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clangenrising · 4 months

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Month 11 - Leafbare

Mystique was good at her job. Scorch spent the week trying to sneak out of the house at odd times of day but the Folk made that difficult. At least, she was starting to realize, they didn’t actually care how she spoke to them. Whether she pleasantly asked if they would please consider her request or she loudly demanded they open the door right this second, they smiled at her and spoke her words back in their garbled accents. The only rule seemed to be not to shout while they were asleep, which was unfortunate given their strange sleeping habits. Scorch was starting to feel more like the queen of the house than a servant of her Folk.

Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to help her in her attempts to escape. Every time she slipped out the back she was able to slink across the yard at best before Mystique jingled over the fence with a friendly greeting. It was frustrating, to say the least.

That was until the Folk started tinkering with the garden door. She tried to examine what they were doing but the kit Folk quickly carried her away. It wasn’t until after dinner that they took her over to the door and showed her the new tunnel they had made just for her. Excitement thrummed through her and she spent a few minutes just going back and forth through it, testing its limits. She even indulged the kit Folk in a game when they started poking the feather wand through the flap to tease her.

She was free! Now it would only be a matter of time before she managed to slip out under Mystique’s nose and from there she would have no trouble in getting back to the wilderness, assuming fortune was in her favor. She spent the evening playing with her kit Folk and enjoying the warmth of the house knowing that soon she would have to bid them all goodbye. Around dusk, she spotted Mystique walking along the top of the fence and she waved from her window with a wide smile. So long, sucker.

That night, once the Folk had gone to bed and she’d spent a good hour or so trying to get out of her collar to no success, she stepped out into her garden and let the sharp cold of night wash over her. She smiled, took a deep breath, and let it out, watching the fog spill into the air. Turning, Scorch slunk around the side of the house headed for the front yard. She would take the road rather than the fences. That would minimize the chances of being seen by any house cats who might be hanging around.

A sudden rustle from her bushes caught her attention. Her gaze snapped in that direction. Her ears strained for another sound, eyes searched for some identifying feature. It was a cat, that was certain, a thin dark shape crouching in the leaves. Scorch lifted her head and glared at the creature, putting on all the airs her station as Exalted afforded her.

“Who dares skulk around my garden, spying on me?” she asked, tail twitching upright.

The shape shuffled awkwardly and a skinny dark blue and white molly poked her head out of the greenery to squeak, “A-apologies, your grace! I wasn’t spying, I promise!”

“Then what were you doing?” Scorch scoffed, stepping closer to look the cat over. She was thin as a twig and incredibly scruffy, with patches of missing fur and big copper eyes.

“Um,” the cat paled, seemingly unable to come up with another excuse. “I- well-”

“What’s your name, Chaff?” snapped Scorch, enjoying the power she held. If it weren’t for Razor, she might have liked to stick around. Being exalted wasn’t so bad.

“M-midge, your grace,” the cat whispered reedily.

Scorch huffed in amusement. “A tiny fly. Fitting.”

“Y-yes, your grace,” said Midge, ducking her head in reverence.

“Now, Midge, when I ask a question, I expect the truth, do you understand?” asked Scorch and Midge nodded frightfully. “Good. What are you doing in my garden?”

“Um,” Midge shuffled nervously. “I was told to watch the house. A-and follow you if you left.”

“So spying,” Scorch glared.

Midge gulped. “I-I suppose.”

“Who told you to watch me, Midge?” Scorch said quietly, her voice as cold and hard as steel.

“It was Ghost, your grace!” Midge said immediately. “Please, don’t be upset with me! It was him!”

“I will feel how I please!” Scorch snapped, causing Midge to flinch and a spike of exhilaration to leap into Scorch’s belly. Stars, power felt good! “Did he say why he wanted you to watch me?”

“No,” Midge shook her head quickly. “Just that you were never to be alone! Please, I was just doing as I was told, if you must be angry, spare this humble servant!” She cowered, her tail tucked beneath her and her chin on the ground, eyes turned downward.

Scorch hummed thoughtfully. This wasn’t good. What was Ghost up to? Why was he sending cats to spy on her? Maybe he thought she was planning to make good on her promise to murder him. The idea gave her a laugh. Still, this was troublesome. She needed to get away quickly and quietly and this was going to complicate things.

Mind turning quickly, she swished her tail and said, “I will consider it. Now be gone and do not let me catch you here again.”

“I-” Midge hesitated, body rigid. “I can’t, I-” She swallowed. “If Ghost finds out-”

“Forget about Ghost,” Scorch purred dangerously. “Worry about what I will do if you stay.” She wasn’t planning to hurt the cat much. The threat was probably enough to get what she wanted. Still, if a swipe over the ears was needed she wasn’t afraid to do so.

Midge swallowed again, the blood draining from her ears. “I- Please, your grace, I can’t-”

“Do not make me ask again,” Scorch hissed, stepping closer and Midge flinched away. She seemed about to open her mouth to protest again and Scorch had to admit her dedication was impressive but, before either of them could speak, another voice sounded from around the corner of the house.

“It’s alright, Midge,” said Ghost, stepping into view with a frown on his face. “You’re relieved of duty. You can go.”

Midge trembled. “Forgive me, Ghost, I-”

He raised his tail to stop her, “You’re fine. Go home.”

“Y-yes, sir,” she nodded and, with one last glance at Scorch, sprinted off down the side of the house and into the night.

Ghost turned to Scorch with a nonchalant expression and said, “I had a feeling you’d give her trouble.”

“Did you forget our last discussion, Ghost?” she growled, eyes sharp and furious.

He twitched one ear, unphased. “I kept my half of the deal. You’re the one who came back here.” She bristled, tail lashing, but she knew he was right. Besides, she wasn’t exactly interested in the dirty business of killing him, even if her life would be easier with him gone.

“Why are you sending little flies to spy on me?” she asked, changing subject.

“Razor’s orders, I’m afraid,” Ghost sighed. Scorch’s stomach twisted and her paw pads grew clammy. “Now that you have your own flap, Mystique is going to have a hard time keeping eyes on you and he doesn’t want you wandering off on your own.”

“Why not?” she asked, trying to feign innocence, but the tightness of her throat betrayed her. “Doesn’t he trust me?”

Ghost rolled his eyes. “No. He’s still pretty sure you tried to run off on him. It’s going to take some convincing if you want back into his good graces.” Scorch felt sick. She knew what kind of “convincing” he would want. She had to leave tonight.

“I’m going back,” Scorch declared, “and you’re going to let me.”

“Now, why would I do that?” he asked, frowning deeper. That was a good question.

“Because,” she said, the words coming to her tongue a second before she could really think them through, “I can convince your Smokyrose to leave. I can keep her and your kittens safe.” That was a stretch. She didn’t even know if that was something he actually wanted. He had seemed to care when she had spoken to him last but she had no idea what would have changed to make him worry for this litter over the dozens of others.

It seemed she had chosen well. His frown changed from an unimpressed sort of scowl to a tight-lipped, furrowed-browed look of concern. “You really think so?”

Scorch couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. “You really care about them, don’t you?! What’s so different? What makes this girl so special?”

The scowl returned. “I don’t know… I’m getting older. I’m getting tired of coming home to an empty den.” He sat down with a thump, looking askance.

Scorch shook her head. “I think you just liked that she made you feel like you weren’t a scumbag.” She realized, terrifyingly, she was speaking from experience. “There was something fun in pretending you were the cat she thought you were, wasn’t there?”

“Maybe,” his tail started to twitch irritably and he fixed her with a firm glare. “Answer the damn question, Scorch. Do you really think you can keep them safe?”

“I do,” she lied seamlessly. She hadn’t had much luck in convincing Goldenstar yet but maybe a few weeks dealing with Razor had softened her up. Maybe it wasn’t too late. She held Ghost’s gaze as he thought. The silence dragged on for a few painfully long seconds as the cold stung her ears. Eventually, Ghost shook his head and sighed.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Cats will know that I saw you tonight. If you go missing…”

“You coward,” she spat, spine arching upward. “You have the chance to do something right for once and you’re going to throw it away-”

“Listen here-”

“- to save your own skin!”

