper and Kacey be present, while he was surprised, Clay obliged.

“First off, Clay, I want to say that I’m deeply sorry if any of this blew back on your club.” Alvarez started. “I’m aware that some of your members got hit during Nico and Bastien’s retaliation.”

Clay nodded, but otherwise stayed silent, letting the president speak. Alvarez looked at Harper and Kacey and continued, “Harper, I wanted to thank you.”

The comment took everyone by surprise while he said, “I believed Nico when he said that Alejandro was gunned down by a Niner. We took him at his word and we dealt out our retaliation. Had I known that you killed him trying to defend your sister and Nico covered it up, I would have been willing to let this whole thing go. And as far as what Nico, Bastien and Sara said about Sara’s assault, I believe it was mostly exaggerated because they wanted to hurt you both. I want you both to know that Bastien has been excommunicated and Sara has been disowned from my family. They both have a hit out on them if they were step foot in Oakland again, Mayan territory or not. And if they come to Charming or bother any Sons charter, Clay, let your men know that they are free to take them out, no retaliation.”

Alvarez continued, giving his apologies and making things right while the whole room sat in a stunned silence. Kacey was especially stunned as she sat beside her sister, not even sure what to say as she turned her attention to Alvarez after a minute or two as she cleared her throat awkwardly before saying, “Thank you, Marcus...really.”

Alvarez smiled and nodded his head. “It’s the least I can do. I know I’ve caused a lot of damage, especially to you, Harper. And if I had know what he was doing to you, I would have made sure you stayed with me instead.”

Harper nodded and bit her lip. “You couldn’t have know, Marcus. And even if we told you, he’s family. You don't just readily dismiss family without cause. I understand.” Harper said. Clay cleared his throat, ready to speak up and said, “We appreciate this, Marcus. We’ve been good for a while now and, hopefully, nothing will happen to change it again. And I think we all can agree that if it does, we get to the bottom of the issue, the whole truth, before any sort of punishment or retaliation is dealt out.”

“I agree. And if there’s any retaliation, on either side, unprovoked and not ordered, those who commit those crimes will be punished.” Marcus offered. Clay nodded and held his hand out to him, Alvarez shaking it. Clay banged his gavel and everyone filed out of the Chapel, a quick round of goodbyes taking place before Alvarez exited the clubhouse. Harper, Jax, Kacey and Opie following along outside. Watching as his bike pulled out of the lot and sped off, the sound of the engine fading off into the distance as the four stood there silently.

And for a brief moment, it seemed as though all their problems had faded from sight, even if only temporarily, it felt as though the weight of the world had lifted and they could breathe easy again. Breaking the silence, Opie said,“So...Who’s going to replace my truck?”

The girls snickered while Jax gave him a look, suddenly taking off through the lot, while Opie chased after him.

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

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#SOA #Sons of Anarchy #SOA Collab #SOA fic #SAMCRO #Redwood Original #Opie Winston #Harry 'Opie' Winston #Ryan Hurst #Jax Teller #Jackson 'Jax' Teller #Charlie Hunnam #Jax Teller x OC #Opie Winston x OC #Men of Mayhem #Fanfiction #Fanfic #fanfiction collab #Writing #Original characters

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My Remarkable Colon Cleanse Experience: a 7 Day Journal

Global Healing Senior Editor Wendee Nicole decided to do the Complete Body Cleanse Program™ — a comprehensive program to detoxify and improve health that will take three to four months to complete — and it starts with a 6-day Colon Cleanse. Not everything eaten on Wendee’s cleanse experience is approved or endorsed by Dr. Group, but this was her experience trying to follow the recommended diet and protocol as closely as possible.

Wendee’s Story

I have a milestone birthday coming up in July, and I want to get in great shape by then. I’m not getting any younger, and I want to lose some weight — my main goal — but also to get healthier overall, including reducing the risk of health ailments in later years by removing toxins from my body. Every time I do a cleanse, it resets my digestion and I feel better. It also gives me an opportunity to set my health intentions anew and even takes on a spiritual element, for me.

Global Healing’s Colon Cleanse Program™ recommends avoiding soy, gluten, red meat (and all meat), high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, refined sugar, processed foods, canned foods, alcohol, and excess coffee or caffeine, among other things. Instead, I’ll eat a variety of fruits (this includes avocados and tomatoes, which are fruits!).

Every day during the six-day cleanse, I will take Oxy-Powder® and Latero-Flora™ — a single-strain probiotic (Brevibacillus laterosporus). Latero-Flora is a transient probiotic, which means it does not set up shop in your body like other probiotics do, but passes through. However, on the way, it targets harmful organisms that live in the colon, like yeasts.

I know that prevention is the key! Dr. Group says that health begins in the colon — the large intestine — and that’s because we can accumulate years of gunk in there, including toxins and unhealthy microbes. Colon health is the start of good health!

For complete protocol details, check out our article, How To Perform a Colon Cleanse: The Complete Guide.

Below, I detail the supplements I took, how much water I drank, and all the foods I ate — as well as my overall daily experiences.

Friday — Day 1

Supplements

2 Latero-Flora + 6 Oxy-Powder

Water (with lemon)

80 ounces

Breakfast

1 cup blueberries & raspberries

1 cup ginger-mango tea

Few sips mango kombucha

1 cup watermelon chunks

Lunch

1 avocado with sea salt

1 banana

Cold-pressed mixed vegetable-fruit juice

Snack

½ bag crunchy mango bites

1 cup mint-chamomile herbal tea

Dinner

6 jicama tacos (jicama wraps with cucumber and carrots)

4 oz. homemade guacamole

4 mini tomatoes

1 cup watermelon

Activity

100 crunches + plank

Woke up excited about the cleanse! Dr. Group's standard daily recommendation is drinking half your body weight in water daily, but on a cleanse, more is better. I’m drinking from a 20-ounce reusable bottle so I can track how much I drink.

I decided to drink room temperature water because it’s easier to drink more, faster. I’m drinking way more than I normally do. To my third bottle of water, I added a capful of organic raw apple cider vinegar.

I went out with a friend for lunch, but I brought my own food there. I had carrots, avocado, and juice and it really filled me up.

It’s 4 p.m., time to head home! I noticed that on my drive home, I was a bit sleepy. Around 5 p.m. once home, I got a headache. I didn't take any meds, but instead took a hot bath and inhaled some lavender essential oil.

Headaches and other mild discomforts are a natural part of most cleanses, and are part of what’s called the "healing crisis." When your body purges toxins, it can naturally lead to such symptoms.

I am keeping a commitment to exercise in some capacity every single day during the Complete Body Cleanse, which, of course, includes this Colon Cleanse. I really wasn’t feeling it today with the headache, but I did 100 crunches and a 60-second plank. Exercise and moving your body keep the toxins moving out of your body, so it’s helpful.

Every evening of the Colon Cleanse, I take six capsules of Oxy-Powder, an oxygenated colon cleanser that really gets things moving. Oxy-Powder is the best colon cleansing product that I’ve ever used. You take it at night and it works gently and very effectively. The next day, there’s no cramping — just simple, easy elimination. I like that I can check off the supplements I take in the instruction booklet.

Saturday — Day 2

Supplements

2 Latero-Flora + 6 Oxy-Powder

Water

60 ounces

Breakfast

1 cup rooibos tea

1 banana

3 dried apricots

1 unsweetened applesauce cup topped with cinnamon

Lunch

5 jicama tacos

4 oz. homemade guacamole

Snack

2 cups cold-pressed orange-pineapple-mango juice

½ cup blackberries/blueberries

Few sips mango kombucha

½ cup chopped Medjool dates in coconut flour

Dinner

6 jicama tacos

4 oz. guacamole

Activity

House cleaning + raking

Rode bike a couple of miles

My healing crisis symptoms continued on day two. It’s good that I started my cleanse on a Friday so that I could relax at home and take it easy. From past experiences, I find that the healing crisis symptoms occur in the first two or three days of a cleanse. I take comfort knowing it will go away soon, and I am doing this for my health!

After some morning tea, I started some house cleaning. I guess I felt like “cleansing” my house as well. Cleansing the body often brings psychological and emotional responses.

Later, my daughter and I started riding our bikes on the greenbelts in our neighborhood, then spontaneously decided to go to a coffee shop, which was not too far. I got a juice while there.

Back home, I took a hot bath with scented Epsom salts — a great part of any bedtime routine. Epsom salt contains magnesium sulfate, which comforts sore muscles and joints. Supportive therapies are encouraged during cleanses and you can turn your bath into a healing hot spring by adding Epsom salts, Bentonite clay, and other health-inducing ingredients. Other therapies that help a cleanse include massage, acupuncture, and saunas.

I am not taking any other supplements during this cleanse — which is what Global Healing recommends. That allows your body to devote its energy to breaking down toxins rather than processing the additional nutrients in supplements. While vitamins, minerals, and other supplements are healthful, it takes energy for the liver and kidneys to break down each and every item consumed. The simpler your diet is during a cleanse, the better the result.

Once in bed, I felt very cold and even started shivering. That was weird because, although it’s a bit cold outside, I keep my house warm. I felt so cold that I dried my hair and then used a heating pad to warm up. I am sure it’s part of the healing crisis. My body is ridding itself of toxins.

Sunday — Day 3

Supplements

2 Latero-Flora + 4 Oxy-Powder

Water

68 ounces

Breakfast

⅓ cup dried Medjool dates in coconut flour

1 cup peach passion tea

1 banana

1 dried apricot

Lunch

½ cup blueberries

1 cup peppermint tea

1 handful of dry roasted macadamia nuts

6 plantain chips

2 tablespoons pine nuts

Dinner

5 jicama tacos

4 oz. guacamole

4 mini-tomatoes

Activity

Stretching

100 crunches

Tae Bo

It’s day three and I have a lot of energy and feel great. I started my day with some stretching and situps and later, at a movie with my daughter, I swapped my normal popcorn-munching habit with snacks from home: chopped dates and blueberries, plus sparkling water. Yay for small victories!

I’m weighing myself every day on this new scale I have that tells body fat, muscle mass, and more, but suffice it to say that I am not at my ideal weight and hope the colon cleanse will help!

As you get older, metabolism slows down, and that is just a natural part of life, but I am trying to increase my muscle mass and strength through exercise of various types, from yoga to running. I know that moving your body is an important part of cleansing because — along with water — it gets things moving and flowing, enabling the toxins to purge from the body.

But so far, as of day 3, I am not losing weight. But again, weight loss is not the main focus of a colon cleanse. It can happen, but often that comes when you have a lot of accumulated, compacted fecal matter in your colon. I’ve done several cleanses, so don’t expect to have much in the way of compacted waste. Since I’ve done many cleanses before, I think my colon is pretty clean overall!

When I got home, I did 40 minutes of Tae Bo. I used to do these years ago — I love Billy Blanks’ energy and I feel like I get an excellent all-over workout.

I only took four Oxy-Powder because I know that four "keeps me going" without being too much.

Monday — Day 4

Supplements

2 Latero-Flora + 4 Oxy-Powder

Water

88 ounces

Breakfast

1 cup rooibos tea

Few sips coconut water

1 banana

1 pear

1 dried banana

½ cup blueberries

⅓ cup green grapes

Snacks

½ bag organic crunchy mango bites

1 banana

Lunch

1 cup carrot sticks

4 oz. spicy guacamole

Dinner

15 plantain chips with ½ avocado

Few sips Mango Tango juice smoothie

Activity

Situps (60)

It was my first day back at work, so I came prepared! I didn’t want to end up hungry and make poor food choices by being tempted by that. I brought the following: a banana, apple, pear, grapefruit, avocado, grapes, blueberries, lemon (to squeeze in my water), dried dates & coconut, dried banana, and a bag of carrots… I laid all the fruits out on my desk, and I found it humorous and it kept my mood high in the morning!

I’m finding it so much easier to drink water at work than at home. Weird. I’m going to the bathroom a lot, are people noticing? I added lemon to all my water today and apple cider vinegar (ACV) to my last 20 ounces.

I went to an Indian place for lunch with two friends. They are doing the colon cleanse also, but not the all-fruit option. I had one small bite of both of their vegan dishes — it was so delish! A bite or two of something else won’t blow the whole program. But my main meal was carrots and guacamole that I brought with me.

Back at the office, my stomach was very gurgly, and I was gassy (unusual for me, even on a cleanse). I wonder if it was the bite of Indian food since I hadn’t had this in the previous days.

I talked to Luis, who said that’s normal because Oxy-Powder releases oxygen in the gut and that feeling means it is working away at the gunk in the colon. The oxygen “eats” away at compacted waste in the colon, which is a key part of the colon cleanse. Knowing the benefits helps offsets any difficulties.

