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bebepac · 2 years

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Six Sentence Sunday/ Mood Music Monday 07.24.22

I got multiple posts for six sentence sundays that got my attention so I had put something together too. I know I know, the peer pressure got me. Work is still crazy, Overtime is still not so much optional but a way for me to try to be a manager for a few hours a week, considering how much I’ve had to help staff lately.

Here’s what I’ve posted in the last little bit.

The Rotten Apple: Rock Bottom

Original Post 07/24/22 at 8:38PM EST.

Mood Music Monday Submission

Fresh Meat The Book: Open Heart Pairings: MC is single An Ask by @peonierose Song Inspiration: Follow You Down : Gin Blossoms Status: Still in the writing process. P.S. I don’t typically write OH so please be nice.

I straightened my ceil blue scrub top as I got off the bus. I decided to get off the bus two blocks early so I could have that last little bit of time to calm my nerves. Today was my first day at Edenbrook hospital to begin my residency. Ceil blue identified me as a new resident my first year there. I was going to be the proverbial freshman once again. Gotta love it. The saving grace? Atleast I was not going to be alone. I knew there were several others that were sharing my fate as the new fresh meat gracing the halls of Edenbrook Hospital.

I am the first of my family to go to college, and not only college, and become a doctor. My family was already calling me all the time asking me questions, which was already putting a lot of pressure on me, which goes without saying. Being young, minority, and a woman. I felt at times like I had the weight of my family, a people on my shoulders, so I strive to put my best foot forward.

Moving to the new area, I had decided to sell my car, and decrease my carbon footprint, by walking or using public transportation when I could, which might be tough for me in the cold. I hail from North Carolina, where the summers are hot, and winters are cold, but not blizzard snow like colds of the part of the country I had just moved to. I am definitely going to be shell shocked this winter, coming from a state that shuts down when there’s less than a half of an inch of snow on the ground.

I stopped out front of the hospital to get a coffee before walking in. I smiled to myself when I glanced around, there were other doctors and nurses also in the line, and I felt like I belonged in that line. Soon, I might even know some of them well, or at least have an impression of them. I got my liquid courage and headed towards the sliding doors.

“Hey Pink Backpack! Wait up!!!!”

I turned around to see the most beautiful guy trotting up towards me, and it felt like he was moving in slow motion because I felt like the world stopped. He was wearing the same identical scrubs as myself, which looked breathtaking on his bronzed complexion, and chestnut colored hair and eyes. The arms of his scrubs were a little tight as he had a very muscular physique.

“Howzit?”

Hawaii was one of the places on my bucket list to visit, and I recognized the term from a site I had frequented, one random fact amongst many that were floating around in my brain.

“Aloha.”

“See I knew! I knew! Kindred spirits. I’m Bryce.”

“Hi Bryce. I’m Casey.”

Sincerely, Lady Liberty Series: The Rotten Apple The Book: TRH and beyond! Pairing: Liam x Riley / Eleanor x Nico (Eleanor x M!OC) Status: Still in the writing process

“Liberty! What are you doing here?”

"Daddy, why does she look like Mommy?"

"Because she's your Aunt Liberty. The last time you saw her, you were very little. She's Mommy's younger sister."

“I came to see you two.”

“Please, come in.”

“This is a nice home you have here Nico.”

“Thank you. I wanted to refuse, but your father gives us a stipend for Ana’s care, and to have a decent lifestyle. Though, deep down, I feel like it’s partially for my silence because I never pressed charges against Elle."

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“How does she know about Ellie, and what she looks like?”

“Because I told her she has a mother, that her mother is sick. She’s seen pictures of her.”

He walked over to the mantle and brought the framed picture over to her.

“That was that last Christmas when she came here with me for the holiday.”

Ellie was wearing the pink dress that Nico had bought for her. Nico was beside her in a nice navy suit, his arm draped around her, his fingertips resting comfortably on her hip. The two looked very happy together. Ellie looked so content standing next to him like she did in every picture her father had shown her of Ellie and baby Ana. Ellie’s smile in the picture was incandescent.

“I am in this picture too.” Ana announced proudly.

“You are?” Libby inquired. "But I don't see you."

She pointed to the picture. “I was in Mommy’s tummy. She’s sick, but I know she’s coming home when she gets better.”

Libby's eyes widened as she looked at Nico.

"From the mouths of babes." Nico responded. He gave her a little kiss on her cheek, “Ana, go play.”

Once Ana was out of earshot Nico softened his voice.

“I don’t have the heart to tell her Elle’s never coming home.”

#bebepac writes #cfwc sunday six #always more than six #six sentence sunday #the rotten apple 🍎#open heart #choices fanfiction #liam x riley #nico x elle #open heart fanfiction #bryce lahela

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romirola · 2 years

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For the fanfic author meme! for Secrets between Friends (as I love what you're doing with it): 2, 8 (no pressure!), 11 and 15! :D

Thank you so much for the ask, friend! And what perfect timing. I'm aiming to post the next chapter either today or tomorrow! Answers are long (because I am me), so I'm putting them below a cut.

2) What scene did you first put down?

I am a very strange type of author who, at least in my creative work, tends to draft the full story in order. I go back to add coherency, among other things, during revisions. However, I often think of/see/hear short bits of scenes that, for one reason or another, pull at my attention, so I'm going to answer this question with the first scene of this story that I saw, even though I didn't yet have the context or the narrative around it. It's from Chapter 6.

Sweetheart took a step forward to make their way to Angel's car, but a rush of dizziness threatened to undo their efforts. "I… I..." they stuttered. "Whoa."

Milo was quick to react, coming to Sweetheart's side and bringing an arm around their waist. "Hey, you okay?"

"F-f-fine," they said, the quiver in their legs matching the quiver in their speech. "I'm… I'm…” They flailed their arms out, as if to steady themselves. “Fine…”

In a flash, Milo caught their arm and ducked under it to press his hip to theirs and to offer them some more balance. As soon as Sweetheart felt the shape of Milo’s body press against theirs, they almost lost their footing completely, their weight slamming into him full force once they knew he was there to catch them.

“Alright,” he soothed, huddling close enough to feel them shake and shiver. “Alright, I got you now.” Milo shifted his weight so that he could keep a better grip on Sweetheart. “Did you slip in the snow, or is something wrong?” The wolf took one look at his mate’s suddenly unfocused eyes and knew that it had to be the latter, but he asked anyway.

“I…” they croaked, trying to find their voice as a wave of dizziness threatened to drag them back to the ground. Sweetheart’s head rested in the crook of Milo’s neck, as if they did not have the strength to hold it upright for one second longer. "I'm… not fine." Despite their best efforts, they could not summon an ability to push away from Milo to stand on their own two feet. It felt like all their energy had been drained out of their body. Their vision blurred and a piercing ring filled their ears. "I think something's wrong." Whatever semblance of composure they had maintained after the accident was completely gone. “I… I don’t feel good,” they slurred pitifully, eyes slipping shut as their legs buckled and a rush of breath left their lungs.

“Sweetheart!” Milo shrieked as they slumped into oblivion. Milo barely let Sweetheart’s limp fall an inch towards the ground, pulling them close and holding them upright as best he could.

8: Did any real people or events inspire any part of it?

Indeed. As I added in a note, Chapter 1 was adapted from my own experience and conversation with a friend. And little bits of myself and people I know always end up fleshing out characters and events featured in fics (and all writing, tbh.) In this particular story, Asher is... quite competitive... when playing Monopoly. For better or worse, I've got my own competitive streak, though I do NOT think I'm as bad as Asher.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

I like that I got the chance to imagine and to explore the dynamics between character who have little or no interaction in the audios. It was so fun to think about how each character might react to, admire, tease, or support those they don't necessarily always spend time with. I also got to write a few of the same scenes from different POVs in the latter half of the story, so we'd get the chance to see everyone's reactions to the accident, which was new for me and cool to try out.

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

As far as writing technique goes, I learned that have an ensemble of eight characters can be difficult to juggle in one story. I really wanted to make sure that all eight characters contribute something and take center stage equally, and that proved to be more difficult than I expected. Hopefully, I worked it out but only time will tell as I posted the rest of it! On a more conceptual level, I guess I learned (or at least reflected on) that sometimes letting people in your life means sharing with them the secrets you'd most like to keep hidden, and that can be a worthwhile, valuable thing.

Thank you so much, @ejunkiet!

#redacted fanfic #thank you!

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btxtreads · 4 years

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ANOTHER TAG ASHJHJASD

extra long tag game (aka a tmi that no one particularly cares for)

tagged by @txthearteu

tagging @markhyucknorenminchenji @qtsoobin @beomberry @txtdiaries and other people who wanna do it idk

ONE

tell me the first song that made you stan your current fave group and why did your faves attract you so much?

of course, none other than king943 hSJADJSAJHAS. He’s a little secret I’ll let you all in on: the first person I actually noticed in TXT was,,,,,,, Kang Taehyun hSDHJAHJSDAHSA but he wasn’t my bias. I just thought he was cute (also amused me bc my BTS bias was Taehyung and I found a guy named Taehyun cute), but I didn’t stan them then. I started stanning when I saw ONE DREAM.TXT where they talked to BTS and found them really cute and endearing. Looking into them, they were wild, and chaotic and so fun and also i got rEAAAALLY attached to Soobin. So here I am. There u go, my stanning story.

TWO

rule: answer the ten questions and write your own!

what’s your unrealistic goal for life?

becoming a famous actress or singer hJSHADJSA

if you had known that we would be in a global pandemic, what’s one thing that you would’ve done before things shut down (if they have for you)?

Went to a theme park. I miss going to theme parks 🥺

what’s an unconventional thing that you carry around with you when you go out?

hmmm most of the time i just go out with just my phone and money unless I need to bring a bag due to safety concerns/more items needed. So I’d say nothing unconventional.

favourite type of plushies and why?

God do I seem boring hsahsajjsa but i wasn’t too big on plushies. I had a gigantic teddy bear named Justin when I was a kid (it’s a bear with shades that my brother gave me) and I used to buy plushies whenever I’m in disneyland, it’s all in my sister’s reading lounge. The only plushie in my room now is a Mollang doll wearing like a blue shirt/dress, it’s my favorite rn It’s squishyyyy

favourite song right now?

right now, it’s Work It by Sabrina Carpenter.

something that you’ve always wanted to learn?

Dancing (i literally suck. i have no idea how. no joke), Vocal Lessons (had some lessons briefly for like a year but i stopped and want to take some again), music production, acting, hosting

tell a funny story about yourself (or just something that you’ve witnessed)

ok okok so one time in our class groupchat we were talking about class elections for officers. There were muse votes and some people were saying they want me to be the muse but i didnt want to bc i was busy with work. Then they started saying that they want me to be the muse and this guy that i rejected be the escort. while this is happening, i was simping hard for soobin in another chat. anyways, i got everything mixed up and accidentally sent the soobin simp stuff to the class chat and everyone thought i was simping for the classmate i rejected i was so asHAMED.

headphones or speakers? why?

speakers! idk i just like blastic the music loud.

craving any food right now? what are you craving?

anything with cheese

which music streaming platform do you prefer? why?

spotify since its free for me askjjksad someone pays for my subscription lmaooo

😌✌️

questions from cj to me:

android or apple? why?

APPLE because im loyal 😌 and i guess im just used to it so its easier to use for me + all my gadgets at home are mac

words of affirmation or physical affection? why?

I think there should be a good balance of both. The words will have the ability to give you this sense of comfort and satisfaction and you know just overall a peace of mind when you hear the right words??? and physical affection bc sometimes it’s just better to get a hug or a kiss isntead of talking yk? actions speak louder than words sometimes

bean bag or rocking chair? why?

Honestly, this would depend. If I’m reading a book and feeling very vintage with a hot cup of coffee, definitely a rocking chair. If I’m watching TV and basically just chilling I’d go for Bean Bag. I like maintaining the atmosphere.

do you view a half-filled glass as half-full or half-empty or an in-between? why? (go as deep as you can)

I view it as in-between, because there’s always room for improvement. There’s always things to change, and consider, and make better. There’s no such thing as perfect.

If someone were to grant your wish right now, what would it be and why?

Please stop corona right now and let everyone go back to their daily lives and please let me attend a TXT concert bls im begging on my kNEES

if someone were to give you anything you want right now, what would it be and why? (something that can be held)

Give me Soobin I just want to give him a hug. this is valid i can hold him

favorite season and why

Winter! Even if I’ve never experienced snow or winter before, the whole idea of snow is just really fun and endearing to me. One of my bucketlists is to see snow in real life. I think it has to do with the fact that I’ve always been this person to prefer the cold over heat.

what made you enter tumblr?

I’ve always been here! Just not in kpop tumblr. I’ve since deleted my old accounts and shame but i came back to write. It’s always been so stress-relieving to me, to write without any expectations on my back because I’m thinking about grades or a competition. Also Soobin simping is a daily thing and I gotta release it somewhere man

are you happy with where you are in life right now? why or why not?

Yes. I may not be the richest or the prettiest, or smartest or whatever, but I have a good family that loves me. I have good friends that support me and I have TXT and BTS to help me cope when things get overwhelming. I have a job that gives me a little bit of income (it’s not too common for college students here to get jobs like in the US, most of them just focus on acads) and all the means to continue my education amidst the pandemic. So really, I’m grateful for where I am now.

to see the boys in real life but for it to happen only once in your lifetime, or to meet the boys via online fan meeting as many times as you can in your lifetime? why?

Why do you have to do me dirty cj,,,,, prolly online. I may not get to hug them or anything but I get to talk to them still. As may times as I want to. And as a girl whose sanity literally just depends on Soobin giggles rn it’ll be very therapeutic to me to see them and talk to them as much as I could, even just through a screen.

QUESTIONS FROM ME TO YOU:

Cinema or Netflix? Why?

Fire or Rain? Why?

What’s the worst experience you’ve had as a KPOP stan?

