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candyopala · 3 years

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Stuck in his ways, Chapter 5

Chapter Summary: Y/N’s training begins, but not before she discovers one of Obito’s secrets.

Words: 1.7k

AO3

Please reblog or like if you enjoy, comments are always welcome <3

5:30 in the morning. It is the sixth time Y/N has woken up. This whole concussion thing has messed up her whole sleeping schedule, she tried her best to get some rest, but to no avail. She ended up sleeping for about fourteen or fifteen hours between small intervals, but she feels worse than before.

Y/N drags herself out of bed, makes some coffee, and brushes her teeth, the whole deal. Having a constant roof above her head is nice, she has to admit that. Not having to worry about wild animals and the climate is cool, but the warmth of a bed is the best part of it. Tying her brand new bandana on her forehead, she leaves the small apartment and heads to the training grounds on the outskirts of the village.

She makes her way through the village’s main market, trying to avoid stumbling onto the hundreds of busy people bustling around her. Watching people attend to their duties and following their routines has always been a hobby of hers, she always found interest in seeing people who can afford to do the same thing every day, have some sort of routine. Can she consider herself one of them now? No, maybe not. Ninjas are always doing different missions and whatnot; their routines are as fucked up as a merc’s. Maybe she can become a baker in another life, who knows?

Around the corner, a hand blocking her way surprises her. At the end of it is a medium height man with his hair tucked into some sort of fabric, with bits of brown hair coming out of the sides. The man holds a toothpick between his lips, accompanied by a smug smile and an attitude that instantly annoys Y/N.

“’Sup babygirl, how come I’ve never seen you around?”

“I’ve been busy for the last 26 years”

“Busy living in my dreams, I bet”

“Busy fucking you mom, actually”

The sleazy type is the worst in Y/N’s opinion. Nothing disgusts her more than someone who thinks they’re hot shit just because they’re attractive. She pushes him away and keeps on walking.

“Ouch! Feisty, I like that. I’ll remember ya!” he states as he leaves the scene with a wink and a flick of his toothpick.

This has to be a joke, what a douchebag.

Going back on her way and observing the people, she closes into a mass of messy short black hair. The man has his back turned to her, but by the jonin vest and height, she assumes it could be… no, wait… it could not be! This man is helping an old lady carry a shitload of groceries, he would never be nice enough to do that.

Could it be him!?

From afar, she changes angle to try and catch a glimpse of his face. After much difficulty dodging busy locals, she is able to see clearly and… it’s Obito! Obito Uchiha helping a poor old lady carry her stuff, I wish I had a camera on me. She thinks of approaching him, but she decides against it in favor of watching from a distance to see where this goes.

Turns out the frail woman lives on the other side of town. Obito sure enough has carried all that stuff through the worst climbs Y/N has ever seen on a city. But that was not all: he was being extra nice. He laughed at all her jokes and even smiled back at her. This is grade A entertainment.

When they finally reach her destination, the old lady pulls out a lollypop and gives it to him. Y/N immediately loses her shit, almost falling from the ceiling she is in because of her fit of laughter. Before she can compose herself, she notices a presence behind her. She was discovered, but who cares? She has seen enough. Obito towers above her, trying to look intimidating, but failing to do so since he has a lollipop on his mouth.

“First you invade my house, now you’re following me. Are you sure I’m the one who should be called a creep?”

“Well, you’re right. Maybe I’ll start calling you… Granny Simp Uchiha©, how about that?”

“I hate you”

“Ow, I’m so hurt, oh my god, how could you? But seriously, I didn’t mean to intrude, but when I saw that… I needed to see more to believe it” She states as she breaks into another fit of laughter

“Let’s go, we’re late for training”

“Have you ever been on time a day of your life, though?”

“Never, I’ll probably be late for my own funeral”

“Fair enough. Wait, did you just make a joke that’s not on my expense?”

“Oh no, your dumbassery is influencing me!” He raises his gloved hands ironically

“Shut up”

~”~

They both reach the training grounds at around 7:30, late but not a whole lot, thanks to Obito’s kamui. Obito will have to make some slight modifications on the mission report to avoid Minato’s wrath. After a quick warmup, Obito goes straight to the point:

“How much do you even know about jutsu?”

“Well… I can do that chakra punch, maybe walk on water and trees or release genjutsu, but that’s all.”

“Not even a clone or some substitution jutsu?”

“Nope”

“So you’re basically an academy student with enough brute force to take down S rank criminals… That’s… odd”

Y/N scratches the back of her head, clearly embarrassed by her lack of training. Obito did not expect to have to teach such basic things. I mean, if he wanted to teach people stuff he would have signed up for a job at the academy. He still cannot believe Minato sensei is putting him up to this babysitting job.

He needs to do well on this mission if he wants to get back onto the Hokage’s good side and guarantee his position as the next one. This is his second day with Y/N and things have been insane and… fun? No, he should not be thinking like that. Perhaps he should also go talk with Kushina and ask her to convince sensei to let him go from this one; he was always her favorite after all.

“Granny simp? You ok? Did I disappoint you that much?”

Obito fixes his bandana’s position over his left eye, trying to get himself out of his head. He is here now, so he had better get to work. If he can control himself enough not to put her under a nasty genjutsu for calling him that again, that is.

“Call me that again and I’ll tell everyone that you saw me naked”

“You were not naked, dickhead. And what’s wrong with that?”

“Uhm…?”

“…?”

“Anyway… we’ll start with some cloning jutsu. Have you ever done any seals?”

“Only one or two”

“Try to copy what I’m doing”

“Hey! Stop doing it so fast!”

She honestly seems to be giving her best, but her hand signs are not quite right and the chakra distribution on her network must be all wrong, judging by her failure in producing something that seems to be remotely human. This takes Obito’s memory back to his old academy days, back when he could not do a single clone properly. He would spend whole nights awake training to achieve something passable. Rin helped him a lot back then. The only thing he has ever taught someone was that sexy jutsu to Naruto. To say Kushina was mad was an understatement.

“Concentrate your chakra all along your body, not only on your hands”

“Hum… right, can I get a lollipop after this?”

Four hours later and Y/N has finally mastered two basic jutsu: substitution and cloning. She almost passed out several times due to exhaustion, but thanks to some food pills, she is enduring todays training much better.

Obito has been analyzing her every movement with his sharingan. Looking closely her techniques lack grace, truly a sign of someone who learned everything they know by experience. He needs to fix that too.

Her endurance is also remarkably low. If she were to fight right now, she could do maybe two or three jutsu before passing out, making her rely solely onto her speed and blade habilities. The girl is more of a samurai than a ninja at this point. Examining her file earlier, he noticed that her chakra reserves are not that low as she has stated before, according to the medical department she has an average quantity of it. She just lacks the ability to use it properly.

Some very hard work is in order; it could take some months to get her into decent shape. That would be too much time and effort for Obito, there has to be another way of dealing with this mission quicker.

He did not want to do this, but he will have to talk to Kakashi for some teaching tips. Hell, if he was able to teach anything useful to Naruto he will be able to come up with a routine to help Y/N’s training.

I just hope he doesn’t decide to bother me about this situation…

After dropping Y/N on her house, with much protest from her part, Obito heads to the village’s café to meet with Kakashi Hatake. He knows that the ninja likes to spend his late afternoons reading his porn books accompanied by some coffee, disgusting stuff if you ask Obito. The coffee, that is. He has no formed opinion on porn books.

Approaching the store, he spots his friend’s mass of upward pointing grey hair. Something is different about him, though. Kakashi is usually… a very apathetic person. The look he gave Obito had chills running the Uchiha’s spine, he looked, well, excited.

“Obito! I finally found you! Sit down”

Aliens killed him and this is a body double. Or this is one of Gai’s practical jokes. Obito is honestly stumped.

“Are you ok bakashi?”

“Great! So… who’s the girl?”

Great, just awesome.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”

“Of course you know, everyone is talking about how you were seen walking up and down with some mysterious gal. I’m so happy for you! Finally you’re going to stop being a sad grumpy bachelor! I’ll call dibs on the position of best-man” and suddenly Kakashi jumps up from his seat, coming closer to Obito’s face “Have you guys done it yet? Did she run away from you and now you need my advice? You could use some techniques from Icha I-”

“What the fuck is wrong with you? Those books are rotting your brain, seriously what the hell?”

“So is it true?”

#Obito #Jonin Obito #obito x reader #obito x you #obito uchiha #uchiha obito #uchiha #naruto fanfiction

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hopeisour4letteredword · 4 years

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Knock knock akishinji

gasp.... mr akishinji......... i was starting to think you weren’t coming to my party :0c

1- who makes the first move and how?

there are two potential courses of action and they are 1) middle school akihiko asks shinjiro for a good luck kiss before his boxing match as a “””joke””” and shinjiro Actually Does It, The Madman or 2) post-canon shinjiro is like ah fuck it i lived and now i have second chances at everything. hey asshole go out with me

2- who is the most insecure and what makes them feel better?

shinjiro likes to spend time with koromaru.... make him toys or good dog food, just be a positive influence on an innocent, loving creature in a way that isn’t even tangentially related to fighting. getting akihiko to unwind a little and laugh is also helpful, altho less reliable, since akihiko can be sort of high-strung

3- who is the most romantic?

it’s shinjiro actually

4- who can’t keep their hands to themselves?

akihiko, but only in private. they’re both pretty good at keeping their hands to themselves in public

5- who says ‘i love you’ first?

depends on the timeline. if confession option #1, akihiko. if confession option #2, shinjiro does it while asking akihiko out

6- who would they ask if they ever had a threesome?

i dunno?? akijun is okay but i can’t see shinjiro going for that, whereas i’m not sure aki would be too pumped about akishinhamu since i HC akihiko as gay...

7- what do they get up to on a night out?

movies and/or long walks with koromaru!

8- what do they like in bed?

shinjiro’s deepest fantasy is that they’ll figure out a way for him to cuddle up to akihiko at night without a) getting elbowed in the sternum and b) getting woken up at ass o clock when akihiko gets up to go jog. they’ve figured out that akihiko as little spoon solves A, still working out a mutually agreeable solution to B

9- what is the most embarrassing thing they have done in front of each other?

well, we know that akihiko has a long history of crying in front of shinjiro... shinjiro has probably been caught baby-talking to koromaru about the virtues of his teammates (eg saying nice things about mitsuru/junpei/others), which would mortify him

10- desert island

these scenarios genuinely distress me. am i supposed to assume that any luxury item will automatically generate/include the infrastructure necessary to support it? like, if i bring a nintendo switch, have i now guaranteed a working power outlet? how are the “two songs” the question permits relayed? do i have a shitty old mp3 player that only has memory space for two songs? do i automatically have the power accessible to keep THAT functioning? i have so many questions.

11- what do they hide from one another?

akihiko still has lingering gender hangups as a trans man, and he tries to keep that from shinjiro, so shinjiro doesn’t walk on eggshells while they banter... even with akihiko, shinjiro still feels the need to act tougher and hide his softness and love for cute things

12- what first changes when it starts getting serious?

mitsuru heaves the world’s biggest sigh of relief

13- when do they realize they should get together?

kinda covered in 1. akihiko and shinjiro both start crushing in middle school. akihiko’s moment is more or less realizing if he was going to like girls, he would like mitsuru, and instead he just wants to kiss shinjiro. shinjiro’s moment is still “aw fuck me i didn’t die after all, guess i get do-overs”

14- when one has a cold, what does the other do?

shinjiro forces akihiko to drink a ton of liquids and s l e e p, because making akihiko rest is ironically a very active duty. akihiko panics and makes soup out of a can and sits with shinjiro just anxiety-chatting at him, which works out fine because shinjiro has years of experience zoning out and even taking a nap while akihiko is talking

15- when they watch a film what do they choose and why? who gets the final vote?

akihiko likes mindless action and superhero movies, shinjiro likes true-to-life animal movies and (altho he doesn’t want to admit it) animal-centric cartoons... (shinjiro likes Up). they try to compromise on more action-y animal cartoons when they can, but otherwise they just take turns. sometimes the mood for the night will just be such that akihiko would rather just take it easy and watch one of shinji’s movies, anyway

16- when the zombie apocalypse comes, how do they cope together?

they both join the yukamitsu survival compound... shinjiro helps with butchering and cooking the food yukari hunts. akihiko goes on a lot of protection, rescue, escort etc trips out of the compound with mitsuru, which stresses shinjiro the fuck out. they have to develop a severity estimation system that charts how stressed shinjiro already is versus how badly mitsuru needs akihiko to come along

17- when they find a time machine, where do they go?

miki :/

18- when they fight, how do they make up?

shinjiro cooks steak for akihiko, akihiko will clean the kitchen from top to bottom and/or pick up something nice from the grocery store for him. depending on how badly akihiko fucked up, it might be something he explicitly does not like but shinjiro does

19- where do they go on their first date?

the park

20- where do they go on holiday?

mitsuru’s private beach OR just some low-key mountains to hike around nature. nowhere too cold though, for shinjiro’s shitty circulatory issues

21- where do they get nervous about going with one another?

akihiko, gender hangups, getting driven to the doctor by shinjiro. shinjiro also hates when akihiko comes to the doctor with him, because he’s always afraid he’ll get belated bad news and he doesn’t want aki to be there for that. but he’s also embarrassed when akihiko comes to craft group meetings and meets shinjiro’s non-SEES friends lmao

22- where does their first kiss happen?

timeline #1: outside school gym. timeline #2: kitchen of akihiko’s post-canon apartment.

23- where is their favorite place to be together?

the park! altho shinjiro is also very partial to just chillin in bed

24- where do they first have sex?

akihiko’s post-canon apartment, hopefully Bed

25- why do they fight?

two boys lost in the sauce.... the proud and angry sauce

26- why do they need to have a serious chat?

oh, god, the trauma hangups. the misunderstandings. the Everything

27- why do their friends get annoyed with them?

they defy everything hamuko and junpei want to place bets on. shinjiro isn’t half as embarrassed about relationship things as they expected him to be

28- why do they get jealous?

akihiko will shamelessly and thoughtlessly get half-naked at the gym, and shinjiro knows he isn’t the only one eyeing his bf. akihiko is kind of jealous of how close shinjiro is with hamuko, but he tries to be reasonable about it, since he likes hamuko and he’s glad shinji has more friends than he used to

29- why do they fall a little bit more in love?

akihiko is profusely praiseful of literally everything shinjiro cooks, even when he kind of wangs it a little. shinjiro claims that makes it meaningless, but he secretly feels soft and tender over it. akihiko can’t handle it when shinjiro is sweet to pets and small children

30- why does it work between them?

lots of shared history as a solid base for the relationship and sheer stubborn determination to get thru the personal and circumstantial obstacles in their way

#akishinji #choc talks #gay lawyers #not art #long post

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theyearoftheking · 4 years

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Book Fourteen: Pet Sematary

“Sometimes people have to do things that just seem right. They seem right in their hearts, I mean. And if they do those things and then end up not feeling right, full of questions and sort of like they got indigestion, only inside their heads instead of their guts, they think they made a mistake...”

“Death is a mystery, and burial is a secret...”

So, it’s official guys: the world has become a Stephen King novel. We’re dealing with a worldwide pandemic like The Stand, and we’re all quarantined like The Shining. It’s kinda bizarre.

So how did yours truly deal with the news of the impending apocalypse?

I packed my bags and headed to New Orleans with my pals.

No, I wasn’t one of the people taking advantage of $30 flights a week out... we had booked this trip months ago, and the warnings were not as dire even early last week. But I will say, if the world is ending, I want to be in NOLA when it happens. Frosty drink, po boy... mama will be feeling no pain.

And now I’m back home, drinking lemon water and trying to heal my liver after all the damage that was done last week. Oh, in the midst of all the debauchery, I managed to finish two Steve books. The first one was Pet Sematary; which was kind of ironic, considering one of our NOLA adventures was a cemetery tour. Here for your viewing pleasure is Nicholas Cage’s future place of burial. Rich people, am I right?

But while at the cemetery, we met a few charming Constant Readers from Bangor! They mentioned seeing Steve just a few weeks ago at the grocery store. It’s a good thing I don’t live in Bangor, I would have less than zero chill. But our new friends from Maine were lovely to talk to.

On the surface, Pet Sematary is the story of the Creed family moving to Ludlow, Maine. Louis got a new job working at the university medical center, and his wife Rachel is down for the adventure. They have two kids, the precocious Ellie, and baby Gage (ugh. Even that name); and their cat Churchill. Upon their arrival in Ludlow, they meet their new neighbors: Jud and Norma Crandall. The Crandalls are a little older, but take to the Creed crew right away.

Ludlow seems like a nice place. According to Jud, rabies seems like the biggest issue plaguing the entire state of Maine. “Lots of rabies in Maine now. There was a big old St. Bernard went rabid downstate a couple of years ago and killed four people. That was a hell of a thing...”

My post-it note for this page reads, “Cujo, bitches!”

One afternoon, Jud takes the family on a hike, and shows them the old pet sematary right near their property. Later on at home, Rachel loses her shit. She doesn’t think children should be exposed to death, and it leads to a big ass fight. Louis is a doctor, and doesn’t think children should be sheltered from death. If they’re old enough to understand how babies are made, they’re old enough to understand how death works. But Rachel has some PTSD over the childhood death of her sister Zelda, and she’s never dealt with it. So her strategy is to brush the entire topic under the rug. At one point she tells Louis, “There’s nothing natural about death. Nothing. You as a doctor should know that.”

Rachel, girl. Death is just about as natural as it gets.

Thanksgiving rolls around, and Rachel takes the kids to see her asshole parents in Chicago, leaving Louis at home... where Churchill the cat ends up smooshed by an eighteen wheeler. Jud decides to take Louis on a little adventure, and shows him the burial ground behind the pet sematary, where whatever you bury comes back to life.

I know. It’s a reallllly bad idea. Have these people not seen Practical Magic? Do they not understand how bringing back the dead never works out? Ugh. Idiots.

Sidenote: if you haven’t seen Practical Magic, take advantage of quarantine time and go watch it. It’s late 1990′s Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, and it’s basically the story of me and my sister. Kind of, but not really.

So, Churchill comes back, but smellier and creepier; and it has Louis wondering why he brought him back from the dead in the first place. Even Ellie isn’t digging the new Church, and tells Louis she thinks she’ll be okay when he dies for good. So, mission accomplished? We’ll just refer to that as the weirdest damn parenting hack ever.

Life continues on, until the horrible day when Gage is playing outside with Louis, and also gets smooshed by an eighteen wheeler. It’s a horrible tragedy, and the family is broken. Rachel is inconsolable, Ellie clutches a Polaroid of her and Gage, and Louis can’t make sense of the tragedy. But you already know what he’s thinking...

After the funeral, he sends Rachel and Ellie back to Chicago with Rachel’s (still) asshole parents; and begins the arduous process of burying Gage at the burial grounds. He knows better... he saw first hand what happened to Church after his resurrection. But he’s undeterred. He had visions of Gage becoming an Olympic swimmer, and will stop at nothing to bring his son back.