I didn’t end up eating all the fruits I brought to work but I did eat some and left some for tomorrow. I'm not eating all that much, but I wasn’t hungry at all during the day. Or when I felt hunger, that is, I ate some fruit and felt fine.

In the evening, I ate a few plantain chips and felt a little guilty because they are not fruit per se. But they aren't too bad because they’re really just bananas; the only thing they’re introducing that I hadn’t been eating is oil.

Tuesday — Day 5

Supplements

2 Latero-Flora + 4 Oxy-Powder

Water

104 ounces

Breakfast

1.5 cups mango juice smoothie

1 cup rooibos tea

1 dried banana

1 banana

1 Gala apple

1 cup coconut water

Lunch

1 cup raw kale salad

⅓ cup quinoa salad

2 red potatoes in oil

½ cup corn-arugula salad

½ bottle turmeric golden milk

¼ bottle sparkling prebiotic tonic — ginger/turmeric/lemon

Snacks

6 organic carrot sticks, dried

⅓ bag dried crunchy mango bites

Dinner

½ avocado w/Himalayan pink salt

Activity

Ran for 40 min

Lunges & calf raises

Happy to nearing the end of the colon cleanse and proud of myself for beginning this health journey.

I'm finding it to be harder than I thought to eat only fruit! I had a few salad items at lunch that were not all fruit, but still, I ate no meat, dairy, eggs, sugar, or gluten, and no processed foods. I’m noticing a connection I have to emotional eating. If I’m stressed or down in any way, I crave comfort foods.

Noticing these patterns is just one positive aspect of a cleanse — they become much more obvious when you eat simply.

Cleanses can serve many positive purposes, not just cleansing out the colon. First, it’s the act of eliminating poor dietary choices which gives your digestive system a break and purges toxins.

Second, cleanses help me to eliminate poor diet choices even after it’s over. In the past, I’ve permanently given up diet soda, caffeine, gluten, and other things during and after different cleanses.

But I also use the cleanse as a time to reflect and observe. As mentioned, I am noticing this pattern — which I know is common — to eat out of emotions. Eating can be a comfort and a habit, beyond the nutritive value. That’s something I want to focus on, even after the cleanse ends.

At home, I went for a long run with my daughter. We ran for about 40 minutes. In fact, I ran further than I have in a long time. That felt so great!

I’ve had no wine all week, and I love a good glass of red wine in the evenings. In fact, I haven’t had any in a few weeks — another positive aspect of the cleanse for my health.

Wednesday — Day 6

Supplements

2 Latero-Flora + 2 Oxy-Powder

Water

88 ounces

Breakfast

Rooibos tea

1 banana

1 cup strawberries, raspberries, blueberries

½ bottle mango juice smoothie

½ bottle turmeric golden milk

1 grapefruit

1 dried apricot

Lunch

2 red potatoes

¼ cup corn arugula salad

¼ cup quinoa salad

⅔ cup roasted zucchini & sweet potato mix

⅓ cup roasted okra

⅓ bag dried carrots

Dinner

Leftover salads

Activity

25-minute yoga flow

Arm weights

At work in the morning, I talked to one of our Customer Satisfaction specialists who said that it’s not ideal to drink store-bought juices during cleanses because they remove parts of the juice like pectin and enzymes during the pasteurization process. It’s fine to drink homemade juices, even better if you use a juicer that leaves the pulp.

I ate half of a grapefruit before our morning meetings, and it made me hungrier! But I know it’s good for me. In the meeting, my stomach was rumbling and I was super hungry. I had a dried apricot and finished the grapefruit afterward.

I’m adding some ACV and lemon to my water. I didn’t use to love the flavor of ACV, but I know it’s good for me, and the more you drink it, the better it tastes! I do prefer the taste with ACV + lemon to just ACV.

I went to a natural grocery store for lunch again and ended up eating again from the salad bar. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m looking forward to the Liver Cleanse which comes next on the Complete Body Cleanse — because I can eat other stuff!

When I got home, I was kind of struggling with low energy and motivation, but I’m not sure why. I know that emotions can come up during any cleanse, especially as you get into deeper cleansing — in other words, when you’ve done several. I’m really proud of myself for sticking with it, and for exercising daily!

Today, when I didn’t feel motivated to exercise, I found a 30-day yoga video series online. We can do hard things! The first one was a simple 25-minute flow. Then I did some arm weights — biceps, triceps, shoulders — afterward. I was so glad I pushed myself to do it and it made me feel proud that I stuck to my commitment. Mentally, I feel recentered and that is a good way to finish the cleanse.

Because supportive therapies are helpful during a cleanse, and I plan to reward myself with a massage this weekend and go to the chiropractor next Tuesday. That’s a great way to end these six days and transition to the liver cleanse, the next step in the Complete Body Cleanse I’m doing!

Overall Experience

I feel really happy and “clean” because I ate very healthy throughout the entire program. I feel good about what I’m putting into my body. I feel great about exercising every day, whether it’s a day where I push myself with 40 minutes of running, a gentle yoga flow, or even just a few crunches.

I am seeing that my stomach is flatter, and my digestive system feels clean. Since I just finished, I can’t say how my digestion is going to be after, but from past experience I find cleanses make me very regular — like clockwork! It takes a couple of days for Oxy-Powder’s effects to gradually wear off, and the colon to fill back up with more substantial food.

Doing something structured like this cleanse helps me in other areas of my life. Knowing I'm cleansing with a goal of weight loss, it helps motivate me to keep going on the exercise, knowing I’m improving my overall health.

The baby steps of some small exercise when I don’t have the energy for something more really helps me. And while exercising during a cleanse is not absolutely essential, it really helps move things through your system and makes you healthier in the process.

Advice

Plan your meals in advance, especially if you work. I found breakfast the easiest because I would just bring fruit. For lunch, I would bring fruit and raw veggies, but the time I went out with a friend, I got tempted to go back and get some of that delicious food the next day! Even if it was plant-based without any wheat, gluten, soy, etc., it was cooked when I was initially aiming for raw.

Also, when you eat out, it’s really hard to know what is in your salad dressing or whatever, even when you order something pretty healthy. So I definitely recommend sticking to bringing your own food if you want to be strict about the cleanse.

To remember to take my supplements, I put the bottles on my bathroom counter. I took Latero-Flora in the morning and Oxy-Powder the evening before bed.

I started out with the recommended six capsules of Oxy-Powder but reduced to four as that worked better for me at work. In an ideal world, I would have followed the protocol more precisely, but this was my honest experience. I did not have to rush to the bathroom or have any concerns with that at all. I would usually wake and have a nice hefty BM, and then at work would also go to the bathroom (number two) a couple of times. Other than the one day with a gurgly stomach, I did not experience any stomach upset, diarrhea, or gas.

Everyone has questions during a new cleanse. I had these questions and asked our Customer Satisfaction Team Manager Luis. Here are his answers.

Can I drink store-bought juice?

You can, but it’s not optimal for the colon cleanse. Dr. Group recommends fruits in as close to their natural “live” state as possible. If you drink juice, it’s best to make it yourself.

How long do the effects of Oxy-Powder last?

Its effects last 18 hours. (That makes sense why it seems to loosen the poo, not just the day after you take it, but the following day as well.)

Can I eat dried fruit?

Yes, but be careful not to overeat. It’s not hard to do.

Can I just eat fruit and vegetables, but raw? Why all fruit?

Dr. Group believes fruit is best for cleansing the colon. Fruit is full of both soluble and insoluble fiber, while also containing high levels of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients.

Can I drink tea in that 20-minute period between taking Latero-Flora and eating?

Yes, it's ok. It does not interfere unless you're taking a probiotic at the same time as oregano tea or oregano oil, which kills probiotics. It will make little to no difference. The 20 minutes is really to ensure enough time for the capsule to open so that it can travel to the small intestine along with the food you are about to ingest.

The post My Remarkable Colon Cleanse Experience: a 7 Day Journal appeared first on Dr. Group's Healthy Living Articles.

My Remarkable Colon Cleanse Experience: a 7 Day Journal published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.tumblr.com/

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My Remarkable Colon Cleanse Experience: a 7 Day Journal

Global Healing Senior Editor Wendee Nicole decided to do the Complete Body Cleanse Program™ — a comprehensive program to detoxify and improve health that will take three to four months to complete — and it starts with a 6-day Colon Cleanse. Not everything eaten on Wendee’s cleanse experience is approved or endorsed by Dr. Group, but this was her experience trying to follow the recommended diet and protocol as closely as possible.

Wendee’s Story

I have a milestone birthday coming up in July, and I want to get in great shape by then. I’m not getting any younger, and I want to lose some weight — my main goal — but also to get healthier overall, including reducing the risk of health ailments in later years by removing toxins from my body. Every time I do a cleanse, it resets my digestion and I feel better. It also gives me an opportunity to set my health intentions anew and even takes on a spiritual element, for me.

Global Healing’s Colon Cleanse Program™ recommends avoiding soy, gluten, red meat (and all meat), high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, refined sugar, processed foods, canned foods, alcohol, and excess coffee or caffeine, among other things. Instead, I’ll eat a variety of fruits (this includes avocados and tomatoes, which are fruits!).

Every day during the six-day cleanse, I will take Oxy-Powder® and Latero-Flora™ — a single-strain probiotic (Brevibacillus laterosporus). Latero-Flora is a transient probiotic, which means it does not set up shop in your body like other probiotics do, but passes through. However, on the way, it targets harmful organisms that live in the colon, like yeasts.

I know that prevention is the key! Dr. Group says that health begins in the colon — the large intestine — and that’s because we can accumulate years of gunk in there, including toxins and unhealthy microbes. Colon health is the start of good health!

For complete protocol details, check out our article, How To Perform a Colon Cleanse: The Complete Guide.

Below, I detail the supplements I took, how much water I drank, and all the foods I ate — as well as my overall daily experiences.

Friday — Day 1

Supplements

2 Latero-Flora + 6 Oxy-Powder

Water (with lemon)

80 ounces

Breakfast

1 cup blueberries & raspberries

1 cup ginger-mango tea

Few sips mango kombucha

1 cup watermelon chunks

Lunch

1 avocado with sea salt

1 banana

Cold-pressed mixed vegetable-fruit juice

Snack

½ bag crunchy mango bites

1 cup mint-chamomile herbal tea

Dinner

6 jicama tacos (jicama wraps with cucumber and carrots)

4 oz. homemade guacamole

4 mini tomatoes

1 cup watermelon

Activity

100 crunches + plank

Woke up excited about the cleanse! Dr. Group's standard daily recommendation is drinking half your body weight in water daily, but on a cleanse, more is better. I’m drinking from a 20-ounce reusable bottle so I can track how much I drink.

I decided to drink room temperature water because it’s easier to drink more, faster. I’m drinking way more than I normally do. To my third bottle of water, I added a capful of organic raw apple cider vinegar.

I went out with a friend for lunch, but I brought my own food there. I had carrots, avocado, and juice and it really filled me up.

It’s 4 p.m., time to head home! I noticed that on my drive home, I was a bit sleepy. Around 5 p.m. once home, I got a headache. I didn't take any meds, but instead took a hot bath and inhaled some lavender essential oil.

Headaches and other mild discomforts are a natural part of most cleanses, and are part of what’s called the "healing crisis." When your body purges toxins, it can naturally lead to such symptoms.

I am keeping a commitment to exercise in some capacity every single day during the Complete Body Cleanse, which, of course, includes this Colon Cleanse. I really wasn’t feeling it today with the headache, but I did 100 crunches and a 60-second plank. Exercise and moving your body keep the toxins moving out of your body, so it’s helpful.

Every evening of the Colon Cleanse, I take six capsules of Oxy-Powder, an oxygenated colon cleanser that really gets things moving. Oxy-Powder is the best colon cleansing product that I’ve ever used. You take it at night and it works gently and very effectively. The next day, there’s no cramping — just simple, easy elimination. I like that I can check off the supplements I take in the instruction booklet.

Saturday — Day 2

Supplements

2 Latero-Flora + 6 Oxy-Powder

Water

60 ounces

Breakfast

1 cup rooibos tea

1 banana

3 dried apricots

1 unsweetened applesauce cup topped with cinnamon

Lunch

5 jicama tacos

4 oz. homemade guacamole

Snack

2 cups cold-pressed orange-pineapple-mango juice

½ cup blackberries/blueberries

Few sips mango kombucha

½ cup chopped Medjool dates in coconut flour

Dinner

6 jicama tacos

4 oz. guacamole

Activity

House cleaning + raking

Rode bike a couple of miles

My healing crisis symptoms continued on day two. It’s good that I started my cleanse on a Friday so that I could relax at home and take it easy. From past experiences, I find that the healing crisis symptoms occur in the first two or three days of a cleanse. I take comfort knowing it will go away soon, and I am doing this for my health!