How do you handle stress?

Favorite Disney Princess and why?

Which fictional character do you say you relate the most to?

How did you get into KPOP?

What kind of merch you got 👀

Would you date a KPOP idol? What would you do if you do date one? (doesnt have to be your bias, just wanna see what y’all would do)

Would you rather be with someone you love but doesn’t love you back or be with someone that loves yu but you don’t love them back? (Or, as the Filipinos would say, Mahal ko o Mahal Ako)

THREE

rule: bold the statements that apply to you, italicize your aspirations, then tag nine people.

AIR ༉⋆͙̈

i have small hands / i love the night sky / i watch animals and birds when i pass them by / i drink herbal tea / i wake to see the dawn / the smell of dust is comforting / i’m valued for being wise / i prefer books to music / i meditate / i find joy in learning new truths from the world around me

FIRE ༉⋆͙̈

i don’t have straight hair / i like to wear ripped jeans and overalls / i play an organized sport / i love dogs / i am not afraid of adventure / i love to talk to strangers / i always try new foods / i enjoy road trips / summer is my favorite season / my radio is always playing

WATER ༉⋆͙̈

i wear bracelets on my wrists / i love the bustle of the city / i have more than one set of piercings / i read poetry / i love the sound of a thunderstorm / i want to travel the world / i sleep past midday most days / i love simply lit dinners and fluorescent signs / i rewatch kids shows out of nostalgia / i see emotions in colors not words

EARTH ༉⋆͙̈

i wear glasses or contacts / i enjoy doing the laundry / i am a vegetarian or vegan / i have an excellent sense of time / my humor is very cheerful / i am a valued advisor to my friends / i believe in true love / i love this chill of mountain air / i’m always listening to music / i am highly trusted by the people in my life

AETHER ༉⋆͙̈

i go without makeup in my daily life / i make my own artwork / i keep on track of my tasks and time / i always know true north / i see beauty in everything / i can always smell flowers / i smile at everyone i pass by / i always fear history repeating itself / i have recovered from a mental disorder / i can love unconditionally

FOUR

PERSONAL

name: -

nickname: rina

birthday: -

zodiac: gemini

nationality: filipino

languages: english, filipino

gender: female

sexuality: straight

height: 5′2 like 2 years ago, i probably grew like an inch or two

BLOG STUFF

inspiration for muse: --

meaning behind my url: bts and txt fanfics to read hasjhsahj

blog established: ,,,,, i cant remember askjjksdjkdsa but the blog is only a few months old!

followers: 384!!! love yall

FAVORITES

favourite animals: b u n n y y y y y

favourite books: CAMP HALF BLOOD SERIES BY RICK RIORDAN IM ZEUS’ DAUGHTER YALL

favourite colour: black, blue, purple

favourite fictional characters: Percy Jackson, Jaron from Ascendance Trilogy, Chimmy!!! hihi

favourite flower: white roses

favourite scent: coffee

favourite season: winter

RANDOM

average hours of sleep: 3-5 or 8-10.

cats or dogs: dogs because cats scare me

coffee, tea or hot chocolate: coffee!!! especially if it’s iced and sweet

current time: 12:21 AM

dream trip: California. Look I have the visa, pls miss rona. just leave so cali can just let me IN

dream job: actress or singer

hobbies: writing, reading, watching crackvids

hogwarts house: gryffindor

last movie watched: Work It (bc it has sabrina carpenter ahshsahsa i have low standards when we talk about Sabrina)

last song listened to: Helpless - Hamilton OBC

no. of blankets you sleep with: 1

random fact(s): if given the chance again, I would go on a date in high school. Also try to exert more effort in my appearance back then i looked like an honest to god M E S S (tbh i still do but now i have eyebrow liner on) hsajhsajhh

FIVE

10 things I can’t stop listening to (at the moment)

Run Away - TXT

Work It - Sabrina Carpenter

Euphoria - BTS

Song Cry - Yeonjun

Helpless - Hamilton OBC

Satisfied - Hamilton OBC

Journey to the past - Anastasia OBC

Lost in the Woods - Frozen OST

Perfect Song - Sabrina Carpenter

Friends - BTS

#tags #tagging #tagged yet again #sadjkjksdajad #what a mess #im so basic wtf

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lovehugsandcandy · 4 years

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First Snow (Colt x MC)

A/N: Thanks for hosting the @choicesdecemberchallenge, @choicesbyjade and @cora-nova! This is for day 8 and the prompt is presents. (@client-327 inspired this with this piece of art. Also, thanks @client-327 and @brightpinkpeppercorn for the analysis of RoD coffee orders. Very verrry helpful, thank you so so much.)

Pairing: Colt x MC, RoD

Length: ~3900 words

Rating: PG-13 (Swearing. Kissing.)

Summary: Ellie has always wanted to see the snow. She just didn’t know she had to live through so much snark to get there.

“You look like a Muppet.”

“Excuse me?” Ellie looked down at her vest and snarled, more bark than bite. “This is very in right now, I will have you know. And just because LA is hot doesn’t mean I can’t try for some Christmas spirit.”

Colt stood from where he had been crouched next to his bike. “And that means you need to don some giant bright monstrosity that makes it look like you scalped a Wookie and dyed it green?”

“Well…you wear red pants.”

“I don’t shed.”

She groaned and looked down. She was leaving a conspicuous trail of forest green fuzz across the concrete floor.

“It’s also LA,” Colt continued. “I don’t think you need a vest.”

“It’s December. That means it’s almost Christmas! I love Christmas.” Ellie had always adored the holiday, though the sunshine and endless beaches of her hometown made the Christmas spirit seem contrived.

“Wow. You are all about the holidays, aren’t you?”

Ellie crossed her arms over her chest, but her defensive stance soon faded as a dreamy look crossed her face. “Yeah? My mom used to love it. She let out a wistful smile and looked down. “I’ve never seen the snow. We always dreamed of taking a winter holiday, playing in the snow or something, but...”

“…Sorry.” He ducked his head, eyes softening. Colt may be prickly about almost everything, but he understood family.

“Every year, I tell myself I am gonna see the snow and it never happens.”

“It’s 70 degrees right now.”

“I know but not everywhere. It snowed two feet in Tahoe yesterday!” She sighed. “Next year. I’ll see it next year. At Langston. I can just picture me gazing out at the snow while studying.“ Ellie chuckled without warmth as she lost herself in the daydream. “I’d have a mug full of hot cocoa and a full set of highlighters and-”

“Highlighters?”

“Are you seriously interrupting my fantasy right now?”

His smirk was wicked. “That’s your fantasy?” He stepped closer, sliding into her space. “I can think of some better fantasies than that.”

She rolled her eyes but she felt herself being drawn in, butterflies in her stomach, electric pulses across her skin, inches away from Colt and his eyes crinkling at the corners and his lips right there. “Seriously?” Her eyes darted to the curve of his smirk.

“I have much better fantasies, I can promise you.” He moved to close the distance when a shout from behind made her jump.

“Ellie!” Logan walked through the door and Colt stepped back; if they hadn’t been so infinitesimally close, Ellie never would have heard the soft groan of a curse from deep in his throat. “There you are. Did you need a ride home?”

She flushed, sneaking a quick peek at Colt before nodding.

She had just turned away when she felt a hand circle her wrist. The touch should have been innocent, just a light touch of his fingertips, but the way his thumb stroked her pulse point made heat flash up her veins. “Hey, Ellie?”

“Yeah?”

“Tragic holiday backstory aside...” He looked serious, contemplating her.

“Yeah?”

“You still look like a Muppet.”

She couldn’t stop the snort that escaped her and it looked like he couldn’t stop the grin spreading across his face either.

~~~~~

"What are you doing?!?" She stopped short as she walked through the front door. Usually, the desk was empty and customers would just duck their head in and scream until someone helped them. Occasionally, Kaneko would sit at the front, giving her a short nod as she slipped by to head into the garage. And she had seen Toby there a couple times, devouring comic books and bobbing to the music blaring from the tinny computer speakers.

But she had never seen this.

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"You look like you're working the front desk."

"Wow. You are every bit as smart as everyone says. I'm really glad the California Educational System is truly equipping the minds of our youth with such fantastic observational skills," Colt deadpanned and turned back to the monitor in front of him.

"But..."

"Yes, I'm working the front desk, Ellie. Jesus."

"Why?"

"A job?"

"But..." She looked around and dropped her voice. "You're a car thief. Why in the world...?"

"My dad said ‘front desk only, Colt’." He mocked and rolled his eyes. "Until I can prove myself, I'm on lame ass front desk duty."

“But...you never used to work the front desk. You just used to bum around and make snide comments!”

“Oh, I’ll still do that, don’t worry. But now I can get paid.”

"What do you need to get paid for?"

"I dunno. Maybe Christmas presents, Ellie,” he scoffed. “Duh. You're the one who likes the holidays. Shouldn't it be obvious?"

“But…”

“But?”

“But your dad,” she dropped her voice before continuing. “Your dad legit steals million dollar cars. Why do you need a job for money?”

He shook his head. “Just because he gets paid doesn’t mean I do.”

"Ok. But...but...since when do you listen to your dad?"

"Since he's my boss?"

As if on cue, Kaneko walked out, clutching a paper and sliding it across the desk before pulling a wrinkled list and credit card from his pocket. "Coffee, please."

Colt raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. “I will not be the coffee bitch.”

Kaneko seemed nonplussed, small smile gracing his lips. "Do you work here or not?" He was obviously having fun with this.

“I work the front desk, I’m not your fucking errand-”

“I’ll go.” Ellie shrugged, swiping the credit card and coffee order. “It’d be nice to take a walk for a few.”

Kaneko just shook his head at his son and turned his back, walking back into the depths of the shop. She was about to head out but froze when Colt hopped out of the desk chair.

“I’ll go with you.”

“What?” She blinked, staring at him. “I thought you didn’t want to be coffee bit-”

“Shut up. Are we going or what?” He knocked his shoulder into hers to interrupt her tease.

She smiled, a soft secret one designed to be seen by him and him alone. “Ok. Let’s go.”

She was amazed when they made it three blocks, an eternity of LA pavement, where her eyes kept finding their way to his no matter how hard she tried to focus on the sidewalk. But right when they pulled the left on Manchester, strong arms pushed her against the brick wall of a pawn shop and, finally, insistent lips found hers. She melted into the kiss, pulling him close by the lapels of his jacket, cool leather a direct contrast to the heat flaming her cheeks, her lips, licking down her spine.

"Ah." She was being held up by the wall behind her and his hands on her hips. Absent those, she was certain she would collapse into a boneless puddle, a stain on the concrete where a girl had been kissed and kissed well. "Is this the reason you wanted to come? It wasn't to help me carry all the coffee?"

"You got me," he huffed low into her ear. "Ulterior motives. I'm actually not helping you at all; I'll just wait here until you pick up the order and then, when you come back, I'll kiss you again."

"Greedy. "

"Hey, I've been trying to get you to myself all week."

She bit her lip and looked up, all coy eyes and sneaky smile. "Well, you definitely don't want to waste this time now, do you?"

And when they finally continued on their way, after two pedestrians made snooty references to getting a room, well, Ellie felt very well-kissed when she got to the counter of the Starbucks.

"Ok. We have a big order, sorry." Ellie peered at the crumpled list, struggling with the variety of unintelligible handwriting. "Toby wants a venti iced frappuccino with a double shot-"

"What? No!" Colt ripped the paper from her hand. "Toby cannot have caffeine."

"Ok…"

"No. I don't think you understand." He grabbed her shoulders so he could look her dead in the eyes. "Toby cannot have caffeine. He once tried an espresso and then decided he wanted to try jogging; Pop had to pick him up in Pasadena when he got tired. Another time, he only had one cup but still was up for 36 hours straight convinced that he was destined to be a world-famous DJ; I had to kick him out when he was trying to make his own dubstep remix on the shop speakers. And then, another time, after having a fucking tea, he tried to redecorate the loft and I had to repaint the entire thing because he designed some half-assed mural of Big Bird eating tacos."

“Big Bird?”

Colt shrugged.

“Ok, ok, jeez.” She grimaced and turned back to the counter. "Can you make it decaf? And just maybe...not write decaf on the cup so he doesn't know?"

The girl behind the counter did not look amused but still nodded, tapping in the order.

"Ok.” Ellie sighed. “What else do we need?"

Colt peered at the paper in his hand. "A cappuccino with turmeric and honey."

"For Ximena?"

"You got it. Mona wants a venti dark roast, black like her soul."

"Colt, come on..."

"What? That is literally what it says."

She shook her head. "Did Logan want a latte or a mocha?"

"Latte. A vanilla latte." He focused on the sheet in his hand, scrunching his nose. "And my old man wants tea. Black tea. Black. No soul."

"Did he write that as well?"

"No, that was all me."

"Urgh. Ok, what do you want?"

"Flat white." He inclined his head at Ellie. "And I bet you want a hot chocolate.”

She looked at him in surprise.

“What? That's what you want, right?”

She blinked at him.

“What?” He was looking at her like she was insane. “You always get that.”

"You know what I get?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh my God, don't make a big deal of it." She beamed at him. "Stop it. Or I'll make you carry it all back by yourself."

"Ok, fine."

She couldn’t have carried it all back anyways. It was seven drinks, two trays, four hands full with beverages; however, even laden with drinks, Colt still took every opportunity to lean in and capture her lips, ending with an especially long kiss hidden to the side of the bay doors. She had to blink away the sparks from her eyes as she walked in. But, even as she gave out drinks to outstretched hands, the butterflies still remained.

She was savoring the first taste of hot cocoa, sweet and smooth and still warm on her tongue, when Logan took a sip from his cup and shuddered, lips pursing into a grimace. "Hey. I wanted a mocha! What is this?"

Ellie turned to glare at Colt but he was already walking back to the front desk, shoulders shaking in silent laughter and an extra bounce in his step.