“You’re one to talk!” Ghost snarled, rising to his feet again. Scorch bristled and bared her teeth. Maybe she would kill him. Goldenstar had taught her enough, there was a chance she could hold her own in a fight against an old cat like Ghost. If she couldn’t… well that would be a whole other problem. If she did something so rash there would be no pretending when Razor came to call. Her excuses would disappear like the fog from her lips and leave her defenseless. The guard on her house would only increase. She would never escape. Her blood was pounding in her ears, it took everything she had to focus on what Ghost was saying.

“All you ever do is think about your own skin!” he continued. “You say what you need to and nothing more! How do I know you would even keep your promise? I mean, you’re just as likely to run off in the opposite direction!”

“Like you’re any better,” she laughed harshly. “You sit back and you do what you’re told like a good little boy because if you do you get your pick of the food and the females and your tiny little brain can’t think to want for anything more than that!”

“I take care of people!” he hissed. “I have cats who need me! You have no one!”

Scorch’s ears pressed back against her head. She knew he was right. As much as the little voice in the back of her head tried to argue, she was utterly alone and always had been. How could he ever understand what it was like walking in her pawsteps? She felt tears starting to prick at her eyes and that only made her angrier. She opened her mouth with a cutting retort but stopped at the sound of a jingling bell and the rattling of the back fence as Mystique leapt from her garden and into Scorch’s.

“What’s going on here?” she called. Scorch immediately turned to her and started to sob. At least she could make the tears useful.

“Mystique!” she wailed, retreating in on herself. Just as expected, her big blue bodyguard bounded swiftly to her side.

“I heard shouting,” she said as Scorch pressed her face into her thick chest fur, “what’s going on?” She looked at Ghost and her eyes narrowed. Ghost’s mouth hung open. This situation did not look good and he knew it. Scorch smirked at him with one eye as she continued to sniffle. Seeing that, his eyes flashed with anger.

“Scorch and I were just having a discussion, that’s all,” he said carefully.

Scorch shook her head and pouted. “He was threatening me,” she said.

“I was not!” he hissed, backing up a step.

“He was!” she said, sitting back and sniffling. “He said I have to owe him favors if I want to go out at night!” Ghost swallowed and took another step back. A low growl rumbled in Mystique’s chest.

“Ghost…” she said dangerously and Scorch could see the fear in his eyes. It tasted rich and just, like prey blood on her tongue.

“Mystique- Your grace,” he said, ducking a bit into a bow. “I can assure you I said no such thing. I was simply informing her of the arrangement we discussed earlier.” Scorch huffed bitterly and leaned her head on Mystique’s shoulder.

“I thought we agreed female guards only,” said Mystique. Razor’s idea, certainly, Scorch thought. He didn’t want the guards to be rivals for her affections.

“We did, your grace,” he said. “I was supervising the guard to make sure nothing went wrong. When Scorch dismissed her I stepped in.”

“Hmf,” Scorch rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you picked a flighty guard on purpose. To get me alone.” Mystique glanced down at her with a raised eyebrow and she turned her expression back to a shaken one, giving an extra sniffle for emphasis.

“I’ll overlook your transgression tonight, Ghost,” said Mystique, turning back to him. She sounded more annoyed to be out of bed than she did angry with Ghost. “Don’t let me catch you here again, though, or my brother will hear about it.”

“Yes, your grace,” Ghost bowed his head respectfully but Scorch could see his eyes burning holes into her pelt. “Thank you.” Mystique flicked an ear and with one last glare, Ghost slank off into the night. Mystique sighed and let her posture relax.

“I’m lucky you came to rescue me,” Scorch said, batting her eyelashes and settling her fur over her shoulders like a proper lady. “He can be such a brute.”

“He didn’t actually say any of that stuff to you, did he,” said Mystique with an impassive expression. Scorch let out a breath as her words briefly failed her. She smiled, trying to find the right lie to get Mystique to believe her.

“No,” she eventually sighed in defeat. “But he did say plenty of other rude things.” She swished her tail over her paws and turned to study the way the slivered moon illuminated the shrubs in the garden.

“Any I need to know about?” Mystique asked. Scorch twitched an ear in her direction. She sounded genuinely concerned at least.

“No…” Scorch sighed. “It's… personal.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. As much as she hated to admit it, he had struck her close to home with his last barb. She was entirely and inarguably alone.

Mystique settled down beside her and wrapped her tail around Scorch’s back. “You guys used to be close right?”

Scorch sighed. “You could say that,” she shrugged, rolling her eyes to the heavens.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

Scorch tilted her head to look at Mystique. The other cat had fixed her with a sort of tough love look, a look that said she was open but not vulnerable and ready to listen. How very tomboyish of her, Scorch thought. She considered saying no and she knew Mystique would leave it at that but she also knew it was only a matter of time until she satisfied her curiosity somewhere else. No, it was better for Scorch to take control of the narrative, give her some of the truth but not all of it.

“Well, you know how he is,” Scorch said. “Always moving from one conquest to the next.”

“I’ve heard,” Mystique grimaced a little. “Did you two ever…” She trailed off, looking unsure.

Scorch laughed. “No. No, he’s a simple boy, really. I knew he would get bored if he ever got what he wanted so I led him on. It wasn’t too hard.” She left out the fact that she had sought him out in the first place, that she had arranged a meeting that seemed like coincidence. She had known he was in charge and that had meant he had the power to keep her safe so long as she played it right. She’d walked a careful line between tantalizingly holding herself just out of reach and laying her affection on thick enough to keep him stuck on her. She’d played the jealous flirt, kept other girls at bay, made sure he had eyes only for her. She wondered if he hated her for that, if he was bitter over the months he’d gone without in the hopes of having her. Serves him right, she thought with a smirk, the old bastard.

“So what happened?” Mystique asked, drawing Scorch’s attention back to more unpleasant things.

“I met Razor,” she said simply.

“Ahh,” Mystique smiled sympathetically. “Let me guess, he wouldn’t take no for an answer.” She said it like it was a charming thing.

“You have no idea,” Scorch laughed but inside she felt a thousand miles away. She remembered the way he had pestered her, the way he’d shown up when she’d least expected him, the way he’d cornered her against a wall more than once and she’d had to find an excuse to leave. She remembered his gaze, his voice, his heat. “But he won me over, you know? I was the one who chose him.”

She remembered the night she’d decided to humor him. If Ghost had kept her safe, she’d reasoned, imagine the security that would come with being Razor’s girl! It had been a calculated gamble - if she could lead him on she would be untouchable - and she had bet on her talents with the opposite sex to keep her safe.

She remembered how foolish and arrogant she had been. She remembered how quickly she had realized her mistake. Ghost enjoyed the chase. He loved the word play and the fleeting touches and the game of it and so had she, to some extent. Razor didn’t play. He toyed. He insisted. And she had given him what he wanted with a smile and all the while she had been thinking, how do I get out of this?

And now she was trapped again. He had made sure of it. There was no way out of the neighborhood. No sure way, at least. Whatever escape attempt she made would be risky and the consequences of failure would be severe. Razor was the kind of tom who did things to show you he could, who took what he didn’t need just to make you feel small. If she tried to leave and failed…

“Are you alright?”

Scorch inhaled sharply and blinked away the tears starting to freeze on her cheeks. When had she started crying? Mystique leaned in worriedly. Scorch laughed in embarrassment, breath fogging heavily in front of her, and daintily wiped the droplets away.

“Oh, yes,” she lied with a smile. “Sorry, I just miss him.”

“Yeah,” Mystique’s worry softened into a frown. Scorch couldn’t tell if she was convinced or not. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to be convincing or not. “Why don’t you go get some sleep.”