After some morning tea, I started some house cleaning. I guess I felt like “cleansing” my house as well. Cleansing the body often brings psychological and emotional responses.

Later, my daughter and I started riding our bikes on the greenbelts in our neighborhood, then spontaneously decided to go to a coffee shop, which was not too far. I got a juice while there.

Back home, I took a hot bath with scented Epsom salts — a great part of any bedtime routine. Epsom salt contains magnesium sulfate, which comforts sore muscles and joints. Supportive therapies are encouraged during cleanses and you can turn your bath into a healing hot spring by adding Epsom salts, Bentonite clay, and other health-inducing ingredients. Other therapies that help a cleanse include massage, acupuncture, and saunas.

I am not taking any other supplements during this cleanse — which is what Global Healing recommends. That allows your body to devote its energy to breaking down toxins rather than processing the additional nutrients in supplements. While vitamins, minerals, and other supplements are healthful, it takes energy for the liver and kidneys to break down each and every item consumed. The simpler your diet is during a cleanse, the better the result.

Once in bed, I felt very cold and even started shivering. That was weird because, although it’s a bit cold outside, I keep my house warm. I felt so cold that I dried my hair and then used a heating pad to warm up. I am sure it’s part of the healing crisis. My body is ridding itself of toxins.

Sunday — Day 3

Supplements

2 Latero-Flora + 4 Oxy-Powder

Water

68 ounces

Breakfast

⅓ cup dried Medjool dates in coconut flour

1 cup peach passion tea

1 banana

1 dried apricot

Lunch

½ cup blueberries

1 cup peppermint tea

1 handful of dry roasted macadamia nuts

6 plantain chips

2 tablespoons pine nuts

Dinner

5 jicama tacos

4 oz. guacamole

4 mini-tomatoes

Activity

Stretching

100 crunches

Tae Bo

It’s day three and I have a lot of energy and feel great. I started my day with some stretching and situps and later, at a movie with my daughter, I swapped my normal popcorn-munching habit with snacks from home: chopped dates and blueberries, plus sparkling water. Yay for small victories!

I’m weighing myself every day on this new scale I have that tells body fat, muscle mass, and more, but suffice it to say that I am not at my ideal weight and hope the colon cleanse will help!

As you get older, metabolism slows down, and that is just a natural part of life, but I am trying to increase my muscle mass and strength through exercise of various types, from yoga to running. I know that moving your body is an important part of cleansing because — along with water — it gets things moving and flowing, enabling the toxins to purge from the body.

But so far, as of day 3, I am not losing weight. But again, weight loss is not the main focus of a colon cleanse. It can happen, but often that comes when you have a lot of accumulated, compacted fecal matter in your colon. I’ve done several cleanses, so don’t expect to have much in the way of compacted waste. Since I’ve done many cleanses before, I think my colon is pretty clean overall!

When I got home, I did 40 minutes of Tae Bo. I used to do these years ago — I love Billy Blanks’ energy and I feel like I get an excellent all-over workout.

I only took four Oxy-Powder because I know that four "keeps me going" without being too much.

Monday — Day 4

Supplements

2 Latero-Flora + 4 Oxy-Powder

Water

88 ounces

Breakfast

1 cup rooibos tea

Few sips coconut water

1 banana

1 pear

1 dried banana

½ cup blueberries

⅓ cup green grapes

Snacks

½ bag organic crunchy mango bites

1 banana

Lunch

1 cup carrot sticks

4 oz. spicy guacamole

Dinner

15 plantain chips with ½ avocado

Few sips Mango Tango juice smoothie

Activity

Situps (60)

It was my first day back at work, so I came prepared! I didn’t want to end up hungry and make poor food choices by being tempted by that. I brought the following: a banana, apple, pear, grapefruit, avocado, grapes, blueberries, lemon (to squeeze in my water), dried dates & coconut, dried banana, and a bag of carrots… I laid all the fruits out on my desk, and I found it humorous and it kept my mood high in the morning!

I’m finding it so much easier to drink water at work than at home. Weird. I’m going to the bathroom a lot, are people noticing? I added lemon to all my water today and apple cider vinegar (ACV) to my last 20 ounces.

I went to an Indian place for lunch with two friends. They are doing the colon cleanse also, but not the all-fruit option. I had one small bite of both of their vegan dishes — it was so delish! A bite or two of something else won’t blow the whole program. But my main meal was carrots and guacamole that I brought with me.

Back at the office, my stomach was very gurgly, and I was gassy (unusual for me, even on a cleanse). I wonder if it was the bite of Indian food since I hadn’t had this in the previous days.

I talked to Luis, who said that’s normal because Oxy-Powder releases oxygen in the gut and that feeling means it is working away at the gunk in the colon. The oxygen “eats” away at compacted waste in the colon, which is a key part of the colon cleanse. Knowing the benefits helps offsets any difficulties.

I didn’t end up eating all the fruits I brought to work but I did eat some and left some for tomorrow. I'm not eating all that much, but I wasn’t hungry at all during the day. Or when I felt hunger, that is, I ate some fruit and felt fine.

In the evening, I ate a few plantain chips and felt a little guilty because they are not fruit per se. But they aren't too bad because they’re really just bananas; the only thing they’re introducing that I hadn’t been eating is oil.

Tuesday — Day 5

Supplements

2 Latero-Flora + 4 Oxy-Powder

Water

104 ounces

Breakfast

1.5 cups mango juice smoothie

1 cup rooibos tea

1 dried banana

1 banana

1 Gala apple

1 cup coconut water

Lunch

1 cup raw kale salad

⅓ cup quinoa salad

2 red potatoes in oil

½ cup corn-arugula salad

½ bottle turmeric golden milk

¼ bottle sparkling prebiotic tonic — ginger/turmeric/lemon

Snacks

6 organic carrot sticks, dried

⅓ bag dried crunchy mango bites

Dinner

½ avocado w/Himalayan pink salt

Activity

Ran for 40 min

Lunges & calf raises

Happy to nearing the end of the colon cleanse and proud of myself for beginning this health journey.

I'm finding it to be harder than I thought to eat only fruit! I had a few salad items at lunch that were not all fruit, but still, I ate no meat, dairy, eggs, sugar, or gluten, and no processed foods. I’m noticing a connection I have to emotional eating. If I’m stressed or down in any way, I crave comfort foods.

Noticing these patterns is just one positive aspect of a cleanse — they become much more obvious when you eat simply.

Cleanses can serve many positive purposes, not just cleansing out the colon. First, it’s the act of eliminating poor dietary choices which gives your digestive system a break and purges toxins.

Second, cleanses help me to eliminate poor diet choices even after it’s over. In the past, I’ve permanently given up diet soda, caffeine, gluten, and other things during and after different cleanses.

But I also use the cleanse as a time to reflect and observe. As mentioned, I am noticing this pattern — which I know is common — to eat out of emotions. Eating can be a comfort and a habit, beyond the nutritive value. That’s something I want to focus on, even after the cleanse ends.

At home, I went for a long run with my daughter. We ran for about 40 minutes. In fact, I ran further than I have in a long time. That felt so great!

I’ve had no wine all week, and I love a good glass of red wine in the evenings. In fact, I haven’t had any in a few weeks — another positive aspect of the cleanse for my health.

Wednesday — Day 6

Supplements

2 Latero-Flora + 2 Oxy-Powder

Water

88 ounces

Breakfast

Rooibos tea

1 banana

1 cup strawberries, raspberries, blueberries

½ bottle mango juice smoothie

½ bottle turmeric golden milk

1 grapefruit

1 dried apricot

Lunch

2 red potatoes

¼ cup corn arugula salad

¼ cup quinoa salad

⅔ cup roasted zucchini & sweet potato mix

⅓ cup roasted okra

⅓ bag dried carrots

Dinner

Leftover salads

Activity

25-minute yoga flow

Arm weights

At work in the morning, I talked to one of our Customer Satisfaction specialists who said that it’s not ideal to drink store-bought juices during cleanses because they remove parts of the juice like pectin and enzymes during the pasteurization process. It’s fine to drink homemade juices, even better if you use a juicer that leaves the pulp.

I ate half of a grapefruit before our morning meetings, and it made me hungrier! But I know it’s good for me. In the meeting, my stomach was rumbling and I was super hungry. I had a dried apricot and finished the grapefruit afterward.

I’m adding some ACV and lemon to my water. I didn’t use to love the flavor of ACV, but I know it’s good for me, and the more you drink it, the better it tastes! I do prefer the taste with ACV + lemon to just ACV.

I went to a natural grocery store for lunch again and ended up eating again from the salad bar. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m looking forward to the Liver Cleanse which comes next on the Complete Body Cleanse — because I can eat other stuff!

When I got home, I was kind of struggling with low energy and motivation, but I’m not sure why. I know that emotions can come up during any cleanse, especially as you get into deeper cleansing — in other words, when you’ve done several. I’m really proud of myself for sticking with it, and for exercising daily!

Today, when I didn’t feel motivated to exercise, I found a 30-day yoga video series online. We can do hard things! The first one was a simple 25-minute flow. Then I did some arm weights — biceps, triceps, shoulders — afterward. I was so glad I pushed myself to do it and it made me feel proud that I stuck to my commitment. Mentally, I feel recentered and that is a good way to finish the cleanse.

Because supportive therapies are helpful during a cleanse, and I plan to reward myself with a massage this weekend and go to the chiropractor next Tuesday. That’s a great way to end these six days and transition to the liver cleanse, the next step in the Complete Body Cleanse I’m doing!

Overall Experience

I feel really happy and “clean” because I ate very healthy throughout the entire program. I feel good about what I’m putting into my body. I feel great about exercising every day, whether it’s a day where I push myself with 40 minutes of running, a gentle yoga flow, or even just a few crunches.

I am seeing that my stomach is flatter, and my digestive system feels clean. Since I just finished, I can’t say how my digestion is going to be after, but from past experience I find cleanses make me very regular — like clockwork! It takes a couple of days for Oxy-Powder’s effects to gradually wear off, and the colon to fill back up with more substantial food.

Doing something structured like this cleanse helps me in other areas of my life. Knowing I'm cleansing with a goal of weight loss, it helps motivate me to keep going on the exercise, knowing I’m improving my overall health.

The baby steps of some small exercise when I don’t have the energy for something more really helps me. And while exercising during a cleanse is not absolutely essential, it really helps move things through your system and makes you healthier in the process.

Advice

Plan your meals in advance, especially if you work. I found breakfast the easiest because I would just bring fruit. For lunch, I would bring fruit and raw veggies, but the time I went out with a friend, I got tempted to go back and get some of that delicious food the next day! Even if it was plant-based without any wheat, gluten, soy, etc., it was cooked when I was initially aiming for raw.

Also, when you eat out, it’s really hard to know what is in your salad dressing or whatever, even when you order something pretty healthy. So I definitely recommend sticking to bringing your own food if you want to be strict about the cleanse.

To remember to take my supplements, I put the bottles on my bathroom counter. I took Latero-Flora in the morning and Oxy-Powder the evening before bed.

I started out with the recommended six capsules of Oxy-Powder but reduced to four as that worked better for me at work. In an ideal world, I would have followed the protocol more precisely, but this was my honest experience. I did not have to rush to the bathroom or have any concerns with that at all. I would usually wake and have a nice hefty BM, and then at work would also go to the bathroom (number two) a couple of times. Other than the one day with a gurgly stomach, I did not experience any stomach upset, diarrhea, or gas.

Everyone has questions during a new cleanse. I had these questions and asked our Customer Satisfaction Team Manager Luis. Here are his answers.

Can I drink store-bought juice?

You can, but it’s not optimal for the colon cleanse. Dr. Group recommends fruits in as close to their natural “live” state as possible. If you drink juice, it’s best to make it yourself.

How long do the effects of Oxy-Powder last?

Its effects last 18 hours. (That makes sense why it seems to loosen the poo, not just the day after you take it, but the following day as well.)

Can I eat dried fruit?

Yes, but be careful not to overeat. It’s not hard to do.

Can I just eat fruit and vegetables, but raw? Why all fruit?

Dr. Group believes fruit is best for cleansing the colon. Fruit is full of both soluble and insoluble fiber, while also containing high levels of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients.

Can I drink tea in that 20-minute period between taking Latero-Flora and eating?

Yes, it's ok. It does not interfere unless you're taking a probiotic at the same time as oregano tea or oregano oil, which kills probiotics. It will make little to no difference. The 20 minutes is really to ensure enough time for the capsule to open so that it can travel to the small intestine along with the food you are about to ingest.

The post My Remarkable Colon Cleanse Experience: a 7 Day Journal appeared first on Dr. Group's Healthy Living Articles.

