The rules of Persephone’s garden don’t apply to him.
He’s not entirely sure why. He’s mortal, or at least half. No ichor flows through his veins, not that it helped Persephone. Perhaps it is because he already spends so much of his time in his father’s kingdom; perhaps the Fruit of the Underworld has lost its potency so far removed from the Ancient Lands, so long after Pam’s death.
Regardless, Nico gets to indulge.
Anything from the roundest, sweetest apples to the bitter tang of pink grapefruits, he has sat under the poplar trees and devoured. He likes fruit more than any other food group, more than any other taste. He has always had a sweet tooth. And his eyes eat as much as his lips, drinking in the glimmering sheen of dimpled lime peel and delicate pearls of round concord grapes. He has made himself sick eating strawberry after strawberry.
But his favourite, without question or pause, is a clementine.
The best he’s had, secretly, was not in his stepmother’s garden but in a tiny orchard in Algeria. Engineered for generations by human hand and grown under wide, sparkling sun, the skin had been bright and fragrant, pith minimal and pleasantly bitter, and thin-skinned globules of flesh so plump with juice they’d begged to be burst under his teeth. He’s dreamed about those clementines every week since he’d eaten them. If it wouldn’t kill him, he’d jump to the north African country every day and buy them in swathes.
Unfortunately, at camp, he’s stuck with what he’s got.
But they aren’t so bad.
“You have a sweet tooth worse than anyone I’ve ever met,” Will grumbles, poking at his shoulder. “And when she was 11, Kayla lived off Nerd ropes and Gushers for two months.”
Nico cracks a smile. “Kayla’s continued existence astounds me.”
“I do genuinely think she’s a medical marvel.”
“Don’t tell her that.”
“Believe me, I wasn’t planning on it.”
For a while there’s nothing except the tearing sound of Nico ripping off the peel of his citrus. He’s skilled enough to remove it in one go, but sometimes, as a random challenge, he tries to remove it in a certain shape. Today, for no particular reason, the peel comes off in the shape of a heart.
“I can feel you eyeing this,” he says, shooting an exasperated look over his shoulder. Will smiles small and guiltless, in response, raising and dropping his shoulder.
“Dunno what you’re talking about. Just wishin’ you’d eat a vegetable or two.”
Liar. Well, that exact sentence isn’t a lie — Will is such a bad vegetable pusher that he is often teased about secretly owning a farm — but it’s not what he’s thinking about. Nico isn’t stupid.
He sighs. “Here,” he grumbles, wedging his thumbs between the two hemispheres of the fruit and tearing. “You can have half.”
Will brightens. His smile is like clouds clearing, like the give of a snapping elastic. Startling, demanding, storm-cracking and loud. Eye-catching in every possible way.
“Thanks!”
He holds out a cupped palm, and Nico rests half the fruit inside it, fingers brushing the heel of his hand for no justifiable reason. It’s callused — most of his hand is callused. Nico wants to trace the outline of them, with his fingers and then his tongue.
He watches as Will brings the fruit to his mouth, happily munching on the whole thing without bothering to separate the sections, like always. Nico winces.
“You’re barbaric.”
“It goes to the same place! There is not logical reason to eat it section by section!”
“If the sections weren’t meant to be eaten one by one, they wouldn’t be naturally separated, you heathen.”
“Corn is naturally separated. D’you eat that kernel by kernel?”
Nico hates being friends with smart people.
Will laughs, and Nico’s eyes flutter shut, savouring.
“That’s what I thought.” He pops the last bite in his mouth, chewing and swallowing and smiling his dazzling smile, after, sticky citrus juice making his lips look shiny. “Thanks for sharing, Neeks.”
“Course,” murmurs Nico quietly, hiding his smile behind a segment of fruit. “Anytime.”
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100 Shades of Xisang: 11. Marriage pact when they reach 40
“I do remember that promise, yes,” Lan Xichen coldly said. “I remember you had just been rejected by someone, and also you were fourteen at the time.”
“Excellent. Then I’ll start planning immediately,” Nie Huaisang cheerfully replied. “I’ll have a matchmaker get in touch with your uncle, of course. Let’s do things right.”
Lan Xichen pinched the bridge of his nose. “I sincerely hope this is a joke.”
“It’s not. I want a real wedding, with a real matchmaker, and a huge banquet, and…”
“Huaisang, you have lied to me for ten years and manipulated me without remorse…”
“A little remorse.”
“Remorse or no remorse, surely you’re not expecting me to uphold our pact to marry when you reach forty if neither of us have found suitable partners, not after everything that has happened?”
“Why not?” Nie Huaisang asked, genuinely confused.
“You don’t think it’s a bad start to a marriage?”
“No. Most people do all that after being married. But we did all the betrayal and hatred before the marriage, meaning that we now get to be happy!”
The worst part, Lan Xichen thought, was that in a very twisted way he could see how that would make sense.