“That’s a good idea,” nodded Scorch. They both stood, shaking out their fur against the cold.

“Hey, how about we go see Portia soon,” Mystique offered. “Get your Name Charm interpreted!”

“Oh,” Scorch blinked. “Yes, that's… that’s a lovely idea, Mystique.” She had entirely forgotten. There was a new name, her Folk’s name for her, hanging around her neck. There were cats who claimed they could tell what it was.

“Just pick the day,” Mystique said. “And I’m sorry about the night guards. Razor is worried about you, that’s all.”

“I understand,” said Scorch. “No apology necessary. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that, she turned and slipped through her flap. The house was warm and pristine as ever. The air buzzed with the sounds of sleeping machinery. Scorch found her way to the mother Folk’s den and leapt onto the bed then settled down next to her warm face, curling her tail around herself tightly. The human stirred and sneezed. Groggily, she looked around and spotted Scorch through squinted eyes.

“Did I wake you?” Scorch mewed quietly. She felt soggy, like the tears she hadn’t cried were soaking into her being and weighing her down. All she wanted to do was sleep. The human grumbled something in her own tongue and rolled over, pulling Scorch down under the blankets and against her chest. Scorch purred sadly, butting up against the human’s chin.

“Thank you,” she whispered. She snuggled in and tried to drift away. It was nice to imagine, at least for tonight, tucked carefully into such a warm and quiet nest next to her Folk, that she wasn’t alone.

#clan gen #clangen #warrior cats #warriors #warrior cats oc #warriors oc #clangen oc #clan gen oc #Scorchplume #Mystique #Ghost #Midge #TW SA Mention #Leafbare #Razor #swear warning #clangenrising

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shamera · 7 months

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An Oar Upon the Water (MLC ficlet)

Fandom: Mysterious Lotus Casebook Character/Pairing(s): Di Feisheng / Li Lianhua / Fang Duobing Rating: PG Warning: none? fluff! DreamWidth link

"There are some people who leave impressions not so lasting as the imprint of an oar upon the water." -Kate Chopin

Despite his reputation, Li Lianhua didn’t always work as a physician for money.

Of course he didn’t, not when he saw sick children lining the streets or parents offering what little they had if only someone would help— and he could help. Perhaps it was unwise to use his Yangzhouman in those cases, but he once tried to make the world a better place and it turned out to be a habit hard to break.

For the poorer families, he often got cases of vegetables (he would accept seeds for payment as well) or whatever homemade kits of items they could afford to give away. Once, a young girl gifted him with a tiny wood carving for helping her injured brother.

“It’s my favourite,” she lisped in a mock-whisper, holding it up for him with both hands. She was missing at least two of her front teeth, and had her hair barely contained in a childish bun on the side of her head. “Brother made it for me.”

Li Lianhua had knelt before her to keep her at eye level, a little tired but not overly so from his session. “You should keep it, then. It must be worth more than anything in the world.”

She brightened at his acknowledgement, all but thrusting the little wood piece at his chest. “It is! But you have it, okay? Brother can make a new one for me now.”

And thus Li Lianhua ended up with various knick-knacks in Lotus Tower that he just couldn’t bear to throw away.

—

After the cumulation of everything, Li Lianhua returned to Lotus Tower filled with trepidation. With nothing else to do (he had practically been ordered under house arrest! He was rarely left alone, and even when he was, Hulijing barked loudly every time he walked outside the door!), he found himself organising boxes and drawers in an attempt to keep busy.

By the time Fang Duobing came back, slouching a little from exhaustion from dealing with angry officials who could hardly believe the results (and arrests) from a case, he found Li Lianhua in the middle of a chaotic mess on the ground, piles of random trinkets thrown atop the table and chairs and floor.

“What are you doing?” The younger man asked, mentally despairing at the idea of cleaning all that up in order to make room for dinner. He crept close, toeing the mess warily.

It was Hulijing, sprawled across Li Lianhua’s lap for a nap, who twitched an ear and acknowledged Fang Duobing’s presence first, opening a single eye and then huffing a breath before going back to her nap.

Li Lianhua, on the other hand, took a long moment before he looked up from his inventory, ink dotting the edge of his sleeves as he examined several wooden objects before picking up the wet brush that was resting a little too close to his clothes and writing something down on paper. He looked up only after he was finished.

“Xiaobao,” he acknowledged warmly. “How did it go?”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Fang Duobing replied, raising his chin proudly. He leaned over a large stack of books on the table. “What are you doing?”

“Organising.” Li Lianhua responded absentmindedly, and then paused. He gestured Fang Duobing forward with a hand. “Come here.”

It took him a moment to carefully step over the mess, and then lean down as Li Lianhua gestured him closer again, waiting as the man took one of the small wooden pieces and pressed it against the nearly empty plate of ink set on the side of the floor. Then Li Lianhua grabbed him by the hand and pressed the wooden bit against his skin.

“Good job on the last case.” Li Lianhua told him, and then lifted the wooden piece, making a pleased noise at what it revealed.

Fang Duobing lifted his hand, at first bothered by the ink stain and then amused as he saw the six petal flower impression left on his skin. “Thanks. What’s this?”

“I couldn’t figure out the shape of it.” Li Lianhua told him, setting the wooden stamp back down on the ground.

Fang Duobing gave only a moment’s dubious glance at the paper next to Li Lianhua, and then decided to ignore the small lie. He was coming to realise how Li Lianhua would speak, truth and lies mixed together in the grand scheme of things at all times, and this was one of those moments where he was deflecting with a small lie, one that was far too easy to pick out. It had taken him months originally to realise: Li Lianhua was actually a pretty bad liar.

“Is that a seal?” Fang Duobing asked, lifting his hand to better examine the shape. The petals were roughly carved, and the ink was slightly blotchy, bleeding a bit onto his skin already. It was cute, the size no bigger than a fingernail. “Did you make it?”

Li Lianhua shook his head absentmindedly. “Given to me, I think.”

Fang Duobing made a considering noise, and thought about Li Lianhua pressing the stamp against his skin to tell him he did a good job. “I’ll get you a better one. Something lotus-shaped. And cinnabar ink.”

“What use would I have for that?” Li Lianhua asked. He was already examining something else in the pile next to him, head turned away. “I have no official documents to sign.”

Fang Duobing gave a considering hum as he examined the flower on his hand, and smiled. “I’ll get you one, anyway.”

—

Wuyan paused in his daily report as Di Feisheng turned his head slightly to read the document next to him with the same apparent disinterest as usual.

“Ahh.” He blinked as his leader’s gaze turned toward him at the uncharacteristic hesitation. “Apologies, Director. You have, ahh—”

Di Feisheng was dressed impeccably as always, deep violet robes underneath a thick patterned black overrobe held tightly together by black leather wrist guards and belt, both sewn with silver edging. Everything was put together well, perfectly groomed, and his hair was in its familiar crown, yet—

Wuyan pointed to his own cheek and said, “You seem to have something here.”

The ‘something’ was barely more than a smudge of ink, but one that formed the shape of a six petaled flower, only the slightest bit smeared.

Surprisingly, the Jinyuan Alliance leader smiled slightly. “Yes.”

Wuyan cleared his throat, and decided not to comment on it further. Considering Di Feisheng had come back for the reports directly from Lotus Tower, very little was going to actually surprise Wuyan at this point.

He’d just have to ensure no one else commented on it later.

—

When Di Feisheng made his way back to Lotus Tower just after the sun set, the floor was cleared of clutter once more, everything orderly and tidy and wiped clean. The fire under the kettle was lit, the flame small but bright and warm in the autumn evening. There were several pots bubbling happily, emitting smells of herbs and medicine that stung his nose slightly.

Li Lianhua was seated next to the pots, hunched over slightly and mending a rip in some dark green robes, rattan fan set down next to him.

“Where’s the brat?” Di Feisheng asked in lieu of a greeting, seating himself next to Li Lianhua.