Spoiler: it’s a shit show. Gage comes back from the burial grounds, swipes a knife from Louis’s doctor bag and kills Jud with it. He didn’t just come back a little smelly, or a little different... he came back as a Chucky doll. Back when Chucky was evil, before he became a comedic foil.

Meanwhile in Chicago, Ellie is losing her shit, and having horrible premonitions that things are going terribly wrong in Ludlow. She finally convinces Rachel to go back home. Rachel knows something is wrong, but has no idea what Louis is really up to. I’m guaranteeing, “digging up dead son’s body, hauling it across town in the car, lugging it up to the burial ground, and waiting for him to come back to life” wasn’t in her top ten concerns.

As she’s driving, she is trying her damnedest to stay awake, and sees a sign for one of our favorite towns in Maine, “Jerusalem’s Lot, she thought randomly, what an odd name. Not a pleasant name, for some reason... Come and sleep in Jerusalem.”

Rachel gets home, and makes her way over to Jud’s house, where she finds his dead body, and is then killed by Gage, pretending to be her crazy, dead sister. Louis is forced to kill Gage, and then he buries Rachel up on the burial ground as well. The final lines of the book are, “A cold hand fell on Louis’s shoulder. Rachel’s voice was grating, full of dirt. Darling, it said.”

Meh. A mediocre ending to a decent book. I was curious why Louis brought Rachel back to life... he saw how terribly wrong it went with both Church and Gage... was he waiting for Rachel to kill him? Was he hoping that since he buried her sooner than Gage, she’d be more of a “normal zombie?” Unclear.

But one thing is clear: I need to read The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs. It’s been referenced at least a million times up until this point, and I have no excuses now that I’m living the quarantined life.

While the book was fine, I did think the topic of handling death with children was still relevant. It’s about as controversial a topic as it gets. Do we discuss it with children, or give them the line about pets/grandparents/old people moving to a farm and living there forever? How do we explain the afterlife? Where do people go when they die? A lot of times, adults don’t have good answers to these questions, and they don’t know how to communicate this uncertainty to children. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with letting children know adults don’t have all the answers. We don’t know what happens when someone dies, and won’t know until we die ourselves. In my experience, kids kinda like knowing you don’t have all the answers either, but you’ll be there as a sounding board, and a safe place for them to confide their fears. Honest conversations like this could have been helpful for Rachel, and prevented this whole story from happening in the first place. Maybe?

I don’t know.

We did have one Dark Tower reference, “No more did he walk like a gunslinger; now his walk was the slow, careful walk of the convalescent...”

And later on, Ellie thinks Church smells like, “ka-ka...” I can’t imagine it was ka for Church to get smooshed by a truck and brought back to life, but who the hell knows. I guess we all have a foggy, but bigger purpose.

Total Wisconsin Mentions: 14

Total Dark Tower References: 10

Book Grade: C+

Rebecca’s Definitive Ranking of Stephen King Books

Different Seasons: A+

The Shining: A-

The Stand: A-

The Dead Zone: B+

‘Salem’s Lot: B+

Carrie: B+

Creepshow: B+

Danse Macabre: B-

The Gunslinger: C+

Pet Sematary: C+

Firestarter: C+

Cujo: C-

Nightshift: C-

Christine: D

Next up is Cycle of the Werewolf, which I have some thoughts about...

Until next time, Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Rebecca

#petsematary #stephenking #constant readers #death #new orleans #nola #po boy #coronavirus

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vampwrrrmistresslist · 5 years

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Sweet Lies 3

A/N: This is the third chapter for an in-progress series, the links for which are on my mistresslist.

The gloaming descended, the moon a pale sickle in the darkening sky. You walked through a quiet neighbourhood, surrounded by houses sitting with acres of woods on one side, and the bay on the other. Fireflies lazily floated around you, some alighting on you, as you let your head loll back to better breathe in the humid, green scent of an oncoming southern summer night. Though you detested the airless, wet heat, which gripped your skin like a needy lover, you loved this time of day, this time of year. You loved the fireflies, the sounds of the crickets, and frogs, and alright, to be honest, there was a tiny part of you that found the humid warmth somewhat romantic. It made you think of long, sweaty nights, with someone you loved. You sighed. You’d watched too much True Blood as a teen.

Strains of Massive Attack’s “Angel” lightly floated through your earbuds as you sauntered through an after-work walk. It was still too hot to run, but you welcomed the chance to wind down from another day of dealing with unnecessarily hysterical people loudly whingeing their way through ultimately irrelevant complaints. Since the incident, you made sure to keep the volume on your music low enough that you could still hear everything around you, even though you bitterly resented that change to your routine. Despite that precaution, you didn’t hear any movement when a shadow detached itself from one of the trees and slowly approached you, though you did see it out of the corner of your eye. Turning, you faced the shadow, lips pressed thin, standing your ground as it came closer, though your heart was thumping so hard, you could feel the blood rushing in your ears. You were in the middle of a neighbourhood nice enough for everyone to come running if you screamed but, as you weren’t much of a screamer, you slid your hand into your hip bag, wrapping your fingers around your brand new collapsible stun baton.

The figure emerged from the shadows of the overhanging trees, the glow of a nearby street-light slowly washing over his pale face, eyes like black smudges.

Your voice was sharp when you asked, “Baekhyun?”

A slow smile melted across his face as he held up his hands. “In the flesh.”

You sighed, and released your baton. Chastising him, you asked, “What are you doing here? You startled me!”

He tilted his head. “I was taking a walk after work, when a stone made its way into my shoe. I was leaning against one of the trees for balance when you walked by.” He sauntered closer. “Fancy seeing you here. First the grocery store, then the park, then work…” He leaned down until his face was directly in front of yours. “Are you stalking me, little girl?”

You pushed him away in exasperation. “We live three blocks away from each other in a relatively small town. Of course we’d run into each other often.” He smiled as if he had won some sort of victory, but you were still too grouchy from his heart-pounding entrance to pursue it further. “Besides,” you said as you turned to continue your walk. “I’m not a little girl. I’m probably older than you.”

He comfortably fell into step beside you. “How old are you?”

Here it comes, you thought. Time to nip this odd flirtation in the bud before you get attached.

“30,” you said shortly.

“I’m 26.”

“Awww,” you sing-songed, reaching out to ruffle his hair, “You’re a baby!”

He maneuvered around you, neatly backing you into a nearby tree. Looming, he leaned in, resting his hand on the trunk over your head, the close proximity forcing you to look up to see his face. His eyes were in shadow again, though you could see their glimmer in the dark. “I’m bigger than you. Taller than you.” His glittering eyes drifted languidly down your body, as he tilted his head thoughtfully. “I call you little girl, because that is what you are, despite being born a couple of years before me.”

“A couple of years?” You jutted your chin defiantly, and softened your voice into a condescending croon. “Four, my dearest darling. Four is not a couple.”

He leaned even closer, and you stiffened, your back thumping against the tree as he closed the distance between you until his mouth was only thought away from yours. When he spoke, his voice was so deep and slow that you had to sink your teeth into your lip to keep from reacting. “I guarantee you, what I lack in years, I more than make up for, in experience.”

You looked up at him mutinously, actively controlling your breathing so as not to give away how nervous his closeness made you. “Duly noted,” you bit out, your lips thin.

One moment he was there, with you, in the dark, and the next, he had backed back into the light glowing from the old street lamps. He tilted his head, watching you. “Are you coming?”

You took a moment to compose yourself, then pushed off of the tree and rejoined him, the two of you walking together in silence, through your normal running route. He walked so closely that, if you wanted, you could touch him if you moved a handbreadth, but he didn’t touch you. You reached your door much sooner than you would have liked, though the logical part of you primly reminded that what seemed to be happening wasn’t quite normal, that it would probably be wise and best to start politely shutting him down when you saw him around, especially considering the fact that you were now co-workers. Without thinking, you dipped an awkward little curtsey, and started toward your door, trying to make your escape. “Well, good night!”

“Come back,” he said quietly, using the same tone of command as he had in the grocery store, and despite yourself, you found your treacherous legs turning around, carrying you back to him.

You cleared your throat, casually brushing your hair behind your ear with your ring finger, and tried to give off the impression that you had returned of your own accord. “Yes?”

His eyes were giving off that dark gleam again. You could almost imagine that there were no whites, just two black voids, where his eyes should be, but instead of alarming you, that thought thrilled you with a frisson of attraction. He reached out, and slowly wrapped his hands around your wrists. “I want to see you again.”

You fidgeted. “You will see me again. We work across the street from each other. I’m at City Hall all the time.”

He tilted his head. “You know what I mean,” he said, his voice brooking no equivocations.

You sighed. “Why? Do you have some sort of…damsel in distress fetish? Because any way I look at it, this flirtation? What you’re doing? Doesn’t make sense. I am four years older than you. I am poor, chubby, I live with my dad, and I’m a lowly city advocate. There’s absolutely nothing about me that should attract you. Are you—“ here, you gasped dramatically, “–are you a chubby chaser?”

He snorted. “First of all, you’re what, 10 lbs overweight? 15? I believe the word for that is toothsome, and believe me, all of that extra weight has settled into imminently agreeable locations. Besides, even if you weighed more, the way I see you exercise, you’d probably lose it anyway, and you’re still quite pretty with it, all the same. Secondly, why do you keep mentioning your age? Am I going to spontaneously become unattractive on my 30th birthday?”

You gaped at his bald speech, but then remarshalled your arguments, “Society makes it different for men, and you know it.”

“I know that I’m a man. I like women. Tall, short, chubby, slender, buxom, flat, athletic figures, hourglasses, younger than me, older than me, I like it all, and I like what I see when I look at you. Furthermore, I like what I hear when you talk to me. I like your pretty eyes, and your soft hair and skin, and your sweet little mouth.”

You sniffed in mock offense. “My mouth is not little, sir! It’s quite full, thank you very much! And, wait a minute, toothsome? What are you, the Big Bad Wolf?”

He laughed, eyes crinkling into crescent moons. “No, that’s my brother. He’s in France right now. Listen. I think that you’re pretty, I think that you’re interesting, and I want to take you on a date. Say yes.”

“You really are bossy, do you know that?”

“When I want something, I go for it. Besides…I’ve seen the way that you react to me. I’m not unattractive to you. So, there’s no problem.”

“I have cellulite.”

“No, you don’t.”

You tilted your head, and looked at him askance. “How would you possibly know one way, or the other?”

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but those leggings you run in leave very little to the imagination.”

“I am scandalized!”

“I’m not the one wearing the skintight leggings.”

You snorted, conceding that point, but quickly pivoting to another. “I don’t think that it’s a good idea to date a co-worker.”

“We work in different departments, and neither of us reports to the other.”

You sighed. “I can’t really afford to date right now—“

“—What’s to afford? If I’m asking you out, then I’ll pay.”

“That makes me uncomfortable. I don’t like having guys pay for me.”

“Then we’ll do something free. I would be just as happy going on a hike, on a picnic, or to the beach as I would going to dinner, or the movies, or whatever, as long as it means that I get to spend time with you. Go out with me.”

“Even if our first date doesn’t cost anything, eventually you’re going to want to start going out on dates that do cost money, and we’ll run into the same problem.”

“That is a very easily surmountable obstacle.” You looked to the side, and he moved his head to catch your eye, again. “I think you’re pretty… Say yes. I think that you’re interesting… Say yes. I want to know you more… Say yes.”

You bit your lip, running out of viable excuses. You couldn’t pretend that you were unattracted to him, not the way that you responded every time he came near. And you had obviously enjoyed talking to him. You tried again. “If I go out with you, it will cut into my exercise time. Also, I’ve been trying to brush back up on my French—“

“I’ll teach you Korean.”

You leaned back, to get a full look at him. “Wow. What are you, a lawyer?” A slow grin melted its way across his face.

“That tone sounds like a yes. Do you have any other specious arguments for me to shoot down before we agree on terms?”

You rolled your eyes, muttering, “They weren’t specious, you’re just abnormally convincing.” Sighing again, you looked at the ground, not wanting to share your next confession, but feeling as if you had no choice. Quietly, “I have scars.”

“We all have scars—“

You rolled your eyes, “I’m not talking about metaphorical emotional scars, I have real, literal scars.” He said nothing, waiting for you to continue. “I had to have a couple of laparoscopic surgeries, and I…have scars from them. All over my stomach. Six of them, to be exact. It’s…” you looked away, affecting a careless shrug, “…the area’s not exactly attractive, anymore.”

His grip on your wrists tightened. “What happened?”

You pursed your mouth, not really wanting to bare your flaws to this seemingly flawless man. On the one hand, this was the way out that you had been trying to reach, but on the other hand…it was embarrassing to have to discuss your imperfections with a relative stranger. “I had some…tumours on my…on one of my internal organs.” At his alarmed expression, you shook your head. “They were benign, but they…caused internal bleeding, and they almost killed me. A few months after that surgery, my gallbladder spontaneously failed—I had jaundice and, unbeknownst to me, I was going into liver failure due to the gallstones blocking my liver duct, so I had to have an emergency cholecystectomy.”

“Well, that’s a word.”

“Isn’t it just? So, because of, not just one, but two surgeries, I’m all marked up.” You gave him a self-deprecatory grin. “I like to think of myself like a real-life Nightmare Before Christmas Sally.”

“Wait a minute, didn’t you say that you had these surgeries laparoscopically?”

“Ye…es?”

“Doesn’t that mean that these scars are like, a centimeter long?”

“Well, yes, but—“

“Wow! You’re acting like you’re Frankenstein, and you’ve got five little scars on your tummy?”

Tersely, “Six.”

His voice was sarcastic. “Oh, pardon me, six. Look, your scars mean that you’re alive, and you’re healthy, now. Which would you prefer, some scars here and there, or a pristine corpse?”

“Well, obviously, I would prefer the scars, but we’re not talking about me, we’re talking about a potential mate!”

He raised his eyebrow, looking at you sideways, with a flirtatious grin. “Potential mate?”

“You know what I mean!”

“Look, all I’m asking for is one date. If you don’t have a good time, you don’t have to do it again. I will leave you alone, promise.”

You huffed, quickly losing the battle with his annoying Vulcan mind-logic.

“Promise?”

“Cross my heart, and hope to die.”

“Pinky swear?”

“Of course!”

You paused, fighting an internal war. For once in your life, logic lost. “Alright.”

“Alright?”

“Alright.”

“Alright!”

You laughed softly at his enthusiasm. One of his hands slipped off of your wrist, reached into your hip back and pulled out your phone. “How did you know my phone in there?”

He looked at you, disappointed. “Please.”

You pouted, “It was a viable question.” You waited as he programmed his number into your phone, and then texted himself. He seemed to have trouble doing it with just one hand, as it took him a while, but when he was finished he looked up at you, and gave you a brilliant smile. With your free hand you took back your phone, and looked down. “Baekhyunnie?”

He grinned, “Yes?”

“We’re onto nicknames, already?”

“Of course, pet. So…are you free on Saturday?”

“I have to work.”

“You work on Saturdays?”

“I work Tuesday-Saturday, yes.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “What are you doing on Sunday afternoon?”

“My weekly Sunday afternoon death-nap.”

“How about a hike around the lake at Rocky Park, instead, say, 5ish? You know…when the sun won’t be actively trying to kill us?

You thought about it, and then nodded. “I would really enjoy that, actually.”

“See? We’re off to a good start already.”

You chuckled, and looked away. “Well…I should get inside. My dad worries.”

Baekhyun looked reticent, but nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay.” You waited. He didn’t move. You tugged at your wrist. “You have to let me go…”

He pouted. “I don’t want to.”

You swung your arm. “I’ll see you on Saturday,” you placated.

“I want to keep seeing you now.” He poked out his bottom lip, and your heart fluttered. Was this the same man who lit your skin on fire? How could one man be so dominant and attractive sometimes, and others so cheek-pinchingly cute, that you wanted to feed him strawberries, read him bedtime stories, and sing him soft lullabies? You smiled. “Text me when you arrive home.”

Pacified somewhat, he let go of your wrist. “Alriiight,” he sighed.

“Have a good night.”

“Have a good night…” his voice went up at the end, indicating the fact that you had missed something.

You chuffed. “Have a good night, Baekhyunnie.”

“You too, pet.”

You went inside, took a shower, did your facial routine, and braided your black lion’s mane for the night. By the time you returned to your room, you saw that you already had a text waiting when you flopped onto your bed, feet in the air. “Made it home safely. You having a good night, like I told you?” Alone, in the safety of your own room, you allowed yourself to react like the girlish nerd you were inside, burying your face in the pillow to muffle your squeal, and kicking your feet. After allowing yourself a respectable amount of time to indulge your inner pre-teen, you turned over, and responded.

“Yep. Sorry for the delay; I was in the shower.” You yelped, and dropped the phone as it buzzed and rang, signaling an incoming video call. Sitting up in a panic, you looked around to make sure that you didn’t have a random bra, or something equally horrific nearby, took a moment for a deep calming breath, and then languidly lay back, trying to look carefree. You accepted the call. “Hey.”

He was lying in bed, having changed his work clothes for a white tee shirt. His hair was wet, too, and he looked fresh, and adorable. “Hey. You take your showers at night, too?”

“Well, I think that it’s gross to put a dirty body in the bed. I actually shower at night, and in the morning.”

“Ah, I just shower at night. Should I step up my game?”

“Of course! You need to get on my level.” He laughed, and snuggled down onto his pillows, turning on his side. “Meanwhile, I thought that we were going to be texting. We video call, now?”

“Mmm. I wanted to see you. Though it’s a bit difficult through that sheet mask.”

Your eyes widened, and you snatched the mask off of your face. Clearing your throat, “Well, now you see me in all of my wet, make-up less glory. Is your face melting, yet?”

“I think you look cute. Especially with that huge teddy behind you.” Your face froze. You had forgotten about Bruin, your 93” teddy bear that you had since you were 8.

“Uhhh…”

“So, you’re not a little girl, huh?”

You scoffed. “Having a teddy bear doesn’t make me a little girl. What was I supposed to do, throw it away when I turned 18?!”

“And the pigtails?”

“My hair tangles when I sleep!”

“And…the onesie?”

Your entire body froze in breathless horror, as you slowly looked down the expanse of your summer kitty onesie. You went on the attack. “I pay taxes! I have health insurance, and I make my own doctor’s appointments! I’m an adult!”

He crooned condescendingly, “Yes, you are, kitten!”

You wrinkled your nose. “Kitten?”

“If the onesie fits…”

You rolled your eyes. “How about no. My ex used to call me that.”

“Well then, I should call you that even more! That way, instead of relating it to nasty old what’s-his-tits, you will connote it with the delightful me.”

You burst out laughing. “What’s-his-tits?!”

“I call them like I see them.”

“You have never seen him.”

“I haven’t…but I feel that he has tits.”