~~~~~

"You're on front desk duty, again?"

Colt smirked at her, thumbing through an old magazine. “I’m starting to feel like you’re my boss.”

“Ha. If I were your boss, then you would definitely be disciplined for insubordination.”

He looked at her through eyes half-mast and she immediately realized her mistake. “I don’t know where I should start with that. The idea of you bossing me around or the idea of you punishing me.” He laughed as she flushed scarlet.

“How do you always make everything so inappropriate?”

“It’s a talent.” He looked past her at the sound of footsteps on concrete and scowled.

She turned and grinned, fully aware of the different reactions Logan inspired. “Hey, you!”

“Hey, Troublemaker.” He slid next to her at the counter, copying her lean so their shoulders brushed, nudging her gently before turning to Colt. “You still on desk duty?”

Colt glowered at him before turning a page so hard she could hear the magazine tear. “Better than pain in the ass duty.”

Ellie rolled her eyes as Logan turned to her, ignoring the jab. “So, Troublemaker, I heard you were quite the fan of the holidays?”

She grinned, barely noticing Colt’s head shoot up in her periphery. “Maybe...why?”

“Well, what do you want for a present?” Logan’s smile was hopeful, disarming as always.

“Oh, stop, nothing.”

“I’m still gonna get you something.” He winked and Ellie could hear paper crinkling in clenched fists.

“You don’t have to, really.” She tilted her head at him.

“What, my presence is present enough?”

She smirked as Colt gagged behind the desk. “Exactly. That, and you let me drive your car.”

“Free driver’s ed?” Logan put his hand over his heart. “Is that all I am to you?”

“You caught me. It’s like driving school and the opportunity to jump through the window of a sports car, all in one.”

“You wound me.” He rubbed her shoulder. “Ok, I gotta get back to work. Ride home later?”

“Definitely!”

“What do you want for Christmas, Ellie?” Colt’s sing-song mocked Logan, precisely, an eerily good rendition that made her narrow her eyes at him. At least he had waited until they were alone, until it was only Ellie there to hear him at full brat.

“I want you to be touched by the magic of Christmas, Colt, and stop being such a-"

"If I were you, I'd think of a backup gift."

"Fine." She crossed her arms over her chest. "You know what I want? Snow.”

“You want someone to buy the weather?” Colt leaned back in his chair, throwing his feet up onto the conspicuously bare front desk.

She rolled her eyes at him and leaned over the desk. "You asked what I wanted. I told you. Snow."

"Good luck with that one. It's 75 degrees today."

“Well, you asked…”

“I don’t have snow but…” He fished around in the pockets of his jacket, grinning triumphantly as he opened his clenched fist. “There you go. Twenty-seven cents, a receipt from Kelso’s, and some dirt.”

“Why in the world do you even have coins?”

“To give to you, obviously.” He dropped them with a flourish on the counter. “Merry Christmas.”

~~~~~

"What? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"This is the third time you've been at the desk this week.” She leaned over the desk. “What in the world are you saving up for?"

“I told you. Christmas presents."

"For who?"

"Maybe you, Ellie." The glint in his eye was back, the one that reminded her that poking fun of her was Colt’s favorite pastime.

"Yeah, right. You know what I'm gonna get you?"

"I feel like you're about to tell me."

"Coal."

"Hmm..." he leaned closer. "Is that 'cuz I've been naughty?"

Ellie choked.

He only edged closer and kept going. "I have been bad but I'd be so fucking good for you, El-." He bit his lip and Ellie couldn’t pull her eyes from the way a blindingly white tooth made indents in the tender skin. "I'd do good things for you, do good things to you."

"Jesus." The flush traveled through her body like lightning, heat everywhere. He was so close. She slid a touch closer, just enough to brush her lips against his, but then-

"Colt!" The voice calling his name commanded attention, by tone alone.

She pulled away with a frown and she watched a similar frown grace Colt's face as he replied, "Yeah, Pop?"

“Do you have that paperwork on the Martinez car?”

She was close enough to hear him drop his voice as he opened up a desk drawer. “It’s up your ass.”

“Colt!”

“What?” He flashed her a guilty smile, pulling the papers out of a folder and holding them up. “Here you go, boss.”

~~~~~

Ellie furrowed her brow, confused. She had been looking for Colt but he wasn’t milling around the shop, wasn’t sulking at the front desk, wasn’t anywhere. She bit her lips, nervously. It was Christmas Eve, for chrissake- she wanted to give him her present.

Finally, when she had almost given up, her laps around the shop not going unnoticed by the others, he emerged from downstairs. She made a beeline over but wasn’t able to say a word before she saw his eyes narrow as he looked at the present adorning her neck.

“The hell’s that?”

She toyed with the delicate chain around her neck. “My new necklace. Logan got it. He said that he wanted to get something nicer than a spark plug for me.”

“Pssht.” He rolled his eyes and muttered to himself, “Run a few jobs and all of a sudden you think you’re the Monopoly guy.”

“What was that?”

“I said...it looks nice on you.”

“Liar.” She took a deep breath and reached into her pocket, tightly squeezing the metal ring into the palm of her fist. “I got something for you.” He watched her curiously as she pulled it out and handing it over. “I didn’t wrap it, sorry.”

“What is it?”

“A keychain. It’s for your keys.”

“No shit, Sherlock. But what is...:”

“Oh, that.” She grinned brightly. “Coal. That’s coal on the end. Seemed appropriate.”

He smirked and opened his mouth before shaking his head and closing it again, obviously thinking better of whatever snide suggestive remark had been on the tip of his tongue. “Thanks, Ellie. Come here.” She followed him to the front desk, where he ducked down into a drawer to emerge with a box, a wrapped present, white ribbon stark around red paper. “Here. This is for you.”

“Wow.” She flushed and took it, gingerly, paper crinkling underneath her fingers. “You wrapped it and everything, this is so nice!”

“Ximena did it for me.” He rocked back on his heels and shoved his hands in his pockets. “You gonna open it?”

She hadn’t been expecting anything from him; other than stolen kisses that made her heart race, they had never really talked about presents or labels or whether he felt any of the same pull she did when their eyes met. She grinned at him beneath slow lashes and slid her index finger under the tape, slowly opening one seal and then, all at once, ripping the paper apart. “Oh my God, you got me hot cocoa!” She clutched the cardboard to her chest. “Dork. Thank you!”

“Yeah, it’s-” he stopped, biting his lip, suddenly shy. “It’s...you should-”

“Hey, Trouble? You ready to go home?” She turned as Logan walked in from the break room, tossing his keys from one hand to the other. “I’ll let you drive if you want!”

“Ok, yeah.” She looked at Colt, who was standing stock-still in front of her, odd look on his face. However, when she raised her eyebrows at him to silently communicate her confusion, he only shrugged. “I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah.” He shot one last, dark look at Logan before walking away, throwing a quick “Merry Christmas” over her shoulder.

As she took the keys from Logan and adjusted the seat, she couldn’t help but wonder. What was that all about? And, while she totally appreciated the present, what had Colt been saving up for?

~~~~~

She still couldn’t figure it out sitting on her bed, idly playing with her new necklace, sliding the diamond up and down her fingers. Why in the world had Colt been working the desk?

She got up with a frown, grabbing the box of hot cocoa and heading downstairs. At least it was a very sweet gesture. Her house was quiet, dark, her dad out on night shift and, with school on break, there was nothing and no one to distract her.

She pulled a mug off a shelf and paused, looking down. The box was open. She didn’t…

Carefully, she slid her thumb underneath the cardboard tab and pulled, peering inside. There was cocoa in here, two packets. But there was also a parcel, wrapped in tissue paper. She opened it up and laughed. Highlighters. Of course. Asshole.

And some papers, wedged inside. It wasn’t a card, just a piece of white printer paper folded to house a few more sheets of paper. She smoothed them out on the counter and gasped. Two tickets to Tahoe. A hotel reservation. And, in Colt’s careful scrawl: to see the snow.

She blinked. Gasped. And blinked again.

Her hands were shaking as she threw everything back in the box, a trick of packaging if she ever saw one. She ran upstairs to get her phone, her wallet, moving so fast she tripped on the way up and had to peel herself off the carpet. She ordered the Dryve while rushing downstairs, almost falling again, and waited by the front door, toe tapping an anxious song on the hardwood as she clutched the cocoa box.

The car came quick, the ride was quick, but she was impatient. Thankfully, when she opened the back door to the shop, it was still, quiet. No one was there to stop her as she ran downstairs, making her way to the door of Colt’s makeshift room.

She could hear him moving around, the slamming of a drawer and subsequent muttered curse, so she knocked. Loudly. And waited.

His eyes widened when he opened the door and saw her standing there. His eyes narrowed in understanding when he spotted the box in her hand.

“Hi.” Her fingers dug into the box, denting the cardboard. “I opened your present.”

“Good.”

“You didn’t need to-”

“I know.”

She took a breath. “No, you really didn’t need to do-”

“I know.” He shrugged. “But you wanted the snow for Christmas.”

“And it’s my trip.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you coming with me?”

He shook his head, laughing. “You can go with whoever you want, the ticket’s transferable. Right now they’re both in your name.”

“I know.”

“You can take Logan and then the both of you will be outta my hair. Might be nice to get some peace and quiet around here.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you really want that? Logan and I going together on this trip you got me?”

He opened his mouth and closed it again.

“Who should I go with, Colt?” She waited, staring expectantly, eyeing him for so long she had to consciously stop the nervous twitch in her thighs.

Finally, finally, finally, after so long she started to reconsider all her life choices, finally he rocked back on his heels and spoke. “Me. I wanna go with you.”

She smiled and launched into his arms, laughing against his lips. And when she came up for air, he was actually beaming, too.

~~~~~

"You are not wearing that vest."

"Oh, I am. There's finally snow, I hafta wear it!"

"I swear to God, I don't know why I'm here."

"Cuz you like me."

"I like the snow."

"Lie. You hate the snow. You'd rather sit inside and glower at the fireplace."

"..."

"You like me."

"I don't like anyone."

"No, you like me."

"Fine. I like you."

"See, Colt? Was that so hard? And it's not so cold if we cuddle up, right? ….hey. Hey, wait a minute. What are you…? Don't you dare-"

"Haha."

"Did you just put snow down my vest?!?"

"...Whoops."

"You are a dead man!"

"Bring it, muppet."

"Dead, Kaneko. Dead!"

And as she tackled him to the ground, she realized the snow was everything she had ever dreamed it was. And then some.

Tags:

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@desiree-0816 @leelee10898 @emichelle @client-327 @choicesgremlin @brightpinkpeppercorn

ROD

@omgjasminesimone @mskaneko

Colt

@deimosensblog @alegria1580 @choicesarehard @thefarrari @moonlit-girl-wonder @going-down-downtown@soniadotalves@jolietmaraud @flowerpowell@poeticscolt @zaira-oh-zaira @umiumichan @akrenich @sibella-plays-choices @maxwellsquidsuit @liamzigmichael4ever @octobereighth @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction

#playchoices fanfic #colt kaneko #colt x mc #choicesdecemberchallenge #amy writes

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lonestorm · 4 years

Text

The Inugami - Chapter 15

Summary: When Kagome Higurashi moved to the bad side of Chicago to help with her grandfather’s restaurant, she expected chaos. Being thrown into a fake gang, caught in the middle of a drug war and grudge that stretches centuries back in time, befriending a grumpy half demon along with a ragtag bunch of three other misfits… wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. High school AU. Inukag.

Rating: T (some language)

Pairings: Inukag, Mirsan

Chapters: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15

**Also on ff.net here and ao3 here.

The Final Chapter! Thank you to my faithful beta, @akela-nakamura!

Kagome’s boots barely echoed softly through the kitchen of the empty restaurant. It had been kept sparkly clean, smelling strongly of bleach, each surface shining and lonely at the same time without food on the countertops. She knew that hours had been reduced until the Higurashis were to return.

She lowered her hood, brushing snow from her arms. She was moving mechanically, as if displaying overly human actions would verify her racing heart and anticipation. For the first time in six months, Kagome was about to see the friends that had brightened her world, and the man she was impossibly in love with.

After countless late nights spent speaking quietly over the phone to him, just about how their days had gone, something funny they’d seen, anything that anyone could talk about, she was finally going to see Inuyasha again, face to face.

He didn’t know that, though. Of all Shippo’s schemes, this surprise was her favorite. Apparently, she was to be Inuyasha’s Christmas present, a role she was all too happy to fill.

The Higurashis had finished moving back to Chicago just yesterday, into a nicer house this time. The rent was surprisingly cheap for such a decent neighborhood (compared to the last, at least.), and Kagome didn’t bother voicing that she was sure the landlord name “Nonemu” was code for “Sesshomaru trying to not look nice.”

She startled at the sound of the bell jingling from the front, her frenzied heartbeat coming to an abrupt halt. And then she heard it in person, his gruff and so, so loveable voice only meters away.

“This had better be good,” grumbled Inuyasha’s voice. Her breath caught. The sound of clomping snowy shoes on the welcome mat. “Comin’ in on one of my only days off…”

“I promise, your Christmas present will be worth it,” Shippo said firmly.

“Why aren’t Sango and Miroku here? Didn’t you get something for them?”

“Of course I did! But this is just for you. They’ll come a bit later, give you some time alone with your present.”

“What? Why would I need- Ugh, Shippo, did you dump five gallons of bleach in the place? I can’t smell a thing!”

Kagome smirked; Shippo had really thought this out.

“Stop whining! You’re about to get the best Christmas present ever.”

“Sounds cocky. I once got a whole sock from my brother.”

“I’ll just assume that’s a ‘Wow, that sounds so thoughtful, Shippo! I don’t even need a present because your friendship is enough of a gift.’ I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.”

“Wh-wha-you’re just leaving me here? You’re just planning on locking me in here, aren’t you?”

“For fuck’s sake. Just… stay here. As one Inugami to another, just trust me.”

“...fine.”