“Xiaobao took Hulijing down to the stream,” Li Lianhua responded, not bothering to look up from his task. “And since you have your hands free, you can help me fan the pots.”

Di Feisheng thought of refusing for only a moment (mostly to see Li Lianhua's reaction) but then took up the fan, keeping his movements slow enough to feed the flames but not fast enough to agitate. He watched as Li Lianhua carefully mended the rip with a dark thread, and then finally tied off the end with a clumsy double knot before snipping the excess and smoothing out the fabric triumphantly.

“That should do it,” Li Lianhua said. “Before I put this away, did you have— A’Fei.”

Di Feisheng raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement, still fanning.

Li Lianhua raised a sleeve to hide his smile. “You didn’t wipe it off? I thought you were angry at Fang Xiaobao for that. Should I—?”

“Leave it.” Di Feisheng said, halting Li Lianhua’s movement toward a rag. “It’s fine.”

“Did anyone else see it?”

Of course they did. Di Feisheng hadn’t exactly hidden from his meetings. None other than Wuyan dared to comment on the flower mark on his face.

“I should have hidden it,” Li Lianhua continued, tone amused.

“Where did you put it, then?”

Li Lianhua indicated toward the dresser by the door, close enough they could reach it without getting up. “I covered the ink earlier.”

Di Feisheng leaned over, reaching across over Li Lianhua’s warm back to grab the little wooden stamp, and then took a moment’s deliberation before grabbing the ink plate as well, pulling it back toward the table. Li Lianhua was watching him with a quirked smile, heading tilted as if questioning what he was doing.

He put the fan down and uncovered the ink plate to dip the stamp in, and then reached toward Li Lianhua even as the man leaned away with a huff of amusement.

“Oh no,” Li Lianhua said. “You don’t get to turn this around on me! I wasn’t the one who left that on your face!”

“Why not?” Di Feisheng asked, taking it as a challenge as he moved to keep the man within reach. “Fang Duobing has this mark too, doesn’t he?”

“He’s probably washed it off by now— A’Fei!”

Di Feisheng darted to reach around the mended robe Li Lianhua was using as a makeshift shield, and feinted in one direction only to push into the other man's personal space, leaving him no room to retreat if he didn’t want to get up from the chair, until Li Lianhua laughed from the sheer absurdity of it and Di Feisheng managed to slip a hand to cup the bottom of his head and gently press the stamp between his brows.

Li Lianhua's smile softened, “A huadian? Really?”

Di Feisheng found himself smiling in return. “It suits.”

Outside, the sounds of paws running on the road reached their ears moments before they heard Fang Duobing call out, “I’m back! We got a lot of fish in the traps— should we smoke it overnight?”

Li Lianhua gave Di Feisheng an amused, challenging look as the latter let him go and pulled back just as the door opened to let both Fang Duobing and Hulijing inside from the cold.

“Lao Di!” Fang Duobing greeted cheerfully. He was carrying a stick laden with fish tied to the end, arm bracers missing and his sleeves rolled up slightly to expose his forearms. “When did you get back?”

Then he took in the scene and stopped in his tracks, laughing at the two men with flower stamps on their faces sitting on the same bench.

Di Feisheng was gracious enough to let the young man laugh for several long moments before he handed the wooden stamp to Li Lianhua and commented casually, “I’ll hold him down.”

Li Lianhua accepted the object graciously, also taking the entire ink plate as Di Feisheng stood up. “Alright.”

“Wait, wait, wait! You’re not serious, are you? Wait!”

Li Lianhua smiled and made sure to press the stamp down extra hard in the ink.

#Mysterious Lotus Casebook #Li Lianhua #Fang Duobing #Di Feisheng #ficlet #this is one of the ones that might just end up on my DW only and not make it to AO3 #no edit no second look I LITERALLY WROTE THIS WITHIN MY NANO OUTLINE #...also that fan is apparently known as a Satay fan but I am not going to refer to it as such #I had the mental image of Di Feisheng with a little flower on his cheek and ran with it

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betterbemeta · 7 months

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A bit ago youtube served me this video by the wall street journal about how difficult it is for meal kit companies to stay afloat

This may be a surprise to people because if you show any interest in 'food' you're probably getting dozens of ads from meal kit companies every day. But what shocked me about the video was not really what it reported; it was what it depicted by omission, or without self-awareness.

Meal kits are NOT cheaper than groceries. This is the one thing it said outright that I think people need to hear. The marketing is manipulation based on short-term discounts that will not be sustained for any length of subscription. Economies of scale are what make stuff cheap and while the largest meal kit companies can come closest, none are anywhere near a successful grocery chain's scale.

HelloFresh has a whopping 78 percent of the market shares in the meal kit business. This is presented as a neutral fact but it displays the truth that the 'competition' between corporations is a sham: once the market giant achieves sufficient size, nothing else can catch up and only tiny niches where certain privileged consumers will want to buy an 'alternative' at great expense can coexist.

Many services have pivoted from offering meal kits with ingredients to offering fully prepared meals because people who would want to buy a meal kit aren't being daunted by the 'time to go to the store' or 'knowledge of ingredients to buy' or 'portioning ingredients' or 'reading directions.' What this implies, that the video doesn't state outright, is that average people who are lured into subscribing to food delivery services need food NOW, the ACCESS TO THE FOOD is the decision-maker, not 'convenience cooking.'

this dovetails into another video I recently watched, about the disappearance of cheap food in the USA.

(uh, ignore the watch percentage bar, I went back to it to check statistics it cites.)

the issue here being that the growing dominance of car-based transportation in the USA added a giant expense to the average person's budget, supported 'affordable' housing moving farther and farther away from centralized areas where eateries that could cheaply prepare food people depended on. So people actually didn't spend less money on food in the past, they spent more... but they had more budget for food because they spent less or even nothing on gas and housing in general was also much, much cheaper. Even adjusted for inflation.

Anyway. the reason why I am bringing that second video up. is that the first one dodges the obvious conclusion. It presents the evidence. But then doesn't ask why? Why are people so desperate to sign up for something that's cheaper than groceries, that takes less time than groceries? Why is there a market for mass appeal, because to sustain revenue you need a TON of people signing up for the discounted trial, to make up for so few long-term subscribers?? Why are people looking for an alternative to our current cheapest available options, maybe cheaper than almost any point in human history? Even with disgusting price hikes?

It is because people cannot afford the price of food with how much other things reap from their budget, or the time to prepare food they can afford. Things are much worse than the forward face of our culture depicts, and even industries that pop up to exploit the needy are grubbing for pennies

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echo-goes-mmm · 7 months

Text

Hoarding Behavior #2

Masterpost

Warnings: implied consumption of human flesh (dragon), slavery, death mentions

The council was not happy with their findings.

“How are we supposed to make peace with a beast intent on eating us?”

The professor frowned. “There is no evidence that the dragon is actually eating people. The dead body was old, and there was a sword. It was some unfortunate soldier, not necessarily remnants of a meal.

But in order to get his attention, you should offer something he likes. Some gold, a meal, something. Considering the dragon has not bothered you yet, there is hope. A conversation might solve your concerns.”

The council looked at each other, aghast.

“Thank you for your advice. We’ll handle it from here.”

___________________

Kit was a little… surprised when his buyer carted him into a tiny village. Was he supposed to work at a quaint vacation home? A sheep farmer wasn’t the type of person who could afford a slave.

The buyer tied his wrists together with rough rope and stood him up. He led him by the wrists to what could only be the town square. A group of men, all with swords, and somber faces, were waiting.

Kit got more and more nervous as they took him deeper into the woods. Was this a cult? Was he going to die?

They passed by a dead, burned animal. He was definitely going to die. Kit had precious few minutes to try and make peace with it. He’d led an okay life. He obeyed his owners, kept his head down, and didn’t get the whip very often.