My Remarkable Colon Cleanse Experience: a 7 Day Journal published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

[aegyotrashcan]

Dating Poly!SulliU

a/n: here is some inspiration behind why I ship these two, for anyone who was unaware of their interactions! :) and also, this is just my opinion. none of this is fact, I just think they’re cute together is all :) haha. either way, I hope you enjoy!

Ok, let’s start at the beginning!

IU and Sulli have been fond of each other for a number of years. It began as friendship, as fangirling over shared interests and hanging out and little things like that.

But the more time Jieun spent looking at Sulli, the more she started to wonder how innocent her feelings really were ...

She had always been very vocal about her admiration of Sulli, from terming her the prettiest girl in Korea to writing “peach” about her to cooking for her.

Sulli hasn’t been shy with her admiration either, often promoting and complimenting IU’s songs and holding her hand and all around just supporting her.

Then you came into the mix.

Sulli was immediately drawn to you, for your fresh way of thinking, carefree attitude and imagination. She’s an artsy person so someone who stimulates her is what she craves.

The day after she met you, IU received dozens of texts about you; leading her to ask “Do you have a crush?”

And shamelessly, Jinri texted back; “Yes. But I have a crush on you too.” Because these were her feelings and there’s nothing wrong with having them. She’s not ashamed of those feelings or of who she is as a person.

You then meet Jieun at her place. Sulli drags you over and when you arrive, there’s three dinner plates set up and as wine was poured out, you found the hours flying by.

More than likely it was the wine that loosened all your tongues but that doesn’t matter,, what matters is that Sulli was brave enough to state her interest in you and IU and when you and IU agreed to being open to the idea, it was the beginning of something wonderful.

As you and Jieun had just met, you needed to get to know each other better before trying to begin something serious.

So for a number of months, you and her would talk and hang out and Sulli was there sometimes, but sometimes she wasn’t. And Sulli and you would do the same, and she would do the same with Jieun. It was time for you to all get comfortable with each other, to understand where boundaries lay and how serious you all were about this.

When Jieun asked you two “So are we, um, dating?” during movie night, you answered without hesitation, “Yes,” and Sulli smiled. All she ever wanted in life was to love and be loved, so having her two loved ones love her and love each other was a dream come true.

It’s a very loving relationship.

And they’re both very gentle and soft.

Skinship is entirely in doors and entirely heartfelt.

Jieun likes holding hands. While watching tv, she slips her hand into yours and plays with your fingers. She knows every detail of your nails, your fingers, any rings you wear; because she focuses so much attention on your hand.

For Sulli, cuddling is the way to go. She prefers being the small spoon but honestly, all cuddles are good cuddles. She loves the extra contact and the warmth of such close contact. Goosebumps litter her skin if you rub your back, or run your nails down her arm, or play with her hair.

She enjoys cooking for you and Jieun. Often times, she makes you both lunch and loves the idea of you two gaining nourishment from food she made by hand, out of love. And for important days, like a birthday or exam/interview day, and so on, she writes little notes to stick into your lunches, with small heart she drew and cute animals.

Jieun’s cooking is improving too, so you and Jinri are often her guinea pigs as she practices hard to make you tasty meals.

Compliments are never ending. Jieun and Sulli are honest even in interviews about their admiration of each others beauty, and it’s even worse behind closed doors.

“You’re so pretty.”

“No, you are.”

“No, you’re the prettiest. I even wrote a song about it, that’s how pretty you are.”

And you happen to come home and suddenly it’s a three-way war of “You’re more beautiful” “No, I love you more” “I already love you the most so you can’t love me more.”

Your house is very minimalist. The white walls and green plants type of place that aesthetic IG is filled of. But there’s personal touches too. Like pictures of you all together, of your friends and family and pets.

Self care is extreme in your household.

Even if you’re not interested in healthy eating, Jieun and Jinri give you no say. They want only the best for you, including a rich diet and nutritious foods. And they remind you often to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

The days of the week are planned around taking care of yourselves. The weekend is meal prep time, when you all make healthy dinners in batches to freeze and each during the week. Monday is bubble bath night. Tuesday is nail care. Wednesday is clay mask and chill. Thursday is face mask and hand massages. Friday is once again, bubble bath night.

Friday is your favourite. Not only because of the bubble bath, but because you all relax with some good wine, fresh strawberries and talk about your weeks.

Over all, the relationship is very loving and supportive. There’s no dominant figure or someone who makes the rules. You’re all equally loved and equally involved in the relationship. Your friends may not understand it but they accept it, when they see how much you care for each other. And you know that not everyone will understand but that’s fine. You don’t live your life for others. As long as you, Jinri and Jieun understand, that’s all that matters.

#kpop #kpop scenarios #sulli #sulli scenarios #iu #iu scenarios #jinri #jieun #fx #f(x) #fx scenarios #f(x) scenarios #soloist scenarios #girl group scenarios #kpop poly #kpop polyamorous #sulliu

[writtenwordsoffic]

Hidden Rooms - Part 3

Part 2

Part 1

Jughead has followed a mysterious new girl to a room that provides students with escape. He starts to learn more about the girl to only find himself infatuated with her.

Jughead x Reader

Word Count: 4,985

Masterlist

Taglist: @sgarrett49 @theselfishllama

The weekend was full of investigating, writing as well as a failed attempt by Mr. Andrews in trying to make spaghetti for dinner. Yet every free moment, my mind would wander to Y/N. I just wanted to know what Monday would bring.

She didn’t see me but I saw her. She was taking books out of her locker when Cheryl and some of her posse went up to her. I couldn’t make out the words but Y/N’ s face went stern and red. Cheryl left with a signature hair flip while Y/N’s callous eyes followed Cheryl. She turned, slammed her locker close, and fled.

I almost followed her until my ears heard my named being called.

“Hellloooo. Earth to Juggie!”, Betty slightly waved her hands in front of my face.

“Sorry, what?”, I finally moved my head towards her direction.

“Did you want to work on the Blue and Gold during our free period?” Betty gave a look of annoyance.

“Uh, sorry I can’t. I have to work on something…”, it was true even if I didn’t know what yet.

“Alright. But we have to look into the board more today. After school?”, she gave a small nod waiting for an answer.

“Yeah. I’ll be there”, I gave a half smile as my thoughts were still elsewhere.

“See ya Buddy”, Archie grasped on to Betty’s shoulder as she returned his touch with a smile. I watched them walk away as I could now no longer see any sign of Y/N.

I was about to knock on the aforementioned secret door until I realized it was fully open. I was greeted by Tim who seemed to expect me.

“Stay there a second”, he went to his left to the other conjoined room I had yet to see.

“Hey you done mixing?”, I looked over the entry door to see Y/N with a blue mask over her mouth and gently mixing a substance with a plastic stick. She didn’t even bother looking up as I saw her once again make a knocking motion with her fist. “Y/N. He’s here”. He gently rolled his eyes.

She looked up meeting my eyes, “Oh sorry. Come on in Jughead”.

“Do I need a mask?”, I asked before fully stepping in.

“Nah you’re good, it’s mixed. This was just if the powder flew up”, she was still mixing while taking off her mask.

“So what am I doing?”, I waited over 2 days for an actual answer to that question.

“Well, as long as you were serious the other day…I’m making a wax mold of your hands”, she gently glanced down to my hands.

I thought for a moment. “Is this for that Poe inspired project?”

“Yep”, she gave a gleeful nod.

“So…I have the hands of a guilty murderer?”, I gave a smirk as I came closer to the table.

“Tortured enough hands, plus they’re large enough to hold the heart, even though I purposely made it a little big for emphasis…”, she looked down at her mixture.

I gave a slight blush before she looked back up.

“Okay, so what do I do?”, I put my bag down.

“Hold on a sec”, she moved her head up slightly, “Hey S!”.

Within a few seconds an older man that looked to be in his late 60’s with only some slight hair on the sides of his head came walking in slowly. “Yeah Y/L/N?”, his voice was gentle and soft and I don’t think I had ever heard a teacher be so soft spoken with a student before.

She gave a smile, “can you stir this? I have to prep Jughead’s hands”. She motioned to where I was standing.

“Of course”, he was rather quiet and solemn and kept his focus on the bucket.

“Lift your sleeves up”, I gave a nod to her request.

She turned back with some masking tape and what looked like strips of black trash bags.

“You trust me right?”, she gave a motion with her head while her eyes looked back at mine. They seemed starry and full of joy.

I had almost lost my words completely, “yep”. I gave a smile.

A few inches down from my wrist she started to tape the strips. I tried to keep from smiling from her touch.

“This will make it easier to peel off”, she turned her body again and had a rather large qtip with a small barrel of Vaseline in hand. “I’m going to lather this on, okay?”, she gave me the look in her eyes again and I about melted but quickly nodded.

She scooped out some of the pale substance onto her fingers and began to spread it on mine, her focus on just covering my hands as completely as she could. Her touches were gentle and every once in a while she had to rub the substance in. With the qtip, she got the small crevices of my nails covered. She was so close that I could smell her hair. She slightly smelled of clay mixed with some type of berry. She was intoxicating but I resisted from showing off my thoughts physically.

She finally went up to my wrists and then turned my hands around, carefully looking to make sure my hands were completely covered in Vaseline. She looked satisfied. “That’s thick enough, right S?”, she looked behind her and she started to switch places while the teacher came over to look at my hands.

“Yep he’s good”, I started to get out of my trance from staring at her.

“Wait…you’ve done this before right?”, I had felt a little bit worry creep up on me.

“Don’t worry son, I have”, S gave me a slight pat on my back. “And she’s made a lot of molds even if they haven’t derived from someone’s limbs”. He smiled as if he was trying to intentionally scare me a little.

“You’ll be fine Jughead”. She gave a smile to me that was more reassuring. “Come here”. She grabbed a rather large brush and cleaned off the excess goo off of the plastic stick. “So this is essentially wax. Not exactly like candles but pretty similar. It clings to texture better and is easier to get off as well as seal if my mold breaks at all. So dip one hand in at a time and let me brush it around so it’s even”. She gave a slight thought. “It’s also rather warm but don’t be alarmed by that”.

“Okay…”.

“Here stand closer to the bucket”, she looked down at the substance looking satisfied. “Ready when you are”, she gave a smile while I then dived in a hand into the mixture. It really was quite warm and definitely felt weird but once again she couldn’t take her eyes off of my hands. “Okay, and out and just hover it over the bucket”. I followed her directions while she then started to smear the mixture over my hands with the brush, making sure it was even and completely covered to the end of the tape around my wrist. I could feel it starting to cool down and it starting to dry.

“Is it suppose to bubble a bit like that?”, I stared at my hands as I saw the wax becoming thicker as it adhered to my skin.

Without a thought of worry she just gave an answer, “I think so…”, her eyes went to S behind us who was on looking to the process.

“You’re fine, keep going”, he gave a nod to both of us and my nerves were once again settled.

“Ready for hand number 2?”, I gave a nod as her eyes looked to mine and for a moment I saw her glance at a wave of my hair that had fallen loose. She gave a slight smile until her focus was brought to my hand.

She went through the same process. “Alright. So 20 minutes and I can take these off”, she quickly wiped off her hand with a rag that was on the table.

Out of nowhere my stomach growled and she gave a rather large laugh. “Don’t worry, I got lunch covered”, she peered over the opened doorway. “You can follow me, you aren’t going to drip now”.

I followed her back to S’s room as I could smell a familiar engrossing smell come to my senses. I saw Levi in the central room once again playing the guitar with several Pop’s bags on the table next to him. He looked up and started to hand Y/N some cash. “Don’t worry about it Levi, keep it. Thanks for getting it”, she turned to me. “Sit Jug”. It was the first time a nickname for me had escaped her mouth.

“Uh…well how am I…”, I stared at the food.

She gave a slight giggle, “Well as long as you’re okay with me feeding you, there’s straws for the shakes and I asked Levi to get some forks”, she turned back to him as he gave a nod.

“They’re in there”, he continued playing his guitar lightly. “Don’t mention me getting it, I’m just glad you found someone else to do it”, his face then went to mine. “I’m not big on any damage happening to these babies” he slightly shook his fingers.

“Oh you would bave been fine Levi”, she shifted her hands to her hips for a moment. She sat down to the food and motioned for me to sit next to her. “You’ll want to put your elbows up on the table. Your hands will get tired”.

Levi got up grabbing his shake as he went to the back office with his phone.

“He’s always texting his girlfriend”, she gave a roll to her eyes. She looked back to me for a moment while opening the bags and placing the food down. “Thanks for doing this by the way, fry?”, she had a fork with a fry on the end and considering what was just on her hands, I appreciated the gesture.

“Thanks for the food” I delicately chewed the fry off of the fork and while I glanced back to her, she gave a small blush while trying to look away.

Several minutes went by with both of us eating, her still feeding me. We gave slight glances to each other as it seemed we were both a little uncomfortable with the movements.