A second jangling of the bell--Shippo had left. Kagome breathed in slowly, steeling herself, shaking out her hands as trying to rid them of water. She paced to the door that led to the dining area. Each step seemed to take too long and not long enough.

Finally, Kagome pushed the door and immediately saw him, standing with lowered ears, hands in his pockets, characteristically annoyed. Affection swelled in her chest, seeing Inuyasha in that red jacket, beat up boots tapping on the cracked tile. It was as if she’d been blocking out how much she cared for him, and the waves how much she’d missed him crashed over her in an instant. But she was frozen, hardly able to breathe until he finally caught sight of her.

His jaw dropped, and a startled sound seemed to stick in his throat. But he wasn’t still like her--he immediately came forward and leapt over the counter. In an instant, he was embracing her, and she had forgotten how warm, safe, smelling like leather and wind and-

“Home,” she murmured into his chest. “I’m home.”

“I love you,” was all he said back. “I love you.”

SIX YEARS LATER

There was a jangle from the front door, and Kagome looked over to see one of their regulars, Joseph, walk in, smiling and pulling a brown-haired boy behind him. The second boy looked skeptical and closed off, scrutinizing every wall and inch of the ceiling. Kagome watched her husband turn and regard the boys, resting his arms on the bokken that laid across his shoulders.

“Oh, a newb!” Shippo whispered to her in excitement. “Oh boy, Inuyasha is gonna do the thing! I love this part.”

Kagome allowed herself a small smile of agreement. She’d seen such a scene many a time before, but it was always inspiring to witness it again. This was the purpose of the Inugami now, after all.

“Hey, Joe,” Inuyasha greeted, giving a nod. “Who’s the kid?”

With mildly hidden enthusiasm, Joseph tugged his friend up behind him. “This is my buddy, Derek. He’s the one I talked to you about last week. I talked about Inugami a bit with him and he was thinkin’ about joining. Ain’t that right, Derek?”

Derek huffed, “Tch,” as he was pushed forward to stand about four feet away from Inuyasha. The boy shoved his hands in his jean pockets, clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes up at the older man.

Inuyasha, in turn, stared down at Derek, golden eyes sharpening and chin raising. Finally, Inuyasha growled, “Don’t gimme that entitled teenage bad boy shit face, kid. If you wanna be Inugami, we’ve got a code to follow. So are you gonna listen up or get out like a loser?”

A pause. The boy seemed startled by Inuyasha’s attitude, but soon realized that Inuyasha was truly waiting for an answer. “Uh… Okay, I’ll… listen,” Derek mumbled back.

“What was that?”

“I’m listening.”

“You’re listening…?” Inuyasha drawled, gaze biting.

“S-sir. I’m listening, sir.”

“Alright.” Inuyasha took the bokken off his shoulders, slamming it to the ground at his side. Derek startled backwards into Joseph, who hid a snicker. “The Inugami have self control. The Inugami do not involve themselves with gangs or gang activity. The Inugami don’t smoke or do that drug shit or even vape. I hate the damn smell and they make you weak. The Inugami don’t drink underage and if they are of age, they don’t drink irresponsibly like a deadbeat. The Inugami go to school and do their damn best in it. The Inugami do not fight unless in defense of self, defense of another, or a controlled spar supervised by an Inugami leader. The Inugami do not steal. The Inugami do not threaten, intimidate, or hurt others. The Inugami respect all humans, demons, and otherwise equally. The Inugami do all they can to help their neighbor. The Inugami keep a cool head and don’t respond to fucking morons that are trying to provoke them-”

Beside her, Shippo coughed in a way that sounded a lot like the name, “Koga?”

“-Inugami don’t whine about shit or think they’re entitled to shit. The Inugami work hard, challenge themselves, and don’t blame other people for their problems. The Inugami accept their cross to bear, their responsibilities, what can and cannot be changed, and their duty to become the best they can be.”

Inuyasha walked up close to the boy, staring down at him with an intense light in his eyes that Kagome had fallen in love with. Derek backed up even further, stumbling, but Joe steadied him. Inuyasha’s bokken was back in its sheath, and his powerful arms were crossed as he went on, “Now, if you think you’re incapable of those simple, moral and reasonable rules, if you just wanna be born as a street rat and die a thug that didn’t leave the world any better than it was when he was popped out of his poor mother’s womb, then you can turn your ass around and get straight back out that door. I ain’t here to give you free shit or coddle you or let you do whatever the fuck you want, whatever feels good.”

Tilting his head, Inuyasha said more quietly, “But if you stay… The Inugami is here to support you in doing shit that does good. The Inugami will have your back, teach you defense, give you a place to go, and make you something to be proud of.”

Inuyasha pulled the bandana off of the handle of his bokken; Kagome knew it was situations like these for which he always kept an extra red bandana around. The red cloth was held out to Derek, who was eyeing it wide-eyed and white-faced.

“So?” Inuyasha said, hand open. “You gonna stay or go?”

Kagome clenched her fists, an excited smile bursting on her face.

Derek stared down at the bandana, back to his friend, and then up to Inuyasha. “I… I’m gonna stay.”

Finally, Inuyasha gave the kid a quick, rare grin. “Good choice. Here.” Derek took the red bandana, gripping it tightly. His friend gave a whoop and clapped him on the shoulder while Inuyasha dug around in his bag for the registration.

“Just a little stupid paperwork, brat,” Inuyasha explained, holding the paper and a pen out to Derek. “Liability shit, and we wanna be able to contact you if you need help. I’ll give you my number, and the other four Inugami heads will probably give you theirs eventually. What are you doin, signin’ that already?! Always read a contract before you sign it, idiot. There ya go…”

By the time Derek was finished registering, the other Inugami had begun to file in, ready in their training clothes and chatting with one another comfortably, about twenty-five of them today. Kagome couldn’t help but smile at all of them, greet a few; these teenagers, all coming in here trying to make their inner-city life better, to improve themselves. These kids were the dreams of all the original Inugami, and it’s why she came every day without regret.

Inuyasha was talking to some of the kids. When he looked over at her, beginning to start her stretches on the bench next to Shippo, his entire body seemed to relax, and he returned a smile. But when he started to make his way over…

“Whoa,” she heard Derek say quietly, not too far away, to Joseph. He was pointing at her. “Who’s the chick? I’d tap that so hard.”

Joe looked panicked and was about to answer, but that’s when Inuyasha hit Derek in the back of the head, causing a resounding SMACK followed by a high, “Ow!”

“She,” Inuyasha snarled, “would me my wife.”

“Shit,” muttered Derek.

“I guess since you haven’t seemed to catch on to the specifics of ‘respect all humans, demons, and otherwise’ and you have a problem with thinking with your dick, I’ll have to add that the Inugami men are not fucking perverts or fuckboys. The Inugami other than me do not even think about daring to touch her in a way any more than a consented hug. Do I make myself clear?”

“Y-yes, sir! Sorry, sir!”

“Don’t apologize to me, boy; apologize to her!”

“R-right.” The boy turned quickly and practically bowed to her. “I-I’m sorry, um…?”

Kagome smiled in amusement. “Mrs. Tashio will do.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Tashio.”

“I forgive you, Derek. Welcome to the Inugami!” She stood and held out her hand, which he shook tentatively. “I’m so happy you’ve joined us. Oh that’s right, I made cookies today! Do you like chocolate chip? You can have some-”

“Kagome,” Inuyasha sighed, looking only minisculely more grumpy than usual. “It’s like you’re rewarding him!”

“I am!” she said with a huff, putting her hands on her hips. “He joined us! He apologized for what he said, so I think he should get a cookie. Besides, I tried this new recipe and I want the kids to say if they like it…”

“You made it. Of course they’ll like it.”

Her heart swelled. “Oh Inuyasha, really? You think so?”

His cheeks were turning about the color of his bandana that was tied around his head. “Keh, you know I think so.”

Kagome gave him a long kiss for that, and then went back to find the cookies in her bag. As soon as she found them, she began passing them around (with intermittent munching on her own part).

She pretended not to hear Derek whisper to Joseph, aghast, “How did such a cranky, terrifying dude end up with an angel?”

“No one knows exactly how it happened, but Papayasha and Magome are super into each other,” Joseph answered with a shrug. “Also, don’t count on the angel thing. I chose to challenge her to a fight one day and it was the worst decision I ever made.”

“...what did she do to you?”

“I don’t remember much, but I remember that I sure as fuck didn’t like it and felt it for the next week.”

“Inugami!” Inuyasha boomed. “Assume the position!”

The students scampered into a circle around Inuyasha, Shippo trailing behind, who began to explain what techniques they would be learning that day. As this process commenced, the charming tone over the door chimed, indicating the entrance of Miroku, Sango, and the twins. Both were dressed in gym clothes and each carried an eager toddler, looking windswept and tired, but both smiled at the sight of Kagome waving to them.

Sango hadn’t changed much in six years; despite having two children already, she kept up with her training well, especially now that they had two extra giggling girls that liked to ride on their parents’ backs during push ups. Miroku had cut his hair to keep the babies from tugging on it incessantly (he’d insisted for months that he’d felt some spiritual energy leave him as it was cut and therefore he was the reincarnation of Samson), so that he looked far more mature than he actually was.

Kagome greeted them both with a hug and lifted the most wiggly kid from Sango. “Hi guys! So glad you could make it on such short notice!”

“Ah, we wrapped up the latest case this morning anyway,” said Miroku, setting down his daughter so that she could join in on tackling Shippo. “First case in nearly a year where Sesshomaru hasn’t poked his nose into our P.I. business--not our fault people around here don’t trust the cops and we make major bank.” Miroku rolled his shoulders, stretching out the gun holsters that decorated his sides on straps. He shot a winning smile. “Just surprised we have a short notice call that wasn’t: Help, Inuyasha got poisoned, or help, Kagome was kidnapped, or help, Inuyasha got tackled by a furry convention and is now setting them on fire-”

Sango jumped in before Kagome could stop them, “Help, Kagome put a force field around the pie until I apologize, or help, Inuyasha is out of the dorm room because we were canoodling too long in the library make out corner, or help, Kagome heard me sleep arguing with the drapes and now thinks I have a secret Japanese lover-”

“Yes, okay, noted that we need to call you guys under better circumstances,” Kagome covered hastily. “But this is a great circumstance, I promise!” She stuffed another cookie in her mouth, eyes gleaming. “Cookieh?”

They took a cookie.

Another chime of the door, and Emma came skipping in, her stoic father gliding behind her. Sesshomaru looked emotionless and statuesque as ever in his full Commander’s uniform, an image of intimidation marred only by the flower crown perched atop his silvery hair. Judging from Emma’s matching set, it was of her creation and insistence. All the teenagers glanced at him or even flinched as he came in, indicating that the cuteness did not, in fact, ruin his effect. Kagome was impressed.

Sesshomaru beelined for Kagome as soon as his icy gaze found her, and he stopped abruptly several feet away. “What is the urgent matter of which I must attend? Emma and I were on our way to the park. I would prefer if this afternoon activity were not interrupted by my brother’s next grievance.”

Kagome laughed him off. “Oh no, no grievance. Just something we wanted you to be here for and then you can be on your way!”

A half millimeter quirk of the eyebrow. “Why.”

With a nervous laugh, Kagome scurried closer to the circle of students and waved a hand over their heads for Inuyasha’s attention. Best not to trust dog demons to be patient, she’d found.

His white ears perked up, and he stopped in the middle of demonstrating a new headlock on Derek. “Everyone here?”

“Yep!”

He released the teenager to his half laughing, half pitying peers, and pushed through to her. “Before I get on with the lesson, Kagome and I have an announcement that we wanted you all to be here for.” He put an arm around her, “It regards why she won’t be helping with any sparring from now on.”

The collective “aww” that arose from the kids actually touched Kagome, though she ignored Joseph’s not-so-subtle, “Thank God.”

Inuyasha looked to her with those shining, golden eyes, prompting her to say, “‘Papayasha’ is gonna be an actual Papa.”

The gasps and happy shrieks almost covered Inuaysha’s groan of, “Why are you encouraging them to call me-?”

Sango grabbed her shoulders. “You’re pregnant?!”

“Yup.” Kagome patted her tummy. “Can’t fight any of you--Magome’s got one in the ol’ incubator.”

Sesshomaru was grimacing. “I feared this day. The day in which an army of small Inuyashas are born. I surrender. You can keep the sword. I recognize when I am outnumbered.”

Shippo was in full on tears, clutching his face. “Tiny Inubabies with puppy ears and without Inuyasha’s horrible personality… adorable!”

Miroku only shrugged. “I’m honestly just surprised it took this long. You guys are like Catholic rabbits.”

Sango smacked him, but Kagome was too busy laughing. Surrounded by love and her growing family, she felt so far from that scared, weak girl she had been all those years ago, who felt so far from home. Home was something she created, right here, with her Inuyasha, and with the Inugami.

#yaaaaaay i finished!#waaaaaay late #here's for your quarantine yall #my writing #the inugami #inuyasha #inuyasha fanfiction #kagome #inukag #inukag fanfiction #miroku #sango #mirsan #mirsan fanfiction #shippo #sesshomaru

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austinpanda · 2 years

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Dad Letter, 7 January, 2022

7 January, 2022

Dear Dad--

You probably won’t receive this letter for a long time, if ever, because you’re being a bit of a ding-dong right now. But that’s okay. It occurred to me while I was smoking in my bathroom just now (under the exhaust fan) that these letters don’t actually require your observation in order to exist. Perhaps they should continue, if, for no other reason, they serve as a documentary of my weekly life. So because you’re not reading this any time soon, I suppose I’m a bit more free to talk about potentially taboo subjects (Cocks! Cocks! Cocks and buttholes!) and I can make the letters as short as I wish (The End, motherfucker! Lol j/k). Before, I have always striven for two good, fat, single spaced pages, always retaining the option to make it longer if the muse was upon me.