Maybe he’d have a better one next time. He didn’t really believe in god, but he prayed anyway. Couldn’t hurt.

Panic struck him like an arrow when he saw the cave and the bones. He dug his heels in, but another man helped drag him along.

“Let me go!” he pleaded, “I don’t want to be eaten, please! Any other way, I swear I won’t fight it, just not-”

A rumble shook the ground. He gulped. Too late. Smoke poured out from the cavern.

The men pushed him to the front. His legs shook and he tumbled to the ground.

A snarl reached his ears. The plume of smoke got bigger, and the thundering steps of the dragon came closer.

Oh god.

The dragon was huge. It stepped out into the light and its head went up, up, up and Kit realized the dragon had bent down just to exit its den. It was the size of a two-story house, all gleaming ruby-like scales. It turned its head to the side and its golden eye looked down at them from its regal posture.

Its claws were as long as swords, and Kit could see dagger-like ivory-white teeth as the dragon let smoke escape from its mouth.

Please don’t swallow me whole, thought Kit. Please let me die before I reach the stomach.

“Why are you here?” rumbled the dragon. It- he- could speak? And it-he- had stopped smoking.

“We- we bring you an offering. We want to… come to an arrangement.”

The dragon bent down low, his large eye level with Kit. He looked him up and down, and the hum of consideration made Kit’s heart stutter.

The dragon sat back up. His claw effortlessly cut the long lead, severing his tie to Kit’s captors. The dragon curved his hand? paw? and scooped Kit towards him, right in between his front legs. Heat radiated off him, like a fireplace.

“I accept,” he said, and the roar of his chest was even louder this close. “What do you ask of me? I have left your little houses and animals be.”

The men glanced at each other.

“Um. You may have noticed the Rolling Hills has gotten… larger.”

“I have.”

“We need more space. We don’t want to, um, intrude on your land, but we have to cut down more of the forest. And we need to hunt for our families.”

The dragon hummed again.

“I will make you a deal. Do not cut down anything more than five miles into the wood. Hunt and scavenge only as much as you need and no more. I will kill the bears and wolves to keep more deer. But-” the men flinched- “in exchange for my generosity, I want a sheep or cow a year from each herd in your village.”

“Can we, uh, get back to you on that?”

“No.”

The men whispered to each other. In Kit’s limited experience, all the wood up to five miles in was a lot. When he saw the village from the hills above, it wasn’t five miles all put together.

The dragon was offering it all for just a few cattle a year?

“We can do that. And- and you won't… eat any of us?”

“Of course not. Now leave.” The men turned and ran, leaving him alone with the dragon.

The dragon’s claws came back at him, and he had no place to run. He plucked him up off the ground and turned, carrying him into the cave. He squirmed, but the dragon’s grip was unshakable.

At least he was still alive.

But the cavern walls were closing in around them. Surely the dragon didn’t live here.

The dragon put him down. There was a huge puff of shimmering smoke, and instead of a massive dragon, there was a man.

A dark-haired man with graceful curved horns on his head, golden slitted eyes, and patches of red gemstone scales.

He was the dragon.

taglist: @paintedpigeon1

#my writing #whump #slavery whump #carewhumper #hoarding behavior #possessive whumper

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chaosfairy18 · 1 month

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On a roll today with Bumswiftery thoughts

So obviously no one can be a newsie forever. You get too old, you can't stay in the lodge anymore no matter how many blind eyes Kloppman is turning to anyone. So you need some idea what you want to do, and Bumlets has had it ever since Flipper has been coughing more and more, looking sick almost all the time. Maybe living in the countryside isn't a perfect solution, but he's sure it would help at least a bit and promises the kid they'd get out eventually, leave the city, live near the coast. (As coughs wrack the frail boy with no real explanation once more, deep in the night. "I promise we'll get out there, Phillip. You'll feel better.")

It becomes even more real as he gets closer to Skittery, sees his episodes first hand. He becomes paranoid, thinks he's being watched and everyone is looking at him, no matter how unlikely. After one of those nights where Swifty had to hold him down so he wouldn't hurt himself - or others - or even run and Bumlets gently talked him down it's the same promise he makes ("Somewhere clean and green and pretty like Jack always says." "You can't tell me you believe in Santa Fe-" "Never said New Mexico. Something closer. Just somewhere with less people, with more freedom to be ourselves. Don't you think it could help?")

And it takes a while, even Tumbler and Flipper are almost aged out when Bumlets, Skittery and Swifty find the money from their new jobs to scrape enough together to make it, but they do.

A while later they find a mostly broken little farmhouse in Pennsylvania, they can afford it, if barely, and start living as self-sufficient as they can. Eventually there are chickens, sheep, a vegetable garden and fields, though Swifty finds out he's allergic to hay and mostly keeps to the garden and herding the sheep. And, eventually, hunting. He has a steady hand and there was a day where he noticed that he's sitting at home, sewing, fixing clothes, tending to the garden, while the others are on the field and he wanted to feel more useful less like a housewife and went out. (Sometimes the comments from the townspeople, jokes about how one of them needs to do all the woman's chores get to him more than he lets on)

They don't go to the market often, but when they do they try to stick together. Skittery's paranoia is better, most days, now that there are less people, but one can never be sure. They get a cat (on Tumbler's insistence, he names her Skittles, you'll never guess who she reminded him of) and a dog, as per Flipper's request, for herding the sheep.

Most days it is great, most days they are happy, sometimes get visits from Kit and Kat (who missed Flipper and Tumbler), sometimes Spot comes with them to make sure they aren't any trouble (and if he's already there why not bring Race). But there are always bad days, no matter how well your intentions are.

It starts with Skittery more closed off than usual, clearly agitated by something. At a tiny argument about where to store some milk he snaps that they never truly love him and that they would eventually get tired or pretending to take care of him out of pity. Of playing house with him when they clearly hate him. The glass breaks and Bumlets, probably more harsh than he should have says. ("Vincent, clean that, I-" But he doesn't get farther as Swifty snaps as well. "I'm not your housewife. Ask me normally or do it yourself. I'm tired of... maybe Michael is right, maybe this is all just us playing something.")

They both storm off, Swifty in his sewing room - Bumlets can hear things breaking - and Skittery somewhere outside. Wondering for a second what he'd done, he runs outside, first seeing Flipper and Tumbler on the stairs, snapping at them to go to their room, then seeing Skittery go into the woods. He has to go after him, it's dangerous, it is getting dark but- He halts near the barn, suddenly overwhelmed. He sinks to the ground, breath getting erratic. Bumlets is tired of chasing after them, keeping everything together. He's exhausted.

But he loves them, punching the ground in frustration before collapsing even further, sobs wracking his body.

What if he only brought them pain, what if his great idea only hurt all of them in the end?

(Flipper later comes out to try and calm him down while Tumbler goes into the woods to find his brother. Bumlets goes, with Flipper, back into the house and first talks to Swifty, then they set out into the woods to find Skittery afterwards)

Whoops, more Angst

#newsies #92sies #bumlets newsies #skittery newsies #swifty newsies #tumbler newsies #flipper newsies #future fic #sad headcanon #honestly they are so sad here but I promise most of the time on the farm is good #bumswiftery #bumswiftery newsies

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concerningwolves · 1 year

Note

Heya! I have an rp related question regarding a HoH character of mine, if you don’t mind me asking that is, it’s a superhero rp and I’ve been looking for ways they would be accommodated whilst on missions.

I was initially thinking of them not wearing hearing aids for the missions (they wear them for daily life) since they’re going to be grappling from buildings along with fighting, it’s really just to prevent the hearing aids from being destroyed, instead they are accommodated through other gadgets to help prevent scenes like sneak attacks, although I’m not sure if this way holds questionable implications, which is why I’m putting it here.