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“Q&A’s”
100 Best 'Would You Rather' Questions In Ranking Order 👻
1. Would you rather be a genius and know everything or be amazing at any activity you tried?
2. Would you rather dine alone or watch a good movie by yourself?
3. Would you rather end world hunger or stop crime all over the United States?
4. Would you rather wear pants 3 sizes too big or shoes 3 sizes too small?
5. Would you rather go into the past and meet your ancestors or go into the future and meet your great-great-grandchildren?
6. Would you rather lose your ability to speak or the ability to hear for your entire life?
7. Would you rather experience the world beginning or ending?
8. Would you rather have more money or more time?
9. Would you rather only be able to whisper or only be able to shout?
10. Would you rather work more hours a day, but have longer weekends or work fewer hours a day with more workdays?
11. Would you rather live by “Hakuna Matata” or “YOLO”?
12. Would you rather talk like Yoda or breathe like Darth Vader for the rest of your life?
13. Would you rather eat only cheese for 1 year or not be able to eat cheese for 1 year?
14. Would rather have 100 duck-sized elephants or 1 elephant-sized duck?
15. Would you rather wear a clown wig or clown shoes every day?
16. Would you rather be insulted by Gordon Ramsay for 10 seconds or receive unlimited text messages from Donald Trump for 10 days?
17. Would you rather always have a mullet haircut or a ponytail haircut?
18. Would you rather be without elbows or knees?
19. Would you rather your only mode of transportation be a donkey or a giraffe?
20. Would you rather be a clown who distracts the bull or the cowboy who rides the bull?
21. Would you rather get married to a zombie or give birth to a zombie?
22. Would you rather have baby vomit on you or vomit on a baby?
23. Would you rather get your wisdom teeth pulled or your butt cheeks pierced?
24. Would you rather use boiling water as eye drops or gargle with sour milk?
25. Would you rather be smacked in the face with a fish or farted on?
26. Would you rather drink water from a vase that has 2-week old flowers, or eat a giant 3-foot spiderweb?
27. Would you rather eat a stranger's toenails clippings once a week or have everything smell like rotten eggs?
28. Would you rather pee through your mouth every time or have your best friend pee into your mouth one time?
29. Would you rather be a tissue paper or toilet paper?
30. Would you rather eat a dead pigeon or eat a dead dove?
31. Would you rather lose the ability to lie or believe everything you’re told?
32. Would you rather lose all of the money you've earned this year or lose all of the memories you've gained this year?
33. Always hit a red light for the rest of your life or always get slow internet after the sun goes down?
34. Would you rather know how you will die or when you will die?
35. Would you rather ace a job interview at your dream job or go on a date with the hottest person you know?
36. Would you rather know the world’s secrets or live ignorantly forever?
37. Would you rather speak to animals or know other people’s thoughts?
38. Would you rather live in a real haunted house or in the middle of a dessert?
39. Would you rather be the person who flips the switch during executions or be the judge who decides who should be executed?
40. Would you rather always have the urge to pee or have to always wear a diaper?
41. Would you rather have a rewind button or a pause button on your life?
42. Would you rather be super strong or have x ray vision?
43. Would you rather master a musical instrument or have a photographic memory?
44. Would you rather be always cold or always hot?
45. Would you rather be the smartest person or the funniest person?
46. Would you rather be attacked by an insane murderer or be given a million dollars every day for the rest of your life?
47. Would you rather get a paper cut every time you read a book or get a free pair of Jordans?
48. Would you rather become an unknown superhero or a famous average person in history books?
49. Would you rather have your own robot or a private jet?
50. Would you rather be in a ballet class or a salsa class?
51. Would you rather have an extra toe or extra finger?
52. Would you rather the aliens that make first contact be robotic or organic?
53. Would you rather have a pet skunk that sprayed you once a month or a pet porcupine that quilled you once a month?
54. Would you rather have an odd-shaped nose or odd-shaped ears?
55. Would you rather have a daughter have Hulk powers or a son with Beyonce’s talent?
56. Would you rather still be bathed in maple syrup by your mother or by your grandmother?
57. Would you rather have 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife or always have a knife but never be able to use spoons?
58. Would you rather have small bad things happen to you for a month or one bad thing happen to you?
59. Would you rather be get trapped inside a video game or have that video game come to life in the real world?
60. Lose access to social media or Free wi fi for the rest of your life?
61. Would you rather have a horses tail or a unicorn horn?
62. Would you rather sneeze chocolate or have your tears taste like cheese?
63. Would you rather be a superhero or a wizard?
64. Would you rather it rain marshmallows or skittles?
65. Would you rather have the ability to fly or be invisible?
66. Would you rather be the world’s best actress or singer?
67. Would you rather have cookies or cake?
68. Would you rather have good grades or be good at sports?
69. Would you rather go to the amusement park or spend a day with your favorite cartoon character?
70. Would you rather become 5 years older or 2 years younger?
71. Would you rather do something you love and make just enough money to get by or do something you hate but make billions of dollars?
72. Would you rather have a terrible boss but a great job or a great boss but a terrible job?
73. Would you rather have a job where you talk to people all day or a job where you stay at your desk by yourself all day?