It is my eight year wedding anniversary today. Me and Z have been gay married since we got our rings in the mail and put them on, which was January 8, 2014. I’ve just done some checking to confirm this. I think because we are both men, we’re naturally unskilled at remembering the exact date our marriage started, and have to write it down somewhere. And we didn’t have our wedding until some time later. There’s a guy I talk to in the smoking section at work, named Mike, who works in surveillance, and I think he just figured out in the last couple of weeks that I’m married to another man. (I believe I said something about my husband and it caught him off guard, as it sometimes does those who assume me to be straight.) So recently he asked what I had planned for my weekend, and I said it was my anniversary, eight years, and it caught him off guard again, because he’s only been married to his female wife for about (and it took him a good while to sort through the math) four years. It’s neat when you say you’re married X years and the person with whom you're conversing has been married LESS than that. It means you win, right?

And it’s snowing for our anniversary! Oh, it’s a nice day for a white wedding. It’s snowing hard, and it’s supposed to continue snowing hard all day. Because we’re expecting several inches of snow, it’s cause for a Winter Storm Warning. And we were going to try a Greek place we’ve never been to before for our anniversary dinner. Going to have to shovel the drive, but that’s okay, because neither of us hates doing that. I’ve heard that when a fat old guy has a heart attack shoveling snow, and he goes to the emergency room, he’s referred to as a shovel. “We got a shovel in trauma one.”

Oh, my closest coworker Justin has tested positive for Covid. This sucks in several dimensions; now I’ve been exposed, and if I’m carrying anything, but asymptomatic--whether temporarily or…not so much--I’m exposing everyone else I come into contact with. It also means Justin has to quarantine for five days, and can’t come to work. This means that, instead of coming to work, doing half the seven audits, taking my time, having a lunch break, etc., I’m doing all seven audits myself, which can take all day. It can take longer than all day if anything goes seriously pear-shaped, like getting locked out of our computers, which happens from time to time. This means that I’m also getting a one-day weekend instead of a two-day weekend. Today is my weekend. Today is it. That’s why I’m writing this letter now, even though it’s only Friday. It will be somewhat nice to get a paycheck with a few hours of overtime, but since it all evaporates once it hits the monthly bills, I’m having a hard time finding the inspirational part.

On top of that, I have about six days left in this lifetime when I can chew my own food with my own teeth. On the 13th of this month, the dentist is going to pull two wisdom teeth and a molar on my right back side. After that, I’ll have lost about 90% of my chewing teeth, with the few remaining ones all on the bottom left. I’ll still have my smile; all the front teeth will remain, but the big ones you use to grind up your steak will be gone. I’ve already begun the process of getting partial dentures. I hate pretty much everything about this, and when I think of it, or deal with it directly, it tends to be unpleasant. I can easily find the silver lining, however: I’m going to get all the problems with my teeth taken care of now, and by the time it’s done, I’ll have some store bought teeth I can use, and I won’t have any more pain. Right now I’m consuming uncomfortably large amounts of ibuprofen some days. I hope this dentist has very good pain management kung fu.

So I am not without a plan when it comes to chewing my future steak. I’ll get two partial dentures, I assume, one for top teeth and one for bottom. The dentist said they would have a reciprocal property that would reinforce their strength by, I assume, the top ones mashing against the bottom ones. Thusly is their position in your mouth reinforced, and thusly is your steak made more digestible through mastication. I’m trying to focus on the part about becoming pain free. (Shit, they’re going to want money for the copay for the three-teeth-extraction extravaganza. That’s going to be a problem. Shit. Now I shall get to work on this!)

But it’s snowing vigorously, and it’s going to continue doing so all day, and it’s beautiful! And it’s my day off, and it’s my anniversary, and soon I won’t have any more dental pain, and a less hockey-inspired smile.

Quit being a ding-dong, please and thank you.

I must go. That's all I have to say to you.

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yeracluedeanwinchester · 6 years

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All the questions bich 😂

1: How tall or short do you wish you were?I wish I was like a couple inches taller. Not much tho 2: Do you have a favorite clothing style?Jeans and a hoodie 3: Do you like makeup? if so, What's your daily makeup routine look like?Black eyeliner, dark purple or pink eyeshadow and just basic foundation. Or none if idgaf that day :)4: What three things/people do you think of most each day:Hmm. Food. Travelling. Whatever movie or show I'm obsessing over at that moment lmao5: If you had a warning label, what would yours say?Oh so many. Don't let go too long without food. Only likes people for half the day. Picky. Is probably obsessing over something dumb at any given moment.6: What is your opinion on [insert person/thing here]?N/A I guess lmao 7: What is your Greek personality type? [Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, or Melancholic]No idea my guy 8: What's your sexuality?Straight 9: who's your favorite celebrity?Oh boy. Uuuuuhhhhhh Ansel Elgort atm 10: who's your favorite viner?That magician guy 11: favorite youtubers?Buzzfeed unsolved and supernatural, buzzfeed worth it, try guys, simplynaillogical, Shane, and dan and Phil lol 💕💕💕12: cat or dogs?Dogs mostly 13: How tall are you?5'4"14: If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?Morgan or Jaime or something unisex tbh 15: How much do you weigh? [Only ask this if you know the user doesn't mind!]I'm not that soft lmao. Im actually not sure. Maybe 14016: Would you rather be nocturnal or diurnal [opposite of nocturnal]?Opposite of nocturnal 17: Any phobias or fears?Fear of people who knew my before grade 9 lmao. And forgetting anything fun I've ever done 18: Favorite movie?Baby Driver atm. 19: Do you get scared easily?Depends on how I'm being scared. But usually yeah20: Blog rate me?Wut. 0? ;)21: What is a color that calms you?Blue. But I learned that apps make their content blue because it's more appealing so all I see is fucking blue so maybe purple. 22: Where would you like to travel and/or live?Almost anywhere else than I do. I really want to go to Europe tho23: Where were you born?Northwest BC 24: Introvert or extrovert?Both. More introverted recently tbh. 25: Do you believe in horoscopes and zodiacs?Yeah but I don't like plan my for it though 26: Hugs or kisses?Both 27: Who is someone you would like to see/visit right now?Dan and Vaughn 28: Talk about your crush, if you have one!Uhm. I don't wanna call it a crush. But he loves the outdoors, has a dog, basically lives the life I want lmao 29: A sound you really love?Rain or the sound after it snows 30: Can you do the splits?Nah fam31: Favorite actor and/or actress?Wasn't this already answered 32: Favorite movie?So was this 33: How are you feeling right now?Pretty chill. Amused with YouTube 34: What color would you like your hair to be right now?Dark brown/purple pls35: Something that calms you down?Depends what I feel like lmao. Ranges from junk food to cleaning to weed to just Netflix 36: Have any disorders?Um no but I procrastinate to disappointing levels lol 37: What does your URL mean?It means I'm a fucking nerd 38: What makes you unfollow a blog?Lmao we were just talking about this. When they start posting weird stuff that I didn't follow them for 39: What makes you follow a blog?When they post stuff that I like ??40: Favorite kind of person:Confident, wants to try new things, will be weird with me 41: Name three of your favorite blogs.@hellish-b0y @trustissued @ponderation42: What is your MBTI personality type?INFJ or EFTP or something. I took it twice. 43: What outfit out of all your clothes do you like to wear the most?This soft thin sweater with jeans and purple lipstick. 44: Post a selfie or two?Meh45: Do you like to swim?Yes46: Is swimming or ice skating more fun to you?Oh shit idk. Probably skating 47: Something you wish didn't exist:Money 48: Some thing you wish did exist:Whatever it is it probably already does soo49: Piercings you have?None 50: Something you really enjoy doing:Painting when I have inspiration 51: Favorite person to talk to:Vaughn or David 52: What was your first impression of Tumblr?Annoying but funny (before I got it) 53: How many followers do you have?22554: Can you run a mile within ten minutes?Probably not 55: Do your socks always match?Usually 56: What are your birthstones?Garnet 57: Winter or summer?Summer but winter for skiing and my birthday 58: Someone you look up to:My auntie or uncle 59: A store you love?Chapters or boathouse 60: Favorite type of shoes?Converse fo sho 61: Where do you live?Edmonton 62: What color do you wish the sky was?It's perfect the way it is 63: Favorite thing about a person:The way they talk 64: Something you hate about Tumblr:The hate lol 65: Something you love about Tumblr:The way you can have your blog personalised 66: On a scale of 1-10, how attractive would you say you are?Like a 5 or 6 on a normal day67: What nicknames do you have/have had?Syd but only by certain people 68: Did you have any pretend or imaginary friends?Nah69: Have you ever seen a therapist/shrink?No 70: How many languages do you speak fluently?171: Name three people you would like to talk to right now in person.Dan, Vaughn, Marissa because holy shit I miss her 72: Do you like BuzzFeed?Yes 73: How many people are you following?621 lmao 74: How many posts/likes/ and or drafts do you have on your blog?I GUESS I'll look. 9550 likes, 26,669 posts. Shit lmao Thanks @delaisse lol

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loafseat0-blog · 5 years

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Candy Cane Cake

Today I am sharing a Christmas Cake for the holiday season. My Candy Cane Cake is a fluffy, minty blend of vanilla and candy cane. Fresh, sweet mint can be tasted throughout. I did vanilla cake, but this frosting would also be yummy with a chocolate cake! Whatever you are craving. I loved the snow-like feel that this cake had. And the subtle swirl of red reminds me of candy canes, Santa Claus and red stocking hung by a crackling fire. So if you are feeling festive and want something other than Christmas cookies to bake, give this cake a spin!...

Fluffy frosting..

I folded a few crushed candy canes right into the frosting for texture and extra minty flavor..

Happy Christmas week everyone! I want to send each and every one of you a special wish for joy, peace and adventure these last few days of the year and into 2019.

Yesterday I made this dreamy Candy Cane Cake while binge-watching Red Table Talks on Facebook Watch. If you watched my Instagram story, you saw that this cake was a true labor of love trying to revive it after I frosted it a bit too soon and the insides got all melty. You can see that the frosting layers are not as thick and fluffy as they should be. But it's a good reminder for all of us: make sure you have enough time to fully allow your cakes to cool before frosting. Otherwise you end up with the cake that the fairies make in Sleeping Beauty (before they used their magic.) ... Did anyone get that reference? Haha.

PS. FVMEALS. I hope you all check out my brand new VEGAN 2019 guide from Finding Vegan Meals! Use code VEGAN2019 for an awesome reader discount!

Spelt. I used spelt flour this time because I love the flavor and texture, but all purpose flour works too.

Natural Food Coloring.. I used Watkins natural food coloring and I loved it! The price is super reasonable for a plant-based food dye and the color was super bold and intense. I cannot wait to experiment more with these colors. You can snag a set on Amazon.

Swirls of red...

Candy Cane Cake

By Kathy Patalsky

Published 12/21/2018

This minty vanilla layer cake is a candy cane-inspired dessert for Christmas. Vegan and topped with a fluffy cream cheese frosting. Plant-based coloring.

Ingredients

3 cups spelt flour (sub with all purpose if needed)

1 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, melted

1 cup vegan milk - room temp

1 flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp water)

1/3 cup applesauce - room temp

3 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp peppermint extract

1 1/4 cups sugar

frosting:

9 Tbsp vegan butter - room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, organic - sifting optional

1/2 - 1 tsp peppermint extract

8oz vegan cream cheese

red food coloring - natural plant-based brand used

Topping: crushed vegan candy canes + more for decoration

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease 2-3 seven inch cake round.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine.

Add the sugar, coconut oil, flax egg, vanilla, peppermint, cider vinegar, applesauce and vegan milk.

Beat the batter until smooth.

Pour the batter into the cake rounds and bake for 18-28 minutes -- depending on if you used two or three layers and how large your cake is. For my three layers using seven inch rounds, I baked for 25 minutes.

Remove cakes from the oven and let sit for ten minutes - then remove from pans and carefully transfer to a cooling rack.

About a half hour before you want to frost your cakes, whip up the frosting. Add everything to a mixing bowl and beat until fluffy. Extra tips here. Optional: Fold crushed candy canes right into your frosting. I did this. Place the frosting in the fridge for twenty minutes before frosting cakes.

Frost cake. Add crushed candy cakes over top. Serve!

Yield: 8 slices

Prep Time: 00 hrs. 50 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 25 mins.

Total time: 75 mins.

pin it for later..

Winter cake..

Source: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2018/12/candy-cane-cake.html

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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lauramalchowblog · 5 years

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The Primal Blueprint Is For Life!

It’s Monday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Monday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!

Most of the people whose amazing and life-altering stories appear on MDA are submitted by people aged 50 or younger. Here is one to inspire not only you “young puppies” but hopefully “geezers” like Mark and me. I am the same age as our fearless leader Mark Sisson, and while my story and my life have gone totally differently than Mark’s [I was never a triathlete or even close], the end result is just as rewarding!

My name is Lloyd and I am 65, and in the best shape of my life – almost. In my late 20’s I smoked 2 packs a day and drank two or three mixed drinks every night – and I sported a 42 inch waist. A neighbor convinced me to start running [he ran marathons and weighed like 140 lbs.]. I started running 2 miles a day around a golf course in the neighborhood and ran a very slow 10 minute pace at first. I really liked the feel of the endorphins kicking in and I took to exercise for the first time in my life. Fast forward a few years and I was running 8 miles every day, rain or shine, in around 55 minutes. I had lost weight, but was still eating poorly, whatever my wife put on the table, and often second helpings.

Then we had a freak snow and ice storm, and running was out of the question – for weeks. I was used to doing something physical late in the afternoon so I bought a beginner set of weights and got hooked on bodybuilding. Even after the streets were passable, I kept lifting and soon joined a gym.