“He did not have tits. He was pretty attractive, actually.”

“Better looking than me?”

You gave him a flirtatious sideways look, “Hey…no way!”

“Who’s taller?”

“You are.” He nodded, and gave a smug smirk, relaxing even further into the pillow. You watched in contented silence as his eyes began to grow heavy. “You should go to bed. You’re sleepy.”

“No, I’m not!”

“Yes, you are.”

“Yes, I am,” he sighed. “Sing me a lullaby.”

Your breath caught. You turned off your bedside lamp, and then got under your sheet. “What would you like?”

“Anything.”

“I can’t think of any lullabies.”

His eyes were closed. “Sing…anything…”

You turned on your side, and rested the phone, so that it was like he was right beside you.

Softly, softly, “You…are my angel, come from way above, to bring me love…”

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lokisgame · 5 years

Text

A Case Of You

First date. Excerpt from Aprons And Scrubs. THE SONG

Thank God it wasn't exactly Valentine's. Initially the plan was to take her out on the 14th, but that kiss ruined his plans in the best way possible. He thought about the crowds, the tacky hearts and forced romance and decided it wasn't them. The place he chose was small but had no problem with his last minute reservation and he was confident the food would be great. Mulder debating what to wear, decided to go with fun, with a dark shirt and suit as a backdrop for the vibrant tie. At 6:30 he knocked at her door, a bunch of red carnations in hand. Roses weren't him either, pretty at the florist, dead two days after. Carnations lasted for weeks, if taken care of, a girl in college told him once, and he lived by it. Not Phoebe, damn her blackened soul, she cared nothing for hearts and flowers. Especially not his.

Scully had the rare weekend off. She took the time to get ready glad that a dress was no problem at least. A slim fitting little black dress, she went for simple elegance with only her gold cross and diamond earrings, a gift from her father, after she graduated from med school, chosen as a nod to his memory. Hair pinned up, with a few strands framing her face, she knew that if by any chance... no, too soon to think about that, she scolded herself trying to suppress a smile. It's just dinner, just a night out... With Mulder... who kissed like a god. How did he know what she liked? Most guys fumbled around, missed the spot, too much grabby hands too soon, she hated that. She didn't like to hurry because it was different each time and small steps meant the guy was in for the long haul. And that kiss, how did that happen? The very thought of the slow languid strokes of his tongue in her mouth defeated the purpose of applying blush. Yes, they have kissed before, but it was always sweet and tender, filled with promises. The kiss last night was like a first of those promises being kept, and she kissed him first no less! So far things that started like that ended bad for her, usually because she wanted someone whom she couldn't have, but this was Mulder so she made an effort to believe things will be different this time. She brushed the mascara over her eyelashes, lips slightly parted so her eyelid wouldn't flutter, because her hand did shake with excitement. Excitement and fear, that tonight she might gain a lover of lose a friend. She was fairly certain the chance of the latter were slim, but she tried to plan for the worst as she hoped for the best, even if she had no idea where even begin to look for a plan B. A wool coat and stockings, who said Dana Scully didn't know how to go crazy! The moment she zipped up her high heeled boots she heard a knock.

"Hi," Mulder greeted her, taking in the low square neckline of her dress and the magic thing it did to reveal only hints of what might be the most perfect pair of breasts he's ever seen. "Hi," Scully turned to shut the door and gave him a precious second to gather his jaw off the floor. And he thought she looked gorgeous at the New Year's Eve party. How silly was he. "These are for you," he handed her the flowers and she brought them to her nose, breathing in the subtle fragrance. "They're beautiful, thank you," she said turning and heading for the kitchen to put them in water. Mulder stood corrected, her ass looked even better in that dress, the high heels making her hips sway gently as she walked away. That woman will be the end of him, if she looked this good dressed he didn't dare to imagine show she looked naked. He felt warm instantly and had to unbutton his coat for a moment. She looked back to him and noticed his tie and shirt, managing not to laugh because after all, he was wearing her gift. "Mulder, you look like a high school basketball coach trying to look fun chaperoning the prom." "Heeeyyyy..." he shifted uncomfortably because that kind of hurt his feelings, but only until she stepped around the table and came closer. Standing on her tiptoes she kissed him sweetly and reached to pull the tie from around his neck and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. With the smile her kiss caused him, he once again looked like a picture of confidence framed in casual nonchalance she knew and loved, only more drop-dead handsome, if that was even possible. She folded the tie in half and draped it over the back of the couch. "You'll get it back." Mulder was going to make sure of that, because this was quickly becoming his favorite tie. "Come on," he took her coat, helped her put it on and offered his arm which she took, "the cab is waiting."

The restaurant was small, just a few tables, two waiters and, to her delight, a young man playing piano in the corner of the room, probably son of the owner. The kid had talent and imagination, Scully appreciated that. Somewhere between main course and desert Mulder moved from the chair to the plush seat beside her. He continued to conquer her personal space, his arm on the back of the seat, casually draped around her, as if unaware of the intimacy it projected. Scully herself only realized it, because of the warmth that he brought with him. It felt almost as natural as breathing, to touch him, to be touched, to keep him in. With other men it took months to get here, if it ever did. She felt very relaxed around him, as if all the small touches and kisses they shared before had no other purpose than say "I'm here." "Mulder, what made you open up a bar?" "Hmmm?" Mulder seemed fascinated by the cut of her earring. "I mean, you left the FBI, but you're still a psychologist, why not open a practice, live comfortably doing nothing but listening to congressmen complain about wives and mistresses?" He chuckled. "That's just it, I wasn't that good at listening to other people's problems and fears. A real therapist knows what to do with it, not me. I'd suck up all their angst and sooner or later I would come across some lost soul that would drag me down with him. I can't, I care too much sometimes for it to be healthy. And I was a profiler, I lived for the puzzle, not confessions of others." "But why a bar? Why not grocery store or a book store or heck, go crazy, a hair salon!" Mulder laughed. "Yeah, grocery store seems safest, but can you imagine?" He took up a mock french accent playing with a strand of hair that fell down her cheek. "Oh Miss Scoolly, so good to see you again so soon, what will we do today? It's too early for color, you look marvelous, how do you do it, with more customers like you I'd be out of business, how about a little trim, half an inch from the sides, it will transform your life, I guarantee!" She ducked her head and laughed, a loud belly laugh hat made his night, just like that. "I could see the ladies lining up for three blocks. We need a name for that, let me think," she giggled, "Mulder's Coiffeurs or better Fox's Curls and Tresses." "No, not that," he groaned rolling his eyes, "I hate my first name." "Why? It's so original, and graphic, no wait, I know, you could sell hats! Your store sign would have a pretty girl with a fox's tail falling down her shoulder from the brim of her hat." "Yeah, animal lovers would love that," he snorted. "Oh, right, haven't thought of that," she noticed the line between silly and honest approaching and backed down. "I can't sleep," Mulder's tone indeed turned honest. "It's as simple as that. Insomnia had me staying up all night since I was twelve," with a bit of sadness in his eyes he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and brushed the back of his hand over her sensitive spot, making a shiver run down her spine. She ignored it for now, this was more important. "Before I left the bureau, I spent a year going through old X-files. And most of that time, my day consisted of getting up, going to work, sitting alone in the basement and reading, then going home to an empty apartment, not sleep for hours, insomnia in full swing at that time, eventually crash for maybe two hours, nightmares waiting the moment I closed my eyes." Scully took care to listen and remember every word he said, so he wouldn't have to go through this story again. "Profiling did horrible things to me before that, and I was alone, week in week out. The most significant human interaction I would get, was an occasional night out with the Gunmen and "99 cents" from a dead tired clerk at the kiosk where I bought sunflower seeds every day." She felt bad for asking, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't ask." "No," Mulder took her hand, squeezing reassuringly, "it's okay, because that was the moment I decided that I needed a change. X-files were going nowhere, and by that time I read enough, that I could fill my own Library Of Congress section on paranormal and unexplained. Cases that landed on FBI's lap reached as far as the 2nd World War, and Roswell. Cold war must have been a real page turner, judging by the number of censored files, and no one was doing anything about it, and no one planed to." He was no longer sad, the fire was back in his eyes. "That was when I realized our government doesn't care about the people, only his own twisted agenda and I couldn't support that. I crossed the the F and the B, and focused on I in the FBI. You know I write for "The Lone Gunman", under a pseudonym naturally, but it's something I could never do if I worked for the bureau. I travel sometimes, talk to people, write down their stories and give them voice, so others would know, that they are not alone, there are people with similar experiences and the fact that I can do something for them, gave me the strength to keep going, to keep looking. For Sam, to know what happened the night she disappeared." Pure conviction in his voice took her breath away. "The truth is out there. And it won't stay hidden in their basements forever." "And the bar?" "It's a way to keep me sane," Mulder chuckled, "to keep that human connection alive and well. That year in the basement, it was bad, to be that disconnected made my mind fester. I realized I needed to be around people, and like you said, there's a bit of a therapist in every bartender," he smiled and reached for the bottle of wine to fill her glass. "I pour drinks, I listen. The difference is that I have a fancy diploma to back it up. 'The Believer' is always open for people with strange stories and memories to share, and besides," he smiled at her broadly, back to here and now from the depths of his past, "I'm not sure I would ever meet you, if I'd still carry a badge." Scully listened, truly amazed. Once again Mulder's story was not what she expected to hear, not on a first date anyway. She had no words to begin describing the feeling his journey evoked in her, so she cupped his cheek and kissed him. This man so remarkable she wouldn't believe he was real. He saw it, too much awe, too much pride. He didn't want it, he knew he never deserved it, so he kissed her back, resting one hand on the curve of her waist, parting her lips with his tongue, deepening the kiss for two heartbeats, barely decent, bold enough to kick down that pedestal he saw in her eyes. "Mulder," she had to squeeze in the warning between arousal and want in her tone. If they were at the bar, this thing might escalate pretty quickly. "What? Desert?" He kissed her again, quick, deep and hot, "I think you're right, what would you like." "You," she whispered pressing her lips, chastely this time, to the corner of his mouth. "You've got that," he teased, "but I feel like I need to redeem myself after dumping my past on you, so tell me." she leaned back, her hand back in his while he made due with kissing her knuckles, happy he managed to wake her desire. He wanted her to know and still want him, not worship or admire. "What would you like?" "Ice cream sundae," she said without skipping a beat, "and we share, it's a Valentine's Day date requirement." Two spoons, a ton of chocolate and Scully's giggles saved the moment.

They took a cab back to her place, the night was cold. Mulder got out to help her and she took his hand as her feet touched the pavement. It was a moment of silent agreement, her hand squeezed his, she took a step without letting go, and he knew to pay the driver and let her take him upstairs to her apartment.

Scully's heart pounded in her chest, as she searched for keys in her small purse, Mulder less than an inch behind her. She found it, let them in, and turned to find his warm soft lips. He took her face in his hands, warming her cold cheeks, as she unbuttoned his coat to slip her arms around him. He kissed her slowly, thoroughly, as his hands traveled down her shoulders to the buttons on her coat. He helped her slip out of it, tossing it to the back of the couch, then pulled on her scarf. Blue silk freed her perfume, and again he felt dizzy from it, compelled to bury his face in her neck, this time by way of kisses. His coat landed next to hers, mouths searching, missing targets, sloppy but increasingly more fun with each step that brought them farther inside the apartment. He stepped out of his shoes as she peeled of his jacket. Scully bumped into the back of the couch, walking backwards, and he knelled to unzip her boots and pull them off her small feet for her. She looked stunning, as she pulled one pin from her chignon and her hair fell down in soft waves down her shoulders. Without looking away from her eyes, Mulder ran his hands up the back of her calves and stood up, towering over her for the briefest moment, before he picked her off the floor, hands grabbing the backs of her thighs, stockings dear God, the word goddess flashing through his mind. Scully's legs went around his waist, arms around shoulders, she did not fight for fear she'd topple them over, and he carried her through to the bedroom, ignoring her protests, your leg, no need, I can walk, he was def to her concern over him or his health at the moment. He pleaded temporary insanity from her breasts pressed against his chest through silk and satin of their clothes. "Mulder," she breathed into his ear, holding on to him as he reached to push the door open, "condoms, bathroom, medicine cabinet." He didn't stop but walked in and put her down on her feet. He took her hand and without a word slipped it into his pants pocket, smiling as her palm closed around two foil packets and brushed against the erection that was already starting to feel uncomfortable. "Small steps, Scully," he reached around her and found the tab on the zipper of her dress, and started to pull it down slowly, "I wouldn't do this if I wasn't prepared." "I saw your blood work," she explained taking her hand out of his pocket and dropping the condoms on the bed, "and I'm on the pill but..." he shushed her with a soft kiss, hands caressing her bare skin on the way up to her shoulders. "I know, small steps." A kiss to the side of her neck and a brush of his fingers and the dress pooled around her feet with a whisper of satin. Black lace and silk stockings were all she got left and felt like he was definitely overdressed. "You need some help?" Scully reached to the bedside table and turned on the lamp. Soft light filed the room and the sight stunned Mulder into silence. He could do nothing but stare at her skin, body all soft curves and freckles and female perfection standing before him. She reached up and made quick work of the buttons on his shirt, pulling it from his pants, already bulging impressively. Scully pulled the belt from the loops of his pants and dropped it to the floor, taking a step around to switch places and push him on the bed behind him. "You run around too much, I told you that already." Hovering above him, keeping her tone playful, she slowly unbuttoned his pants to pull them down, mindful of his recent injury. His socks followed suit as she knelt down on the floor between his knees, looking up. He was looking at her, propped up on his elbows, his erection straining his briefs. "Scully, are you sure?" He asked quietly, not concerned, just making sure. "If I wasn't," she replied with confidence, standing up and resting her toes on his knee, "we wouldn't be here." Mulder got rid of his doubts and reached to peel the last of the silk and lace of her body.

Scully laid on the bed, his face inches from hers, watching every change in her expression as he ran two fingers between her thighs, learning what made her tick, following her hand. They fumbled at first and he decided to just let her take the lead. Now she was straining against him, arching her back. He kissed her from time to time, wet sloppy kisses, all soft brushes of languid tongues. He kissed her breasts and nibbled on her nipples, and shoulder and neck, but now he was watching her knead the soft flesh and pinch the hard tip of it and circling around it with her thumbnail. Each moan was like a reward for a well aimed stroke of his hand. He dipped two fingers inside her, her clit swelled as he brushed past it from time to time. He returned there but not too often, she was very responsive to what he did for her. Sometimes her finger joined his, showing him what to do and how, but mostly she just let him explore, take his time. "Like that," she threw her head back and he felt her walls soften under his touch, become pliant, ready for him to join in on the fun. Mulder knew his leg was not yet 100 percent healed, so he brought her as close to the edge as possible without wasting the strength he knew, he would need. She thought he was teasing when his hand moved away, but as his weight shifted and the tip of his cock started to push inside her, she welcomed him into her arms. The sensation was pure and undiluted bliss. "You feel so good," she whispered pulling his lips to hers, her tongue in his mouth as hot as her centre. "I've wanted you since you tossed back that first shot of whiskey at the bar with me," he confessed pulling her knee up and around his hip, shifting so that most of his weight rested on his good side, and started to pump into her, slowly, like he did earlier with his fingers, "you trusted me, I see that now." "I never did that," she panted as he started picking up pace, "let a guy talk me into doing something." She dropped a kiss on his parted lips, "but with you it felt different." her one hand pushed between them and found her clit, the other scratched down his back all the way to his ass, she relished the way his muscles flexed with each thrust. "Like this." Mulder wasn't sure if she was speaking of that night or urging him on, "like what?" "Amazing," she breathed, and he could do nothing else but agree. He felt himself quicken, as she swelled around him. Their lips met and she was whimpering softly with his each thrust, now urgent and hard. "Keep going, like that," her finger moved fast in tight circles, "Mulder, oh God, I'm going to..." She didn't need to finish because just then her body spasmed under and around him. Scully held on, trying to pull him inside her, her free arm now tight around his shoulders, her hand at the nape of his neck, her lips at his ear. "Let go, come for me," and she ran her tongue around his ear, bit his earlobe and he couldn't fight it anymore, he came and fell and she caught him.

It was her turn to watch him, limbs intertwined, bodies sated, sheets pulled warm around them. "What did you do to me?" He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, with tenderness she hasn't felt in years. "What do you mean?" "I feel like you just moved in here," he said taking her hand and placing it over his heart, "and started redecorating." "Do I get the attic as well?" Scully chanced a joke, kissing his temple and running fingers through his hair, silky smooth and soft, now that she knew he liked that. "If you don't mind the toys there," he teased back. Self deprecating was his idea of honest when speaking about himself. "Mulder, you are a good man," she told him, kissing his lower lip gently, she knew it and felt it, and that made it as good as true for her. "I'm Spooky Mulder howling at the moon," he countered, a faint sleepy smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "No, you care about people, that's noble, you're like a white knight that way" she explained, feeling his midnight stubble with the back of her fingers. "Wait," he looked alarmed for a moment, "not like Don Quixote or something, right?" "What, you want me to stroke your ego some more?" She reached under the covers and found his shaft, running her palm up and down its' length, and circling the head with her thumb. His eyes rolled back as he started to get hard again, she was starting to love how he could not resist her. "That's not where it's at, but it has a direct line." "Shut up Mulder," she straddled his hips and kissed him for real this time.

The next morning Mulder woke up in Scully's bed. In pain. He untangled himself from her small warm body, asleep with her back against his chest, and knowing it was impossible not to wake her, he turned onto his back and groaned. His thigh was killing him. "Mulder?" Her sleepy voice sounded concerned as she turned to face him, "what's wrong?" "My leg," was all he managed to say, the pain was spreading to his hip and lower back. She uncovered his side and saw no bruising or alarming swelling around the freshly healed wound. "You pushed yourself last night," she covered him and started to get up, "I told you not to carry me." "Adrenaline rush Doc, couldn't help it," he joked, but really felt terrible, "where are you going?" "I'll be right back," she kissed his forehead and left him to his suffering. Scully went to the kitchen, tying the robe around her waist and noting in passing the path of clothes they left behind last night. They needed coffee. She opened the fridge, scanning it's contents and finding it satisfactory, took out the coffee and started a fresh pot. "Take this." She came back handing Mulder one pill and a glass of water, and noticing his hesitation clarified, "it's Tylenol 3," then pulled the covers back off his leg and covered it with a bag of frozen peas. "Bad news, you're not going anywhere today." Mulder looked at her and barked out a strained laugh. "And how is that bad news?" His reaction shook her out of her doctor persona and she realized what she just said. "Right," she laughed and leaned over to kiss his smiling lips, "happy Valentine's Day Mulder."

#aprons and scrubs #mar fanfic #alternate universe #x files fanfic #first date #Valentine's Day

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desertdollranch · 5 years

Text

Making dyed yarn with Kirsten and Josefina

Happy Dollidays, everyone! I’m so pleased to have two tiny friends here who can help teach this very unusual and engaging skill. Today we will learn to use the papery skins of onions to dye some yarn this lovely earthy golden color! It’s a very old practice that Kirsten and Josefina both likely would have done to give wool a beautiful natural color.