She glanced back to the clock, “You ready to have your hands back?”

I nodded. “Well apparently the loss of my hands for a bit isn’t all bad”, I gave a smirk as I was really trying to make an attempt at flirting now. She gave a blush.

“Come on”, she rolled her eyes a bit.

We went back to the other room and with very small scissors she started to snip a side of the wax. “Let me know when you can move your hands out, okay?” The words came out of her mouth and at the same time the bell for 4th period had rung.

She had a grasp on the wax as she was once again looking intently at my hands.

Several minutes went by and with my first hand free from the wax, she began to seal the cut back up with some remaining wax in the bucket. S came back in and held the mold while she started to cut the second mold off of my other hand.

“And you’re free”, she gave a smile. “There’s a sink over there to wash your hands. She went back to the wax now sealing the new mold.

Tim peered back into the room, “Hey Y/N. Your student is here”.

“Haha, funny. Tell him I’ll be there in a minute”. She gave a small look to him while he nodded.

I was wiping off the remaining water with some paper towels as I came back over to her.

“I’ll be like 20 minutes but if you want to you can hang with Tim in there. S has his painting class but no one will mind”. She paused while once again wiping her hands clean. “If you want to stay I mean, if you got other things to do…”

“Nah I’ll stay here. I want to finish my burger anyway”, I gave her a smile that she quickly returned.

“Go Y/N, I got these”, S spoke up while looking at the molds. She hurried and went into the next room. “She’s something huh? It’s rare having a girl like her interested in learning so much. Especially at your guys’ age”, he gave a light smile in his soft voice.

“Yeah she is”, I made my way back to the table where Tim was sitting and I glanced around quick to see if Y/N was in the main art room.

His eyes peered up to my face, “She’s in there showing someone how to stretch canvas really quick", he motioned to the sculpture room. “Sit Jughead”, Tim seemed to have gotten food as well, as he was chewing on a burger.

I felt like I was about to be interrogated when something to the left of me caught my eye. I looked over to see a Serprents jacket draped over the edge of a chair with a rather blonde headed kid focused on a painting he was doing.

Tim glanced at what I was staring at. “You get to be who you really are in this room Jughead. It doesn’t matter what your name is outside of these doors”.

“I get it, I just guess it seems a little odd”, I started to eat the rest of my food.

“Yeah well I’m surprised you say that of all people, Jones”, he gave a small movement with his head.

“…do you know something about me?” I gave a questionable look to him while taking a sip of my shake. My nerves began to shoot up as only my friend’s had recently found out about my dad.

“It’s okay Jughead. Your dad can actually be a nice guy you know”, he kept eating nonchalantly. “My dad’s lived in this town his entire life. He knows your dad. It’s okay that he’s one of them. I don’t care”.

“Why do you say my dad can be nice?”, I gave an eyebrow.

“He uh…helped my dad out once when he honestly really didn’t have to”, I could tell Tim was getting choked up a little. “You know, she won’t care”, he gave a motion to the sculpture room where Y/N surely was. “She’s sweet like that”.

“I’ve caught on to that”, I found myself smiling again as Tim caught notice. “Does Y/N know?”

“I honestly don’t know for sure. She can get rather secretive”, he paused a moment. “Just so you know”, he set his food down to look me straight in the eye, “She’s like a sister to me. If you like her Jughead, fine. But know that she’s been through a lot already this year. If you hurt her, I will hurt you back”, he tightened his hands a bit while trying to cause some fear in me. It worked.

“I uh…well I mean she’s…”, my face felt like it was beating red now.

“It’s okay Jughead. She just deserves something great is all”, he looked at the clock. “Go tell her what time it is, she sometimes forgets to look herself”.

I gave a nod and quickly left my seat still in a bit of fear. I went to the sculpture room and peered in to see it empty with regards to two figures. One was Y/N stapling canvas to a piece of wood while the other figure helped hold it.

He was wearing a letterman jacket. They were slightly talking while I heard her say, “not everything that’s beautiful has to be pretty. There is beauty in pain, you can do this”. She glanced back up to me, “oh hey Jughead. I’ll be there in a minute”.

And with the mention of my name, the figure whipped his head back to me as I saw Reggie Mantle’s face. I could see him mouth a swear word silently.

Y/N felt the tension between us and glanced back to Reggie. She softly pressed on his chest with her hand, “It’s fine Reggie. He’s been helping me with some stuff. He knows the rules. It’s fine”.

I fled the room and grabbed my bag back from S’s chair that I left it in. “I’ll see you later Tim”, I could tell he wondered why I was essentially fleeing but I didn’t bother to tell him why.

I made it to the hallway when I felt a slight tug on my flannel. “Hey. What’s wrong with you?”

I turned to see Y/N behind me with eyebrows furrowed at me leaving. The hallways were empty as it was still 4th period.

“Are you two dating or something?”, my anger overwhelmed me. Reggie Mantle got on my nerves only a little less than Chuck. I didn’t appreciate how he treated women let alone anyone else.

She scoffed a little. “Jughead, no”, her voice was soft and rather believable. “Look Reggie’s going through something, he needed an outlet. That’s all I’m helping him with. He asked for my help and I said yes. He really doesn’t want anyone else to know…” She looked away from my eyes and to her feet.

“Do you know what that jerk has said about me? He doesn’t deserve the attention of someone…” I cut off my words as I tried to calm down. I huffed a little breath.

“Look, you get to be who you really are in that room Jughead. With no repucussions of the outside. I don’t care what he’s done but tell me, how many weeks has it been since he last picked on you?” Her voice was steady but still soft.

I thought about it for a moment, “3 weeks I suppose”.

“That’s when he started coming here. He needs this Jughead, let him have it”. There was a pause between us. A needle could have dropped and we would hear it.

“Why do you keep saying that?”, I looked back into her eyes.

“Saying what?”

“That you get to be who you really are in there. What are you hiding?” My concern was brought just to her now, as I could have cared less why Reggie needed art as an outlet.

She bit her lip, “Look Jughead. I’m different from a lot of people in this school and I’d rather not have everyone know my business”. She gave a glance back to my eyes as they started to soften. “What are you doing later today?”

I gave a thought as the morning came back to me, “I have to work on some Blue and Gold stuff…”

“Okay. Until when?”, she stepped a little closer to me.

“I don’t know, 5 maybe?” I gave a shrug but was curious why she was asking.

“Okay. Parking lot at 5 and meet me then?” She moved her hand to my shoulder. “You can know everything then, okay?” Her eyes had that gleam to them again. I had never had someone stare at me so intently like that in my life.

My voice slightly trembled as the word “okay” came out of my mouth.

She gave me a smile, “I’ll see you then Jughead”. She turned around and made her way back to the art room.

She was such a mystery to me.

I somewhat rushed Betty along as we went through the names of the board for the Blossoms maple business. It seemed plausible that someone would want the Blossoms to suffer by getting rid of Jason, and the board members all had something to gain from it. I looked back up to the clock, 4:45. I shuffled some stuff into my bag, “alright, I’m calling it a day for now”. 

Betty glanced up at the time, “that’s fine. Archie wanted to go to Pop’s today anyway. Did you want to come?”. 

“Uhh no…I’m good thanks”, she looked stunned at my words. 

“Is something wrong? I’ve never seen you once pass up Pop’s in your life…”, she looked worried. 

“No no, I’ve just got something to do, promise”. I gave a reassuring smile and a nod. I gave a wave goodbye as I grabbed my jacket and headed out of the Blue and Gold. 

I looked out to the parking lot and saw a rather beat up truck in the middle of it. I could see the driver as he had familiar hair. I made my way up to the truck. 

“She must like you, you know”. Tim looked up from reading a book. “She’ll be here in a minute. She’s just finishing up.” 

I gave a nod and jumped in the back of the truck. “Why MUST she like me?���

“She uh, well she asked me permission to go where we’re going. It’s not just her secrets your about to understand”, he seemed a bit unsteady in his words. 

“Is that okay with you?”, my eyebrows showed off concern. 

“Yeah it’s fine. You seem like a cool enough dude. She just really hasn’t opened up to anyone in a wh…’ his words were cut off. 

“You two talking about me?” She gave an arched eyebrow to both Tim and I while coming to the opened passenger window. I quickly thought on my feet. 

“Nope, Hemingway and the trusses that are Old Man and the Sea”, I motioned to Tim’s book while he looked back and gave me a small smile. 

“You ready?”, Tim motioned to Y/N. 

“Yeah let’s go”. 

She turned on the radio while mostly silence came from the three of us during the car ride. 

“So where are we going?”, the quietness finally got to me. 

“Home”, Tim said nonchalantly. I gave a nod. 

We were heading to a far side of town. We went past the Blossoms and out of the wealthy neighborhood that resided around it until we were brought to some farm looking areas. It started to get a little dusty as the pavement turned to gravel. 

We made our way to park in front of a house with a bit of acreage around it, as it looked like something made in the 50’s. The house had many statues and sculptures sitting in front of it while I could hear glass bottles clanging as they were tied together to make a wind chime. 

We all got out of the car while Tim headed inside the house while Y/N once again grasped a sleeve of my wrist directing me another way. “What are we doing?” I looked back to Tim as he entered through the front door. 

She opened up a gate while reaching over to grab a lock. “Going to the best place in the world” she gave a soft smile. 

I followed her through some light grass area that had odd stepping stones leading to a rather large shed. It looked a little old with the exception of a button that was next to the front door. Once again she had to undo a lock but ushered me inside. 

The room was a little dim as there weren’t many windows. I looked around me where the walls were surrounded with shelves, most of them filled with finished and unfinished pottery and sculptures. In the back were a few easels as well as an area to store canvas against the wall. In the middle of the room were a few pottery wheels like she showed me a few days ago as well as a small electric kiln in back. The room was quite cool but I assumed that was on purpose.

“Wow”, my mouth remained a little open while I kept staring around. 

“It’s great isn’t it?”, she looked around the room in pleasure. 

“Are these all yours?”, I looked closer at some pottery. 

She gave a large laugh. “No no, I’m not that good. These are all Cliff’s. Tim’s dad. This is pretty much his business but let’s Tim and I do whatever in here”.

Suddenly the lights flashed around me, I grew questionable at why she didn’t react. 

Within seconds a grayed hair man walked through. He honestly looked exactly like Tim if he had aged 35 years. 

Y/N gave a soft wave and then started to use her hands with her words. 

“Hey, Cliff. This is Jughead, I’m just showing him around…” all the while she said these words her hands moved with quick gestures and I pieced together she was signing. 

He gave a smile towards me and started to sign back to her, making slight movements with his lips but no words coming out. She gave a laugh when she finished as he gave a pat to my arm. She turned to me while still signing what she was saying. “Sorry. I forget to translate sometimes. He asked if I had finally recruited someone to help him out. He’s just making a joke”. 

I gave a smile to him. He started to sign again but looked at me to my eyes. She used her voice to speak for him, “he wants to know if you’re staying for dinner”. 

I wasn’t sure who to talk to so I decided to talk to both of them. “Uh sure, if you want me too”. 

She once again signed words for me to Cliff. She spoke his words while he signed again, “okay, it’ll be ready in a few minutes. Bring your appetite”. He gave a smile and a small wave, while Y/N gave a small sign back to him. 

He left the room, “so…” 

“Yes, Tim’s dad is deaf. He can read lips though as long as you catch his eyeline”, she was rather not bothered by me questioning it. “That’s Tim’s thing…” She got a little sad in her words. “He uh, got picked on a lot because of it growing up. Small town and all, so Cliff kind of separated himself from Tim’s school life. I think Tim still feels guilty about it. He doesn’t like people to know though, people don’t like things they really don’t understand…” 

“That pretty much is Riverdale. Shun out the “unnormal”, I gave a smirk. 

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that…”. She got a little quiet. 

“How long have you been signing?”, her accomplishments once again surprised me. 

“Well I’ve known Cliff my whole life and have known certain conversational signs for a while but the last 4 months I’ve gotten a lot better. As long as they’re smaller words anyway…” 

There was a pause. “What did Cheryl say to you this morning?”, it had irked me all day long and I had finally got to ask. 

She looked a little stunned. “Oh. I didn’t realize you saw that. Uh, she made a crack about how crazy must run in the family because I never really talk”. I gave an eyebrow while she gave a breath. “She knows about my mom. She…she killed herself this summer”. 

My eyes sunk. I felt bad for her that she felt like she had to admit such things to me. “You don’t have to…” I gave a small rub to her shoulder while she interrupted me. 

“It’s okay”, she once again paused and then looked to my eyes. “I found her”.

Her words silenced me. 