I have a second idea for accommodating them, which is to have hearing aids implemented into their helmet, the helmet itself is meant to “high tech” esc, even if the hearing aids were to fall or get pulled out, the helmet would catch them, along with the additions of those various gadgets I mentioned, as they’re really big into robotics and mechanics, and can afford to make it, plus I have an idea as to how it’d work. My hesitation with the second one is because we have a scene planned out which would result in the helmet being taken off by someone else as it’s a captive situation which is where I get unsure.

I know scenes like this need to be treaded very carefully, you’ve answered an ask somewhat like this before but the example in the ask was different, though I know all of what you said there still applies here. I’m wondering, for this specific scenario, if I do go with the second one, would there be any additional advice for sensitively going about it?

Hearing/accessibility aids for superheroes

Oohh *rubs hands gleefully*. More deaf/disabled superheroes. Excellent :3

I am always excited about inventive hearing and accessibility aids in the SFF genre, so this ask makes my brain go BRRR. Thank you, anon!

TL;DR of my answer:

Hearing aids and alternatives in combat are fine (and encouraged!), especially when the deaf character has input in their design and implementation. The only real issues come in if the aids are foisted upon the character or if they entirely negate the disability / function like magical cures. It's also a good idea to consider realistic limitations and necessary upkeep.

Having an aid taken away is a thorny issue, which someone is probably going to be upset about either way. My opinion is that it's sometimes a fact that characters do horrible things to other characters as part of the story, which taking away a character's HA or other device(s) counts as. Still, it's important to be aware of the potential issues when writing these scenarios, and to always use nuance.

Full answer below the cut.

Hearing aids (and alternatives) in combat

What kind of HAs does your character use in everyday life? If they use any kind of open or behind-the-ear style where part of the HA will be out of the ear, then I understand why they would seek alternative aids in combat. There's a definite risk of damage/getting lost (at worst) or the hook or housing getting caught, resulting in the whole thing being displaced and reducing performance (at best). Other limitations with these styles include:

sweat and earwax buildup in the mould or ear tip

Water clogging the mould or ear tip

Condensation buildup in the tube that connects the ear tip/mould to the housing.

For that last point, I always had to use one of these bad boys to pump the condensation out after PE:

[Image description: a SoundLink air blower box, next to the air blower itself. The air blower is a lemon-shaped pump with a tiny little tip attached. /End ID]

(As an aside, no HA-using superhero would go far without the means to do impromptu maintenance on their aids. I always had a little hearing aid maintenance kit in my schoolbag (my HAs are open fit BTE models), which included one of those pumps, some wires and brushes for cleaning into the tube and ear mould, and a battery level tester.)

Inner ear HA styles, on the other hand, shouldn't pose those same issues, and are actually recommended for people who play sports, afaik. They fit close inside the ear without any external parts, and there are models available with sweat protection (and even some that are water resistant, I think). Note that not all styles of hearing aid are suitable for all types of deafness, so it's not necessarily as simple as switching styles for different situations, but it's still something to research.

If your character is into robotics and tech, and has the means, then it absolutely makes sense that they'd come up with aids for themself. The helmet being a backup that can catch the HAs is actually a super cool idea! And like I've said, I'm delighted by adaptive gadgets and inventive accessibility aids. It's always doubly cool when those aids are designed by – or with input from – the deaf/disabled characters themselves. I.e., when it's an informed, personal choice to use an aid, and not something that is gracious bestowed upon that character by someone who's there in an abled saviour capacity. So long as you avoid that particular pitfall, you're doing fine.

Finally, there's the blanket caveat of "Make sure the aids don't ~miraculously~ cure the disability so it's like your character Isn't Really Disabled", but it sounds like you're already well aware of that. So long as the aids assist with the disability instead of conveniently erasing it (i.e., allowing readers and writers to forget about it for palatability's sake, or to make telling the story easier), there isn't an issue in having characters use them.

Taking away the aid(s)

I apologise if this next bit is going to feel like a non-answer, but it's not an issue that I have an easy answer for. All I can do is tell you my personal opinion, as a moderately deaf person who choses to rarely use his HAs.

My answer boils down to: it's complicated, because the limitations and the risks are realistic, but it is tricky ground to walk because of prevalent ableist tropes about disabled people being liabilities. At a very basic level, it's kind of analogous to blindfolding a captive so they're disoriented by lack of a sense, which is a tried and true thing that villains do in stories when they take captives. So yes, exploiting any vulnerability or weak point* is shitty, but it's also just A Thing That Could Reasonably Happen.

*weak point meant in a completely neutral, context-dependent way, btw. I'm not saying that deafness or using hearing aids makes you weak; I'm saying that someone desperate/callous/evil (or some other flavour of Opposed to the Protagonist) would probably take any advantage they can get, depending on their morals.

If a villain does draw a line at taking away a character's accessibility aid, then it should be because it says something about the villain's character, motives and/or role in the narrative. Similarly, if they do take that aid away, it shouldn't just be because they're Evil™ and whumping on the deaf character is an easy way to show that.

There needs to be internal consistency of characterisation for all your characters, which includes both your deaf protagonist and your antagonist. And, no, it's not necessarily going to be comfortable for a deaf or disabled person to read, but if something awful is happening to the characters, then maybe that's the point. (And we as readers have the responsibility to realise that our discomfort isn't always the author's responsibility. Sometimes fiction is uncomfortable and we can just walk away from it!).

But also, yes, sensitivity is important. Be aware of harmful tropes and stereotypes, and steer clear of them, for example, having the deaf character become suddenly helpless/no longer being "useful" to the team. Having an aid taken away is scary and disorientating (and also a violation! Which it's entirely natural to be upset or angry about!), but deaf people have many coping mechanisms, gathered by necessity throughout our lives. Some, like lip-reading or reading body language, aren't always reliable, but they're still there as an option.

Finally, think outside of the deafness aspect and work with the whole character. Ask yourself what else could the captor could exploit or suppress? I.e., loyalty to their teammates that can be leveraged, a dark secret, important knowledge that they need and that the captor has, a fear of heights, useful powers or abilities, etc. It's easy to limit yourself to only the deaf aspects when you're over-focusing on accurate representation, which ends up defeating the object.

Thank you for your question, and best of luck with your writing! <3

#deaf characters #hearing aids #superpowers & disabilities #disabilities in SFF

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tinyhouseexpedition · 5 months

Video

youtube

Round House Magic in the Mountains! He built a Wooden Yurt from a Kit

Meet Eric, an engineer living in a wooden yurt on his own land. It's about 500 square feet / 46 sqm. He considered many alternative small homes & tiny house options after deciding to leave the big city for mountain life. Ultimately, he found Smiling Wood Yurt kits and an affordable tiny lot in the middle of a small town--an ideal combo to create his dream home base for mountain adventures.

There's an incredible soothing & uplifting feel of a round home!

#tiny home #tiny house #small home #small house #small spaces #small space design #tiny house design #yurt #roundhouse #round house #round home #dome home #simple living #alternative living #alternative house

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bosstinyhouse · 2 months

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Buy Affordable Tiny House Kits from BOSS at Easy Installments :

BOSS brings you an affordable tiny house kit that is customizable and meets the requirements of urban homeowners. BOSS tiny houses are designed from commercial-grade materials that offer insulation and protection from weather variations. BOSS tiny houses come pre-installed with ADA standard doors and double-glazed windows for convenience and comfort. Additionally, these structures are pre-equipped with electrical and plumbing solutions for easy installation. Buy affordable tiny house kits from BOSS for flexibility of payment. BOSS has joined hands with CustomFin to bring easy financing with rates as low as 3.99%. Visit the website now to design yours.

#affordable tiny house kit #buy Affordable Tiny House kits

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oftatteredwings · 10 months

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⸻ PHIL DUNSTER. HE/HIM / have you ever heard of A MAKER OF MY TIME by the paper kites, well, it describes OWEN MARR to a tee! the thirty year old, and PERSONAL TRAINER/FITNESS GURU was spotted browsing through the stalls at portobello road market last sunday, do you know them? would you say HE is more cocky or more CARING instead? anyway, they remind me of trainers even with a suit, an abrasive attitude covering up a heart of gold, crumpled sheets, late night runs and a constant need to be the best, maybe you’ll bump into them soon!

time in notting hill ; all his life.

tw: eating disorder mention

ABOUT.