This craft comes from two places: Kirsten’s Craft Book and also the back of Thanks to Josefina. If you get the little short story books individually, there is a craft included after the story that pertains to the content of the story. Since “Thanks to Josefina” is about learning to appreciate all the beautiful colors of wool that go into a woven blanket, this craft was included in the book.

This project is accurate to both Josefina and Kirsten’s place in time. Josefina’s story revolves a lot around her friendship with her aunt’s servant Teresita, who teaches Josefina to weave. They spend many happy hours together, walking around the beautiful countryside, gathering all sorts of plant materials to use as dye for wool. They wove that wool into beautiful blankets, which they initially traded for more sheep and then later traded to American merchants for exotic foreign goods. Blanket weaving was very common and celebrated practice at the time in New Mexico, and is a tradition that still continues today in the same little villages that girls like Josefina would have grown up in.

Kirsten, too, would have learned to weave with naturally-dyed fibers. Artificial (aniline) dyes wouldn’t be produced for another few years after her stories take place, so everything would have been dyed with organic materials. On the prairies and among the forests of Minnesota Territory, Kirsten likely would have gathered things like mushrooms, berries, tree bark, walnut shells, cabbage, and wildflowers to use as dyes. Then her mother and aunt would have woven them into blankets, tablecloths, shawls, and rugs.

Kirsten and Josefina will teach you to weave in a later post, but for now, you’re going to start at the beginning, just like they did. So first you have to dye your yarn!

You’ll need to visit a craft store or a yarn store, and find some yarn that is 100% wool.

Check the label carefully! It must say 100% wool. No synthetic materials can be present. There are many, many wool blend yarns out there on the market, far more than pure wool, and those won’t work. You need yarn that is the real thing and nothing but.

Then measure out 12 yards of your yarn. A yard is about three feet, or about one meter.

That might seem like a lot, but it’s not as much as you’d expect. It’s about the amount that Kirsten is holding. The skein that Josefina is holding contains 220 yards of yarn, so you’ll have plenty left over!

You will also need some alum and cream of tartar.

This is to create a mordant, which will open up the fibers of your wool and make it more receptive to the dye. You can find both of these in most grocery stores with the spices and salts. They are very inexpensive.

Then you need a big handful of onion skins from a few yellow onions.

What I do is buy one or two onions to add to my soup for the week, and then I just grab a whole bunch of loose skins and add them into the produce bag. But you can certainly ask a friendly employee in the produce department if you can have some of their onion skins.

Please make sure you’ve got the skins of yellow onions only! White onions won’t work, and red onions will give you a faint, dull brownish color. I can’t guarantee you’ll like the result.

Now that you’ve gathered all your materials, you’re ready to start.

Your first step is to soak your yarn in a pot of hot soapy water for about 30 minutes.

Please note: It’s okay to use a metal container for this step, but ONLY this step. After this, you will have to use an enamel pot. Metal pots made of aluminum will react with your mordant (alum and cream of tartar are chemicals). This will ruin your dyeing process completely.

After half an hour of soaking, rinse your yarn very well with warm running water. Then wash out the pot, or put away your metal pot... either way, get a clean enamel pot, and fill it with water.

Move the pot to the stove, and stir in the following:

1 tablespoon of alum

3 tablespoons cream of tartar

Stir until they’re dissolved, then add the yarn. Simmer it for 30 minutes more.

After the time has passed, drain the yarn in a colander. Let it cool off for a few minutes until it’s not too hot to handle. Then squeeze out the water.

Wash out your enamel pot or get a new pot. Then add the onions skins and the yarn.

Simmer this for 30 minutes. Then let the yarn drain while you wash out the pot or get a new one. By this point, it should be vibrantly colored.

Let the yarn simmer in clear water for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let it soak for 15 more minutes. Drain the yarn. Then spread it on a kitchen towel to let it dry.

That’s it! Your yarn is ready to use.

You can also use this same method to dye with other materials. Here is a knitted gathering bag I made of yarns colored with various plant materials, some found in the wild and some from the grocery store. It’s always a fun The green stripe on the piece Kirsten is holding was made with red cabbage leaves, and the yellow in Josefina’s piece is made with dandelion flowers!

You’re not limited to plants, either. I used powdered Kool-Aid to make some bright red yarn for Josefina! Instead of onion skins, I just added two envelopes of cherry Kool-Aid to the dye pot.

If you have read “Thanks to Josefina”, you’ll remember why this red wool was so important to not only Josefina but her sisters Francisca and Clara.

I’ll give you a few days to try this project and master the technique, and then Kirsten and Josefina will be back to show you what you can do with your beautiful yarn.

#american girl #kirsten's craft book #thanks to josefina #american girl dolls #dollidays 2018 #josefina montoya #kirsten larson #crafts #tutorial #wool #dyeing #weaving

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lilacivories · 6 years

Text

the reward

characters: Virgil, Remy

pairings: none

summary: College!AU. Virgil is terrified of giving a presentation in class, so Remy promises him a reward if he does well.

word count: 1,870

a/n: the wonderful @ticklyfandoms sent me a prompt asking for something with Virgil and Remy, so I got this done for them! I hope you like it!

The crisp assortment of leaves that were kicked around in the wind certainly made up for the sudden bite in the air. Freshly fallen ones dipped down as they danced to the pavement, like little flames twirling for show. The sky, however, was clear and blue, and as brisk as the leaves. The sun added some warmth, so it wasn’t too unbearable.

Virgil relished the weather, though heading inside was inevitable. Seeing so many sharp reds and yellows surrounding him helped him unwind after a day of stressful classes.

As he unlocked the door to his small apartment, Virgil knew he’d love nothing more than to curl up with his headphones and watch the trees shed their leaves as he listened to a good audiobook.

Of course, he’d have to get around–

“Is that the sound of my favorite emo disaster returning home?”

Virgil sighed. Remy.

His roommate was on the couch, getting as much as he could out of his pumpkin spice monstrosity of a drink, sunglasses perched on his nose. He had paused whatever TV show he was watching, apparently waiting for Virgil to join him.

Virgil teasingly pushed Remy’s sunglasses up to sit on his head. “You know we’re inside, right?” He sat on the other end of the couch when his roommate moved his legs, but didn’t complain when his lap was used as a footrest.

“Oh, enough about me!” Remy joked. “How was your day?”

Virgil bit his lip before sighing, slumping into the couch. “Something very, very terrible happened.”

“Oh?” Remy set his drink down on the coffee table. “And what very, very terrible thing would that be?”

“My professor made an announcement today.”

“Which was…?”

“We have to give presentations. In front of the entire class.”

Remy shrugged. “So?”

“Alone.”

He gave a long hiss of distaste. “That is rough, love. Good thing you’re smart, though. I’d be completely lost.”

Virgil buried his face in his hands. “That’s not the point! I can’t go up in front of my whole class on my own! Anything could happen! There are gonna be so many people staring at me!”

Remy swung his legs off the couch and moved to sit next to the younger student, frowning in worry. “It’ll be over before you know it, Virge, believe me. And maybe if you let your professor know ahead of time they’ll cut you some slack. Then you just repeat whatever you wrote on your note cards and you’ll be golden, girl!”

“This is going to be a disaster. I’ll probably faint, or– or throw up– or trip and fall in front of everyone!” Virgil seemed to have skipped right into his ‘inconsolable’ stage of freaking out, and Remy knew he had to stop his train of thought before it got too bad.

“How about I help you out?”

Virgil finally looked up and eyed him. “How?”

Remy grinned. “Why don’t you present this dumb project to me first? Then you’ll know that you can at least get through it. Come on, it’s better than nothing, darling!”

His roommate was still shaking his head, however. “Really, I don’t know if I could even do that, Remy.”

“Alright, here’s something for you.” Remy picked up his drink from the coffee table and leaned back as he made his final offer. “If you present your project to me, and if you get a good grade on it, then I’ll give you a reward.”

Virgil’s interest was, at last, piqued. He peered at Remy from behind his purple bangs, considering the offer with caution. “What kind of reward?” he inquired after a pause.

“Oh, no, dear, that’s a secret!” Remy chuckled. “But I can guarantee that it is something you will absolutely adore.”

There was another pause as this new bit of information was considered. The two had been roommates for a few semesters now, and were good friends. Remy could accurately claim to understand Virgil’s high anxiety better than almost anyone, and always knew where to stop when it came to jokes and pranks and socializing.

Virgil couldn’t think of a reason not to trust him, so he finally gave Remy a nod.

“Deal.”

It was a simple enough assignment for a required literature course. All that had to be done was explain a theme throughout a few chapters of some old book. Five to ten minutes, tops. Let the slides explain it for you.

So of course Virgil could only act as though he were on the edge of a volcano, ready to be pushed in at the sign of a single stutter.

“Just read off of the note cards,” Remy said again. He was beginning to feel a bit bad, making Virgil stand at the head of their dinner table and present his project to him. The poor thing was trembling a little and biting at his thumb, his grip on the note cards so tight Remy was worried they’d burst from his fingers at any moment.

“I– I don’t think I can do this,” Virgil said.

“Sure you can! Just think of something that makes you happy, and then focus on that while you talk.” Remy looked at him from over his sunglasses. “What makes you happy?”

Virgil huffed unhappily. “Not having to give a dumb presentation.”

“Very funny.” Remy gestured at him pointedly with his frappuccino. “Think of something already. You have to present this in two days.”

Virgil groaned. “I know, I know. Dammit, uh– Halloween?”

“Perfect!” his roommate crowed. “Just imagine that all of your classmates are ghosts that died before whatever book it is was published, and that they’re all very interested in death or male chauvinism whatever it is the main character is all about.”

“That’s the dumbest idea I ever heard,” Virgil grumbled. However, as nervous as his expression was, it was far more subdued than before.

Remy stood and walked over to his friend to pull him into a one-armed hug. “And it’s gonna work! When’s the last time one of my dumb ideas went wrong?”

Virgil smirked. “The abandoned grocery store.”

“Which one?”

That got a laugh out of Virgil, who pushed him away playfully. Remy would certainly call it a win for the day.

Virgil couldn’t help the familiar jitters as he entered his apartment. He knew that Remy was on the couch, as usual, so he made his way over on his own, rubbing at his frozen fingers as he pulled off his jacket and scarf.

“Hey there, Frosty,” Remy greeted. “You cold?” When Virgil nodded, he held out the blanket that was draped around his shoulders, and the two huddled together on the couch, as close as two coats of paint.

“A little birdy told me that you had a big presentation today,” Remy teased, nudging his friend. “How’d it go?”

Virgil’s smile was sheepish; he tried to hide it behind the blanket. “It was fine. Ghosts are way nicer to speak to than a bunch of overworked twenty-year-olds at 9:30 in the morning.”

“I told you!” Remy cheered. “Now did you get an A or did you get an A?”

“Actually, I got a B since my performance was so shaky,” Virgil confessed. “But my professor said that she could round it up since I emailed her about it beforehand.”

“So you got an A!”

Virgil huffed, “Technically. Well, probably.”

Remy shook his head. “Nuh-uh. Say it.”

The pink on Virgil’s cheeks wasn’t from the cold, now. “I got an A,” he mumbled, a hint of a smile tugging on his lips.

“Yes, girl! And since we’re celebrating,” Remy added, “this is the perfect time for me to give you your reward for doing such a good job!”

In a second, Remy had Virgil pinned on the couch, his grin so innocently villainous that Virgil was thrown for a loop, wondering if he should struggle or not.

“What the hell is this?” he demanded.

“Your gift!” Remy reminded him. “I told you that you’re gonna love it! And am I ever wrong?”

Before Virgil could splutter anything else out, an embarrassing squeak escaped him as Remy’s hands wandered up his shirt and began to prod at his sides. “Nonononono, Remy– ahaha! Wait, not there–!”

“Yes yes yes~” his roommate cooed. “Right here!” He began dragging his nails all over Virgil’s ribs, and the poor thing lost his stamina and started laughing loudly.

Nohoho! Remy, you– ahahahaha!” Virgil had never been able to fight back when he was being reduced to shrieky giggles, especially when Remy was the one dishing them out. He didn’t tickle fast, but he didn’t have to, as he seemed to be able to unerringly press and flutter his fingers against every spot that drove his victim wild.

“I hope you’re enjoying your reward,” he teased as his fingers massaged in between Virgil’s ribs. Virgil didn’t have the wherewithal to grace him with a response, but managed to shake his head as he cackled. “No? Oh, we all know that’s a lie, sweetie. C’mon, fess up!”

Remy knew full well where to attack, and moved his fingers up to skitter up and down his neck; he used his nails to their full potential, letting them rake over every spot that had his roommate shrieking and snorting. Virgil grabbed at Remy’s wrists, but was already laughing too hard to pull them away.

It was only when Virgil started to hiccup breathlessly that Remy let up, taking his hands away to let him calm himself.

“I bet you’re enjoying yourself now that I stopped,” he said with a wink.

Virgil glared up at him, his frown almost a pout. “Shut up,” he grumbled. “And if you’re done, then you could at least get off of me.”

Remy perked up, beaming. “Oh, I almost forgot!” he said.

He moved down a little before rucking Virgil’s shirt up against his chest, leaving his stomach bare. “I saved the best for last,” he assured with a wink.

“Remy, don’t– don’t you dare–!” Virgil cried, much too late.

Remy leaned down, pressed his lips against the soft skin just underneath his navel, and blew a loud raspberry. Virgil kicked and shrieked, throwing his head back in utter hysterics. Remy even squeezed Virgil’s sides as he targeted all over his tummy, keeping him pinned expertly even as the other student struggled. He didn’t show mercy until the corners of Virgil’s eyes were wet and his laughter was bright and wheezy.

As Virgil was catching his breath, Remy smiled and ruffled his hair. “Good job on your project, sweetie. If you get another A, let me know. I’d love to do this again sometime.”

Virgil covered his bright red face. “You’re such a bully.”

“It’s not bullying if you like it!” Remy poked under his arms, laughing when Virgil squeaked and threw his arms down.

“Rem!”

“Alright, alright, I’m done!” he chuckled, finally getting off of his roommate. He opened up his blanket again, and they resumed their previous position, curling up together as they turned on an old horror movie.

Virgil let his head fall onto his friend’s shoulder as the movie began; his blush had not fully subsided, but neither of them said anything about it.

After a few minutes, Virgil mumbled, “Hey. Uh...thanks.”

Remy glanced down at him with a warm smile before turning back to the movie.

“Don’t mention it, Virge.”

#mine #tickles #ssides #v #remy #sleep #ticklyfandoms

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fanthem · 6 years

Text

Classic Rock Magazine interview with Cardinal Copia, translated below the cut:

Before the album will be released in June you’re already on tour, and you constantly have these interview marathons. How does that affect your current mood?

Well, it’s a bit like running. Just because you love to run, it doesn’t mean it’s good for your knees. (laughs)

Are you athletic?

Not really. But with progressing age and because I should be ready for a two hour stage show in two months, for 200 shows, I have to get fit.

But that is probably already second nature to you…

Yes, but your body needs a certain degree of maintenance. No matter how young you feel, it’s more extreme every year. When you’re on tour, you’re somehow always doing sports. In the end your stage clothes won’t fit right anymore, are far too wide, and when you get your new outfits before the next tour, everything is suddenly super tight. (laughs) I have considerable fluctuation in my sizing, and those fluctuations get bigger with age.

Do you notice that things get harder the older you get? Not that I’m calling you old.

Well, I’m 37. That’s not old, but I’m not 19 anymore, either. Of course there’s a difference. But I still have the feeling I haven’t reached the top.

There’s still room upwards, the zenith hasn’t been reached yet?

I think so. Considering that I’m not athletic, I believe there’s still more I can get out of myself. I take better care of myself now than I used to, I stopped smoking six years ago and that improved a lot of things. So there’s a lot of potential upwards: if I start eating vitamins now, maybe it’ll be even a little better.

So you’re not doing that at the moment?

(laughs) Well, it’s hard to pull myself together when I’m not on tour. As soon as I’m touring I work better. I have more routine.

That’s unexpected: a lot of artists complain about the lack of routine while on tour.

No, that’s how I feel when I get home. Then I lose all control. But as all artists I’m a little bit spoiled. (whispers from behind his hand) Okay, actually I’m very spoiled. (laughs) I get a lot of help. Especially on tour, when there’s people all the time that are there for you. Sometimes when I travel alone I get confused: Wait, I have to check in myself? Uhm, can somebody please come and handle this situation for me? (laughs) But I like travelling alone, so I have to do things myself again. Everyone reading this probably thinks this sounds incredibly dumb. But most people are creatures of habit, and you get used quickly to certain circumstances. And when you get so pampered, it’s just weird when you get home and have to cook for the first time in eight weeks…

And even have to get the groceries yourself beforehand.

Oh, exactly! Just getting this chain of thoughts right. Of course that actually just takes a second, but you lack the routine. I like to say we resemble dogs or other animals a lot. We’re conditioned and we condition ourselves. There are of course ways to condition bad behavior or laziness away.

But because you reflect on these things, maybe you’re not that heteronomous.

Well, I’m at least aware of some things. That’s what I have to be if I don’t want to become a complete asshole. (laughs)

So the tour starts in May…

Exactly, in Riverside, California. We’re going to play some warm up concerts, even if I actually don’t want to call them that. But it’s about perfecting the show, to flesh out the finesse. The tour also starts before the album. That means we’ll be playing a lot of songs people haven’t heard before. That could get a little weird.

I’ve listened to PREQUELLE already and I’m sure that the devoted Ghost fanbase is hungry for new material, and that a few of the new songs have great earworm potential. There’s nothing that could go wrong, right?

I hope so. But there’s no guarantee. I’m currently at a point, where I’m a little bit afraid of the start. On one hand I long to be back on stage, and I especially miss the fans, the connection to them. On the other hand there’s going to be a lot of innovations, even practical in nature. And again I’m a creature of habit, and I don’t like trying new things.

But you seem to enjoy the mental creation of something new…

Yes, I love it. I love having ideas, but when it comes to execution, it always feels weird at first. There’s a lot of pressure and usually the joy of creating is long gone by the time of the performance. I prefer the point of time when after 80 shows things run smoothly. Then I can enjoy everything, when I know everything is running in sync.

Is that a regular ailment in your line of work, or is there a bigger uncertainty behind it?

Both, I think. I believe that for most artists, whether rock musician or painter, creativity grows from uncertainty. Just look at those rock bands: most of those guys weren’t the cool kids at school.

Not really. Rock’n’roll is usually a way to become cool anyway…

Exactly. It’s a paradox: Once your career is going, there’s risk of losing it. While the things that started your career were based on the fact that you didn’t have anything to lose. It’s something that you realize more and more the further you get. Probably a question of age, too. At some point you just know it better and don’t throw yourself off any cliffs. Even though you’re bound to jump from cliff to cliff in this kind of job, even if there’s a black pit between.