74. Would you rather live in New York City or London?
75. Would you rather go for a company with thousands of staff or go for a company with just a few hundred staff?
76. Would you rather have a 10-hour dinner with a headstrong politician from an opposing party, or attend a 10-hour concert for a music group you detest?
77. Would you rather be poor and work at a job you love, or rich and work at a job you hate?
78. Would you rather be your own boss or work for someone else?
79. Would you rather be in your pajamas or a suit all day every day?
80. Would you rather have a physical meeting with other coworkers or have an online meeting with other coworkers?
81. Would you rather stay in or go out for a date?
82. Would you rather meet your partner’s siblings first or their closest friends first?
83. Would you rather only be able to have one child, or have to have seven?
84. Would you rather go to a bar, a club, a house party for a good time, or just stay home for quiet TV dinners?
85. Would you rather find true love for 1 year or be in a stale relationship for 100 years?
86. Would you rather be stuck with your spouse in a tree house or in a tent on a rainy day?
87. Would you rather work a morally questionable job that makes a lot of money or a job that helps a lot of people but doesn’t make much money?
88. Would you rather have date night every week or date night every month?
89. Would you rather make a huge salary but have to give everything above minimum wage to charity, or have a mid-range salary and be able to spend it on whatever you want?
90. Would you rather have a lover who’s obsessed with pets or one who doesn’t like pets?
91. Would you rather chew a raw onion for 10 minutes or two raw heads of garlic for 30 minutes?
92. Would you rather have to eat one jar of jam every day for 10 years, or never be able to eat bread for 20 years?
93. Would you rather have the only beverage you can drink be water or the only food you can eat be a salad?
94. Would you rather have cheddar popcorn or popcorn with movie theatre butter?
95. Would you rather have cake or cookies for dessert?
96. Would you rather live in a world with no caffeine or a world with only raw food?
97. Would you rather eat pizza or ice cream as your own meal for the rest of your life?
98. Would you rather be vegetarian or carnivorous?
99. If it meant you could save pizza or spicy food from extinction?
100. If you were responsible for choosing whether the world would have bagels or doughnuts, which one would you choose?
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Reaching New Heights of Productivity: Leveling Up Through the 7 Stages
Let's get real - who couldn't use way more productivity superpowers these days? We all have mad untapped potential when it comes to getting stuff done. But maximizing your effectiveness can feel impossible.
That's why you gotta shift your mindset! View your productivity skills as something you can always take to the next level. Build them continually through 7 advancing stages that I like to call:
Level 1 - Newbie
We all start as newbies! At this basic level, you finally create structures like daily to-do lists and calendar reminders to wrangle the chaos. But you still get derailed on the daily by distractions, while procrastination leaves you hustling down to the wire, leaving you pissed. Been there, my friend!
Level 2 - Put Together Beginner
Now you crush it by establishing routines to hold the line. But you overcommit to meaningless meetings and extras tasks that overload your schedule. Can't bring yourself to just say "NOPE"! And sticking firmly to your plans is quite hard when fires keep starting left and right! The struggle is real...
Level 3 - Grasshopper
Here is where major progress mounts defending against distractions. You finally block addicting social feeds and disable those pesky notifications to find your flow...
Level 4 - Efficient Expert
Now we're cookin'! You've gained mad skills knocking items off your daily to-do's quickly. Delegating tedious stuff, collaborating with your squad, and setting up automation like data collection has freed up mega time! But continuing adulting on those stretched out goals still needs some help...
Level 5 - Sharp Shooter
This is when you become stone cold eliminating distractions and hyper focused on big rocks priorities. You set goals with military precision following SMART models. Health regimens with smoothie cleanses, 7 minute workout apps, and vision board manifesting amp up your drive! Tons of progress, but more beast mode is possible!
Level 6 - Virtuoso
You produce at an unbelievable level through balancing workload and life fuel. Tracking mini-wins gives you little bursts of dopamine to stay hyped! Your toolkit is fine-tuned and failures bounced back from fast thanks to Jedi mindset mastery. Sky-high standard through next level prioritization makes you prime mentor material!
Level 7 - GOAT
You're undisputed GOAT status stems from insane discipline hardwired to ambition/purpose. Ruthless in culling tasks with highest magnitude impact daily. Your zen workflow allows handling vastly more output without compromise. Congrats - your productivity sorcery makes you a legendary icon! Time to pay it forward mentoring other up and comers.
While you're exploring the ins and outs of boosting productivity on the blog, consider taking your journey to the next level with my exclusive Productivity Planner. It's designed to enhance your daily routines and simplify your path to success.
This planner isn't your everyday organizer; it's a practical companion in your pursuit of productivity. Imagine your to-do list transforming into a well-coordinated symphony of accomplishments.
Ready to navigate your daily tasks with precision and finesse? The Productivity Planner is crafted to make your workload feel more manageable and, dare I say, enjoyable. It's not just a planner; it's a tool for turning aspirations into achievements.
Explore the possibilities of improved productivity. Check out the planner by clicking here.
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