I didn’t realize this because I was a neophyte, but the gym I joined was very hardcore. Incandescent lights, bare floors, hard rock music, all guys, chalk flying, grunting and screaming everywhere, and lots of the members were on steroids. No, I never partook, but I did start lifting very heavy weights, and found I could. By two years later, I was very strong and about as big as a natural guy could be. I loved lifting heavy weights and having big muscles. I received a lot of encouragement from the other members and many gave me diet tips as they could see I was serious. The diet? Low fat, high protein and lots of carbs. Some days I ate almost 5-6,000 calories a day and had a 34 waist. At my peak I weighed about 250, with very low body fat. But I was in my 30s. As we age, a lot of things change.

Year after year, I trained the same way, and ate the same way, but by my mid 50s I could see changes happening – my weight was staying the same, but my waist was getting bigger. So I started doing a lot of cardio, all high-intensity, close to my max heart rate, big puddles of sweat under my exercise bike at the gym, and no weight loss!

I was really discouraged, began doing internet research, and I found MDA when it was pretty new. I bought Mark’s first edition of The Primal Blueprint, and it all made so much sense, I dove in 100%. No cheat days, no 80% 20%, I was all in. I started this new eating style at [you’ll love this] at a Thanksgiving Day buffet, lost 2 pounds the first day and about 25 pounds in a few months. Blood pressure went down, bad cholesterol down, good cholesterol up, my doc was amazed, as he was ready to put me on a statin.

I maintained the weight for years until Mark started talking about Keto. Once again, I went all in immediately [I had been eating Primally for so long that I passed Mark’s “test” with flying colors]. I also started using the myfitnesspal app to keep track of my food and nutrient intake. My goal was to lose another 10 pounds and get to 215, but it was so easy, I ended up as low as 204 and I have stayed within a few pounds of that for about 18 months now.

Like Mark, I stay right on the edge of ketosis, some days I might have 60g of carbs, but most of the time, under 40g. I also have found fasting for 24 hours easy to do with my travel schedule and about half of the time, with the exception of coffee and maybe a piece of cheese, I eat nothing until dinner. And I am NOT hungry!

Just one thing more I want to add. From all the years of heavy lifting, I have had back surgery, two total shoulder replacements, and one hip replacement. Yes, I am a poster child for getting rid of old joints that don’t work well anymore.

During each recovery period, I had to stop lifting and curtail cardio, which by the way is now mostly elliptical limited to 75% of my max heart rate. Because of my primal eating style, even sitting around with little to no exercise other than PT] while recovering from surgery, I never gained weight!

So am I a huge fan of Mr. Sisson and this lifestyle? Absolutely! It works, it’s not hard, and it’s for LIFE!

The readers featured in our success stories share their experiences in their own words. The Primal Blueprint and Keto Reset diets are not intended as medical intervention or diagnosis. Nor are they replacements for working with a qualified healthcare practitioner. It’s important to speak with your doctor before beginning any new dietary or lifestyle program, and please consult your physician before making any changes to medication or treatment protocols. Each individual’s results may vary.

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jesseneufeld · 5 years

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The Primal Blueprint Is For Life!

So am I a huge fan of Mr. Sisson and this lifestyle? Absolutely! It works, it’s not hard, and it’s for LIFE!

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The Primal Blueprint Is For Life! published first on https://drugaddictionsrehab.tumblr.com/

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cynthiamwashington · 5 years

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The Primal Blueprint Is For Life!

So am I a huge fan of Mr. Sisson and this lifestyle? Absolutely! It works, it’s not hard, and it’s for LIFE!

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Article source here:Marks’s Daily Apple

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winterpart3-blog · 5 years

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Rebecca Bathory

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

I have returned to the UK with a sinking feeling in my heart, in January I gave up my flat and put my things into a storage container to travel around the world with just a suitcase and camera bag as my home I’ve not missed my things one little bit. I began the new year with a fresh passport and have already filled half with stamps from all around the globe, but not only have I collected stamps, I’ve gained hundreds of memories that I will take to my grave, this year has been the best in my life.

I’ve been to 22 countries, Netherlands, Ukraine, Japan, Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Greece, Austria, Slovakia, Hungry, Czech Republic, Greece, USA, Mexico, Cuba & Canada in 3 continents, Asia, Europe and USA. Kalinga, Chernobyl, Varanasi and Detroit will particularly always hold my heart.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain

I’ve had 45 flights.

London, UK – Netherlands, Eindhoven – London, UK – Kiev, Ukraine – London, UK – Seoul, Korea – Fukuoka, Japan * Hiroshima, Japan – Tokyo, Japan – Manila, Philippines – Siem Reap, Cambodia * Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Bangkok, Thailand – Chaing Rai, Thailand – Bangkok Thailand * Ko Phangan, Thailand * Phuket, Thailand – Hanoi, Vietnam – Da Nang, Vietnam – Singapore – Manila, Philippines – Singapore – Bali, Indonesia – Ngura, Indonesia – Bali, Indonesia – Makassar, Indonesia – Singapore – New Delhi – Varanasi – Mumbai, India – Doha, Quatar – London, UK – Berlin, Germany – London, UK – Kefalonia, Greece – London, UK – Cologne, Germany – London, UK – NYC, USA * Detroit, USA – NYC, USA – Mexico City, Mexico – Havana, Cuba – Mexico City, Mexico – Cancun, Mexico – Detroit, USA – Boston, USA * Philadelphia, USA – Detroit, USA – NYC, USA – London, UK

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”

I’ve travelled for miles and miles and miles across every country by catamaran, bamboo train, bamboo raft, speed boat, tuk tuk, jeepney, train, motor bike, scooter, car, bus, truck, trike, auto rickshaw, boat, bullet train, cycle rickshaw, horse and walked 2000 km.

I Visited over 100 Dark Tourism sites, over 100 abandoned buildings and a load of tourist sites thrown in. I have two external hard drives with images to fill two books and two new decay photography series. I poured every inch of energy and passion into these photos and I’m exhausted but loved that every day was a different adventure. I can’t wait to start sharing them and the stories behind. Its been hard as I have had no time to edit and share them, I just can’t wait to show you all in my books which will come out in 2017 & 2018. I completely pushed myself out of my comfort zone and going the extra mile to capture them.

I just could never have imagined the things I’ve experienced, the beautiful people I’ve meet and the things I’ve seen. I’ve been travelling constantly since 2012 but never to this extent, I could never have dreamt I would have been able to do something like this and I feel very blessed.

I thank everyone who has followed my daily visual diary and been with me along the way. I started doing this just so my family knew I was still alive no matter where I may have been on the planet, but so many have you have watched this journey and worried when I didn’t update, I thank you for caring and your comments showing so much interest is what Ive been up to, I just didn’t expect that at all.

I’ve made every single day count, each hour has brought a new adventure. I’ve seen things I’d never thought I could imagine, experienced every sense, sight, sound, smell, touch in their extremities. I’ve meet so many wonderful humans along the way, making new friendships, some so strong they will remain in my heart until I die. Some just paths crossed but sharing happy moments together. I’ve had people show kindness all along the way and I feel truly blessed, thank you all for being part of this no matter how big or small.

At the start of the year in Ukraine I visited the abandoned town of Pripyat in Chernobyl for the third time whilst snow fell all around us, which was a completly new experience for me in this desolate place. It gained a sense of mystery and sadness, which will always remain with me. Seeing a place so full of desolation and despair, makes you realise how special life is and Im glad to have had this experience at the start of this year.

In Japan I explored the abandoned streets of nuclear Fukushima, walked for miles in the Japanese suicide forest and amongst the cherry blossoms and bamboo forests of Japan, eaten fresh sushi and seen beautiful castles. It was my first time experiencing a culture so different to in Europe and the USA and was a perfect start to my 4 month trip around Asia.

In the Philippines I rode on the top of a Jeepney, sun on my skin and wind in my hair and visited 1000 year old Kabayan mummies in a secret cave. I walked across rope bridges with breathtaking mountain views as far as the eye can see. Saw my first water buffalo, drank rice wine for the first time and got crazy drunk. I saw the incredible Banaue rice terraces and then travelled to Sagada to sleep in a wooden hut and see hanging coffins on a cliff with some Iranians.

I’ve discovered the ancient ruins of Ankor Wat in Cambodia and rode for hours through the dust in a tuk tuk, I rode on the back of my first motor bike and started an addiction for that. I watched the sunrise over a mystical temple and had my photo taken with a monk. I’ve cried tears at the killing fields in Cambodia and watched a lightning storm from high up overlooking dry land as far as I could see monkeys ran around my feet. I’ve got drunk with friends, danced and eaten insects.

In Thailand I meet an elephant, visited the black and white temples which took my breathe away, spent time on the beach with my good friends, relaxing and got taught to hula hoop under a full moon. I volunteered at an animal shelter in Ko Phangan by dressing up doggies and taking their photo.

Vietnam I spent hours walking around Hanoi getting lost in the bustle of the old town and then got stupidity drunk one night, it was so much fun but I missed my tour to Halong bay because of a mega hangover. I sat on the back of a motor bike on an unforgettable trip around Da Nang and visited my cousin and her family in Ho Chi Min city.

Back in the Philippines I climbed my first mountain, lay on the top camping under the stars and felt my first earth quake under my body. I taught a little boy in a hut at the top of a mountain how to make selfies on my phone. I slept in a wooden hut and sat round a bonfire while everyone played guitar, drank and sang. Travelled to the far remote village of Kalinga a mystical land where I was tattooed by a 98 year old lady and her grand daughter with an orange tree needle and the ink with the ash of a fire, while native pigs ran all around me.

In Indonesia I got a poke tattoo meaning beauty, rode a horse up a volcano and stood on the top of the crater as it erupted and covered me from head to toe in black dust. I trekked up my second mountain in the darkness of morning and down into the crater to witness the blue flames of burning sulphur and then made a campfire at the summit to watch the sunrise. I witnessed my first dead body and felt true happiness of the power of life through seeing death. I attended a unique funeral in a place where death is celebrated more then life and watched the death of animals for the first time, buffalo and pigs died but it taught me a lesson on the importance of life and how fleeting it can be.

In India I spent three weeks in the holy lands of Varanasi, spending each day in a weird trance like state. The power of spirituality constantly around me, I felt at home here, surrounded by the beauty of decay and in this place where my senses in every way where heightened I felt at peace with the world. I watched the cremation of bodies by the side of the river Ganges and smiled at a culture where death could be beautiful. I bathed in the river Ganges with friends at 2am and danced in the rain in moments of pure joy. Every day I drank chai and eat an assortment of curries and bought an Indian wedding dress which my friend took photos of around the streets of Varanasi. I felt pure happiness as I explored the slums of Mumbai, had kids swarming around me with the biggest smiles on their faces, despite living in such bad conditions.

On return from Asia I went on a 20 day road trip with one of my new best friends and favourite clown Ben, who I had only known 5 hours before we embarked on a 20,000 km road trip around Europe, we got on like we had known each other for years. We meet up with amazing people along the way and visited hundreds of jewelled skeletons, mummies and crypts along with a tonne of abandoned buildings, drinking lots of wine and forging a strong friendship that means the world to me. (Miss you Ben)

I photographed my good friends Stephi and Sean’s wedding in Greece, such a beautiful magical day filled with laughter and some pushing in pools very early in the morning and waking up in the best mans bed (he wasn’t in it, he’d just been a gentleman to the drunk photographer who got pushed fully clothed into the pool)

I last minute booked a flight to Cologne for Photokina where I spent a week surrounded by incredibly talented photographers from all around the world, in an apartment sharing laughs, food, drink and inspiration. Got photographed by the mightly talented Renee Robyn in a giant ballgown in front of hundreds of people at Cologne Cathedral.

Taken by Renee Robyn

Returning to the UK for a couple of weeks I caught up with family and friends and made a couple of special new ones. Before flying to the USA where I spent two months road tripping around 8 states. We drove from NYC to Detroit capturing dark tourism sites and abandoned buildings.

For so long I’d wanted to explore Detroit and it was special for me to finally be there. I watched the sunset on a crumbling Detroit rooftop with a new special person in my life, drinking beer and then sat with him in his truck on the Detroit, Canada border dancing in the rain at midnight. With promise that hopefully I could return to actually cross the border.

I partied in NYC with inspiring USA photographers and meet some I have wanted to hook up with for ages, caught up with my NYC photography agent and did a shoot in Central Park with a bunch of incredibly talented photographers.

Taken by Vincent Minor

In Mexico, with my bro from another mother and awesome friends I experienced the Day of the Dead Festival, photographed the slums in Mexico City, went to the haunted island of dead dolls, Mexican Pyramids and road tripped 9 hours on Halloween to see creepy Mexican mummies, which were totally the best dead things I’ve laid my eyes on.

We flew to Havana, Cuba where we walked for hours in the blasting sunshine capturing photos of the beautifully crumbling buildings. Rode in gorgeous vintage cars and got stupidity drunk at an arty party capturing the hearts of many Cuban guys.

Returning to the USA I spent my final weeks of this adventure first in Salem where I saw where the Salem witch trials happened, with my beloved kind friend Karen I got a pentagram and Ether symbol tattooed on my ankles. I stayed with great friends Shannon and Dave for a week in their gorgeous home in Rhode Island exploring beautiful abandoned buildings in 4 states. I will never forget the ticks that attacked me and Shannon, multiple 5am wake up times, exploring in the snow and some tricky entries into some epic buildings.

I got a bus to NYC and spent my first thanks giving, watched the Macy thanks giving parade and eating turkey with wonderful new friends, remembering how thankful I am to be alive and living this life.

And slowly it began to dawn on me that it would all be over very soon, knowing I had just two weeks left, I made plans to spend time exploring decaying buildings in Philadelphia and then back to Detroit which held my heart. I spent 100 blissful hours in the arms of a special guy who took me raving in downtown Detroit, On my last day we ventured into Canada for burgers, more partying and an airbnb where we lay on the floor next to a glowing fire. a perfect end to the perfect year. I’m left heartbroken for so many reasons that all this is ending, it feels like I have been stabbed heard in the heart and even writing this blog I am choked by happy and sad tears, think of everything I have done.