Do you feel under pressure after Meliora’s great success?

Yes, but it wasn’t a paralyzing fear. Rather I was aware that I had to stay focused, and that a lot depended on the album becoming, well, right. I don’t actually want to say “right” because you can’t really determine what’s wrong or right. Especially when you create, there are different things you can do right. You still have to get it right to create a feeling that can move the organism forward. It’s like a relationship, it’s not enough to say “We’re going to have a child now, then everything is going to be fine.” There’s just more to it, and you need the feeling of moving forward, not sideways or even backwards. Every time you have the unknown before you, which is tempting and intimidating at once. Because you don’t know what you did before. You created something that opened up a great scope of new opportunities. So you can’t make the same decision again, because you already went through that door. It’s like a game, you can’t just walk backwards, except maybe if you hack it. But that’s usually not how it works.

So there’s no magic formula that you can keep using?

Not really. I learned that a lot of the things and circumstances that lead me to this album this past year - most of it actually rather uncomfortable - were necessary to make the album what it is now. And maybe the entire band-brand-career had to be doused with a bit of classic rock scandal, so it was able to develop further. Otherwise it might have become redundant on the long run, along the lines of: we got a new papa again. Oh, I’m still anonymous. How great!

Okay, now that you’re mentioning the topic yourself: when you revealed your identity officially last year, how necessary did that feel? Was it just a part of marketing, or did you think “well, it’s out anyway”?

Yes, mostly that. I just thought, now that the elephant is in the room and glows so brightly it’s hard to not give any commentary. I wouldn’t say I felt forced. I was in the studio, recording the new album. I didn’t plan it. But would you have asked me that a few years ago, I wouldn’t have approached it like this, even though I always knew I wouldn’t stay unrecognized forever. Not that I felt very anonymous. I always felt more like I was playing in a masked band, not an anonymous one. There’s a difference. The focus of Ghost’s fans wasn’t on me personally. They didn’t care what kind of shoes I wore off stage. All in all the people didn’t give a shit. But I was of the opinion that I would have to do it sooner or later, and I had the feeling that now it was time.

What has changed for you and your fans since then? Because I think there were a bunch who were very eager to get the official confirmation of who’s behind the mask. There have always been rumors, something that surely was intentional, i assume? The creation of a myth?

Actually the original intention behind it was more pure. That might sound set-up now with my commercial band that has to meet certain commercial standards. It obviously sounds like a marketing recipe, but the original spark behind this idea had a highly artistic claim and was based on the wish to play theater. It turned out the anonymity was a great advertising tool. A tool that I had to restructure in the last year. But it worked out, and one of the things that distinguish Ghost the most from most other bands today, was that we didn’t smear our personality all over the place. Well, aside from all this damned court bullshit! But now it’s on me to chose the context I want to present Ghost in, and to what extend I want to smear my personality into your faces.

And what did you chose?

What I won’t do is do everything. I’ll still insist that magazines only print pictures with the masks, because that’s the interesting part about Ghost. I sit here in front of you as the director of the show in which I play a role at the same time. But all in all, when you look at my job description, performing is only a tiny part of that. I have to take care of a lot of things. I mean I used to be that little tyke who just wanted to be in a band, and in my 30s I was suddenly catapulted into this situation here: I became the initiator of the band, the singer, even though I only wanted to play guitar, I’m a boss, an employer and I have responsibilities towards so many instances. That’s not something I had ever thought of back when I practised Pink Floyd songs in my room. And… ah fuck now I lost my thread. Well, let’s look at it from a practical point of view: Just because I did that radio show and because I’m talking to you unmasked now, there’s no difference except that there’s Tobias Forge sitting here now. But I’m still talking about the same things as before. You know, I’m not going to get a facebook profile or IG because of this and start posting constantly.

So everything at Ghost stays the same in the sense of: this won’t change the concept?

Ghost won’t change, but the myth around it will.

So you won’t walk onto stage, arms stretched wide, remove your makeup and shout “It’s me! Your messiah!”

Exactly that won’t happen. I’m just director. Right now I’m commenting like a producer would for a movie.

Besides your vocal performance you’re also very entertaining. You make people laugh. When did you discover those qualities?

Hm. I know I’ve always wanted to do this, but there’s no fixed point in time when I suddenly noticed that I’m capable of that. I thin my first performance was in kindergarten. My friends and me always dressed up and acted out playback to music. On brooms. (laughs) The first time I performed in front of people I was seven. It was the birthday party of a friend and her mother had a yellow [Guitar] that looked exactly like the guitar of Keith Richards. I was a big fan of the Stones and asked if I could play. And her mother was surprised, but she put up an amplifier and I played for her. Then she said I should play in front of the other kids, and I remember there was a little disco set up in the kid’s room, you know, with lights and music. And I regaled them with Love in Vain by the stones. It was basically my first show. But just this one song, and then it was over again… And then of course I destroyed the guitar. (Attention, Irony!)

A classic “The Who”! I’m sure the mother was very hooked by you.

Oh yes! (laughs)

There’s one thing that I really want to know: last year after your concert in Munich I wrote a report for this magazine and noted, that there’s quite the sexual atmosphere are your show. My male colleagues thought me crazy. Are you aware of how the practise of disguise and these occult vibes that play with the aesthetic of dark rites and masses makes the air quiver?

I would have to be blind and autistic to not notice this magic. I think that especially in rock’n’roll it’s important to have a certain tension. Let it put me like this: I used to be pretty naive and never really thought about a potential of this kind of masked people on stage. Because at first I thought we would mostly appeal to guys....

You were wrong!

Yes, I really was. And that’s something that really hit me on our first tour through america. That was the first time we played our own shows for our own fans. It was a completely different dynamic than as support slot. And back then I thought: Wow, fuck! And then I truly realized the shows have an aphrodisiac effect on people. (laughs) Which is interesting, because even from stage I saw people who were really going for it and were doing things that you don’t see every day. And often I didn’t actually know whether they had sex or not. (laughs) It’s of course a flattering thought that my work can cause such processes that affect people even long after the concert. If it brings something in motion, it’s amazing. So to answer your question: Yes, I understand it. And I’m not surprised that there’s different perceptions between genders, and that women might feel the sexual aura more than men.

And connected to that the aesthetical concept probably plays a big role as well. The occult symbolism maybe only affects certain people… like me for example.

Yes, and the concept of attraction can be so multifaceted. Have you ever watched Pippi Longstockings? Can you remember the characters?

Well, all the animals, and Annika and Tommy…

Do you remember Aunt Pryssellius? The lady from the children’s home. My entire life I’ve only ever seen her as old toad. And now that I have children my wife and I showed them all those old series, partially because now we finally have an excuse to watch them again. (laughs) And then I noticed that her role here is suddenly really hot. Maybe I should google this, not that I’m confusing things. (searches through his phone) Well, up until this point I had never seen it that way, because I had always been convinced she’s this 70 year old bitch. But recently I thought: Oh lala, my god! (laughs)

Perspectives change! (laughs)

Absolutely. And I think it’s the same with a guy who probably doesn’t even notices what happens during a ghost show, and maybe the next time he suddenly realizes. Oh look, now I found them. The actress’s name is Margot Trooger, take a look at her! (show picture on his phone)

A beautiful woman.

Yes, really. Well, I’m glad you like the show. We’re going to have three women in the band now, maybe with that it’s going to be more exciting for the male audience.

All in all it will be nine musicians, right? Will the women wear the same ghoul outfits?

Yes exactly, all in all we will be nine people, and yes, the clothes will definitely be similar. We just need more people to be able to play what you can hear on the album live, too.

Will you bring a saxophonist?

Yes.

That brings me to the new album and the song “Miasma”. When I listened to the instrumental in the middle of Prequelle for the first time, I was astounded and very quickly delighted. This “saber rider” like sound with the poppy 80s drums and synths, and the saxophone at the end. Tell me something about the creation of this piece.

We have already recorded instrumentals, like for example genesis on our debut. That was still a whole song, whereas on Infestissumam and Meliora we abandoned that a little bit. I think when me and Klaus - the producer - compiled the album we wussed out on the instrumentals a little.

And now you’re back with Miasma, and the second one Helvetesfonster?

Yes, that’s how it feels. I mean we had short pieces before like Devil’s Church, all of them small discreet numbers. Helvetesfonster for example was done way before Miasma, before even Meliora. But while we were working on this album I told Klaus: “I have a futuristic and a plague album, which one do you want to make?” And he decided on the futuristic one. So Helvetesfonster didn’t make it onto Meliora and I had to get it onto Prequelle at all costs. So it easily falls out of context. And during the recording of Helvetesfonster I had the idea for Miasma and i thought: Oh, fuck it. We made way too few instrumentals, we should just jam this at the wall and see what happens. Along the lines of: Let’s not play it save and just see where it takes us. On the other hand we had these two tracks ready and I had this urgent need for another song to complement and in a way justify them. This is how Dance Macabre was created, because the album needed a danceable break. Miasma ends on the A side and you turn the LP and the B side starts with Dance. It’s about dynamics, that’s direly needed. Everytime I write I work like this. If there’s a lot of salt somewhere, you have to sprinkle some sugar in places, to balance it out.

Why did you pick a french sounding title for this album, instead of sticking to latin and italian?

It just sounds better. PREQUELLE instead of prequel. That’s it.

Okay. We got more of a medieval setting here. It’s about death and damnation, there’s songs about the plague, rats as carriers of disease, stuff like that. I think that despite this archaic core Prequelle delivers versatile opportunities of a modern interpretation. Am I on the right track?

It’s very loosely draped around the middle ages. To show how things were and are now, and to draw a line in between. But I also think there’s contemporary relevance inside the lyrics that have no connection to history lessons. It’s actually about now, but for aesthetic reasons and to show how things repeat, the medieval theme fits very well. Everything is somehow cyclic, not much has changed. I think we devolved a little. Nowadays people dismiss the middle ages as mob mentality, see it as something uncivilized, but there’s no big difference to the habits people exhibit online. It’s very similar: Somebody cries “Witch!” real loud and everyone joins in immediately. On the whole, the album should put the listener into the center of change and riot. And should, in a way, give social commentary that questions the health of our society. I think we live in times where in many places there’s an eminent threat of destruction and damnation present.

Do you see yourself as an intellectual?

Had I put my priorities differently, I probably would had assets to become wiser than I am today. But I never read as much as I wanted to, and I don’t know a lot. Or rather I know a lot, but not everything. (laughs)

Nobody does…

I just think maybe I have a gift for a certain kind of knowledge and wisdom.

And you are in a situation where people hear what you have to say.

Yes, that’s true. And this realization follows another one: At the end of the day I’m perfectly content not to be a professor or politician. I’m an artist. And my mission is to entertain people. Obviously you work with everything you have and see. So I value it a lot that, in front of the vast background of rock’n’roll and its usually more dumb bands, Ghost presents itself a little more intellectual. But in the end it’s all about entertainment.

Before I came here I received this list of dos and don’ts…

Aha!

With notes that explain what I should say and what I shouldn’t. I couldn’t exactly tell how serious or ironical that was meant to be.

Don’t forget, that came from the label.

So personally you don’t find that necessary?

Well, since I’m currently in a trial, there’s obviously some things I am not allowed to nor want to talk about. But if you had asked me, I would have just answered with “no comment”.

So you wouldn’t have kicked me out if I had asked for the connection between the concept of Ghost and Kiss. I just spotted a Love Gun button on your jacket….

No, of course not. And Love Gun was the first album I ever bought. I love this album.

For conclusion: What’s a question that you would like to be asked in an interview?

I wish I had a cool answer for this ready. (laughs) But I keep digging up all this information about me, and from a more casual point of view it would be more fun for the both of us if you asked me questions about other bands, because I would be able to answer those. Or not. (laughs) Just because I like the thought of participating in a quiz on band trivia.

I promise I’ll prepare one the next time we meet!

(laughs) That would be amazing, thank you.

[source]

#ghost band #ghost interview #cardinal copia interview #ghost #ghost 4.0 #meliora #prequelle #pippi longstocking #aunt pryssellius #kiss #klaus ahlund

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keywestlou · 3 years

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RESPECT FOR TRUMP DIMINISHING

It cannot be denied Trump continues to be a power. Though things are happening that reflect the power diminishing. As respect for him diminishes, so too does his power.

One example is Truth Social. Trump announced this week his personal social media was in the process of becoming a reality. Its purpose to follow the truth. What a joke!

The site would officially begin in November. However Trump immediately posted a test version where people could sign in merely by providing their names.

The fact that the site will provide Trump with broad access is a disgrace. His large number of followers will subscribe. He will have immediate access to them and the world via the site. It will be Trump’s tool to spread lies.

Though despicable in itself, Trump will reap a harvest.

Trump is doing the project with DWAC, a special purpose acquisition company. DWAC sells stock with the intention of buying private firms. The announcement reported DWAC would invest $293 million in the Trump project.

The announcement caused the price of he stock to triple in one day.

A major DWAC investor SABA Capital announced it was bailing out and selling all its stock. It wanted nothing to do with Trump. SABA’s principal said the the decision was “not even a close call.” Some people will not go to bed with dogs that have fleas.

Another “adverse” occurrence is Trump’s new site has already been hacked. Within hours, the unreleased test version was invaded. A picture of a defecating pig posted to the “donaldjtrump” account.

Truth Social was pulled off line immediately.

The site will return with all the necessary bells and whistles to hopefully protect it from similar hacking in the future.

The House of Representatives voted yesterday to hold Bannon in criminal contempt. Nine Republicans joined with the Democrats in the voting. The matter is now in the hands of the Attorney General as to whether the criminal contempt charge should be presented to a grand jury.

What a waste of time! The matter should be moving swiftly. Not doing so. I worry Merrick Garland will take forever and in effect sit on the contempt charge forever while deciding what to do.

Recall several months ago I warned of my concern when Garland’s nomination for Attorney General was announced. An honorable man without question. However, an appellate judge for more than 20 years. I advised my concern that a judge who served that long was not the best choice to be a prosecutor. His thought process had changed in those 20 years.

My fear was that in crossing every t and dotting every i, Garland would take forever in getting things done. And now as far as Bannon is concerned, decide in the final analysis Bannon should not be criminally cited.

My concern was reflected yesterday when Garland apparel before the House Judiciary Committee. He expressed his concern for the “jail problem” as Bannon’s contempt matter might affect it. He explained something we all know. The jails are full off gangs. Some whose members on the outside may have been perpetrators on January 6.

Were they to be arrested and convicted, the jails would have increased problems as a result.

Not the way to think! The judicial system was not set up to worry about impacts resulting from arresting someone. The way it is done is to arrest forthwith and convict a perpetrator and thereafter deal with the resulting problem.

No one should be permitted to spit in the face of the United States and get away with it. Bannon was and is part of the January 6 problem. The subpoena should have been approved by Justice yesterday.

These are dark days. So many things either not moving in orderly fashion or not not moving at all. Most elected officials by their actions reflect little care for their country. And more. Everything is a mess government wise.

There is a need for joy in the land. A smile. Some kumbaya.

Several months ago, I shared with you the Italian Grocery Store video. A happy work. Provided me with a smile and laugh.

I am replaying the video today. I hope it brings you some momentary joy.

http://keywestlou.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Italian-Grocery-Store-3.mp4

Enjoy your day!

RESPECT FOR TRUMP DIMINISHING was originally published on Key West Lou

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justanoutlawfic · 6 years

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Sick Inside: A Scrabble Prequel

This isn’t me trying to justify Kathryn’s cheating in this verse. It’s just me trying to explain her side, because it is not easy loving a man who is in love with someone else.

Mentions of infidelity, if you’re not into that, don’t read.

Also on AO3

I'm just a girl who kissed a boy who is in love with someone else.-Hope Partlow

Kathryn is 23 years old when she meets David. She’s new to town, with her nursing degree and a job at Storybrooke General. The town is small and idyllic, a far cry from Boston where she grew up.

He’s handsome, tall with curly blonde hair, flashy blue eyes and a crooked grin. From the moment their eyes lock at the diner, she’s hooked. He asks her out to dinner and from there, it’s history. She had vowed not to get serious with anyone until her 30s, but there’s something about him. He cares so much for animals and those around him. She’d do anything to keep that smile on his face.

Things are good for the first month. He tells her a lot about his friends, especially one named Mary Margaret. Kathryn isn’t jealous or threatened, she’s a woman. Of course David can have friends of the opposite sex, she has them too.

And then they meet.

Mary Margaret is beautiful, one of the kindest people out there, and that makes it worse.

She and David have inside jokes, they can have these silent eye conversations. They hang on each other’s every word.

“Did you and Mary Margaret ever date?” Kathryn asks as he walks her back to their apartment.

“Of course not,” David laughs, as if it’s the most hilarious thing he’s ever heard. “She’s my best friend.”

So, that’s what Kathryn tells herself for 3 years. She continues to date David and things are good…when he’s not talking about a funny story Mary Margaret told or they’re having double dates with her boyfriend, Victor Whale. She wonders if he can see it too, but quickly realizes that he has no interest in Mary Margaret. She’s alone with her thoughts. It’s not as if David means to lead her on, she knows this. He really thinks that there’s nothing there, that this is a normal relationship to have with a best friend. He’s not trying to hurt her.

So why does her body ache whenever he mentions her name?

She thinks things will be different 2 years in when he proposes and they are, for a bit. Mary Margaret isn’t around much, she’s having her own issues with Victor and Kathryn can tell that a part of her isn’t exactly okay with the engagement. Maybe it’s mean, but Kathryn doesn’t care.

When James dies, it’s not David who tells her, but Mary Margaret. She’s at the store after work one evening and runs into her.

“I thought you’d rush right home,” Mary Margaret whispers, tilting her head. “I was just there, but he sent me away.”

“David?”

“He got a call from his step-father. James…James was killed.”

She wants to ask why David didn’t tell her, why his first call was to Mary Margaret…but she doesn’t have to. When she gets there, he’s silent, clearly in pain. So, she wraps her arms around him and does her best to comfort him, but doesn’t know how. All she ends up saying is the wrong things. Like, maybe it shouldn’t hurt so much since they didn’t talk for so long. The look he gives her makes her know she screwed up and she hates that.

She skips the wake to work a double shift and debates not going to the funeral. Mary Margaret will be there after all. But, she knows if she doesn’t go, it’s the end of their relationship and she’s not ready to let go. She’s spent 3 years in this relationship and she doesn’t want to let go now.

They’re married 3 months later. It’s a grand affair, her father walks her down the aisle. Mary Margaret is David’s “best woman” and she smiles at Kathryn, telling her how pretty she looks. Kathryn hopes again that it’s the beginning of something new.