“She wasn’t the greatest of parents, and she certainly didn’t accept everything about me…but she had too much inner turmoil for herself”, she paused again as if she was reliving the moment. “I wish she left a note…or something anyway…” She began to sit in a chair. “But I’m here now, and this place really can be great in instances. That’s why I work so hard at all of this”, she motioned around the room. “I get a little inheritance at 21 but otherwise I kind of have to work at a scholarship for art school. The more things I can experiment with the better”. She gave a slight smile reassuring me she was okay. 

My words finally came back to me, “I didn’t mean to…” 

“It’s okay Jughead. It’s good to get secrets out sometimes”, she gave a smile. 

“I should probably tell you about…”, I started to run the hair under my beanie until she cut me off. 

“I know about your dad Jughead. It’s okay”, she gave a nod. 

“Oh, I didn’t realize…” 

“Yeah well it’s yours to tell, besides he isn’t all bad or anything”, she slightly got up from the chair. 

“What are you talking about?”, I felt as if I once again was about to discover something about my dad. 

“Oh. I thought you knew”, her eyes were a little surprised. “A few years back, Cliff went into town and somehow got followed by some people making fun of him. He tried getting back to his car but they started to beat him up…pretty badly too”. She paused. “Your Dad stopped them, 5 guys on Cliff. Then he took Cliff to the hospital and stayed with him until my Aunt Cheri got there”. 

I was a little stunned. At least my dad was still a good guy at heart. “He could have just walked away like most of this town would have, but honestly I’m pretty sure he saved his life”, she gave a smile. 

I sat down in the chair now. “Huh. He never told me about that”. 

“Good guys wouldn’t brag about it Jug”, she gave a slight pat on my shoulder. She looked at her phone, “come on, it’s almost dinner time”, she gently grasped my hand to follow her. I had a feeling I was in a rather welcomed house and that my night was going to be interesting. It surely would be.

#jughead jones #jughead x reader #jughead jones x reader #jughead imagine #riverdale #riverdale imagines

[letterstochristopher]

Letters to Chris. April 23rd. Day 15.

Hey Buddy,

I’m actually feeling as close to “content” as I possibly can right now. I’m wearing your Army PT shirt, your Breckenridge sweatshirt and your plaid pajama pants. Covered with your firefighter blanket. I’m actually pretty hot but I refuse to shed any layers. This hot laptop doesn’t help. I just went through all of my old Facebook photos and tagged you, Mom, Dad and Nikea in all of them. Pictures of you dressed up for Prom, for Winter Sports, pics of us at McDonalds for Austen’s birthday, wresting at the Rocheport Winery, feeding fish at Tan Tar A…And I didn’t cry. That’s progress. I think it’s still hard to reconcile the boy with the long hair and goofy grin as being gone. When I look at your photos, it doesn’t seem real. That young boy I knew would never do something to hurt himself. 

Denial phase again?

Yesterday was a super long day. Dad and I drove to Sedalia to drop off meds for Grandpa and see the family. Sue, Hannah, Holten, Sayre, Connor, David and Stacy were all there. I couldn’t be there during Christmas (rescheduled due to an ice storm so Sedalia Christmas happened after I returned to Colorado), so it was wonderful to see everyone. Connor is adorable. He’s so tiny! I always forget how little they are when they are brand new. New mama Sayre is beautiful and exhausted. Sue is in grandma Heaven. Holten is getting so big! Hannah is doing well and decided she can’t stand her dog (we all got a big laugh out of this). David and Stacy just got back from visiting Derek, and are planning another trip out soon. Of course Grandma and Grandpa are doing well. Poor Grandma was fussing because I couldn’t eat anything since I’m allergic to gluten. That’s right, Chris. There was hole-in-the-bread and freaking Mississippi mud and it took every fiber of my being not to face plant in both. Everyone misses you. Hannah started to cry, saying she had no idea how sad you were. I assured her that it wasn’t just her-none of us did. 

Then Dad and I picked up Mom and headed to Mexico to see Bethany. She still didn’t know. So Mom brought plastic Easter eggs to fill with candy and I brought pics I took of Connor to help distract her after we told her. Even though Bethany is mentally handicapped, she knows what death is. The second Mom signed “CJ died” she began to wail. It was awful. We just held her as her heart broke. Then she asked if you died from a gunshot to the head. We just looked at each other. How did she know? But we said, “No, CJ had cancer.” She’d ask again a little later, and we would just repeat the answer we gave her before. Then she left it. Thank goodness. They watch a lot of TV there, so we believe she has seen things like that on shows. Who knows. We took her out to Taco Bell for dinner, and she did okay for a while after. We filled eggs with candy, and then in the middle of handing them out to her roommates, she began to wail again. She kept signing “my brother died.” I was so angry with you. I knew you would never want to hurt any of us, especially Bethany. But here she was, sobbing for her big brother. And we couldn’t take away her pain. You know Bethany is the sweetest, most loving little person. It makes my heart ache just thinking about it. I didn’t want to leave her. I don’t see her nearly enough. I’ve decided to be better about Face Timing her and sending her cards and little gifts. You’ve taught me to not take her for granted.

This evening, I went through all of your things. This was my Goliath. I didn't know if I’d be able to handle it. Every time I’d go downstairs I’d have to stop at all your boxes and bury my face in your clothes and break down. Yet I knew it would be too much for Mom right now, and I needed to touch all of your things. I only cried like four times. That's good, I guess. I started with all your clothes, folding and separating. Any I found that smelled like you I set aside. I’ve been reduced to a person who seeks out her brother’s sweaty shirts. Maybe that’s gross. I’m sure you’d make fun of me. But that sweat is from a body that I washed and diapered, wrestled, hugged, probably pushed in anger a time or two when we were little. A body that no longer exists. So any time I’d find one that smelled of you, I’d stop and bury my nose in it. I separated your clothes into several containers: one for shirts, one for pants and shorts, and one for all military and firefighting clothing. You had some dirty laundry as well, mostly just underwear, socks and towels. I pointed those out to Mom when she came down to check on me, and she started crying. It’s so hard for her to be around your things right now. But she doesn’t want to part with any. She warned me tonight that she doesn’t want me to take back many things to Colorado. Not yet. I can have them, but she needs time before she can let them go. That was hard to hear. I’m going back to an apartment that holds no memories with you, whereas you’re everywhere here. And all of your belongings are downstairs. But I know she has the right to grieve over her son in the way she needs to, and if that means holding onto your things for a while, I have to respect that. 

I also went through all your books, and set aside the ones that looked like they had sentimental value. A couple firefighting books (one of which had your Citizen of the Month certificate from middle school in it. I was at that ceremony…so crazy. It seems like yesterday). Your books from AIT. Yearbooks. I had to laugh at one yearbook-I’m guessing you had an arch nemesis because you had crossed out one girl's name and wrote “ugly” in its place. I’ve decided middle schoolers are odd little people. On the inside cover, where your friends signed their names, one girl wrote how she wanted to be friends all year but didn’t think you did but oh wow you actually did want to be friends. Dad and I got big kick out of that. I also found your Harry Potter books. I am going to take those if Mom will let me. I have my own set but I’ll just replace it with yours, which obviously has way more sentimental value. These are the actual books Dad read to you. And then I found your old Legends of Sleepy Hollow I remember reading right here on this couch. 

I looked through your cards you kept. I found a couple I had sent you…one for graduation, one for your 11th birthday. I called you “buddy” in both. I’m trying to remember when I started calling you that…I have no idea. I’m honestly amazed I got you cards…I’m the world’s worst card-giver. I keep every card given to me ever, but I absolutely SUCK at getting them for others. Hypocrite? Maybe. But I was excited to see you’d kept those, along with a couple drawings I did for you of Garfield the cat sleeping (no idea why I drew this??) and a dog. You had kept a ton of cards from our real mom, so I set those aside for her. I figure she’ll want them. You also had a ton of thank you notes from your old teacher, Mrs. Dahms. I believe she was second grade. Nikea had her as a teacher as well, and apparently she’s awesome because who keeps notes from their second grade teacher?

Then I went through your knickknacks, mostly your real dad’s things. Military medals, the old black and white pics from Korea I mentioned before. And then rocks. Rocks. Rocks and more rocks. Beautiful rocks, though. Ones even I can appreciate. Geods and minerals I’m sure Dad gave you. Fossils. This cool quartz ball thing. I imagined them all displayed on your bookshelf among with your dozens of books. It reminded me of when you were little, and you would collect all these things in your pockets Mom would have to pull out before she washed your clothes. Rocks, sticks…I’ll have to ask Mom what else she’d discover. But she always found that so funny. She’d put them in a baggy and mail them to Mom Heidi. 

Then your jackets. My word, you had so many jackets. I have decided you were a collector of all things camo (shirts, sheets, pants, jackets), rocks and jackets. Oh and cowboy boots. You had three pairs. That’s a lot of cowboy boots! 

All your military and firefighting stuff was the hardest to go through. I know how much you loved both. Ever since you were little, it was your dream to be a firefighter and soldier like your real dad. I’m so grateful you got to experience both. How many people can say they accomplished dreams they had as a child? I believe it’s really rare, Chris. We are so proud of you.

By the way, I talked to my boss and am officially back to work next Monday. They’ve been unbelievably patient. The last six months have literally been the worst of my life, what with trying to find job, living in a basement, my health issues, Clay’s torn meniscus and surgery…and now this. I feel so discouraged. I’m definitely hoping life doesn’t keep throwing curve balls, because I’m exhausted. I had really thought things were getting better. We found jobs. I found a doctor I really like that seems to have answers. We moved out of the basement to a cute apartment. Then that phone call from Mom. I’m so tired, Chris. I feel like I’ve been fighting nonstop, and I’m ready for a break. I guess another way to look at it is I can overcome anything. Nothing will come close to this. This is the worst thing that could happen. My worst fear realized..losing a loved one. A sibling. Life has to be uphill from here, right? Unless someone else I love dies. I'm so terrified that will happen now. But I know you’ll give me strength. You’re giving all of us strength. Thank you. Because I feel so weak right now. 

I’ve been thinking of the things I’ve learned the past two weeks. Grief really makes you hyper aware of your life and the people in it. For one,  we have so many incredible people in our family. I’ve always loved and appreciated them, but now I have absolutely no idea how I could ever get on without them. They have been so wonderfully supportive. Which brings me to my second realization: some people you fully expect to be there for you refuse to alter their lives to accommodate you while you’re grieving. Sometimes you want to spend time with someone who just has too busy of a schedule for you. This was a hard one to realize. On a more positive note is my third realization: we are so much stronger than we give ourselves credit for. Humans are incredibly resilient, even those of us who fold to depression. Like I’ve told you, you were one of the strongest people I knew. You lived so long with your heartache, longer than I could have. It’s a broken world, and sometimes we have to live through our nightmares. But if we keep fighting, we can come out the other side. That’s realization 4: we have to go through the emotions. One of my first thoughts when Mom called me was, “I don’t want to go through this. I don’t want to feel what I’m feeling.” Because grief is awful. Loss is the worst possible thing we can go through. But we have to go through it. We have to cry, to mourn. We have to feel anger, despair, depression, fear, doubt, loneliness, hopelessness, before we can heal. I will always carry this scar. A huge part of me died with you. I’ll never be the same. None of us will. But by allowing ourselves to grieve and feel all the awful emotions that come with it, we will come out the other side. I feel like I’m in this awful dark tunnel with no light anywhere right now. I know that’s how you felt, as well. But, realization number 5 is that we have no idea how many people care for us. I guarantee you didn’t. Our deaths affect far more people than we expect. I’m sure you didn’t know how may people would be missing you, sobbing for your broken heart, posting on your Facebook wall, sending cards (we’ve received dozens). When we go through all the crap that life hurls at us, we need to lean on those who love us. They are what get us through. Six: grief does weird things to your body. I’m so tired 90 percent of the time, I’m breaking out like a teenager, my skin is rough and dry, I’ve lost eyelashes (probably from crying). I want to eat all the sugar (amazingly I’ve only caved once, and that was for my favorite candies, Percy Pigs, that Courtney had left over from our London trip a year ago). It’s a bit funny. It’s like your body is saying, “Hey, you’re devastated. Have some pimples!”

F*ck you, cortisol.

Realization number 6: take depression seriously. It’s a dangerous illness that can overtake anyone. We knew you struggled and we tried to help you in every way we could, but ultimately we couldn’t save you. I knew better than anyone what you were going through, but I didn’t know you had suicidal thoughts. Like I’ve said before, maybe I should have. No…I should have. You were my brother. I knew you your entire life. I should have acknowledged the possibility. I know guilt is normal in this situation, and everyone who goes through our situation struggles with it. But lesson learned. 

F*ck you, depression.