People ask me along the way if I’m here for business or pleasure. Ultimately I am working on a photography book commission and also as an anthropological researcher so I can write a thesis in 2017. These have funded this travel and so it has been important for me to achieve what is necessary for these things. I’ve been so exhausted at some stages, but I always kept pushing not wanting to miss a second, always saying yes to every opportunity that throws itself at me. Sometimes after long days travelling for hours, shooting in hot or freezing temperatures and countless km’s walking I arrive back to where I’m sleeping in the early hours in the morning, running on empty I need to find the strength to charge batteries, back up photos, pack, arrange tours and hotels. But I wouldn’t change it, I love how the crazy pace of life.

This work has been ridden with a huge sense of pleasure, I’ve squeezed into my busy schedule time to see other things that wasn’t necessarily for my work and also found the time out to just enjoy a bit of social and relaxation time. I’m lucky in that I can say I feel so passionate about my work that I feel truly blessed and lucky that I can call this my job.

This year has been unforgettable for my life. I have learnt that I no longer need a house and possessions to be truly happy. I’d sooner collect memories then digits in my bank account. I’ve witnessed true poverty with people living with so little but with the biggest smiles on their faces and this to me has been life changing. I know I’m destined to migrate in time, my only ties to the uk are my mum, dad, nan and my brothers family and where ever I end up they will always be in my heart like they have been on this trip and there will always be plenty of visits. The world is my playground and I lust over these moments. I cry as all this has all touched my soul in more ways then one, I am in love with these people and cultures I’ve seen that even in poverty these people smile and are grateful with even the small things in life. I have been a free spirit for this a year, I’ve never been happier.

This is a new chapter for my life and I’m fully prepared to lead it now with no structure whatsoever. I just know I’m not one to settle down and I just want to feel free. I have no plans to take my possessions out of the storage container I placed them in January, I’m even toying with the idea of losing some ‘stuff’. I have no desire for things and I’m quite happy to just live with a back pack and camera, just continuing to explore this beautiful world for as long as I can and I already have new ideas for book projects to take me to new countries I wish to experience.

And to the people! I’ve meet up with so many incredible humans along the way, I’ve meet up with over 150 of you fantastic individuals this year and I thank you all for your friendships and time. And to my auntie Diana who I lost in September you will always be in my thoughts. And especially those that have spent time to help me create my book Fukushima and Dark Tourism. These are now 95% photographically complete and return to Fukushima comes out in just 3 months and Dark Tourism a year after that. I have come in contact with so many souls along the way this year, love to you all and I hope our paths will cross again in my life story.

I am a dark soul laced with the beauty I see in my surroundings. I choose to encompass myself with death and decay, but my existence is a banding of the beauty found in darkness. I have battled for so many years on why this sorrow consumes my existence, but now I have come to realise it is fine, I am fearless. I used to worry about my difference, my inability to fit in with the normal world, but I have come to realise that I can make a living from being an artistic soul. It makes me unique and therefore it is not something to try and hide.

My camera is how I view the world, it is my key to express the malevolence, beauty and melancholia that manifests inside my dark heart, it is my cathartic release to the visions of surreal darkness that lie inside my mind. I find that my antidote is to seek out in this unique world the beauty found in darkness, poetry and meaning in the forgotten, surreal, worlds amongst decay. My artworks breathe life into forgotten locations, they reawaken old narratives, find beauty and meaning in their shadowy ruin, revive the memories of lost moments in places tainted by the indigenous.

Unseen to the ordinary public who pass their boarded windows and fenced walls, I find entry to these mystical places hidden to the world, I sensitively capture them as beautiful piece of art as they deserve to be recorded for posterity too, before they are lost as time rolls inexorably on and they merely become ashes and dust. I capture the stories and characteristics through carefully composed images to include the romanticism and delicate memories of these ruins. In reality they will cease to exist very soon and as the memories fade, these places and the souls who once gave life to them will be forgotten, I find my inspiration in places lost in time.

I feel euphoria as I grow and never stop learning from this magical gift of capturing the emotion of these realms of the unconscious. I follow the ethereal light amongst the darkness, in finding emotion and serenity in these mystical locations. I will continue to push the boundaries of my work, never stop learning, make sacrifices and find courage to achieve the things I dream of. I have always believed to not put off until tomorrow what can be done today and that life is not about collecting possessions but experiences, when you are dead these will decay and be gone like so many of the haunting places I choose to take my camera

Living is about experiences, dreaming, challenging yourself, loving, travelling, collecting memories not things, as long as I can remember my life has been one big adventure. I dream big, photography is my passion, it consumes me, it makes this world real and the wonderment of creating art is more important to me then the air I inhale, it is my enchanted door away from the demons inside.

My soul is dark

But my existence full of light

I find beauty in darkness and this reflects in everything I create.

“Light Cannot Exist Without Darkness”

Fukushima Coming April 2017

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hencoplumbingservices · 5 years

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Weather service: Potential for more snow Sunday night

Find out how to get the best plumber in Vancouver Washington

Snow piled up around Clark County early Saturday but the sun and warmer temperatures melted much of what fell hours earlier, inspiring many to take the winter storm in stride after days of hype and frenzied anticipation.

Families gathered at Franklin Park in northwest Vancouver late Saturday morning said they were enjoying the snow, which didn’t completely cover the grass. Kids on sleds glided down mellow hills and left trails exposing still-green vegetation under a thin layer of frozen precipitation.

Standing beside a decent-sized snowman, Zoe Anderson, 11, said she loved the snow and didn’t mind the cold weather.

“No school for one thing,” Anderson said. “I get to use my ski gear, which I’m excited about because I got some new things for Christmas. I really like sledding. And building snowmen. And snowball fights.”

Her brother, 17-year-old Matthew Schilling, wasn’t as enthused about potentially missing school. The more days of school that are canceled, the longer the school year extends into June, he said.

“It gets in the way of things,” he said.

Most community events and activities, including virtually anything taking place at a school, were canceled Saturday.

Camas got the most snow. According to the National Weather Service’s accumulation totals, 8 inches were dumped on the town late Friday and early Saturday.

Many spots in Vancouver received about half that amount. Cascade Park snow measured about 4 1/2 inches while 3 1/2 inches fell around the Vancouver Mall. The weather service listed a total of 1.8 inches for Battle Ground.

A few snow flurries were forecasted for Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon on Saturday night. “Snow showers coming to a end,” forecasters noted in a weather timeline. Despite fewer snowflakes falling, colder temperatures were predicted to cause icy conditions and impact travel. The same scenario was expected for Sunday.

In a special weather statement issued late Saturday afternoon, the weather service said to prepare for the coldest air so far this winter.

“Low (temperatures) drop to the lower to middle 20s along the coast, and into the middle and upper teens for much of the interior,” the statement said. “Looks can be deceiving, as what may look to be just a wet road could easily be a stretch of ice. As the sun sets, motorists should be prepared for such conditions.”

Sunday night, there is potential for more snow. Temperatures should be cool enough for it to snow across the metro and Clark County. The precipitation may turn to rain after midnight for areas below 1,000 feet and west of the Columbia Gorge, according to the weather service’s timeline.

Despite previous outlooks calling for another major snow event, the weather service said rain is more likely on Monday.

“Rain below 1,500 feet” forecasters said Saturday. A mixture of rain and snow is possible Tuesday. “Still a lot of uncertainty with low elevation snow potential,” they noted.

Stocking up

The earlier threat of a big weekend storm caused people to stock up on groceries and other supplies. By Saturday afternoon, Grocery Outlet Bargain Market on Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard in Vancouver was quiet, and the shelves were well stocked.

Store operator Carlos Rodriguez Vega said customers packed the store Friday. Produce got low but did not come close to running out as the store ordered more than usual in preparation for the wintery weather.

“We have a steady stream of trucks coming in, so the shelves will be stocked,” said Rodriguez Vega. “It’s a bit more quiet today. We’ve had some customers come in and say they didn’t want to deal with the mass crowds.”

The store was calm, as were the roads. Most of the mayhem resulting from the snow consisted of vehicle crashes. Emergency responders seemed unfazed.

Vancouver police Officer Ilia Botvinnik said conditions were much worse early in the morning. He said several spots caused persistent problems in the city. He estimated that police responded to less than a dozen crashes, all of which were minor.

“It’s been surprisingly mild considering the weather,” Botvinnik said. “There were fewer people on the road it looked like, so that probably helped.”

Clark County Fire & Rescue Chief John Nohr said his crews were dispatched to 18 incidents over 24 hours up to 4 p.m. Saturday. The majority of the calls were crashes. On an average day, firefighters in the coverage area — Ridgefield, La Center, Woodland — respond to about 11 calls, Nohr said.

Chief Nohr said all of the crashes were minor.

“There were a couple of cars that ended up on their sides, but they were slow-moving crashes. Only one person was transported to the hospital. Everyone was driving slow because of the conditions,” he said.

Mark Ervin, a battalion chief with the Camas-Washougal Fire Department, said area residents called in and shared how many inches of snow heaped up outside their homes. Seven inches in Prune Hill, said one family. Ervin characterized the roads as “not too bad,” although all the fire department apparatuses were chained up for extra traction.

Firefighters in Camas went to four calls for cars sliding off the roadway, Ervin said. None were serious. No one was taken to the hospital. There was only one minor injury.

“We had more snow on the roads out here, but the (road) crews did a great job of clearing most of them,” Ervin said. “It’s been pretty uneventful.”

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blackpjensen · 6 years

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Randy Strait: The Equipment King of Chicago

Chicago-area Arctic Snow and Ice Control is one of the largest snow management companies in the country and also a major manufacturer of snow pushers. We caught up with founder Randy Strait for insights on the biggest issues facing snow contractors and the impact changes in Illinois law might have on them.

PLOW: Even though Arctic may be known best for inventing its Sectional Sno-Pusher, would you say your expertise as a major contractor is the true foundation of your business?

STRAIT: I have been plowing snow for 40 years and run one of the largest private snow removal fleets in the country. I own the property of a former local airport and park my 450 pieces of equipment on the runway during off-season. It stretches a full mile, and I am proud of what I have built.

PLOW: What made you want to be in this business?

STRAIT: When I was growing up, I was that kid who shoveled all the driveways. I always loved snow. I always loved making money shoveling snow, and even when I was 12 years old, I was hoping to own a Jeep with a plow someday. I bought my first truck in 1977 at the age of 21, mostly just to get through the bad winters. In 1978, I put a plow on it to make some extra money. The winter of 1978-79 was the worst in Chicago history, with 96 inches of snow, a record that still stands. Experiencing that winter changed me forever in terms of how I wanted to spend my life.

PLOW: When did you realize this would be a profitable business that could grow into a livelihood?

STRAIT: I recognized early on this was a business that rewarded the guy who worked the hardest and went the extra mile. That has always been me, and I saw this as an industry where I could make a difference. Seeing others in the business who did not share my passion and work ethic only made me more optimistic and motivated.

PLOW: You’re probably most recognized for inventing the Arctic Sectional Sno-Pusher; It Allows The utilization of large-scale equipment, reduces salt requirements, and eliminating re-plowing; What inspired it?

STRAIT: I was plowing in front of a shopping center and the store manager would not let me use salt in front of his store even though we couldn’t scrape up all the snow. I first plowed with the 10-foot plow on my dump truck, but the plow teetered on the crown of the parking lot and could not get in the depression next to the curb. I then plowed it with my 8-foot plow and was able to scrape a little more but still not enough. The front of the store dipped and there were sewers in the middle, so I could not get down into those low areas with a standard plow. However, the narrower the plow, the more I could dip into those low areas. The store manager stopped me and went into his store and came out with six employees equipped with 30-inch snow shovels. He blew a whistle and the six guys moved in unison across the front drive of the store. He blew the whistle again and had them move down and repeat the process. After they were done I could salt the lot. They were only scraping a half-inch of snow so it was very simple, but I couldn’t get that snow off the lot with my equipment. Wow, I thought, if I could just put six 30-inch sections on the front of my truck, I could do the same thing he’s doing with six shovels and six guys. Coming up with such a contraption consumed my every thought until, after five prototypes, the Sectional Sno-Pusher was born. This year, 10 years later, I introduced the same technology in a power-angled plow.

PLOW: Is inventing the Sno-Pusher the reason you got into manufacturing?

STRAIT: That certainly affected the timing, but it takes a lot of motivation to go that far from your comfort zone. In reality, I designed the Sectional for my use only. It took a while before I was pushed enough to pursue the manufacturing business.

PLOW: What do you think the future holds for you in manufacturing?

STRAIT: I think what we did this year answers that. We hadn’t introduced a new product in 10 years but this year we rolled out four: Two new pushers, the Raptor and Raptor Plus; the power-angled Sectional Sno-Plow; and the DoubleDown Salt Bucket.

PLOW: Why get into the salt business? The DoubleDown seems like a pretty big departure.

STRAIT: Actually, we had been kicking this idea around for a while, but last year’s winter made it clear we needed this so we moved our timetable up a year. There were two major reasons we built the DoubleDown. For one, salt trucks are designed for open roads, not parking lots; they favor the driver side 70 percent. They cast their salt, rather than aim it, from a height that cannot get under parked cars. As a result, they leave salt stripes on the ground, and are only effective when parking lots are empty. Also, because they are quite expensive, they must be assigned to a full prearranged route, making them unavailable if a store manager requests a repeat salting. The DoubleDown attaches to any manufacturer’s skid steer or wheel loader like my pushers, so it can be switched out easily without leaving the cab. It simply scoops up the salt and spreads it, and it’s designed specifically for crowded parking lots, so daytime salting is easy. It also never leaves the customer’s parking lot, just like my plows and equipment, allowing a store manager to have an additional salting during the day if needed.

The DoubleDown Salt Bucket. Photo: Arctic Snow & Ice Control

PLOW: The DoubleDown Salt Bucket has some operational benefits; are there additional ones?