Yet, things stay the same. David loves her, she knows that. He’d never stray or cheat, but he doesn’t open up to her the way he does Mary Margaret. She realizes that David could write a million novels about all her secrets, her fears, it all. Yet, could she even fill up a pamphlet with his own?

She feels like she’s married to a stranger. He doesn’t see it. He thinks things are fine, he’s happy with how they are, but she’s not.

And she knows she should walk away, just ask for a divorce, but that would be admitting defeat. So, she stays.

She meets Jim the same place she met David, Granny’s Diner. She’s coming off the third shift and he’s about to head to the school, where he’s a gym teacher of all things. They laugh over the irony and enjoy coffee. At first, she thinks nothing of it.

If David can have a best friend, why can’t I?

They do the same for 3 months and David seems to like him. He even offers to set Jim up with people and the thought sours Kathryn’s stomach and she doesn’t know why.

Then it’s Mary Margaret’s birthday and David gets her a beautiful scarf, because she mentioned her old one had been stolen at the grocery store. It’s so thoughtful. He buys Kathryn thoughtful gifts too, but it’s still not the same. She can see the way they look at each other and she’s had enough.

She calls Jim that night and shows up at his house in tears. She lets it all out, what she’s been holding in for the past 4 years. She’s tired of pretending like she’s happy, she’s tired of watching her husband be in denial She’s just tired.

So she sleeps…with Jim.

And she’s happy again. The pep is back in her step, she’s able to be a better wife. She’s not crying anymore.

They continue sleeping together and she knows she should end it, with one of them at least. Do it before anyone gets hurt.

Then one day, David comes home early. He switched shifts with Graham and he catches Jim’s bare ass laying on top of the sheets.

The look in his eyes, the betrayal and the hurt. Kathryn feels guilty for not feeling guilty. She doesn’t want him to hurt, but she also has spent so long doing the same.

The divorce is amicable. He gives her the apartment, she gives him their boat that he bought her for their wedding. Neither wants any money, they just want to move on.

“Why?” David whispers the day they sign the papers. “Why did you do this?”

Kathryn bites her lip and the words slide out before she can help it. “You never came to me. You always went to her.”

He doesn’t even have to ask who she’s talking about. “We’re just friends. I never…”

“I know you never cheated on me. You’re a good guy, David. You never meant to hurt me, but that doesn’t mean that you didn’t.”

“You cheated!” He exploded. “You didn’t tell me you were unhappy! You seemed fine!”

“And if you really knew me, you wouldn’t have thought that I really was!” She shouted back. “Jim knows when I’m upset! But I guarantee you if I had a pixie cut and taught 4th grade, you’d know exactly when I was down!”

“That’s not fair! I’m not a mind reader!”

And she knows she could’ve said something, she knows he’s right. Yet, she also knows it wouldn’t have made much difference.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” she whispers and she means it. “But I am not sorry for finally letting myself be happy. Let’s just walk away from this as a lesson learned.’

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t date someone else until you’ve really thought through your feelings for Mary Margaret. No one else deserves this.”

And with that, she walks out of the courthouse, tears burning in her eyes. She knows she wasn’t 100% right.

But she’s also not 100% wrong.

#scrabble verse #snowing #snowing au #jim x kathryn #kathryn nolan #abigail x frederick #frederick x abigail

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centolutions · 3 years

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#101) Write stellar Christmas letter for 2020

This could have been a bigger challenge, since the year itself wasn’t consistently, well, stellar. But the inspiration hit. The letter is written, and now all we need to do is stuff the envelopes and get it in the mail.

Dear Diary, January 1st, 2020

I had the strangest dream this morning. A microscopic cell grew so large it blotted out the sun like an eclipse, with only the glow from the corona visible. People fled into their homes and stayed inside. Those that ventured out suffered one of two fates. They either fell to their knees in a fit of coughing, or they started speaking one of two opposite languages and shouting at those people that didn’t understand them. I looked at the calendar in my dream, and the date read ‘Friday the 13th’. I’m not sure what this means, but I’m glad I woke up from that scary nightmare. I’m really looking forward to 2020 because I think everyone will look back on the year as we near Christmas and, with 20-20 hindsight, be able to say “I can see clearly now!”

Fast forward to December, 2020.

Okay, so admit it. Some parts of this year definitely felt like a dream. And for some people, there were portions of the year which seem nightmarish and they don’t want to reoccur. But, life finds a path forward like a river finding its way to the ocean. Something may come up to temporarily block the flow, but the water finds a new route, past new vistas, creating new opportunities for growth along the way. I’ll give you three examples.

Case I: The Newlyweds

I’ll admit, I was skeptical. “You want to have a wedding in Colorado for two people with families from Ohio? And you want to do this in January? And you want to have an Ice Cream Truck for guests to walk up to – OUTSIDE???” But with that famous 20-20 hindsight, I must say, Beth and Karl’s wedding on January 3rd in Denver was an incredibly wonderful event. The ceremony (like the bride) was beautiful! The sacrament was reverent! The weather was incredible (mid-50s in early January) And the reception celebration was kick-a,, um, was a lot of fun!

Life seemed as delicious for the newlyweds as a scoop of Sweet Cow ice cream from the Moo Mobile. Then Covid-19 hit Colorado, one trip after another for Karl was pulled from the COR schedule, and Beth and the rest of the Camp Wojtyla staff had to make the decision to cancel summer camp for 2020. But they both stayed positive, turned an EconoLiner into an EconoLodger in their down time. And in late Spring, life happened. Quite literally! The couple is expecting their baby in February. Chris and I are looking forward to visiting them in Lander, WY to welcome our first grandchild. We’re also looking forward to Yaktrax™ and a renewed appreciation for sub-zero degree weather.

Case II: The Busted Block

As mentioned in previous Christmas missives, we really appreciated Steve’s job at the movie theatre. He would bring home interesting stories about the guests - - - and free tickets for his parents! When the reality of the mid-March stay-at-home order in Ohio set in by early-April, Cinemark told all their employees that they were not only laid off, but that they would not be guaranteed a job when the theatres re-opened. Everyone would need to interview for consideration to be re-hired.

No summer blockbusters! No steady income! No free tickets for Chris and I! “No problem!”, Steve said. He reached out to a few contractors and got himself a new career in home (and other building) repair, renovation, and remodeling. He now has more hours “building back better” with his construction crew than he got at the theatre, earns more per-hour, and is already building (pun intended) his own clientele list. Plus our own house has gotten some very nice updates as he’s practiced some masonry, plumbing, painting and shed-repair skills.

Case III: The Move Up North

Late January was the end of Grace’s two-year commitment to Children’s Protective Services for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. She decided that she was going to move from Lexington to Ann Arbor and attend U of M for her Masters in Social Work. So on March 13th (yes, Friday the 13th), we moved Grace out of Lexington, on March 14th she moved her furniture and goods to her new apartment in Ann Arbor, and on March 15th, Governor Whitmer closed down the state of Michigan.

Before the move (and the pandemic), Grace was worried about finding a job. But Kroger was more than happy to have any willing body help with Pick List shopping, and Grace found herself waking up at 4:30 am to grab other people’s groceries. Unfortunately, Grace’s brand new roommates became ex-roommates after six weeks since their lost jobs meant they had to change their living plans. Undeterred, she found a new place to live with a lovely, retired U of M Professor, who got Grace connected with two other U of M contacts through which she landed two new jobs.

And with U of M itself using significant online learning, Grace opted to defer the start of graduate school till Fall 2021. The additional time allowed her to decide that Ann Arbor is the place she wants to stay (at least for a while). And with that, two other decisions followed. In June, Grace welcomed Koda B. Nadler into the family. Koda is an adorable young mother of four, a little over 60 lbs., and loves getting her back scratched and chasing after squeaky toys. In December, Grace closed on a house in Ypsilanti. The two big selling points for Grace? A fenced in back yard for Koda to play in, and a chicken coop (which won’t get any chickens until Koda learns not to eat them).

Now, the purpose of this note is not to say take those lemons thrown at you in 2020 and turn them into lemonade. In addition to health, economic and social concerns unique to the year, there were moments with a bitter note that can happen any year. Dorothy Nadler (Mom / Grandma) passed away on June 22nd, after managing Parkinson’s for over a decade. She moved into a Skilled Nursing Facility last October and was getting along pretty well. But with Covid-19 spreading across the country, the nursing home went into lockdown. Starting in March she wasn’t allowed to have visitors. And while the virus did find its way into the facility in April, and Mom even tested positive the second week, she remained asymptomatic for an entire month. A Parkinson’s-related infection sent her to the hospital in May. Once she recovered from that, she was released to a hospice center in Defiance, OH in early June. She was able to have visitors every day, limit of two at a time. Dad was happy to be one of those two visitors nearly every day. Mom was focused on celebrating the wedding shower for Kelly Nadler (now Steffan) on June 20th, a goal which she accomplished. We miss her each and every day, and are so fortunate to have had her with us for so many years.

But, as said earlier, life continues to flow. In addition to Tessa, who Chris has been watching for over a year now, another energy-filled three-year old can be found at Chez Nadler once or so per week. And when those two get going, it doesn’t matter what room I’m using as my home office. My CareSource colleagues will ask “Did you say something, Dave?” on the teleconference. I’ll say ‘No, it’s the toddlers’, and the others with children haunting their own home offices will give knowing nods.

Here’s hoping you, your families and your friends have a peaceful transition into a healthy and happy 202One. May God’s love and joy warm your hearts and souls. And, please, for those of you that wish for a memorable year next year, make sure to wish for happy memories.

With Love,

Chris and Dave

[and Beth(+1) and Karl, Steve, Grace, Zing, Dixie, Koda, and the fish who I’m not sure we ever named] (old habits are hard to break)

#CentolutionEngage

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slutforpoetryx · 6 years

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1-99

Thanks so much for all the entertainment cutie 💜💙1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk?Hmm I think it's pretty equal like a perfect combination of both. I don't like my cereal to be soggy or drown in milk but I also don't like it when it's "too hard" 😂 I like the right amount of crunch though 2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?I love it, I really do. Those first few moments of being outside are super refreshing and awakening but after a while of being outside, well my face starts to numb so I don't even feel the wind anymore hahahaha3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books?I can only come up with 2 rn. I've used like tickets from the grocery store, even toilet paper 😂 oh wait I even once used a plastic ruler 4: how do you take your coffee/tea?I like my coffee with milk and 1 sugar cube, my tea either without sugar or 1 sugar cube but that depends on what kind of tea it is. I just don't like it too sweet but I also don't like too bitter so then I'll use 1 cube 🙂 as for the coffee though, I rarely drink regular like I prefer something mocha ish or coconut/bounty from a really good place in Leuven 5: are you self-conscious of your smile?Oh for sure, a little too much probably. I just think it looks weird or ugly. Also because I don't like my teeth, a few years back it was so intense I'd do everything to avoid smiling while showing my teeth. It was ridiculous. I did get over that in the sense that I don't pay attention to it anymore like I'm trying to show my teeth but I do still hate it 6: do you keep plants?Fake ones, orchids and we used to have cacti as well. We don't really do real plants anymore because we forget to water them and then it's just a sad waste. But I do love the fake ones a lot. They look real, brighten up the place and so on 🌵7: do you name your plants?I don't think I ever did 🤔8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?Writing, definitely writing. I've always loved it, the paper doesn't judge yet you get to out what you feel and putting it into words, the mess of thoughts, can really straighten things out. I've been writing ever since I was around 14 so for about 6 years now. I don't do it as much as I used to but I still hold it dear ✒9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?Damn right I do!!! I sing and hum whenever I can, like no matter what I'm doing. Goes from cleaning to working for class to walking outside. At home they tell me to shut up though, since apparently my singing sounds like a cat dying ☺ luckily I still have the shower 10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach?I sleep on my back, side and stomach actually. It just really depends what I'm feeling that evening. Sometimes I can't fall asleep in a certain position and other days I can. It's weird really but I think my all time fav is like half stomach/half back. Also perfectly comfortable for the boobs.... Tmi sorry 11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?Oh shit I don't know actually 🤔 hmmm probably how I got the nickname Nuno since it's like something only my friends know of and my man 12: what’s your favorite planet?I actually don't know that much about the planets. But mercury looks beautiful imo so imma go for that one 13: what’s something that made you smile today?I don't think I've smiled today 😂 waaaait no I did, when you sent me that you asked questions and then that you look forward to reading them oh wait a few things you said today made me smile actually 💕14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?It would look modern but cozy and the old touch of it would be respected. There would be fake plants and carpets. Many pictures and art work up against the wall too. The kitchen would have a major rack of spices and herbs. Oh and a balcony with lights 🙂15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!This is a dope one, the skin peeling off feet was pretty cool too though but I chose.....You become taller in Space. Another change to the human body in micro-gravity is that spine straightens out, as gravity is not pushing you down. In fact you can be up to as much as 5cm taller in the Space Station!!!16: what’s your favorite pasta dish?Definitely the pasta Arrabiata, the spice is just mmm 😩17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?I actually already have died my hair in colors I really wanted it to be. I've had red and blonde hair. For now I'm content with my own color but I might definitely change it up again at some point18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.I've done so many dumb and funny things 😂 I am pretty sure the dumbest thing I've done that is always brought up is when me and my friends went on a trip for like a few days and I was drunk during the day, it was hot and we had tequila and what not so everything like worked a lot faster and heavier. But my friends had been flirting with some dudes there so I thought it was good to start cleaning our apartment so they could invite them over hahahaha I was a mess and I was vacuuming the couch that was covered in popcorn from the night before and it was just yeah, I still get laughed at for it 😂19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?I've tried several times to keep an actual journal but for some reason it never really worked so I gave up on it 20: what’s your favorite eye color?Green, it's so special and mesmerizing. I've actually never seen the color irl cause it seems pretty rare and I also don't know many people but I just know and from what I've seen on pictures, it's the most perfect to me 😍21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.It's like an eastpack lookalike for 10 euros, dark brown. I used it for everything. School, vacations, 1 day trips, festivals ... Honestly the quality was so bomb, actually still is cause I bought it a 2nd time 🙂 anyway, it ended up having holes at the bottom of the bag, it was ripping for real. The front pocket turned into a mess of melted throat tablets cause I put it against the heating next to me in class. Never opened it again. There were earphones in that and for some reason a spoon too 😂 I've been careful with it, thrown with it. Everything 22: are you a morning person?I wish I was, like I really wish I could get out of bed easily and start my day but instead I either don't wake up or I do as a zombie and need a lot of snooze moments 23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?Watch tv series and movies, no doubt about it. It's my way of escaping life and I love it a lot 24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?Yes there is, you 🙂25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into?I don't think I've ever broken into a place. Only an abandoned castle but it doesn't have doors so like..... But I've also had to climb through a window at home cause I forgot my key and no one was home so but does that even count idk26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit?Rn my black vans but I've only had them for over half a year now so it doesn't really count. However my first pair of vans ever when I was 12 something I wore with everything. They were my all time go to, super comfy and easy to put on. I wore them for years like at some point the side was coming loose and you vould see my socks like with both shoes even and I still wore them 😂 it was horrible, I was attached to them and couldn't let go. My mom had suggested throwing them away a couple of times but I refused. She eventually took matters into her own hands and threw them away. I fished them back and I still have them somewhere.....27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor?Vanilla mint or peppermint, either really 28: sunrise or sunset?I think both have their own charms really. I can't choose like the sunrise is the start of the day, early in the morning when the world is just waking up while a sunset is when everyone is coming alive. Both colors are vibrant, light up the soul 🌄🌅29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing?I don't really know actually. I think it has to be when a friend of mine talks about how much he loves his gf, he absolutely adores her and like it's as if he's in heaven when he talks about her30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared?Yes, many times actually 31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.Oh my... I love socks. I have so many different socks and it's just yes. I love weird socks, I have socks with a cactus on it but also with the brightest colors possible, dots all over or flowers. I had a period of time where I would wear 2 different socks 😂 I'm all about fluffy socks too to wear at home. I sleep with socks when my feet feel like ice cubes and I can't warm them up but halfway through the night I'll get crazy annoyed and take them off. White socks are weird and boring. They make me think of white dads wearing sandals..... 32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.Have I ever been awake even after 3 with friends hahahahah oh wait I know. We were all asleep but I woke up once and found myself in like my own drool for some reason and I went like "oh fuck" so I moved my ass and made it seem like it wasn't from me just in case anyone would see it 😳33: what’s your fave pastry?Hmmm I love so many tbh. I think one of my favs is the one with frangipane in the middle like that shit is to die for. If they have it, guaranteed I'll pick that one 🤤34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?I actually didn't have a stuffed animal, at least my fav wasn't one. I carried around a pillow case. My mom used to work at night and I couldn't fall asleep so my dad took my mom's used pillow case and put me to sleep with it. I never let it go again. It was white with blue stripes and I still have it. As for a stuffed animal, I did have one actually, called Stippel. A ladybug hahaha. I might still have it somewhere35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often?I do like those but never use them, I only use really simple and cheap pens because I don't write much anymore 36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now?Hmm maybe A Day to Remember. Nothing too cheery but powerful or Papa Roach, same thing37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean?I like keeping it clean but rarely do so actually. Laziness gets the best of me 🙄38: tell us about your pet peeves!I think people desperately fishing for compliments is one and another is people making comments about another person's appearance. In the sense that it's often rude and with disregard of their feelings or the possible effects of it. I have more I think but these 2 come to mind right away 39: what color do you wear the most?Grey/black, I do try to wear more color since I've started to like that more and appreciate it too. However my closet is still mostly dark 40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you?I have a pair of earrings, cherries. My brother got them for me when I was younger, thought they looked cute and chose them for me. If I remember it right he even paid for it with the money he got for like birthdays etc so I cherish them dearly 41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving?That has to be "My favorite mistake", it's one of the last ones I remember reading. It's a really nice love story and also has a lot to do with letting your walls down and letting someone special in 42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it!I do actually, it's in Leuven. It's super tiny but it has like fake plants all over it and the front is entirely made of glass. There's a little bar and people can use iPads there. They have the best coffee I ever had tbh. Like so many special kinds too. They also have fresh smoothies and juices, along with a variety of tea43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?My mom hahahaha 44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?I actually don't remember a moment like that, things have been too much lately. Even in my sleep I haven't felt at peace 45: do you trust your instincts a lot?I never do actually or at least not a lot. I always think I'm wrong about everything and jusy have very little faith in myself and my abilities46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.I clogged the toilet, it was a shitty situation. I need to go to hell I swear 😂😂😂47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?Lobster and goose liver, both include torture so I'm against it heavily. Have never and will never eat it 48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today?Probably the dark and being abandoned so yes both are still the same hahaha 49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought?I do like it actually and there's something very classy about records, I just love it. Hope to own one myself one day, a recordplayer. The last one I bought was for my mom actually, of Oscar and the wolf50: what’s an odd thing you collect?Screenshots ☺ hahahaha no idk I collected Little Petshop animals as a kid, Me to You bears and I still collect gems so 51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them?Robin Schulz & Richard Judge - Show me love 52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?Oh the couple one where the guy looks at the 2nd girl and then the uh Joe Biden ones too idk many really 53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them?I've unfortunately never watched any of those but they are all on my list to watch actually, all classics and I love those 54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?My mom's yesterday after leaving my dog at the vet.. She teared up badly55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point?I don't think I've ever done something truly dramatic to prove a point really 🤔 I don't recall anything at least56: what are some things you find endearing in people?- An amazing sense of humor- Listening skills- Care for animals- Adventure oriented- Respecting, being real- Honesty- ... 57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?Hahahahaha this song always gets to me and does make me dramatically reenact the lyrics. I once sang this one with friends and we filmed it, tried to make our own music video on it. It was a flop for sure but we had the best time58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why?Jolien is the wine mom, also because she has a glass of wine often and I'm definitely the vodka aunt, it's me 😇 59: what’s your favorite myth?"According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves." - Plato 60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?I love poetry, I've been quite busy with it myself at some point. I think Shakespeare's sonnets are some of my favs along With Edgar Allan Poe's. Both are true geniuses 61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received?I don't know if I've ever given a stupid gift, not to brag but I always go for something personal. Pick up on the things people mention and get them something like that so they're never really disappointed and also don't consider their gifts stupid. As for the stupidest I've ever received, I have no idea again. I'd say something like underwear but I actually love getting that so 🤷‍♀️ hahahaha 62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind?I don't actually 63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be?My music I don't have organized, unless it's like a file on my laptop but my books are definitely all nicely put on their shelve and in a way that it goes from like the biggest book to the smallest 😂 so I'm not that strict but I also don't like for them to be in any other order than that so 64: what color is the sky where you are right now?Dark dark daaaaark blue. It's almost midnight so65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with?No one actually, I'm fine on my own and don't feel the need to hang out with anyone whatsoever66: what would your ideal flower crown look like?Pretty simple, faded pink with white or either bright/dark red with white. I think those are beautiful colors67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?I love it even though it also scares me. It feels idk empty but like a peaceful kind, like the world has stopped spinning for a bit and you can really take a deep breath 68: what’s winter like where you live?It snows for like 3 days, the whole country is in panic. The ER is flooded, car accidents everywhere. The trains stop working and the busses don't show up. The rest is rain and cold 😂69: what are your favorite board games?Hmm monopoly, "mens erger je niet" (sorry don't know the English translation) and yahtzee 70: have you ever used a ouija board?No never and even though I'm curious, I'm also way too scared to try it because I believe in ghosts/spirits so much71: what’s your favorite kind of tea?Something forest fruit ish, it's perfect really. But I love many kinds. Citrus and red fruits, apple/cinnamon, earl grey, ...72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it?I definitely have to note things down but even that I often forget 😂 my organizing skills are uh not so present 73: what are some of your worst habits?Acting very childish is the worst one for sure. Aside from that leaving things messy and procrastinating are my other worst ones. Trying to work on all, bit by bit but old and bad habits die hard 😕74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns./ these are weird questions75: tell us about your pets!Vinkie: he's a bird that fell out of the nest into our garden but with the cats living here he would've quickly died so we took him in and took care of him, fed him and he's been with us for over 5 years now. Singing to us 🙂Whisper: he's an agapornis, mini parrot. He's something else. He makes a loooot of noise so his name is quite ironic. He has a big ass cage where he flies and climbs around in. Whenever there's music on he will whistle along. He jumps up when we walk by too fast but when the cat is sitting next to his cage he'll try to grab their tails 😂 same for the dogs.....Chanel: she's a rescue dog from Greece. She came to us as a foster but we all, my brother mostly, got attached to her so we decided to keep her. She's really smart, she knows how to open doors and even flip the keys. She follows her nose wherever it takes her, even if that means jumping over a 1m50 gate and take herself for a walk. We run after her nearly daily but she's a sweetheart. She adores to cuddle and is extremely soft. She's also made of elastic and has a crazy flexibilityIdéfix: my little man. Tossed in a dumpster in a plastic bag, comes from Spain. He's a real cutie, will do whatever to be able to be close to me and lie on my lap. He's also a little bastard that knows exactly how to jump on the table, dressoir, chairs and garden table. He snores and sighs like the cutest. He loves fruit and even pickles Sky: she's a cane corso, big girl. But a real sweety too. She loves cuddles and if she could then she would get on my lap as well which she actually does. She uses her size to her advantage to sit on top of Idéfix to get his spot. She drools like crazy when waiting for her food. She adores snow and waterAtalo: the boss at home. He's Idéfix's best friend. He's a very loyal dog, sometimes stubborn asf though. He is very gentle and will always take a treat with his tongue and not his teeth. He watches over his pack like a real guard dog and when crying he will wipe the tears away. He comes from Greece Lucky: we took her home with us when we went on a trip to Greece. She was only 2 weeks old and we bottle fed her. She's a real badass. She will smack me to let me know she needs food and she yells to get inside or go outside. She like sleeping under blankets close to whoever she's sharing the bed withJoy: she's a bully, she will slap the others when they walk by and she bites everyone who pets her but asks to be pet. She's a little fatty and looks really funny when she runs. Occasionaly she gets on my lap for cuddlesKyoko: I can carry her around like a baby and she will attack when I try to put her down cause she doesn't want that. She's really sweet and tries to cuddle with the dogs when they're near her. She does kinda live at the back of the house cause the rest is too busy for her 76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t?I guess summarizing but I wanted to take a break so I guess I don't have to do anything rn and can answer these questions to keep myself entertained and distracted 77: pink or yellow lemonade?Yellow well or orange 78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?Fanclub, they're fucking adorable and clumsy. I get why some might get annoyed by the little guys but I mean come on, they're just animated movie characters like the fuss was a bit too extreme 79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?The person I love most has done many cute things for me. Took a picture of 2 flowers that reminded him of us. But he also writes stories, one in particular about Poppy and Wormy which warmed my heart. His entire presence is the cutest thing ever to me 🍅80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why?They're dark brown, light green and cream color. I chose all because of their earthly tones and idk I like having warm, calming tones. Green also used to be my absolute fav color 81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of./ again really odd and I don't even remember their eyes..... Woops 82: are/were you good in school?I used to be in elementary, then started slacking once high school started. Got better again, started slacking again. Graduated high school, barely. Then dropped out of uni and trying to make it in college rn so we'll see how "good" I am once the exams have passed83: what’s some of your favorite album art?/84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones?I'm not planning on anything, even though I'm always thinking of it because of the love I have for tattoos but rn idk, I need to be more sure before I can say I have an actual idea. I want it to be meaningful but also not mainstream85: do you read comics? what are your faves?I don't hahaha, I'd love to one day though 86: do you like concept albums? which ones?I'm pretty sure idek what those are. Lemme google real quick, ok do I don't know any but the idea seems really cool to me 87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?Every single Disney classic obviously. But also uhm 🤔 88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy?Is Banksy a movement? 🤔 cause then yes, aside from that I really have no idea how to interpret this question so please bare with my stupidity 89: are you close to your parents?I am really close with my mom, a lot more distant with my dad but it's okay90: talk about your one of you favorite cities.Venice; it's so dreamy there. It's almost unreal like the lives are so different there. The streets are made out of water most of the time, everything goes by boat or on foot. It's so beautiful like the buildings are really something else, incredible architecture. Very colorful and the little gardens here and there brighten it up. But also the squares are super cozy, benches and trees everywhere, surrounded by houses. When I went there it was raining so everyone was walking around with all different kinds of umbrellas, in the small streets there was the occasional bump and hair drag. I loved the small stores, they sell beautiful masks there that made me dream of a masked ball. And the food, my god the food 😩91: where do you plan on traveling this year?Nowhere unfortunately hahaha but it's okay, have many more years to come so I can wait 92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?When I was little I didn't want aaaaaany cheese on my pasta and at this point in my life I prefer to drown my pasta in it. Just the way it melts ugh fuck it's perfect 🍝🧀93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most?Loose hair, sometimes a ponytail or a bun 94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday?My mom, the 17th of December 😍🎉🎈95: what are your plans for this weekend?Studying my ass off for the upcoming exams that I'm extremely anxious about but oh well, can't escape it.... Unfortunately 🙄96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?The last update I procrastinated for nearly 3 months.... So you tell me HAHAHAHA I know it takes hours and usually when I'm on my laptop, I really need it right then and there so it sucks and then I forget. The update took 4 hours so, you get it 97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house?Myer Briggs type: INFPZodiac sign: Aquarius Hogwarts house: I like to believe I'm Gryffindor 98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?I can't remember the last time I went hiking, I think it's been almost 2 years, yes something like that. When I went to Italy in 201699: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.- Tell me you love me by Demi Lovato- I'll be good by Jaymes Young - Love the way you lie by Rihanna & Eminem- OK by Robin Schulz & James Blunt- Praying by Kesha- High hopes by Kodaline.... I love you 💙