Next, do not take people for granted. Just don’t. We get so caught up in our own lives that we forget to take a few precious moments out of our day to make a call, or even send a text, to say “I love you.” It just doesn’t take any time. We get comfortable and forget that life’s a bitch, and people die when we least expect them to. I was thinking about the last time I heard your voice today. Oddly, it was when I was cutting fat off a pork shoulder. My mind never stops. But it was Christmas. You called us, and Mom put you on speaker. I was so disappointed you couldn’t come home. We chatted for at least 20 minutes. That was the last time we talked. I still can’t believe I let that long go by since we chatted…that was when life started to get super tough for us (we had recently moved into our friend’s basement), and I became somewhat of a recluse. But that’s no excuse. I should have called you. Now I’ve been telling everyone I love them. But I should have told you every day.

My biggest realization? That you still feel close. Sometimes so close I feel I can reach out and touch you. I know you’re here. I have no doubt. Earlier this evening, I laid my head on your dress uniform that you wore to my wedding (I even flung one of the arms around me like you were hugging me. Another thing about grief-it makes you do weird things like smell your brother’s BO on his tshirts and make his uniforms hug you), and your presence was so strong. Knowing you’re still here with us is so comforting. Thank you, Chris. Keep it up, because the next couple years are going to be tough. I know one day it won’t hurt to breathe, but that day is a long way down the road. So stay close, Buddy.

Well it’s 3 am so I’m going to try to get some sleep. I love you, Buddy.

#grief #grief and loss #mourning #love #suicide #suicide survivor #family #faith

[missredbean]

For You I Call: Episode 1 Arachnids - PART 2 (2)

It's Monday! It's been a busy time in work lately, because it's close to financial year end in Japan, and everyone want to get the money report right (urk). Updates will be slower from time to time because I want to take my time to find inspiration and write good story. I don't want to publish something half-baked for my readers. Even so, forgive me if my best is still half-baked!

"...I know you’re strong, but I bet you can’t move as fast as her.” I realize my mistake when I see a glint in Vert’s eyes as she flexes her well toned arms. Damn. How could I forget that this is the girl who can jump down three stories while carrying me with one hand? I shouldn’t have mentioned anything about physical prowess. “Wanna find out?” Vert asks as she steps forward. “Does that involve you hurting me?” I ask back, half-conscious of my own feet taking a step back.

Summary: After three years of hiding and recovering from a traumatic experience, Argent Cross' life finally starts heading for the better—only to have it turned upside down in one night. He wakes up ten years older, without a clear memory of what happened in between, in a warring country that sees him as their enemy's spawn. Prologue Episode 1: Arachnids Part 1 (Chapter 1 & 2, Chapter 3 & 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8) Episode 1: Arachnids Part 2 (Chapter 1)

© 2015-Current Miss Red Bean All Rights Reserved

Previously:

“Are you fine with it?”

My question seems to catch Vert off guard.

“Me?”

“You seem to love this place. I’ll feel bad if you keep putting my needs over yours.”

Vert smiles wryly. “There’s no need for you to feel bad. I did what I did because I want to. But you’re right; I don’t want to leave before we actually live in here. Let’s see how it goes first. We can consider moving out if it’s not working for us.”

“That’s—“ another booming sound, “—a good idea,” I manage to say, but my eyes twitch and Vert notices it. She smirks.

“It seems like you need to get used to the sounds first. Don’t worry. It won’t take long,” she assures, patting my back with an abnormal amount of force. I just laugh along and say nothing.

I really hope we will be fine, living this close to two threats.

Episode 1 Arachnids - PART 2 (2)

In the end we never move out. We grow attached to the mansion and find living there unexpectedly fun and comfortable. Vert falls in love with the garden further as she tends it while the mansion’s wall and ceiling paintings capture my attention. Their damaged state bothers me and I start taking my brush to fix it whenever I’m idle or taking a rest from researching on how to go back home. 

“You like painting?” Vert asks one day. She is taking a rest in the dining room where I am working on a mural depicting a princess, accompanied by her entourage of ladies in waiting, reaching out to pat a white pegasus. The colors are warm, like it was shined by invisible sunset, and they blend well with the rest of the dining room’s cream colored wallpaper.

“Yes, I did.”

Vert raises an eyebrow.

“You did?” 

“I used to love painting, but due to some…incidents, I grow to fear it.” 

“If you’re scared, then why are you painting now?” 

My brush freezes in midair as I stop to consider the question for the first time. 

“Maybe because I don’t have anything else to do. I’ve read or walked around the mansion and garden to fill time, but my hands are just itching for some activity.” I take a glance at the pegasus I am working on, noticing the color slightly getting over the line, and add with a sheepish smile, “I’m out of practice though.”

“But this is pretty good. How can you draw so well?” Vert asks enviously. That’s just asking me to tease her.

“It’s love, dear sister.” 

Vert gives me the look. 

“Okay, it’s mostly practice and a good teacher. My mother is a good painter and a superb make-up artist.”

“Make-up artist?” Vert blanches like it is the most disgusting profession ever. Figures this Vert would have an allergic reaction to anything feminine too.

“Not what you imagined. Besides beautifying, her make up is very useful in—” how do you explain movies to someone who’ve never seen TVs? “—epic theatre plays and such. She can make the young look old, transform someone plain to ethereally beautiful or disgustingly ugly, create fake wounds and burn marks that look so real that someone mistook it for a real wound, and the best: make an animal mask that looks so realistic even though she doesn’t use real animal skin or hair.”

By the end of my explanation, Vert looks at me with intrigue and wonder.

“That sounds amazing. Can you do the same? It will be useful if we have to hide next time.”

“Urk. Why didn’t I think about that?” I mumble.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. Just berating myself. To answer your question, I know some basics, but not like my mother’s level because it involves some sculpting skills. If I try making a figure of this pegasus, it will end up like this.“ 

I show Vert my clay eraser, the one I fiddled with this morning. It looks like a balloon-shaped cow. 

Vert pats me sympathetically on the shoulder.

“You better stick to drawing, brother.”

I shake my head. “No. I won’t give up.”

Vert gives me a look that she reserves for someone taking a futile quest and consoles me.

“It’s alright. Everyone has weaknesses. My real brother is a great dancer, but sucks at singing.”

Now that is something I can’t picture, because my body control is abysmal.

“Really? I bet he looks like a spinning duck when he dances.”

I don’t know how it started, but every time we talk about our real siblings, we turn it into a bragging competition. Now is no different.

“Of course not. He’s the best, even better than the court dancers. While you—“ Vert pokes my chest “—and your sister may be the spinning duck.”

“I am,” I admit right away. “But Ver is no spinning duck.” 

I have started calling my real sister Ver to avoid confusion. It’s her nickname anyway, so it’s quite easy to switch. 

The Vert in front of me raises an eyebrow in a challenging manner.

“Oh, why is that?”

“Because she’s no duck. She’s a graceful beast—tearing through the field like a cheetah, intercepting opponents like a bolt out of the blue, untouchable even when there are five people crowding around her. I know you’re strong, but I bet you can’t move as fast as her.”

I realize my mistake when I see a glint in Vert’s eyes as she flexes her well toned arms. Damn. How could I forget that this is the girl who can jump down three stories while carrying me with one hand? I shouldn’t have mentioned anything about physical prowess.

“Wanna find out?” Vert asks as she steps forward.

“Does that involve you hurting me?” I ask back, half-conscious of my own feet taking a step back.

Instead of answering, Vert shoots an arm to my face, and I reflexively bring my hands up to stop them.

Only to discover I am still holding my wall-paint palette. 

Oh shi—

SMACK!

Vert’s hand hit the palette and both of us shout for different reasons.

“Damn it!”

“My palette!”

Vert’s hand is now covered with paint and my palette is now two palletes. It’s a disaster for both of us because Vert needs her hand clean for handling the herbs and while I only have one palette that I can hold comfortably for a long time.

“Why did you put that up?? My hand will smell like paint now!”

“Don’t blame me! You’re the one who attacked so suddenly! Besides, you better wash that fast. The smell will last for days if the paint stuck on your skin.”

Vert curses as she runs to the sink. I sigh and go looking for two clean rags. When I find them I dab one rag on the paint thinner and wet another with clean water. Then I approach Vert, who is scrubbing her hand furiously under the cold water.

“Come on, let me clean that up for you.”

Vert turns and shows her hands to me. I dilute the unwashed paint with the thinner soaked rag, then wipe it off with the water soaked rag. I work carefully, making sure there’s no paint left in nooks and crannies or under her nails. Then I move to her face, where some paint has splattered on her cheeks and nose. I can’t help but chuckle when I start dabbing rag on her face.

“What’s so funny?” Vert asks, half curious and half offended. She thinks I’m laughing at her situation.

“Nothing. It’s just…this kinds of reminds me of Ver. She always comes back home covered with mud, and she always forgot to clean up her face. I have to clean it up for her because she’ll plant that face on my sheets and pillows.”

Suddenly I was struck with homesickness. I want to see them. Mom, dad, Ver, Azure, Aureolin, Tenne, our neighbor grandpa Cor…even Illey. What are they doing right now? Illey I can guess easily. He must be happy that he finally got rid of me. But the rest…

I shake my head and focus on cleaning up the paint. There’s no merit thinking about it. I have no way of knowing and it does nothing to change my situation. Worse, it drives me crazy because once I start thinking, I’ll come back to that vague memory of Ver’s funeral. 

“Don't you want to go back?”

My hands stop moving. So my feelings shows on my face, huh?

I resume dabbing her cheeks as I answer, “I still want to, but probably not as much as before.” 

Vert gives me a questioning look, so I elaborate.

“I’ve thought about it long before you asked. I miss my family, friends, and even my bully a lot. I want to lay on my own bed, playing games my own sister watching beside me. I want to eat my mom and dad’s cooking. I want to hang around with my friends and go to school with them. I had it all planned, you know? Getting rid of my fear, live normally like before, and maybe make peace with my old friend—eventually.

“But I don’t remember what happened to me before waking up, except for flashes of my sister’s death. And the more I thought about it, the more scared I become. What happened after that? What if something even worse happened? I mean, whatever events that led me to be chased by military and forget about it must not be good, right?”

Vert laughs at that.

“What’s so funny?” I ask, offended that she’s laughing at my deepest concerns.

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect that you and I are actually in a similar situation.”

“Similar situation as in beside the fact that we are fugitives?”

“Yes, regarding our real siblings. I mentioned before that my brother was missing, right?” I nod. “You’re wondering if your real sister is really dead while I am wondering if he’s still alive or not. I find it funny that I didn’t notice this faster.”

“I see.”

She’s right. Why didn’t we notice it faster? Perhaps dad is right. Sometimes talking about your problems with other people can give us new perspective.

“In any case, I can see why you think it’s better to stay here and let forgotten memories stay forgotten. I wish I could do that too.”

Now that’s surprising. Vert is strong. Sure she looks sad sometimes, but what can be so bad that she want to forget it?

I start making guesses. I don’t think it’s about her brother, so it must be something else. It comes up easily enough.

“Do you want to forget your time as a soldier?” Vert never straight out said if she worked in the army as a soldier, but she left enough hints to deduce.

Vert closes her eyes to allow me cleaning her eyelids. “More than that. I want to forget I am a soldier. I can’t stop wondering if my friends are alright.”

Apprehension dawns upon me. I often catch Vert looking towards the nearby base when we can hear the sounds of battle. It must be torturing her conscience—her enjoying an easy life while her friends are betting their lives out there, close by, every day. If I were her I’d want to forget too.

“I’m sorry.”

Vert doesn’t disagree with me like usual. She keeps silent and still as I finish cleaning up her face. Gradually, a calm and peaceful atmosphere settles between us. Vert seems to enjoy the feeling of rags wiped on her face, eyes closed like a cat being groomed, while I find the simple task of cleaning surprisingly soothing. I can’t help but chuckle at the thought. Dad is right. It takes a little to be happy.

But how much longer can we enjoy this peace?

Others by MissRedBean

ORIGINAL - FOR YOU I CALL Summary: After three years of hiding and recovering from a traumatic experience, Argent Cross' life finally starts heading for the better—only to have it turned upside down in one night. He wakes up ten years older, without a clear memory of what happened in between, in a warring country that sees him as their enemy's spawn. Prologue Episode 1: Arachnids Part 1 (Chapter 1 & 2, Chapter 3 & 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8) Episode 1: Arachnids Part 2 (Chapter 1)

© 2015-Current Miss Red Bean All Rights Reserved

FANFIC - FUNDAMENTALS OF MUSCLE DRAWING Summary: Keith and Lance were Altea Studio’s lead animators. However, they have one fatal flaw: the lack of proper anatomy knowledge. So Allura sent the two to learn under the great master, Shirogane Takashi. Keith and Lance went, grumbling and protesting, never knowing what awaited them in the humble looking art school. [Oneshot] (https://missredbean.tumblr.com/post/156193783124/fanfic-fundamentals-of-muscle-drawing)

FANFIC: LORD ZARKON IS NEVER READY Summary: Despite the peace in the universe, Zarkon is famous for his fighting prowess and readiness to face his opponents. But when it comes to Keith, he is never ready. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Holiday Special, Part 6, Part 7

#FYIC #For You I Call #light novel #fantasy warfare #original novel #original story #original writing

[backpackingwithmylens]

Chinatown is the largest conserved historic district of Singapore. A beautiful amalgam of old and new. A visit to this lively ethnic district is a must when in Singapore. From bustling markets to the residential complex, everything here has a tint of golden and red. The vibe of the place is so infectious that it’ll be hard for you to leave.