STRAIT: Yes, retaining our equipment operators in a low-snow winter. Last year, we had three major plowings, with a big gap between December and March. When the March storm hit, a number of our operators had taken other jobs. We also had about 30 salting events, but those are different drivers and easier to replace. If we had been able to keep the equipment operators busy salting with the DoubleDown, we would have expected to retain almost all of them.

PLOW: The industry is changing in regard to liability. Illinois recently passed SB2138, a law limiting the amount of liability that can be placed on snow and ice management companies. What does this mean to snow contractors?

STRAIT: The industry has been in trouble for a while and the liability situation is behind all of its problems. Before the law passed, all of the liability in Illinois fell on contractors for slip-and-falls, whether or not they had any control of the situation. Ice could have formed from a leaking fire hydrant or clogged gutters and they were still responsible. Insurance carriers were getting killed and many were getting out of the business. Had this continued, retail stores would have been forced to self-insure, with the cost of that virtually assuring their demise. They simply couldn’t afford to compete with online marketing, and we would all be out of business.

Photo: Arctic Snow & Ice Products

PLOW: When you look at the top contractors in the country, Arctic might well be No. 1 in that it owns its own equipment and doesn’t use subcontractors. How have national snow management companies affected regional snow contractors like Arctic?

STRAIT: Their rise is a direct result of the whole liability mess. They are now the largest contractors in the business, and they bring in obscene sales revenues. They have little to no equipment, only phones and salespeople who are most likely based out-of-state, and they bid irresponsibly low prices to get as much work as possible. Then they look to hire subcontractors with a truck or maybe a skid steer for pennies on the dollar to plow huge properties they have no business even attempting. No qualified contractor is willing to take their work. Essentially, if you have a shovel, a snow blower, and a bag of salt in your garage at home, you are better equipped than these companies. Slip-and-fall claims have gone through the roof simply because lots are not as safe. Furthermore, the desperate subcontractor is forced to sign a hold- harmless agreement, which puts all the liability on him. I know of individuals who have been ruined and lost their homes due to this. To add insult to injury, these same companies hold back monies from the sub if there are any complaints. They all operate the same way and they are ruining the industry while also making everything less safe, so I won’t be giving any of them a pat on the back anytime soon.

PLOW: How will the new law change things?

STRAIT: Change will not come overnight, but it was important that the liabilities be shared 50-50. The work has to be performed well, or the slip-and-fall claims will stay high and the insurance companies will pull out. This way the contractors have to be properly vetted and store managers have to realize they need to hire qualified operators. Provided other states follow suit, such a law will eliminate the national firms’ ability to pass along all of their liabilities to local subcontractors. Some have noticed that the cost of litigation, not including claims, is much higher than the cost of snow removal. Recently, a national chain acknowledged to me that my higher-priced services were a far better deal for them overall when considering safety records.

PLOW: How does a store or property know which contractor to pick?

STRAIT: For starters, check out the site, not the website. While there are some honest firms, the majority will deceive with their websites and brochures. I had to point out to one customer that a contractor from our area had a brochure showing his equipment with the Rocky Mountains in the background. He checked it out further and found the company had no equipment, just a pickup and a plow. Others list their plows, sidewalk machines, blowers, even shovels, as equipment, whereas I refer only to the number of wheel loaders, skid steers, melters and trucks. The other thing property owners should look for is ISO certification. We went through the ISO 9001 process last year, and it assures every customer that we have auditable processes that guarantee we will do exactly what we say we will.

PLOW: What will happen to the level of service?

STRAIT: I believe it will only improve because property managers will have to take a more serious look at how they hire.

Visit PlowSite.com for more forums on equipment, business management and technical information. Join the conversation in the largest community of snow and ice business professionals.

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1310miles · 6 years

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Twenty Eight

Who knew Seattle was a hilly area? Not me, who had never been there before. I always thought the downside to Seattle was just the rain. But once I registered and told people I was training for the Seattle Marathon, they all said “whoa- there’s gonna be a lot of hills.” I thought “bah, how hard can it be? I’ve run 27 marathons. Seattle doesn’t scare me.” It will only suck if it rains on race day, I thought.

So in August, I started training. It is amazing to me how long 18 weeks actually is. I had gone from 90 degree weather to an inch of snow on the ground. From daylight until 8pm to dusk at 4pm. From vacation at Niagara Falls to the long Thanksgiving Break of the Wilmette school district.

I trained differently than ever before. I incorporated both hill work and speed work into at least one weekly run. Usually I just run at a consistent pace for all my workouts, and that has served me fine. But this time I discovered that I could actually run fast. It was exhilarating! Really a lot of fun to go speeding through mile after mile. Of course, sometimes I wanted to puke my guts out, but by the end of training I could run 10 miles at an 8 minute pace. That was miraculous for me. As for the hills, the best (worst) you can find in the Chicago area are the ravine hills along the lakefront in Glencoe. I ran them and hoped that they would compare slightly with Seattle.

I was feeling confident about my training, but didn’t expect much from my performance based on everyone’s warnings. If I were to have been running a flat course, I think I could have gotten a personal record. But for this course, I was just hoping for an honorable 10 minute mile or less, for the duration.

With bellies very full from Thanksgiving dinner (thanks Mom), Brett and I left the kids with my parents (thanks Mom and Dad), and flew to Seattle. We explored the town a little and soon discovered that I was going to be completely screwed. The hills in that town are ridiculous. We learned that they used to be at a 49 degree angle but were reduced to a mere 18 degree angle for the modern era. Oh boy. That didn’t bode well for my performance. Also, at this point I would estimate the hills I ran in Illinois to be about a 2 degree angle.

We enjoyed our tourist time in Seattle. The highlights were our spontaneous visits with two of my mom’s cousins (Kris and Cami) and my long time friend from childhood, her husband and kids (Emily, Ray, Jonah, and Eloise). Really amazing hosts and great friends! Then it was early to bed on Saturday in preparation for the race.

For once the time difference was in my favor since the race was to begin at 8:15 which was 10:15 central time. I wasn’t even very tired upon waking up even though I couldn’t sleep at all. I always worry I’m going to relive that Seinfeld episode where he is hosting an elite marathon runner who keeps oversleeping (the am/pm!).

Brett joined me for a quick breakfast in the hotel and then I walked to the start line, about a mile from the hotel, right beneath the Space Needle. I was about an hour early, so I had plenty of time to line up for the porta potties about three times. I was also a good Samaritan and discovered a bank of hidden, unused porta potties and directed a huge group of runners out of their long lines to those.

At 7:15, there was actually a “walking” marathon start. If you were planning on walking the race, you could start at this time, and get ahead so as not to finish so late in the day. I don’t know too many details, but it seems to me that you could do this particular start as a runner, and literally be the lead runner almost the whole route. Wouldn’t that be crazy weird?!? You would be leading the whole race and people along the route would think you were the winner. Yes, eventually the elite winners would catch you, but I bet you could get pretty far. I wonder if anyone did this?

It was time for the real marathon start, and of course, it was raining. Just a slight drizzle though, and based on the previous two days in Seattle, I assumed it would just continue like this. It was actually a pleasant sort of rain that was just a mist, and other than avoiding puddles on the roads, I didn’t feel like it would be a hindrance at all.

I took off at with the 3:45 pace group, knowing that I could do it if this was a flat course and hoping that the hills had been greatly exaggerated. I felt amazing and confident. We flew through downtown Seattle, past our hotel, and up the first hill like it was nothing. I used a new technique for this race to keep track of the hills. I drew the elevation map on my hand in pen right before the race. Usually along marathon routes, I’m always wondering what is around the corner. Or listening to other runners or spectators to find out if the “terrible” hill is coming up or if it’s finally over. With this little hill map, I could keep track of it myself. It was an amazing asset! Just knowing when I had finished a bad hill and didn’t have to face another one for a few miles was a big relief. I will use this technique again.

There were three major hills within the first five miles, and at the top of the second one, as I was leaving the Seattle downtown area, I saw my friend Emily and her family. Seeing them made my eyes well up with emotion. It was so great having them there to cheer for me, and their smiles were big inspirations.

The last of these three hills was the most steep and I employed my walking uphill strategy because it would have been ridiculous to run. It was basically straight up. This is where I lost my pace group. I hoped to reunite with them on the downhill, but I couldn’t catch up. I was still running a great pace though. Little did I know at the time, but I had run my fastest 1k, 1 mile, and 5k ever at that point. I would go on to also run my fastest half marathon. I think the downhills were giving me a major boost to offset the uphill efforts.

We split from the half marathon just after mile five. I was getting into the zone and feeling pretty good. At this point, I was having delusions of grandeur. I was feeling like I could for sure get my Boston Qualifying time. The hills hadn’t been too bad, and I was feeling really fast. Reality started setting in as the course leveled out for several miles. All that up and down really took a lot out of me I guess, and I began to slow down. Not hugely, but enough to kill my BQ. Then I said to myself, I can definitely get a personal record. This race isn’t so hard. And then I hit more hills in Seward Park. And my legs just didn’t seem to be moving as quickly as I wanted them to. Slowly, mile after mile, by goals were reduced. Finally, the last stage in this process is just hoping to not die.

Along the way, I saw Brett at mile 8 and then once I looped back around, at the same spot, which was then mile 15. I needed a clothing change. When we started it was drizzling, but about an hour in, the sky cleared and the sun came out, which I hear is rare in Seattle. It was a beautiful day for me to admire the Lake Washington and Seattle skyline. It was getting warm too, so I went down to just a a t-shirt. A surprise at this pit stop was also my mom’s cousin Kris. What a neat thing to see her there! She lived within walking distance to the spot so she got to see the epic amounts of drenched clothes I deposited with Brett. I was again inspired by seeing my loved ones, and I took off for the second half of the race refreshed with dry clothes.

A couple more miles went by, and I was finally down to single digit miles to go, when the weather took another drastic turn. The sky turned black, temps dropped by 15 degrees and it started raining again, but this time real rain, not drizzle. It became miserable. I was already hurting and knowing that I had some bad hills to go, and this got me feeling pretty down. A marathon isn’t all mental, but I will say that if you let your mind go negative, the miles feel really, really long. I tried my best to snap out of it, tried to force a smile, but I told myself this was going to be the toughest marathon I had ever run.

Past mile 18 was another set of three major hills. At one point, I had been looking forward to these hills so I would have the opportunity to walk again. I had been slogging on the flat parts for several miles, and just wanted a break from the pace.

This section was in a forested area, which, had I not wanted to die or quit or cry, might have been enjoyable to take in. But I was in survival mode. My time had far passed a 4-hour marathon pace, so I was just working at this point on finishing. We were in this forest, up and down hills, back and forth through switchbacks, and I probably did more walking than running. The uphills never quit, and the downhills were so slippery from the rain that I couldn’t take them very fast at all. We were also very congested with other runners here. It was out and back on the paths, so runners were coming straight at you. Plus, we had reconnected with the half marathon people, so they were taking up space and many were walking in large groups. And, there were normal people trying to enjoy the city park. It made for a really unpleasant four miles or so.

Near the very end of this section, I see a mirage that may be my husband. It is him! I don’t know how he got to this remote spot on this switchback (now I know that Kris drove him, bless her heart), but he was a sight for sore eyes. I told him I was happy to see him, but I couldn’t talk too long because I had to either keep running or I was going to quit. I had gotten a boost from the idea that the hills were done and I just needed to keep running until the end.

Finally out of the woods (both literally and figuratively), I got back into a zone knowing that I was going to finish. It would be over very soon. Mentally, I don’t count the effort I will have to make in the last mile of a marathon. Like at mile 23, I basically tell myself I only have two miles to go. At mile 25 I know I will be seeing glimpses of the finish line, hearing crowds cheering and seeing finishers with their medals (which is the biggest milestone for me. When I see a finisher wearing the medal, I know I’m almost done). I ran back into the city and though I wanted to die, kept going through the rain until I turned to see Memorial Stadium and felt the rush of success.

I went through the finish line but I was so tired, cold, and aching, that I couldn’t even smile. I snatched my medal (checking that it was for the MARATHON), donned a mylar blanket and tried to be happy that I was done. I looked at my watch, and saw that it showed ½ mile less than a marathon distance, and that annoyed me. Although I had finally figured out how to get my watch to track the whole race without the battery dying (turn off the heart rate monitor), now I wasn’t going to get credit on my workout app for having completed a marathon. Maybe my brain was a little on the fritz, but this really bothered me. Rather than resting indoors with some of the food provided, I walked around until my watch finally registered 26.2 miles. Once this was accomplished, I could have stopped to eat something, but I was so cold that I needed both hands to hold my blanket around me; it just wouldn’t stay secured properly in the wind. At this point, I needed to get back to the hotel as soon as possible to get warm.

Of course, it was a mile away. So I shivered my way back to the hotel. I was so grateful to be there. Brett greeted me and helped me peel off my socks which were soaked. I got into a very warm bath and felt so relieved. We chatted while I warmed up, and made our plans for the rest of the day. I got out of the bath and immediately fell to the bathroom floor. My head was spinning and I was totally confused. I tried to get up again, and then had to almost throw up. I laid back down and called for Brett, who said my lips were completely blue. I felt like I was going to die. Each time I tried to get up, my head exploded and I blacked out. I was moments away from telling Brett to call 911, when I began feeling a little more normal. I crawled to bed and rested for about a half hour. I ate and drank and napped. Thinking I was ready to be alive, I tried to get up again, but had the same thing happen. I knew I was ruining our plans for the day, but there was no way I was going to be able to get out of that bed for a while.

Upon googling my symptoms, we think my blood pressure dropped very low from ceasing the exercise and taking the hot bath. Brett went out to get ramen for us to eat lunch, and let me say, that’s the cure to anything that ails you!! That soup brought life into me. We were finally able to get out and enjoy our last half day in Seattle.

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