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travelbases4u · 4 years

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Solo Female Travel

So you need to go out traveling yet have nobody to travel with? If you don't mind it would be ideal if you kindly don't let that prevent you from traveling! I'm here to reveal to you that performance travel can be one of the most compensating approaches to travel.

Alright, I get it. This isn't something the vast majority do. Be that as it may, why?

Since the entirety of the independent travelers, I meet out there on my travels completely love it. I presently can't seem to meet a lady who's lamented her choice of traveling alone. I appreciate these ladies to such an extent. In case you're wondering whether you should make the transition to design a performance trip, let me help you out. Allows first location what's imaginable at the forefront of your thoughts (security? dejection?). At that point, we should discuss every one of the advantages of this interesting experience.

What are the threats?

In many individual's minds, solo travel isn't considered as an alternative because of reasons identified with how it will "likely" being exhausting, desolate and risky. There is nothing further from reality.

For what reason is the world so terrified of solo female travel? Everybody watches the news, and I'm accepting a great deal of us have additionally viewed Taken. There are such a large number of revealed instances of ladies getting looted, defrauded, pickpocketed, hijacked, assaulted, or more regrettable. With the entirety of this stuff in the media, it's nothing unexpected that ladies are frequently informed that they ought to never walk alone, climb alone, or travel alone.

These dangers are for the most part truly conceivable, to the two ladies and men the same. Being ladies, we're increasingly defenseless to being focused on. Does this imply ladies eventually shouldn't travel alone? Obviously not! It just implies that there are a couple of additional safeguards that we need to take so as to guarantee our wellbeing (the greater part of which you're most likely previously doing).

All things considered, these dangers are for the most part entirely conceivable at home as well. All in all, in the event that you realize how to stroll around securely and deal with yourself in your old neighborhood, is there any valid reason why you wouldn't have the option to do that in another nation? It's something very similar! Remain cautious, any place you are.

I would state being distant from everyone else abroad is even less alarming than being separated from everyone else at home. Here's the reason: odds are you're going to thickly populated territories where you'll experience individuals ready to support you, numerous other individual travelers, and huge amounts of observers to keep anything downright awful from occurring.

Why you shouldn’t be afraid.

In case you're reluctant due to security concerns, read previously. In case you're apprehensive about being forlorn or potentially feeling alone, kindly allude to the performance travel benefits segment underneath. On the off chance that you couldn't tell as of now, I'm an immense devotee of traveling alone and I need to expose any negative predispositions you may have about the experience!

Something to remember when all is said in done… If you enable dread to direct your life, you'll never push ahead. This applies to different parts of life too, yet I won't get into that.

Nobody goes on performance experience and thinks back on their life when they're 80 years of age and thinks, "gracious man I truly lamented that". What they'll lament isn't going. What they'll lament isn't finding a good pace and opportunity while traveling.

With total freedom, your travels experiences are more spontaneous.

With nobody to rely upon or consider, you're allowed to do whatever you kindly at whatever point you please. There are no stresses over whether your companion is exhausted, in the event that they need to see this rather than that, on the off chance that you folks concur on a similar eatery for lunch, and so on. Anything is possible for you, so you go out there and you appreciate it.

It can be a lot cheaper.

At the point when you travel alone, it is a lot simpler to stay aware of your spending limit since you are the person who chooses what to see, where to remain, and what to eat. Lodgings are in many cases path less expensive than parting a lodging, regardless of whether there are a couple of individuals to part with. On the off chance that you have a feeling that you've been eating out or going out something over the top, you can get a speedy feast from the grocery store, skirt the beverages, and remain in without persuading anybody or let anybody down. No friend pressure implies you can do what is best for your wallet!

You’re able to focus on what matters.

Perhaps you have that one companion who simply adores catching the ideal photograph of herself presenting by the cascade or at the post. Fifteen minutes pass by and you all wind up as yet taking a million photographs of one another. Well when you're traveling alone, you can't generally do that. Also, you may even find that you won't generally need to.

It's such a great amount of simpler to concentrate on what is important to you. You can sit in harmony and truly absorb that view. You can tune into your environment and individuals watch. Regardless of what you appreciate, you will live and feel in the present like never before. All the more critically, you'll do what works for you to appreciate an encounter, as opposed to doing what others appreciate.

There will be no drama.

When traveling with others, you're with one another truly all day, every day. Probably, there will be at any rate one occurrence where you folks oppose this idea. There will be something that will start to infuriate you or your travel amigos. This can cause a strain on even the nearest connections. When traveling solo, the main show you'll experience will be against yourself and your powerlessness to settle on pizza or pasta. Genuinely, however, this is a significant advantage.

You will get to know yourself better.

When you are out there without anyone else, you will be looked at expecting to settle on choices for yourself and defeating any feelings of trepidation you may experience. In doing as such, you'll find such a great amount about yourself and have a superior comprehension of the amount you are able to do. Traveling opens you to crude encounters, great and awful, and you truly leave it an alternate individual. As a general rule, you'll get back with extraordinary self-improvement and an increasingly open outlook.

People are kinder and more willing to help.

A lot of my companions don't have a constructive picture of Paris as a result of "the individuals". As I would like to think, Paris had a portion of the more pleasant individuals I'd experienced during my 3.5 month trip in Europe (I saw individuals as increasingly unemotional and harsh in Poland, haha). I think this has to do with the way that I was an independent traveler. Rather than being boisterous or disagreeable, I was careful and glad to experience individuals. Rather than being occupied by discussion (I'm not having one), I gave more consideration to my environment and grinned at the individuals I passed in the city.

Individuals will pay heed to how you anticipate and hold yourself and will respond thusly. Be benevolent, and others will follow. Local people will start a well-disposed discussion with you, grasp it! You're fortunate to have the option to encounter this!

You get to enjoy experiences that parties of 2+ would never experience.

At the point when I was in Rome, I plunked down as a gathering of one at an adorable little café. The server inquired as to whether he could situate another independent traveler opposite me since every single other table was involved. The man that plunked down wound up uncovering that he lived 30 minutes from my old neighborhood and that quickly broke the ice. We wound up sharing stories, snickers, a container of wine, supper, and tiramisu together and even finished the night with more gelato a short time later. Absolutely arbitrary, however, had I not been separated from everyone else that night, I would have never met such a charitable individual. Right up 'til the present time, that remaining parts outstanding amongst other supper discussions I think I've at any point had. Encounters like this truly make solo travel beneficial for me.

People are more open with you.

In case you're traveling solo and remaining in lodgings, odds are there are a huge amount of others in a similar pontoon as you. Everybody is new around, everybody is likely lost and alone, so you all offer that in like manner. Why not visit somebody up? Likely, they'd respect the social communication. Inns are ideal for this sort of thing.

You'll be astonished by how rapidly travelers open up. Finding a workable pace story is extremely charming and you shouldn't pass up inquiring. You'll have the option to get travel tips and life exercises from them while sharing your very own portion encounters. The travel network is a truly giving one and you'll see the individuals as amazingly well disposed and remarkable.

Travel friends = lifelong friends.

You meet a huge amount of individuals, some of which you'll make solid ties with them. In case you're traveling solo and remaining in lodgings, odds are there are a huge amount of others in a similar vessel as you. Every so often, you'll see somebody you truly click with, discover that they're likewise visiting for X number of days, and choose to collaborate on your experiences. This is the beginning of a blooming fellowship! Try to keep your hat on, you can truly find a workable pace individual in a couple of days. Particularly because independent travelers are increasingly inclined to opening up and being neighborly. I can't disclose to you what number of recollections I've made with complete outsiders just by going through lunch, a day or an end of the week with them.

With the pervasiveness of web-based life nowadays, it's so natural to stay in contact with individuals, even a long time after your travels. Also, making associations with different travelers implies you'll have another system of companions spreading over the globe. At the point when you get around to visiting them, you'll have an individual visit control demonstrating you around their home–a greater amount of a reason to travel!

Conversations with the people you meet are more meaningful.

One on one methods not engaging surface-level discussions so as to incorporate everybody. You can get extremely profound, participating in discussions life yearnings, stresses, and objectives, and plunge profound into the ways that each driven you to where you folks are currently. A portion of my most critical discussions was with individuals I met during my performance travels. To have the option to see another person's life point of view when they originate from the path over the globe, and afterward to share yours with them is a genuine gift.

You’ll gain so much self-confidence.

Being without anyone else and being compelled to settle on choices for yourself will show you important abilities. Thusly, you'll start to confide in yourself more, which will make you an increasingly sure individual. The abilities and the certainty that you increase can be applied all for a mind-blowing duration, not simply to travel. Also, you'll depend less on others' organization and appreciate doing things alone more. Score.

You’ll be hooked to solo travel after your first experience!

When you start to encounter the advantages of solo travel, sooner or later on a gathering excursion, you may even wish you were traveling without your companions! There are such huge numbers of advantages of solo travel, such a significant number of learnings to be uncovered, and boundless encounters to be had. Solo female travel advances self-improvement, care, and freedom. It's an encounter that I figure each lady ought to completely give themselves if they're even marginally intrigued.

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darcyfarber · 5 years

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42 Ways to Get Money When You Need Money Now

Nobody has a money tree in their backyard that grows dollar bills you can pick on-demand. However, you can still get free money right now if you’re dealing with an unexpected bill, home repair, medical expense, or whatever it may be that is causing you to scramble for a quick money WITHOUT having to borrow it.

With a little hustle and creativity, you can begin implementing these ideas today to quickly increase your cash flow.

Believe me, my wife and I have had to raise cash quickly without paying late fees or borrowing money. Even if you have enough money in your emergency fund to cover a surprise expense, you can quickly replenish your balance with these earning hacks as well.

I Need Money Now, Where Can I Get it Fast?

The good news is if you really need money right now, you can get money right now. Whether you want to make money from home, from an app on your phone or you’re willing to put your skills to work, here are some great ways to start earning income today.

Table of Contents

I Need Money Now, Where Can I Get it Fast?