I visited Chinatown during the Mid-Autumn Festival in September 2019, celebrated to mark the end of the autumn harvest season. The entire place was decorated beautifully with red lanterns and streamers that looked even better in the night. Spend an evening in Chinatown and get a true essence of the Chinese culture. Here’s what all you can do.

Reaching Chinatown

I took a bus from Orchard street until Chinatown, as it was very close. However, you can also reach here using MRT or Taxi.

By MRT

Closest Station: Chinatown East-West line: Outram station, then change to North-East line North-East line: Direct route Downtown line: Direct route

By Bus

Hong Lim Complex Stop: 51, 63, 124, 174, 174E, 186, 851, 961, 961C, 970 People’s Park Complex Stop: 2, 2A, 12, 12E, 33, 61, 63, 80, 143, 197, 961, 961C, 970, CT8, CT18 Maxwell Food Centre Stop: 80, 145 Sri Mariamman Temple Stop: 61, 166, 197

Shop

Explore the markets of Pagoda Street, Trengganu Street, Sago Street and Smith Street, flooded with tiny shops selling Chinese decor, art and handicraft. The markets will remind you of olden-day Singapore and will give you a rich view of the culture and history of this place. Few things that you can pick on your way are a framed name painting, a bottle of herbal tea, printed hand fan, lanterns and beautiful ceramics.

Eat

Chinatown is a gastronome’s paradise with a plethora of tiny cafes, hawker stations serving authentic Singaporean, Malaysian and Chinese food. Head to the Food Street at Smith Street right next to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and indulge in local delicacies. Few dishes that you can try are seafood, dim sum, noodles, clay pot rice and Mei Heong Yuen Dessert. Try out delectable savoury finger food at Trengganu Street, and stop by the Hong Kong bakery to taste their amazing pastries.

I ate Char Kway Teow, a type of noodle dish that is considerably loved by the locals, Prawns nugget on-stick from Old Chang Kee at Pagoda Street and ended my meal with a scoop of chocolate ice-cream from a local vendor at Food Street.

Pray

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is one of the most visited shrines in Chinatown. A beautiful 4-storeyed temple, rich in art and history. The design of the temple takes its inspiration from Tang dynasty and is in the form of a Buddhist Mandala. The museum on the third floor displays an enormous collection of artefacts. The tooth relic resides within a giant Stupa made of 320 kgs of gold. The entry to the temple is free. Moreover, you can also avail the free weekly-guided tours conducted by the temple authority every Saturday. You can also visit Mariamman Temple, Thian Hock Keng Temple and Masjid Jamae if you have some extra time in hand.

Tip: If you’re curious to know more about this place, then head to the Chinatown Heritage Centre at Pagoda Street. Take a step back in time and explore the history of Chinatown through an extensive collection of images and artefacts.

Ticket: 18 SGD (adult) & 14 SGD (child) Timings: Monday to Sunday from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm

Guided tours are the best way to explore any place in a short time. Therefore, if you are looking for a quick way to explore the popular spots around the district, then opt for this guided walking tour offered by GetYourGuide. If you have time to splurge and looking for something more exciting, then explore Chinatown on a Trishaw or go for a food tour and try all kinds of delicacies.

Shop, Eat & Pray at Singapore’s Chinatown Chinatown is the largest conserved historic district of Singapore. A beautiful amalgam of old and new. A visit to this lively ethnic district is a must when in Singapore.

[my-worst-nightmare-is-you]

I broke my glasses on Saturday, 13th July. No, not the lenses. The frame. Still, my heart scattered into pieces when I found out I clumsily broke the frame.

This is the fifth year I have been together with my glasses, the frame I meant since I have changed the lenses some times but let’s just call it glasses as a whole. I remember I bought it in an optik somewhere in Panjer with my best friend. We were in the last semester in high school, being busy preparing ourselves for the final exams. I remember we went there during the extra lessons break, along with finding lunch.

This frame was the one I immediately fell in love with, I remember there was another frame, similar, really similar, but the color was matte black. I liked them both just the same, leaving me for a while before booking and ordering it to have the lenses, which fit to my sight. I remember I took selfies wearing both of them, or was it my best friend taking the pictures? I remember I sent those selfies to my friends and my family, not really but I remember I asked my dad’s opinion about it. The price wasn’t cheap actually. I don’t remember the exact price but I am sure the frame combined with the lenses cost more than Rp 1.000.000. It wasn’t cheap for glasses, especially back then in 2015.

Thinking about how long have we been through together broke my heart so bad, this is not exaggerating but if you wear glasses almost 24/7 you would understand that better. Five years isn’t a short time. My glasses have been with me through the ups and downs, been with me while I prepared so hard for the final exams, being rejected in my dream university, studying hard again to get into public university that I never really planned to get in to, being accepted in uni, freshman year, even until right now that I’m struggling writing my bachelor thesis. Even in between my uni years I had been using several other glasses, but in the end I came back to you again. Because after all this time, you are still so far the most comfortable to be with. I could spend my 24/7 with you without even feeling like I am with you. It is how much I like to be with you.

I am still so broken hearted that I failed you. I thought I was a keeper, that I could take care of you for five years and more. But it turned out that my clumsiness is way over it. I really didn’t plan us to end like this. The day will be always remembered, it was 16:08. I just finished applying clay mask on my face, the clay mask I just bought for so cheap because of the discount, the clay mask which I hope would help me getting rid of the sebums on my face. I wanted to write a review about this clay mask, I took pictures of the clay mask and everything. I wanted to take pictures of me wearing the clay mask on my face, that’s the start of the disaster. I didn’t wear my glasses, hell who even wore glasses when wearing facial mask – no offense it just doesn’t make sense, I tried to reach for my phone, I thought my glasses was still laying somewhere across me, in another bed next to the bed I’m sitting on. Guess what, my glasses was just laying next to my phone, without me realizing, that’s when I accidentally put my left hand on the bed and lay it just like that. Exactly. On the top of my glasses.

I heard a crack and I was panicking. I threw my phone away – still on the bed though, and looked for the source of the sound. It came from my glasses. It feels like a lightning just strikes me.. I was just there, holding my broken glasses, staring blankly, feeling broken hearted.

I felt like I hated myself at that time. How could you be that clumsy?

I texted my boyfriend and my bestfriends and my brother. I told them all the exact same thing, that I broke my glasses. With capslock.

This is just not about how I could easily change my glasses and go buy a new one. I mean, yes, if I have the money, sure. But it is more than that. I haven’t planned to changed my glasses, the frame, the lenses yes because my sight is getting worse. It just hurts so bad I have to change my whole glasses and get a new one. It’s not that I don’t want to, but it’s just.. I don’t know how to explain it.

As someone with minus of more than 5,00- it’s really hard to not have glasses with you. It’s most likely the first thing I am looking for every single morning. My phone might be my best friend, but my glasses is like my soul mate. I just can’t live without my glasses.

Later in the same day I broke my glasses, I grabbed a tape. I put the tape and stick the broken glasses together again. While on the other hand, I’m also searching for another new glasses, to help me continue living normally. It’s after some hours I had spent crying and whining about my stupidity. Yes, I cried. A lot. A lot until my eyes felt so numb. I also lost motivation to be productive for some days.

Even when the sadness is still here, and it’s really hard to say good bye, it’s really hard to bid a sudden farewell, but I had to. Until next time, sister!

Love,

  Zhinta.

written on Monday, 15th June 2020.

A Farewell to the Old Friend I broke my glasses on Saturday, 13th July. No, not the lenses. The frame. Still, my heart scattered into pieces when I found out I clumsily broke the frame.

[vsplusonline]

Chennai’s Bass & Soda serves light cocktails with trap music and ’80s rock

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/chennais-bass-soda-serves-light-cocktails-with-trap-music-and-80s-rock/

Chennai’s Bass & Soda serves light cocktails with trap music and ’80s rock

Bass & Soda promises three floors of just that — bass aka music, and soda-based cocktails deemed appropriate for weeknights and mid-office brunches by mixologist Rahul Siva. When we walk in on an early Monday night, we find the ground floor’s leather-finish sofas still awaiting their 9 pm family dinner crowd, and the rooftop unopened for operations. But the first floor, even at 7.30 pm on a weekday, is a solid mood. And the mood is the Eighties.

Late 1970s as well, to be honest. Our ears prick up at Gloria Gaynor’s spirited ‘I will survive’ and stay that way for the rest of the night, thanks to manager Abdul Rahman’s playlist, featuring everyone from Bees Gees and The Bangles to Modern Talking and Michael Jackson. And not once — I repeat, not once — do we have to shout to make ourselves heard. Are you reading this, every other lounge in Chennai?

Pick your night

Mondays – Rock and retro

Tuesdays – Old school hiphop, pop, commercial

Wednesdays – Hiphop and trap

Thursdays – Old school and new school hiphop, Raggaeton

Fridays and Saturdays – Bollywood, pop, R&B, trap, hiphop

Sundays – Funk and commercial music

It is hard not to relax after a hard Monday, when your cocktail arrives just as ‘Manic Monday’ starts playing in commiseration. The IT crowd on this stretch of the expressway — fairly close to Tidel Park — seems to have picked up on this, because the lounge steadily fills up with loose-collared office-goers, friend groups of all genders, and even that one frustrated executive nursing a lone whisky in a corner.

You don’t have to stick to whisky. The cocktails we order arrive like tributes to a Hawaiian summer. A sunset-red watermelon basil gingerita has enough vodka to make me happy, but also enough ginger to mask my beloved watermelon. The pineapple grenadine soda is also misbalanced: here, the grenadine overpowers everything else, so all we taste is syrupy sweetness. Dill orange soda, however, is just right. Fresh, citrusy, light and the colour of sunshine.

On the side, we have chilli chinga rolls: spring rolls packed tight with light vegetables and heavy cheese. There is nothing dramatic about these little rolls — each is simple, crisp and non-oily. Even the cheese refrains from spurting out at first bite. I could take confidence lessons from these understated, delicious rolls.

The Andhra chicken roast sets a contrasting note: the first thing it does is set your mouth on fire. In a very good way. Soft and deep-fried, these fiery red platefuls are served with a crunchy sprinkling of crushed peanuts that does nothing to dissuade the heat. Because we wouldn’t want that, would we?

Bass & Soda

4/312, OMR, Kottivakkam

Hits: Bacon cream cheese pizza, dill orange soda

Misses: Pineapple grenadine soda, limited dessert options

Meal for two: ₹2,500

7548885193

“This is the first time I’m eating broccoli wantonly,” says my friend A, one of the biggest compliments a hardcore non-vegetarian can pay to a plate of greens. An exaggeration — the broccoli, caked with cream cheese, is softer than most ‘tandoori’ vegetables and though its stem looks nicely charred, it has neither the hard crunch nor the semi-burnt tartness expected from a tandoor used well. Hardly the best tandoori broccoli in town, it pales in comparison to our next starter: an entire vanjaram fish, deep-fried. It arrives gleaming with a coat of spice that is surprisingly balanced and percolates through, instead of resting on the skin. As expected, no tiny bones catch us off-guard, which is characteristic of this particular species of fish. Flat though it is, it has a slim, oily edge that is sharply crisp; everything else falls off the bone easily.

The mutton pot biryani, on the other hand, makes you put in some work. The onions are caramelised to just the right amount of sweetness, but the biryani itself needs to be mixed thoroughly before its heady aroma rises to the top and the flavour hits your palate. Like in any other dum biryani — this one is cooked in black clay pots sealed with mud and brought to the table — scooping up just the surface provides an incomplete, dissatisfying taste: it is the substance across layers that hits the spot. The meat itself, however, is quite less. You don’t want to dig through a dum biryani if you aren’t going to rewarded with generous chunks of mutton at the end.

The bacon cream cheese pizza comes to us at the same time as ‘Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters’, and now I don’t think I can ever do one without the other. The combination brings together everything that is familiar and slightly ridiculous, from the too-liberal strewing of bacon and heavily caramelised sweet onions to the laughably exciting act of — well, ghostbusting.

“This [the playlist] is nothing, you should come on Wednesdays,” says Abdul. And we can’t wait to.

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