Name: Owen Marr Age: Thirty Date of Birth: 17th August 1993 Birthplace: London, UK Occupation: Personal Trainer/Fitness GuruRomantic/sexual orientation: Heteroromantic/heterosexual

The oldest of the Marr children, Owen always felt a slight disassociation from his siblings. He's the one who was a trial in a way for his parents, he had the boring name and he had three years where it was just him, growing and learning, toddling around in a house the family couldn't really afford.

That became more and more apparent as the family grew over the coming years and when he finally hit a point where he wanted to do more than just hang around at home and keep his younger siblings company, he realised he couldn't really do that. So it didn't take long for him to take in the usual Marr shenanigans. if he wanted on the football team he'd have to steal the kit he needed —- and he did, repeatedly, from other students, from the lost and found, from the local sports shop where he'd sneak it under his coat.

As he grew older, he'd spend day after day in the local coffee shop uploading videos he'd filmed out on the football field and in the park. Fitness was really the only thing he was interested in and he started gaining a following through that. It wasn't hard for that to become his only focus.

He was the first to leave the family home, getting his own place out on the Isle of Dogs and starting a whole other life for himself.

His career blossomed and it wasn't long before he was starting a family all of his own... even if it wasn't intentional and it certainly wouldn't last. His daughter, Daisy, means the absolute world to him, though. Always has and always will.

It wasn't until recently that he made the move back to Notting Hill to be closer to the rest of the Marrs. No matter how often he might try and pretend he's a different person now, there's no getting away from that. He's always been a little rough around the edges, swears a tiny bit too much ( when he's not on camera anyway ), drinks more than he should, and then proceeds to try and run the calories off in a pretty unhealthy way the same night.

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

siblings. ( 3/3. ) ( sparrow, jagger & wilde marr. )

best friend. ( kash bronson. )

mother of his daughter.

ex-girlfriends.

good friends.

clients.

#✧ owen ( about )#nottinghillintro #eating disorder tw #just to be safe

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marcholasmoth · 1 year

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OSRR: 3064

writing game is back on, my dudes.

we set up for christmas today and baked cookies in the shape of bigfoot and i put chocolate on other cookies and wrapped gifts and we decorated the tree and we made and decorated gingerbread houses (the tiny kits that are like, supposed to be for little kids are actually really great - the frosting in them is FANTASTIC and everything stuck on really well and i'm honestly really impressed) and i put the presents in order under the tree before going to write and then coming to bed.

but my dad, who is also out of his adhd meds (which are different from mine) spent the day calling people and finding a pharmacy that had both his and my medications in stock. we found one! and after a debacle of trying to find my doctor to get him to call in the prescriptions, we managed to get mine filled and i went to go get it but the insurance still says "oh you have a primary insurance" but i do not have it, i cannot log into it, i do not have a card for it, and i have not paid for it. but still! northeastern had fucked with my insurance so badly that if this continues i cannot afford to get my meds. i cannot pay for them. i don't make enough to cover my meds and my bills.

it's a damn good thing i put away a bunch of cash when i get it because this shit is ridiculous.

i get paid on thursday and i have never been more excited to replenish my bank account.

fuck.

any medical bills i get that i can't pay, im forwarding to northeastern. they were the ones who fucked it up, so they're the ones who are gonna fix it.

in the meantime, joel and i are talking about random shit, like making homemade potato chips and who's gonna drive when we go out of town next. it's nice to have normalcy somewhere.

merry shitscram!

#molly rambles #operation srr #osrr #3000s #3060s #sunshine boy

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orangedoubt4 · 2 years

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You might be spending more in the neighborhood with concreate made properties. Individuals who want to save extra money or wish to spend fairly on power consumption prices; then Barndominium will be the preferred choice for them. Perfect for household or retired couple needing room to entertain. You’ll love the hovering spaces in a two-story residing barndo with an upstairs loft. Enter from both the double entrance doorways or the storage to search out your self in an open idea living house. Jake may give you ballpark figures on both these choices. We have a couple of plans which might be similar that we like with a bit larger residing space. One plan has a breezeway to a separate constructing with garage shop. Also, we like the look of a giant gable within the entrance and matching out the again onto a patio. Our 5 hour support package consists of personal discussion with you on the objects you would like to have in your perfect Barndo. As for the exact length of time required to build a barndominium, there are some builders that manage to complete the project inside 6 months. It is necessary that you contact your native builder and meet their previous shoppers. When the development of barndominiums officially began is unsure. However, it is secure to say that the idea solely got here up through the mid-2000s and was not acknowledged by most people till a quantity of years later. The only difference is that you will be getting extra for every dollar you spend. You will also get pleasure from a quicker construction course of accomplished in a shorter time frame. Due to steel sheet based mostly buildings, the interiors might be extra spacious. Pull up a chair and make your self snug as you flick through the best of Homedecorh. When you have put into consideration the three above, you would have a complete of the exact value on your barndominium. Offering a beautiful and roomy space, a barndominium home can all the time be a super alternative for any home-owner. Who doesn’t love to have a home the place you can get along with your family members and have a grand time, right? It lets you prepare your meals whereas watching your youngsters play. Upstairs, a third bed room could be used as a guest suite or a personal residence office. The Table Rock plan is an amazing barndominium that mixes a huge storage space with a beautiful house to provide the best of both worlds. Attached to the whopping 3570 sq ft storage is a wonderful home with a loft stage and hovering ceiling. But for these barndominiums, you’ll require an inexpensive and customized barn house package, which brings us to our subsequent level. For this construct, the client went with a relatively easy but timelessly interesting design. They have been capable of utilize a 1,890 square foot residing space with this barndominium shell (not including wrap-around porch). This worth doesn’t embody interior finish, residential doorways and windows, roofing materials, and web site preparation. Additionally, you can work with the architect that did this ground plan and adjust the garage area to as an alternative work as a workshop, artwork studio, or crafting room instead. You can even have conversations with your folks and guests whereas cooking, because of the open kitchen design. There’s only one method to do this, which is by changing them with new ones, as it’s for your own safety and comfort. Since the roof of a barn isn't as sturdy as that of a house, you’ll have to exchange the roof as well. Modern barn home ground plans Monday january revealed annette hella anita nice trendy design barn house interior outcomes change. Barndominium builders often include their very own barndominium floor plans. Feel free to voice your ideas and say no to their barndominium plans when you have have already got your own most well-liked plan. Using Barndominium ground plans, you'll find a way to simply plan your subsequent Barndominium residence. Designed particularly for builders, builders, and real property agents working in the home building trade. Choose from our assortment of Frame solely kits, Complete pr-cut kits, or Fully assembled garages. And equipment such as home windows, skylights, doors, wainscots, insulation, mezzanines, and lots of others, in accordance with your preferences and requirements. But if you are not comfortable with the messy kitchen, you probably can try to cover it using room dividers. Your youngsters might be thrilled when understanding that you will build a game room in this house. Behind the storage is a mud room that forestalls your wet and soiled raincoat and boots from messing the house.

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slidingdoorwardrobes · 7 days

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Types of Mosquito Nets for Windows

Mosquito Nets for Windows are essential barriers that keep pesky insects like mosquitoes out of your home while allowing fresh air to flow freely. These nets come in various types, each offering unique features to suit different needs. Here are some of the types of mosquito nets for windows.

Fixed-frame mosquito nets are sturdy and permanent, providing long-lasting protection by attaching directly to the window frame. Roll-up and sliding mosquito nets offer convenience, allowing you to retract or slide them open when needed and tuck them away neatly when not in use. Magnetic nets are hassle-free, easily attaching to the window frame with magnetic strips for quick installation and removal. Adhesive mesh nets are lightweight and simple to install with adhesive strips or hooks, perfect for temporary use or rental properties.