1. Trade In Your Cell Phone and Put $475 in Your Pocket

2. Get Money Sent to Your PayPal For Your Opinion

3. Deliver Food, Drinks and Groceries to People

4. Become an Uber Driver

5. Deliver for Uber Eats

6. Become an Airbnb Host

7. Get Paid to Play Games

8. Save Money and Make Money with the Honey App

9. Complete Mini-Online Tasks

10. Trim Automatically Gets Rid of Your "Gray Charges"

11. Get a quick $10 with Ebates (now called Rakuten)

12. Become a TaskRabbit

13. Freelance Online with Fiverr

14. Sell Locally on Craigslist

15. Scan Grocery Receipts and Get $10

16. Picking Up Dog Poop

17. Cancel Your Cable TV Subscription

18. Switch to a Health Sharing Plan

19. Refinance Your Debt

20. Rent Out Your Car

21. Sell Unwanted Gift Cards

22. Sell Unused Clothing

23. Sell Your Old Books

24. Sell Movies, Music, and Video Games

25. Sell Old Electronics

26. Sell Used Furniture

27. Sell Your Car

28. Have a Yard Sale

29. Donate Plasma

30. Babysit

31. Pet Sitting and Dog Walking

32. Clean Houses

33. Mow Lawns

34. Shovel Snow

35. Clean Gutters and Rake Leaves

36. Pressure Wash Houses

37. Paint Houses

38. Become a Handyman

39. Collect Scrap Metal

40. Deliver Newspapers

41. Deliver Phone Books

42. Cut Firewood

Summary

1. Trade In Your Cell Phone and Put $475 in Your Pocket

Buyback Boss is who I continue to use whenever we upgrade to a new phone because they guarantee the most money for your phone and they send same-day payments via check or PayPal.

If you have an old phone in a drawer somewhere, why not sell it today and get paid ASAP? Think of that old phone as cash sitting in your drawer that you need right now.

You can also downgrade to last year’s model (often getting the phone for a few dollars with a new contract) and sell your current phone for up to $475. Here’s a screenshot I snapped of the latest offer I received on my current used phone (iPhone X) in good condition.

2. Get Money Sent to Your PayPal For Your Opinion

Survey Junkie is a great place to start because cash can be deposited into your PayPal account, or you can get paid out via Amazon or Target gift cards for simply giving you opinion online.

We also have a full list of all different types of survey companies who are looking to pay people for their opinions on different products and brands. You can see the full list of the top survey companies here.

Our Top Pick: Survey Junkie has been around since 2005 and is the most trusted in the survey industry with a Trustpilot Rating of 4.4/5.

You can start making money today by checking out Survey Junkie here.

3. Deliver Food, Drinks and Groceries to People

Have you heard of Postmates?

Postmates is a service where people can order food, drinks and groceries and have them available for delivery or pickup. The people who provide that service and get paid, are people just like yourself.

Postmates states that experienced couriers can earn up to $25 an hour and work on their own hours.

However, if you only want to deliver groceries to people, then you should also sign up for Instacart.

Instacart pays people quickly to deliver groceries from grocery store to their clients doorstep. Currently, people working with Instacart are making anywhere from $50 – $1,000 per month as a side hustle.

4. Become an Uber Driver

Uber is a great option if you have a car and like interacting with people. There are two additional reasons to consider driving for Uber:

Flexible hours

Weekly pay

Signup incentive for new drivers

Another reason to consider Uber is for their schedule flexibility; you drive when you have time and aren’t beholden to a specific shift or having to be available at least X hours a week.

You can find more information here to determine if driving with Uber is right for you.

5. Deliver for Uber Eats

Uber Eats allows you earn on your own schedule by delivering food from restaurants to people.

The best thing about Uber Eats is you get to choose your wheels based on the city you live in. Depending on your city, you can deliver for Uber Eats via your car, bike or scooter. Just turn on the app in the morning before work, when you get home, or whenever you have some extra time to make money on your terms.

Also, the driver qualifications are less stringent for Uber Eats. In case you don’t meet the age and vehicle requirements to be a full-fledged Uber driver, you can be an Uber Eats driver until then.

6. Become an Airbnb Host

Become and Airbnb Host and you can start making really good income each month. There are many of benefits to being a homeowner, including the option to rent out your unused rooms for cash. But, by becoming an Airbnb host, travelers stay in your spare bedroom, basement, or second house.

Real estate is one time-tested approach to earning passive income and Airbnb can be less stressful than being a full-time landlord or trying to fix and flip houses for a profit. And, you get to interact with visitors coming from all corners of the world!

7. Get Paid to Play Games

Yes, you can actually get paid to play games.

Mistplay is one of the very best places to get started.

The reason is online game creators need to have their games tested by real people before they launch it out to the market.

For testing out their games on you mobile device, apps like Mistplay will pay via credits. These credits can then be cashed out in the form of different gift cards, including Visa or Amazon gift cards.

We also put together a full list of places that will pay you to play games here.

8. Save Money and Make Money with the Honey App

The Honey App will search every online coupon for you and apply the best promo code at your checkout for free. This is the first way to save money.

Also, for every 2 people you refer to Honey, they will pay you $10 in the form of popular gift cards like Amazon, Walmart and Target.

By reducing how much you spend, you won’t have to earn as much money from these side hustles. Honey makes it easy to save money when you shop online by automatically applying every known discount code to your order when you checkout.

If you shop at Amazon, Honey also compares the prices of third-party sellers to the current Amazon price to quickly spot the lowest price so you pay less for the exact same product.

With no additional effort, Honey saves you money on products you are going to purchase regardless. Now, make sure you put your savings to good use!

Read the Honey App review to discover Peach’s triple savings online shopping trick.

9. Complete Mini-Online Tasks

Swagbucks is the best place to start when for getting paid to complete tasks such as reading emails, surfing the web, playing games, shopping online and using mobile apps to name a few.

BONUS: One thing I really like about Swagbucks is the option to donate to one of the many charities they work with.

Our Top Pick: The most widely known company is Swagbucks, with a Trust Pilot Rating of 4.3/5..

With Swagbucks, you earn swagbucks that can be redeemed for cash via your PayPal or through gift cards to places like Walmart, Amazon, Express, or even Bass Pro Shops.

10. Trim Automatically Gets Rid of Your “Gray Charges”

Ask Trim makes it easy to “work smarter and not harder.” For free, Trim monitors your spending, account balances, and can even reduce your monthly bill amount in the following categories:

Cable, cell phone, and internet

Car insurance

Unwanted subscriptions

With a single text message or Facebook Messenger request, Trim works on your behalf to find discounts on your current monthly bills or cancel the services–streaming plans including Hulu and Spotify, insurance, and gym membership– you no longer use but are still paying for.

You will realize the savings the next time you get ready to pay your bills and realize there’s more money in your bank account than usual; and you never lifted a finger.

Read our full Trim Review to learn about all of Trim’s benefits to save you money.

11. Get a quick $10 with Ebates (now called Rakuten)

Ebates sends you cash via PayPal for shopping online or in stories at places you already normally shop.

Let’s be clear, unnecessary shopping is one of the last activities you need to do if you need to get money fast, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be a smart shopper for those unavoidable purchases. My wife and I shop with Ebates and get up to 40% cash back on nearly every online purchase.

Ebates cashback arrives once a quarter via PayPal or mailed check and you can get a bonus by referring your friends to shop with Ebates too. Using Ebates is like getting paid to shop.

Also, you can get a free $10 when you create an account with eBates today.

12. Become a TaskRabbit

There are people who need simple tasks completed but simply don’t have the time. Whether it’s putting together furniture from iKea, delivering a dresser across town, or trimming some overgrown bushes in the backyard – people will hire you.

Here are the top three places to find work using your phone:

TaskRabbit

OfferUp

Facebook Marketplace

Simply create a bio about yourself and then start looking for the task requests to pour in. I personally can tell you I utilize one of these three apps a week to find someone to do tasks for me!

13. Freelance Online with Fiverr

Freelancing online with Fiverr is another great way to make money online. With Fiverr, you use your talents online without performing manual labor. Here are some of the possible gigs you can perform:

Writing blog posts

Graphic design

Website design

Creating YouTube videos

Translation

Proofreading

Voice Over

Jingles, sound effects, and songs

Similar to Fiverr, Upwork is another great platform for aspiring freelancers.

I have been freelancing online for the past two years and it’s been an excellent source of supplemental income because you can truly work from anywhere in the world with an internet connection and get paid.

14. Sell Locally on Craigslist

Bulky items aren’t cost-effective to sell online because they cost too much to ship. When that’s the case, sell locally with Craigslist or another app to sell locally. We periodically sell our unwanted items during the year and pocket 100% profit because it’s free to sell on these apps.

Beyond Craigslist, there are also dozens of other similar websites where you can sell your stuff locally as well.

15. Scan Grocery Receipts and Get $10

Earlier we told you ways to make money delivering through places like Postmates, Instacart and Uber Eats. However, there is still other money to be made by simply scanning grocery receipts.

Scanning grocery receipts for money is a real thing and there are over 20 apps that allow you to get started. While some are better than others, we recommend starting with the most popular receipts scanning app, Ibotta.

Our Top Pick: We like Ibotta because you can redeem digital offers plus your regular coupons for many food items at most supermarkets and even discount stores like Walmart and Target, and you also get a $10 sign-up bonus. When your rewards balance reaches $20, you can request PayPal payment or a gift card.

16. Picking Up Dog Poop

You can also make money picking up dog poop when you don’t have the time to walk dogs or pet sit. Why? Because it only takes a few minutes to clean up a backyard compared to keeping a pet for several hours.

One man operates a full-time business picking up dog poop for a premium in the Phoenix area. You can scroll down to #70 on this side hustle list to see a video of how he turned dog poop into a full-time income.

17. Cancel Your Cable TV Subscription

The average household cable TV bill is over $120 a month and most people only watch 20 of the 100s of channels to choose from. We dumped our cable years ago and use services like Hulu for our favorite shows with SlingTV for a total of $26/month (and no contracts).

By cutting the cord, you instantly save $100 a month on cable TV by streaming live and on-demand programming over your high-speed internet. Sling TV can be watch with any flat screen TV, computer, or mobile device.

BONUS: If you’re a fan of the 90’s TGIF shows like me, Hulu now offers Full House, Family Matters, Step by Step, Perfect Strangers and Hangin with Mr. Cooper.

18. Switch to a Health Sharing Plan

You may not realize it, but health insurance is one of the largest monthly expenses. Switching to an affordable health sharing plan saves my family 75% in health insurance premiums compared to traditional health insurance. Honestly, it’s probably one of the best financial moves we made when I became self-employed.

Our Top Pick: There are many great health sharing options, but our favorite is Medi-Share because of the affordability AND their own MDLive program: a FREE add on that gives you 24/7 access to a doctor visit via your smartphone, which saves you time and money on co-pays!

19. Refinance Your Debt

High interest rates on unsecured debt like credit cards will cause you to pay thousands of dollars more than the original amount borrowed.

Our Top Pick: Credible is the company we recommend because they tell you right away what your new rates will be. Unlike some other personal loan companies, Credible does not have any origination or application fees, and they make it simple to get started with only one form to fill out which should only take about 2 minutes. They also have a Trustpilot Rating of 9.5/10.

Instead of paying 15% – 24% interest rates on your credit cards, you may be able to lower your interest rate down to 4.99%!

Not a bad way to spend 2 minutes at all if it can save you thousands of dollars in interest to the bank.

20. Rent Out Your Car

If you don’t drive your car every day or have the time to be an Uber driver, you can make some extra cash by renting your car on Turo. You can earn approximately $541 a month ($6,501 a year) when your car is worth $20,000 and it’s borrowed 15 days a month. This income can easily cover your monthly insurance premium and car payment.

Considering most cars are depreciating assets that lose value every day and cost money to maintain, renting your car on Turo is one of the very few ways your car can actually make money for you.

You will receive payment within five days after a rental period ends.

21. Sell Unwanted Gift Cards

Sometimes, you don’t have to work to make money because you already have it in unwanted gift cards. Instead of letting your gift cards collect dust, sell them on Gift Card Granny.

You can sell your unused and partially used gift cards quickly with three different selling options:

Sell It Now

Name Your Price

Trade In

Gift Card Granny finds the best price on the top gift card marketplaces and you get paid almost instantly when a sale is made.

I have sold several gift cards online almost always within 24 hours of posting and payment is sent via PayPal within three business days. Selling gift cards is one of the quickest ways to get money fast because of the quick turnaround.

22. Sell Unused Clothing

As your fashion tastes change or your children grow older, you might find yourself with a closet full of clothes you’ll never wear again. While you can sell them at a yard sale or local consignment shop, you might also consider selling online at thredUP for men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing.

For designer clothing you wish to keep but don’t plan to wear in the near future, Rent the Runway lets you rent your high-end articles for up to one month at a time.

Finally, my wife has also had success selling on eBay and Poshmark. To increase the odds of selling your items, make sure to take plenty of pictures and consider wearing them or putting them on a mannequin so the buyer can visualize how the item fits.

23. Sell Your Old Books

You can also make a quick buck by selling your used books and textbooks that you’ll no longer read. Selling our old books is another way we boost our income each year and you can start with these three sites:

Amazon Marketplace

Cash4Books

Bookscouter (Textbooks only)

Selling is easy as you only have to enter the ISBN to receive an instant quote from Cash4Books and Bookscouter. If you like the price, you ship the books for free using their prepaid shipping label and you will be paid via PayPal once your shipment arrives and is processed.

I recommend using Bookscouter for selling your textbooks as they compare the prices of 42 buyback vendors in a single search; saving you time while finding the best buyer.

24. Sell Movies, Music, and Video Games

You can also make some extra cash by selling your old DVDs, CDs, and video games with Bonavendi. With their app, you can scan barcodes and compare the prices of 28 companies including Amazon and Best Buy.

25. Sell Old Electronics

Decluttr can be the most efficient app to sell your old electronics, smartphone, and tech gadgets. The Decluttr app scans item barcodes and you receive next-day payments via PayPal and direct deposit once Decluttr receives your shipment. College students can also receive a 10% bonus payment to earn a little extra cash.

26. Sell Used Furniture

Did you recently upgrade your living room or dining room set? If there’s still some life in your old furniture collection, get a few bucks for it. Craigslist or letgo can be your best friend to attract college students and young couples that only need something affordable, but Trove Market is another option for more valuable pieces.

27. Sell Your Car

Another way to raise cash quickly is to sell a car you no longer need. Even if you need to sell your fancy ride and drive a clunker instead, how else can you access $10,000+ instantly.

I sold my $20,000 sports car and now drive a very reliable $4,000 vehicle instead. Although I don’t turn as many heads as before, the $16,000 in cash proceeds was split between our savings and an extra house payment.

28. Have a Yard Sale

Decluttering helps you discover a small fortune sitting underneath your roof. The only problem is that you must sell your stuff to get cash. Having a yard sale is one of the quickest ways to sell most of your items in a weekend.

Coordinating your yard sale with your neighborhood sale is a good idea, but you should also post your sale on:

Craigslist

Facebook Marketplace

Your local newspaper

29. Donate Plasma

There’s a perpetual demand for plasma to treat rare, chronic diseases and you can make $400 each month by donating plasma. Maybe this is something you or your friends did in college for some extra “weekend money.” You must be at least 110 pounds, at least 18-years-old in most states to donate and free of certain illnesses.

30. Babysit

Parents sometimes need a break–date night— from their children and need to hire a babysitter. Besides asking for your family and friends for gigs, you can always advertise your services on Care.com.

31. Pet Sitting and Dog Walking

Animals need loving too and you can make just as much money pet sitting when their owners leave town or work long hours. Dog walking is another daily hustle opportunity as you take the dogs on their daily walk so their owner doesn’t have to.

Believe it or not, some professional dog walkers make $100,000 a year for doing something that millions of dog owners do every day for free.

Two places to begin advertising your pet sitting and dog walking services are Care and Rover.

32. Clean Houses

If you keep a clean house, put your skills to work by cleaning other people’s houses or office buildings in your spare time. Care.com can help you connect you with homeowners that don’t have the time to clean their house. Another great resource is Craigslist and looking in the “Part-Time Jobs” section.

33. Mow Lawns

When the grass is green, make money mowing lawns in your neighborhood and around town. Mowing lawns can be the perfect seasonal job if you need to make extra money in the summer when school is out or there’s more sunlight to work outside in the evenings.

34. Shovel Snow

You can also make money during the winter shoveling driveways and sidewalks. By owning a truck and plow, you can earn more keeping parking lots clean. Because snow removal is more labor-intensive than mowing a lawn, you can earn more per property than mowing (I did at least).

35. Clean Gutters and Rake Leaves

In the fall, you can also rake leaves and clean gutters before winter sets in. Once again, these are simple tasks that most homeowners simple don’t enjoy doing and offer a decent income if you enjoy working outside.

36. Pressure Wash Houses

Most houses need to be pressure washed every two or three years to maintain that “new” look. Many homeowners either don’t own a pressure washer or don’t have the time to keep their siding clean. You can advertise your services online or simply start knocking on doors to get your first clients.

37. Paint Houses

If you own a paint sprayer, can smoothly roll paint, or know how to seamlessly cut in wall edges, painting houses is another possibility. This is one task most homeowners won’t attempt on their own, especially if they aren’t a skilled painter or they are preparing to sell their house and want a professional-quality job.

38. Become a Handyman

Property management is a huge business beyond yard work, you can use your hands to help your neighbors with various home tasks with Takl or TaskRabbit including:

Home improvement

Mounting and installing new household devices

Furniture assembly

Moving and packing

39. Collect Scrap Metal

You or your family and friends might have a garage full of old household appliances. Maybe you have acquired a small scrap metal collection from your other side hustle opportunities. Regardless of how you (legally) collect your scrap, taking your ferrous and non-ferrous metal to a local scrap yard will yield an instant payment.

Some of the best ferrous and non-ferrous metals to collect are:

Aluminum

Brass

Copper

Steel

You will get the best price by bringing a single, large load compared to many small loads–even if they’re the same weight. Scrap yards have an easier time selling larger quantities to buyers and reward you with a volume bonus for making their job easier.

40. Deliver Newspapers

Newspaper routes are a steady part-time income stream if you can work in the early morning hours before your regular job or classes. If there are multiple newspaper in your town, you can also apply for a route that might deliver only a few days per week–instead of all seven– if you can’t commit to delivering papers every day of the week.

41. Deliver Phone Books

A one-time, seasonal hustle is delivering phone books five days a week. You need to be at least 18-years-old and have a driver’s license to participate. PDC is one of the largest delivery companies and they might be looking for delivery people like you.

42. Cut Firewood

Many people still heat their houses with wood in the winter or need wood for summer camping trips, but they don’t have access to their own firewood source. Or, they don’t have the time to cut their own wood. Cutting and delivering firewood is another in-demand income stream.

Summary

It doesn’t matter if you want to pursue a side hustle, sell some of your belongings, or cut spending, there are multiple ways to get money fast. We all have different skills and schedules so you pick the ideas that work best for you. No matter which ideas you pick, you can’t go wrong because you’re improving your financial situation.