Pleated mosquito nets offer flexibility, expanding or collapsing like an accordion to fit your window size perfectly. DIY kits are also available for those who prefer a customized solution, allowing you to create your nets tailored to your window dimensions and design preferences.

No matter which type you choose, window mosquito nets provide a reliable defense against insects, ensuring a comfortable and bug-free environment in your home.

Types of Mosquito Nets for Windows

Here are some common types of mosquito nets for windows:

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5. Adhesive mesh mosquito nets: These are lightweight nets that can be easily attached to the window frame using adhesive strips or hooks. Adhesive mesh nets are simple to install and remove, making them suitable for temporary or rental properties.

Benefits of Mosquito nets for Windows

Each type of window mosquito net has its advantages and suitability depending on factors such as window size, installation requirements, budget, and personal preferences. Regardless of the type chosen, investing in mosquito nets for windows can greatly enhance comfort and protection in your home, allowing you to enjoy fresh air without the nuisance of insects.

Mosquito nets for windows are like superheroes for your home, protecting you from those tiny, annoying bloodsuckers while still letting fresh air in. Here’s why they’re awesome:

First off, they’re like a shield against mosquitoes and other creepy crawlies. These nets have tiny holes that are too small for bugs to squeeze through, so they act like a barrier, keeping those pesky critters outside where they belong. That means you can enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep without the constant buzzing of mosquitoes in your ear.

But wait, there’s more! Mosquito nets also help to keep your home clean and healthy. See, mosquitoes aren’t just annoying; they can also carry nasty diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and Zika virus. By keeping them out of your house, mosquito nets help to reduce the risk of these diseases spreading to you and your family. It’s like having a protective bubble around your home!

Plus, mosquito nets are super easy to use. You just hang them over your windows, and voila! Instant bug protection. They’re also easy to clean; just give them a shake or a wash every now and then to keep them free from dust and dirt.

So there you have it: mosquito nets for windows are a simple, affordable, and effective way to keep bugs out of your home and protect your family from mosquito-borne diseases. With so many benefits, why wouldn’t you want to invest in

Why Choose Spectra Blinds for Mosquito Mesh

Spectra blinds are a great choice for mosquito mesh because they offer effective protection against pesky bugs while also providing privacy and style. These blinds are specially designed to keep mosquitoes and other insects out while still allowing fresh air to flow through your home. They are made of high-quality materials that are durable and long-lasting, so you can trust them to keep your space bug-free for years to come. Plus, spectra blinds come in a variety of colors and styles to suit any decor, so you can find the perfect match for your home. With spectra blinds, you can enjoy the comfort of your space without worrying about annoying insects buzzing around.

In conclusion, window mosquito nets are indispensable for maintaining a comfortable and insect-free environment within your home. Whether you opt for the durability of fixed frame nets, the convenience of roll-up or sliding options, the simplicity of magnetic or adhesive meshes, the flexibility of pleated nets, or the customization of DIY kits, there’s a solution to suit every need and preference.

By installing mosquito nets on your windows, you can enjoy the benefits of fresh air circulation without the annoyance of mosquitoes and other pests intruding into your living space. These nets not only provide protection but also contribute to your overall well-being by ensuring a healthier and more enjoyable indoor environment.

Investing in window mosquito nets is a practical and effective way to enhance your quality of life and create a sanctuary where you can relax and unwind without the distraction of buzzing insects. So, don’t wait any longer; equip your windows with mosquito nets today and reap the rewards of a bug-free home environment.

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holmespoe66 · 9 days

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Creating Brilliance: How Glazing Can Make Your Home Shine

The Cost-Effective Solution to Glass Fixing: Do It Yourself Techniques That Truly Work At The Economical Option to Glass Repair service, we recognize the aggravation and aggravation that includes a busted or damaged glass in your house or workplace. Yet before you grab the phone to call a specialist, have you taken into consideration attempting some diy methods that can save you both money and time? In this post, we will go over some reliable DIY methods for glass repair service that you can attempt on your own. Nonetheless, if you discover on your own in need of professional help, do not be reluctant to offer us a phone call. 1. Dealing With Tiny Chips and Cracks. One of the most usual kinds of damages to glass is tiny chips and fractures. These can be brought on by accidents, climate condition, or even natural damage. Thankfully, there are do it yourself methods you can attempt to repair these small problems. One method is to use clear nail gloss or epoxy material to fill out the chips or splits. Merely tidy the area completely, apply the nail polish or epoxy resin, and allow it dry. This technique can temporarily stop more damages and make the glass look better. Nonetheless, it may not be a permanent option, and the repair may still be visible. For a much more long-lasting fix, you can buy a glass repair kit from your regional hardware store. These packages typically consist of a material that is infused right into the broken location making use of a syringe-like device. The resin after that solidifies and bonds with the glass, producing a strong and durable repair work. commercial glazier While these do it yourself methods can be effective for small chips and fractures, it is very important to keep in mind that they may not help larger or extra extreme damages. In such situations, it's ideal to seek specialist assistance. 2. Handling Scratches. An additional typical concern with glass is scratches, which can make the glass look unpleasant. Luckily, there are a number of DIY methods you can try to minimize the look of scrapes. One straightforward method is to use tooth paste or sodium bicarbonate blended with water to produce a paste. Use the paste to the scratched area and gently massage it in circular motions with a soft cloth or sponge. Rinse the paste and evaluate the results. While this method may not completely remove deep scrapes, it can dramatically lower their visibility.

For deeper scrapes, you can attempt making use of a glass brightening compound. This compound includes great abrasives that can get rid of surface blemishes and bring back the glass's level of smoothness. Use the compound to the scraped area and enthusiast it in operation a microfiber cloth. Once more, analyze the results and duplicate the procedure if essential. 3. Repairing Broken Glass. In some cases, a glass could not only be cracked or chipped but in fact broken into items. While it may appear daunting to repair broken glass yourself, it is possible with the right tools and strategies.

If you have a tiny crack or break, you can attempt making use of clear adhesive or double-sided tape to hold the pieces together momentarily. This approach is best fit for small glass items like photo structures or attractive pieces. Nonetheless, remember that this is a momentary fix and needs to be followed by professional repair work to guarantee the glass's architectural honesty. For larger glass items like home windows or doors, it's finest to get in touch with a professional glass repair service like ours. Our group has the know-how, experience, and devices essential to take care of complicated repair work securely and successfully. Why Select The Economical Solution to Glass Repair Work? At The Affordable Service to Glass Repair Service, we are devoted to providing our clients with budget-friendly and efficient remedies for all their glass repair requirements. Right here are a few reasons that you must select our solutions:. 1. Expert Proficiency: Our team includes highly competent experts that have years of experience in the glass repair work market. We have the understanding and expertise to deal with any kind of glass repair work task, no matter just how large or small.

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2. High-Quality Products: We utilize just the highest quality materials and tools to guarantee that our repair services are resilient and sturdy. Our objective is to supply you with a solution that will certainly stand the examination of time. 3. Timely Service: We recognize that glass fixing is frequently an urgent issue. That's why we make every effort to supply punctual and effective service to lessen your downtime and aggravation. 4. Affordable Pricing: We provide affordable rates for all our solutions, making sure that you obtain the very best worth for your cash. We believe that quality glass fixing need to come and inexpensive to all. Final thought. If you're confronted with a busted or broken glass, don't panic. Before reaching out to a specialist, attempt several of these efficient do it yourself approaches for glass repair. Nonetheless, if you discover that the damages is past your capacities or you just want the satisfaction that includes specialist assistance, don't wait to call The Economical Option to Glass Repair Work. Our team of professionals is ready to provide you with budget friendly and effective services for all your glass fixing demands.

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#glazier #window repairs #window installation #glass repair

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